290 STEEPLECHASING 



gentlemen farmers of the county, to carry 12 st, the 

 winner to be sold for ^150 — the latter a condition 

 which, at any rate, tended to the possession of a good 

 hunter. The course, four miles in extent, was, we 

 learn, carefully flagged out, and it was about this time 

 that flags appear to have been used at St. Albans, as 

 Coleman's original arrangements were mostly copied by 

 others. There was naturally a gigantic attendance to 

 witness such a novel sport as steeplechasing, and the 

 following were the starters : Mr. J. Walker's Dinman 

 (Mr. Jenkins) ; Mr. C. Higgin's Tomboy (Captain 

 Becher) ; the Hon. G. F. Berkeley's Silvertail (Lord 

 Clanricarde) ; Mr. J. Whitworth's Magic (Owner) ; Mr. 



H. Walker's b.g. ( ); Mr. Booth's Seducer (Westley); 



Mr. Sharman's Charley (Eyre) ; and Mr. Whitworth's 

 Woodbine (Bolton). It was a decidedly stiff course, as 

 there were several double ditches with quickset hedges ; 

 in fact the ordinary brush fence appears to have been 

 found but twice only on the ground, while the course 

 naturally included two sets of posts and rails. Seducer 

 and Tomboy, two horses well known with the Oakley 

 Hounds, were the favourites, but there was very little 

 bettinor. W'^e are told that soon after the start Woodbine 

 took a line of his own, which, considering that the course 

 was flagged, can hardly be understood, unless, as may 

 have been the case, there was but one flag at each 

 fence, to be run past on the left or right at any distance 

 the rider might choose. The second fence got rid of 

 Seducer, and on crossmg the first lane Magic, Tomboy, 

 and Dinman were together, and these three kept close 

 company till within two fields of home. Tomboy looked 

 like winning, but in the last field but one he stopped at 

 an open drain and was passed by Dinman, who won by a 

 length. The umpire, the Hon. Grantley Berkeley, whose 

 horse Silvertail was running in the race, ridden by Lord 

 Clanricarde, placed but two horses. Lord Clanricarde, 



