VARIOUS RACES 291 



by the way, had one of those severe falls which marked 

 his steeplechase career, while Charley, when near home, 

 jumped into a pond. The second race had but three 

 starters, Mr. Francis's Don Cossack, ridden by the 

 owner, winning by about twenty yards. In the course 

 was a newly made double hedgerow, with a ditch be- 

 tween, while over the next fence one horse is said to 

 have cleared twenty-seven feet. 



183s 



On the 30th of January 1835 a steeplechase took 

 place just outside the town of Ware, Hertfordshire. 

 It was a short race, being no more than two miles, 

 and, unlike almost every other steeplechase course, 

 included no water jump of any kind, but it was 

 nevertheless run over a very stiff line of country, and 

 two lanes had to be crossed. "As sport rather than 

 gain was the object," the race was a sweepstakes of 

 two sovereigns each, and there was no added money, 

 so that, as there were five starters only, the winner 

 netted the not very large sum of ^8. The starters 

 were Mr. Bond's Baronet (Mr. Turner) ; Mr. Stone's 

 No Wonder (Howard) ; Mr. Williams' Saracen (Mr. 

 Coleham) ; Mr. Harvey's Clasher (Owner) ; and Mr. 

 Hudson's Fox (Baker). The horses carried 11 st. 6 lbs. 

 each. 



Clasher was the favourite at 2 to i, Saracen and Fox 

 started at 3 to i each, No Wonder's price was 4 to i, 

 the outsider of the small party being Baronet, whose price 

 was 10 to I, as he had fallen lame within about a fort- 

 night before the race and was thought to be too fat, yet 

 owing to a chapter of accidents Baronet received the 

 stakes. No Wonder, after absolutely clearing (so the 

 report says) a bank five feet high with a strong fence on 



