302 STEEPLECHASING 



on Greyling. This feat brought John Holman into notice, 

 as the race was run over a decidedly big course which 

 had been selected by Colonel Berkeley, and soon after 

 the dead heat Holman won the great Cheltenham 

 steeplechase over the Andoversford course on Drags- 

 man, beating Jem Mason on Scotsfoot, and Tom Olliver 

 on "'42." In the year 1843, John Holman had the 

 mount on Cure All in the Grand National, and people 

 thought that he had a very good chance of winning. 

 The day set for the race was cold and frosty, and some 

 parts of it were slippery. Whatever chance Cure All 

 may have possessed, was lost through his slipping upon 

 the greasy ground at Becher's Brook, and in the same 

 year, on The Page, he won the Royal Birthday Steeple- 

 chase at Worcester. Holman never succeeded, however, 

 in winning the Grand National, though he rode several 

 times during his career in the race. He had the mount 

 on The Page; The Sailor broke his back in 1848, 

 Chandler's year, but bir Peter Laurie was third in 1852, 

 and fourth in 1853. Freetrader, who cost no more than 

 90 guineas, ran second in 1856, and won in 1857, but on 

 the latter occasion he was ridden by George Stevens, 

 who thus scored the first of his five victories in the 

 Grand National. Holman was never successful at 

 Aintree after Freetrader won. The Doctor of course 

 was a magnificent fencer, and won in most years ; but it 

 chanced that he had to meet The Colonel, who proved 

 superior to him. Globule, a wonderful little horse, 

 standing a trifle under 15 hands, won the big steeple- 

 chase at Croydon. George Holman, son of William, 

 won his first Birmingham Grand Annual on Doubtful, 

 and on Penarith Mr. W. Bevill won at Warwick, another 

 Grand Annual at Birmingham, and the Cheltenham 

 Grand Annual. As had been the case with Lottery, so 

 much weight was heaped upon Penarith, that he never 

 had a chance of winning afterwards, and so was sold for 



