CHASING AND RACING 23 



" Paddies," " Leprechauns," " Fenians," '' Dan' 

 O'Connells," "St. Patricks," " Mollies," " Norahs," 

 and " Colleens." 



Amongst them ** Mr. Gilhooly's Fly " (none other 

 than the great Catona, if you please). 



Passing over preliminaries, let us look at Fly 

 in the paddock. Ye gods, was there ever such a 

 transformation ? It seemed incredible that the mean, 

 broken-coated screw, looking as if she had been dragged 

 backward by the tail through a horsepond, was in 

 fact my bonnie brown Catona. Yet here she was 

 in the flesh, with a dirty sack thrown over her, by way 

 of a loin cloth. And the *' colours " which Jesse had 

 provided ! A dirty white flannel jacket, and an 

 equally disreputable slate grey cap. There were 

 twenty-two runners of all shapes and sizes ; with 

 alleged jockeys of doubtful standing. Not one of 

 whom had the remotest intention of observing the 

 laws of racing, written or implied. There was to 

 be no pulling back and waiting to come with one 

 run this time. Success depended on a flying start 

 and going hell for leather, from pillar to post. But 

 it came off all right, and " Fly " won easily enough. 



Jesse and Ted between them had been hard at 

 it trying to work a S.P. commission all over the 

 United Kingdom, but it was no easy job, I can assure 

 you. 



Elated at the result, we eagerly awaited the price. 

 We had not a bet in the local ring, but as we heard 



