SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



I thanked him, and, to the best of my recollection, 

 I had £35 on at that rate, my fancy, of course, 

 being Woodlands. But I had always a great 

 respect for Mr. Smith, and believed in his judgment, 

 also in that of his commissioner, Mr. Harry Steel — 

 a fine, straightforward man. Mr. Swindell was not 

 destined, with Woodlands, to avenge the defeat of 

 the Truth gelding, for Rosebery beat his horse in 

 hollow style by four lengths. 



Still keeping to tales of Mr. Swindell, I may 

 mention that in 1874 I ran a horse called The 

 Curate in the Lincolnshire Handicap, which was 

 won by his Tomahawk. In 1873, he then being a 

 four-year-old, I thought a good deal of The Curate, 

 even to the extent of winning a Cambridgeshire. 

 But, unfortunately, one day in the summer a terrific 

 storm swept over Telscombe, the thunder and light- 

 ning being appalling. The visitation was reckoned 

 the severest ever experienced in the district, and 

 my stables were shaken to their foundations. The 

 Curate was terrified, and in his fear reared up and 

 fought the walls of his box, in so doing injuring 

 himself severely. When I fetched Mr. Mannington 

 to him The Curate was apparently a hopeless cripple, 

 but by careful attention he was brought round and 

 became practically sound. I thought that perhaps 

 a change of quarters would be to his benefit, and so 



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