FAMOUS 'CHASERS 185 



however, that have not distinguished themselves at 

 Aintree. Disturbance notwithstanding, Mr. Richard- 

 son — and his abihty and judgment can only be described 

 as unsurpassable — believes that actually the best horse 

 he ever rode was Schiedam, and he relates that he won 

 a four mile 'chase from a notably good field at Warwick 

 so easily, and was so fresh at the finish, that after 

 jumping the last hurdle he playfully shied at a bit of 

 white paper that was lying on the course near the post. 

 It was only by a very narrow margin that The Doctor 

 was not enrolled in the list of Grand National winners, 

 as The Colonel, on the occasion of his first victory, 

 only just managed to beat him. Brick, Pearl Diver, 

 Chimney Sweep and other good horses have also 

 failed at Aintree. The Irish have always been to the 

 fore, and in the seventies, eighties, and early nineties 

 the great question which always arose when the entries 

 appeared was which seemed likely to prove the best 

 of the Irish horses. The selected of the Brothers 

 Beasley was certain, with fair luck, to go close. 

 Liberator won in 1874, Empress, one of the four 

 5-year-olds that have carried off the race, in 1880, 

 Woodbrook in 1881, and Cyrus was only just beaten 

 in 1882 by Seaman, who cannot quite be reckoned as 

 an " Irish horse " in the usual sense of representing 

 Irish interests, as he finished his preparation in F^ng- 

 land ; but he was Irish as regards breed and schooling. 

 The next year, 1883, the field was one of the worst 

 that ever competed, as well as absolutely the smallest. 



