ACROBAT AND OTHER WINNERS 15 



were very big that year, the first of them being 

 one of the biggest. One of the runners, Royal 

 Charlie, refused this, and the rest of the field lay 

 fairly well together until we reached the far side 

 of the course, when they had all fallen except 

 Dainty. I thought she had only got to stand on 

 her legs to win the race. Presently up came 

 Royal Charlie, full of running. A German was 

 riding him, and I asked him if he had gone the 

 course, little thinking he could possibly have 

 turned round and jumped the refused fence. He 

 couldn't speak a word of English, and I couldn't 

 speak German. We came to this fence, which he 

 had refused, together, and he came on the left- 

 hand side of me. I thought he wanted me to help 

 him over. I made a feint, as if I were going to ride 

 at the fence, and he set his horse going. About 

 thirty yards from the fence I pulled my mare back, 

 which left him in the front, so that his horse refused 

 again. Horses very often refuse again the fence 

 they have once refused. That enabled me to win 

 the race. His horse was going very much better 

 than mine at the time he refused. He eventually 

 came down the flat course to the paddock. 



Dewdrop. — There were six or seven runners 

 in the Swindon Grand Annual, which I won on 

 Dewdrop, trained by Mr. Fred Davis of Woolas- 

 hill, Pershore, Worcs., my brother-in-law, who is 



