THE BEGINNING OF BECKHAMPTON 21 



living outside. The details that a large racing 

 establishment entails would probably surprise 

 many of the sporting public, who can have no 

 possible idea of a busy trainer's strenuous life. 

 I have constantly built on since I purchased it, 

 bringing everything up to date in every way — 

 acetylene gas, drains, etc., etc. It was a training 

 stable before I bought it. Sir George Chetwynd 

 had horses there with Woolcott ; also Mr. Graham, 

 for whom he won the Oaks, etc., with Formosa, 

 City and Surburban, etc., with Sabinus, ridden by 

 Fordham. At the time they tried Sabinus they 

 fixed the trial for the day when there was a very 

 big coursing meeting at Beckhampton, the country 

 being very celebrated for coursing in those days. 

 While the whole country was paying attention to 

 the coursing, forty courses of which were out of 

 what is now my own covert, Sabinus was being 

 tried within half a mile of them ! It was kept 

 absolutely quiet, and no one was any the wiser 

 for a long time after. 



It was never my intention to farm and train at 



the same time, but part of my Derby gallop, or 



Gaining a trial ground, was on a farm belonging to 



gallop and Colonel Holford, who decided to sell ; 



a farm ^nd to make quite sure of having the 



use of this gallop my only course was to become 



its purchaser. The buildings were in a deplorable 



