CONCERNING JUMPERS 27 



could give Ballot Box a stone at three miles, 

 and Ballot Box could give Coronet a stone at 

 four. These were two of the best horses in England 

 during their period, Ballot Box over a four- and 

 Coronet over a three-mile course. I always 

 thought Ballot Box the best horse I ever saw 

 run over Sandown, as he took the fences, which 

 are so close together, without taking anything out 

 of himself, while his bigger opponents were often 

 out of their stride at these particular fences. He 

 afterwards ran third in the Liverpool Grand 

 National, carrying 12 st. 4 lb., ridden by Willie 

 Nightingall. The performance so pleased the late 

 Sir Pat Nickalls that he presented me with a gold 

 watch, on which " Ballot Box " was engraved. 

 Had the winter been more open, I quite think he 

 would have won, for he was trained for quite a 

 fortnight on a foot of snow, and the weather was 

 so severe that I had my cart-horses to harrow the 

 frozen snow every morning before he did his work. 

 Ballot Box was a bad feeder away from home. 

 When he won the International at Sandown I 

 had him fed at six o'clock at home the night 

 before, and at five o'clock next morning. The 

 morning of his race he had a big feed, left home at 

 six o'clock, but did not touch an oat until after he 

 had run. In connection with the second race at 

 Sandown, Arthur Nightingall's web broke, about 



