SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



Becher's Brook in the Grand National course 

 at Liverpool is named. It was here that 

 Coleman introduced the bastard sport of 

 hurdle racing ' to please the ladies.' 



At this hotel the idea of the first regular 

 steeplechase run in England originated in 

 1830, with some officers of the ist Life 

 Guards, who put it into Coleman's hands to 

 carry out. The articles were drawn up for 

 a sweepstake of 25 sovereigns each, for all 

 horses carrying 12 stone, over not less than 

 four miles of fair hunting country to be 

 selected by Mr. Coleman within forty miles 

 of London, no rider to know the line until 

 the moment of starting, no rider to be 

 allowed to pass through an open gateway or 

 to go fifty yards down a road or lane. 



The novelty found favour with the young 

 men of the day, and there were soon a goodly 

 number of entries for the race. On March 

 8, 1830, the following horses and riders 

 appeared at the post : 



Lord Clanricarde's ch. g. Nailer . (Owner) 



Lord Belfast's ch. m. Miss Doodle (Mr. Haines) 



Lord Ranelagh's br. g. Bully . . (Owner) 

 Lord Ranelagh's gr. g. Wonder . 



(Capt. Macdowall) 



Mr. Angerstein's br. g. . . . (Owner) 



Mr. Angerstein's b. h. Tatler . (Capt. Becher) 



Mr. G. Bulkeley's b. g. Giraffe . (Mr. Stubbs) 



Mr. Bayturn's Mowbray . . . (Mr. White) 



Mr. Cosby's br. g. Gambler . . (Owner) 



Mr. Codrington's b. g. Topthorn (Owner) 

 Mr. Nesbitt's bl. g. Blacksall 



Black (Owner) 



Mr. Rothschild's President . . (Capt. Blane) 

 Mr. Streathfield's b. g. Teddy 



the Tiler (Owner) 



Mr. Thornhill's Peveril of the 



Peak (Owner) 



Mr. Wombwell's br. g. Rocking- 



ham (Hon. A. Berkeley) 



Coleman started them from the hill on 

 which Harlington church stands, and the 

 winning post was the Obelisk in Wrest Park. 

 Half a mile from home the competitors were 

 straggling widely apart. Captain Macdowall 

 on Wonder arrived at the Obelisk first, 

 Rockingham second, Nailer third, Miss 

 Doodle fourth. 



Thus ended the first organized steeplechase 

 that was ever run in England. The popu- 

 larity of the sport was fully established by 

 this race, and for the next eleven years the St. 

 Albans steeplechase, under the management 

 of Coleman, became an important fixture in 

 the Sporting Calendar. The town benefited 

 greatly, as many people resided there for 

 weeks both before and after the race. 



The following year, 1831, the race was 

 won by Moonraker, a good animal, a tre- 



mendous puller with great powers of fencing, 

 and ' the best winded horse in the world.' 



Moonraker also won the race in 1832, 

 beating Grimaldi by half a length. The 

 start was at Ellen Brook Green on the Hat- 

 field road, and the winning post at an elm 

 tree in a paddock at the bottom of Coleman's 

 stable yard, near to the present junction of 

 Victoria Street and Latimer Road, St. Albans. 

 During this race Moonraker made some of 

 his big jumps. When near the finish of 

 the race he cleared two fences and a lane 

 between them, and when jumping the last 

 fence he cleared 33 feet. 



This race is commemorated by a series of 

 coloured engravings, with a key giving the 

 names of the people and the horses depicted. 



The outcome of this race was a match for 

 1,000 between Moonraker and Grimaldi, 

 which Grimaldi, ridden by Mr. Osbaldeston, 

 won easily. 



In 1833 the horses started at Tyttenhanger 

 House, finishing at Beaumont's Farm. Ante- 

 lope first, Skyscraper second. 



The winner in 1834 was a horse called 

 The Poet, who had run third in the St. 

 Leger, and was the property of the Rev. 

 Lord Frederick Beauclerk, vicar of St. 

 Michael's church, St. Albans. He ran in 

 Mr. Brand's name, ' as the Bishop of the 

 Diocese might have objected ' if he had run 

 in the vicar's own name. 



Lord Frederick was also a noted cricketer, 

 playing for the Gentlemen against the 

 Players, and was a member of the celebrated 

 B. eleven. 



Jem Mason rode The Poet, this being the 

 first public appearance of this celebrated jockey. 



The steeplechase of the year 1836 was 

 also commemorated by a series of four prints 

 which are known as the ' St. Albans Steeple- 

 chase.' The horses started at Harpenden- 

 bury and finished near the Gorhambury 

 Lodge, not far from St. Michael's church. 

 The race was won by Mr. Elmore's gray 

 horse Grimaldi, ridden by Captain Becher, 

 and in one of the pictures Grimaldi is de- 

 picted fallen just after passing the winning 

 post. He fell dead. 



The Hon. Frederica Beauclerk wrote some 

 verses on the death of Grimaldi, taking as 

 her text Scott's lines 



Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day 

 That cost thy life, my gallant gray. 



One verse ran 



The racers pass the eager throng, 

 They shout, Grimaldi's won a head ! 



But in this world what joy lasts long ? 

 Ah, woe is me Grimaldi's dead ! 



365 



