224 HEROES AND HEROINES OE 



flight of hurdles, as was Shifnal. At this point 

 The Liberator momentarily headed Austerlitz and 

 Dainty took third place, but before reaching the 

 final hurdle, Austerlitz, vigorously ridden, went to 

 the front again, and going on, won by four lengths 

 from Congress, who took second place on sufferance, 

 Chimney Sweep finishing fourth in front of the 

 pulling up Dainty. 



Time : lo minutes lo seconds. 



Attracted doubtless by the weather, which was 

 delightful for the time of year, a larger crowd than 

 usual assembled at Aintree, to view the Grand 

 National of 1877, the competitors for which were 

 generally voted a very good-looking lot, none having 

 a more taking appearance than Austerlitz, a very 

 powerful, level-made horse, who probably would 

 have started a much better favourite than he did, 

 had he been ridden by anyone else but Mr. Hobson, 

 in whose ability to win a race like the Grand 

 National, owing probably to his well-known trick of 

 hangfino- on to the back of his saddle when taking his 

 jumps, the generality of backers declined to believe. 



That this opinion was shared by the supporters 

 of the stable, notably Mr. Ben Harvey (said to be 

 the real owner of the horse), was an undoubted fact. 



