STEEPLECHASING. 603 



said, about ,11,100 over the race. If, however, Lord Poulett was unfortunate with 

 Cortolvin in 1866, he achieved success in 1868 with The Lamb, an Irish horse he 

 leased for his racing career. On this occasion (he won again in 1871) he was ridden 

 by Mr. George Ede, whose nom de course was Mr. " Edwards," a most elegant 

 horseman, and a most successful amateur rider. Mr. George Ede and his twin 

 brother, Mr. Edward Ede, were the sons of Mr. Edward Ede, of Clayfield Lodge, 

 near Southampton. They were born in 1834, were sent to Eton, which they left in 

 1850, and soon afterwards Mr. "Edwards," who had taken kindly to horses, put 

 himself under the tuition of Ben Land, then at the height of his fame as a steeple- 

 chase rider, and soon became so accomplished a horseman that his first mounts were 

 on Ben Land's horses. He had his first chance in 1856, and in the next year won 

 the Birmingham Grand Annual Steeplechase (then an important race) on Land's 

 Weathercock.- Twenty wins was Mr. Edwards's score for the year 1858, two years 

 only after he started riding in public. Between 1856 and 1870. a period of fourteen 

 years, Mr. Edwards won 306 races ; whereas George Stevens, a professional, as 

 mentioned above, won no more than 76 in twenty- two years. Mr. Edwards had 

 always been fond of cricket; in 1862 he took to it seriously, and, in conjunction 

 with his twin brother Edward, was mainly instrumental in founding the Hampshire 

 County Club. As cricket in the summer called Mr. Edwards a good deal away from 

 the flat-race course, his mounts were fewer; but in the year 1862 he beat Fordham 

 by a head at Hampton, and on the following day made 122 runs at Southampton in 

 a match between East and West Hants ; while in 1863 he scored 1,200 runs. In the 

 prime of life, Mr. Edwards met his death at Liverpool, when riding Mr. Stortford's 

 Chippenham in the Sefton Steeplechase of 1870. The horse struck into a flight of 

 hurdles, fell, and rolled over his rider, but, recovering his feet, dragged Mr. Edwards 

 for some distance. This was on a Thursday ; Mr. Edwards never regained 

 consciousness, and died on the following Sunday, sincerely regretted by every 

 one who had come in contact with him. 



The years 1869 and 1870 are wrapped up with the history of George Stevens 

 and The Colonel. The horse, bred by Mr. John Weyman, was by Knight of Kars 

 Boadicea, and, though having a fine forehand, did not strike the spectator as being 

 an exceptionally powerful horse behind. He ran in 1869 in Mr. Weyman's name, 

 and in 1870 in that of Mr. Evans, whose niece, Miss Powys, had previously become 

 the wife of George Stevens. In the first year, the finish was confined to The Colonel 

 and Hall Court (second in 1865 to Alcibiade); once more ridden by Captain 



