Gentlemen Riders 



previous year's winner, on whom he was fourth, the horse's 

 starting price being 14 to i. 



In 1848, Captain Peel again rode Pioneer in the Grand 

 National, won by his confederate on The Chandler, and the 

 following year he made his last appearance in the race on 

 Proceed, belonging to himself, who, however, refused the fence 

 out of the lane, as she had done the previous year, and whip and 

 spur failing to get her over. Captain Peel reluctantly turned back. 



The latter and Captain Little became possessed of Pioneer 

 in a manner almost as curious as that through which they 

 acquired The Chandler. 



After winning the Grand National in 1846, and the 

 Leamington Grand Annual, in which last he was ridden by 

 Captain Peel, Sir William Don bought him with the inten- 

 tion of winning the first Grand Steeplechase in France, and, in 

 addition, laid Captain Peel the large bet of ;^5000 to ^500, 

 that he didn't win on Culverthorpe. Sir William, however, 

 soon came to understand that he had made a mistake, and 

 begged so hard to be let off the bet, that the amount was 

 reduced to ;^iooo to ;^ioo, which Captain Peel, with the aid 

 of Culverthorpe, won, and bought Pioneer with the money. 

 The horse unfortunately broke down badly soon after, so it 

 did not prove much of a bargain to the confederates. 



CAPTAIN TOWNLEY 



In the early sixties there was no better known or more popular 

 gentleman rider, either in or out of the service, than the late 

 Captain Thomas Manners Townley. The third son of Mr. 



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