Gentlemen Riders 



The one drawback on these occasions was the difficulty 

 experienced by the partisans of the stable in getting their 

 money on. They found themselves frustrated, time after time, 

 when they sent into the ring to back him, the astute Mr. 

 Charles Rayner being invariably the offending soul. On one 

 occasion, when due to run at Warwick, the party thought to 

 mend matters by instructing Fred Swindell to get the money 

 on in town. The numbers went up, and Tom Townley, ready 

 dressed to ride, had just weighed out, when a telegram from 

 "Lord Frederick" was handed to him, conveying the un- 

 welcome news that all he could get on was a ** pony." Furious 

 at this, the Captain at once ordered Jerry's number to be taken 

 down, much to the indignation of the public, who expressed 

 their displeasure in no measured terms. 



There can be no doubt that Jerry was a most remarkable 

 horse, and it has always been a matter of surprise to us that 

 such a brilliant career as his, should have met with such scant 

 recognition at the hands of the Turf historian. 



Closely identified with steeplechasing as Captain Townley 

 had been for many years, his was naturally a figure to be 

 looked for at Aintree on a Grand National Day, and it would 

 have been odd indeed, more particularly during the late Lord 

 Powlett's connection with the sport, if in the course of a stroll 

 through the saddling enclosure one failed to make out the 

 artistically waxed and curled moustache which could belong to 

 no one but Tom Townley, and was just as characteristic of 

 the man, in its way, as the snow-white neckcloth of " Ginger " 

 Stubbs, or the historical broad-brimmed hat of the Honourable 

 Robert Grimston. 



The best stor}^ we ever heard in connection with Tom 

 Townley, was a happening which occurred at Warwick many 

 years ago, and was the cause of much amusement at the time. 



82 



