Gentlemen Riders 



the late Sir John Astley's tribute of admiration to his life-long 

 friend, in his volume of Reminiscences, published a few years 

 previous to his death ? Many who only knew " Doughey " 

 Burton as the rider of Bridegroom, one of the best steeplechase 

 horses that ever looked through a bridle, will doubtless be 

 surprised to hear that his accomplishments were by no means 

 confined to the saddle. He was equally at home, in fact, on 

 the river and on the cinder-path — especially the former ; it 

 being not too much to say that as an oarsman in his salad 

 days he held a reputation second to none. As proof of this, 

 we venture to quote from a book entitled " The Record of the 

 University Boat Race." The writer, in referring to the crews 

 of 1846, says, " Of these, the best all-round man, not only of 

 that day, but of any other age, in University aquatics was Mr. 

 E. C. Burton. Amongst his many accomplishments he could 

 run. The Guards had a crack sprinter in those days — to wit, 

 the present Sir John Astley — and a match was made between 

 these two celebrities. Each side backed their man boldly, and 

 the public believed for sure in the Guardsman. But young 

 Oxford was too many for them, and when Burton * walked in ' 

 a winner, it was said Christchurch and its coterie spoiled 

 the Philistines." 



Sir John Astley, in describing this, his first defeat on the 

 cinder-path, in his book, says, " Burton was at that time reading 

 for the law, and I didn't take so much trouble as I should have 

 done in my training : firstly, because I underrated my opponent ; 

 and, secondly, because I was given to understand that he was 

 not training over hard — in fact, one of our mutual friends told 

 me that he was in the habit of taking a bottle of claret every 

 night for dinner. Of course it was soft of me to listen to these 

 tales ; at the same time I felt confident then, and I do now, 

 that the best man won." 



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