Gentlemen Riders 



a sporting paper of the period : " Mr. Goodman's Sailor Boy 

 was ridden by himself in such a masterly style as to elicit 

 the applause of the assembled thousands ; and notwithstand- 

 ing the severity with which the race was run (three and a half 

 miles in twelve minutes), and the exceedingly dangerous leaps, 

 he did not even shake in his seat, nor did his horse trip. 

 The spectators were exceedingly gratified. . . ." 



With such encouragement as this, it is not surprising that 

 he was soon seen riding in steeplechases all over the country, 

 the fact that he could ride as low as 9 st. 4 lbs., being much 

 in his favour, as he never had to waste. 



In 1852, Alec Goodman won the Liverpool for the first 

 time on Miss Mowbray, who, starting at 12 to i, won by a 

 length from Maurice Daly (C. Boyce), Sir Peter Laurie, 

 (W. Holman), and twenty-one others, which included the 

 celebrated La Gazza Ladra (the favourite), Abd-el-Kader, and 

 Peter Simple. Fourteen years afterwards he scored again 

 on Salamander, in the second biggest field that ever went to 

 the post for the race in question. Altogether he rode five 

 times in the Liverpool, his losing mounts being on Minos, 

 Czar, and Shakespeare. 



Salamander was a bay horse, about 16. i, of good shape, 

 but with a crooked fore-leg, by Fire-eater out of Rosalba, 

 by Colwick, and his history is so curious that it is worthy 

 of mention here. 



Bred in Co, Limerick by a Mr. Bourchier, the latter, who 

 had taken a strong dislike to the colt on account of his 

 deformity, sent him, when a three-year-old, to all the 

 local fairs with a view to a purchaser, but to no purpose. On 

 the way to Spancil Fair, his owner put up the crooked-legged 

 bay at Mr. Hartigan's Repository in Limerick, and, meeting 

 the proprietor, asked him to buy the colt. 



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