Gentlemen Riders 



experience the first time I ran her. It was at Rainham, a small 

 meeting in Essex, and on the way down in the train a friend 

 of mine would try and beat a three-card-trick man. After he 

 had lost about a pony, I began to try and get it back for him, 

 with the result that when we reached Rainham I had lost 

 ;^50. Fortunately the journey was a short one, otherwise there 

 is no saying what might have happened. As we did not know 

 even a welsher to bet with, and had very little ready left, 

 I made up my mind not to run Diadem, but was overruled by 

 my trainer, who said we should be able to buy her back for 

 a trifle. In those days you could enter a horse to be sold 

 for ;^20, and the stakes were often no more. Diadem was 

 favourite, and the only bet I could get was £6$ to £/^o. She 

 won easily, and then the fun began. I told my trainer to go 

 up to ^70, the sum she originally cost me, but he disregarded 

 the limit and bought her in for ;^i25, so that I lost ^60 

 over the race, which, with my card losses, came to ;i^iio for 

 winning a race. However, she turned out a good purchase, 

 and won me several races, one of which is worth recording. 

 The mare had not been schooled over hurdles, but I saw a 

 hurdle race at Ludlow I thought she might win. The hurdles 

 were extra big and strong, and as she had to meet The 

 Colonel and Harlington at weight for age I did not mean 

 backing her. 



" At the post, the rider of The Colonel asked me to save a 

 fiver ; but even then I was afraid to back mine, as I thought 

 she would never get over the hurdles. The mare hit the first 

 flight so hard she came on her knees and nose, and when I set 

 her going again, one of the saddle-flaps had got doubled back 

 under the surcingle, and I had to ride on the buckles of the 

 girths one side. It was a most unpleasant ride, and it was 

 all I could do to stick on. The mare was dead beat before 



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