Gentlemen Riders 



speed, beating Gunlock, the favourite, by a short head ; after 

 which I won the Ludlow Cup twice, and a dozen or more 

 races on him. How good he was I never knew, as he was 

 shown in the prize ring in the summer, and raced in the winter, 

 so that he was seldom, if ever, really fit. He was the best- 

 looking one I ever saw, and a charming horse to ride. Before 

 my first ride on Milton I got smashed up badly, riding a half 

 brother to Taffy called Cewmrw, the property of the late 

 Mr. R. L. Barton. He was a good horse and a good jumper, 

 but had not been schooled over flying fences. Getting 

 married that summer, I went to live at Tenby and gave up 

 racing for a time, though I rode about a dozen winners a 

 year round the West. Pony and Galloway racing was started 

 in 1888 by Major F. Herbert, and we had great fun at the 

 numerous meetings. The class of Galloways was very good, 

 and I did very well at it. 



" In 1892 I was invited to go out to ride in India, and had 

 a very nice time there, meeting some awfully good fellows, 

 and riding a lot of winners. 



"The best steeplechaser I ever knew was L'Africain. He 

 was leased by Mr. Powell, and after winning some chases, 

 ran in the Liverpool with 13 st. 2 lbs. on his back. George 

 Holman, who rode him, always declared he would have won 

 but for being knocked over. After his return to Maesgwynne, 

 he was tried with Daisy ; Tom Davis riding L'Africain, and 

 Pope the other. Daisy won easily, and as this showed 

 L'Africain to be dead wrong, and he had only one other 

 engagement in the Cheltenham Grand Annual, at that time 

 one of the most important chases in England, he was turned 

 up and did not leave his box for some weeks. In the mean- 

 time the owner found the money for which he was mortgaged, 

 and sent Mr. Riddell down with it, with instructions to take 



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