Mr. L. R. Thomas 



L'Africain straight away to Cheltenham, and though carrying 

 13 St. 10 lbs. he should certainly have won the Grand Annual. 

 The old course at Cheltenham had a short run in from the 

 last turn, and L'Africain being a hard puller, got away with Mr. 

 Riddell, and with all the weight, raced everything that came 

 near him. Cortolvin, who had won the Liverpool, was the 

 nearest to him at the last turn, and if Riddell had keot to 

 the rails he must have won ; but he bore out, and W. Reeves 

 on Columbia, a very good mare owned by Mr. Reginald 

 Herbert, who had previously run third for the Cambridge- 

 shire, slipped up inside and beat him a neck. 



" As L'Africain had not been out of his box for some 

 weeks, I think this performance stamps him as a veritable 

 wonder. When one remembers all the good horses and 

 horsemen one has known it is hard to say which was best. 

 I can only say I should be very glad to have any one of the 

 following four horses : L'Africain, Emblem, The Colonel, and 

 Austerlitz ; and I could name at least twenty men, any one 

 of whom would do to ride them. In the present day the 

 gilded youth of England, who were formerly the backbone 

 of chasing, do not seem to care much about race-riding. This 

 is a pity, as, in my humble opinion, they lose one of life's 

 greatest pleasures. Racing, like Life, has its ups and downs, 

 but, looking back through long years, I can truthfully say with 

 Gordon's Stockrider — 



*' ' I would lead the same life over.' " 



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