Gentlemen Riders 



Alfred Montgomery, and granddaughter of the first Lord 

 Leconfield. By her divorced in 1887, he married again in 

 1893; but in the following year this marriage was also 

 annulled. The subject of our memoir died, after a brief illness, 

 on January 31, 1900. 



VICOMTE ARTUS TALON 



When the Grand Military Steeplechases were first started — 

 or soon after at all events — it became the custom to always 

 send a communication to the Stewards of the French Jockey 

 Club to the effect that officers of the French army on full pay 

 were at liberty if they pleased to run their horses in three 

 of the races during the meeting, an invitation, however, which 

 does not seem to have been met with favour by our Gallic 

 neighbours, the only one so far as we can make out who ever 

 responded being an enterprising French cavalry officer named 

 Vicomte Artus Talon (a younger brother of the Marquis 

 Talon who afterwards made himself so conspicuous by his 

 eccentricities when over here), who in 1858, in which year the 

 Grand Meeting was held in connection with the Pytchley 

 Hunt Steeplechases at Brixworth near Northampton, not only 

 entered for, but won the Gold Cup, on a gelding by Magnet, 

 belonging to himself, and carrying a 5 lb. penalty. 



The following year, as in its predecessor, the Vicomte was 

 once more the sole representative of France, and again 

 appeared on the back of Young Magnet in the race for the Gold 

 Cup ; but that time could only get third to Goldsmith, ridden by 

 his owner, Captain " Jonas " Hunt. On this occasion the Grand 



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