Gentlemen Riders 



washed down by unlimited champagne, with big cigars in 

 between by way of a "soother," the wary punter shook his 

 sagacious head, and declared his opinion that it wasn't good 

 enough. 



Given a professional up, he might p'raps have had a dash 

 at ''Cherry" Angell's horse, but as it was, in spite of the 

 information he had received, the "swell in the Guards" stuck 

 in his throat, and he repeated, it wasn't good enough — not for 

 him at least. 



What a race it was that frosty afternoon ! The roar that 

 went up from the stands and all along the line as Alcibiade 

 and Hall Court, jumping the last hurdle almost together, 

 leaving Emblematic, the favourite, toiling hopelessly in the 

 rear, raced up the straight side by side ; the grim look of 

 determination on the face of Mr. Coventry, as, hard at work 

 with whip and spur, he called on " Cherry " Angell's horse for 

 all he was worth ; the despairing glance of Captain Tempest, 

 as the game son of Cossack and Aunt Phyllis, responding to 

 call after call of his rider, drew up inch by inch to eventually 

 win by the shortest of heads, was an incident which will never 

 die out from our memory. 



Yes, " a swell in the Guards " had actually ridden the 

 winner of the Grand National, and apparently the only people 

 who gave him credit for being able to do so were the owner 

 of Alcibiade and those immediately connected with the stable, 

 who had not only backed the five-year-old to win a large sum 

 of money at most remunerative odds, but were considerably 

 surprised, bearing in mind his trial with Bridegroom, that he 

 did not win by many a length, so great a certainty did they 

 regard it for him. Why the sporting public should have had 

 so little faith in " Bee " Coventry's ability to ride the winner 

 is hard to understand, for besides being well known as one of 



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