Gentlemen Riders 



Mr. harry BEASLEY 



*' Oh, but them Irish are a hot lot ! " exclaimed Jimmy Adams 

 with much feeling, one afternoon at Croydon in the long ago, 

 as entering the weighing-room with his saddle over his arm, 

 after winning an important steeplechase, he seated himself in 

 the chair with a sigh of relief 



** Hang it, Jimmy ! I'm an Irishman, if it comes to that ! " 

 remarked a well-known sporting peer, who was standing by, 

 evidently much amused, 



"Can't help that, my lord," repeated Jimmy, more decisively 

 than ever. " Them Irish are a hot lot ! " 



It is unnecessary to state that this sweeping assertion of 

 Jimmy's was not in any way meant to apply to the gentlemen 

 riders hailing from the other side of St. George's Channel who 

 occasionally honour us with a visit, but to his professional 

 brethren from the Emerald Isle, by some of whom, no doubt, 

 he had been roughly used in the course of the steeplechase he 

 had just won. 



Early in the thirties of the last century, at which period 

 steeplechasing under the auspices of the enterprising " Tommy " 

 Coleman suddenly sprang into popularity with all classes of 

 sportsmen in England, that brilliant horseman, Mr. Alan 

 McDonough, made his appearance over here to compete and 

 more than hold his own against the cream of our steeplechase 

 riders — amateur or professional — his repeated successes in the 

 saddle being the cause of no little jealousy, not to say ill-feeling, 

 in their ranks. 



All this changed, however, as time went on, and it is 

 not too much to say that an Irish victory in the Grand 



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