Lieut. -Colonel John Watkins Yardley 



the last fence, when I thought we were going to win, but on 

 each occasion we escaped with bruising and bitter disappoint- 

 ment. I felt convinced the horse's eyesight was wrong, but it 

 was discounted, so I insisted that a professional jockey should 

 perform on the horse in his next two races at Gatwick. I 

 think on these occasions both jockeys had awful falls and were 

 carried off the course, and then later it was discovered that I 

 was right about the horse's eyesight. 



** Riding in a hurdle race at Sheffield and Rotherham, whilst 

 jumping a hurdle I received an awful blow in the eyes, of mud 

 and stones out of the hoof of a horse in front, and finished 

 almost stone blind, and it being the last race of the day, had 

 great difficulty in dressing and getting away by my last train. 

 Passing through Manchester, I had to stop and seek an 

 ophthalmist, who gave relief by cleaning out the grit forced into 

 my eyes, but it was some weeks before I got back full eyesight. 

 I wonder this accident does not occur oftener. That year I 

 won a good many Point-to-Point races, also the Regimental 

 Cup, on a beautiful little hunter I owned called Woodcock, by 

 Holy wood (a winner of many hunt races), also the Buccleugh 

 Cup for Mr. Scott Anderson." 



In 1898 Captain Yardley rode two seconds and one third 

 on outsiders at the Grand Military Meeting at Sandown, won 

 the Newmarket Steeplechase on Memphis, and rode the 

 Panther in the Lancashire Handicap Steeplechase at Man- 

 chester, being knocked over when going well, and did some 

 riding in Ireland, when later the regiment was moved to 

 Dundalk. In 1899 he won the Past and Present Steeplechase 

 at the Grand Military Meeting at Sandown, on Mr. Keith 

 Eraser's Walk-Over, breaking his collar-bone soon afterwards 

 in the Irish Army Point-to-Point, which, however, did not keep 

 him out of the saddle for long. 



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