Gentlemen Riders 



Mr. Thirlwell, " and got to know some of the trotting men, 

 and as I had ridden trotters when a boy, I used to ride 

 some of them on the course. I told the Duke this, and on 

 the day of the race he backed me to ride a winner on the 

 flat, a winner over hurdles, a steeplechase, and a trotting race. 

 This feat I accomplished with ease, winning the flat race on 

 Cosmos, the hurdle with Bolero, walked over for the steeple- 

 chase on The Captain, and the trotting race on one I forget 

 the name of." 



Perhaps the most important- race of all won by Mr. 

 Thirlwell was the big hurdle race at Auteuil for the Duke 

 of Hamilton, on Jannock, when he beat Mr. George Lambton 

 a neck. 



The Duke, who had backed his horse at 50 to i, won 

 ;^20,ooo on the race, and met with a great ovation on leading 

 the winner back to the enclosure ; the excited Frenchmen, not 

 content with cheering and clapping him on the back, winding 

 up by seizing Mr. Thirlwell as he emerged from the weighing- 

 room, and carrying him on their shoulders to the dressing- 

 room. 



Mr. Thirlwell, who was born in i860, commenced steeple- 

 chase riding when he was seventeen years old, his first 

 masters being Viscount Folkestone, Mr. Thirlwell, senior, 

 and the late John Nightingall, whose sons, Arthur and Willy, 

 were then at school. 



On putting him up in a race, old John would impress 

 on his jockey that the horse he was riding had no chance and 

 was only worth riding for the sake of practice. 



On getting him on to the course, however, and giving his 

 orders, he would more often than not add significantly, 

 " Don't win too far ! " and when he made use of these words 

 it was seldom his representative was beaten. 



350 



