The Earl of Minto 



people dressed like grooms they must expect to be mistaken 

 for them. 



Mr. Richardson, who should know better than anybody, 

 has nothing but praise for Lord Minto's horsemanship. " He 

 always " (says his old friend and mentor) " kept his head well 

 in a race, and if the horse was good enough, made no mistakes. 

 At first he would grumble sometimes when I shouted at him 

 in our exercise gallops, but it had the effect of making him the 

 good judge of pace he was, as I am sure he would be the first 

 to admit." 



Not counting those connected with the University, the 

 first steeplechase ever won by " Mr. Roily " was on his own 

 mare Rival at Aylesbury, where, in after years, he rode many a 

 winner ; whilst his first winning mount on the flat was in a 

 mile race at York on Mexico, belonging to his old friend Mr. 

 T. Martin, the owner of a celebrated north-country horse called 

 The Swan. 



"Mr. Roily " afterwards rode a great deal in the north, 

 both over a country and the flat, frequently sporting Lord 

 Zetland's colours in the latter. 



At Kelso once he rode Reugny, then a three-year-old, in a 

 six-furlong race, being just beaten a head by Tom Spence on 

 the Mineral Colt. He had a great race too once at Ayr on 

 Lowlander, also a three-year-old, when a great pot was upset 

 by The Swan, just referred to, who won by a neck. 



On Mr. Richardson retiring from the saddle after his 

 Liverpool victory on Reugny, "Mr. Roily" rode almost entirely 

 for the Limber stable, whose patrons at that period consisted 

 of Lord Downe, Sir John Astley, Mr. Savile, Colonel David- 

 son, and Captain Machell. 



In 1874 "Mr. Roily" won the French Grand National at 

 Auteuil on his own mare, Miss Hungerford, trained at 



359 



