Captain Middleton 



horse of his own named Night Line in the Midland Sportsmen's 

 Cup Steeplechase, at the House of Commons annual point-to- 

 point at Kineton, and the latter pecking on landing over a 

 fence, when close home, his rider came forward, and Night 

 Line, throwing his head back, caught him on the chin with 

 such force as to break his neck. ** Bay " was dead, in fact, 

 before he reached the ground. The fence where the accident 

 happened was a low rail, with a drop into a ridge and furrow 

 field, close to Kineton Spinney, and a stone surrounded by an 

 iron rail now marks the spot where he fell. 



Born in 1846, the subject of our memoir joined the 

 1 2th Lancers in 1865, and it was whilst quartered in Ireland 

 with his regiment that he rode and won his first steeplechase 

 at the Cork Park Meeting in 1867. In 1875 ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ 

 Service, having in the interim won the Regimental Cup several 

 times. In the following year he was chosen to pilot the 

 Empress of Austria out hunting, during her first visit to this 

 country, and again in Ireland in 1878 and 1879, and in Cheshire 

 in 1880. 



In 1879 he registered his colours, black and pink hoops, for 

 the first time, and was third on Minotaur, belonging to himself, 

 in the Grand National Hunt Steeplechase at Derby, and 

 second in a Maiden Hunt Steeplechase at the same meeting ; 

 later on winning the Leicestershire Hunt Steeplechase. At 

 Brocklesby that same year Minotaur fell in the Open Steeple- 

 chase and broke his neck, Captain Middleton being much 

 shaken by the fall. In that year he bought Lord of the Harem, 

 with whom he had a long series of victories, notably the United 

 Kingdom Steeplechase at the Ouorn and Donnington Hunt. 

 In 1882 and 1883 Lord of the Harem continued his winning 

 career, being victorious both over a country and hurdles on 

 eighteen consecutive occasions. The following year the aged 



379 



