Major Hughes Onslow 



the best horses that ever ran at Punchestown, won the same 

 race in 1900, Mr. Gwyn-Davies being in the saddle in place 

 of his old pilot, away on active service in South Africa. He 

 also ran in 1902, 1904, and 1905, invariably getting the course. 

 Always heavily penalised, he twice won under 13 st. 5 lbs., the 

 extreme weight under the conditions of the race. 



[It will be remembered, too, how useful he made himself to 

 his stable companion Ambush II. in the Grand National of 

 1900, by getting away from his jockey and knocking over 

 one or two of the most dangerous opponents to the King's 

 representative.] 



Harking back to Punchestown, Major Onslow won the 

 Irish Grand Military on three separate occasions, and the 

 Maiden Military Steeplechase five times. 



Melton, too, is a favourite battle-ground of his, Major 

 Hughes Onslow having accounted for the Ladies' Plate no 

 fewer than three times within four years, the Leicestershire 

 Steeplechase (twice), and the Melton and Oakham Plate. 



Some of Major Onslow's Irish experiences are very amusing. 

 One was in a hurdle race at Baldoyle, in 1896, in which there 

 were nine or ten starters ; at the last hurdle but one the 

 leading horse pecked badly, threw his jockey, and galloped on. 

 At the last hurdle the next two fell and galloped on riderless, 

 closely followed by two more who were having a desperate 

 race. About sixty yards before reaching the winning-post the 

 jockey of the outside horse picked up his whip in his left hand ; 

 his horse swerved badly, and bumping into the other, caused 

 both to smash through the rail separating the hurdle from the 

 steeplechase course. In the scrimmage both the riders were 

 knocked off, the result being that five riderless horses passed 

 the judge's box before any of the others with a man on 

 his back. 



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