Gentlemen Riders 



with the result that in an incredibly short space of time there 

 was no better known or more honoured name at the various 

 cross-country meetings than that of the subject of this memoir. 



On one of those he trained in his early days, a mare named 

 Fairy Queen, he won no less than forty-one races. In 1896 

 he left Wales to take up his abode in Staffordshire, moving a 

 year afterwards to Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham, a locality 

 from which many of the most famous steeplechasers of their 

 time have gone^ forth at various times to do battle for their 

 owners in the Grand National and other important events ; 

 such celebrities as L'Africain, The Colonel, The Doctor, and 

 that marvellous pony Globule, all having been trained there. 



From there he removed to Weyhill, and finally, on relin- 

 quishing the saddle, settled down as a public trainer at Myrtle 

 Grove, near Worthing ; amongst the numerous winners he has 

 turned out being O' Donovan Rossa, who won the Stewards' 

 Cup at Goodwood in 1901, and Rambling Katie, when she 

 annexed the Manchester Cup the second time. 



Mr. Gwyn Davies rode in five successive Grand Nationals 

 in 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900, his nearest approach to 

 victory being fourth to Ambush II. on Breemont's Pride in 

 1900. The Sapper, his mount in 1899, started in great request 

 at 10 to I, but fell at the second fence from the start. 



On the famous Cloister, he won the Welsh Grand National 

 at Cardiff for Mr. Duff Assheton-Smith, a victory which, in 

 theatrical parlance, " fairly brought down the house," it being 

 hard to say which was the more popular, the horse or his 

 rider. 



From 1882 to 1903, when he gave up riding, Mr. Gwyn 

 Saunders-Davies had ridden on no less than 1068 occasions, in 

 races under National Hunt Rules. Out of these he has won 

 322, and been placed 364 times. A fine record indeed ! 



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