Gentlemen Riders 



of it, that I was out hunting the day the Grand Military was 

 run in 1884, when Joe Burn-Murdoch won on Hominy. I had 

 a ride in the Pytchley Hunt Point-to- Point in 1884, and won 

 the Light Weight Race on a sixty-pounder of mine which rather 

 pleased me, and delighted poor "Bay" Middleton, who won 

 the 14 St. race on Baker Pasha. 



At the close of the season my friend and brother officer, 

 Captain G. Abercromby, had an Irish four-year-old, by Victor, 

 dam by Zouave, trained at Arthur Yates', and engaged in the 

 Open Military at the Artillery Races at Woolwich. Bob 

 Sandeman, then in the loth, was to ride him (at 10 st. 5 lbs., 

 I think), but at the last could not manage it ; so, rather against 

 my inclination, and full of misgiving, I agreed to try, as the 

 weight made it difficult to find a good soldier jockey. In the 

 end I won comfortably, beating a good favourite ridden by 

 Captain W. B. Morris of the 7th, and fully satisfied my 

 employer. Shortly after this I commenced going to Bishops 

 Sutton, where we were a cheery party in those days, and where 

 I had good opportunites of learning the trade from Arthur 

 Yates. I rode regularly for Captain Abercromby, and the 

 following spring had a mount on Captain Childe's second string 

 in the Household Brigade Cup, a very bad horse, by 

 Austerlitz out of Vorpheline, bred by Mrs. Hobson. I 

 managed, however, to pull off a 100 to 8 chance, which so 

 pleased Captain Childe that I rode many winners for him 

 afterwards. Conscript never won another race, to my know- 

 ledge, and I last saw him lying with a broken back at Croydon 

 after having given poor Billy Sensier a proper toss. The Grand 

 Military (1885) was held at Aylesbury, and I managed to win 

 my share, including the Grand Military Gold Cup on Captain 

 Childe's Scorn, another 100 to 8 chance, as on his running at 

 Manchester, where he was beaten by the Warren Belle, he could 



444 



