34^ IRISH SPORT AND SPORTSMEN. 



heats were won by Lord Howth's Delirium (Mr. 

 Mayne) easily. Sir William carried his owner to the 

 fore in a couple of races at Loughrea, and for one 

 at Castlebar, but Now-or-never failed to gain a 

 " bracket " that year, but he subsequently won 

 four years in succession the Ormond Hunt Cup. 

 Sir William made two unsuccessful essays in 1837. 

 He was a beautiful chestnut horse by Welcome, 

 a perfect fencer, but a very erratic customer, lie 

 won several valuable steeple-chases in England. 

 On one occasion, in a race which came off at 

 Neston, near Chester, he beat a large field of 

 first-class chasers, though he fell, and dragged Mr. 

 M'Donogh fully a hundred yards. Shortly after- 

 wards he ran him for a race at Dunchurch ; and he was 

 g^oing wonderfully well, when, at the end of the second 

 mile, a man named Ball rode at him, and knocked him 

 over. Captain Lamb, owner of the Great Vivian, was 

 at the place where the contrdeinps took place, and saw 

 that Ball had ridden deliberately at Mr. M'Donogh. 

 He pursued him for fully a mile, overhauled him, gave 

 him his deserts — a good horse- whipping. That night, 

 when Mr. M'Donogh was lying in bed, suffering from 

 a broken collar-bone and two fractured ribs, the result 

 of the fall, Mr. John Elmore, the well-known dealer, 

 visited him, and purchased Sir William for ^350. A 

 few days afterwards Lord Cranstown bought him for 

 ;^ 1,000, and matched him against Lord Suffield's Jerry 

 for ^1,000 a side, four miles, over the Quorn country. 

 Sir William could not be managed by strange hands. 

 Many first-class horsemen were put on him, but he 

 mastered them all. The match was made on a Mon- 

 day ; on the Thursday evening following a messenger. 



