My Racing Adventures 



and try to crush them all in a promiscuous 

 melee." . . . My reply was lost in the mist. 



At Liverpool, in 1888, I rode in one of the 

 most closely-contested matches ever witnessed 

 there or on any other course. The runners were 

 Mr H. T. Fenwick's " Bertha " (four years old, 

 10 st. 4 lb.) and Mr R. Moncrieffs " Hettie " 

 (five years, 11 st.). The distance was 2 miles over 

 hurdles; the betting was 11 to 10 on "Bertha," 

 ridden by W. Nightingall, though my mount, 

 " Hettie," had a very large number of followers. 

 The wagering was exceedingly brisk and spirited ; 

 people scarcely knew which to back until they 

 had made their investment, and then regretted 

 their precipitancy. After a tremendous tussle 

 brother William just beat me by a neck, and 

 the " form " of the two horses worked out most 

 correctly. Few more genuinely sporting matches 

 — and we do not see many of them now — than 

 the one described have ever been run. The loser 

 was not forgotten when the awards of merit 

 were distributed. 



Curiously enough, I rode the winner of the 

 last steeplechase at the old Croydon Meeting 

 in November 1890, and also the last flat race 

 there in October 1890, on Mr H. Heasman's 

 "Lamprey," beating M. Cannon (second) on 



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