My Racing Adventures 



first three. I came to the front about a mile 

 from home, was never headed from that point, 

 and, indeed, when I got to the racecourse, I was 

 so far ahead that I did not hear Halsey shout 

 out to me to " save a suit of clothes with him." 

 He rode " Pan," second. How easily I won my 

 first Grand National is not to be appraised by 

 the mere number of lengths recorded in history, 

 but I could have pulled " Ilex " up and trotted 

 past the post. He never put a foot wrong, or 

 made the slightest semblance of a mistake dur- 

 ing the whole of that long, tiring journey. I 

 never hit him. It was lovely. 



After that great victory, " Ilex " won the rich 

 Lancashire Steeplechase at Manchester, with 

 14 lb. extra and me again on his back. That 

 was rather a lucky win. " Royal Meath " would 

 have been successful if he had not fallen at the 

 last hurdle. Which reminds me, as the story- 

 tellers say, that when some time afterwards I 

 should have won at Auteuil on " Innisfail," if he 

 had not come to grief at the final obstacle, thus 

 letting up H. Beasley on "Royal Meath," I 

 mentioned to that fine jockey that he was lucky 

 to secure the spoils. " Well, sure," he said, " and 

 didn't I fall for you at Manchester ? What more 

 d'ye want ? " 



80 



