South Hatch 



to maintenance en route) when the home is 

 probably a distant speck on the map, and the 

 horse is a wretched pedestrian. 



Many famous race-horses have been sheltered 

 at South Hatch. " Caractacus " stopped there 

 when he won the Derby, ridden by the lad who 

 " did " him. My friend Jem Adams would have 

 steered him on that occasion if he could have got 

 off" Exchequer," and he tells a funny story about 

 that race. But I must not poach on his pre- 

 serves — they are too precious, and the tale is 

 his, not mine ; he makes the best of it without 

 variations. The jockey who won that Derby 

 on " Caractacus " seems to have had no success 

 afterwards. He was lost to fame as quickly as 

 he gained it — a quaint "double" which may 

 console many of us when a few of our wildest 

 hopes have failed to materialise. 



" Hampton " was trained at South Hatch by my 

 uncle, James Nightingall — who once rode all the 

 winners at a rural meeting and had the gloves 

 on with Tom Sayers the same night — but it is 

 not necessary for me to describe " Hampton's " 

 achievements. They belong to an epoch prior 

 to that in which I won my spurs. Nor need 

 I say much about " Cecil," who was prepared 

 here for the Cesarewitch, which he won, or 



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