BRITISH SPORT PAST AND PRESENT 



the tyro at the game that he was generally represented to be, 

 for he owned at least one other very good horse, also an Irish 

 bred one and, like Seaman, from Linde's stable. This was 

 Lord Chancellor, by the Lawyer out of Playfair, a six year old, 

 on whom his Lordship had won the Grand Military Gold Cup 

 at Sandown three weeks before ; so the jockey was pretty fit, 

 as a man must needs be to accomplish the proudest ambition 

 of the soldier rider — to win the Gold Cup and the National in 

 the same year. As a five year old Lord Chancellor had shown 

 good form in Ireland ; as a four year old, under the name of 

 Pickpocket, he had won the Farmers' face at the Ward Hunt 

 Meeting, and also the Bishopscourt Plate at Punchestown, 

 with Mr. "Harry" Beasley in the saddle on both occasions. 

 And now about the antecedents of the equine hero of the 

 Grand National of 1882. 



' In that year the Linde combination — Mr. Linde to train 

 and the brothers Beasley to ride — was going very strong in- 

 deed. The stable with Empress and Woodbrook had won the 

 two previous Grand Nationals, those of 1880 and 1881, while 

 in 1879 poor Garrett Moore had done the trick on his own 

 Liberator, and it almost seemed as if we were never again 

 to see the winner of the great race trained and ridden by 

 Englishmen. 



' The Eyrefield Lodge master had seldom a stronger hand 

 to play than was his when he threw away his trump card, 

 and sold Seaman to Captain Machell for Lord Manners. But 

 Mr. Linde was a very astute personage and knew that there 

 was a " wonder " who was little known, and a couple of 

 clinkers besides in his stable ; while he doubted much if 

 Seaman would stand a Grand National preparation — such a 

 preparation, at least, as he was in the habit of bestowing 

 upon his charges. Seaman, son of Xenophon and Lena Rivers, 

 in 1882 was a six year old ; he was not a very big horse nor 

 had he the best of legs, indeed they showed signs of the Veter- 

 inary surgeon's art. He was a good bay, very deep over the 

 heart and one of the gamest that ever looked through a bridle. 



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