Mr. Rowland Hudson. 169 



riding from his father, who, for over five and twenty 

 years, was one of the best men to hounds in his county. 

 At the age of twelve Rowley Hudson was able to steer 

 any of his father's hunters, and was constantly put up to 

 give some of them their work over the Ardee steeple- 

 chase course, which his father had constructed, as Mr. 

 Hudson had generally a couple of thoroughbred ones 

 to pick up hunt races, &c. ; and thus Rowley and his 

 brothers took to racing quite naturally. The best 

 practice he had, and what made him the fine horseman 

 he is, was continually riding animals of all kinds to 

 hounds over a stiff country. When he was eighteen 

 years of age he went to India and rode his first race 

 there in 1871, being second on Red Gauntlet to that 

 old Cape hero. Echo. Since then his services as a G. R. 

 have been in great request, and he has a steady average 

 of about thirty wins each season. During his first 

 couple of years, he rode and won several chases, the 

 best of which, perhaps, was at Mozufferpore in 1872, 

 on Blackboy, an Australian horse that was taken to 

 England, and won there two or three hunt cross-country 

 •events. Blackboy, at that time, was such a desperate 

 puller that no one would ride him until Mr. Hudson 

 volunteered ; and after a grand race, in which his 



