Short Martingales. 255 



jumped off with the lead, and won easily. In the next, 

 which fell to Corone, he merely trotted in with the ruck. 

 In the deciding one, for which I had a plunge on Vesper, 

 Avho was the non-favourite, the mare came away and won 

 hands down. Despite this reverse, Mr. Maitland, who 

 was on a visit with mc at the time, was one of the chief 

 Avinners of the meeting by means of Corone and Fleur 

 •de Lis. 



Yanathon won both races for which he started, namel}', 

 the mile handicap and the hurdle-race. In the former 

 he beat Necromancer, to whom he was giving 5 lbs., and 

 •against whom I had backed him, apart from the lotteries, 

 for ^50 with Mr. Garratt, of the 13th Hussars. In the 

 latter he defeated the Walcr, Asmodeus, who had been 

 a great horse in the Colonies, and Mr. Macleod's Game- 

 boy, the Irish chaser. This last-mentioned animal was 

 not given a chance, as his ignorant jockey rode him in 

 such a short running martingale that he was afraid to 

 jump, for the pressure of the snaffle fell directly on the 

 bars of his lower jaw. I may remark that, for cross- 

 country work, the martingale should be well lengthened 

 out, so that when the rider takes up the reins it should 

 be quite loose. Its use should be restricted to keeping 

 the horse straight, and preventing him from " yawing " 



