JEM MASON AND LOTTERY 95 



famous dealer, at Horncastle Fair in 1836. He was a 

 mealy brown colour, narrow and short in the quarters, and 

 anything but promising-looking ; but being put at a post 

 and rails for a trial, he took them so well that a bystander 



said, "The could jump from Hell to Hackney," 



and thereupon Elmore gave i^i20 for him. He was at once 

 handed over to Jem Mason, who schooled him daily, but 

 with only moderate success. It was the turning-point of 

 Jem's career ; he was firmly established in everybody's 

 opinion as a first-class horseman, and only wanted the 

 proper mounts to lead him to fortune. As luck would 

 have it, Mr Elmore was just then in want of a jockey, and 

 gave him the riding of the best steeplechase horses that 

 money could buy ; and from that time he was associated 

 with Beecher, Olliver, and the cream of the cross-country 

 talent. 



It was in 1838 that Lottery first faced the starter. St 

 Albans was chosen as the place for his dehit, and, consider- 

 ing that he was amiss at the time, his performance in 

 finishing third was very good. Six weeks later, Lottery 

 took the Metropolitan, winning easily, and the rest of the 

 season was a succession of victories. But his grand coup 

 was at Liverpool the following year. When he came to 

 the five-foot stone wall at the end of the first two miles, 

 very few were in it : Charity, who was leading, refused ; 

 Railroad, who was next, went at it beautifully; Lottery 

 and The Nun followed, the former taking a tremendous 

 flying leap, but The Nun nearly unshipped her rider, Alan 

 Macdonough. At the finish, when Mason let his horse go, 

 the race was never in doubt ; so fresh, in fact, was Lottery, 

 that over the hurdles placed for the run home he cleared 

 the remarkable distance of 33 feet. 



To Jem Mason, Lottery brought a wife. He had quitted 

 Tilbury's service to engage with Elmore, and fell in love 

 with one of the latter's daughters. So delighted was the 

 old trainer with the young fellow's performance, that he 

 gave him the girl, and the marriage was celebrated forth- 

 with. During the remainder of the season Lottery carried 

 everything before him at Maidstone, Cheltenham, Stratford- 

 on-Avon, and elsewhere. 



