AND OTHER SKETCHES 119 



On the day following that on which the Plate was run 

 there was a very exciting hurdle race between Mitchell, 

 Jack the Barber and Edenton, the latter, one of the worst 

 mannered brutes that ever had a saddle on his back. In 

 the hurdle race alluded to Mitchell was a red-hot favorite. 

 His victory of the previous day over the same company 

 made it, with the majority of the bettors, a foregone con- 

 clusion, but there were a few who paid a little more atten- 

 tion to the matter of weights, and remembering that the 

 favorite had a heap of lead up, cast their affection upon 

 Jack the Barber, another mean tempered one. Jack at 

 that time was owned by ''Uncle" Joe Grand (green be 

 his memory), and the writer of these "Eecollections" 

 remembers well his expressive remark just prior to the 

 start and after a few ducats had been posted on his 

 chances as a mutual "spec": "If Jack don't sulk, he'll 

 break Mitchell's heart the last half mile," and the 

 prophesy proved true. 



The race for a mile and a half was a neck and neck 

 struggle, each horse lifting together at the jumps. But 

 once squared on the stretch for the home run, weight, that 

 great leveller, commenced to tell, and, though Quebec's 

 representative fought a gallant fight, responding nobly 

 to every call of his jockey, it was not to be, and Ontario's 

 champion gained first honors by a length. Great was the 

 shout that went up from the throats of the people, and 

 many were the hearty congratulations extended to 

 "Uncle" Joe. Methinks I can see him now, his jolly face 

 full of smiles and his cheery voice sounding clear as a 

 bell as he cracked his jokes and called upon his friends to 

 join him in a bumper of sparkling Moselle. Those were 

 pleasant days, let the croakers say what they will. Many 

 a good man and true went the rounds and enjoyed the 

 fun and though charges of fraud were frequent, yet I 

 believe that about nine times out of ten the charges could 

 not be sustained. It will be many a day before a more 

 enthusiastic lot of good fellows will follow the fortunes of 

 the Canadian turf. 



