156 In Scarlet and Silk 



7 lbs. on his back, what weight would horses 

 of the Lottery and Gaylad type have been 

 likely to concede him successfully ? Is it not 

 quite likely that, but for going amiss, he 

 might have made that solitary Grand National 

 victory into a triple crown, all the weight 

 notwithstanding? He was owned, in turn, 

 by Captain Orr-Ewing and Lord Dudley, 

 before passing into possession of his present 

 owner, Mr. C. Duflf. I remember walking 

 down to the post at Sandown to witness the 

 start for the Grand Military, and looking 

 over the great son of Ascetic — whose mission 

 in life seems to be the getting of first-rate 

 steeplechase horses — and the magnificent 

 Bloodstone, and thinking that the country 

 might well be proud of such a couple. Two 

 grander horses it would be a puzzle to find 

 anywhere, and they were as good as they 

 were good-looking. Cloister has won the 

 Grand Sefton Steeplechase on two occasions, 

 and is always seen at his l)est on the Aintree 

 course. In November 1894, with the hunt- 

 ing weight of 13 St. 3 1])S. on his back, he 



