Steeplechase Riding 197 



tliat Derby day, now some three and twenty 

 years ago, when he, on Brother to Flurry * 

 — one of Alec Taylor's specially kept dark 

 ones — gave the backers of Cremorne such a 

 terrible fright. The colt had hardly been 

 mentioned in the betting — no one, other than 

 his own connections, seemed even to know of 

 his existence — until the week before the race, 

 when his owner got some money on at 100 

 to I. On the morning of the race he gene- 

 rously offered Alec Taylor as much as he liked 

 to take of his own bets, and the trainer told 

 me how much he took over on his own ac- 

 count, but I am sorry to say I have forgotten 

 the amount. All went well in the race until 

 the finish, but Chaloner came too late. 



" Poor old Tom ; he didn't often make 

 mistakes, but he left it too long that day," 

 said Alec Taylor, when he was telling me tlie 

 story of the contest. The colt was going 

 great guns as they passed the post, and the 

 mighty Cremorne only beat him by the 

 shortest of heads. They had some good 



* Afterwards named Pell Mell. 



