TOD SLOAN 



to my colours, although as I didn't win I began to 

 think that I might after all be wrong, and I even 

 commenced to ask myself whether the English sport- 

 ing writers weren't about right when they said that I 

 couldn't ride at all. Lord William Beresford spoke 

 to me kindly, however, and said I could ride, and he 

 let me know he believed in me. I dare say he realised 

 how much his words bucked me up and made me deter- 

 mined to show them a thing or two. The first race I 

 won was on the horse named Quibble. It was the first 

 time they ever tried the starting machine and one of 

 the people who were exploiting it got it into his head 

 that I was against it and had been doing all I could 

 to queer it. So I thought I would show him ! Now 

 I had had experience with the new invention in 

 America and as I say it was only an experiment on 

 the part of the Stewards. The other riders were 

 strange to it and while they were getting ready after 

 the barrier flew up I was 'way off and nearly quarter 

 finished before they started. I am afraid my win in 

 that race came very nearly finishing the chance of 

 the starting machine in England. I know that it was 

 not taken up until two years after. 



Meanwhile I had been riding St Cloud in preparation 

 for the Cesare witch. A few days before the race came 

 his winding-up gallop ; it was out on the Limekilns. 

 Wliat with walking to the course, and trotting round, 

 we covered quite a lot of ground before being told to 

 canter for a distance which must have been over four 

 miles. By the way, these canters in England I found 

 out to be in many cases really half-speed gallops ! 

 The horse went well, and I thought on pulling up that 

 his work was surely finished for the morning, when 

 after about ten minutes Pincus said, " Now we're 

 going to gallop him." " Going to gallop him, Mr 



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