CHAPTER XIII 



NUNSUCH's CAMBRIDGESHIRE 



Newspaper Criticism — " Boss " Croker's Shooting — Breaking the Rules 



I WAS looking forward to riding Nunsuch in the 

 Cambridgeshire. This four-year-old of the Prince's 

 had been well backed and on the day of the race she 

 started second favourite. The race was a disaster, 

 but in the sequel I received more kindness from the 

 Prince and as much or more evidence of good sports- 

 manship as it has ever been my lot to discover in any 

 similar instance. I heard that all the closest friends 

 of the royal owner had backed the mare and I loiow 

 the bookmakers had written the name of Nunsuch in 

 heavy wagers to many of my own friends. 



At the start Mr Arthur Coventry accidentally left 

 some of the best favourites, including Nunsuch, at 

 the post. The truth was that we were all w^alking 

 the backward way of the course when he dropped 

 his flag and in the result w^e took no part in the race. 



One of the best- known sporting writers in England 

 — ^the late Mr Greenwood — said that " The right-hand 

 division were scarcely prepared for the fall of the 

 flag and four of them had their chances completely 

 destroyed. To Mr Coventry this failure would be 

 vexatious in the extreme, the more so as he had been 

 wonderfully successful of late." 



My disappointment over this can well be imagined, 

 and I felt very, very badly on returning to the weighing 

 enclosure, and saw the Prince coming towards me 



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