131 



I shall now give verbatim Captain Ross's account of the match, 

 as he wrote it to a friend many years after. " Odd enough the first 

 jump was a five-barred gate. I lay with Clinker's head about opposite 

 to Douglas' knee. When within forty or fifty yards of the gate I saw 

 clearly that Eadical meant to refuse, so, recollecting the bargain, I 

 held Clinker well in hand. Radical, as I expected, when close to the 

 gate turned right across Clinker. I stuck the spurs in, knocked 

 Douglas over the gate, and sent Radical heels over head but lying on 

 this side of it. Douglas did not lose his horse, for the rein was fastened 

 to his wrist, and he was soon mounted again, but it finished the 

 match eflfectually. I turned round, jumped the corner of the fence, 

 and gained such a lead that he never caught me again. I suppose, in 

 these days, killing a man in that way would be brought in as ' wilful 

 murder'; not so in 1826 : the verdict then would have been 'justifiable 

 homicide.' " 



This match created a great deal of interest at the time, as it was the 

 first race across country which people had seen, and many came to it 

 from all parts of the kingdom. 



Clinker was one of the most brilliant hunters in England, and after 

 the match was bought by Captain Ross from Mr. Holyoake for GOOgs. 

 He was carried gloriously over Leicestershire for several seasons by 

 that famous horse, and had but one fall with him. 



Irish horses, although accustomed to a very different country, have 

 throughout history made fame over English steeplechase courses. 



The Liverpool Grand National was first started in 1839, but I am 

 not able to record how the initial attempt was supported by my 

 countrymen. In 1840 thirteen horses started for that race, of which 

 no less than six were Irish, Mr. Barry's Arthur, ridden by Mr. William 

 Macdonagh, and Mr. John Power's Valentine, ridden by himself, 

 running second and third. It was from the last-named horse the 

 far-famed brook took its name. A solid built wall five feet high then 

 stood where the water-jump now is. This Mr. Power backed himself 

 heavily to be first over. He won his wager, but thereby lost the race. 

 Such a cracker did he lead them that ten out of the thirteen fell at it. 



Since then there have been but few Grand Nationals in which Irish- 

 men did not take part, while it was won by horses bred in Ireland as 

 follows : — 



Matthew, the property of Mr. John Courtenay, of Ballyedmond, was 

 the first to win it, and this he did in 1847, beating a field of twenty- 

 eight. Abd-el-Kader won consecutively in 1850 and '51, the first year 

 beating thirty-two, the largest field that ever started for the race. 

 Wanderer won in 1855, and so did Anatis in 1860. Huntsman in 1862 

 won in the shortest time recorded, 9min. 30sec. In this race poor 

 Joe Wynne, riding O'Connell, was killed at the fence before the 

 water-jump, the same which proved fatal a few years after to one of 

 the finest gentleman riders of the day, Mr. George Ede ( " Mr. Ed wards " ). 



We had then a spell of bad luck, and no Irish horse caught the 



