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the high standing of some, the ability of others, and the general recti- 

 tude of the whole, there is a lamentable falling off in the body as 

 compared with that of former days. 



At page 98 I made mention of the men who supported steeplechasing 

 thirty and forty years ago, and, in drawing a comparison, I feel assured 

 that the present men will not feel aggrieved, but, on the contrary, will 

 accept as a fact what must be as palpable to themselves as it is to me. 



This is the more to be regretted when it is equally evident that Irish 

 trainers, as a class, are now very much better than they used to be. 



The names I gave were those who, in my own time, bred, reared, 

 trained, and raced their own horses from their own stables. Not alone 

 that, but nearly the whole lot were racing at the same time and for 

 many years in Ireland, and they were all independent men. 



There maybe others, but the only man whom I can call to mind that now 

 races on the lines of the men I named, is my old friend Mr. Mat. Maher, 

 of Ballinkeel, whom I have already mentioned as an example to follow. 

 That gentleman, assisted by his brother. Captain George Maher, can not 

 only breed and rear a racehorse, but can train him and bring him out fit 

 to win in the best company, alike over a flat or flagged course. This he 

 has many times proved, but never more emphatically than in the case of 

 the gallant Frigate, who, trained by the brothers, ran into second place 

 for the Grand National no less than three times, and eventually won it 

 by beating nineteen others in 1889. She carried list. 4lbs., and doing 

 the journey in 10 min. 1 sec, she beat the average weight and time of 

 that race by exactly 5lbs. and 31 seconds. Good old Frigate was born 

 at Ballinkeel, from Gunboat and Fair Maid of Kent, both of whom 

 were also bred by Mr. Maher. 



That is a record which very few owners of the present day can 

 lay claim to, but lots of the old fellows could, at least to equally great. 



Many ovations have I seen given to winners of races, but never aught 

 like that given to Frigate when she won the National. The old mare 

 had run for it no less than five times ; once she was knocked down, and 

 her performance upon the other occasions is recorded above. Piunning 

 so continually in such consistently good form made her a favourite 

 with everyone, down to the very newsboys in Liverpool and bargemen 

 at Aintree. She ran subsequently, but was again knocked down. 



"When the old pillars of our sport died or ceased racing, orders went 

 forth to Mr. Waters for the pick and spade, the bill-hook and scalping 

 shears to hack and to hew the natural courses, which were sacred 

 from harm in the old men's days. Then came into fashion the artificial 

 courses, which are the great and leading light to the destruction 

 of steeplechasing, and with them the extinction of the old and 

 useful " half-bred " — so called because he had a stain in his pedigree, 

 and could not be traced in direct line to Flying Childers. 



Of course we all admit the great advantages of thorough-breeding, but 

 I can't help thinking that for steeplechasing and hunting, the relegation 

 of the " half-bred " is a mistake. 



