163 



CHAPTEK IX. 



PUNCHESTOWN. 



Earlj' History— Arrangements— Meeting of 1854— A Comparison— Angclo Haj-es' Picture- 

 Meeting of 1861— National Hunt Steeplechase— Biggest Stake in Ireland— The Winner 

 and Placed Horses— Meeting of 1862— Lords Drogheda and St. Lawrence— Thomas G. 

 Waters— What they did—" Princely Punchestown "—Wisdom and Foresight of Lord 

 Drogheda— Late Lord Clonmell— Lord Drogheda again— Doctrines against Hunting 

 — The Land League— Kildare Hunt opposed— Outrages— Hounds Poisoned— Burning 

 Coverts— Interferences with Hunting in 1881-82— Programme for 1882— Meeting 

 Withdrawn— Results— Great Loss to Tradesmen and others— Wholesome Lesson — 

 Sesults— Punchestown continued in 1883— Lord DrogLeda's Capital Idea— The 

 Courses— A Flat Race !— The old Pilot— Mr. Percy La Touche takes the Tiller— His 

 quahfications— What he has done— Foxhunters' Plate Course— National Hunt Steeple- 

 chase in 1862— Late Marquis of Downshire — Late Marquis of Conyngham— The 

 Downshire and Conyngham Cups— The Courses at Punchestown— Conyngham Cup 

 Course— Author's Rhapsody— Liberality to Owners— Punchestown Double— The 

 Ladies' Lawn— The Ladies— Meeting of 1890— A Comparison— The Stand-houses— Re- 

 served Stand— Ladies' Stand— Charges— Another Comparison— Special Advantages of 

 Punchestown— Conyngham Cup Course again— The Farmers' Race— Its Peculiarities 

 —The Present Earl Clonmell— Lord Otho Fitzgerald— Liberality of Kildare Hunt 

 to Farmers — Author's Sad Recollections— His Advice — His Personal Experiences 

 —His First " Leg-up" — National Hunt Steeplechase, 1832— Captain McCraith— "Mr. 

 Thomas"— Mr, Apjohn— The Race— Author's feelings After— To Clear the Double- 

 Horses who did so— Capt. Johnny Bates— Terrible Accident in 1864— Capt. McCraith 

 and Mr. George Knox— Results— Another Dreadful Occurrence— Panic on the Stand — 

 Results— A Welsher— Royal Visits — A Loyal Comparison — The Prince of Wales— 

 A Sore Subject — Meeting of 1886— A Narrative of Loyalty and Pluck— "Does anyone 

 else wish to hiss the Prince of Wales ? "—Accidents— Poor Willie Beasley !— His death 

 —Major Trocke and Countess— The Kildare Hunt Plate of 1892— Who was who thirty 

 years ago. 



Punchestown as a race-meeting dates from 1847, if not a year or 

 two farther back. 



About that time the sporting Kildare Hunt established a small 

 annual meeting over some portion of what is now called the " Old 

 Course," restricted to the members of the Hunt and its farmers, with 

 one or two small races for regular steeplechasers. The arrangements 

 were as primitive as those at any other meeting of the period, and it 

 was not until 1854 that the first stand -house was erected, somewhere 

 near the spot occupied by the present one, but it was only a small 

 wooden structure. 



The meeting in 1854 was the most important of any previously held, 

 and I think it was then for the first time that two days were given. 

 Even so the total of all the stakes did not nearly amount to what we 

 now have for the Conyngham Cup. 



From the fact that Mr. Angelo Hayes has handed down to posterity in 

 the shape of his magnificent picture " The Corinthian Cup ' at Punches- 

 town in 1854, it would appear that that race was the important feature 

 of the meeting. 



