198 The Cotirse, the Camp, the Chase 



Five furlongs from home we had to cross a road, after 

 which came a slight ascent, and it seemed to me probable 

 that they would rely on my steadying " Plenipo " to the 

 top of the rise, and that they would try to steal up to 

 me as soon as they crossed the road. The ground was 

 very hard, and as they kept out of my sight I listened 

 intently to the stroke of their hoofs, and the moment they 

 had crossed the road it seemed to me that the hoof 

 strokes quickened. Instantly I set " Plenipo " going at 

 his best pace, disregarding the hill, and thus turned the 

 race virtually into a five-furlong one, with twenty yards 

 start. That excellent jockey, Captain Luxford, reached 

 my quarters about one hundred yards from home, but I 

 still sat perfectly quiet, knowing that " Plenipo " was 

 running as game as a pebble, and I was keeping the 

 last eftbrt for the pinch when it came. On Luxford 

 came, drawing nearer and nearer, and fifty yards from 

 home his horse's nose was up to my knees. There was 

 no time to wait then, and calling on " Plenipo " for his 

 final effort, we just managed to hold our own to the end. 



After the race Luxford at once owned that he had 

 made a mistake, and that their plans had been exactly 

 as I had divined them. What made it still more interest- 

 ing to myself was that I had beaten him over the same 

 course in the spring, for the Omnium, by riding in exactly 

 an opposite manner. I had been back to England to ride 

 in some races, and on my return I found a three-year-old 

 thoroughbred colt by " Chattanooga " the master of the 

 situation. His little game was to whip suddenly round 

 after starting to canter at exercise, and to keep on spinning 

 round like a teetotum. He did nothing else, but it was 

 too much for the lads, and no one could make him go. 



