STEEPLECHASING WITHOUT TEARS. 



fully well, and said to me, '* Never mind — I'll 

 win next year ! " 



Discussing with him after the race why Davey 

 Jones had run so wonderfully well, I said that the 

 horse must be an extraordinary stayer. " No," 

 said he, he did not think that he was. " You 

 must be talking nonsense," I answered. " No," 

 he replied, " I believe that his success was due 

 to the fact that the Aintree fences are so big that 

 each means an exhausting effort to the competing 

 horses. Davey Jones is such a jumper, he takes 

 his fences in such effortless fashion, with such 

 ease, he correctly and intelligently times his stride 

 to the varying requirements of each of the greatly 

 differing fences, that he gets over the formidable 

 obstacles with a minimum of effort, and gains a 

 length every time on any other horse." He ' floats 

 over them,' to use Lady Daresbury's expression 

 in her letter to me. 



I have written at wicked length, and will have 

 bored you. 



It was a sad ending, but I am very proud of the 

 horse, and of Anthony. 



Yours sincerely, 



(Signed) Mildmay. 



I rode a few times at Rugby and Towcester. 

 I did win one point-to-point. John won a good 

 many. He had the right temperament. 



73 



