BETWEEN MOONRAKER AND GRIMALDI. 
227 
By Mr. Clifford he was sold, at four years old, to Mr. Wynnet; 
by that gentleman sold to Mr. Bray, and from Mr. Bray he came 
into the hands of Mr. Evans. His colour is grey. Moonraker 
is what is called “ a dark” horse ; that is to say, neither his sire 
nor dam is known. He was originally bought, we believe, at 
thirty-five guineas; and, after doing some excellent work, was 
again sold for eighty guineas. He was sent up from Warwick¬ 
shire as nothing but a “ good one,” although he had seen an 
immense deal of service; and his fame was established by win¬ 
ning two steeple races in succession, in the neighbourhood of St. 
Albans, which was followed up by his third victory on Thursday 
week. His colour is bay, but his age is not known. He is a 
high-couraged horse, strong and willing in a heavy country, and 
an excellent fencer; stopping at nothing, and taking his leaps 
with uncommon clearness and precision. The distance agreed 
to be run was four miles, the precise ground to be chosen by the 
umpires—Colonel Charitie, on the part of Moonraker; and Mr. 
Meyrick, on the part of Grimaldi. 
In the course of the morning the umpires met and proceeded 
to select the course, which was finally fixed to be from a field on 
Mr. Copeland’s farm, near the seven-mile stone, on the Edgeware- 
road, down a gradual descent across a fiat country, at the foot 
of Harrow Hill, into a field in front of a Mr. Hawkins’s farm¬ 
house, at Harrow Weald. The fences were by no means diffi¬ 
cult, and the ground, although heavy (principally meadow or 
pasture), partook more, as was remarked by some old fielders, 
of the character of a race-course than a laborious hunting coun¬ 
try, and therefore more favourable, in their opinion, for Gri¬ 
maldi, who was supposed to possess more speed than strength. 
The approaches to the scene of action presented a lively spectacle 
during the forenoon. The roads were thronged with vehicles of 
every description, and an immense body of horsemen, who spread 
themselves in all directions’over the fields, breaking down hedges, 
and rendering the small leaps there were still more easy. Har¬ 
row was overflowing, and here innumerable groups waited till 
the news arrived of the precise route to be taken. All then pro¬ 
ceeded to take up the stations best calculated to afford a view of 
the contest. The principal body of the spectators concentrated 
in the neighbourhood of Mr. Hawkins’s farm, keeping the win¬ 
ning flag in view. 
At length, the important ceremony of weighing took place; 
and the horses were sent to the starting-post. Mr. Osbaldeston 
had but little to add to his ordinary weight to reach the stipu¬ 
lated amount of eleven stone seven pounds, while Mr. Seffert 
had nearly sixteen pounds of “ dead weight” attached round his 
