Lord William Beresford, V.C., Some Memories of a Famous Sportsman, Soldier and WitMenzies, Stuart, Mrs.
History
Lord William Beresford, V.C., Some Memories of a Famous Sportsman, Soldier and Wit
Menzies, Stuart, Mrs.
Beresford, William Leslie de la Poer, Lord, 1847-1900
It was in the Palace House at Newmarket, Lord William made this
Brag and Reputation match; where Mr. Leopold de Rothschild always
entertained both King Edward and our present King. It is an
unpretentious looking abode but very historic, and was the Newmarket
house of Charles II.
The newly purchased horses arrived safely in India on July 30th,
1883. But now more bad luck attended poor Lord William, for while
riding at Cawnpore in the Gangees Cup he broke his collarbone, and
hardly had he recovered from this than, in a jumping Competition at
Simla, he dislocated his shoulder and was not able to enjoy the Dehra
Autumn meeting.
When once a shoulder has been dislocated it forms a fondness for
the amusement and continues to do it with slight provocation. Lord
William says it happened once through sneezing!
Though unable to attend the Dehra Meeting, his stable was
represented, an Australian named The Mute won the Trials, Action
won the Gimcrack Stakes and Johnnie the Hack race. Later at Meerut,
Lord William was well enough to ride, and on a horse purchased from
the circus proprietor, John Wilson, won the Maiden Chase. At Umballa
riding Johnnie he was triumphant in the Grand Military Steeplechase,
but got a toss in the Grand Annual when riding Jack the circus
horse, but he remounted and finished the race. On the last day of
the Umballa meeting he grew annoyed at the weight his horses had to
carry and refused to start any one of them, declaring he was sick of
racing, and meant to “give it up, and go in for Botany or Erotics.”
In spite of this heroic resolve the following month he was riding at
Lahore.
The Calcutta 1883-4 first cold weather meeting, Lord William had
a walk over for the Monsoon Welter Cup. At the second meeting
Syndicate won the Hooghly Plate, but had only one opponent. In
March, Diamond won the Corinthian Stakes, and Caspian the Sirhind
Plate. Lord William thought a good deal of an Arab they--he and his
partner--owned, named Reformer, and he sent it to England to run at
Newmarket in the Arab races, but the poor beast died in the Red Sea.
In June, the first and second day’s racing at Simla saw Lord William
without a winning mount.
Though Lord Ripon’s time was comparatively free from political
anxieties he had a number of guests to stay with him all to be amused
and catered for, this provided food for thought on the Military
Secretary’s part, who was ceaseless in his endeavours, but the hard
work of that and the constant strain of his racing engagements was
beginning to tell on Lord Bill, and he began to look as if a journey
home for a while would be good for him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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