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
The first day at Lucknow opened with the two matches between Lord
William and Captain Woolmer. In the first Lord William was to
ride his English horse Tostig against Capt. Woolmer’s Australian
Flashlight, catch weight over 12 stone, distance three furlongs.
Flashlight was a curious, rather ungainly looking horse, with
an uncomfortable saddle back, being round or roach-backed.
Nevertheless, the horse won. In the other match Lord William rode an
English horse again, named Simon de Montfort. I am sure his opponent
must have felt impressed by this high-sounding title. Capt. Woolmer
was on an English mare rejoicing in the common or garden name of
Stourbay. Here again Capt. Woolmer won, and Lord Bill had to pay up,
the terms having been 5000 rupees a side. The only comfort out of the
day’s racing was that Exile won the Martiniere Stakes.
The second day’s racing was better for them. Doris won the Pony
Race, Mocassin the Pony Chase, Kirkstall the Goomtee Stakes, Prince
Imperial the All-horse Handicap, as well as two other races I am
not sure about; so the owners began to preen themselves again. The
Civil Service Cup was a disappointment. They had hoped to win it with
Negus, but were beaten by a pony named Pekin.
At Meerut Plebein won the Grand National Chase, Prince Imperial the
Turf Club Cup, and in March, 1893, at the Patiala meeting little
Blitz added the Pony Race to his laurels; Sirus the Asiatic Stakes,
and Salford with nothing near him the Grand Annual.
Lord William had added Flashlight to his string. It had worried him
very much there being anything that could beat his Tostig, which was
considered a really fast horse; he determined if possible to buy
Flashlight, and, as we see, he did accomplish the deal.
Riding in the Calcutta Military Paperchase for the cup in 1893, Lord
Bill had a nasty fall with Ratafia. No bones were broken this time
fortunately, but he had to keep to his bed for several weeks. Though
now forty-six years of age, he still rode as hard as ever, still did
gymkhana tricks, and skylarked with the best of them, though he had
already eight times broken his collarbone, had various concussions
of the brain, and hundreds of minor griefs in the way of bumps and
bruises, yet his nerve had never failed him.
At the 1893 Pindi meeting, Patiala-Beresford horses won nothing,
which was rather amusing, as it was from there the chief cry came
about its being no use racing against millionaire princes, of course
they could afford to buy up all the best horses, etc., giving no one
else a chance. On this occasion they must have felt small, to say the
least of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account