A HISTORY OF KENT chance, by a very useful stayer in Snail, which subsequently won the Northumber- land Plate for Lord Rosebery. The Barham Downs course saw other sensational defeats besides that of Lilian, and no more exciting episode in the whole of Kentish racing history has ever occurred than on the occasion of the defeat of Caller Ou in 1863. This grand Malton mare, a St. Leger heroine, and the winner in all of forty-eight races, thirty-four of which were Queen's Plates, was not only beaten by Gibraltar, but, with odds of 5 to 4 laid on her, also had to figure in the finish behind Zetland. The former horse, a son of Cowl, was the property of Mr. Jackson, and was trained by Searle at Epsom, with Fordham up on the occasion of his victory over the St. Leger winner. His price on this occasion was the worst of the trio, the odds against his chance of winning being 5 to i. But he beat Zetland by a length, and the judge's verdict gave Caller Ou as a bad third. The Canterbury Queen's Plate came to an end in 1879, and the last winner to figure in its records was Vivandiere, a horse belonging to Mr. Clifford ^ of London Bridge House. The meeting at which Vivandiere won was the last held on Barham Downs and thus was brought to a close a venture which, although somewhat chequered towards its close, had altogether lasted longer than others in the county. The Canterbury collapse, however, came long before the final abolition of Queen's Plates in 1887, the money for the race-course grants being then handed over to the Royal Horse Commission, which, in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Society, saw to its disposal. The society, when visiting Canterbury in i860, had the compliment paid them of a race bearing the society's name being included in the Canterbury race programme. This event was on by a horse not inappropriately named Clydesdale, which also competed for the Queen's Plate decided on the same afternoon. In the latter race, however, the son of Annandale, the property of Mr. George Lambert, was beaten in a canter by half a dozen lengths by Mr. J. Saxon's Defender. In those days Canterbury was only a one- day meeting, but its duration varied con- siderably in the course of its long career. In 1 It was a son of this Mr. Clifford who met with his death at another of the Kentish meetings (Bromley). The Bromley course, indeed, has been singularly unfortunate in the matter of fatalities, for it was here too that a fall resulted in the death of James Potter, the trainer and jockey. the earlier portion of its history one finds a four days' fixture referred to in the Calendar, and at other times a three or a two days' meeting is mentioned. The Canterbury race-week was always looked upon as the social event of the district, and the officers stationed there, at Shorncliffe and at Dover, always afforded a great measure of the support that it enjoyed. Canterbury Races were associated with that good old-fashioned function, the annual ball, and in 1842 one of the races bore the title of the Ball Room Stakes, to which was added a whip subscribed for by the ladies upon the condition that competition for it should be confined to ' gentlemen qualified as for the Anglesey Stakes at Goodwood, with the addition of members of " Arthur's," the " Travellers'," and those who have been members of either of the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge.' The length of this race was about two miles, and Mr. Tollit supplied the winner in Tiger, by Lottery, sire of the winner of the Grand National in 1839. Mr. Willan ^as the recipient of the whip. STEEPLECHASING To the late Mr. Richard Russell of Otford Castle belongs the credit of organizing the earliest of Kentish jumping fixtures about the year 1866. He began by promoting a meeting upon his farm at Sevenoaks, and the good send-off which this effort enjoyed promised better results than vere subse- quently achieved. There were plenty of starters at the opening meeting ; some famous riders were present and carried off most of the principal events. Mr. Arthur Yates won a race on Harold, a horse upon whom he achieved a sensational performance at Croydon ; and others ^vho were successful in first catching the judge's eye were Mr. George Ede, Mr. F. G. Hobson, and Johnny Page, all of Grand National fame, besides Mr. W. H. P. Jenkins, one of the committee of the National Hunt, and Mr. ' Dick ' Shepherd, a native of the district and a very favourite rider in the county. Mr. Russell was a good and well-meaning sportsman, but it is to be feared that many advantages were taken of his good intentions, and he found the organization of the sport rather more than he could manage. One of his friends, on being asked why it was that Mr. Russell gave up his steeplechases, remarked good- humouredly that he only did so when all the gentry of West Kent had lost their watches. Convinced at length that his services to this 496
