On January 14th, 1903, at Calcutta, that compact and beautifully made pony Parvo won the Belvedere Pony Stakes, also another a little later. Vixen, the South American, roped in the rupees in the Selling Welter, and again next day the Alipore Stakes.
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.
At the end of the season the horses went to their summer quarters, and the usual anxiety and curiosity began of wondering what the Confederacy would produce for the next year’s racing. Wild rumours floated about of the horses Lord William was supposed to have bought; the racing and betting people studied all the English, Australian, and American papers in hopes of finding out, or at any rate gleaning some information. The would-be wise gossipers added various horses to his stable with wonderful records, all of which were inventions or at any rate proved incorrect. What was true, and eventually became known, was that he had bought Sprig o’ Myrtle, a well-known and good horse, with a view to taking Highborn down a peg or two.
In June I think, at any rate in the hot weather, Lord William sent Westminster, Vixen, Lady Grace, Escapade, Goldleaf and Chester to Bangalore to train. This was chiefly owing to the Calcutta Turf Club having decided not to allow South American horses any longer to be entered in the country-bred class as regards weight. The Western Indian Turf Club not having arrived at any such conclusion, both Vixen and Westminster had a good chance there, making it worth while sending them. Lord William’s prediction was verified, they both won races and many rupees there.
Simla was feeling rather miserable trying to face the inevitable, for Lord William’s years of office were drawing to a close. People quarrelled with one another to entertain him and do him honour, and in spite of Lord Bill’s cheery efforts there was a something in the air that spelt depression, for who would, or ever could, take his place? And what were Lord Bill’s feelings in leaving all his kind friends and the haunts of so many happy and successful years? I know he felt lumps in his throat at times, and it seemed to bring home to him that his youth was gone; that suddenly somehow he had become middle-aged, and he had not hitherto realised it. He had been obliged to give up polo, and his health at times was far from satisfactory, although his spirit had never failed, was still unquenched, and after all he had earned a little home life, but against that no one likes leaving a place where they have been a little god.