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S j g m. d ■ ■ » ti ■ I ■ P F If j J3 ■ » r n S I s c f J 1 t 1 ; a , 1 t , l i ] , i 1 ■ , - 1 r ; 3 r r I — _ - n k II — _ — - — by J I,. iy BS n in •k •* SEEKING HORSE BARGAINS ♦ English Trainer, P. P. Gilpin, Tells of Hack that Became Crack. « 1; How Reld Walker Obtained Mount Prospect, i0 Which Won the Liverpool up in His Colors — His Other Victories. V ♦ One of the fascinating features of the turf from the owners point of view is the oc- j casior.al acquisition of a cheap horse which develops into a smasher. In this regard the English trainer, r. P. C.ilpin. writing in the j •Ixindon Weekly Dispatch, " recounts the : following: ; Reid Walker, brother to Colonel Hail j Walker now Ix rd Wavertree. who was j training with me at the time, asked me if knew of a horse that would win him the Ijiverpool Cup. In those days Mr. Walker had big interests in Liverpool. : I told him that I did not know of a horse : for sale that I could recommend for this -purpose, but that I had just purchased Mount : Prospect, and that he might do the trick. he liked to take him he could do so. I added, and I would not charge him a shilling ■ profit. Mr. Reid Walker accepted my offer, : bought Mount Prospect and had the satis.- : faction of seeing him. ridden by Danny Mahcr. win the 1901 Liverpool. Cup by a • short head. After that Mount Prospect won some other j races, and I then thought he was likely to make a long-distance winner, perhaps of the Cesarewitch. He proved my belief in his j staying qualities by winning the Queens Plate at Derby, heating some of the best stayers of the day. j tnxrars good fortise. Reid Walkers luck in happening on the owner of the future winner of the Liverpool Cup was no greater than my own good fortune on a previous occasion. I was then visiting the Newmarket home of the late John Hammond, the owner of such famous race horses as Florence, winner of the Manchester Cup and the Cambridgeshire, and St. Gatien, • . which dead-heated for the Derby with Harvester and also won the Cesarewitch in a canter, all in the same phenomenal year. I told Mr. Hammond that if at any time he knew of a thoroughbred likely to make me suitable hack I should be grateful if he would buy it for me. Soon afterward I received a note from his t daughter, now Mrs. Dalton. saying that her . father was sending me a three-year-old that he thought would do what I wanted. Nat- , urally 1 was delighted at the prospect, because I knew that if the hack pleased Mr. Hammonds discerning eye it would be a good one indeed. My only worry was about the price. However, when I asked the figure I was informed that the cost was nothing, that Mr. Hammond was kindly making me a present of the animal, a small but handsome whtleco.ored brown gelding named Castanet, bred by Ijord Rcsebery. by See-Saw — rarthenope. by Paimesan — breeding that could not be excelled. My joy at receiving so welcome a gift was considerably reduced a few days afterward when riding him home from a visit to Leighton Buzzard. The youngster was full cf fun. and. whipping round with me, went up on the pavement, and just missed a shop window. Then he proceeded to dance on to an iron grating over an area or cellar which, as might be expected, broke, and, had the hole been large enough, we should both have fallen through. As it was we remained above the ground, but a portion of the broken iron had penetrated the colts heck so badly that he was laid up for some time. After he had vainly treated him for a month or more my veterinary surgeon was gloomy about him. said that he would never be any good again and counselled the de- struction of the little fellow. I declined to accept his advice. Dispensing with my veterinarys services I proceeded to treat Castanet myself. I turned him out in a paddock and each day drove him in a 1 ght dogcart whether 1 wished to go out or not. My theory was that regular but light exercise in which he would be obliged to flex his hock without any weight on his back was the best course to pursue. That winter we had a heavy fall of snow which lasted for nearly a month. STEADY AVINTER EXERCISE. Improving a sleigh, by putting the body of a pony cart on runners. I drove Castanet regularly, and generally in tandem, every day. and sometimes out to a dinner at night. This made the little horse perfectly sound, so sound that 1 decided to send him into training. As I intended shortly returning to Ireland I sent him to Michael Dennehy at the Curragh. That he would do well I felt confident, but that Mr. Hammonds gift would perform the wonders he did I had by no means anticipated. He began by running well in the 1rogi.eda Stakes at Punchestown. Before the year ended he had won no fewer than five races on the fiat, over hurdles and over a country, a fact which would doubtless have astonished the veterinary surgeon who had counted his destruction. Next season he did not distinguish himself quite so well, but he won that famous three-mile steeplechase event, the Grand Stand Plate at Cork, and one other race. The winning of the Grand Stand Plate was the 1 re. ursor of live more wins over the same difficult course. His second win that year wj.s in the Park Plate, also at Cork, a two-mile steeplechase. If ever ■ horse proved the truth of the old racing aphorism, "horses for courses." it 1 was Castanet. fe r. besieles winning six times at Cork, he was victorious seven times at I Leopa rdstown. Indeed, he was almost in- vincible on both these famous courses. Castanet was one of the gamest of the game. He stood only li hands 1 inch high, and he I was always at his best when running in eleep j 1 ground. In 1S90 he won the Stewards Handicap Steeplechase at Leoriardstown. with George e Morris up. Only a fortnight later h»- picked 1 | up the Grand Stand Piate at Cork. The next day he won the Park Plate.
