view raw text
MORE FRENCH EXPERIENCES Donoghue Wins a Race, But Is Afraid to Weigh in at Finish. Hanois Unpopular "Victory at AIx-lesBalns Steves First "Winner Dies and IUder Starts Home for a Visit. Stephen Donoghues unusual experiences on French race tracks during the early days of his career form an interesting part of his reminiscences. How he won a race but dared not ride the winner back to the unsaddling inclosure he recounts as follows: I liked riding for the French people, but the racing public over there are excitable when things are not to their liking. I remember once at Marseilles winning a race easily, and then not daring to weigh in for it, nor even to ride into the unsaddling inclosure on the winner ! It was a mile race and the start took place just in front of the stands. There were seven runners and a chestnut horse called Montry was a hot favorite. I was riding rather a nice mare named Oubliette and she was well fancied too. There was a false start; the starter at once put up the recall flag, but three of the jockeys either did not or would not see it, so they went on and completed the course, Montry finishing first. The stewards ordered the three jockeys to return to the post and rejoin the other four runners for the race, but the respective owners and trainers refused to agree to this, claiming that the race had been run and that Montry had finished first and should be returned the winner, etc. The stewards naturally were not going to allow their authority to be flouted in that manner and ordered the three jockeys to leave the course, and they did so. The other four horses then ran the race, and I won it on Aubliette. It was then that I did not ride into the unsaddling inclosure. HEARD SHRIEKS AND TELLS. Almost before I passed the winning post I heard the shrieks and yells of the crowd and shouts of "Ou sont les commissaires?" "Imbeciles," "Give us our money over Montry," "Montry a gagne, payex," and so on. They started smashing the pari-mutuel booths, as is usual on French race courses when the crowds become angry, and they succeeded in setting fire to the stands, which blazed away and were, indeed, quite burned down. As I pulled up on Oubliette friendly voices warned me, "Dont you go over there, Steve ; theyll tear you to pieces ; youll be eaten alive !" So my mount and I modestly retired to a secluded spot at a distant part of the course, as far away from the stands as possible. Later on, when the tumult had more or less died down, I returned, but it was safely under the escort of friendly gendarmes. Montry, the cause of all the trouble, afterward came to England and won quite a number of moderate races, but I never heard that he succeeded in causing any such sensation here as he did on that occasion in "La Belle France !" HANOI IN MILE HANDICAP. It was shortly after this" that John Moore decided to run Hanoi in a rather more ambitious event than he had hitherto contested, and he entered him in a good-class mile handicap at Aix-les-Bains. When the entries and weights came out we found Hanoi was well in, but also that some of the best-class horses from the stables around Paris were entered. Nothing daunted we set off for Aix-les-Bains, and on the morning of the race none of the horses out at exercise looked or went better than Hanoi and my hopes of winning soared sky high. I am sure I communicated my ideas to my equine friend, for that afternoon we went down to the post for the race just as cool and collected as we had used to be when going out for a paltry little race of about a thousand francs in value down in the Midi. There was a big field and they rather took care of us! We were badly bumped at the start and then boxed in. My gallant horse, however, fought his way through, and I could feel him going strongly and well under me. About half way he was going as much like a winner as anything in the race, and I noticed one or two of the French jockeys from the North were beginning to eye him somewhat sourly. We were going rather too well to please them. One looked across at another, and just as if a signal had been passed by wireless, bang they both came straight at me ! ROUGHING IT "WITH HANOI. One horse gave me a fearful bump, and the other literally laid on Hanoi, forcing him practically to "carry" him for halfway up the straight. Hanoi struggled gamely to push through, but I saw no hope now of winning in the circumstances and was almost in despair. All at once, about a furlong from home, the horse on the near side weakened and fell away beaten. Like a flash we dashed for the opening, and Hanoi, putting in some terrific work and being up in the last few strides, we won by a head ! My horse was at any price 03 to 1 or thereabouts so it was not exactly a popular victorjt but I was given a great deal of credit for having won the race and soon afterward I received several offers of retainers to ride for different stables, including one for Italy, and was even approached for Rumania and Germany. It can easily be imagined that after this Hanoi was more than ever a favorite with myself and everybody in the stables, and it .was a great grief to us all when soon afterward the poor horse died. Soon after this I had to decide which stable I would ride for the following season, and finally I thought I would accept the retainer offered me by an Italian nobleman, Prince Doria, who raced under the name of M. Sa-rola. The season was just over and I felt I would like a few weeks holiday to go and visit my people in Warrington, whom I had not seen for a long time. I soon made my preparations and was shortly on my way to Calais, en route for home. t
