First Baghdad "Derby"

Levin Daily Chronicle, 5 March 1918, Page 4

First Baghdad "Derby"

HISTORIC RACE MEETING IN CITY 1 OF THE CALIPHS. ! i British sportsmanship is a perpetual i mystery to' the German.-. Thov cannot | understand, how, in the middle of war ! British soldiers obtain huge enjoyment I from sports of some kind. _ . Perhaps this story of the "First 1 Baghdad Derby"-—which was arranged j l-ooil after the capture of tiiat famous j ,-ity—will enlighten them (says_ the l.ondon "Evening News"). It is an extract from a letter written by a voting cavalry oiiiter to his lather, himself a famous jf' cross-country"'' man. The really interesting news I have for you is about the fmd iie.glidad race laeetii!"'. ami if by some almightly fluke |!k- Tu'.'V.s get s'ipiii, I expeet it will 1)0 the last. A few more youthful spirits and T ; ;i"ive up iu great style, dee.ti-ii'. at l ; ■' ; • ■ur arival witn tie 1 -Vriny Loniman.r : , ■Jleiicefonve :d leleiivd to as t:ie -V.' .; j ' ~i j,j s r .., ; n ;(■ heavv tVur-vliiH-led ! o-o-,,'.! v. eo-h v.e had eefi..t : enl!y decor- i .....Vt'hi red. wltH■* tii'il blue. Ther. -ere s!;: horses to draw it, which they 1 ,:i«l on :. aordiaa: i-y well, consii!ei i:;g j i ; !iey had only b< v:i in ltai-i:ess Join- j tiMi.es. Vll . ]~.«] ;i very eenahie vhip . holding the ril'boiis. Jir; d! -rv;n;.; | superb, "particularly on the ridifio ,i .a;:' : i aoy, in the y-iteh-darkness R«*n>:-s lh - j desert, v. hi.-li i * iuiereetteu ivitii li's «;,ir.'l nullahs (ditches). j The ?..•<(• niuo «r<s for Indian S.ivaiv; j i'Tommies), and enthused us not a hot. | Viie second race we all had great uores e,' pulling off an a poor old gee who ; I found it (oo much to get. more than ? second. This race, the Fall Cup, wee' v, on 1-e- M.a;jor . (commonly called " Lone'') oh Flying Hackle. lie's otir brigade major. After this came the i)eli Abbas Gup—a polo pony scurry, the oalv race not won by this brigade, and this was won by an oliiccr in the other brigade, so that not one cup went to anyone not in the cavalry division. ,Steve , my great pal, ran third, and the liopo of the .vgiuuiil. . on Captain 's Electrode, was nowhere. I rede.a pony ol: mine just for .something to do. and wished I hadn't, as I ras a .are it couldn't gallop to keep itself warm,- not even in Mesopotamia,, and so I got all the pebbles which, the leading ones kicked up in my eyes. 'I'IE RACE O?' THE DAY. Then eamc the Kut Cup, presented by (?eneral ——, our divisional commander, a polo pony chase. This is the cup I so much wanted to win. was riding rev pony Whiskers, for it is the well-known "Old Ilose and Lavender.' Wc arranged for liim to bo up in the front of the pack, and so he went away ahead at the start. Tlu n they went oat of sight, and when they eamc into view again my heart fell* for there was miles a way behind the tail of the pack. But I started to leap with joy on suddenly seeing him .going double the pace oi: the others, and he passed them as if they were standing, and starred to tight for a'place with the three leaders. He overtook two, but the leader was miles in front, and although challenged in'm, when ho found he couldn't win he .just- steadied liis mount alid eantercd in a good second. I wondered what on earth had happened, because if lie lxad .lcept with the head of the pack he must have won by i forty lengths. Sure enough as spoil as I reached he told nie to object to the winner for ' going the wrong course. had pulled up and gone right, and as with the exception of tlivee or four of them the whole field had gone wrong and that it how lie lost his place. Then the third came up and wanted me to object,' so I trotted along and we had a very exciting do which had to be left unsettled until after the next race. After this I scuttled off to get ready to ride my remount, Venus, ill the big race of the day, the Baghdad Cup, presented by the'A.G., the heavy-weight , chase. I hadn't the lea»i idea of winning. but only.-'.'f having a ride round Wc' imv.'giiicil' the first two fences all rig.li.i-.'' Then came a most fcrribl" - Tnish and sandwich, in which three Of lleei.i went down, one fellow to break his arm and three' ribs, and another ;. eolla r-bone. Soon after this I realised my gee was eeing really well, and I only had one ': :r-e in iVnit of me with (of the : 1 us'sars) up. so I took hold of myself aad determined' to keep, my he-ad reu. •;,) . t!*y. .1 .iu 4. waited .;ui;'tly about ,it I. •, behind him until about iia.r! a mile f\ am iioie,.-. I knew oy t■ ■ : lime that I had all the others beat, aad so T just sat back and rode, increasing (he mare's pe.ee graftuallv, and *h« dying the fences so that .1 just felt a glaums elidiii;? u-ofion under rue.

HIS HEAET'S DSSIES. I had nil but eenylH my rival jn-f en ilie entrance to tlie straight v.hen 1 saw him K'd: a bit \vroi!<; round tile tla;.;e!. ,i:d (io I made a hell of a detour round i iieai and then let the mare go. The

wiw slip ltvipt iVirwiird 'm.-'- ;jnst like ft ;i i-powered racing c't'. 1*51)0 Hew aiKi ii'ft him standing". '.ion I." realised it was my race, and so X lot the mare canter yuust the post, sirokinj;' her neclc, about 20 lengths to the and ■*■ eould .'just hour lovely music the regiment cheering itaolf fit to burst. I had just finished weighing-out when I heard that "Whiskers" had. been given bis race 100, and so I won the two best cups of the day at what I expect will be ii really historical race meeting; my .first racc as an owner, my first race as a jockey, and my first as owner, jockey, and trainer combined. In the racc for British aST.O.O.'s and moil the regiment was first and second. So we finished up with three wins, four seconds, and u third in five races. Next came the presentation of the cups. and X had an awtul 'uoiuenl "when the A.C., who was covered wiih 0111- (>«! .•ii-fniciif, ncnrlv gave the Kut Cup wli ic.h I prized »» Uglily, to instead of jue. and I pru<*;ically snatched it out of liis hand and 'molded it into Sieve's, wiu'e 1 rushed up again to rcr. i'.'e ilie A.i'.s ov, Ti cup and had a Mile chat v. it It liim. iu which I. ,"»t vi rv muddled up as it was so unw.pected. lOveiyone was most enthusiastic about my wins, tuid I went about like a coy and schoolgirl for the most part'. The regiment came round after dinned and christened the cups and celebrated the winning thereof. Kext morning I got up with "some" head and a great distaste for breakfast, all of which I U.ink can be put down to r.iv v.egro servant, who left me snoozing in the sua for a couple of hours before I suddenly felt it scorching me. nvtiow it was Sunday, so 1 snoaxrd nl! 'day aiid felt quite merry and bright by the evening. UNX'EOESSA RY KX VK.V-i:. A mile of colic, diuri ]ioi>;! ami dysi'iitory coi!ie o.i without wtirmwr, stud prompt relief must' be oMa rood. it is not \'.( i'V {() io.t'tiV ill;' CN pcll-a. 1 03 y-icinn's •-t'.M'viccf i*i -M'rb cases if riiiunliovltun's Colic a^ 1 Dinrrlio.-'i! Ucmeuy 's a; !nr:L 'lose of. this tvil! v 1 = f fn* p.ii.u licforc l'u» doctor co'-b arrive. Sold everywhere.