ONE HUNDRED MILES ON HORSEBACK IN FIVE HOURS. (Home News.)

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 676, 12 October 1876, Page 3

ONE HUNDRED MILES ON HORSEBACK IN FIVE HOURS. (Home News.)

A som-what novel exhibition took y> ace July 13 »t the Alexandra P.lacc, Mu> well Hill Leon, ft famous Mexicta liO'S»,r«W«r Lamm backed h.umlf to ride 100 miles in five h urs on ten bors.-s whuh ho brought with tiim from Mexico. Notwithntaudu.g tV iut-n.e heat a arge number of ueople as^mWel around th* irotti.«.p*A to witness » feat which, till it commenced, no 0.-c kn*w whether it would mo^t nMtnlile /■ «V • ° r N « w market. Shortly after three L«on made his apparatus-, clal in a heavy nut of areen velvet, and larue broad-brimmed hat, »nd quickly mounting one of ha masting* *»' <>« ™ tn a who ?P ln an unkn.wn tongue, It soon, however, hewn© ".ppirent that the genuine Newmarket el men t was not wanting, lhe wiry- o king litt c lo • a'-o .t fourteen hands high, *'• not definite of speed. The firtt miie only occnpicd 21 miuutes At Hie conclusion Leon lisrhtely vaul'ed upon the back of a freih horsf, ready for him. and was off again at a rapid pace. Changing horse, only took, at time*, two «r three Mcouda, and a frebh horse was taken at each mile. Leon mcceeded in riditw the first twenty miles iv 65min. 56ie«i., or tain. 4>«<». *« tB « Bnod»B nod » At the rid« progtelied Leon began alow y to divert him.elf of bis heavy ur^en velvet dresi, and cmsideang the luat, it tf< ms little abort of a miracle how a man even acountomed to a tropical «un, Oiiuld have ridden the pace he «Ud, attired m be wm. Leon had get himselt no mean task. *ndas it gradnally became apparent that the affair «a« not merely a «bow but an'exbibition of real flucl. and enduran.-e, the excitement am.ii* the audience became intense Th* crush w»i. of course, gn-a est ar.und the part where Lob chained hi« hornei. lhe mob, which wa« proved too much for lhe i-o'ice, cr .wded round as he, aftt-r a t me, Lcrambled rather than sprang from back to back encouraging th ac who be'p«i him across. When mounted however, one la*h of bis heavy wh.p and wave of his hand and be was off again, the mob ►e'tin* up » genuine approving ch*er. After a while it became evident that the brave nder would .oc eed. The forty ui.le. occupied lh. 52min. 46*-c«. ; the •ixty m.le-, 2h. 50mm. bS^ee. ; the eiAty m.U., 3h. 50.nm 36^ec ; the Suety. 4". 23mm. 35«ec. At this time the excitement was gr at. Leon, who had labored under g'*»t disadvanti«e of haviou ou'y seven instead of ten horses, three not haviig r- c .vend f.om the effect of their late voy«g« had n»w to choose the freshest oul> of the s^v i to tiuuh with, the two be«t being a dark hrown borae called 'Tommy,' with a w hite bliz- down its face like «he famous B ink .Bonny, and a grey. Tommy was vociferously cheered as \e galloped csmely round for two miles without stopping. This hor^e had tbehon* *f carrying hi. rider the last mile, which was concluded in 4b. 46«nin. 53*ec«. fiom the .tart. Considering the tropical heat it is questionable if an Kn^lish horse rouM be found to similar teat to that which the .even wonderful little mmtaogs accomplished. Hie tp»t was no doubt a gre-t one ; but it u not to extiarM-dinary as the celebraied matcn ..f Mr O biJdtston, «ho nnderti ok to ride 200mle«i m 10 hour* at Nev.m>rker f but was al!o*el an uolimited number ot horses and oi-ed no Us- than twentvei.ht He performed his task on Not. 5, 1831, in Bh. 42min , orer a f»-nr mile cou.se on N«wiaark*fc Heath. In Octr.Ver, 1/91, Mr Wilde undertook to rid« 127 E,ngli»b miles in nine hours at the Cur. agh, and competed his ta.k in 6h. 21mm., u.n q ten thouroughbred horse., on a two-mile circular course.