MR ARTHUR COVENTRY.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7552, 15 May 1890, Page 2

MR ARTHUR COVENTRY.

Licensed Victuatteri Qaxetto.

It is not co lons ago that what are known as "Gentlemen 3 Races" were under a cloud;.indeed, there were profane-people who vailed them thieves' raoee. We will not go so far as to endorse that opinion, but certainly there was aa much dodging, as much knavery, as much blackleg business about them as ever disgraced professional events. We all know the sporting adventurer, the swell blackleg; we have met him in Hawley Smart's and White Melville's novels; we have met him in dubs; we have met him on racecourses; and very often at the West-end. A man of perfect manners, perfectly dressed, who lives on the best, frequently keeps a perfect little turn-out, and is supposed to keep one of the prettiest of St. Johns-wood ladies in one of the prettiest of St. Johu'awood villas—we say supposed to keep, because if the truth were known the St. Johns-wood tart more frequently helps to keep him: he makes a book on the great! races, and at times is supposed to be hard hit. Of course, such men have frequently a black Monday, though as & rule ft is much blacker for the people who have won. They are frequently defaulters, and usually end by being warned off the Turf. Yet, considering they have no ostensible or if they have that it is not sufficient to pay for their gloves and cabs, it is marvellous how they keep afloat, as. after making all allowances for unpaid tradesmen, they must spend in actual coin their income half-a-dozen times over each year, for there are things that a man must pay down on the nail for. But the phenomenon becomes yet more puzzling when the gentleman has not, to anybody's knowledge, one stiver of actual revenue. Of coarse, the merciful Providence that provides the small fish of the sea for the gustatory delight of the big fish thereof sends human gudgeons for the aliment of human pikes—a dispensation which is much to the taste of the big'uns, though the little 'uns, with the perversity of all, living organisms, may view the dtepen. j afcion in another light—yet such gifts will hardly account for the ample means which these gentlemen seem always to have at their disposal. If one of these has a taste for jockeyehip, some speculative bookie usually gets hold of him, advances him money, and makes him his slave, and our gentleman is as much Dound to ride accord' fag to his orders as Tom Smith or Bill Jones has to manipulate his horse or win or lose according to the instructions ho has received from owner or trainer. These "gentlemen"—heaven savethe mark thought the word has become so common of late, so dragged through the dirt, that When applied to the real article it is aa Insult wither than a compliment—always meet plenty of people, who think that a hat from Christie's and a coat from Poole's mast be honourable, to make it a good thing for the bookmaker, some low-bred, illiterate fellow who revels in the idea of having for his humble servant some sprig of aristocracy perhaps, though we are happy to say that these "gentlemen" are more frequently parvenus with merely a little more education than their masters. There are various ways of making amateur riding pronUble, you can lay against yourself when you know you are going to lose, then there is a commission and a share of the long odds, while these gentry also ttsaally charge expenses which are stiff enough to amount to a jockey's fee. It must be admitted, however, that this disgraceful st&te of things is far less common thau it was a dozen years ago, tnanka to certain real gentlemen who have taken to donning the silk, chief amoag whom is Mr Arthur Coventry. Mr Arthur Coventry ie a cousin of the Earl of Coventry and a younger brother or another famous gentleman rider, Captain Henry Coventry, who, in 1885, achieved great distinction by winning the Liverpool Grand National on Alciblades, the property of that popular sportsman, "Cherry AngeL Old "aporte" may remember the ridicule that was cast by the clever brigade UDOn too idea of » Guardsman wlnnlna &

Grand' NstlonriJSf^^ • Court, and won wftb. etiii $ *** oaR*S But it Is of the the elder, that we h8? t}* o **; hß*. present occasion. 1 Melton Mowbray Iα t£* r ** **A while » schoolboy deveM« *K\y exclusivei love for the that has been his hobby Jffi? «J X usual amusements of Etou $ v thl rowing, had jfcw if any s£**«M»iffl riding being his sole pifiKSU»lS{ school. His first appearaiWi ll m 2 was in April, wlf at l 5 fashioned 5J surrounded by frionds who if*l*bei» admired him in the hJStaiSL & mounted Cresula in Mr £ and rode for the BMesdea SXfoSi It was not however, until months had elapsed that the yS* $5 man jock was to score hia nwt «eWk races, on Baby, at that, under the name of Little wards achieved some reputation ßs, *** not in connection with Mr Cfts»L{iSk waa a curious coincidence hJ3>l was a pet name of Mr Coventry his friends. This one successf*iS? first year's record. l a tb e $$ next he began by winning tJ?Y*A Plate at Meltou Mowbriy L 1 Carringtpn's Amy, but thoueh \ frequeutly seen in the saddle h« m* *« much to dtstingulah himself St**** though he was training hard ciS up experience for future uj>e • Tcp Steeplechase at KlngsourV W« only beaten by the Marquis of SLSV* on Kate; and in the Gand Nat&S Meeting, held in conjunction *XsW opening one at Sandown Park k. ?w» Vyner't.Fred Aislabie i a Sβ £2?** but was unplaced to Gazette. »«;,?*& samemeetiug, on Trespasser h«l* Grand National Open HunteL* against a big field, auß *» Ski* It was in 1876, however, tha* ha , began that brilliant c*re<a■ iftWl placed him in the first rtnkVZS **» three hurdle and BteeplecbLe, flat races fell to his share inthVS? be began to be regarded for there were few meetiiura Thames at which hia servKZ ?> request. At Sandown he won tS? SSL , * Hurdle-race on Prophetic, SStSS &&• try's horse, and the Hantew lP Hnrti£ n * on Mr Gerard's Bacchante It rsei that he made hia firat appearaotoL ls , o .!* •addle at Aintree, his mount Bi£ ft . Guard, but only managedl iSftfi for the Croxtelth Bedcfi"US! cbase. One of hie -priSW"^ Challenge Cup on Uncle. P<uZ* 2* the next year, which was not a parMb successful season for Mr come to 1878, which ppened for him* lZ auspiciously at Birmingham, XL*?! won two out of three mounts. HeV* both the Craven Cup and the AitT Steeplechase on Radnor, and la tlffl named made a display of horsemiS that would have done credit to a H the first rank of professional j<X£ while at the Quorn Hunt Meeting! & defeated by a head, he "woa rqiS opinions from all kinds of men" for X display of skill: he waa selected to ft the favourite, St. George, ia the Gμ National Hunt Steeplechase at HetoM and might have won but for the falling. By the end of the eeasoal Coventry's reputation as a rider wasfltßto established and universally acknowledge! In 1879 in the Grand Nationally Steeplechase, which was run over the oU course at Derby, about as stiff a b!t s( ground as ever man piloted horse mm, he beat a field of fifteen on Bsllritet*** this was the most important wia he had yet made, and he wound Qsth« year on December 26fch at Bristol bj winning four races in succession, oa Buridan, Lemonade, Weathercock sad Tendril, which made up a round dotaa«{ steeplechases, against two hurdle n«i and five flat races, as the twelve month*' score. In 1880, however, our hero nude s tremendous leap, and with tblrty-tlirjs wins was second only to Mr Brockton oa the winning list of gentlemen ridaw ict these twenty-four were won on Umbas, By this time Mr Coventry could hold Ms own against some of the best professSoasl), and had the honour of winolog the finl race that was ever run over the FemcGula Park course on Troubadour. Mr ComU} has on many occasions ridden and woa Iβ Tom Cannon's colours, and to tbstgsaji jockey's kindly hints he owea raueb of his skill. Among soma of hie feats of horsemanship best remembered was hit finish on Meldon at Lewes in 1881, ag&t&M Maid of Orleans, ridden by Morbay; agalu, at Sandown, nothlag could be amt thu the manner in which, on Reeve, he psffpii after Cavendieh Square, with W«bb up, Setting, after a tremendous effort, up to is head. In the Soathdown Weltw at Lewea there was another ctttaordlsuxrj tight fit, when he won on MrGresnwoodi horse by a neck. The splendid fifcjle-la which he rode Hesper and Glea Jfons $i Sandownstampedhirnaathecraokamatew rider of the day. Many ot U8 will likewise remember that bold and ekillul rwo m Priestcraft at Sandown, about three w four years back, against Count Kins&y oa St. Galmler, how inch by loch h© ialotd on that gallant horseman ia what m&m a desperate chance, until, half w&? dowa the etand, he got alongside of Mi* cad then snatched the victory frorathaGoant by a head. During the last two w towj seasons we have regretted to see Hjtt-e course by his owncholce—hla lnouoUßSilt been much fewer than formerly, a* ea,cM man as he can 311 ba spared from W ranks of gentlemen riders. Mr Coventry has ?!*»*» «tf££?*£* perfect confidence of the public. Xiw e» perfectly aware that he always rlde»« win, and does hia utmost to onng«« horaa tirst past the judge's eyo. They wi well assured that no bookmstef * Rtructs! , him.that no offer would tenvtw to play false to those who trust tow honour; nay, that auJ^™*. 0 ?™*?! to sugoest such a thtag. StriofctoWW is too often associated with djsagrwfcj manners, a man is usually so »»«s !i f»f» the idea that he U one of those forjng Diogenes sought ao diligently witbja lantern that like Gratianc?s "Slrp"** " his visage doth cream and mantle U£»» standing pond." Not ao Arthur CowjJ the elect and snow and rain and \mm sun of many a well-ridden field h&w® their marks upon hU good-tempered m but it Is always as pleasant m always as genial aa his smm and though his euccesees may ao«w again have raised jealousies aucatawfibUjW Jsoneof the few men who can pwWg lay with troth, " I have not an earn a the world."