COACHING GLORIES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 89, 14 April 1908, Page 2

COACHING GLORIES.

ALFRED VANDERBILT'S SCHEME

A recent cablegram mentioned that divorce proceedings were being taken against Alfred Vanderbilt, who it was stated had offered his wife £300,000. It was mentioned that Vanderbilt was on his way to England to run a coach to Brighton. The London Express states that Vanderbilt intends to run his famous coach, the Venture,'^between Brighton and London during the coming summer, and is at present making a brief stay in Londojfi to mature his plans for his enterprise. He said he would drive the coach himself; he had no idea of trying to lower the old coaching records. "My, advent on the Brighton road will be entirely the outcome of my love for road coaching," he said. "My whole idea is to run a fstst coach ? .leaving London one day and returning from Brighton the next day j keeping strictly to a time-table which will be prepared. Record breaking cannot be done nowadays, with the heavy traffic of motor cars and traction engines to be met on all the roads. With me it will, not be a question of speed, T)ut of going on at a regular, steady pace, and keeping to time. lam very keen on road coaching, and consider it the finest sport in the world. I took it up about seven years ago in America, and I drove the Pioneer, which belongs to the Coaching Club, and is run by a committee, for about six years. For several years, also, I have driven the Venture. I thought I should like to do a little road coaching in Ik-gland on one of your old historic roads, and that is the whole reason of my plans to run the Venture to and from Brighton in all weathers during the coming summer. The coach will be absolutely a public coach, and weare going to arrange to have the old coaching tariff. , There will be a booking office at each end of the journey, and anybody who wants to travel, and is brave enough, will be welcomed as a paying passenger. The Venture will start running probably on May 4, and will continue'to run until the opening of the International Horse Show, six weeks ; later. As to the starting points, the,route, the number of stages, and the time, I have come over now on purpose to,settle these matters. I started buying horses for the* coach six weeks ago in America. Sixty-four horses, nearly all of which I,have driven, will arrive at Tilbury to-mor-row. Four of them are my favourite greys, which came to England last year--Viking and Storm King (wheelers,) and Vanity and Vogue (leaders). The coach will arrive in England later. The four greys will form the town team, and, of course, they will be stabied somewhere near the London starting point. All the 64 horses are American bred. From the time they arrive until about a, month before the coach starts running" they will' be driven in pairs. Then, for about 10 days they will run in fours, following which they will be driven up and down the Brighton road in fours for another 12 days. The horses will not be allotteu to the different stages until I come back,> about the second week in April. Given fine weather, lam looking forward to a most delightful spell or,road coaching to and from Brighton m the prime of your English summer. 1 am now very busily discussing road maps and old coaching time-tables, with a view to the early decision of £ oute 'ffa£ a£es' and times." All the horses Mr Vanderbilt will use, with the exception of his greys, will be sold at latter-sail's towards the end of June. Mr Vanderbilt intends to do sonio coaching in the Park during his lengthy stay in England.