<P> "The Rocking - Horse Winner" is a short story by D.H. Lawrence . It was first published in July 1926, in Harper's Bazaar and subsequently appeared in the first volume of Lawrence's collected short stories . It was made into a full - length film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring John Howard Davies, Valerie Hobson and John Mills; the film was released in the United Kingdom in 1949 and in 1950 in the United States . </P> <P> The story describes a young middle - class Englishwoman who "had no luck". Though outwardly successful, she is haunted by a sense of failure; her husband is a ne'er - do - well and her work as a commercial artist does not earn as much as she would like . The family's lifestyle exceeds its income and unspoken anxiety about money permeates the household . Her children, a son Paul and his two sisters, sense this anxiety; moreover, the kids even claim they can hear the house whispering "There must be more money ." </P> <P> Paul tells his Uncle Oscar Cresswell about betting on horse races with Bassett, the gardener . He has been placing bets using his pocket money and has won and saved three hundred and twenty pounds . Sometimes he says he is "sure" of a winner for an upcoming race, and the horses he names do in fact win, sometimes at remarkable odds . Uncle Oscar and Bassett both place large bets on the horses Paul names . </P> <P> After further winning, Paul and Oscar arrange to give the mother a gift of five thousand pounds, but the gift only lets her spend more . Disappointed, Paul tries harder than ever to be "lucky". As the Derby approaches, Paul is determined to learn the winner . Concerned about his health, his mother rushes home from a party and discovers his secret . He has been spending hours riding his rocking horse, sometimes all night long, until he "gets there", into a clairvoyant state where he can be sure of the winner's name . </P>

Who are the characters in the rocking horse winner