November Handicap
won here in 1887 with the respectable burden of 8 st. 9 lb., and L'Abbesse de Jouarre, the year after her Oaks victory, was successful with 8 st. 6 lb. La Roche, another Oaks winner, Zinfandel, winner of one Ascot Cup, and a horse who, but for bad luck, would assuredly have had two to his credit, Bachelor's Button, also an Ascot Cup winner, and Polar Star, who had been the best two-year-old of his season, give distinction to the list of winners. a Like so many other long distance races, the Ascot Stakes has fallen off of late years. The stake was originated in 1839 and won by a threeyear-old mare called Marchioness, who carried the indefinite light weight described as "feather." There was at this time no minimum, and indeed in the following year the Stakes was won by Darkness, with only 5 st. 4 lb. on her back. That good stayer, Musket, who has done such admirable service at the stud in Australia, won in 1870 with 8 st. 12 lb., but it is to be remarked that, in consequence of the nonacceptance of the top weights, his original impost was raised many pounds. The late Sir Joseph Hawley in 1870 won with Rosicrucian, who three years previously had been regarded as good enough to win the Derby, in which he was beaten by his stable companion, Blue Gown. The remark, "horses for courses," has already been noted, and it is remarkable how often there seems justification for it. Thus Pageant won the [RACING Chester Cup twice, as did Dalby and Dare Devil.
Ivanhoff was twice successful in the Manchester Cup, Shancrotha won in 1893, and was not beaten he ran a dead-heat-in 1894. Vampyre, as just remarked, twice carried off the Ascot Stakes; Teviotdale did so in 1880 and 1881, and Lord Lorne in 1889 and 1890. Previously to the success of Dan Dancer in 1888, he had been jumping hurdles, as had Billow before she won in 1892, and, it may be added, Prudhomme, before he won the Chester Cup. There is generally supposed to be some derogation in character when a horse runs over hurdles, though to this rule, if it be one, there are some notable exceptions, Hampton himself having been a hurdle jumper before he gained fame for himself and fortune for his owner. Class was found again in the Ascot Stakes in 1895, when Ravensbury carried off the race with 9 st. 9 lb. It went to France by the aid of Arlequin in 1896, and of Masqué in 1897.
Of late years the class has further decreased.
Of all handicaps throughout the year, perhaps the Cambridgeshire is universally regarded as the most important; but the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot runs it close. This race was originated in 1843, has always attracted large fields and usually brought out horses of good class. It does not seem to be diminishing in interest. See Saw, who won in 1869, was in all respects a creditable example of the English thoroughbred, though the same cannot be said for Judge, successful in the following year. Judge had been bought for a very few sovereigns, but his light weight enabled him to get home before animals of better class.
That extraordinary speedy horse Lowlander, by the way, was also a hurdle-racer, and won the Hunt Cup in 1874. There was a sensational race in 1881, when the five-year-old Peter, with 9 st. 3 lb. on his back, stopped to kick and was left far behind after the field had gone some way.
That Archer should have persuaded him to gallop, and that he should subsequently have won with his heavy weight, assuredly stamps him as a remarkable animal. Such an event is unprecedented under the circumstances. The distance is only a mile; to be accurate, it is short of that measurement by 74 yards; considering the speed at which horses gallop, and that the pace is always good in this race, it will be readily understood how very little time there is to lose on the journey.
Morion, three years old, 7 st. 9 lb., showed what a good horse he was by winning in 1890. No animal of his age had successfully carried so heavy a weight before, though his record was broken two years later when Suspender, also three years old, won with 7 st. 10 lb. in a field of twenty-five. Suspender was never beaten, and there is no saying how good he may have been; unfortunately it could not be ascertained in public, for he fell one of the many victims of the hard ground at Ascot, and was never able to run again after his victory in the Hunt Cup. That good miler, Victor Wild, gained one of his many victories here in 1894, and notwithstanding that he did not win in 1896, he ran an extraordinarily good race, being only just beaten by Knight of the Thistle, a fairly good four-year-old in receipt of no less than 2 st. 7 lb. from the winner of 1904. The Wokingham Stakes, run over six furlongs, is a species of minor edition of the Hunt Cup, and, as good animals are nearly always found in the field, success here adds much to a horse's reputation, except, of course, that if an animal does not fairly "get a mile" his character as a racehorse, having regard to the assumed aim and object of racing, does not rank high. Lally, also winner of the Eclipse Stakes, took the Hunt Winifreda, 1900.
Aïda, 1901.
RACING] ン WINNERS OF THE ONE THOUSAND GUINEAS, 1900-1910.
Witch Elm, 1907.
Rhodora, 1908.
Quintessence, 1903. [Photo. by W.
Rouch.
Electra 1909.
Flair, 1906. 1902. Sceptre (see p. 433). 1904. Pretty Polly (see p. 433). . 1905. Cherry Lass (see p. 433). Winkipop, 1910..
Cup in 1907 with 8 st., and Dark Ronald, let in with 7 st. 2 lb. in 1909, took advantage of the undue leniency.
At Goodwood there are two noteworthy handicaps: the Stakes-now called the Plate-first run in 1823 over a distance of 2 miles, and therefore a test of staying, and the Stewards' Cup, run over the T.Y.C., which, as elsewhere noted, is here six furlongs. The same remark that has been made about the Metropolitan and the Ascot Stakes applies to Goodwood. Horses of class and character are rarely found in the Plate; and what has been said about "horses for courses also comes in here, as Stumps and Orelia both won twice.
This, by the way, is still more remarkable in the Chesterfield Cup at the same meeting, for Coomassie won it in 1876 and 1877, Victor Emmanuel in 1880 and 1881, and Vibration in 1882 and 1883.
Hampton won the Stakes in 1876, and that he too liked the course is demonstrated by the fact وو [RACING the idea being that she would fade out before a couple of miles had been covered. Her jockey was only told to jump off at the best pace he could and come along all the way; and he did this so effectually that she was never headed. The fly-man met us after the races with a somewhat reproachful look, evidently feeling that he had been put off a good thing, and the kindly Duke felt the man's disappointment much more than the loss of his own money, though an extra sovereign consoled the would-be backer of Winter Cherry.
The late Alec Taylor was about this time extraordinarily successful in the preparation of horses for long-distance races. In four successive years from 1886 his stable carried off the Goodwood Stakes, with Winter Cherry, Carlton, Stourhead, and Ingram; he won the Metropolitan with The Cob in 1887, with Parlington in 1890, and with Ragimunde in 1891. The Northampton * CLOSING ON TO THE RAILS. of his having carried off the Cup in the following year. Bay Archer, who did excellent service to the stud in France, won in 1879, and that good mare Corrie Roy was not stopped in 1883 by her 9 st., a weight that was also carried successfully by Carlton in 1887. How little competition there has been for long-distance races of late years is made evident by the fact that in 1885 the race was void for lack of entries; and the next year it resulted rather curiously, for the Duke of Beaufort's Winter Cherry, who had only been started to make running for Sir Kenneth (belonging to the late Duke of Devonshire, then Lord Hartington), carried off the prize. An anecdote may here be interpolated to show how Turf "certainties " are upset and how totally unexpected results occur. The present writer chanced to drive up to the course in a fly with the Duke of Beaufort. As we were getting out of the carriage the fly-man obviously had something to say. An opportunity being afforded him, he begged me to tell him whether the Duke had any fancy for his mare, which the fly-man, for some mysterious reason, said he thought was sure to win. The Duke overheard the question, and with characteristic kindness said, "No, my man, don't waste your money on her; she has no chance whatever." Walking to the stand he remarked to me, "I am only starting my mare to make running for Hartington; Sir Kenneth, he thinks, cannot be beaten. I have backed him and should advise you to do the same." It was never supposed that Winter Cherry could possibly win, [Photograph by Sport and General.
Stakes fell to the Manton-trained Claymore in 1889. Eastern Emperor and Carlton won the Chester Cup in 1886 and 1887 respectively; Ragimunde won the Cesarewitch in 1891, and The Cob should have done so in 1886; Carlton won the Doncaster Cup in 1887, as did Claymore in 1889; and four times in five years from 1886 the stable carried off the Manchester November Handicap, with Stourhead, Carlton, Claymore, and Parlington. a Returning to the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood, there is comparatively little to be said in comparison with the interest which the contest annually awakens. It is, indeed, rather as medium of speculation than as a great race that the Stewards' Cup has to be considered. Some notably speedy horses have won-Oxonian, Trappist, Herald, Peter, Sweetbread, Dog Rose, and Rocketter. Another horse who went a great pace ought to have won in 1888. This was Bismarck, whose jockey, however, after he had passed the distance, turned round to grin derisively at his followers, whom he supposed he had easily beaten, when his horse seized the opportunity of swerving and running right across the course, leaving a half-bred five-year-old mare from Danebury, Tib by name, to carry her light burden of 6 st. 7 lb. first past the post by a short head. After Goodwood, what is called the "Sussex fortnight" is completed at Brighton and Lewes. The Brighton Stakes dates from 1824. The race used to be over two miles; it was afterwards reduced to a mile and a half, and subsequently to a mile, the usual RACING] WINNERS OF THE TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS, 1901-1910.
HANDICAPPER, 1901.
SLIEVE GALLION, 1907.
NORMAN III., 1908.
VEDAS, 1905.
GORGOS, 1906.
NEIL GOW, 1910. [Photographs by Sport and General. 1902. Sceptre (see p. 433). 1903. Rock Sand (see p. 429.'. 1904. St. Amant (see p. 429). 1909. Minoru (see p. 431). difficulty having been found of getting good fields for a long-distance contest. The Brighton Cup has been reduced in the same way. Some good horses have won this latter, including Caller Ou, Dollar, Ely, Speculum, Albert Victor, Lilian, Marie Stuart, Isonomy, and Border Minstrel, who was allowed to walk over. Fields for the previous dozen years had not averaged four in number, and the distance was consequently lessened to a mile. Brag, a speedy horse belonging to Mr. Leopold de Rothschild, carried 8 st. 10 lb. in 1885 in the exceptionally short time of 1 min. 39 sec. The Baron, who had started an odds-on favourite for the Derby (he had consistently shown himself a bad horse), succeeded here in beating three opponents in 1889. The race is now fairly holding its own. It is contested by threeyear-olds only. The story of reduced distance has to be told about the Lewes Handicap, though only half a mile has been taken off the length of this course, and it is now a mile and a half instead of two miles. Lord Hartington's Rylstone carried out the principle of "horses for courses in notable fashion by winning three times running the only handicap that has ever fallen in three consecutive years to the same horse. For the rest, there is nothing particular to be said about وو [RACING in the following year at Epsom. Goldseeker started for the City and Suburban, and there can perhaps be little harm at this time of day in saying that those connected with him had neither hope nor it must be distinctly understood that in saying desire of victory, though this no sort of implication is made on the integrity of those concerned. They thought the race would do him good, and help towards preparing him for the Jubilee Handicap at Kempton Park, for which they had backed nim very heavily. Tom Cannon, junior, had the mount at Epsom, and was put up without any instructions as to how he was to ride; he jumped off, and was never headed from start to finish, backward in condition as the colt was. The effect of this was to earn for him a substantial penalty for the event at Kempton Park. He had not been backed for a shilling at Epsom, and his penalty cost him the other race, for which he had been backed heavily, and so good had his chance been esteemed that he started first favourite in spite of the additional 14 lb. L'Abbesse de Jouarre, the Oaks winner, won the Portland Plate with 9 st. in 1890, and the very speedy horse, Greyleg, one of the few greys that have run of late years, was successful in 1894. Whiston, who went wrong in FINISH OF THE DERBY. the race, which brings out average handicap horses. Much the same may be written of the Great Yorkshire Handicap, one of the features of the Doncaster Meeting. It has fallen to good and bad animals in turn. The Portland Plate at Doncaster is one of the most popular of short races, the distance being 5 furlongs 152 yards, and as the field is nearly always numerous, success here is a genuine test of speed. Oxonian, Lollipop, Hackthorpe, are three horses that have carried off this stake, which in 1881 was secured by Mowerina, who was presently to win fame as the dam of Donovan. This was one of the races won by Goldseeker, with whom a succession of victories had been very cleverly planned. The horse, it may be incidentally remarked, injured his friends by winning once too often. This occurred [Photograph by Sport and General. his wind and speedily sank to plating, won in 1895, and Grig, a mare belonging to Mr. Leopold de Rothschild, who galloped at a great pace, was successful the year afterwards. Eager, Dieudonné, Nabot, and Santry were other winners of reputation.
Of the Great Eastern Handicap and the Newmarket October Handicap there is nothing special to be said except that they are popular races; but the Cesarewitch is one of the great contests of the year. Class is better represented in this race than in any other of the long-distance handicaps, and the field is almost invariably good. It is run over a severe course of two and a quarter miles, and though a moderate animal has occasionally got home with a light weight, it usually takes a really good horse to win the Cesarewitch.
RACING] The race dates from 1839, and several interesting chapters might be compiled about it. The success of Prioress in 1857, after a dead-heat with two other animals, El Hakim and Queen Bess, was one of the first victories gained by American horses in England. She was brought to this country by the late Mr. Ten Broeck, a keen sportsman who met with varying fortune on the Turf. 1866 was a very sensational year. The race fell stayer, Chippendale, without a word; he won in 1879 with 7 st. 5 lb., ran well next year with 9 st. 4 lb., and was second both in 1881 and 1882 with 8 st. 12 lb. In 1880 the Cesarewitch was memorable for the victory of Robert the Devil, who carried the great weight for a three-year-old of 8 st. 6 lb. It had been supposed by many that no horse of this age could win with so heavy a burden; but there was never any doubt as to ARCHER BACON 0000000000 W.JONES PULLING UP AFTER THE DERBY. to the Marquis of Hasting's Lecturer, and the owner won a large fortune. The horse was trained at Danebury by the late John Day, and did so well in a trial with Ackworth and others that Day could not believe that the result was true. After a short interval the gallop was repeated, with precisely the same result, and it then became apparent that the colt, a three-year-old, not by any means leniently weighted with 7 st. 3 lb., could scarcely fail. In Admiral Rous's original handicap Lecturer had been "thrown in " with 6 st. 3 lb., but the Admiral accepted advice and made the alteration without altering the result. John Day's brother, William, who had taken the race in 1860 with Dulcibella, and knew well what was required to win the Cesarewitch, believed he had a mare, Proserpine, who could not be beaten; but when the two brothers compared notes on arrival at Newmarket, William was convinced that he could have no possible chance, and that the money he had invested on his own horse was as good as lost. He had time, however, to secure himself, the Marquis of Hastings having very generously let him stand £25 at the odds of 40 to I which he had at first been able to obtain about his horse. A terrible scare arose in the Danebury camp shortly before the race when it was remembered that Lord Hastings had struck out all animals entered in his name; but by an extraordinary piece of good luck Lecturer chanced to have been entered for the Cesarewitch in the name of a friend, Mr. Peter Wilkinson, so that he was able to run, and he won at his ease. 1876 was notable for the fact that Rosebery, who won this race, afterwards carried off the Cambridgeshire, the first horse that had ever secured the two.
One cannot pass the name of that good honest the result after the flag had fallen. Another American, Foxhall, won with 7 st. 12 lb., he being a three-year-old, in 1881, and followed Rosebery's example in carrying off the Cambridgeshire. The success of Corrie Roy in 1882 is worthy of note from the fact that she never had what is called "an orthodox Cesarewitch preparation."
There is a generally well-founded idea among trainers that no horse can win the Cesarewitch who has not previously been galloped on several occasions over the full distance; but there are exceptions to every rule, and Corrie Roy's trainer well understood that such treatment would not suit her; her gallops were seldom much over a mile, but she won decisively. Robert the Devil's exploit was surpassed in 1884 by St. Gatien, who won with 8 st. 1o lb. on his three-year-old back; in the following year none of the English horses could hold their own against Plaisanterie, who came from France and had things all her own way. It may be noted that her son Childwick- 6,000-guinea yearling-repeated his dam's success nine years later. Stone Clink won in 1886 by a piece of good fortune. A game, sturdy little horse called The Cob, belonging to the Duke of Beaufort, and noteworthy for the fact that his dam, The Roe, was twenty-four years old when he was born, had been prepared for the race by Alec Taylor, who, with every justification for the opinion, believed that he could not be beaten.
Like many other good horses, The Cob was very lazy, and before the race it was repeatedly impressed upon his jockey that he must ride quite past the post. "If you drop your hands on him he will stop directly," his rider was told again and again by both the Duke and his trainer.
The Cob led his field a rare gallop Across the Flat, and had practically won the race; but the a jockey, believing that victory was secure, dropped his hands as he had been so earnestly cautioned not to do, the result being that The Cob stopped, and Stone Clink caught and beat him. The French carried off the race again in 1888 with Ténébreuse, and in 1890 Sheen beat all records by winning with 9 st. 2 lb. in the saddle, though, of course, having regard to the scale of weightfor-age, the success of a five-year-old with this burden was less remarkable than the victories of Robert the Devil and St. Gatien, it being estimated that over this distance in the month of October a five-year-old is a stone better than a three. How greatly owners may be mistaken about their horses is proved by the fact that Red Eyes, who ran a dead-heat with Cypria in 1893, had been given away to his trainer, Joseph Cannon, as worthless, after having been beaten in selling races.
Chaleureux, who won in 1898, has obtained distinction as the sire of the Derby and Oaks winner Signorinetta. In 1903 Grey Tick's victory chiefly served to show the excellence of Zinfandel. Grey Tick, aged, carried 6 st. 9 lb.; Zinfandel, a three-year-old, 8 st. 4 lb. Weight for age is 14 lb., so the colt was giving no less a weight than 37 lb. The ground was very damp that year, and Zinfandel floundered badly in a boggy place; but Mornington Cannon, who rode, declared that his mount had more than he expected left in when he made his effort, and, indeed, if he had ventured on bolder tactics, and sent the horse out to win his race earlier, he would doubtless have been successful. Hammerkop, who won as a five-year-old in 1905 with 8 st. 9 lb., is a good staying mare, for at the time of writing the present tense must be used. Demure in 1907 demonstrated the excellence of The White Knight. Both four-year-olds, he was beaten less than a length, giving her 45 lb. 66 The Cambridgeshire, run at the Houghton Meeting, was also originated in 1839, and, as has been already remarked, is generally considered the most interesting and important handicap of the season. Until the year 1887 the Cambridgeshire was run up the hill to the finish at the Criterion Course post at the top of the town," and accounts of the race used always to contain a description of what was happening at the "Red Post," a post painted red which used to stand about the distance; but from 1888 the course has been altered, and the race is now run over a distance of 2,000 yards, finishing at the Rowley Mile stand. The story of Catch-'em-alive's victory in 1863 has been so often told that it need not be here repeated. The scales were tampered with, and it seemed that the winner must be disqualified until the malicious attempt was fortunately detected. French owners have been specially keen to win the Cambridgeshire, and succeeded in 1873 with Montargis, in the following year with Peut-être, with Jongleur in 1877, with Plaisanterie in 1885 (the third animal that has carried off both this and the Cesarewitch), and with Alicante in 1890. La Merveille and La Flèche, who won in 1879 and 1892, were Englishbred horses in spite of their French names. 1878 Isonomy, undoubtedly the best three-year-old of his year, and might have won the Derby had his owner pleased-for Sefton could have had no sort of chance with him was specially kept for the Cambridgeshire and won the race with 7 st. 1 lb. on his back. Foxhall's penalty raised his weight to 9 st., which it was supposed by not a few practical judges he could not possibly carry, especially as he had a field of notable excellence to beat, and his achievement was con- In [RACING sequently a great one. 1882 is remarkable for the fact that the race had to be postponed in consequence of a terrific storm. Fog and frost occasionally lead to postponements, but for wind and rain to do so is an altogether exceptional occurrence. The horses had gone to the post when the Stewards decided that the race could not possibly be run, and Mr. Arthur Coventry, the present starter, offered to go down on his hack to convey this intimation. The crowd, meantime, knowing nothing of this, waited for the field to come in sight, the delay being made exciting by the circumstance that several flies and carriages were blown over, their wheels revolving at a tremendous pace in the hurricane that was blowing. After a time the first of the horses that had been taken to the post returned a long way ahead of everything else, the jockey's colours indistinguishable in consequence of the saturation they had received. It appeared that something had won very easily indeed, but no one could say what, and when the others appeared at wide intervals an idea prevailed that this was the most extraordinary race ever seen; but presently it became known that it had not been a race at all. Hackness won the next day, when there were no fewer than thirteen races. Bendigo's success in 1883 was altogether unexpected. The horse's throat had been dressed and he was really not fit to run, but 6 st. 10 lb. was a burden under which he could not be beaten, though he gave his opponents every chance, as towards the finish he swerved right across the course, from one side to the other; and it was only by a head that he succumbed to Florence (four years, 9 st. 1 lb.) next year.
The Cambridgeshire of 1886 was perhaps the most sensational on record. Possibly the true story of it will some day be told, but the time has not arrived to tell it yet. Carlton was favourite, and his party at Manton had the most implicit belief in him. St. Mirin was trained in the same stable, the two had been tried together, and of the superiority of Carlton there seemed to be no possibility of question; but Archer, who was to ride St. Mirin, notwithstanding the trial, maintained that he was sure to beat the other, and for reasons that have never yet been explained he did SQ. The Derby winner Melton ran in this race, and, in spite of the heavy weight he carried, was going so well when they neared the Red Post that Archer began to race with him, making his effort sooner than he otherwise would have done. This no doubt took much of the steel out of St. Mirin, who, however, seemed to have the victory assured when the despised Sailor Prince suddenly challenged him, a desperate finish ensued, and Archer, weakened by wasting in order to ride the weight, was beaten a head. Three-yearolds had a run of luck from 1887, when Gloriation won, which has only been interrupted by the success of the four-year-old Veracity in 1888 and of Molly Morgan (four years, 6 st. 7 lb.) in 1893. La Flèche's performance of winning with 8 st. 10 lb. on her back in 1892 was a notable one; considering sex allowance, it was more than equal to that of Foxhall, as he only won a short head, and the gallant mare cantered home with her ears pricked. That good horse Best Man was a strong favourite in 1895 in spite of the 9 st. he had to carry, but he could only get second to Marco (7 st. 9 lb.), who was probably the best of the three-year-olds of his season. The handicapper in 1896 committed a grave error in letting in so good a colt as Winkfield's Pride with so little as 6 st. 10 lb., and of course the horse had no difficulty in winning.
RACING] The struggle in 1897 was peculiarly exciting, for the first four were separated by heads, Comfrey just winning from Sloan on St. Cloud II. In 1898 there was an unfortunate start. No doubt King Edward ought to have won with Nunsuch, but she was hopelessly left. Two days later, in the Old Cambridgeshire, the ease with which she beat Georgic, who had brought off a 40 to I chance, justifies the "ought." Hackler's Pride was to establish a record by winning twice; in 1903 as a three-year-old with 6 st. 10 lb., next year with 8 st. 10 lb. Land League barely failed to do the same thing in 1907-1908. In the latter year he was beaten a neck by Marcovil, who had three months of the season, for by the Rules of are frequent items on race cards during the last of September.
Racing no "Nursery" can be run before the Ist SELLING RACES. - Selling races are the lowest forms of contest recognised by the rules of racing; and selling handicaps, the lowest of all, are, on the face of them, manifestly ridiculous. notification in the conditions of the smallest, the "Winner to be sold for 50 sovs." is the selling price being raised on occasions to much larger sums, though perhaps £100 is the most FINISH OF THE PRINCE OF WALES' STAKES. been very infirm, and was generally believed to be too backward to come into the consideration at all.
The Liverpool Autumn Cup and the Manchester November Handicap are other races which may be mentioned; nor should the Newbury Cups be omitted. No meeting ever more rapidly established itself on a firm foundation. Sterling, the sire of Isonomy, won at Manchester with 9 st. 4 lb. in 1873, a great achievement, especially considering that the minimum weight at this time was 5 st. 7 lb. Master Kildare, the sire of Melton, won in 1879, and Melton, following in his sire's footsteps, was successful seven years later. Lady Rosebery, who had a great partiality for this course, won in 1888 and again in 1890, being successful also the following year in the Spring Cup, another instance of "horses for courses"; and in 1893 La Flèche ended her Turf career, with the exception of one essay a little later at Manchester, by a brilliant success with 9 st. 6 lb.
Belphœbe won both these races in 1878; Carlton's Manchester performance with 9 st. 12 lb. in 1887 has already been mentioned, and Ravensbury, who would have had such a brilliant career on the Turf if he had lived in almost any other year except that which made him so unfortunately the constant opponent of Isinglass, won with 9 st. 4 lb. in 1894. "Nurseries," it should here be added, are handicaps for two-year-olds exclusively, and they [Photograph by Sport and General. common, and no prize can be less than £100 under Jockey Club Rules. Weights range from 9 st. to 6 st.; and it is manifest that if one horse can give another 3 st. and a beating-a beating which may tend to prove that he could have given much more and if the winner is only worth £50 the defeated lightweight must be worth a great deal less; or, on the other hand, if the bottom weight wins, and the top weight, giving the 3 st., is only just defeated, receives, let us say, a 3 lb. or 4 lb. beating, he or she must be worth a great deal more than the winner. No one can fail to see the cogency of this argument; and the man of logical mind who did not understand the exigencies of racing would at once say that there was no denying the common sense of the cry for the abolition of, at any rate, the selling handicap.
But the exigencies of racing are not governed by logical considerations. The point is how a man can get rid of a very bad horse; and the selling handicap supplies the nearest approach to An owner tries a two-year-old to be very bad-a youngster of which, very likely, he may have formed high hopes, based on his breeding, make, and shape, action, and apparent capacity to gallop. He fulfils an engagement, and runs wretchedly. "First time out; ran green," is the excuse; and he is started again. Again he is badly beaten; but the owner, perhaps, lays the flattering unction to his soul that the winner is something out of the common, has extraordinary an answer. speed, chopped his field, that his own horse did not get off, was shut in, or in some way the victim of accident. Once more he tries his luck in moderate company; and the truth, which has in fact been perfectly plain all the while, has to be recognised: he is a very bad horse. "We shall have to put him into a selling race," is the verdict, and in such a contest he figures. If beaten, he descends still further to the selling handicap, and should he fail even here his future becomes indefinite. If he is believed to "look like jumping," he may be claimed and tried at hurdles; if not, someone may pick him up at auction for a hunter, a hack, or a cab-one may be dragged down Piccadilly by an animal whose name not long before has figured largely among the entries for great stakes. The decadence of a promising but deceptive two-year-old has here been traced; but horses come to run in selling races later in life. [RACING The best to make the backers lay long odds on it. It wins; but the stake is paltry; in order to make money by betting, a very great risk has to be undergone, and the danger is not yet over. winner of a selling race has, of course, to be sold by auction; the owner receives no more than the entered selling price, probably £100, possibly £50 (the lowest sum recognised), and the surplus is divided between the race fund and the owner of the second horse. If the owner of the winner, who has effected his coup, wants to retain his animal, he may very likely have to give a great deal of money for it, as the circumstances of the race, the confidence with which it has been backed, and the ease with which it won, have left no doubt about its value. Buying in is, therefore, an exceedingly expensive business. An actual example will best demonstrate the case. An American importation, named Banquet II., won a NEWMARKET. AT THE BUSHES.
Possibly, for some mysterious reason, they have lost their form; perhaps they show a more or less pronounced tendency to go wrong in the wind; it may be that a leg has gone and been patched up, or else shows signs of going. For some cause or other it appears urgently desirable to get rid of them while they retain a scrap of form and reputation; and the doubtful animal is put into a selling race. Some screw must be loose or he would not be there, is the natural deduction; but many who want to bet will reply that he has never run in such company before, and at any rate ought to beat this lot. Thus one object of latterday sport, the making up of a race which may lead to an exciting struggle (and possibly to a brilliant display of horsemanship) is fulfilled.
It will at once be seen how readily such a system might be turned to a source of very possible profit by what are called "astute practitioners." Place a really smart horse in a selling plate, a horse that could win in good company, he will only have platers-the term is one of reproach to beat, he is sure to win, and his friends may bet, as the phrase goes, "till the cows come home." The plan has often been carried out with profitable results-supposing that two or three other owners are not playing the same game at the time-but there are dangers attached to the experiment. In the first place "the ring" are very ready to estimate the situation of affairs, to refuse to bet against the good thing, or at selling plate at Newmarket, worth £100; he was entered to be sold for another £100 (so far as memory serves the record of the race in Ruff's Guide omits the selling price), and he was bought in for 1,510 guineas-£1,575 IOS. The deficit, , therefore, £1,375, had to be won by betting, which in this particular case would have involved a risk of probably at least £1,000. The owner (Mr.
Croker, the "Boss of Tammany") received £100 for the stake, and had to pay £1,475 to retain his horse. Banquet II., as was then made evident, was regarded by his owner as worth at least some £1,600; but let us see what happened in this typical case. Notwithstanding his appearance as a "plater," the horse was entered for a £2,000 stake, and beaten; he ran again in a race of character, and again suffered defeat, after which another coup was attempted in a selling race.
This time it miscarried. The horse was beaten a length by an outsider and promptly "claimed."
This is another risk run by owners who wish to gamble on selling platers. A rule of racing says that "all other horses starting" [other than the winner, that is] may be claimed for the the selling price plus the value of the stake or plate by the owners of horses running in the race or their authorised agents." Claims may be made by owners according to the places their representatives obtain; thus the owner of the third has priority of claim for the horse that ran second.
In this case Banquet was entered to be sold for RACING] £200; the stake was worth another £200, so that he was claimed for £400, just a quarter of what has been shown to be his owner's estimate of his worth; and, of course, the money betted on him, doubtless a heavy amount, or the gamble would not have been remunerative, was also lost. It will be seen from this example how dangerous a game it is. The owner of the exploited plater must bet heavily in order to be able to afford to buy in his horse if he wins; and if he is beaten he is very likely to lose the animal, for a ridiculously inadequate sum, as well as his bets. It happens on occasions that an owner loses money by winning a selling race. His horse runs better than he has expected it would do, and he thinks he would like to keep it. He has not backed it, and so, entered to be sold for £100, he may have to bid, say, £500, to retain it, which means that he must pay £400 for division between the owner of the second and the race fund-£500, less the £100 entered selling price. He is consequently £300 out of pocket, plus the jockey's winning fee of five guineas and incidental expenses. These gambles are not healthy; they are not in accordance with the true spirit of the sport, and by way of preventing them a rule was some time since instituted in France that horses might be claimed for the entered selling price plus the value of the stake, before a race was run. The owner who had intended to "have a dash" on a useful horse that was put in to meet inferior class animals might thus be very awkwardly circumvented. It is inevitable that mistakes should be made, and at times horses rise from the ranks of the selling platers and greatly distinguish themselves.
Their owners have lost patience with them after a disappointment, it may be; or they improve in an unexpected way, possibly by shaking off some ailment which has affected them, and has not been recognised by their first trainer; or it may be that he has misunderstood their constitution or capacity, so that in more appreciative hands they do better. If space permitted, a string of examples might be given, but the case of Victor Wild may be quoted as a remarkable one. He belonged to Golding, a most capable trainer, who made as few mistakes as any one, but who, however, doubtless for some reason that seemed good at the time, put him in a wretched little £100 selling race, the Brockhurst Plate, at the now extinct Portsmouth Park Meeting. He won a couple of lengths from the best of four wretches who followed him, and, entered to be sold for £100, fetched 330 guineas-less than a twentieth part of his value. He next ran in a Nursery Handicap with a selling clause, met opponents of the most moderate character, and won comfortably, actually receiving weight from some of them. This time he was bought in for 640 guineas, and gradually started the career in the course of which he often so memorably distinguished himself. Hampton, who won great fame as a sire, also figured in selling races. Thus a "plater " may become a famous horse; but he will be an exception to the rule, for the course of the plater is almost invariably down hill by more or less rapid stages. ود RACECOURSES. -By general consent the best meeting of the year is held at Ascot. The sport here is consistently good, and it is the one place where no selling race is found in the programme.
There are only five handicaps during the four days over which the meeting extends, and one of these, the Royal Hunt Cup, perhaps ranks after the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, though the Kempton Park Jubilee has a great vogue. The Ascot Stakes and the Wokingham are also events of importance, but the former is over two miles, and nowadays for all long-distance races except the Cesarewitch, the class of runners is usually no better than moderate. The Ascot Cup stands out by itself as the great race of its kind. A few years since it was generally understood that a race for a Cup was invariably, like the Cup at the "Royal Meeting," as it is called, over a long distance of ground, but in this respect things have altered on many courses and Cups are often run for at distances of less than a mile. Nearly all the stakes at Ascot are of considerable value.
The Cup is now worth as a rule not far short of £4,000; the Coronation Stakes for three-year-old fillies often amounts to over £3,000, and the St.
James's Palace and Hardwicke Stakes are also reckoned in thousands. The Hardwicke, it may be remarked, was named after the penultimate Earl, who revised the Ascot programme during his tenancy of the Mastership of the Buckhounds.
The Ascot course is circular, and only some sixtysix yards short of two miles round. The ground rises and falls, with a finish uphill, which is a severe test of a horse's ability, and some of the best jockeys who ride and have ridden there say that races are not seldom lost because riders do not appreciate the severity of the finish, and so make their effort too soon. The great drawback to Ascot, as a rule, is the hardness of the going.
The meeting always takes place about the middle of June, when the sun has usually baked the course, and scarcely a year passes in which some good animals do not permanently injure themselves by running here. Of late, however, owing to the great care that is taken there has been an improvement.
But to a great many devotees of the sport there is no place which approaches Newmarket.
The whole of Newmarket is practically given up to the horse. Most of the training here is done on what is called the "Bury Side," an expanse of ground including the famous Limekilns, on which the going is always good. Even when it is hard on other parts of the Heath, if one passes through the belt of trees which separates the Limekilns from the Bury Hill, horses can be freely galloped at almost all times, though elsewhere they have to do their work on the tan tracks which have been laid down, and are utilised by trainers who desire to avoid the jar which would be caused by the hard ground. What is called the "Race Course Side" is also busy in the morning, however. Most of the races take place on some portion of the Rowley Mile, though not all of them finish at what may be called the principal winning post, opposite to the stand. There are three other winning posts on this portion of the course. First comes the Abingdon Mile. This post is situated at the bottom of a descent, so that the course is suitable for speedy horses with little staying power, as they have not to climb up the rise to the Rowley Mile post. The next post is the finish of the Ditch Mile, and the last is the T.Y.C., capitals which stand for "Two Year Old Course." Every course, it may be remarked, has its T.Y.C. extending to something from 5 to 6 furlongs; thus the T.Y.C. at Newmarket (that is to say, on the Rowley Mile course) is 5 furlongs 140 yards; at Ascot it is 5 furlongs 136 yards; at Doncaster the "Red House in" does duty for a T.Y.C., and is 5 furlongs 152 yards; at Epsom and Goodwood it is 6 furlongs exactly.
The Cambridgeshire used to finish at the Criterion Course winning post, commonly called "the Top of the Town," but in 1888 the course which had been in use since this handicap was first established in 1839, was altered. The Cambridgeshire now finishes at the Rowley Mile stand, and is run over 9 furlongs. The hill from the Rowley Mile stand to the winning post at the "Top of the Town" is a severe one, and forms a useful test of a horse's staying powers. Here it was that the old Beacon course, about which one often reads in old racing histories, came to an end. This course was 4 miles I furlong 177 yards in length. The three Spring and three Autumn meetings are held on the Rowley Mile Course, and are called the Craven, the First Spring, the Second Spring; the First October, which usually UNSADDLING IN THE ENCLOSURE, EPSOM. takes place at the end of September, the Second