28 RACING. 



and the least to show for it, relating to jockeyship, of any man 

 there ; yet he often carried off the prize. His horses, they say, 

 were all cheats, how honest soever their master was, for he scarcely 

 ever produced a horse but he looked like what he was not, and was 

 what nobody could expect him to be. If he was as light as the 

 wind, and could fly like a meteor, he was sure to look as clumsy 

 and as dirty and as much like a cart-horse as all the cunning of his 

 master and the grooms could make him ; and just in this manner 

 he hit some of the greatest gamesters in the field. 



This writer concludes his remarks with the following para- 

 graph, worthy of note as affording a striking contrast to the 

 latter end of nineteenth-century fashion : 



' Pray take it with you as you go, that you see no ladies at 

 Newmarket, except a few of the neighbouring gentlemen's 

 families, who come in their carriages to see a race, and then go 

 home again ! ' 



During the early periods of racing the best horses seldom 

 ran more than five or six times, and some not so often, there 

 being scarcely any plates of note except Royal ones ; and very 

 few sweepstakes or matches were made, except at Newmarket, 

 till about the year 1760. 



The great subscriptions at York did not commence till the 

 year 1751, and were run for by five-year-olds, 10 st, four miles, 

 on the Wednesdays ; 9 St., two-mile heats, on the Fridays. 

 Each subscriber paid 10/. yearly, for which he was allowed two 

 silver tickets — viz. one for each stake, and the tickets were 

 transferable. Non-subscribers were admitted on paying 20 gs. 

 for each horse entered, and the City of York gave 50/. to each 

 day's race. 



These races were continued for seven years, when they were 

 renewed with Thursday subscriptions for six-years-old and aged 

 horses, &:c. 



Four-mile heats and matches were also begun at York 

 about the year 1750, and after that time they became 

 general. 



At Newmarket till the year 1744 there were only two plates 

 run for in October— viz. the King's plate and the town plate ; 



