RACING IN THE 'PROVINCES.' 95 



of owners. The Hurstbourne,^ established in 1870, at the 

 suggestion of Lord Portsmouth, is now by far the most 

 valuable of its stakes, the Stockbridge Cup — a piece of plate 

 value 300 sovs. — coming next in order of importance, and the 

 whole affair has always been in great measure dependent upon 

 the patrons of the home stable and their friends. 



In the days when the Duke of Beaufort, Lord Anglesey, 

 and Lord Hastings kept the Danebury boxes full, some big 

 matches, or private sweepstakes resulting in matches, were 

 occasionally made, notably those between Leonie and Athena, 

 Mameluke and Innerdale, in 1867, Tenedos and Wellington in 

 1868 ; while the races, big and little, usually filled well, and, it 

 is needless to add, were the medium of the heaviest of bettmg. 



The tale has doubtless lost nothing in the telling, and sums 

 are wont to be magnified by tradition, but the thousands landed 

 at seven to four on Historian (who lost several lengths start) in 

 a Handicap Plate, half a mile, m the year 1865 did, we believe, 

 really amount to what was complacently spoken of by those 

 Titans of speculation as ' a very nice httle stake.' 



It was, however, as far back as i860 that the largest field 

 there recorded turned out for the Amport Stakes of a mile and 

 a half. Twenty-one runners, comprising a goodly number 

 of previous (or subsequent) winners, would nowadays be 

 esteemed no unworthy array to face the starter for the Cesare- 

 witch. 



The failing health of John Day, most generous, genial, and 

 hospitable of trainers, and the death or retirement of many of 

 his chief supporters, soon dimmed the lustre of the once 



1 There was a Hurstbourne Plate in 1855, of 50 sovs. (given personally by 

 Lord Portsmouth), added to a sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each for two- and three, 

 year-olds. Won by Duke of Beaufort's b.c. Furioso, 2 years, 6 st. 13 lbs. 

 (Wells), after a dead-heat with Mr. Powell's b.f. Plausible, 3 years, 8 st. 4 lbs. 

 {Yates).— T.Y.C. This race seems to have dropped out the next year. It 

 was revived afterwards in the form of the Hurstbourne Cup, two miles and a 

 half, value 200 sovs. , added to a sweepstakes of 15 sovs., 5 forfeit, for three-year- 

 olds and upwards, and was run for the last time in 1869, Sir F. Johnstone's 

 Brigantine, 3 years, 7 st. 7 lbs., beating Mr. Graham's Formosa, 4 years, 8 st. 

 12 lbs., and Mr. Brayley's Cock of the Walk, 4 years, 8 st. 10 lbs. — Ed. 



