OVER A DISTANCE OF GROUND. 195 



court, and was always about Charles II., so I presume he had 

 won the Whip.' This is a presumption in which we cannot 

 concur with the learned Canon ; in the absence of any evidence 

 to the contrary, it would appear far more probable that Lord 

 Dacre was the original founder or donor of the Whip than that 

 he had his arms engraved on it as holder. On the former 

 supposition the shield would be an interesting souvenir, on 

 the latter an impertinent intrusion. 



The earliest race for the Whip mentioned in the Racing 

 Calendar was in 1764, when, in what must have been about 

 its centenary, it was won by the Duke of Cumberland's 

 Dumplin, beating one other competitor, since which time, 

 always more popular than the Cup, it has been actually run for 

 on twenty-four occasions. The Duke of Beaufort, who has 

 frequently held it since his first (unaccepted) challenge in 1881 

 with Petronel, is still in possession, the old hurdle- racer 

 Benburb being his latest champion. 



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