ASCOT EACES. 329 



had been killed and hunted by the pack. Unfortunately, 

 the records of the runs — even on those occasions when the 

 King and the Royal Family were out with the hounds — 

 do not seem to be fully reported, and when Royalty did 

 not appear in the hunting field the chroniclers of those days 

 invariably disdained to give publicity to the proceedings of 

 the pack. Still, we must be thankful for such small mercies, 

 and make the most of the intelligence thus placed at our 

 disposal. From this season onward we shall be far worse off 

 in this respect. War — that spoil-sport — was now upon us, 

 and during the ensuing ten years very little about the pro- 

 ceedings of the Royal Buckhounds in the hunting field is to 

 be found in our rural annals or cognate domestic history. 



Ascot races were held on July 9 and 10. On the first day 

 of this meeting the 40 Guinea Plate for hunters carrying 12 

 stone was won by Colonel Horley's grey horse beating two 

 others. On the second day the 20 Guinea Plate was won by 

 Mr. Ives' (one of the yeomen prickers) grey mare beating six 

 others. 



We shall hear nothing of Ascot races for some years hence. 

 They were, indirectly, suppressed by the Jockey Club, and by 

 the Act of Parliament of 13 George II. c. 19. Nearly ten 

 years prior to this time the members of the Jockey Club held 

 a memorable meeting on August 1, 1729, at Hackwood, the 

 Duke of Bolton's seat in Hampshire, for the ostensible purpose : 

 " to consider of methods for the better keeping of their respective 

 strings of horses at Newmarket." At this meeting of the 

 (original) members of the Jockey Club it was agreed unani- 

 mously that steps should be taken to discountenance, and, if 

 possible, to suppress the so-called race meetings which had, 

 about this time, sprung up in every part of the country, on the 

 ground that such race meetings were inimical to the true in- 

 terests of the turf. In the metropolis several of those so-called 

 race meetings were conducted in the most disgraceful manner. 

 They were associated with disgusting scenes of gross profligacy, 

 brutality, drunkenness, and robbery. During the decade 



