THE HORSE. 4J 



in the piesent. century. With these no competitor or rival deserves to be named, until 

 the revival of the best days of the turf by the get of Sir Archy, as exhibited by the 

 match of his son Henry with Eclipse. By every test of comparison Henry was 

 no better race-horse than several of the get of Sir Archy, nor as good a one as Timo- 

 leon, Virginian, Sir Charles, and Bertrand. In those days, Hoomes, Selden, Tayloe, 

 Ridgely, and Bond were at the head of the turf. 



Though not strictly belonging to a work intended as this is, not for a particular 

 class but for all owners of horses and for every day's reference and use, yet we have 

 said so much of the race-horse, whose blood we consider it essential to preserve in 

 its purity and to be used as occasion may require, as every good house-keeper pre- 

 serves and uses good yeast to leven the mass, that we may as well add the lengths 

 of the principal race-courses in England, and the rules of the jockey club lately 

 established for the Long Island race-course. These will occupy but little space and 

 may prove acceptable to those of our readers who take an interest in the amusements 

 of the turf. 



Miles. Fur. Yards, 



The Beacon Course is . . 4 1 138 



The Round Course is 3 4 178 



Last three miles of Beacon Course 3 45 



Ditch in 2 97 



The last mile and a distance of Beacon Course ... 1 1 156 



Ancaster mile 1 18 



From the turn of the lands in 5 184 



Clermont Course, from the Ditch to the Duke's Stand 1 5 217 

 Audley End Course, from the starting-post of the T.Y.C. 



to the end of the Beacon Course 1 6 



Across the flat 1 2 24 



Rowley mile 1 1 



Ditch mile 7 178 



Abingdon mile 7 211 



Two middle miles of Beacon Course • . 1 7 125 



Two-years-old Course (on the flat) 5 130 



New ditto (part of tiie Banbury mile) 5 136 



Yearling Course • .... 2 47 



Banbury mile 7 248 



" Previously to 1753 there were only two meetings in the year at Newmarket for 

 the purpose of running horses, one in the Spring and another in October. At present 

 there are seven. — The Craven, instituted in 1771, in compliment to the late Earl 

 Craven, and commencing on Easter Monday ; the First Spring, on the Monday fort- 

 hight following, and being the original Spring Meeting; the Second Spring, a fortnight 

 after that, and instituted in 1753 ; the July, commonly early in that month, instituted 

 also in 1753 ; the First October, on the first Monday in that month, being the original 

 October meeting; the Second October, on the Monday fortnight following — instituted 

 in 1762; and the Third October, or Houghton, a fortnight after that, and instituted 

 1770. With the last-mentioned meeting, which, weather permitting, generally lasts 

 a week, and at which there is a great deal of racing, the sports of the Turf close for 

 the year, with the exception of Tarporky, a very old hunt-meeting in Cheshire, now 

 nearly abandoned ; and a Worcester autumn meeting, chiefly for hunters and horses 

 f the gentlemen and farmers within the hunt." — Nimrod — The Turf, 152. 



ASCOT HEATH. 

 The two-mile course is a circular one, of which the last half is called the old mile. 

 The new mile is straight and up-hill all the way. The T.Y.C. is five furlongs and 

 136 yards. 



EPS05I. 



The old course, now seldom used except for the cup, is two miles of an irregular 

 circular form, the first mile up-hill. The new Derby course is exactly a mile and a 

 half, and somewhat in the form of a horse-shoe : the first three-quarters of a mile may 

 4* F 



