AND TEE DUKES OF RICHMOND. 99 



With Lord George Bentinck, his Lordship would 

 frequently contract some extensive bets, amounting 

 to £500, £1000, and on one occasion to £5000, 

 viz. when he backed a colt called Whipstock against 

 Surplice, for the Derby. If the three ciphers were 

 erased in this last figure, it would more nearly 

 represent the amount of my dear old master's specu- 

 lations in betting. 



The charming Goodwood estate possessed advan- 

 tages for its owner in keeping a stud of race-horses, 

 which were fully appreciated by Lord George Bentinck 

 in his early associations with racing, he well knowing 

 that no other place possessed such excellent training- 

 ground at all seasons of the year, however variable 

 and exceptionable they might be, together with one 

 of the most excellent and enjoyable race-courses 

 in the kingdom, the only one of its nature situated 

 upon an estate, which not only rendered the course 

 private property, but all the adjoining land for miles 

 around it. Upon the " Goodwood Week " in 1845, 

 an eyewitness wrote : " It is peculiarly sui generis, 

 as it exhibits a great and much- esteemed nobleman, 

 who, sincerely taking the true interest of the turf to 

 heart, and anxious to offer a good example, throws 

 open his park to all comers, and invites them to 

 attend the races. An aristocratic atmosphere per- 

 vades the whole scene. With magnificent scenery, 

 first-rate racing, and the cream of England's best 



