

SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



Reference to the Racing Calendar of 1804 

 shows that by that date little progress had been 

 made. There were three days' racing with one 

 event, run in three heats, each day. On Tuesday, 

 3 July, the race was His Majesty's Plate of 100 

 guineas, weight for age, 2-mile heats. This was 

 won by Sir C. Bunbury's three-year-old ch. h. 

 Prospero, who beat Mr. Dawson's three-year-old 

 Hippocampus, and Mr. Morland's four-year-old 

 b. f. Duckling. The betting was 2 to I on Hippo- 

 campus, who won the first heat and was second in 

 the second and third. On Wednesday, 4 July, the 

 second day of the meeting, the chief event was a 

 stake of 50 sovereigns for horses of all ages. The 

 winner to be sold for 2OO sovereigns if demanded ; 

 heats 2\ miles. Captain Hawk's b. m. by Com- 

 mander of Windlestone carrying 9 St. 4 Ib. beat 

 Mr. Golding's gr. m. Coaxer carrying 7 st. 3 Ib. 

 The third day's race was the Town Stake of 

 50 sovereigns run in 2-mile heats : Sir C. Bun- 

 bury's b. m. Eleanor by Whisky carrying 9 st. 1 1 Ib. 

 beat Mr. Williams's bay filly by Pot-8-os carrying 

 6 st. ii Ib. in two heats. 



It will be noticed that only seven horses were 

 started for the three races, and that Sir Charles 

 Bunbury won two out of the three. The 

 famous mare Eleanor was winner of the Oaks in 

 1 80 1. In the year 1804 she also won a 50 

 plate at Chester and other races at Newmarket 

 and elsewhere. In 1816 matters had not greatly 

 improved as far as the size of the field is con- 

 cerned. Only nine competitors faced the starter 

 during the three days' meeting. Lord Rous won 

 His Majesty's Plate with the four-year-old Tigris 

 by Quiz ; Mr. Grisewood's five-year-old Biddick 

 by Dick Andrews carried offthe other two events. 

 The daily race under Jockey Club Rules was 

 supplemented by races for ponies, galloways, and 

 cart horses ; the latter being ridden by plough- 

 boys over a straight half-mile course. There 

 -was also a bullock race. 



The period from 1825 to 1880 saw the palmy 

 days of the Ipswich races ; a local paper of the 

 first-mentioned year says : 



Previous to the races, at a meeting at the Great 

 White Horse Hotel one of the stewards, Mr. T. Lay 

 of Newmarket, member of the Jockey Club, was pre- 

 sent, and under his auspices it was hinted that ' no 

 demure about paying the winner \\ill arise.' 



This rather significant remark may perhaps ex- 

 plain why the meeting had not been largely 

 patronized by racing men theretofore ! In 1825 

 His Majesty's Purse was won by Col. Wilson's 

 five-year-old bl. m. Black Daphne, who beat 

 Mr. Rush's four-year-old b. h. McAdam in both 

 heats. The Gentlemen's Purse of ,50 was 

 won by Mr. Rush's three-year-old Pioneer, who 

 beat Mr. Wilson's five-year-old Isabella and 

 Mr. Well's five-year-old bay mare (unnamed). A 

 third race shows that the Ipswich executive 

 catered for the fox-hunting fraternity. This 

 was the Hunters' Cup, won by Mr. Bedwell's 



Orbell. On the second day there were three 

 starters for the Town Purse, won by Mr. Wil- 

 son's Isabella. The Silver Tankard was won 

 by Mr. Orbell's unnamed grey horse from a 

 field of four. ' Several causes have combined to 

 lessen the supply of horses for our races,' adds 

 the record. 



In the first place the [void caused by the] death of Sir 

 Charles Bunbury who never deserted the course at 

 Ipswich, and who from his personal influence at New- 

 market was a great support to our races has never 

 been filled up. Then again the introduction of four- 

 mile heats for the King's Purse, with a regulation of 

 a particular age of the horses, has had an unfavourable 

 effect. Indeed the exclusion of three-year-olds appears 

 to be a most injudicious alteration. 



Sir Charles Bunbury was one of the leading 

 racing men of the day. It will be remembered 

 that his Diomed won the first Derby, in 1780. 

 Despite the demise of Sir Charles, Ipswich races 

 increased in importance, and in 1840 became a 

 two-day fixture with half a dozen races under 

 Jockey Club rules each day ; and so it continued 

 with varying fortunes, sometimes as a two-day 

 meeting, sometimes with sport enough for only 

 one day, until the seventies. In the early days 

 of the Victorian era visitors came from all parts 

 of the eastern counties for the race-week. The 

 horses from Newmarket and other training 

 centres arrived on the Saturday or Sunday before 

 the meeting, and ' Race Sunday,' when these 

 did their morning gallops on the old course at 

 Nacton, became quite an institution. The 

 annual race-week was recognized as a holiday for 

 many years. 



Some of the best race-horses of the period ran 

 for the Queen's Plate of 100 guineas. Fisher- 

 man and Lilian almost monopolized the prizes at 

 this and other meetings in the fifties. Most of 

 the leading jockeys of the period rode winners 

 at Ipswich, including Sam Rogers, Arthur 

 Edwards, George Fordham, George and James 

 Barrett, Wells, Tom Chaloner, and Tom 

 Cannon. During the early part of the nine- 

 teenth century the bells of the principal churches 

 at Ipswich rang peals on the morning of a race 

 day, this practice continuing until the seventies, 

 if not later. Cock-fighting here, as elsewhere, 

 was an accessory to the racing. A ' main ' 

 between the gentlemen of Suffolk and the 

 gentlemen of Norfolk for 5 guineas the battle, 

 and 50 guineas the main, at the Queen's Head 

 hotel, seems to have been a standing dish. Cock- 

 fighting was made illegal by the Act of 1 849 ; j 

 and the gambling booths on the course having 

 been closed, boxing booths became the order of 

 the day ; such famous pugilists as Jem Ward, 

 Jem Belcher, Ben Caunt, and Jem Mace of 

 Norwich (who is still living), ' took on all 

 comers ' at Ipswich. 



Passing to a later period, 1 8 60, we find that 

 the stakes amounted to 864 in the two days. 

 In 1 86 1 the races took place on 5 and 6 July, 



38' 



