i6o THE TURF 



at this point, T. Loates on St. Serf having been 

 knocked quite out of his saddle, to which he was 

 restored by Tom Cannon. The nearest approach to 

 a circular course, using the word in its proper meaning, 

 is at Chester on the Roodee, by the side of the river 

 Dee ; the course indeed has been derisively spoken of 

 as a "soup plate." It is only about 50 yards more 

 than a mile round, and so is very much on the turn 

 and unsuitable for long-striding horses. 



A familiar phrase on the turf is " horses for courses," 

 and that there is a good deal in the expression often 

 seems to be proved. Thus the Brighton Course is 

 very like Epsom, and horses that win at one meeting 

 often win at the other, a circumstance, however, which 

 may no doubt partially be explained by the fact that 

 these courses down a long hill are easy, so that a 

 speedy animal who cannot stay has a specially good 

 chance. 



York has an oval flat course on the famous 

 Knavesmire about a mile from the city. One of the 

 most popular of the few " open courses," as opposed to 

 gate money meetings, which still remain, is at Stock- 

 bridge, the headquarters of the Bibury Club, one of 

 the oldest established racing clubs in the country, 

 members of which are ipso facto gentlemen riders, the 

 only other English racing clubs which confer this dis- 

 tinction being the Jockey Club, Croxton Park, South- 

 down and Ludlow. Besides races for gentlemen riders, 

 Stockbridge, situated on the Downs near the historical 



