NEWINIARKET 39 



Course, and on the other side is the Newmarket Book- 

 makers' Club, where the leading lights of the betting world 

 assemble. This is the Newmarket home of members of 

 the Victoria, Albert, and other London betting clubs. 



Hereabouts also are situated the principal shops where 

 the most recently exalted jockey apprentice is done for in 

 the approved extravagant fashion, and now the new Hotel 

 Victoria takes up an imposing position. A little beyond, 

 with a corner to itself, is the comfortable " Rutland," to 

 which the same visitors return year after year, and a few 

 yards further the street ends somewhat abruptly at four 

 cross roads. To the right lie the station and various 

 training stables, to the left — which is the Burwell Road — 

 many more training stables. Straight on, towards Norwich 

 or Bury St. Edmunds, that part of the heath — used only for 

 training purposes — known as the Bury Hills, is situated. 

 On the left is the " Severals," a cut-up piece of ground used 

 for walking, and very popular as an education ground for 

 the yearlings in the autumn. Beyond the " Severals " the 

 road is flanked for a mile on either side by training stables 

 and private residences, but at the toll-bar it diverges on to 

 the heath again, and the road forks right to Bury, and left 

 to Norwich. The ground between the two, which is in the 

 shape of an equilateral triangle, is known as the Limekilns, 

 and this is probably the best training ground in the world. 

 It has the reputation of never being hard, even in the 

 droughtiest of weather, and this is owing to its friable sub- 

 soil of lime, which causes the surface to crumble under the 

 heat of the sun and the drying effect of the wind. The 

 Limekilns are only used in dry weather, and thus they are 

 never allowed to be cut up as they would be if horses were 

 galloping on them when the ground is soft. Separated 

 from the Limekilns by a belt of narrow plantation of lofty 

 beech is the eastern end of the Bury Hills, and the Warren 

 Hill lies to the right of that, and the Long Hill further 

 round to the south, beyond Newmarket Station. 



All these training grounds are kept in order by a large 

 staff of employees. They are constantly manured — peat 

 moss is much used — and are rolled, bush-harrowed, and 



