114 THE ENGLISH TURF 



Common stood i6 hands 2 inches, Isinglass 16 hands i inch, 

 while Persimmon and Jeddah are probably well up to 16 

 hands i inch, though I have never heard their exact height 

 stated. 



Races of a mile and two furlongs — the City and Suburban 

 to wit — and races of a mile are run on the Derby (called 

 the Old) Course, and races of five, six, and seven furlongs, 

 and of a mile, on the New Course, which runs into the Old 

 Course at Tattenham Corner. Of this New Course the last 

 five furlongs — known as the Egmont Course — are almost 

 straight, but for six furlongs and over the horses are started 

 out of sight of the stands, and the first portion is slightly 

 on the turn. There is a sharp descent in the early part of 

 this course, but not so steep as the run down to Tattenham 

 Corner on the Old Course. Still, a quick beginning and 

 a nice turn of speed count more in a five-furlong race at 

 Epsom than they do at such places as Newmarket or 

 Sandown, and year after year we see horses winning the 

 sprint races at Epsom who never win elsewhere, except 

 sometimes at Brighton, where the course is very similarly 

 constituted. For some years there has been no longer race 

 at the Epsom Summer Meeting than the Derby, but at the 

 Spring Meeting a course of two miles and a quarter is used 

 for the Great Metropolitan, and this affords one of the prettiest 

 contests of the year. The start takes place exactly opposite 

 the stands, and as in the Goodwood Stakes and Cup, the 

 horses run down the course at first ; they approach Tatten- 

 ham Corner in a direction the reverse of that which is taken 

 by the Derby horses, but turn rather sharply to the right 

 a few yards short of the corner, and leaving the Derby 

 Course wind up the hill, inside the horseshoe, joining the 

 Derby Course close to the start for the Mile Course, which 

 they then follow to the winning-post. There are naturally 

 several turns in this course, but they are all easy ones, and 

 in a race of two miles and a quarter a few turns are of no con- 

 sequence, the pace never being very good as a general rule. 

 All the way the Metropolitan runners are in full view, and 

 perhaps in days to come the course will be more frequently 

 used, but it is not always in the best condition. 



