EPSOM 117 



Newmarket, where they have an endless perspective of 

 heath before them from the moment the race begins. The 

 MetropoHtan unfortunately does not attract the sort it 

 should. It has been won by such good horses as Dutch 

 Skater, Hampton, and Chippendale, and by many honest 

 stayers of the second class ; on the other hand, it has often 

 fallen to very indifferent ones, and class was poorly re- 

 presented when such as Fatherless and Cornbury won. 



Epsom, though it provides such good racing, is not 

 exactly a model meeting. The time kept there is the 

 worst in the kingdom, and the crowding is greater than 

 anywhere else. Nor is the place conveniently situated as 

 regards coming and going. At the time of writing the 

 Downs Station is the nearest point to which one can take 

 train, and between this and the stands there is a walk of 

 a mile over rough down land, in which the putting greens 

 of the Epsom Golf Club form oases. Cabs ply, but in dry 

 weather the journey by road is a very dusty one, whilst 

 should it happen to be raining a ridiculous fare is demanded. 

 The L. B. and S. C. put up the return fare for the specials — 

 and they are all specials after a certain hour in the morning 

 — to eight shillings, and no class of carriage is guaranteed, 

 so that the chances are that one travels in a third-class 

 carriage with a first-class ticket. There is another route 

 by rail, viz. from Waterloo to the Epsom Town Station, 

 the walk from which to the stands is considerably further, 

 uphill the greater part of the way, very dusty in dry 

 seasons, and very much more crowded with pedestrians. 

 By this line the return fare for the specials is raised to 

 seven shillings and sixpence, and, regardless of the extra 

 distance, the cab fare to the course is about the same as 

 from the Downs. It is not a bad plan to leave Victoria 

 on the big days at about i p.m. One will miss the first 

 race, but the thickest of the crowd is also missed, and the 

 chances are that the journey will be pleasanter in every way. 

 The service of specials on each of the lines, both for the 

 Epsom Spring and Summer Meetings, is wonderfully good. 

 The trains are filled and despatched as quickly as possible, 

 and very rarely is there any delay on the road. On the 



