138 THE ENGLISH TURF 



can claim a 7-lb. allowance. Wednesday's programme is 

 even stronger than that of Tuesday. The Duke of York 

 Stakes, a weight-for-age three-year-old race of a mile and 

 a half, is one of the features, and good-class two-year-olds 

 are seen out in the Convivial Produce Stakes. These two 

 events are good enough to ensure the success of any one 

 day's racing, but in addition there is the Ebor Handicap, 

 worth ;^i,ooo, and run over the mile and three-quarters 

 course. Unfortunately this race has fallen upon times 

 which are evil when compared with those of a quarter of 

 a century ago, and the last half-dozen winners have all 

 been moderate. The race was won by a good mare in 1892, 

 when Alice did the trick under 9 st, and Buccaneer and 

 King Monmouth (who won with 8 st. 12 lbs. in the saddle) 

 were good horses. The great winners of the event, however, 

 were Corrie Roy, who carried no less than 9 st. 12 lbs,, and 

 Isonomy, who, as a four-year-old, was successful with 4 lbs. 

 less. Victor Emmanuel won with 9 st, Lily Agnes with 8 st. 

 8 lbs., Albert Victor with 8st. 12 lbs., and Paganini, who won 

 the Goodwood Stakes in the same year, with 9 st. 4 lbs. All 

 these were first-rate handicap performances, and one would 

 like to see some of the same class winning now, instead of 

 the ex-selling platers that have been to the fore of late. 



The Ebor Handicap is to the Yorkshire folk second only 

 to the St. Leger as a draw. The city is visited on that day 

 by thousands of excursionists, and the Knavesmire after the 

 last race presents a most extraordinary appearance. Nine- 

 tenths of the huge crowd walk back to the town, and whereas 

 at Doncaster the stands are close to the road, so that the 

 latter at once absorbs the people, at York there is half a mile 

 of common between the head of the course and the Knaves- 

 mire Gate, and the crowd spread themselves over this space 

 in a fashion which is seen on no other racecourse. 



For some years past it has been the custom of a worthy 

 inhabitant of York to regale all the huntsmen of the neigh- 

 bouring packs of foxhounds at luncheon on this particular 

 day, and a standing dish at the feast is the veteran trainer- 

 jockey, John Osborne. The writer was present on one 

 occasion when a burly East Riding farmer was one of the 



