THE YORKSHIRE MEETINGS 147 



few. Nevertheless, in spite of these drawbacks Catterick 

 Races are attended by all the resident gentry of the North 

 Riding and South Durham, and by many influential turfites 

 and county notabilities from even further afield. It is em- 

 phatically a carriage meeting, and shortly after noon on 

 both days of the meetings vehicles of all descriptions are 

 drawn up opposite the stands two and three deep, the line 

 going almost down to the bottom of the field. All the 

 local gentry and their families are present, and hospitality 

 galore is dispensed among the carriages and in private tents 

 which are placed behind the line of vehicles. The scene 

 is always a most animated one, and as where the big-wigs 

 lead the humbler ones will always follow, the attendances 

 are far beyond what might be expected at such an out- 

 of-the-way place. From York, Leeds, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 

 and other Northern towns special trains are run, and as the 

 Middleham and Richmond training grounds are within a 

 few miles of the course, while Malton, Beverley, and 

 Hambleton are within three hours or so by rail, there is 

 no difficulty about a supply of horses. Indeed, considering 

 the strength of the programme, fields are fairly large, and 

 Yorkshire trainers are fond of Catterick, where they can 

 generally get a line of the early Northern two -year -old 

 form. 



The course is situated in a large field on the southern 

 side of Catterick Bridge, and is over a mile round, with the 

 usual straight five-furlong course. The steeplechase course 

 takes a wider circle, and is much more " natural " than 

 most of the courses of the present day, though various 

 fences have perforce been altered in accordance with the 

 requirements of the National Hunt Committee. The 

 property is part of the Brough Hall estate of Sir John 

 Lawson, and that gentleman takes a fatherly interest in the 

 meeting, which has been kept alive almost entirely by his 

 exertions. If Catterick is to flourish it should have a 

 summer meeting, and I see no reason why it should not 

 secure a date in August, immediately after the Redcar 

 Meeting and before Stockton, As has been already stated, 

 a large portion of the racing army has taken up its quarters 



