OTHER COUNTRY MEETINGS 161 



from about eleven o'clock onwards there are two continuous 

 lines of pedestrians between the station and the course, the 

 one going by the high road, and the other by the canal foot- 

 path. The Great Northern, Great Central, and Great Eastern 

 between them pour in a whole host of special trains, and 

 though Lincoln is not situated in a populous neighbourhood, 

 the train service allows of an enormous visitation from the 

 huge industrial districts of South Yorkshire and Lancashire. 

 From London, too, many come to see the first big handicap 

 of the year, even when they do not stay for the meeting, 

 and from the Midland towns, Nottingham, Derby, and so 

 forth, there is also a big visitation. For staying visitors the 

 accommodation in the town is not very good. There are 

 not many hotels, and what there are are not large enough 

 at race time, and so lodgings have to be requisitioned by 

 many, and late-comers have often to pay far too highly. 

 Those who can so arrange it stay at some distance from 

 the town, and travel to and fro each day ; but there is no 

 denying the fact that Lincoln is an uncomfortable place at 

 the Spring Meeting, and as far as the better class of racing 

 people are concerned half a dozen go to Aintree later in the 

 week for every one who visits the Carholme. 



The Lincoln Course, situated about a mile from the town, 

 is one of the best in the kingdom. It is on sound old turf, 

 and is one mile and six furlongs round, shaped much the 

 same as that of Doncaster Town Moor. There is a straight 

 mile (with a very slight " elbow " in it) on which the Lincoln- 

 shire Handicap is run, and the Brocklesby and other short 

 races are decided on portions thereof. The round course 

 has a straight run-in of nearly half a mile, but the turn 

 at the junction of the two courses is somewhat abrupt, and 

 it is no uncommon thing to see half the field go wide in 

 races run on the circular course. The last of the finish is 

 downhill, and narrows rather awkwardly. On the first day 

 of the meeting, the Batthyany Stakes, a popular sprint 

 handicap, is the chief attraction, and on the second day 

 the Brocklesby Trial Plate always produces a big field. 

 This is a five- furlong handicap, and, as its title suggests, 

 is placed on the programme so that trainers by running 



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