212 THE ENGLISH TURF 



negotiated than those at Aintree, and a speedy hurdle-racer, 

 who would probably have come to grief over the Liverpool 

 Course, has before now been known to win the prize. 



Before another year has passed the Manchester Races 

 will be removed to a new scene of action, the old course 

 having been taken over by the Ship Canal Company. The 

 new course is laid out at Castle Irwell, and will be as easily 

 reached as that at New Barns. How it will fare as to 

 going and mist time alone can show, but as concerns outlay 

 and forethought nothing has been spared to bring both 

 course and stands up to date, the architectural duties having 

 been placed in the hands of Messrs. Manning, of Newmarket. 



Gosforth Park is, without exception, the finest enclosed 

 course in the kingdom, and were it only situated in the 

 London district it would probably be the most popular 

 racing-place of the day. It is, however, not far short of 

 300 miles from the Metropolis, and very nearly six miles 

 from the town of Newcastle-on-Tyne ; and to make matters 

 worse, the nearest railway station is a mile and a half from 

 the stands. From a sporting point of view it has always 

 been successful, but it took over the old Newcastle meetings, 

 which had been formerly held on the Newcastle Town Moor, 

 about the same distance from the centre of the town as is 

 the Doncaster Racecourse. Newcastle Races were the rivals 

 of York and Doncaster in the North, and the sport shown 

 was of quite as good class. In earlier days the Newcastle 

 Cup, in connection with which Beeswing, Dr. Syntax, and 

 X Y Z are familiar names, was the principal event ; but in 

 1833 the Northumberland Plate was instituted, and since 

 then there has been no more popular race run north of the 

 Trent, the Doncaster St. Leger alone excepted. Why the 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne Town Moor — a good course with one 

 sharp turn, which might easily have been improved — was 

 vacated by the then executive I never knew ; but some 

 eighteen years ago the Gosforth Park Estate of about 800 

 acres was acquired, and the three meetings — Spring, Summer, 

 and Autumn — removed there. Owing to a large capital 

 having been sunk (the company had acquired far more land 

 than was necessary for the laying down of a racecourse), the 



