MODERN ENCLOSED COURSES 215 



Londoners, the St. Leger and Ebor Handicap to York- 

 shire folk, the Chester Cup to dwellers in the North-western 

 Midlands, the Northumberland Plate is to the inhabitants 

 of Northumberland and Durham. It is talked of all through 

 the spring and early summer, and the local bookies are all 

 busily employed over it long before the weights make their 

 appearance. In Newcastle-on-Tyne countless " sweeps " are 

 subscribed to and drawn, Northumberland Plate dinners are 

 given, and all business is practically suspended. The mining 

 population are the staunchest supporters of the race. They 

 save up their money in order that they may attend, and 

 though they are not seen in such countless thousands as 

 they used to be when the race was run on the Town Moor, 

 they nevertheless swarm to Gosforth, where I believe they 

 form a larger crowd than has ever been known at a Metro- 

 politan enclosure on even the brightest of bank holidays. 

 When a popular horse or popular colours win they know 

 how to cheer too, and I shall never forget the reception 

 they accorded to Webb and poor Fred Archer when the 

 two, riding Hampton and Glendale respectively, ran home 

 locked together in the Northumberland Plate of 1877. This 

 was one of the tightest fits the race has ever known. Hamp- 

 ton, the ex-selling plater and hurdle-racer, had then about 

 reached the top of his form, but he had to put up the 

 heavy burden of 8 st. 12 lbs., and met the very useful Glen- 

 dale (by Blair Athol) at a disadvantage of 13 lbs. The 

 last-named, being locally owned, was favourite with the 

 crowd, but Hampton beat him cleverly, as I describe in the 

 chapter on sires. Many famous names may be found in 

 the long list of Northumberland Plate winners, and supreme 

 favourites with the local folk were Underhand, who won 

 three years in succession, and the St. Leger winner Caller 

 Ou, who scored both as a five- and a six-year-old. In 1883 

 Barcaldine won the race under 9 st. 10 lbs., and this was 

 undoubtedly the greatest performance the Northumberland 

 Plate has known. The mighty Irishman did not start 

 favourite, it being generally thought that he was set an 

 impossible task. He had to give 17 lbs. to a horse named 

 Shrewsbury, who was a representative of good winning 



