A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



where the half-mile starting-post now stands. 

 The duke, who died four years after having 

 successfully inaugurated the meeting which was 

 destined to become so famous, inherited his love 

 of racing from his Stuart ancestry ; his great- 

 grandfather, Charles II, having always been 

 keenly interested in the turf and blood horses. 



In 1805 Goodwood was a two days' meeting, 

 with three races a day, mostly of a hunt 

 character. The Duke of Richmond won two 

 events, and Miss Le Clerc, a famous Sussex 

 sportswoman of that period, ran a couple of 

 horses. All the events were two-mile races. 

 In 1810 affairs looked scarcely so prosperous as 

 in former years. Of five events no less than 

 three produced 'walked over.' In July, 1816, 

 Goodwood offered for the first time a gold cup, 

 'value 100 guineas.' This was provided by ten 

 subscriptions of 10 guineas each. It was a three- 

 mile race, and the winner was to be sold, if 

 demanded, for 400 guineas. Lord Egremont 

 was the winner with his horse Scarecrow. A 

 maiden sweepstakes of 10 guineas each followed. 

 Then came three matches, and the Goodwood 

 Club Stakes of 10 guineas each, and 25 guineas 

 added by the club, gentlemen riders. On the 

 second day's racing (27 July) a sweepstakes of 50 

 guineas each, another of 10 guineas each, and 

 the Ladies' Plate of 50 wound up the meeting. 

 Henceforward Goodwood continued as an annual 

 fixture, and gradually assumed a leading, it may 

 almost be said a unique, position in British racing. 

 In 1820 there were two days' racing, but only 

 five events were on the programme. 



By 1830 the meeting began to assume a more 

 business-like aspect. The old hunt races had 

 been abolished, and the list of events is as 

 follows : The St. Leger, Cowdray, Drawing 

 Room, Lavant, and Goodwood Stakes ; a Sweep- 

 stakes ; the Ladies' Plate ; the Gold Cup ; the 

 Produce and a Handicap Sweepstakes ; the 

 Waterloo Plate ; Molecomb Stakes ; Duke of 

 Richmond's Plate, and a Handicap Sweepstakes. 

 It will be noticed that a considerable number of 

 races are identical with those of the present day. 

 The Gold Cup, value 300, with surplus in 

 specie, by subscription of 20 sovereigns each, 

 with 100 added by the City of Chichester, was 

 won by His Majesty's Fleur-de-Lis, ridden by 

 Nelson. Zinganee and the Colonel, the second 

 and third horses, were also owned by the king. 

 Six other horses ran. George IV, it is to be 

 noted, died on 26 June in this year. From 

 about this period date the palmy days of the 

 Goodwood Cup, when in addition to that good 

 mare, Fleur-de-Lis, such giants as Priam, 

 Glencoe, Hornsea, Harkaway, Charles XII, 

 Alice Hawthorn, the Hero, Van Tromp, and 

 Canezou, carried off this coveted trophy. In 

 1835 there were four days' racing. The Good- 

 wood Stakes were won by Lord Chesterfield's 

 Glaucus, with Mr. Greville's Preserve and 



Dacre second and third. Mr. Greville's Elis 

 (the ' beautiful Elis ') took the Molecomb Stakes 

 for two-year-olds, and Mr. Theobald's Rock- 

 ingham, ridden by Robinson, won the cup. 

 At this time there were racing at Goodwood the 

 Duke of Richmond, Marquis of Tavistock, Lords 

 Jersey, Eglinton, Uxbridge, Chesterfield, Egre- 

 mont, and Exeter ; Colonel Peel, and Messrs. 

 Greville, Gratwicke, Gully, Goring, Shelley, 

 Theobald, Rush, Kent, Forth, Chifney, John 

 Day and many other well-known owners. The 

 fifth Duke of Richmond had for a time as racing 

 confederate, Mr. Gratwicke, a shrewd and 

 famous owner of the period ; the horses owned 

 by them being trained by Kent at Goodwood ; 

 but some dispute arose and by the duke's request 

 Mr. Gratwicke's horses were removed and the 

 confederacy terminated. In 1840 there were no 

 less than forty-four subscribers to the Goodwood 

 Cup, which fell to the Duke of Orleans' Beggar- 

 man, with Robinson up, such great horses as 

 Lanercost and Hetman Platoff being second and 

 third. It is curious to notice that the cup of 

 1839, which had been won by Mr. Ferguson's 

 Harkaway, was also run for this year and won 

 by Lord Eglinton's Potentate. The stakes were 

 won by Mr. Allen's Orelia, 4 years 6 stone, 

 who defeated the favourite, Hetman Platoff, also 

 a four year, when endeavouring to concede her 

 3 st. 7 Ib. ! This year appears the Stewards' 

 Cup, worth 300, with a sweepstakes of 5 added. 

 It was won by Mr. Bowes' Epirus, which beat 

 Mr. Thornhill's Euclid and a big field. In this 

 year (1840) the Nassau Stakes, a new event, 

 was won by Lord George Bentinck's Rosa 

 Bianca. 



Lord George Bentinck's connexion with 

 Goodwood is so famous that it deserves some 

 mention. In 1841 he removed his horses from 

 Danebury, and, by arrangement with the Duke 

 of Richmond, had them trained at Goodwood by 

 the duke's trainer, John Kent, senior. Lord 

 George had an immense affection for Goodwood, 

 and spent a great deal of his time there. Largely 

 owing to his influence, the Duke of Richmond 

 was induced to make great improvements in the 

 course during this period. The value of the 

 stakes was also very largely augmented, and the 

 quality of the racing proportionately improved. 

 During this period, in fact, Goodwood Races 

 may be said to have reached the zenith of their 

 prosperity. The increase in the value of the 

 stakes was enormous. In 1832 the total value 

 was 4,275 5 in 1839 10,295. In 1841 the 

 amount rose at a bound to 18,270 ; while in 

 1844 and 1846 the values of the stakes were, 

 respectively, 23,949 and 24,109. These are 

 enormous figures, if we remember the period and 

 the value of stakes at other meetings. In 1851, 

 after the death of Lord George Bentinck, the 

 amount fell to 13,215. Lord George himself 

 conducted his racing on a Napoleonic scale. 



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