QUEEN'S PLATES. 



loose on a straight-roped course, or whether ridden 

 over the Beacon, racing will always tend to improve 

 the breed of horses in whatever country it is esta- 

 blished. King's Plates were given for this patriotic 

 purpose ; and doubtless at the time when a hundred 

 guineas was worth the best horse's starting for, it had 

 a very good effect ; but our other stakes have now 

 become so heavy that a Queen's Plate is considered a 

 very mediocre affair. To win a King's Plate formerly 

 stamped a horse's character at once : now, only two 

 years since, the same horse won seven Queen's Plates 

 in the same season a good horse certainly, but still 

 no flyer. It is flattering to the Turf to be patronised 

 by Royalty, and Queen's Plates add to the respecta- 

 bility of a meeting : but as to the original intention 

 of these gifts, that is now totally set aside. I think, 

 between England, Ireland, and Scotland, the Queen 

 gives about fifty Plates to be run for ; that is, five 

 thousand pounds. For many of these we see every 

 year several "walks over;" and where this is not the 

 case, the Field generally comprises four or five horses 

 at most, often two or three : so, from the smallness of 

 the amount (in these days), it has become compara- 

 tively five thousand thrown away. It would be too 

 great a tax on Royal liberality to increase the value 

 of this host of Plates so as to make each worth running 

 for ; but if perhaps five Royal Plates of a thousand 

 pounds each were given in lieu of these, the original 

 intention would be more brought to bear than it is 

 at present. When it took a week to get a race-horse 

 a hundred miles, and that also stopped his work for 

 so long a period, it was quite necessary to have Royal 

 Plates distributed thus widely over the country, other- 

 wise the horse in training at Ascot could not without 



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