NEWMARKET IN EARLY DAYS. 27 



9 St., and the other free for any horse, 9 st. 4 lb., 

 mile heats. There was also 50 gs. raised by the 

 contributions of persons of property, for four years 

 old, 8 St. 7 lb. each, four miles. At this period 

 there were only two meetings at Newmarket, the 

 first in April and the other in October ; but in 

 1753 there was a Spring Meeting added, in 

 which two Jockey Club Plates and several matches 

 were run for. In 1759 the Weights and Scales 

 Plate was begun; in 1762 a second October 

 Meeting commenced of sweepstakes and matches; 

 in 1765 the July Meeting ; in 1770 the Houghton 

 Meeting; and in 1771 the Craven Meeting, with 

 a subscription of five guineas each, twenty-one 

 subscribers, called the Craven Stakes, for all ages, 

 from the ditch to the turn of the lands, which 

 stakes were won by Mr. Vernon's Pantaloon, 

 beating thirteen others." 



'* All the above meetings," adds Mr. Whyte, 

 " are still continued, and several plates and 

 sweepstakes are added to each " (" History of the 

 British Turf," 1840). In the year 1727, eleven 

 Royal plates were run for in England, one of these 

 being run for at Newmarket. 



Turning now to the annals of racing as re- 

 corded in the "Register" (Daily's), it will be found 

 that the pastime had become regular at New- 

 market by the year 1718 ; in October of that year 

 twelve races took place, extending from the ist 

 to the 31st. In the following year, the Spring 

 Meeting is recorded as being held in April, on six 

 days of which month there was sport on the classic 

 heath ; in October and November, ten days of 

 racing was provided. Next year, 1720, the racing 

 at Newmarket was considerably augmented, nine- 



