THE CLASSIC RACES. 123 



never having contributed a shilling to the stakes ; 

 the winner at one time, indeed, was charged 

 ^100 as a contribution to the police expenses! 



It is really surprising that owners of horses 

 should have submitted for over a hundred years 

 to contribute thousands of pounds to the ex- 

 chequer of a public company, who have never 

 till lately offered one farthing by way of qtiid 

 pro quo. There can be no doubt, although the 

 Oaks does not draw so great a crowd to Epsom 

 as the Derby, that the race is highly profitable 

 to the parties who work " the oracle." How 

 the new arrangement begun in 1890 will turn 

 ^ut remains to be determined, but in the past 

 history of the race, as can be seen from a perusal 

 of some of the old Calendars, many gentlemen 

 have, year by year, entered from two to nine of 

 their fillies, and have in consequence incurred 

 forfeits to the extent of from fifty to two hundred 

 and twenty-five pounds, with no other result than 

 that of enriching the Grand Stand Company of 

 Epsom, who, it is said, derive a profit of several 

 thousand pounds from the two great races which 

 are run at their Epsom Summer Meeting. A time 

 is undoubtedly coming when it will be necessary 

 for lessees of racecourses to hand over to the 

 men who supply the competing horses a con- 

 siderable share of the gains which accrue from 

 the popularity of the meeting ; otherwise owners 

 will take the matter more into their own hands, 

 and run their horses for their own profit. 



Taken from beginning to end, the progress 

 of the Oaks has probably been less marked by 

 chicanery than the other classic races. As was 

 said by one of the late Mr. Merry's grooms, a 



