I50 A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



caps that aforetime were "great" are now small 

 affairs ; indeed the new races which have lately 

 been instituted claim popularity in a greater 

 degree, and now more interest is taken by bettors 

 in the Lincolnshire Handicap than in the so- 

 called "great" races. As a medium of betting 

 the race run at Lincoln affords an opportunity to 

 all classes, there being usually a numerous entry 

 and a fairly large field of competing horses. 

 Several other large betting races, such as the 

 City and Suburban, the handicaps at the 

 Leicester Meetings, and the Manchester Cup 

 in the first half of the year, provide plenty of 

 work for the bookmakers, and relieve bettors of 

 superfluous funds ; no wonder, therefore, that many 

 of the old mediums of speculation are being 

 " knocked out of time." As betting races the 

 short-distance handicaps carry the day. The 

 Ascot Stakes even, and the Goodwood Stakes as 

 well — both at one time of importance — have fallen 

 from their former estimate, and no longer attract 

 the attention of the great body of betting men. 



The Cesarewitch, which is without doubt the 

 greatest of our handicaps, may be referred to 

 at some length as a typical handicap. Instituted 

 in 1839, it is among handicaps what the Derby 

 is among so-called " classic " races. The great 

 Newmarket event was named in honour of the 

 Grand Duke of Russia, whose title in the Mus- 

 covite tongue is the " Cesarewitch," and who, on 

 the first occasion of its being run, gave a prize 

 of ^300 in commemoration of his visit to this 

 country along with his father, the Emperor 

 Nicholas — the founder of the Emperor's Plate 

 at Royal Ascot. It is now over fifty years 



