XXIII.— SOUTH HATCH 



My father went to train at South Hatch, Epsom, 

 in the year 1860 ; and, somewhat curiously, 

 there are no authentic records to indicate the 

 date of the actual origin of that place as racing 

 stables. An old resident informs me, however, 

 that race-horses were trained there " hundreds of 

 years ago" — he might have lived a century, at 

 least, so confident was his tone — and that he 

 remembers South Hatch when it was little more 

 than " a cottage and a barn." It is a great deal 

 more now. A handsome new house has been 

 built, rows of new boxes have been erected, and 

 the whole establishment is thoroughly equipped 

 according to the most modern ideas. The all- 

 round results are satisfactory. Yet, oddly, we 

 have no information as to the beginnings of this 

 sporting centre. How true it is that nobody 

 knows less about a house than those who live in 

 it ! The rent is often a trifling difficulty. 



In his book entitled "Riding Recollections 

 267 



