"CHERRY AND BLACK" 



shooting contests in the large meadow to the south of 



the course; and there it was that Mr. 



0, tgeon- Tj^j^gg Gordon Bennett inaugurated polo 



Shooting, and . . t i • 



SkdtinQ ^^ America. In the wmter a chalet was 



built near a large pond half a mile dis- 

 tant, where skating parties enjoyed their sport. 



Preliminary to a race-meeting, there was a "Match 

 Day" when the members raced their horses in match 

 races— in some cases for as much as $5000 a side. 

 Match races were also run at various times of the year. 

 Amateur riding among the members was a feature, not 

 only in match races, but in sweepstakes; the 

 „. ,. Members' Cup, "horses to be ridden by mem- 



bers of the club," being a fixture of both 

 spring and autumn meetings and such riders as Mr. 

 Wetmore, Mr. Hargous, Mr. Hecksher, Mr. Law- 

 rence, Mr. Taylor, and Mr. De Hauteville rode in such 

 races. But Mr. Carroll Livingston was the "crack" 

 gentleman-rider, and it was generally considered that 

 he could ride with any professional jockey on even 

 terms. 



Sleeping accommodations were plentiful at the club- 

 house, and it became the custom for owners of racing 

 stables to take a party of friends to dinner, stop over- 

 night, and be up with the early morning to witness the 

 gallops. When the dew was still on the grass, many a 

 promising colt has had "a leading question" asked him 

 before the stable's racing jacket was intrusted to him 



111 



