46 THE ENGLISH TURF 



heard from a quite reliable source that the famous Hamp- 

 shire establishment was likely to make a bold show, 

 which I suggested to my friend the tout. He instantly 

 curled his lip and delivered himself thus: "Captain" he 

 would call me Captain "you give all them lot a miss in 

 baulk." He declined to argue the question, but I saw 

 him late on the Friday, after the Kingsclere stable had 

 won about a dozen races, and he was absolutely the most 

 dejected man on the course. He just shook his head 

 when I accosted him, and after a heavy sigh ejaculated, 

 " Captain, stand us the fare to Woking ; I'm going to be 

 cremated to-night." 



The First Spring Meeting, with the exception of the Second 

 October, is the most important of the Newmarket fixtures. 

 It is always a four-day meeting, and on the Wednesday 

 and Friday are decided respectively the Two Thousand 

 and One Thousand Guineas, both of which are run over 

 the Rowley Mile. Other important races decided in this 

 week are the Hastings Plate, for three-year-olds on the 

 Ditch Mile, the First Spring Two-year-old Stakes, and the 

 March Stakes for three-year-olds and upwards (on the 

 Rowley Mile until 1900, when it was run " Across the 

 Flat") which generally attracts one or two of the highest 

 class, and has been won in recent years by Amphion, 

 Sir Hugo, Grey Leg, Whittier, Knight of the Thistle, and 

 the Australian, Newhaven II. The balance of the pro- 

 gramme consists of minor events and Selling races, and 

 it may be added that the Two Thousand day is one of 

 three days in which the usual Newmarket crowd is enor- 

 mously augmented by a section of the general public, who 

 never go there except on that occasion and on the two 

 days in the autumn set down for the decision of the 

 Caesarewitch and Cambridgeshire. The Two Thousand 

 Meeting, being held in May, is generally favoured with 

 fine weather, but no matter what the elements may be 

 doing, the patrician element of the racing world is present 

 all the week, and the heir to the throne is a constant 

 attendant. 



The Second Spring Meeting is conducted on a much quieter 



