NEWMARKET 53 



comes an almost dead level of some six or seven furlongs to 

 the Bushes (a couple of rather stunted hawthorns, carefully 

 preserved by being fenced round). There is perhaps a very 

 slight rise from " the entrance of the rails " up to " the 

 Bushes," and then comes a sharp descent into the " Dip," 

 or the " Abingdon Mile Bottom," as it is more correctly 

 called. From the Abingdon Mile Bottom to the Rowley 

 Mile winning-post (opposite the Jockey Club Stand) there 

 is a rather steep ascent, and it may be added that this 

 particular winning-post is more used than any of the others. 

 From the Beacon starting-post to the Ditch the course 

 points towards the east. At the running Gap it swings a 

 little to the right, and points more in a westerly direction 

 until the Rowley Mile Stands and paddock are passed. It 

 then bears slightly to the left again, and is perfectly straight 

 to the final finishing-post at the Portland Stand. 



Just beyond the paddock the hill rises very sharply, and 

 in fact from the " Turn of the Lands," six furlongs below 

 the Portland Stand, it is all on the rise, except perhaps 

 the last 200 yards, which, if not quite on the flat, 

 are much easier. The full Caesarewitch Course, which 

 finishes at the Rowley Mile Stand, is not much in re- 

 quisition. There are, however, a few races over the Two 

 Middle Miles, and these begin at the Caesarewitch starting- 

 post and finish at the Bushes, a quarter of a mile below 

 the stands. On the Flat, which is that part of the Beacon 

 Course which lies between the running Gap and the Rowley 

 Mile Stands, there is a variety of courses, perhaps the 

 best -known of which is the Rowley Mile. All of them 

 are portions of the course called " Across the Flat " (A.F. 

 for short), this course comprising a mile and two furlongs. 

 The Rowley Mile is the last mile of A.F. (plus u yards), 

 the Dewhurst Plate Course the last seven furlongs, the 

 Bretby Stakes Course the last six furlongs, and the Rous 

 Course the last five furlongs, all of these finishing at 

 the Rowley Mile Stand. The Cambridgeshire Course is a 

 furlong short of Across the Flat, being exactly 2,000 yards 

 in length. Coming from the Ditch towards the stands, 

 the first winning-post, about half a mile from the stands, 



