MODERN ENCLOSED COURSES 197 



it, and, as at Chester and Northampton, horses are likely 

 to win there who would be out of it on straight courses, 

 upon which a strong pace could be maintained from end 

 to end. 



Some ten or twelve years ago a course was laid out and 

 stands built at Portsmouth Park, but race meetings were 

 held for two or three seasons only, no support being forth- 

 coming from the neighbouring town of Portsmouth. That 

 seaport with its hosts of suburbs contains a very large 

 population, but few of the inhabitants seemed to care 

 about racing, and the meeting shared the fate that attended 

 Four Oaks Park in the Birmingham district a few years 

 previously. Portsmouth Park racecourse occupies a dreary, 

 isolated position on the flats by Langstone Harbour, and 

 though it is not more than two or three miles from the 

 Southsea beach, as the crow flies, more than double that 

 distance has to be covered by anyone driving from Southsea. 

 Portsmouth is really on an island, and as far as I know there 

 is only one outlet on the north-east side, viz. by the bridge 

 at Cosham. Now, to arrive at Cosham from the Southsea 

 end of Portsmouth, mile after mile of dirty streets has to 

 be traversed, and the upshot was that no one journeyed by 

 road to Portsmouth Park. Neither did they come by rail, 

 though the journey was only of ten minutes' duration, and 

 as a matter of fact nine-tenths of the visitors arrived by the 

 London or the Brighton specials. The garrison gave scant 

 support to the fixtures, and the climax came when the 

 Buccaneer and Nunthorpe match took place. Buccaneer 

 was an Ascot Cup winner, and about the best long-distance 

 runner of that particular period, and Nunthorpe had won 

 the City and Suburban and the Jubilee Stakes with a 

 14-lb. penalty in the saddle. The Portsmouth Park ex- 

 ecutive were in difficulties, and they made a last bid for 

 favour in the shape of a valuable prize for these two to 

 run over a mile and a quarter course. Unfortunately the 

 meeting clashed with the Liverpool November Meeting, 

 and this completely spoiled the attendance. Not more than 

 a handful of people were present, and very few members of 

 the ring. This took the heart out of the proceedings, but 



