-* Institution and Early Growth 



be pleased to honour the place with their company. The 

 balls taking place in Hodge's Long Room, on Monday and 

 Wednesday, and at the Town Hall, Windsor, on Tuesday 

 and Thursday." 



This practice of giving balls was a great feature of Ascot 

 Heath race week. The experiment had been tried in the 

 previous year, and met with considerable success. It must 

 be remembered, however, that Windsor and Sunninghill 

 had a res^ular summer season, and houses and lodmno-s 

 were let and taken as they are to-day. 



According to announcements, " Great sport is expected 

 at the races and a full season at Sunninghill," and the 

 year 1768 proved so. There were five days' racing, com- 

 mencing on Monday, June 6th, with the Noblemen and 

 Gentlemen's Plate of £so ^or 4- and 5-year-olds, run in 

 heats, when Mr. Fettiplace's bay, Biston, a 5-year-old, 

 won, having come in fourth in the first heat, and first in 

 the second and third heats. The second day's sport pro- 

 duced two races — the Yeoman Prickers' Plate, for which 

 three horses ran the two heats, Mr. Meal's brown horse. 

 Changeling, coming in first in both heats ; and on the same 

 day for the Members' Plate of ^50 for 6-year-old and 

 aged horses a field of five started, and Count Lauraguais's 

 grey horse, Gimcrack, won both heats. The Wednesday 

 programme was one race, a ^50 Town Plate, "give-and- 

 take," won by Capt. Strode's grey mare. Mite ; and two 

 plates were run for on Thursday and Friday. During the 

 meeting a contemporary records that one of the leading 

 ladies of fashion undertook, for a wager of ^5,000, to ride 

 a hundred miles in ten hours. The bet appears to have 

 been made by her husband, who had offered to hold ^5,000 



31 



