DONCASTER REMINISCENCES 243 



was like. The rest of the journey was accom- 

 plished to a tremendous accompaniment of 

 acclamation. Hardy steadied the mare quite 

 enough, though she had plenty in hand, and won 

 in a canter by three lengths. Rising Glass ran 

 Friar Tuck out of it for second place. Prince 

 Florizel was a respectable fourth. Mr Bob 

 Sievier, in a tall hat — a very scarce curio at the 

 meeting nowadays — got to the mare's head and 

 led her in, one vast substantial smile. What, the 

 filly ? Yes, if you like, and Hardy, too. The 

 crowd hoorayed like mad or blazes — and please 

 that's all, except that femme varie souvent, and 

 down went Sceptre in the Park Hill Stakes on 

 the Friday. The beautiful old poor turf over 

 which the races are held on the moor — or *' t' 

 moor," as it is locally called — always does make 

 good footing. Poor is a word I used advisedly. 

 When you have all manner of self-sown vegeta- 

 tion, each article struggling for life, and very hard, 

 too, against its neighbours, and all squeezed up 

 together without elbow-room — that is how is 

 manufactured the fine, springy carpet to make the 

 best going. "Short" is what folk used to call 

 this, which to a great extent resembles the Down 

 turf. Tons in front of the best that can be done 

 with made courses and seeding. One of the 

 mistakes of the day is preaching about thick 

 coverings of herbage. If you have a covering 

 with plenty of matted roots, you don't want long 

 stuff on top ; in fact, the two are inconsistent, 

 and the latter is apt to be very treacherous in wet 

 weather, because the muddy earth works through, 

 and horses slip about on it disastrously. Besides, 

 leaving the grass long hides inequalities, and, I 

 may add, is somehow apt to induce too much 



