A PRELIMINARY CANTER. 13 



drunk their health every day in the week with " three 

 times three." ' 



In 1730 the following very curt description of the 

 Epsom course appears in ' Magna Britannia :' ' On the 

 Downs is a four-mile course for horse-races, from N.E. 

 to S.W., which is much frequented.' After the date 

 mentioned the contests brought off at Epsom con- 

 tinued to increase in importance. In 1736 five days' 

 racing took place at intervals, viz. : on May 3rd, 5th, 

 8th,20th,and 22nd. In 1746, ten years afterwards, there 

 Avas run on May 5th his Royal Highness the Prince of 

 Wales's Plate of 50 guineas ; on May 6th £50 was 

 given for a four-year-old race ; on the 7th a plate of 

 £50 ; on the 9th £50 ; on the 10th £50. The total 

 sum run for in 1756, at Epsom, was £200, divided into 

 four sums of £50. In 1766 there were five races of 

 £50 each decided at Epsom. In May, 1766, there were 

 again four days' racing. In an October meeting which 

 had been instituted that year the following incident is 

 chronicled : ' A curious accident befell the jockey who 

 rode the Avinner of the Sweepstakes. Just before he 

 came in at the winning-post, being crossed by a gentle- 

 man on horseback, the rider Avas thrown, but his lesf 

 hanging in the stirrup, the horse, of course, carried his 

 Aveight in, and Avon miraculously, Avithout hurting his 

 rider.' 



More than a hundred years ago (1782) two meetings 

 were held at Epsom, one in May and one in October. 

 The following is the rubric of the races run in that 

 year, which concludes all that need be said about 

 PZpsom. 



May 8th : The Noblemen and Gentlemen's Pia'se of 



