SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



others which without doubt are Lancashire 

 greyhounds. 



We may conclude by mentioning the in- 

 teresting fact that the Altcar Club has in the 

 present Countess of Sefton its first lady member, 

 and all hope that the victories of Submarine and 



others may be speedily followed and a substantial 

 addition made to the Croxteth successes of old. 

 Though a Waterloo Cup nominator her ladyship 

 is not the first lady nominator. In the Waterloo 

 Cup of 1857, won by King Lear, Miss M. 

 Borron held a nomination and ran Blackness. 



RACING 



FLAT RACING 



The first mention that we have found of 

 racing in Lancashire is in the diary of Nicholas 

 Blundell of Great Crosby — 



April 3rd, 1704, I saw a race on Crossby marsh, 

 between Mr. Hay's mair, and a horse of Mr. 

 Molyneux, him of Liverpool. 



Again on i July the same year he was present 

 at races at Great Crosby. Another extract from 

 the same diary reads — 



I went to Crossby races, there were five starters for 

 the plate. A mair of Maikins of Prescot won it. 



The same year he went to Knowsley Park, 

 where he saw a Galloway race, which was won 

 by a horse belonging to Lord Derby. There are 

 records of horse races held at Lancaster in 

 1764, and at Preston Moor in 1765, and the 

 following is the programme of races at Newton 



in 1753 ■— 



On 1 1 June a gold cup of £^0 value was run for 

 on Golborne Heath near Newton, for horses 

 carrying 1 2 st. and won by the Hon. J. S. Barry's 

 Foxhunter. 



On 12 June ^^50 were run for free for any horse 

 carrying weight for age, viz. four years old, 8st. ; 

 five years, 9 St. ; six years, lost.; full aged, list. 

 The winner was the Hon. J. S. Barry's Fearnought, 

 six years. 



On 13 June £^0 were run for, horses of 14 

 hands carrying 9 st. and all above or under weight 

 for inches. This race was won by Mr. Hudson's 

 White Nose. 



The Newton course was a triangular one, 

 about one mile two furlongs round, with a 

 straight flat of nearly half a mile. The 

 Golborne Cup course was five furlongs. 



There were also races at Heaton Park. The first 

 meeting held there was in September 1827, and 

 was limited to two days; in the year 1829 the 

 meeting was extended to three days. The last 

 meeting at Heaton was held in 1838, when 

 a cup, value 200 sovs. presented by the town 

 of Manchester, was offered for competition. 

 Prior to 1835 only gentlemen riders, who 

 ' were members of some racing or fox-hunting 

 ■club, were allowed to compete ; after this year 

 however, professional riders were allowed, and 

 tickets for admission were dispensed with. 



all decent people being allowed to enter the 

 grounds. 



Manchester Races were started in 1730, and 

 run at Kersal Moor. They were discontinued 

 in 1745 for fifteen years, but in 1760 they were 

 firmly established, and meetings took place on 

 the same site till 1846. In 1792 there was 

 four days' racing, and the stake was 100 sovs. ; 

 the following year racing for five days was com- 

 menced, the stake being run for in heats. 

 Between 1795 and 1804 there were two prizes 

 daily, and between 1805 and 181 5 heats, 

 instead of being the rule, were mingled with 

 single races in equal proportion. In 1 8 16 a 

 gold cup appears for the first time on the pro- 

 gramme, and was won by Mr. Rushton's grey 

 colt Friend Ned, ridden by M. Noble. In 181 9 

 a grand stand was built and a second gold cup, 

 value 100 guineas, added. 



On 26 May 1847 the first race took place on 

 the new course on the low flat ground surrounded 

 by the River Irwell. In 1849 heats ceased at 

 the Whitsuntide meeting, then meetings con- 

 tinued there till 1885. A new course was 

 constructed in 1886 under the auspices of the 

 Manchester Racecourse Company in the borough 

 of Salford on 120 acres of the Castle Irwell 

 estate on level land in rear of the militia barracks. 

 The course is a right-hand one, if miles in 

 circumference, but its width is very narrow. 

 T.Y.C. is six furlongs straight and joins the 

 round course about the five-furlong post. The 

 Manchester meeting brings the flat-racing season 

 to a close, and the last important race in the 

 year is the Manchester November Handicap. 



The Manchester Cup was first offered in 

 1834, and was won by Giovanni. There were 

 five runners only. In the year 1842 there was 

 no race for the cup, and in the years 1844, 

 1862, 1864, and 1870 there were only three 

 runners. The year 1864 was a memorable one, 

 for though there were but three starters the cup 

 was only won after a dead heat between Trust 

 and Old Minster, Trust eventually winning 

 the run off. The cup course is i^ miles. 



The Haydock Park course is a left-hand oval, 

 of about one mile and five furlongs in circum- 

 ference, six furlongs being straight. It is of 

 very old pasture and of fine quality for racing. 

 It is situated about i^ miles from Newtown, and 

 nearly midway between Liverpool and Man- 

 chester. 



479 



