THE FIELD 
412 
NEWMARKET.* 
.. off manv a Pelham liavo legs contrived to rub, 
StSSSSA • h S? rt! . 
!?& their thorough-brcds, a. 
racing, as a system, may be said to date from the reign 
of James I. This monarch was extremely jjjd .of the 
sport, and his favourite courses were at Croydon a 
snsmunKUT rat. ten. I ' ru 
field Chace. Charles I. followed his example by estab- 
hstoc races in Hyde Park and at Newmarke t, where 
lames I. had already built a hunting-seat. Although a 
wooden bell, adorned with flowers, had been given to 
him who should run the best and farthest on horseback, on 
Shrove-Tuesday,” at Chester, Stamford, and elsewhere, in 
Henry the Eighth's reign, the first Newmarket racing wo 
read of, came off at the end of the 16th century, when 
NEW SUBSCRIPTION ROOM. 
some of the horses which had escaped from the wreck of 
the Spanish armada, wore exhibited there, and astonished 
the lookers-on, not only by their extraordinary swiftness, 
but very probably by their superiority in size to the ion- 
horses the district. Races at both these places were 
discontinued during the Protectorate, but Cromwell was 
by no means inattentive to the breeding of good horses, 
in whose veins coursed the blood of the Arabian horse, 
NEW RETT1NO ROOM?. 
the White Turk, the Ilelmsley Turk, and Fairfax’s Mo- 
rocco Barb. On the Restoration, the Newmarket. Meeting 
was revived ; and it seems not improbable that it was during 
n meeting in Hyde Park that the foppish Sir Philip Neil 
appeared in his lumbcrsorno drag, and publicly slaked the 
thirst of his four mares with buckets oi Rhenish wine, 
and fed them with cheesecakes. The “ Merry Monarch 
rebuilt the Newmarket hunting-seat and stables (which 
fens, they were unibie «o earry hor.es of the .latutaWe 
heiffht (fourteen hands) mentioned in the act (a .v. 1533) ot 
Henry VIII. ; and hence, in >.». 1505, the statutable heig 
f.»r sires had been reduced to 13 hands. 
f A journey to Newmarket with his mistresses and , min- 
streH was one of the most favourite diversions of the 
fine', and it was during one of these merry-makings that 
the®town took fire, and caused them all to hurry home in 
the midst of a meeting. The historian of thu day is of 
opinion that it was their unexpectedretnrn wh'ch com- 
nlctclv overthrew the Rye House plot. At the back oi 
the palace, and communicating with it by a 8ubte " a “® ™ 
passage was a house occupied by Nell Gwynne, and the 
Window is still extant, out of which she he dJ^Talac" 
hv the heels, as her royal lover passed down the Palace 
Garden to his stables, and threatened to drop him if hw 
father did not promise to give him a dukedom then and 
ll 'u wSS bo almost an l.opolcss task to >»<*« '>? *« 
bead-roll of sporting worthies, gentle and simple, who ha c 
tied the Turf at Newmarket, and viewed their favourite 
saddle in the Rubbing Houses. Among the scene 
which have been enacted there, not connected with 
racing, n.ay he noted the Marquis of Queensbe ry s 
20 miles carriage match; and “the Squucs q y 
wonderful ride of 200 miles m something above eight 
hours. The “great facts” of old times aie the matches 
between Grey Wyndlmm and Bay Bolton, Hambletoman 
and Diamond, and the performance of Eclipse, well nig 
grazing in his stride,” and pulling Jack Oakley abpost emt 
of his saddle over the Beacon Course. The most striking 
events of more modern days have been the matches of 
Filho da Puta v. Sir Joshua ; Priam v. Augustus; Gicy 
Momus v. Vulture; Teddington v. Mountain Deei ; Bee 
hunter v. Clincher ; the Traverser v. Alarm ; and the 
endless bouts of Oakley and Celia. As regards gene- 
ral races, the defeats of Lucetta by Pnamj of Glen- 
coe hv Plenipo-; of Elis by Bay Middleton ; and of 
Bloomsbury by Clarion, have created, perhaps, the most 
general interest. The Whip contest, although it acquired 
a painful notoriety last year by tlie breakmgs-down of 
Teddington and Wcathergagc, has not, owing to its anti- 
quated conditions, produced one-third of the nvaliy l 
might have done, and the Portland Handicap lias been 
given up for many a year. In fact, the oldest of the great 
modern handicaps there only date back to 1839, while the 
Two Thousand Guinea Stakes is 30 years their semoi. 
The winners of this race, which is the very backbone of 
the Newmarket sheet list, comprise three Derby wmners, 
two St. Lcger winners, one Oaks winner, and a St. Legei 
and Derby winner; and, strange to say, although the 
One Thousand Guineas was established in 1814, only 
one animal (Crucifix) has won both races. 
Perhaps the most beautiful racing sight in England is 
to watch strings gallop on the Warren IIil on an early 
May morning; and some slight estimate of the racing im- 
portance of the town may be drawn from the fact, that 
23 trainers and 34 professed jocks of all weights, from 
8st. "lbs. downwards, at present “ hail” from it. Last 
year’s average was a very fair one, and there were no less 
than 241 Newmarket events in the Match Book. Ut 
these, 164 were contested races, and 39 contested matches, 
while 11 more races produced walks over, and 27 matches 
ended in a forfeit. The stakes altogether amounted to 
£51,300. A list of the length of the diflerent courses is 
subjoined: — , 
The Beacon Course is 4 miles, 1 furlong, 173 yards;— 
Last 3 miles of B. C., 3 miles 74 yards;— Ditch in (from 
the running-gap to the end of B. C.) 2 miles 119 yards; 
The last mile and a distance of B. C., 1 mile 240 yards; 
Audley End Course (from the starting-post of the I . i • G. 
to the end of B. C.) 1 mile, 7 furlongs, 56 yards.— Two 
middle miles of B. C , 1 mile, 7 furlongs, 158 yards;— 
Round Course, 3 miles, 4 furlongs, 139 yards;— bummer 
Course (last 2 miles of R. C.), 2 miles;— Sufiolk Stakes 
Course (last mile and a half of R. C.), 1 mile, 4 furlongs, 
2 yards;— Bunbury Mile (a straight mile, finishing at the 
end of R. C.), 7 furlongs, 19G yards;— Chesterfield Course 
(last half of B. M.), 3 furlongs, 212 yards;— across the 
Flat, 1 mile, 2 furlongs, 73 yards,— Rowley Mile (last mile 
of A. F.), 1 mile, 17 yards;— Ancaster Mile (last mile 
straight),' 1 mile, 18 yards {—Criterion Course (from the 
turn of the Lands in), 5 furlongs, 182 yards; — Clermont 
Course (from the running-gap to the Duke’s Stand), 1 mile, 
6 furlongs, 55 yards; — Ditch Mile (first mile of A. F.), 7 
furlongs, 201 yards;— Abingdon Mile (on the Flat), 7 fur- 
longs, 212 yards; — First half of Ab. M., 3 furlongs, 215 
yards ;— Last half of Ab. M., 3 furlongs, 217 yards;— Last 
mile and a half of T. M. M., 1 mile, 4 furlongs, 29 yards; 
—Two-Year-Old Course (on the Flat), 5 furlongs, 140 
yards; — New Two-Year-Old Course (on the B. M.), 5 fur- 
longs, 136 yards; — Last half mile of New T. Y. C., 4 fur- 
longs;— Yearling Course (on the Flat), 2 furlongs, 52 yards; 
— Bretby Stakes Course (last three quarters of R. M.), 6 
furlongs; — Cesarewitch Course (from the starting post of 
T. M. M. to the end of the Flat), 2 miles, 2 furlongs, 28 
yards ; — Cambridgeshire Course (last mile and a distance, 
straight), 1 mile, 240 yards; Champion Stakes Course 
(from the starting post of R. M. to the Duke’s Stand), 1 
mile, 3 furlongs, 219 yards. 
OLD RETTING ROOMS. 
had been much injured during the civil wars) at New- 
market, and not only encouraged racing by numerous 
royal plates, but purchased mares and sires (principally 
Barbs and Turks) in the Levant, and also improved the 
breed by horses brought over from Tangiers, as part of 
the dowry of his queen, Catharine of Braganza. There 
was not a little need of an infusion of fresh blood in Suf- 
folk, as, m consequence of the wet and rotten state of the 
SPORTING MISCELLANEOUS. 
TURPIANA. 
Goldfinder, winner of the Chester Cup last year, is put to 
the stud. He is a very rich golden chestnut, and nearly 1G 
hands, and his fee is 7 gns. During his racing career, he 
was out 18 times, and won 5 times. His winnings include 
a Queen’s Plate, the Great Cleveland Stakes, the Wolver- 
hampton Slakes, the Chester Cup, and the Leamington 
Stakes, making in all some £3,976. Mr. Merry (so it was 
said) was porsuaded to back him, and won about £3,000 on 
the latter oveut, which, along with £3,000 more, he at once 
invested in the purchase of the ill-starred Hobbie Noble. 
Bay Rosalind has had a colt by Slane, aud goes to Pyrrhus 
the* First. As might have been expected afier the running of 
Ptolemy and Virago, this son of Epirus has now no vacan- 
cies in his list for this season. Harpenden Races take 
place on 26th Muy. There are four races, and £125 
are added. Halifax is going to have two days on June 
6th and 6th. £72 is added to the six races, two of which 
are for ponies under 14 hands. One of the latter is a hurdle 
race over three feet gorse hurdles. A 14 hand pony to carry 
9st, and a 12 hand pony 7st. There will also be a pony 
race at Spalding Meeting, which comes off on May Hth. 
Captain White's 27 hunters are to be sold at the Cheshire 
Kennels, near North wich, on Saturday, May 13th. Osiris 
is for sale. The York Fund realised 300 gns. by sales! 
The London Club lias deferred the 5 gns. entrance for new 
members till next year, as the club is so prosperous at pre- 
sent. The Ilawkstono Cup has 28, the Welter 20, and tho 
Two-Year-Old Stakes 15 entries. 
The Raping Times states that after the race for the Flying 
Dutchman’s Handicap, on Virago returning to the enclosure, 
it was discovered that something had stuck into her near 
hind leg during the race, as a cut on tho hock and another 
half way down the log were seen, and thus caused her to walk 
There are at present 48 subscribers to the Ebor Handicap, 
which closes on the Saturday iu the week after next. 
Newmarket Craven Meeting, 1855.— Tuesday 
Lord Clifden’s Alembic, 8st 71b, against Lord Glasgow’s ch 
c by Pantaloon, out of Physalis, 8st 21b, A.F. 200 h ft. 
Houghton Meeting, 1856 — Saturday.— S ir j. 
Hawley’s c by Don John, out of Miami, against Lord Glas- 
gow’s c by Surplice, out of Clarissa, then two years old, 
8st 71b each, T.Y.C. 300, h ft. 
Houghton Meeting, 1857. — Saturday. — Sir J. 
Hawley’s c by Don John, out of Miami, against Lord Glas- 
gow’s c by Surplice, out of Clarissa, then three years old, 
8st 71b each, A.F. 300, h ft. 
The Fast Day at York.— “ The intervention of tho 
Fast- Day, however appropriate in itself, was unfortunate for 
the Meeting, and how tho Ring should spend it was a 
serious question. None of them remembered a precedent, 
and few seemed inclined to follow the spirit of tho proclama- 
tion. Fortunately, tho Rawcliffe Paddocks were within three 
miles’ reach, and’to them the pilgrims of th e ring wended their 
way, consuming' many hours in inspecting the seraglios of 
the Flying Dutchman, and Chanticleer. If report speaks 
true, so many foals were disposed of, that the day will long 
be remembered as the best the establishment has had sinco 
it has been started.” — Argus. 
Death of Mr. Holmes.— It is with sincere regret we 
announce that this gentleman died on Saturday last, after u 
very few hours’ illness. For his strict integrity and social 
worth he was held in very great esteem by an extensive circle 
of friends and acquaintances. He was a warm patron of tho 
turf, and a large amount of money invested in his name on 
the three leading favourites for the Derby, especially on 
Autocrat, will now be set free and brought again into the 
market— to the great advantage, however, of the original 
layers. 
Poor Sam Hood, who was injured in the Open Steeple- 
chase at Abergavenny on Thursday week, was destroyed on 
the Saturday morning; tho injury to the fetlock having been 
pronounced, by eminent veterinary authority, specially sent 
for, to be incurable. Thus ended the career of the once 
famous winner of the Metropolitan Steeplechaso. 
On Wednesday, the 12th ultimo, the gamekeeper’s son nt 
Glenruthen, Wigtonshire, killed an adder measuring up- 
wards of two feel. This is one of the proofs of the mildness 
and heat of the season. — Glasgow Courier. 
Her Majesty is about to establish a heronry at Osborne. 
There are plenty of lofty trees in the neighbourhood of 
ponds well stocked with fish. Lord Spencer, we believe, 
has a heronry at Althorpe ; but there are not many other 
cultivators of this royal bird in England. 
The Hunting Season. — A correspondent inquires what 
is the duration of the hunting season in Wiltshire, as he statu 
that he saw a pack of harriers in full cry a few mornings 
since. — Local Paper. 
Singular Occurrence. — On the 19th nit., Mr. Cromp- 
ton of Riccall, farmer, had a beautiful bay filly foal dropt (by 
Mowser), without eye9, the sockets and eye-lids perfect. 
The Perthshire Moors. — Iu the opinion of those 
capable of forming a correct judgment, there is every reason 
to expect a fine season for the sportsman. The birds aro 
numerous aud strong, aud for some weeks seem busily em- 
ployed in preparing their nests — Perth Courier. 
Extraordinary Occurrence. — On Thursday last 
week a favourite mare, about 26 years old, the property ot 
Mr. Manley, of Cuscombe Farm, near Honiton, being 
near her time of foaling, unfortunately fell into a ditcli, 
and so injured herself that she appeared to be in a dying 
state. The owner’s son, who happened to be near tne 
spot, summoned his father, and on his arrival the mare hau 
just expired. Mr. Manley, however, with great presence 
of miud, performed tho Cesarean operation, and took H’O® 
her a fine colt, which is now alive and doing well. 
The Hero of the Farmer’s Steeplechase.— 
« Ladies, who would not have gone out of their own gardens 
to see a finish between Messrs. Mason and Oliver, drove or 
rode miles to see tho cultivators of the soil punish their own 
property. It was not like an ordinary steeplechase either, 
commencement or finish. When that distinguished horse- 
man, James Bilder, wins the great Liglilspuddlo, after a 
severe set-to with Oliver Thompson, by a neck, he rides 
to scale as if nothing very particular had occurred ; an 
having satisfied the hungry public, and their functionary, 
that he is just half-a-pound over the weight, is to be seen 
with a mild but melancholy countenance taking a wulk : Wj i 
a brother chip, in tight trousers, and elaborately-pohslie^ 
boots: whilst Oliver Thompson holds a mysterious con- 
versation with a speculator of the Hebrew persuasion, w 
was within a neck of winning a small fortune, but is no 
a few hundreds oil the wrong side of the post. Not so i 
our country. Tom Fallowfield, on the little blackmail', 
has just won, with great difficulty, by about a field an< j 
half. He looks about fourteen stone ; but that is accoun 
- . . . . . .. . . ... 1 1 knnla • lie IS 
for by his brown cloth breeches and baggy boots ; he i> 
really only six pounds over weight : he is about to jump ^ 
as soon as be can pull up on the winning side of the 
but is luckily prevented by a judicious friend, whalia 
pot of money— £7 10s.— on the little black mare. 
got through the weighing part of the business all right, 
impatience cannot be restrained. He shakes ^ 01 . 
everybody; helms none of the exclusiveness of Bilde , 
the mystery of Oliver Thompson. Within five minute 
is on the top of as many yellow flys, and has embrace ^ 
many sisters, cousins, and promiscuous acquaintances, 
will last him, it is to be hoped, till this time nex y 
Happiness like his is worth all the book-making ^ 
world. ’Tis a little fortune to him of itself. Ana a. 
that good-looking girl in the honeycomb bonnet and cue 
coloured ribbons, she’s made up her mind to liave 
Fallowfield as soon as ever he will ask her. — >F t ’ r 
Magazine. ‘i 
