THE HORSE. 
6 
THE RACE-HORSE. 
Of the English race-courses, that of Newmarket is the first in rank and early celebrity. The town itself stands partly in 
Cambridgeshire and partly in Suffolk, 61 miles N.NE. from London, on the great road leading to Norwich. King James I. built 
a house here, that he might enjoy the recreation of the chase, and Charles II. added to and repaired it, after it had fallen into 
decay during the Civil Wars, frequently gracing it with his presence during the races on the adjoining Heath. The original palace 
of James has long been sold and applied to other uses. The structure erected by Charles is chiefly used for training-stables. 
Mansions in and around the elegant little town are the memorials of success on the turf. Club-rooms, coffee-houses, billiard-tables, 
and circulating libraries, afford relief from the ennui of the intervals of business. The very air seems tainted with the spirit of 
the place; and, from the Three Tuns to the aristocratic rooms of the Jockey Club, all is redolent of betting and play. The 
very boys of the place, we are told, consume their winter evenings in cock-fighting and dog-matches, and at halfpenny roulette 
tables stake their all as freely as their betters. The racing-ground is reckoned the finest in England, from the variety of its 
surface, and the dryness, softness, and elasticity of the turf. It is in the vicinity of the town, is four miles in length, and is 
vested in the Jockey Club, as holding it under the Duke of Portland. The training-grounds, a mile and a half in length, are 
equally suited to their purpose. Four hundred horses are frequently to be seen in training during the greater part of the year; 
and the spectacle of so many fine creatures at their daily exercise on the heath is scarce inferior in curiosity and interest to that of 
the final exercise of their powers. The racing-ground is in eighteen divisions, termed Courses, of which the longest is the Beacon 
Course, 4 miles 1 furlong 138 yards : the next, the Round Course, 3 m. 4 f. 187 yds.: the last division of the Beacon Course is 
3 m. 45 yds.: the middle portion of the same course 2 m. 97 yds.; and so on to the Yearling Course, 2 f. 147 yds. The variety of 
these courses, some on the rise, some on the descent, and some flat, afford means of selecting ground for matches suited to the age, 
strength, and qualities of the horses. The chair of the Judge is on wheels, moveable from place to place. The duty of the Judge 
is to declare the winner, which he does by the colour worn by the rider, which is handed to him before starting. He does not, as 
in other places, superintend the weighing of the jockeys, or take any cognizance of them in the race; and he rarely even sees the 
horses till they come upon the course. Betting-posts are placed at suitable places, to which the sportsmen resort after each race, 
to make their bets for the following one; and the process of offering, taking, and booking bets, is performed with a quickness, 
regularity, and decision, which cannot be surpassed. As only half an hour elapses between each race, the interest and excitement 
of the scene never flag. By the time of starting, the eager crowd that had surrounded the betting-post disperses, as if by a 
common impulse, some galloping to the starting-post, some placing themselves where the ultimate struggle of the horses is 
expected to take place, and some surrounding the Judge’s chair, where they can soonest learn the momentous issue. All has 
an air of business, which no other course in the kingdom presents. No noisy crowds, as at the more popular meetings, fill the 
space, and distract the attention by clamour. Rarely the number of spectators exceeds 500 or 600, the majority of them on 
horseback, and deeply engaged in the business of the day. In the following morning all the bets are paid, when more than 
L.50,000 may change hands in an hour. The meetings at Newmarket are seven in the year:—first, the Craven Meeting, so 
named in compliment to Lord Craven, commencing on Easter Monday; and then, at intervals of a fortnight, the First and 
Second Spring Meetings; then the July Meeting; then three in October, the last of which, termed the Houghton, is more nu¬ 
merously attended than any of the others. 
Next in rank to Newmarket for its races is Epsom, situated about fifteen miles south-west from London, on the verge of the 
Banstead Downs. Upon the open space formerly stood an ale-house, called the Oaks, which was purchased by General Burgoyne, 
and fitted up for a hunting seat. It was sold to the Earl of Derby, one of the most perfect sportsmen of his day, who enlarged 
the mansion-house and beautified the domain. In 1779 he established the Oak Stakes, so named from his seat, and in the following 
year the Derby,—both of which have been run for ever since, forming the most popular races in the kingdom. The racing-ground 
is on the Downs. The new course, termed the Derby, is a mile and a half, somewhat in the form of a horse-shoe; the first 
three-quarters of a mile are nearly straight, the next quarter of a mile forms a gradual bend, corresponding with that of the shoe, 
and the last half mile is straight. The first part of the course, for about half a mile, is an ascent; the next third of a mile is level; 
the remainder is on the descent, until within the distance, when the ground rises again to the winning-post. The subdivision 
courses are, the new Two-year-old Course, T. Y. C., of six furlongs; the old T. Y. C., of somewhat less than four; and the Craven 
Course, one mile and a quarter. The Great Stand, erected in 1830, is capable of containing between seven and eight thousand 
persons, and various minor stands line the course to a distance, while innumerable temporary ones are erected during the period of 
the race. The first spring meeting, of minor interest, takes place in April; the great meeting, at which the Derby, the Oaks, the 
Craven, and other stakes are run for, commences on the Tuesday, and continues until the end of the week preceding Whitsuntide. 
The Derby is run for on Wednesday, the Oaks on Friday. The Derby stakes for a mile anda-half are fifty sovereigns each for 
tliree-year-old colts, carrying 8 st. 7 lb, and for fillies carrying 8 st. 2 lb. The Oaks offer the same conditions for fillies carrying 
