Chapter IV: The Two Thousand and One Thousand Guineas (1)

"The titles make a big mark in the annals of the Two Thousand," wrote, a few years since, a well-known sporting journalist. And so they do, as a glance at the list of winning names will show.

The race was established in 1809, when it was won by Mr. Wilson's Wizard; and in the year following Lord Grosvenor captured the prize, beating eight competitors, with Hephestion by Alexander. Lord Darlington with Cwrw proved successful in 1812, whilst Sir C. Bunbury's Smolensko won in 1813. Lord Rous with Tigris followed in 1815, Lord G. Cavendish landed the stakes with Nectar in 1816. In two succeeding years, 1818-9, Lord Folley and Sir John Shelly gained Two Thousand honours with Interpreter and Antar respectively. Then come the three consecutive wins of the Duke of Grafton by the aid of Pindarrie, Reginald, and Pastile. Two Commoners follow, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Haffenden, their winners being Nicolo and Schahriar. Lord Exeter follows with Enamel, after which (1826-7) the Duke of Grafton adds two wins to the three he had previously achieved, the names of his winners being Dervise and Turcoman. After his Grace of Grafton comes the Duke of Rutland with Cadland. Lord Exeter is next enrolled on the Two Thousand scroll of honour, Patron and Augustus crediting him with the stakes in 1829-30. In 1831 Riddlesworth gave the prize to Lord Jersey. Wins by horses belonging to Colonel Peel and Lord Orford follow, and then Lord Jersey throws in for four consecutive triumphs, Glencoe, Ibrahim, Bay Middleton, and Achmet being the names of the victorious horses. Lords George Bentinck (twice) and Albemarle take the trophy in 1838-9-40-1. Lords Stradbroke, Enfield, Exeter, Derby, Zetland, Stamford, and Glasgow follow up. Then in 1874 comes the name of Lord Falmouth, and before his death it is twice repeated in the annals of the Two Thousand. Lords Dupplin and Lonsdale also win the race, as do the Dukes of Beaufort, Westminster, and Portland. Among the racing Commoners who have been credited with the Two Thousand Guineas we find the names of Mr. Bowes, who twice took the prize, and Mr. Merry, who won it on two occasions. The well-known names of Mr. Gully and Mr. Sutton, as also Count La Grange, Sir Joseph Hawley, and Mr. D. Baird, are likewise enrolled on the scroll of fame.

Horses which win or run prominently for the Guineas are not always entered for the Derby or St. Leger, but it happens that the double event of Two Thousand and Derby has fallen to the same horse on twelve occasions, the successful animals being:

1813. Smolensko. 1828. Cadland. 1836. Bay Middleton. 1853. West Australian. 1863. Macaroni. 1865. Gladiateur. 1866. Lord Lyon. 1869. Pretender. 1882. Shotover. 1886. Ormonde. 1888. Ayrshire. 1891. Common.

Four times the Two Thousand winner has also taken the St. Leger as well as the Derby: West Australian in 1853, Gladiateur in 1865, Lord Lyon in 1866, and Ormonde in 1886. The Two Thousand and Oaks were captured by Crucifix in 1840, and by Formosa in 1868. The double event of Two Thousand and St. Leger has been achieved by Sir Tatton Sykes, 1840, Stockwell, 1862, West Australian, 1853, The Marquis, 1862, Gladiateur, 1865, Lord Lyon, 1866, Formosa, 1868, Petrarch, 1876, and Ormonde, 1886.

Here is a little statement regarding the Two Thousand I have "rescued" from the sporting journals, in the columns of some of which it was recently "going the rounds." As will be seen, it is not without interest, showing as it does the relative performances of Two Thousand and Derby winners in each of those races for the past thirty-one years:

"The Two Thousand winner has started twenty-six times in that period for the Derby. He has won the latter race seven times, ran second six times, third four times, and unplaced nine. The Derby winner, in the same space, has competed seventeen times in the Two Thousand--seven times as a winner, four times second, four times third, and twice unplaced. It is interesting to note that the winner of the Two Thousand has succumbed in the Derby to a horse he had beaten in the Two Thousand on eight occasions, viz.: in 1861, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1877, 1881, 1883, and 1889."

As has been often said, the race for the Guineas greatly discounts the Derby. So it does. In some years indeed, as in 1891, it is in the nature of a rehearsal for the great event which takes place on Epsom Downs, just in the same way as the One Thousand frequently proves a preliminary canter for the Oaks, these two races having been taken on thirteen occasions by the same filly. Both sexes may try conclusions in the Two Thousand, but in the One Thousand and Oaks only fillies are eligible to compete.

It is a notable circumstance that, beginning in 1814, the first race for the One Thousand fell to Mr. Wilson, the same gentleman who was credited with the premier of the Two Thousand nine years previously.

One name makes a big mark in the annals of the One Thousand; it is that of the Duke of Grafton, who won the race five consecutive times, 1819-20-1-2-3, and then missing a year, came again to the front with three winners in the three years of 1825-6-7. The race has in its course fallen to many other distinguished members of the Peerage, the latest recipient of the prize being the Duke of Portland, who in 1890 landed the stakes by the aid of Semolina. Upon three occasions the triple event of One Thousand, Oaks, and St. Leger has been secured by the prowess of the same animal--Formosa, Hannah, and Apology, 1868, 1871, and 1874 respectively, Maidment and John Osborne being jockeys who were credited with the triple ride. The double event of One Thousand and St. Leger has fallen on five occasions to the same filly--Imperieuse, 1857, Achievement, 1867, Formosa, 1868, Hannah, 1871, and Apology, 1874.

It is not a little remarkable that, whilst the names of all the jockeys who have ridden winners of the St. Leger, Oaks, and Derby have been ascertained and preserved, no record has apparently been kept of the riders who won the Two Thousand during the first thirteen years, or of the jockeys who were so fortunate as to ride the winners of the One Thousand in the first eight years of its existence. The most fortunate horseman in connection with the Two Thousand seems to have been Robinson, who on nine several occasions was credited with the _dux prize_; he also on five occasions won the One Thousand. Most of the chief horsemen of the period have had successful mounts in these races; the veteran John Osborne, who is now retiring, has had a share of Guineas honours.

During many of the earlier years of the Two Thousand (notably from 1817 to 1846) the fields competing in the race seldom exceeded double figures; on two occasions only a couple faced the starter, the fortunate owner of the winner in both these years (1829-30) being Lord Exeter, with Patron and Augustus. During the last six years the number of horses starting for the Two Thousand have been 7, 6, 8, 6, 9, 9, respectively. In the case of the One Thousand the fields were much better, averaging over twelve; in no year have the entries for this race exceeded ninety, whilst the largest number of starters has been nineteen, and curiously enough nineteen formed the biggest field that has yet competed in the Two Thousand.

A series of interesting notes might be compiled about the Two Thousand and the horses which proved victorious in the race, as well as the men who owned and the jockeys who rode them to victory, but the larger portion of all that could be said has, I fear, been said already, and that more than once. The Duke of Grafton, Lord Jersey, Lord George Bentinck, Sir Joseph Hawley, Lord Falmouth, and other noble sportsmen have frequently been made the subject of eulogy. Of the victorious horses much has also been written; the praises of the never-defeated Bay Middleton, of West Australian, Galopin, Macaroni, and Gladiateur have been sung to a universal chorus of approbation ever since the record of their victories was written in the annals of the race.

HANDICAPS.

At every recurring race for the Chester Cup the decadence which has overtaken that celebrated event is usually adverted to by the sporting writers of the period, its past glories being at the same time painted by regretful pens. But times change, and though the competitors at Chester have dwindled from thirty and forty to less than a dozen, let it not be forgotten that other contests have arisen of greater interest, although the races which are popular to-day are not those which were popular thirty-five or forty years since. Handicaps which in times past were thought "great" are now looked upon as "small," and are being displaced in the _Calendar_ by more important events.

Space need not be occupied in even briefly narrating the history of our handicaps; two of them, however, may be referred to in order to indicate the fluctuating fashions of the turf: these are the races for the Tradesmen's Plate at Chester, or "Chester Cup" as it is familiarly called, and the Great Metropolitan Stakes, run at Epsom Spring Meeting, both of which look almost at death's door when viewed in the light of their early history. It is curious, however, to note that what seems to be most regretted in connection with these races is the falling off in the betting; that is not a fiftieth part of what it used to be--hence the regrets. To ensure good racing a field of forty horses is not requisite, either at Chester or anywhere else; excellent sport may result when not a fourth of that number may be running. It is different as regards the betting element. A very large entry and a good acceptance promotes speculation, and when the field of horses competing is a big one, the odds ought of course to be good and betting brisk. But at the present time, when a week seldom elapses without the decision of a big race of some kind, betting such as took place on the Chester Cup thirty years since need not be looked for.

It was in the year 1824 the race for the Chester Cup was instituted, and in the course of a few seasons it blossomed into an event of importance, so far as regards the betting of which it was made the medium. Speculation on the Cup commenced at one time before Christmas, and horses could be and were backed to win large amounts before New Year's Day. A favourite form of betting was in "sweepstakes," which were numerous and of large amount. Horses were kept specially to be "readied" for the Cup, and from the day on which it was won by King Cole to that year in which Tim Whiffler proved successful (1838 to 1862), there were big entries, large fields, and lots of gambling. Stories are frequently retailed as to how such and such a winner of the Chester Cup was "managed" and how much was bagged over his success.

Turfites are living to-day who love to dwell on the early days of the Rood Dee, and who describe the winter betting over the great race as being really marvellous in amount. At the period referred to the doings of horses in training were not made public in the fashion which now prevails. Bettors long ago were kept ignorant of the condition of the horses, and animals which had no chance to win were backed long before the entries for the race were due. "A hundred to one against anything" was in many instances a common offer for next Cup early in the preceding December, whilst some list-keepers (they were numerous in those days) offered double these odds. Betting went on with great vigour till the fall of the flag, and as large fields were competing for the Cup, there was no lack of a choice of investments. For this popular trophy as many as forty-three horses started in 1852, but now, so greatly has the interest in the race fallen off, there are not usually many more horses in the list of entries.

In former days a horse entered for the Chester Cup might easily have been backed to win in one hand from £30,000 to £50,000 at a fair price in the way of odds. At the present time if a horse were backed to win £10,000, it would probably start at something like 5 to 2 _on_ it.

The Great Metropolitan Stakes, run for at Epsom, was at one period a very heavy medium of turf speculation, but is now at a low ebb. For this race about thirty-five years ago there was wont to be from fifteen to twenty-nine runners--a number that admitted of much betting. Handicaps that aforetime were "great" are now small affairs; indeed the new races which have lately been instituted claim popularity in a greater degree, and now more interest is taken by bettors in the Lincolnshire Handicap than in the so-called "great" races. As a medium of betting the race run at Lincoln affords an opportunity to all classes, there being usually a numerous entry and a fairly large field of competing horses. Several other large betting races, such as the City and Suburban, the handicaps at the Leicester Meetings, and the Manchester Cup in the first half of the year, provide plenty of work for the bookmakers, and relieve bettors of superfluous funds; no wonder, therefore, that many of the old mediums of speculation are being "knocked out of time." As betting races the short-distance handicaps carry the day. The Ascot Stakes even, and the Goodwood Stakes as well--both at one time of importance--have fallen from their former estimate, and no longer attract the attention of the great body of betting men.

The Cesarewitch, which is without doubt the greatest of our handicaps, may be referred to at some length as a typical handicap. Instituted in 1839, it is among handicaps what the Derby is among so-called "classic" races. The great Newmarket event was named in honour of the Grand Duke of Russia, whose title in the Muscovite tongue is the "Cesarewitch," and who, on the first occasion of its being run, gave a prize of £300 in commemoration of his visit to this country along with his father, the Emperor Nicholas--the founder of the Emperor's Plate at Royal Ascot. It is now over fifty years since the race was first run, on which occasion there were twenty-six subscribers of £25 each, and as ten runners came to the post, the value of the stakes to the winner, including the sum given by the Cesarewitch, was £715. The first winner of the event was Cruiskeen. In course of time the Cesarewitch became the greatest of our English handicaps, over two hundred horses having in some years entered to take part in the struggle. As may be supposed good fields are usually the result of large entries, as many as thirty-seven horses having, in 1862, been sent to the post, and on another anniversary of the race thirty-six tried conclusions.

The Cesarewitch cannot be said to be "famous" for its surroundings; on the contrary, the struggle has often enough been accompanied by an evil odour of finesse and chicanery, consequent on repeated attempts to throw dust in the eyes of the handicapper, or, to state more plainly what is meant, to "cheat" that important functionary. To non-racing people such a statement will doubtless require explanation. All handicaps are more or less a "game of weights," and that may be more particularly affirmed of the Cesarewitch. In such races as the Derby and St. Leger, the horses which contest the prize run on uniform terms, the weights of all being equal, mares being allowed a deduction; but in the Cesarewitch, Cambridgeshire, and similar contests, the horses are all "handicapped," in other words they are allotted to be ridden at weights which will represent their merits, or supposed merits; for, as has been hinted elsewhere, much pains is often taken to hoodwink the person whose duty it is to adjust the weights carried by the competing animals.

The reason why such practices are resorted to is not because the stake which can be won is a valuable one, as the total amount of the Cesarewitch Stakes seldom reaches £2,000, but because the race in question affords a medium of wagering on such a gigantic scale that horses entered for the contest may, with caution, be backed to win even as much as £100,000. There are one or two instances of such a sum having been obtained by means of the Cesarewitch, notably when Roseberry won the race. For the owner of a Cesarewitch to bag from £20,000 to £50,000 was, some twelve or fifteen years since, a matter of common occurrence. It is a race which the general public bet upon with avidity, and for betting upon it great facilities are afforded, seeing that speculation begins on the Cesarewitch as early as May or June, when it cannot possibly be known what horses will be entered for it.

Remarkable stories have occasionally been told of fortunes won by means of the Cesarewitch; big prices being obtainable at an early date, persons who know of a "good thing" for this race are able to back it to win a considerable sum at little risk. Mr. Parr, the owner of Weathergage, who won in 1852, sacked many thousands, it is said, by the victory of his horse. That animal proved a fortunate purchase to Mr. Parr. Bought out of a Newmarket stable for a comparatively trifling sum, and having been well tried with a horse called Clothworker, he was entered for the Goodwood Stakes. The trial horse having been sold for £400, that sum was invested in backing Weathergage for the ducal struggle, which the horse won, and a sum of £16,000 in addition for his far-seeing owner. Weathergage was then entered for the Cesarewitch, for which he started first favourite at 4 to 1; but long previous to the day of the race Mr. Parr had backed him to win a great stake at odds of 50 to 1, by which transaction his owner was said to have won £40,000. He then sold the horse for £2,500. Lecturer, who won the Cesarewitch in 1866, was the means of putting about £80,000 in the pocket of the unfortunate Marquis of Hastings, and a very large stake is reputed to have been won by Mr. Naylor with Jester, in 1878.

The incidents of the Cesarewitch outside racing circles are not of very great interest; many of the animals which have proved successful have never again been heard of as being of any value on the turf. The distance run is a little over two miles and a quarter, and as the pace is usually a rapid one, it takes a very good horse to win when the animal is really weighted according to its merits. As has been indicated, the race on some occasions falls to a very mediocre horse, who has been got into the handicap by trickery, at almost a nominal weight, for the purpose of enabling the owner and his friends to win a series of big bets. The Cesarewitch does not often result in the first favourite proving successful, having been often won by horses which, in a comparative sense, may be called outsiders. The honours of favouritism are of course determined by the price of the horse in the betting; if it is at 4 to 1, whilst the others are at such prices as 7, 10, or 14, then the "first" favourite is the horse which is at 4 to 1.

The Cambridgeshire is looked upon as the twin race of the Cesarewitch; both are run at Newmarket within about a fortnight of each other. The distance of the Cambridgeshire course is a little over a mile, so that the race is of the short-cut kind; although to get a mile at the terrific pace which is set in this handicap, takes something serious out of the competing horses. The Cambridgeshire, like the Cesarewitch, was instituted in 1839, and the race is a favourite medium of speculation, large sums being now and then won by a well-planned _coup_. The first winner of the race was Mr. Ramsay, of Barnton, whose horse, Lanercost, beating eleven others, credited him with the prize. In some years forty horses have run in the Cambridgeshire. It was often prophesied that the same animal would in one year win both races; but the double event was never compassed till 1876, when Roseberry, a horse belonging to Mr. James Smith, the well-known proprietor of the _Bon Marché_, proved successful, and again in 1881, "the American year," the double event was accomplished by Mr. Keene's horse, Foxhall, an animal that had previously credited his owner with the lucrative Grand Prize of Paris. As year after year passed over, and the double event never came off, it began to be thought that such an occurrence would prove to be an impossibility in consequence of the disparity of the distances over which the horses had to run, and over which of course they required to be trained; but in 1885 the feat was once more accomplished, this time by the French horse, Plaisanterie.

The Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, as has been stated, are big betting races, more money being wagered over these events in the present day than over any other handicaps of the year. The two find favour in the eyes of double event bettors; the foreign bookmakers in particular laid themselves out to accommodate the betting public to any extent. Two thousand pounds to twenty shillings is the limit fixed for such bets, and every now and then the feat of combining in one bet the names of the winning horses of both events is accomplished. In the year Cardinal York won the one race and Adonis the other the success of several double event bettors was recorded by the press. One gentleman, a stockbroker, was named as being the winner of twelve thousand pounds, the risk he ran in obtaining that sum being nine pounds ten shillings only. As may be supposed, where one is successful thousands fail. A bookmaker doing only a small business informed the writer that of sixteen hundred and seventy-two double event bets which he laid against the chances of naming the two winners, only thirteen persons were successful in coupling the first winner with a horse for the second event, and none of those who tried succeeded in the feat of naming both winners. An Edinburgh bookmaker who at one time accommodated small bettors with double event bets on the same races, never once required to pay, although thousands tried their luck.

Those persons who bet on the results of the race for the Cambridgeshire, when they are so fortunate as to name the winner, occasionally obtain wonderfully good odds. Since 1875 only five favourites have won the race. On the other hand, what are called "long prices" have been laid against horses that have won in recent years, as, for instance, 33 to 1, Jongleur (1877); 40 to 1, Jester (1878); 30 to 1, La Merveille (1879); 50 to 1, Bendigo (1883); and 40 to 1, Gloriation (1887). Several other Cambridgeshire horses might be quoted at 20 to 1, and at figures a little below 20. Such prices do not often attend the race for the Cesarewitch, but then the winner in 1890 started at the odds of 28 to 1; and Stoneclink (1885) was quoted while at the starting-post at 100 to 3--an excellent price, as all who had the good fortune to back the horse willingly acknowledged.

As has been hinted, the Cesarewitch has been notorious for the thousand and one plots that have been laid to obtain a victory; the same may be said of the Cambridgeshire. Many hopes and fears have been centred on the chance of winning one or both of these races. Clever turfites have again and again planned and schemed, only, however, to incur defeat. Honest owners, running on the square with an honestly handicapped horse, have been "done" in the end by the machinations of some syndicate possessed of an animal kept for the purpose.

The Northumberland Plate, still run for at Gosforth Park, the Great Ebor Handicap, and the Liverpool Cups, as also the Cumberland Plate, were all of them some twenty-five years ago favourite betting races. They are no longer, however, what they were; but bettors have the Jubilee Stakes at their service, as also such events as the Royal Hunt Cup, run at Ascot, and the Stewards' Cup, decided at the Goodwood Meeting. These are races on which plenty of speculation takes place, so that the loss of the "great" handicaps is not of much moment, there being so many other outlets for the gambling instinct of the nation, which was never so strong as it now is. The races for the Ascot Stakes and the Goodwood Stakes do not give rise to betting of any consequence till the days set for their decision; nor does speculation, as of old, begin on the Portland Plate, decided at Doncaster, till the names of the runners are known. The big handicaps brought off at Manchester during the Whitsuntide holidays, and at a later period, give rise to an immense amount of betting, especially among the masses.

These handicap notes might be considerably extended. Some of the recently introduced races represent big stakes, ranging from one to six thousand pounds, so that they are worth winning. The race for the City and Suburban has even of late years been improved, and is now worth a thousand pounds to the owner of the winning horse. A glance at any of the turf guides will show that there is almost a plethora of racing; but betting men, be they ever so industrious, cannot go on day after day figuring the odds against everything. Racing fashions are bound to change. It is of little use, therefore, mourning over the decadence of the Chester Cup, or any of the other "great" handicaps of "auld lang syne," when there are so many events which afford better opportunities to the horse and greater scope to those who care nothing for the animal, except as an instrument of gambling.

NOTES ON MEMORABLE MATCHES.

Match-making, and the running-off of matches, was in the beginning of racing, and in later times as well, a favourite mode of sport; a volume, indeed, and an interesting one, might be written on that branch of the history of horse-racing, which is still to some extent carried on, matches being occasionally resorted to as one means of settling which of two is the better horse. It is not my purpose to do more at present than chronicle, by way of "sample," half-a-dozen of the more memorable matches, two or three of which may be said to have become historical.

Matches, as they were made some hundred years ago, or in earlier times, were always arranged to be run over a distance of ground, the courses never as a rule being shorter than four miles, and sometimes extending far beyond that distance. In the years 1718-9-20-1, to go no further back, upwards of eighty such contests took place--that is to say, races between horse and horse. In those days, and for long afterwards, other kinds of matches were made, which do not, however, concern this history; and at one time it was a fashion to arrange different exploits as matches. Many such might be referred to--shooting matches, cocking matches, racket matches, and sometimes even mail coaches were matched to run one against the other. A contest of this description may just be mentioned in passing, as an example of what was called sport ninety years ago. In the year 1802 the London and Plymouth mails raced for a sum of 500 gs. from St. Sydwells to Honiton, a distance of sixteen miles, when the London coach, driven by Mr. Browne, won the race, doing the distance in one hour and fourteen minutes.

Fifty-two years previous to the decision of that match, a still more curious event of the kind occurred at Newmarket, when a wager of 100 gs. was made that a carriage with four running wheels, to be drawn by four horses and driven by a man, would run nineteen miles on Newmarket Heath within one hour. A vehicle was made expressly for the occasion by a London coachmaker of celebrity, and when all was ready this race against time began at seven o'clock in the morning, and finished in fifty-three minutes and twenty-seven seconds, so that backers of the horses won their money.

Captain Newland's wager to ride one hundred and forty miles in eight successive hours on hack horses excited much attention. The event took place on the 2nd of April, 1801. The captain won, as he performed the distance in seven hours and thirty-four minutes. Many matches, or rather wagers to ride horses against time, might be recorded of even earlier date, as for instance one which took place in the year 1606, when "John Lepton, Esq., of York, for a considerable sum, engaged to ride six days in succession between York and London, and he won his wager."

The walking matches of Captain Barclay have been so often described that no reference need be here made to them--they were marvels of pluck and endurance. Another of the many curious matches which took place during the last century was that of Miss Pond, brought off at Newmarket in the months of April and May, 1758. That lady's wager was to ride, mounted always on the same horse, a thousand miles in a thousand successive hours. The stake involved was only 200 gs., and she won it easily enough. Miss Pond was the daughter of the compiler and publisher of the _Racing Calendar_, and some doubts have been expressed as to whether or not she used the same horse throughout. It is worth mentioning that Dr. Johnson wrote a satirical essay on this affair in the sixth number of _The Idler_ (May, 1775), his contention being that _profit_ was the sole end in acquiring honour and distinction, and that such events as that in which Miss Pond took part were estimated only by the money gained or lost.

A Mr. Jenison Shafto, in accordance with a wager of 2,000 gs. between himself and Hugo Maynell, found a person to ride one hundred miles a day "on any one horse each day for twenty-nine successive days, to have any number of horses not exceeding twenty-nine." John Woodcock was selected to perform this feat, and beginning his arduous task on Newmarket Heath on May 4th, 1761, brought it to a successful conclusion on the 1st of June about six o'clock in the evening, having used fourteen horses only.

Coming now to matches more suitable to be recorded in this work, one affair of the kind run at Newmarket between two horses deserves notice. It was that of Mr. Blake's Firetail and Mr. Foley's Pumpkin, "the hardest race almost ever known," and remarkable for the wonderful time in which it was run; the horses, it is said, did the Rowley mile (one mile and thirty yards) in one minute and four seconds! An interesting match was run in the year 1773, the course being from York to London; the one horse was a hackney gelding, the other a road mare. The distance was done in forty hours and thirty-five minutes, and the winning mare, it is related, drank twelve bottles of wine during her journey, for which she was nothing the worse; the beaten horse died the day after the contest was finished.

The great struggle between Hambletonian and Diamond, which took place at the Newmarket Craven Meeting of 1799, is well worthy of notice; it was regarded by sportsmen of the time as a race to determine which was the better sire, Eclipse or Herod. The match is recorded in _Baily's Register_ in the following bald way: "Sir H. T. Vane's b. h. Hambletonian, by King Fergus, 8st. 3 lb., beat Mr. Cookson's br. h. Diamond, 8st., B.C., 3,000 gs. h. ft." A more detailed account has, however, been preserved and is given in Whyte's "History of the Turf," from which the following narrative has been taken: Previous to the time fixed for the match, which was run between one and two o'clock on Monday, 25th March, 1799, a great crowd of persons had assembled--"one of the greatest crowds ever witnessed at Newmarket"--to see the race. Hambletonian, it is related, started with the lead and maintained it till the last half-mile of the course was entered upon, when Diamond, stealing up, challenged. The struggle for victory was a keen one; each jockey rode his very best, Hambletonian being ridden by the famous Buckle, while Dennis Fitzpatrick had charge of the other horse. As the animals neared the winning-post it looked all over as if the contest would end in a dead heat, but almost in the last stride Buckle nerved himself for a great and final effort, and won the race by little more than a head. According to the best authorities, the four miles were run in about eight minutes and a half.

Large sums fell to be paid and received over this event, the betting having ruled high, Yorkshire to a man supporting Hambletonian, and the Newmarket people backing Diamond. When the horses started the state of the odds was about "even money," either you liked. Hambletonian was foaled in 1792, and won almost every race for which he was entered, including the St. Leger and the Gold Cup at Doncaster; indeed, he was only beaten upon one occasion when he unfortunately ran out of the course at York August Meeting, 1797, when running against Deserter and Spread Eagle. This famous animal, after a fairly successful time at the stud, died on March 28th, 1818, in the twenty-seventh year of his age, having begot Norval, Camillus, Joan of Arc, and many other high-mettled steeds that have figured in turf history.

Another match that excited almost as much attention as the struggle between Hambletonian and Diamond, was arranged between Sir H. Vane's Cockfighter and Mr. Johnson's Sir Solomon for 500 guineas, which took place at Doncaster on the 19th September, 1801. The horses ran the Doncaster course twice, and the first two miles were said to have been covered in three minutes, whilst the four miles were done in seven minutes and ten seconds: the distance run was three miles, six furlongs, and thirty-two yards. The betting at starting was 6 to 4 and 11 to 8 on Cockfighter, and a sum of £50,000 is said to have changed hands on the occasion. Sir Solomon took the lead at the start and, never being headed, won by about a length and a half. The winner was got by Sir Peter Teazle; Cockfighter was got by Overton, and was thus descended from the Godolphin barb.

The most noteworthy match--"the most interesting race ever run upon Knavesmire"--recorded in the annals of the turf is that in which Mrs. Colonel Thornton and Mr. Flint took part. The excitement which attended this affair may be guessed from the fact that upwards of £200,000 was depending in wagers on the event--the betting at the start being at the rate of 5 to 4 and 6 to 4 on the lady, who, however, lost the day. The affair was fully recorded in the sporting periodicals of the period, from which the following particulars have been gleaned. The match originated quite in a friendly spirit; the parties being out for a ride discussed and, of course, praised the merits of their respective horses, and on the spur of the moment indulged in a trial gallop, the lady being at once victorious. A formal challenge was the result of this extempore gallop, which ended in a match for 1,000 gs. This event was brought to a consummation on the 25th of August, 1804, and for some weeks before that date nothing else was talked about; over sporting Yorkshire it was a common topic of conversation, all sorts of notions being entertained as to how the lady would ride and how she would be dressed, and as the time drew near it became quite evident that Mrs. Thornton possessed the entire sympathies of the horse-loving people of the greatest county of England.

On the appointed day the horses were duly prepared for the struggle. Mrs. Thornton's horse was Vingarillo and Mr. Flint's was Thornville; in accordance with the conditions of the match the lady was to ride her weight against the weight of Mr. Flint. According to the newspapers of the day such an assemblage of the people on a racecourse had never been seen as on the occasion of riding this match; it was estimated that at least a hundred thousand persons were present on the Knavesmire, expectation being raised to the highest pitch from the exceeding novelty of the event.

The story of the race was told in _The York Herald_: "About four o'clock Mrs. Thornton appeared on the ground, full of spirits, her horse led by Colonel Thornton, and followed by Mr. Baker and Mr. H. Boynton; afterwards appeared Mr. Flint. They started a little past four o'clock. The lady took the lead for upwards of three miles in most capital style. Her horse, however, had much the shorter stroke of the two. When within a mile of being home Mr. Flint pushed forward and got the lead, which he kept. Mrs. Thornton used every exertion, but finding it impossible to win the race, she drew up in sportsman-like style, when within about two distances. The course was four miles."

The riding of the lady excited admiration, and it was difficult to say whether her horsemanship, her dress, or her beauty was most admired, the _tout ensemble_ being considered unique. The sympathy extended to Mrs. Thornton because of her defeat was universal, and there seemed to be a feeling on the part of all that Mr. Flint acted most ungallantly in not allowing her to take the honours of the race; in plainer language, he should have made her a present of the stake--£1,000! That some bad blood resulted over the affair was soon known. The lady herself, who is reputed to have been as clever at her desk as she was in the saddle, wrote a letter on the subject complaining of having been ungallantly used in various ways on the course, and concluding by challenging Mr. Flint to ride the same match in all its terms over the same course next year.

The appetite of Mrs. Colonel Thornton appears to have been whetted by what had taken place for further exploits of a similar kind; at all events, in the next year, 1805, her name crops up in two matches, one for 2,000 gs. and four hogsheads of Cote Roti, as also a bet of 600 gs. p.p. Mr. Bromford, her opponent, however, declined to ride, and Mrs. Thornton, after doing the usual perfunctory walk over, bagged £1,000 of forfeit, the bet of 600 gs. p.p., and presumably contributed to her stock of wine half of the supply of the Cote Roti. No sooner had the walk, or rather canter over taken place, than the lady, "dressed in a purple cap and waistcoat, nankeen-coloured skirts, purple shoes, and embroidered stockings," appeared to ride against Buckle, the famous jockey, a match of two miles. The start for this contest was made at half-past three o'clock, when the lady went off with the lead and managed to keep in front for some distance, when Buckle forged to the front and kept there for a dozen paces, "when Mrs. Thornton, by the most excellent, we may truly say horsemanship, pushed forward and came in in a style far superior to anything of the kind we have witnessed, gaining the race by half a neck; her bold and steady jockeyship, indeed, amazed one of the most crowded courses ever witnessed. On her winning she was hailed with the most reiterated shouts of congratulation."

It has been hinted, with regard to this race, that the lady owed her victory to the gallantry of the professional horseman, Buckle. The match is thus given in the "Annals of the Turf":

MATCH FOR A CUP, VALUE 700 GUINEAS. TWO MILES.

Colonel Thornton's br. m. Louisa, by Pegasus,
6 years old, 9 st. 6 lb. Mrs. Thornton 1
Mr. Bloomfield's ch. m. Allegro, by Pegasus,
6 years old, 13 st. 6 lb. Francis Buckle 2

The pleasures of victory were greatly marred by an incident which occurred in the course of the afternoon, and that was the horse-whipping of Colonel Thornton by Mr. Flint, who had never received payment of the stakes lost by the lady in her first match. Law proceedings ensued, but these need not be detailed here; there can be no doubt Flint was rather ill-used throughout, and that Mrs. Colonel Thornton's views were entirely mercenary. And who was the lady who thus made herself so notorious? Orton, in the work already referred to, says she was not the wife but only the _chère amie_ of Colonel Thornton, her real name being Alicia Meynell, the daughter of a respectable watchmaker of the city of Norwich, and was then about twenty-two years of age, very handsome, and of fascinating manners, with fair complexion, light hair, and blue eyes. Captain Flint was a well-known sportsman of those days, and well known as the author of "A Treatise on the Management of the Horse." He died from an over-dose of prussic acid, which he was in the habit of taking in order to relieve the attacks of asthma from which he often suffered.

Next in interest to the great match between Hambletonian and Diamond, a giant struggle of modern times may be referred to. It took place on the Knavesmire at the York Spring Meeting, May 13th, 1851; the names of the two horses which gave renown to the match were Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur, and there are many alive who looked on at the race, and talk of it as the one sight of their lives.

The following description, written immediately after its occurrence, will afford readers all necessary information: "And now we have arrived at the race of the meeting--if not indeed of the century. As we have no means of measuring the properties of race-horses--at least none that are put into effect worthy of acceptance as authority on point of speed--we must take it for granted that the Flying Dutchman and Voltigeur are about the best horses that the modern turf has seen. Upon this conventional estimate, the contest, the issue of which is about to be disposed of, created more interest than any match between horses within my memory. The weighing had been adjusted to a grain; and thus the runners were set down: Match for £1,000, half forfeit, two miles over the whole course; Lord Eglinton's The Flying Dutchman, by Bay Middleton out of Barbelle, 5 yrs., 8 st. 8½ lb.; Lord Zetland's Voltigeur, by Voltaire out of Martha Lynn. The pair were at even betting almost from the period when the race was publicly announced up to the day on which it was run, and as they went to the post. When the flag fell, Voltigeur went off with the running at the top of his pace, taking a lead of at least three lengths, and making very severe play, the heavy state of the ground being taken into account. In this way they rounded the last turn, when Marlow, the rider of the Dutchman, called upon his horse with a request very pointedly urged. As they passed the stand it was stride for stride, and a struggle of desperate effort. It was too much, however, for the young one--he tired the sooner, and the Flying Dutchman passed the winning-chair first by a short length. Both horses showed marks of the keenness of the contest."

After winning the match, Lord Eglinton announced that his career on the turf had ceased.

It would not be difficult to fill a few pages of this work with accounts of several other matches of more or less interest, but those already given are sufficient to give the reader a fair idea of that description of racing, which, except in particular instances, is not of great interest. One other match, however, is worth referring to--the match between Lady Elizabeth and Julius, both in their day horses of celebrity. The death of Julius, whose career was terminated by a friendly bullet, was the means of directing public attention to the feats and failures of that excellent horse.

The sporting papers of the day contained the following obituary paragraph: "The son of St. Albans and Julie was bred at Her Majesty's stud at Hampton Court, and became the property of the late Duke of Newcastle, in whose colours in 1866 he won a couple of races as a two-year-old. The following year he won several races, but was defeated in the celebrated match with Lady Elizabeth, the latter (then a two-year-old), in receipt of 9 lb., only winning by a short head. The match was for 1,000 sovs., run over the Bretby Stakes Course, Fordham riding the victress, and Daley Julius. The Duke of Newcastle's colt ran third to Achievement and Hermit for the Doncaster St. Leger, but perhaps his most notable performance was winning the Cesarewitch in the same season with 8 st. on his back--an impost that had not been carried first past the post in the race since Faugh-a-Ballagh's victory in 1844. In 1868 the Duke of Newcastle's colt beat both his St. Leger conquerors. Hermit went down before him in the Newmarket Biennial Stakes in the Craven Meeting, and the pair were subsequently matched for 1,000 sovs. over the Two Middle Miles. The event came off at the first Spring gathering, and Julius (8 st. 10 lb.), in the hands of Daley, beat his opponent by a couple of lengths, Hermit's weight being 8 st. 9 lb. The Beaufort Cup (about two miles and a half) at Bath he won by fifteen lengths from Achievement, the latter presenting him with 6 lb., Gomera and Goodwood finishing behind the pair. Julius afterwards won the Warwick Cup, but in the Doncaster Cup he met his conqueror in Mandrake, who defeated him by a length. The son of St. Albans did not run afterwards, and was relegated to the stud."

In taking leave of the subject this much may be said, that matches were the means of evincing men's love of the sport for its own sake. There was a stake of money in risk, of course--it is the fashion--but some years ago, in the days of Lord Glasgow, George Payne, and "the Admiral," matches were not so much ventures in gambling as tests to find out the better horse. Speaking generally, matches are not popular with the general body of race-goers, who delight more in those contests which are competed for by a crowd of horses, and where fair odds can be had about any particular animal. Laying odds on or taking even money is unpalatable work to the great majority of those who attend race meetings, and, moreover, in few instances--not ten times in twelve--do we see the real merit of a race-horse when it runs in a match. Very often the jockeys have a private understanding with each other that they will only race for a given portion of the distance, and often enough the struggle is won by the finesse of the rider, and the victory won or the defeat sustained has no bearing on the merits of the horse.

WITH THE PROPHETS.

"The ingenuity and industry expended on what is called 'tipping' in connection with horse-racing ought to bring good fortune in no halting measure to the professors of the art, who appear to spend their lives in trying to enrich everybody but themselves."

So wrote, some four or five years ago, an essayist in the pages of one of the "superior" magazines.

That the business of tipping goes on as briskly as ever, the experts in that line of turf illusion being still busily occupied in benevolent endeavours to confer benefit on their fellow-men, can be ascertained by all who will take the trouble to glance over the advertising columns of the numerous sporting journals of the time.

A point worthy of notice in connection with these announcements is the style now adopted in fashioning them. New and improved methods of communicating with the public are constantly being devised. Tipping nowadays is a "business" of importance requiring large dealings with the telegraph; but long ago--say about the close of the "thirties," and in the "forties" of the present century, when the writer became interested in horse-racing, consequent on having won a few sovereigns by the victory of Merry Monarch in the Derby--tipping was much less obtrusive than it is to-day, and was carried on chiefly by means of what may be called "disguises." Such announcements as were made public usually bore that the advertiser was in exclusive possession of information about a horse which was certain to win the Derby or some other important race; but, as a rule, the great event decided at Epsom was, in the beginning of tipping, the race most favoured, and the person advertising not seldom posed as "a gentleman's valet out of a place," or as "a stableman dying of consumption," or "an old military man," or as some person very remote from the being he really was.

"Who, then," it will be asked, "were those persons?" Well, as there were not so many of them as there are to-day, when "tipping," as was said a few months ago to a magistrate, is a "profession," it will not prove a difficult task to give information about their ways of working, as I happen to be able to speak with some degree of knowledge of two or three of the number who were among the first to advertise in days when the mediums for such announcements were anything but numerous, and advertising was somewhat costly, there being then an advertisement duty of one shilling and sixpence exigible on each announcement, whilst postage was also expensive.

In the beginning of race tipping the Queen's head had not been invented. The outside prophets had at first only a local audience, but even during the "thirties" London was occupied by a vast population, and there was always a sufficient percentage of its inhabitants so interested in racing as to find employment for half-a-dozen tipsters, in addition to those engaged on such newspapers of the time as kept prophets, some of whom were "verse-jinglers" of no mean capacity, as a selection from their poetic prognostications would prove, were a collection of the best of them to be made and published with the necessary notes of explanation.

The first of the prophets to whom I will refer were a man and a woman, both persons of ability, able to assume a variety of characters, and by doing so carry on their little game industriously from season to season. There was no collusion between them, however; they were in no way connected.

The man, before he began work as a tipster, had been for several years under butler in one of the big Pall Mall clubs, and having drawn the winner of the Chester Cup in a plethoric "sweep"--many of which used to be, and I believe still are, organised in London in connection with the more important races--he found himself in possession of sufficient funds, including the money he had saved in service, to become lessee of a public-house in a little street off Fetter Lane, in which for a time he did well, so well that he took courage and married, his wife being able to assist him in his business.

It is almost needless to say, with a landlord possessed of a taste for the turf, his house came in time to be much frequented by the smaller fry of sporting men having tastes in common and being fond of betting, although the sums risked seldom exceeded half-a-crown, or at most double that amount.

One evil day a constant frequenter of the house introduced a friend of his, who was anxious to start a betting list, and as Wingrave, the landlord, thought a list in the house would improve his business, he gave consent, and Bill Holmes commenced business at the "Caxton Arms." For a period of a little over twelve months all went well, customers increased, money was made, and claims punctually met.