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FAMOUS RACE COURSES OF OLD ENGLAND. Racine Conducted Over Several for the Last Two Centuries Epsoms Features. As the classic events of the English racing season, the Derby. St. Lcger and Oaks, always create considerable interest in lovers of the thoroughbred in all parts of the world, it will not be amiss to say a few words concerning the courses over which these historic races are run. Xot the least interesting feature of these courses is their age. Racing was held at Epsom as far back as 1545, but it did not assume a permanent character until the first Derby in 17SO. The famous Xewmarket course is over 200 years old, while the Ascot races owe their origin to Queen Anne in 1711. The York and Don-caster meetings are over 150 years old, while that at Goodwood is over 100 years old. The three Thames valley courses Hurst Par!:. Keiuptou Park and Sundown Park are all modern courses, established in the list thirty-live years. It was on the last-named course, however, that the lirst race for 0,000 stakes took place. Twenty-three years ago the managers of Sandown Park startled the racing world by instituting the Eclipse Stakes, nominally wortli this amount first won by that famous horse. Bcndigo and the success of the venture was such that the Jockey Club ultimately established two 0,000 races at Xewmarket, viz., the Prince of Wales Stakes and the Jockey Club Stakes. Xeedless to say, the races for these enormous stakes attract the best horses of each year, and it is on record thnt in 189.! two winners of the Derby, two winners of the St. Leger, two winners of the Two Thousand Guineas and a winner of the Ascot Cup ran on the Sandown Park course for the Eclipse Stakes. Xowmnrkot. "the racing capital of England." possoses no fewer than ten courses, the longest being four ami one-quarter miles in circuit. Here the Jockey Club has its chief seat, while over 1.000 horses will often be found in training on the Heath. Altogether there are nearly tifty training establishments at Xewmarket, and n large army of employes are constantly at work during the racing season, keeping the courses and galloping grounds in order. The cost of this labor is mostly met by the fee charged by the Jockey Club on each horse trained on the Heath. For horses in training an annual charge of 5 is made, while a fee of 0 is levied on vearlings taking their first lessons. Altogether between 1916.sh,000 and 5,000 is derived from these sources every year. Although, somewhat expensive, most owners like to train their horses at Xewmarket; for then the horses need not 1m; taken away to run. Then; are seven annual meetings to choose from, and prizes like the Two Thousand and Cesa re-witch to win. and. in addition, the course can be chosen which will most likely suit the horse. For, while some animals can run equally well on any course, there are others which never do themselves justice except on a course they like. Consequently there is often a great deal to be gained by properly "placing" a horse. It is at Xewmarket where King Georges race horses are tiiined by Dick Marsh, as the famous trainer is known on the turf; while not far from the town is a beautiful estate owned by Danny Maher, the famous American jockey, and probably the richest professional rider in the world. How many people are aware that had it not been for the generosity of Lord George Beiitinek nearly seventy years ago the Derby race at Epsom might have been crossed eff the racing calendar? In 1829-30 00,000 was spent on the erection of the grandstand, which accommodates 7,500 spectators. The maintenance of the Epsom summer meeting, however, cost more than the revenue from the stands, etc., and the consequence was that the clerk of the course went to Lord George Bentinck and explained that unless more money was forthcoming this meet-would probably come to an end. Lord George lent the clerk 5,000, which the latter used to such good purpose that the Epsom summer meeting took a new lease of life and the clerk and his family made their fortunes. For many years afterward the orinigal 00 shares in the Epsom Grandstand Company realized large sums in the market. In 18S4 they brought hB100, although they dropped some 00 after that. This was owing to a falling off in the entries for the Derby and Oaks, however, and a great fillip was given to the popularity of Epsom when, in 1890. it was announced that in future the Derby would be worth a guaranteed minimum of 5,000. Its guaranteed value was then made 2,500, at which it now stands. There are several courses at Epsom, but the cliief of them all is the Derby course of one and one-half miles. This course contains the steepest hill leading down to Tattenham Corner to be found on any important course; in the kingdom. In addition, the first half-mile of the track is on the ascent. As a matter of fact, the Derby course offers the greatest test of merit to race horses, and that is why the best horse nearly always wins. It has often happened that the winner of the Derby has also carried off the Ascot Gold Cup, the value of which of late years has been between 5,000 and 0,000. The Ascot course is circular, nearly two miles long, and within the confines of Windsor Park. As a matter of fact, the course is crown property, and to a certain extent under the care of the Master of His Majestys Buckhounds. .The Ascot course is generally considered to be the Best in England, one great advantage being that practically the whole of the racing can be seen from the stands. The race for the St. Leger. which takes place on the Doncaster course, has rightly been described jis the "Derby of the Xorth," for it is witnessed every year by something like 30,000 people, mostly Yorkshiremen. The nice is of the same value as the Derby, viz., 2,500. As a matter of fact, the Doncaster meetings are "run" by the town corporation, and the course relieves the rate-payers to the ixtent of about 1916.sh0,000 eacli year, a large portion f the profits of the races being devoted to the reduction of the rates. The Ebor Handicap, which takes place on the "Cork course, is also an event which draws thousands of excursionists; the race for the Gimcrack Stakes founded in honor of Gimcrack, a famous grey horse foaled in 17i0. which won races when he was eleven years old being almost equally popular.
