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RACING OF A CENTURY AGO IN ENGLAND lone Distances Great Weights and Small Values Characteristic of the Turf of longGone Days Decidedly imbued with iUiint features is a recent reminiscent account of sonic racing occurrences at Warwick England a hundred years ago The wide difference between racing and racing values of that time and the present are picturesquely presented Then as also in this country at the same time the highestclass horses were raced over long distances In heats and for sums that now seem ridiculously small In his account of ancient Warwick racing Augur of London Sporting Life says saysIt It is interesting to note that racing at Warwick was one of the earliest institutions I find record of races at Warwick in 1770 when on the twentyninth of August five horses ran two fourmile heats for a plate of 50 pounds a Mr Herberts Sparkler a five yearold winning both heats There was more ra ricty about the sport on the following day when five animals had to run four heats of four miles for a 50 pound plate as the first three heats were won by a different horse each time The winner of the third heat a Mr Teutons sixyearold North Bri toii must have been a real good stayer for he won the fourth heat also Itacing one horse sixteen miles for 30 pounds would horrify some of our presentday owners who would want to keep their animals in cottonwool ever after Rut there was lictter sport at Warwick later on as just one hunr dred years ago in September there were seven events decided during two days and on the second day there was the following nice niceGold Gold Cup value 100 guineas the rest in specie a subscription of ten guineas each with twenty guineas added by the stewards for all ages four miles Twenty subscribers subscribersLord Lord Oxfords br in Victoria by Hambletonion Hambletonioni i llS 1 1Mr Mr Pryscs gr h Grimaldi aged 131 2 2Mr Mr Andrews b h Thorn aged 131 3 3The The gray horse Grimaldi had won the Gold Cup in the previous year and odds of G to 4 were bet on him but Victoria was backed at 7 to 4 On the same afternoon there was a maiden plate of 50 pounds given by the members which I take to mean members of the Warwick Club which was evidently in existence then Lord Oxford fan a fiveyearold brother to Victoria the Gold Cup winner but after winning one heat the race was run for in twomile heats and running second in the next he fell lame and was withdrawan the event being won by a Mr J Baileys Fourth of June a threeyearold which fourth in the first heat won the next two twoFOURTH FOURTH OF JUNE FINE STAYING COLT COLTThis This threeyearold must have been a fine staying colt for I find him subsequently winning plates of two mile heats at Shrewsbury and Wrexham beating horses of all ages He trained on too for 70 pound plate in two as a fouryearold he won a mile heats at Newton a 50 pound plate in four mile heats at Nantwich and a 50 pound plate in threemile heats at Rroxash the latter race being run on the downs near Bromyard Reverting to the winner of the Gold Cup at Warwick one hundred years ago rccoided above it is related in the Stud Book of this marc Victoria by Ilauibletonian Beatrice by Sir 1eter that she was put to the stud but will not breed breedOn On the opening day of the Warwick meeting a hundred years ago there was a race in three four mile heats for His Majestys 1Iate which caused a lot of subsequent trouble as it was won by a bay gelding supposed to be by Worthy and four years old but it turned out afterwards on an investiga ¬ tion before the Jockey Club at Newmarket that the horse entered for it by the description of b g by Worthy four years old was in fact the bay gelding Ilylas six years old in consequence of which payment of the plate was stopped It also transpired that the same animal had started for plates at Newton Lancaster Preston Onnskirk and Lichfield under the description of Trusty by AVorthy four years old oldEvidently Evidently gentlemen riders were not keen in those days for although there were eight sub ¬ scribers for a Hunters Sweepstakes of ten guineas each gentlemen riders twomile heats there were only two starters Mr J Lockley winning with a sixyearold bay mare by Totteridge Apparently Mr Lockley farmed all the hunters races witii this useful mare which later in the year received the name of JennybangtheWeavers She started the year 1810 by walking over for a Hunters Sweepstakes at Manchester the conditions reading for horses etc that never started or had been in milling before the time of naming 1C8 pounds each four miles On the next day she walked over for a similar stake and she turned up at Oxford in July to walk over for another Hunters Sweep ¬ stakes but was not allowed to for want of the requisite certificate Then came the Warwick race already referred to and then she went on to Shrewsbury where after being beaten in a two mile sweepstakes for hunters 1C8 pounds gentle ¬ men riders four miles Being christened Jenny bangtheWeavers she won a silver cup for hunters at Oswestry and wound up the year by being dis qualitied for crossing in the second heat of a Mem ¬ bers riate at Oswestry So much for Warwick one hundred years ago
