The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-15 00:00:00

MADRAS RACES DESCRIBED.

The Special Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, in a
most interesting letter, thus describes the races at Madras—
the Prince of Wales being present

Madras Races were a great success. If a drawback
attended them it was the necessity for turning out at
five o'clock in the morning—for, if Madras gets up
early, it has no idea of going to bed at a reasonable hour.
No matter whether you are fortunate enough to dine
at the llouse of the Honourable Mr. E lis, the well.
known member of Council—than whom I know no more
genial host—or at the hospitable Madras Club, famed
for its curries and its balls, you cannot find your couch
till long after midnight is past. The dinner at
O i is a sacred institution, held in the highest con-
sideration..Coune follows course with the regularity of
clockwork, yet not with unseemly speed; and by the
time that coffee and the petit verses arrive your night is
gone and-morning has come. Yet races cannot be run
in a mid-day sun, and rest must therefore he deferred.
however, though one may very justly at all
on the course more than repaid for the
this, the ecene

trouble experienced in reaching it. Like their more
northern brethren, the Arabs, the Hintloos are pas-
sionately attached •Ise -horses. So they sallied out by
thousands before even the day broke; and when we
reached the ground, had taken up their positions all
along the course, adding their coleured costumes to
the bright green of the landecape. The course is
a long' oval in shape, well within view' of the
Grand ,Stand all the way On this Stand, by a
little acl lter six o'isck, e English residents, of
rere had assembled, dI am bound to stese3isht
teertimber cernpaieed the prettiest bevy of ladies
we have yet met in the Etst. But if the ladies an i
their costumes were striking, how much more so the
native chieftains who—occupied the very centre- 1
the stand. There were the brother of the Rajah
of Cochin, grand, in a golden robe and tur-
ban; the Rajah of Jeypore, irreverently named
the savage Ritjah, leaning on Ids sword; we
missed fur a time elle sharajate of Irizianagaria,
but CiT elace of InTriate Bsjeh of Arcot was to be seen
umbrella in hand, looking abouthim with greatecoi-
ceity. Thea there was a Lumber of minor potentates
all- ne ban deenasemen, aueri not boya-I life: thoie; we
saw atllembay—sitting amicably in a little railed-off
space appointed for native royalty, their ceuntenances
beaming with delieht.
Presently the Prince, accompanied by Lerd Alfred
Ihsget, Lord Charles Beresford, Lord Carington, Lord
_Aylesford, Major Bradford, and some of the less im-
portant members of his staff, drove up, attended by an
escort of cavalry. The races at once began. Gambling
was untie obseracteristic of the meeting. Not a betting
-man was in sight; the sounds of "Two to one" or
"Four against the field" were missed. Ido not think
a bet was made on the course. Members of the Madras
Grub were allowed to risk ten shillings in a sweepstake
•on each race, depositing cards in a box which will be
opened on Christmas Day; but beyond this you could
esobeeteeke-a sixpence. ittatrbf the -horses, too, were
ridden by their owners, so that the meeting
eartook 'very"' much of the nature of a series,'
of _ private ragee. The Prince could and did
leave the seat provided for him, and walk into the
Peddling enclosure.without fear of being mobbed; he
could—and, what is more, did—chat with the English
residents, special --correspondents, and others who
chanced to be near, while the course was being cleared
and the judge rf were taking their places. Everything
was admirably ordered, eveti to a refreshment buffet,
from which hot coffee 'and tea with toast and fruit
-ca,nne to all who thought fit to breakfast on the ground.
Nothing, in fact, could be more enjoyable or satis-
factory ; the racing was good, the steeelechasiug was
better, and the conductof all present, if possible, better
et ill. Now and then a funny incident occurred. Wan-
dering abo t in the enelosure, in a disconsolate manner,
was a man attired in a very extraordinary costume.
His bearing was that of one disconsolate, and inquiry
resulted; what did he want, why his misery? At length
It turned out that he wanted to ride in a race from
which the committee had excluded him on account of
his singular dregs. They held that a man in a red
turban, green coat, blue continuations, and white
petticoats, was no attired suitably as a jockey; he on
his part asserted that the two horses he had entered
for-two consecutive ram would beat everything else
on the ground. At last it was ruled that he should try,
and try he did accordingly. The results to that doleful
man. were conclusive. The limping animal he bestrode
vainly endeavoured to take part in the race; his red
turban was seen nearly a quarter of a mile behind the
black and redcaps of his jockey competitor?, and when
at length he did reach the goal, he received such a
derisive greeting from both natives and Thiglishmen,
that he slunk away quickly and was seen no more.
The event of the meeting was the Sandringham
Steeplechase, for a cup given by the Maharajah of Jey-
pore. Nine horses were entered, Arabs and Meson)
breeds; the natives gathered at The jumps, and every
field glass on the stand was brought into requisition.
I believe that every soul on Madras Reeecourse
would have willingly foregone all the other races
rather than have surrendered that steeplechase. Nine
such horses, too, are not often to he found. There was
a veteran named Phantom, on whom an enthusiastic
sportsman from the Neilgherries announced his readiness
to stake his coat; there was a steed called Red Deer,
ridden by a Captain Bullen, on which any number of
tickets were put into the Pan i Mutuel box. There
were some who would have liked to ILA
five hundred instead of five rupees on the
pretty chesnut owned and ridden by Captain Bullen.
There was a mare called Gazelle, who presently behaved
very unlike the type of swiftness and good temper,
refusing absolutely to go to the starting post, despite
all the efforts of her Hindoo admirers to coax her. I
do not think the Gazelle was heavily backed; her re-
putation was well known, and tickets hearing her name
were not numerous in the box. There is always a
dark horse at such a time about which, though nobody
knows much, there is a good deal of whispering and
winking. We had that horse at our steeplechase; his
name was Areaxerxes. The Prince was clearly anxious
te see the end, for he left the place of State and bounded
up to the top of the Stand with a readiness which spoke
more for his physioal powers than the longest pos-
sible certificate from Dr. Fae rer. At last eight hoiees
were got into j osition, the Gazelle having by this true
been given up as a lad job. Souiesody said that
Captain Bullen's horse in going to the startng to-t
had suffered a tumble ; but to the relief of at leaA a
third of thcee on the Grand Stand, Red Deer could be
Fedi mounted by her gallant owner, in rose-coloured
jacket and black cap, ready to be off in a. moment.
And off he was, with all his rivals, directly after-
wards, without a false stapt, steering straight for the
firet jump of a good high hedge. On went Red Dear,
cutting out the pace in terrible fashion, flying over
earthen walls, ditches, hedge., one after another as
though Captain Bullen was a featherweight. The
re,t were " nowhere ; " Phantom was laet of all,
and the dark horee enly just in front of him, The
horses were now approaching the water jump about
half a mile from home; it was the crucial test, and
their riders knew it A horse called Warwick sud-
denly shot to the front, cleared the water, and then
stopped as though that hap was the end of the racs.
Phantom was not far behind—soy about fourth. Red
Deer was second. Then ensued a struggle. The old
favourite carried a heavy weight, and his rider strove
in vain to catch Captain Bullen and his fleet horse;
let the race seemed to be between them, and some
were calling for Phantom, while the majority shouted
Red Deer, when thae. terrible dark horse with
colours of black and crimson forged ahead away
from the rear, past the striving pair in front, and
cantered in first as easily and carelessly as though
it had simply been out for a morning's exercise, and
was just finishingan agreeable gallop. " Artaxerxes!"
soreamed the crowd: It was quite true; Mr. Taafe,
the owner, had won by about a dozen lengths, leaving
Red Deer and Phantom to finish in a neck-and-neck
struggle. This was the last of the sport ;it was nearly
nine o'clock, and the Rothesa‘y Plate, the Denmark
Plate, the Prince of Wales's Plate, the Alexandra
Plate, and the Sandringham Cup, all given by native
Rajahs, in honour of the Prince and his horae, were
handed to their winners; the _people cheered, as the
Prince entered his carriage and drove away.

-i-ito