The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-25 00:00:00

Racing as of Old.

The f:

'acetious correspondent of the Racing Times
writes on the above subject as follows :
About eighteen miles from London, by the Great
Northern Railway, on the declivity of a steep hill,
stands the small ancient town of Hatfield ; it con-
sists of one principal street, and is a quaint, old-
fashioned place, full of historical remains. Of the
venerable palace built by a former bishop of Ely
the gateway and west front alone remain. It was
once possessed by that celebrated sportsman Henry
VIII., and from it Edward VI. and Elizabeth were
conducted to London to take possession of the
throne after the deaths of their respective pre-
decessors. Queen Elizabeth, during the reign
of Mary, was confined here—a fact which I was
relating to a respectable country lady while pass-

_ -
ing under the arch, but which she did not be-
lieve of that celebrated sovereign, and corrected
me by saying that her Majesty was kept in confine-
ment, a distinction, as it appeared to me, without a
difference. Some more experienced votaries of the
turf will recollect the days when horses ran compa-
ratively on their merits; carried heavy weights, went
long distances, and seldom troubled a handicapper.
The modern system has nearly swept such places
from the scene, and it is not generally known that
under a score of miles from town there still exists a
meeting of the old sort. It was held on Thursday
last in Hatfield Park, by permission of the Marquis
of Salisbury, and, according to the true and correct
card, is called the "South Harts Yeomanry Races."
The day is anxiously looked forward to by largo
numbers of country folk from the surrounding
towns and villages, and is a genuine rural car-
nival, intruded upon, however, by a sprinkling of
scamps, who, despite ordinary care, appear to be
necessary evils.

On quitting the railway station to the right, and
in the public road, four sharpers were placed in a
row, each with three cards, on the edge of the pave-
ment, and the several schools attached to the ope-
rators comprised imitation yokels, horse coopers,
a clerical-looking gentleman, and a large boy, of
speculative propensities, made up as a sailor, who,
disregarding the entreaties of an imitation widow
representing his mother, would insist upon vesting
his " prize money" in the certain game before him,
and, strange as it may appear, he generally selected
the right card, and boastingly said he would " clean
out" the lot. The affair was conducted in such a

genuine style that it was difficult to ascer-

tain during the five minutes or so that I

remained there whether any member of my wide-

spread family was caught, but I should hope not.
Ascending the steep hill in question were numbers of
equestrians and pedestrians, many of the true

country type, and lads and lasses with rude health

depicted on their countenances, each with cash in
pocket, hoarded up for the occasion, mixed with the
fashionables and others who arrived by rail and road.

Entering the ancient gateway, a short walk brought

us in front of the house, one of the finest existing
specimens of English domestic architecture of the

reign of James [., with its splendid terraces,
rosaries, maze, and lake ; and whilst traversing the
richly wooded demesne I envied its owner his re-
tirement, and fully appreciated the condescension
evinced by the noble Marquis in welcoming and

harbouring for one day in the year so strangely

mixed an assemblage. There appeared but one
general entrance to the park and its paths,
and the course was well attended by county police,

who were considerably more ornamental than use-

'ul. About half a dozen London detectives would

have prevented a horde of pickpockets intruding in
the otherwise quiet scene, which the countymen
did not, and so several purses and watches changed
pockets without the owners' consent. No fees were
charged for vehicles. The grand stand was a small
wooden erection capable of holding comfortably
about twenty people, and on a ledge in the front were
displayed the five cups to be contended for by horses
ridden in the yeomanry ; for four of the cups each
horse carried 12st 71b, regardless of age ; for the
fifth, called the Officers' Challenge Cup, they were
to have carried 13st. This race was walked over
for by Lord Malden's Queen Bess, a fine
strapping animal, against whom none of the
officers dared to pull out their horses. The other
four races were in heats, of which each consisted of
two, the winner of the first invariably doing the
second. The course was kept by the police referred

to and four non-commissioned officers of the yeo-
manry in undress uniform. The starts were all
easily managed, and effected by Colonel Malden
himself with a white handkerchief, assisted by an
imitation M'George, who dropped a red flag
after the horses had passed, and the assemblage

appeared to take a great interest in the races not
generally the case at large meetings. Near the

stand were several welchers howling at the top of
their savage voices " Two to one bar one," but no-
body appeared to do any business, or, as it was said,
" popped it down," except in the hands of one
Keen, whose reputation secured him most of the
coin invested. The horses were selected from
among the best of the troops for their staying qua-
lities, generally known to the parties most inte-
rested. It is a pity that betting on such events
should not be confined to simple sweepstakes
of a few shillings among bystanders, and the
welching fraternity be prohibited altogether. The
really exciting race was the last won by Once More
(late Here we are Again.) Polly Perkins was made
a great favourite, as was also a grey cab horse
named Earnest, and no end of half-crowns and
half pounds were invested with Keen on the two.
The winner was also backed, but only to a small
extent, as much as 8 to 1 having been offered
against him for the first heat. At a short distance
in the rear of the grand stand were the usual three
sticks a penny —four tables with as many horses
.
rudely painted on a cloth, and a revolving piece of
iron in the centre, one of which, the mother ofh
t of
sailor boy, was turning round for the
the country men and women who generallydi d notobserve
amusementplaced
their pence on the wrong animal-
I
any thimbles, or garters, or
dice, the four tables
with the two pieces of wood,which a large
knock down
ball could neither get through nor
character.
Still
further*
ld trees, were five refresh-
together, were the chief
behind,
amusements
and of
under a r
i stkh ye
shade of some beautiful o
from Hertford—the edibles were. p
a readydemand,
refresh-
ment booths—one from thetowleantaifnudl
and
de
cheap,others
" Fish and bread a penny" being
wlth
the cry. "Toss or
and out.side fried fish met
buy, toss or buyl" disclosed the pieman of old days,
and many " simple Simon" was amusing himself
withthe a
Bethnal-green Banburies. On each side
of the course for a considerable distance stood every
kind of local vehicle, from the aristocratic carriage
to the farmer's cart. Iced champagne, lobsters and
salads were plentiful, and rough substantial fare
also turned up in profusion. Several young women
complained of having had their purses stolen, and
many gentlemen also lost their watches, the
operators being too sharp for the local
police. One very jolly-looking fellow, an
innkeeper from Chancery-lane, caught the
perfornier in the Very act, who politely handed him