The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-01
RACING SEASON
IN ENGLAND
RATED SUCCESS
War Doesn't Dampen En-
thusiasm Of the Turf
Followers.

with the first week of November, was
accounted quite successful notwith-
standing that it ran into the third
year Of the war. There were % meet
ings in England, eleven at Newman
ket, four at Lingheld, three at Cat
wick. three at Newbury and two at
Windsor. There will be jumping
meets during the winter, but as spe-
cial trains are not permitted and the
supply Of petrol for automobiles is
limited, the crowds are not expected
to be up to the usual standard.
The king continued to lend his
patronage , and appears in the final
list Of winners with purses aggregat-
ing $3,685 to his credit. All the clas-
sic races Of the English turf were
maintained, although many Of them
did not come up to the value of the
past years.
The leading winning owner was E.
Hutton, a newspaper proprietor with
$86,82O. The Earl of Derby, whose
time is almost wholly taken up by his
duties as Under Secretary Of War.
kept his racing establishment intact
and was the second winner with $45,-
$50. The Duke of Portland was third
with $40,O25, Lord Falmouth was
fourth with $31,5OO; J. Buchanan.
fifth with $25,425, and Lord D'Aber-
non, head of the liquor control board
during war time, is sixth, with $685.
$50. The winning jockey was S.
Donoghue. who had 443 mounts first
past the wire. II
A days racing at Newmarket,
known as headquarters Of the Eng
lish turf, retained this fall many Of
the picturesque features of pre-war
days, with some distinctly novel at
fractions. The crowds were perhaps
bit more subdued although English
racing throngs never have quite the
same exuberance, or the same ten
dency to "ride" a winner home as one
meets on the tracks around New
York, Latonia or Louisville. The
winners here take their winnings with
a calm and somewhat disdainful self
assurance, while the losers lose with
no disposition to grouse or
Crouch" as it would be rendered in
American"
Newmarket lies 70 miles northeast
of London, but this is hot accounted
a great distance when a splendid big
motor car has been successfully re-
Questioned and the days program
offers card Of seven well-flled races.
The way leads out the famous
Seven Sisters Road, through Epping
village and it's royal forest which, just
a few weeks before the war started,
rang and echoed with the chorused
voices Of thousands of German sing
ers. The old English inns and public
houses along the road always are a
source Of interest to visiting Ameri-
cans because of their quaint construc-
ton and still quainter names. There
are the Fighting Cocks the Bull
and Horseshoe" the white Heart"
the coach and Horses" the '"Three
Tuns,' and scores of others. The
English countryside is beautiful at all
times Of the year, and in the autumn
months the grass is as green in the
fields as in the spring. "Six Mile Bot
TOM is a welcome station along the
way, for from there to Newmarket
lies a six-mile stretch Of arrow
straight road which invites a speed
limited only by four of the county
constable.
Newmarket, somewhat slow and
sleepy by general disposition, is alive
and throbbing with excitement on
racing days.
The road from town to track is
fairly clogged with all manner Of We
hicles. One finds wartime racing is
a bit cheaper than the ordinary sort
and entrance to the grandstand is to
be had for one pound with two shill-
ings extra as war, tax. The stand
is not large, for England takes it's
racing in the open-on the broad
lawns and in the open air paddock
Betting goes on. cas- usual" with the
bookmakers calling their odds in a
manner calculated to attract and per-
suade. In return for a five pound
note, or a one pound note, or per-
haps your "two and six" in silver,
you get a bit Of numbered paste
board, which may or may not be
worth preserving.
Newmarket is not a race track in
the American sense The grand
stand and surrounding enclosures
seem rather a gathering station set
in the midst Of never-ending fields of
wonderfully green and velvet turf
But to the right there are the familiar
white rail fences which merge the
several slants or straightaway courses
into the home stretch. Witnessin g the
start of an English race is not vouch-
safed to the spectators. AS it is a
mile race the horses start a mile
away from the grandStanO. 1t it is a
mile and a half race, they start a
mile and half away. The tracks
here are built for racing, not to af-
ford a spectacle. The racegoer must
be content with the brief struggle he
sees in the last hundred yards or so
and the fash past the winning post
Even this thrill<is denied when occa-
sional1y the finish line is moved a fur
long Or SO up the track to conform to
some century-old tradition.
During an afternoons racing this
year one could see on the tracks all
the colors long familiar to the Eng
lish courses, the primrose of Lord
Rosebery; the black, white cap of
Lord Derby; the white, black sleeves,
Of the Duke Of Portland; the yellow
black cap Of the Duke Of Westmin-
ster; the blue and yellow hoops of
Baron de Rothschiid, the dark blue
and buff stripes Of the Earl Of Jersey;
the light blue and pink sash of Major
Waldorf Astor, and the scarlet of
Lord Decies, who married Miss vi
wen Guild.
Each racing throng contains its
share Of khaki, officers on inland duty
or home from the front on leave.
Many of them, like Major Aston, own