RULES CONCERNING HORSE RACING IN GENERAL; WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A POST AND HANDICAP MATCH. Horses take their ages from May-Day, i. e. a horse foaled any time in CATCH Weights are, each party to appoint any person to ride without weighing. Give-and-take Plates are, fourteen hands to carry a stated weight, all above, or under, to carry extra, or be allowed the proportion of seven pounds to an inch. A Whim Plate, is weight for age, and weight for inches. A Post Match, is to insert the age of the horses in the article, and to run any horse of that age, without declaring what horse, till he come to the post to start. A Handicap Match, is A, B, and C, to put an equal sum each into a hat; C, who is the handicapper, makes a match for A and B, who, when they have perused it, put their hands into their pockets, and draw them out closed; then they open them together, and if both have money in their hands, the match is confirmed; if neither have money, it is no match. In both cases the handicapper draws all the money out of the hat; but if one has money in his hand, and the other none, then it is no match; and he that has money in his hand is entitled to the deposit in the hat. The horse that has his head at the Ending Post first, wins the heat. Riders must ride their horses to the usual place for weighing the jockies, and he that dismounts before, or wants weight, is distanced. If a rider fall from his horse, and the horse be rode in by a person that is sufficient weight, he will take place the same as if it had not happened, provided he go back to the place where the rider fell. Horse plates, or shoes, not allowed in the weight. Horses not entitled to start without producing a proper certificate of their age, if required, at the time appointed in the articles, except where aged horses are included, and in that case a junior horse may enter without a certificate, provided he carry the same weight as the aged. For the best of the plate, where there are three heats run, the horse is second that wins one. For the best of the heats, the horse is second that beats the other twice out of three times, though he do not win a heat. A confirmed bet cannot be off without mutual consent. Either of the bettors may demand stakes to be made, and on refusal declare the bet void. If a party be absent on the day of running, a public declaration of the bet may be made on the Course, and a demand, whether any person will make stakes for the absent party; if no person consent to it, the bet may be declared void. Bets agreed to pay or receive in London, or any other particular place, cannot be declared off on the Course. At Newmarket, if a match be made for any particular day in any Meeting, and the parties agree to change the day, all bets must stand; but if run in a different Meeting, the bets made before the alteration are void. The person who lays the odds, has a right to choose his horse, or the field. When a person has chosen his horse, the field is what starts against him, but there is no field without one starts with him. Bets made in guineas are paid in pounds. If odds are laid without mentioning the horse before it is over, it must be determined as the bets were at the time of making it. Bets made in running are not determined till the plate is won, if that heat be not mentioned at the time of betting. Where a plate is won by two heats, the preference of the horses is determined by the places they are in the second heat. Horses running on the wrong side of the post, and not turning back, distanced. Horses drawn before the plate is won, are distanced.. Horses distanced, if their riders cross or jostle. All complaints of foul riding must be made before or at the time the jockey is weighed. A bet made after the heat is over, if the horse betted on does not start, is no bet. When three horses have each won a heat, they only must start for a fourth, and the preference between them will be determined by it, there being before no difference between them. No distance in a fourth heat. betting. Bets determined, though the horse does not start, when the words "absolutely," run or pay," or 66 play or pay," are made use of in Example.-I bet that Mr Robinson's bl. h. Sampson, absolutely wins the King's Plate at Newmarket next Meeting: I lose the bet though he does not start, and win though he goes over the Course alone. In running of heats, if it cannot be decided which is first, the heat goes for nothing, and they may all start again, except it be between two horses that had each won a heat. Horses that forfeit are the beaten horses, where it is run or pay. Bets made on horses winning any number of plates that year, remain in force till the first day of May, which is the commencement of the racing year. Money given to have a bet laid, not returned, if not run. Matches and bets are void on the decease of either party, before determined. LAWS OF RACING. To prevent disappointment and unnecessary trouble to persons who may be inclined to submit any matters in dispute to the decision of the Stewards of the Jockey Club, we are desired to insert the conditions on which alone they give their opinion. The matter in dispute must relate to Horse Racing. The parties must agree upon a statement of the case in writing, request the opinion of the Stewards of the Jockey Club thereon, and agree to abide by their decision; and such agreement must be signed by the parties. -If the dispute should not occur at Newmarket, the reference must come through, or with the sanction of, the Stewards of the Races where it happened. Except the case arise at Newmarket, they decline giving any opinion where facts alone are in dispute: such as a complaint of foul riding, &c. All such cases are most effectually investigated on the spot, whilst the matter is fresh in the memories of the witnesses, where their attendance is most easily procured, and their credibility best understood. All communications must be addressed " To the Keeper of the Match-book, at Newmarket,” and delivered free of postage. By order of the Stewards, EDW. WEATHERBY. NEWMARKET, 16th May, 1816. Some disputes having arisen respecting the qualifications of horses to run for particular races, as well in regard to the time when the certificates should be produced, as to the person by whom the qualification or disqualification should be proved, the Stewards of the Jockey Club, in the hope of introducing a uniformity of practice in this respect, and with a view to prevent disputes, declare it as their opinion, that when the qualification of any horse is objected to before starting, it is incumbent on the owner to produce a certificate, or other proper document, to the Stewards, or Clerk of the Course, before the race is run, to prove the qualification of his horse; and that if he shall start his horse without so doing, he must be considered as disqualified; and further, that their decisions on all cases referred to them on this point, will be regulated accordingly. A SUBSCRIPTION of 10gs each, for hunters that never won either plate, match, or sweepstakes, 12st. each; one 4-mile heat, &c. To be named, on or before the 1st of April 1777, to the Clerk of the, &c. &c. The Stewards of Newmarket were requested to give their opinionwhether a horse, having won a subscription on the 23rd of April 1777, was qualified to run for the above? Answer. The Stewards are of opinion that a horse, being duly qualified at the day of nomination, is entitled to start. CASE II. The opinion of the Stewards of the Jockey Club was requested by the Stewards of Rochester and Chatham Races on the following case: For the Chatham Plate, the winner of a stake or plate in 1225 was to carry 7lb. extra, and the question was, whether a filly who had won a plate subsequently to the entering for the Chatham Plate, but previously to the running for it, was to carry 7lb. extra?-The Stewards of the Jockey Club gave it as their opinion, that she was not obliged to carry 71b. extra; and they stated that they were aware that conflicting opinions had been given on this question, but on mature consideration they thought the better rule was, that a horse, being duly qualified at the expiration of the time of naming or entering for a stake or plate, should not be affected, as to that stake or plate, by any subsequent event. CASE III. The D. of Rutland and Mr Wyndham, whose filly and colt ran a dead heat for a sweepstakes, in the Craven Meeting 1822, afterwards agreed to divide the stakes; but it being deemed necessary for one of the horses to walk over, a doubt arose as to the mode of settling bets, and the following cases were submitted to the Jockey Club. 1st. A bets B 5gs on the field agst one of the horses which ran the dead heat. 2nd. A bets B 5 to 2 agst the other. 3rd. A bets B3 to 1 that one of the horses which ran the dead heat, and Augusta in the Claret Stakes, did not both win. The Stewards and Members of the Jockey Club decided that, in the first and second cases, the money betted must be put together, and then divided equally between the parties. And, in the third case, that the dead heat being the first event, the bet thereby became void. CASE IV. A, B, and C run for a subscription, the best of heats. A wins the first heat, B the second.-C's rider, after saving his distance the second heat, dismounts between the distance-post and the end, but remounts, rides past the ending-post, and weighs as usual; starts, and wins the third heat, and weighs, without any objection being made. A being second the third heat, in a short time afterwards, demands the subscription (not knowing till then that C's rider had dismounted) and refuses to start for the fourth heat, which B and C run for, and C wins. Query-Which is entitled to the prize? Answer. The Stewards are of opinion, that no objection having been made to C's starting for the third heat, C is entitled to the prize. CASE V. The winner of a plate, whose borse had distanced all the others, applied for the stakes or entrance-money, which was advertised to be paid to the second-best horse that won a clear heat-one of the distanced horses had won the first heat. Answer. The winning horse cannot be deemed the second horse, and therefore is not entitled to the stakes, to which the owners of the other horses, being distanced, have also no claim. CASE VI. For a plate, the horses came in as follows :-Question, whether B was entitled to the stakes? It was decided that B, being distanced, was not entitled to the stakes. CASE VII. A Gold Cup, &c. for horses that never won. The owner of B claimed on the ground of A's disqualification, be having the preceding year won a clear heat at Chelmsford, to entitle him according to their articles, to the stakes or entrancemoney. Answer. The Stewards are of opinion, that A was not disqualified, and consequently is entitled to the cup, &c.; the term "winner," they conceive, applies only to the horse that beats all the rest. CASE VIII. An enquiry whether a horse having won a sweeptakes of 23gs each (3 subscribers) is qualified to run for a 501. plate, expressed to VOL LIII. C |