ROYAL ASCOT

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 129, 22 August 1927, Page 11

ROYAL ASCOT

THEN AND NOW Every great race meeting is marked by some feature which distinguishes it from others. Epsom, for instance, is all hustle, excitement and confusion, whereas Ascot, under the special patronage of Royalty, has a certain aristocratic calm. A racecourse was first laid out on the Heath by order of Queen Anne in 1711, the first meeting being attended by that Queen, says Ralph Nevill in a London exchange. The real promoter of sport here, however, was the Duke of Cumberland, under whose patronage valuable prizes were first run for in 1727. From that date there was intermittent racing at Ascot till Ah© end of the century, a Royal Plate of 100 guineas being given in 1785, followed by a gold cup worth the same sum in 1807. The race for this* prize, the value of which has since been greatly increased, is now the principal event of the meeting. George IV. had an especial fondness for Ascot right up to the end of his life. So strong, indeed, was his passion for racing that when he lay dying in 1830 he insisted on an express being sent to him with the result of every event. THE KING OF TRAPPINGS Though Ascot has always enjoyed the Royal favour, the procession, for which it is famous, was initiated only in 1820 by the King mentioned above. George IV., who had a lovg of pageants, State ceremonies, trappings, shows and uniforms, then arranged the cavalcade in a picturesque form, a quaint feature having been the huntman and “whips” of the BuckhoLmds attired in dark green velvet and gold lace. The Royal Hunt was closely connected with Ascot, the entire control of the course being vested in its Master, in addition to which the latter had to sign the certificate for having won a King’s Plate run for at Ascot instead of the Lord-Lieutenant as on other racecourses. The Buckhounds were abolished in 1902 by King Edward, the present Viscount Churchill having been the last line of Masters of the Royal Hunt which had stretched in various forms back to the days of the Conqueror. Though his ancient office has been abolished, this genial and popular peer still supervises all the arrangements at Ascot, where he has a sort of small private stand of his own and acts as a steward in conjunction with two others appointed by the Jockey Club. HEARTBURNING The most arduous and delicate' part of Lord Churchill’s duties, however, is the granting of passes to the Royal enclosure, which ever since its institution has been the source of much heartburning in the case of people whose applications have been refused. To decide exactly who is eligible, or ineligible, is occasionally a very difficult task in which Lord Churchill’s powers of tact and discrimination have stood him in excellent stead. Though “Society,” with a big S, has, to a large extent, ceased to exist, Ascot is still a Mecca for the fashionable world, marking, as it does, the zenith and apogee of the London season. The feature of the meeting in Victorian days used to be the nigger minstrels who sang songs amidst the coaches. A number of quaint characters were then to be seen on the racecourse, which was generally enlivened by a few Eton boys, who managed to get a lift from Windsor. YOUTHFUL PUNTERS In the writer’s schooldays, according to a tradition, any boy might go to Ascot if he could get back to Eton in time.for lock-up—the hour at which the houses were closed. The authorities were then not unduly strict, and occasionally older boys used to get leave to have a day’s racing with their relatives or friends. One of these young gentlemen, the son of a wealthy peer, having backed a number of losers, laid 3 to 1 to big money on a “certainty” with a well-known firm of bookmakers—“ Turner and Robinson' ; bv name. The senior partner did npt like this much and asked his colleagLie if he knew anything about the boy. “No, except that he’s all right,” was the reply. “Well, then,” rejoined his colleague, “you can have the bet yourself.” After the race the youthful punter apologetically hinted that it might not be convenient for him to settle on the Monday. “It does not matter, sir,” said Turner, who had got rid of the bet, “any time will do!”