Town that Lives on Horse-racing

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 August 1939, Page 9

Town that Lives on Horse-racing

NEWMARKET HAS ONE STREET, BUT 10,000 PEOPLE ROYAL PATRONAGE SINCE TIME OF KING CHARLES 11. (BY “CARBINE.”) Since the days of King Charles 11, Newmarket—headquarters of English racing—has practically always had royal patronage. Newmarket is one of the few places whose only industry is the training and breeding of racehorses. One long, old-fashioned street, surrounded by 50 training establishments, makes up the town of Newmarket, but its population is somewhere within the vicinity of 10,000. Of this number, more than 60 per cent are dependent directly or indirectly upon racing for their living. The people who live, work, or race there love the town, and many famous racing men have, at their own request, been buried in the tiny churchyard.

The majority of them have taken a long time to die, for Newmarket, encircled by heath and pasture lands, and with no factories to pollute the, air, is l one of the healthiest towns in the British Isles.

The courses, upon which 170-odd races are decided during the year, were constructed primarily to give the horses every chance of showing what they could do. The result, even today, and despite reconstruction, is that many of the spectators frequently have trouble in seeing more than some part of a race.

All stands and enclosures (including the special stand with room attached for the use of the King) are on the west side of the course. The general public is admitted free to the other side.

During race weeks at Newmarket, visitors are a big source of income for the town. Half the house-wives become landladies. Few other towns can claim to be in existence for one industry alone. The Jockey Club, formed in 1750, has its headquarters at Newmarket, There are three stewards, each of whom serves for three years. When the senior steward has completed bis term of office. he nominates his successor, subject to the approval of the members. The Jockey Club mades and administers the rules of racing, and every racing official must hold a licence from it. These are renewed annually. It also grants licences to trainers and jockeys and any offender against the rules laid down by the club may be “warned off Newmarket Heath.” This means exclusion from all racecourses in the Empire. During the Great War Newmarket was allowed to continue its race meetings, when public opinion had turned against wartime racing and closed down other courses. Its exemption was due chiefly to the efforts of Lord Derby, who ‘has a fine establishment there. Lord Derby spends £25.000 a year on racing—though his winnings cover a great part of that. Between 1908 and 1929 he won £470 224 in stakes.