At Doncaster no individual or private company reaps the benefit of the moneys paid for admission to the stands and rings; the sums drawn, it is understood, go to benefit the town. As regards the exact mode of benefit, or the degree in which the people are benefited, no particulars are published; judging, however, from the greed of those who let their houses during the St. Leger week, the benefits derived cannot be very great, the charges being always exorbitant, ranging from £4 to £7 for apartments that at any other period of the year would be dear at as many shillings. We do not speak of houses for which four and five times the above sums are charged, but they are equally dear. It has been stated that in consequence of the income derived from the races the inhabitants pay no taxes; if that be really so, lodgings ought to be cheaper at Doncaster than they are at present. One really ought to be able to command a bedroom and breakfast-parlour for not more than ten shillings a night, or two guineas for the four days. Exorbitant prices have led those having racing business to attend to to live for the four or five days of the meeting in the neighbouring towns and villages, from which they can arrive at the Town Moor in good time for business, and depart in ample time for dinner.
With reference to the sum paid as entry money for the race, namely, £25, it is in reality much the same as for the Derby, with the exception that, in the case of the great Epsom event, each runner is mulcted in the full sum of 50 gs., but taking an average of twelve runners, that number would only add £300 to the stakes of the winning horse. Handsome additions ought therefore to be made. That the Doncaster authorities should supplement the St. Leger Stakes with a liberal hand is all the more necessary, seeing that the form of the horses has before September become so exposed as to make it impossible to back them, except at an unremunerative price. An addition of £1,000 to the second horse, and a sum of £500 to the one which runs third, should at once be demanded by those gentlemen who are in the custom year after year of nominating their yearlings for the Blue Ribbon of the North; the subscriptions in their entirety should go to the winner, and a given amount ought to be fixed for the first horse—say £5,000.
II. THE OAKS.
If dukes are conspicuous by their absence from the fame-roll of the St. Leger, they figure liberally enough in the list of Oaks winners, the "Garter of the Turf" on sixteen anniversaries of the race having fallen to ducal subscribers. As for lords—"mere lords" as these members of the Peerage were once upon a time designated by William Cobbett (and later by Thomas Carlyle)—they would almost appear to farm the race, especially if the baronets, who have been equally fortunate, be included. On no less than sixty-four occasions has the heroine of the Oaks been the property of a titled personage.
The Oaks takes precedence of the Derby by a year. Only fillies run in the race. The origin of the stakes has been often told. The first struggle for the ladies' prize took place in the year 1779. An Earl of Derby of the period originated the race and conferred a title upon it, and his horse Bridget, ridden by J. Goodison, won the first Oaks. The race derived its name from an alehouse which existed at one time on Banstead Downs. This homely haunt of humble wayfarers was purchased by General Burgoyne, who, by the expenditure of a few hundred pounds, managed to convert the public-house into an elegant hunting-seat. "The Oaks" afterwards became the property of Lord Derby, who enlarged and beautified the house, adding also to the extent of the grounds by which it was surrounded.
The initial contest took place on Friday, May 14th, 1779. The terms on which the race was run at the date of its institution were as follows: "The Oaks Stakes of 50 gs. each, for three-year-old fillies, 8 st. 4 lb., one mile and a half." Seventeen subscriptions were taken for the race, and twelve of the fillies came to the starting-post, those placed being:
| Lord Derby's b. Bridget by Herod, out of Jemima | ... 1 |
| Mr. Vernon's b. Fame by Pantaloon | ... 2 |
| Sir J. Shelly's b. Lavinia by Eclipse, out of Hyrmn | ... 3 |
The winning jockey was J. Goodison, and the odds laid against the winner at the start 5 to 2. The value of the stake would be 850 gs.
For the Oaks of 1782 the terms of competition were altered to 50 gs. for each filly, with 40 gs. forfeit; the owner of the second received 100 gs. out of the stakes, which would leave very little for the winner. The twelve starters would yield 600 gs., and the non-starters would just add to the account the amount to be given to the owner of the animal which ran second. In 1786 the rubric of the race underwent another change; the following is a copy: "The Oaks Stakes of 50 gs. each, 8 ft., for three-year-old fillies, 8 st. 4 lb., one mile and a half." As will be seen, nothing is said regarding any provision for the second horse, and whether or not the 100 gs. was continued the writer is not able to say; in 1796, however, that sum was again bestowed on the filly to which the judge allocated the second position. In the year 1787 the weight to be carried in the race was reduced to 8 st., at which it remained till 1808, when it was restored to the former figure of 8 st. 4 lb.; in 1842 the weight to be carried by fillies competing in the race was increased to 8 st. 7 lb.
The progress of the Oaks towards its present condition of prosperity was slow, but, it may be added, sure. It began, as has been said, with seventeen subscribers, and once only fell below that number, namely, in 1781, when there was one less; in 1795-6 42 fillies were entered, but the numbers again fell off, and it was not till 1825 the entries reached so many as 50, whilst fourteen years elapsed before the 100 was topped. It was in 1868, when Formosa won the Garter for Mr. Graham, that the highest number of entries was recorded, namely, 215; in two other years the figures exceeded 200, namely, in 1867, when the race fell to Baron Rothschild by the aid of Hippia (206 entries), and eleven years afterwards when Lord Falmouth's Janette proved victorious, upon which occasion 212 fillies were named. Since that time the entries have been on the decline, as the following figures will show, namely: 189, 187, 182, 182, 145, 148, 144, 138, 142, 133, 112, from 1879 to 1889 inclusive, respectively.