A series of interesting notes might be compiled about the Two Thousand and the horses which proved victorious in the race, as well as the men who owned and the jockeys who rode them to victory, but the larger portion of all that could be said has, I fear, been said already, and that more than once. The Duke of Grafton, Lord Jersey, Lord George Bentinck, Sir Joseph Hawley, Lord Falmouth, and other noble sportsmen have frequently been made the subject of eulogy. Of the victorious horses much has also been written; the praises of the never-defeated Bay Middleton, of West Australian, Galopin, Macaroni, and Gladiateur have been sung to a universal chorus of approbation ever since the record of their victories was written in the annals of the race. HANDICAPS. At every recurring race for the Chester Cup the decadence which has overtaken that celebrated event is usually adverted to by the sporting writers of the period, its past glories being at the same time painted by regretful pens. But times change, and though the competitors at Chester have dwindled from thirty and forty to less than a dozen, let it not be forgotten that other contests have arisen of greater interest, although the races which are popular to-day are not those which were popular thirty-five or forty years since. Handicaps which in times past were thought "great" are now looked upon as "small," and are being displaced in the _Calendar_ by more important events. Space need not be occupied in even briefly narrating the history of our handicaps; two of them, however, may be referred to in order to indicate the fluctuating fashions of the turf: these are the races for the Tradesmen's Plate at Chester, or "Chester Cup" as it is familiarly called, and the Great Metropolitan Stakes, run at Epsom Spring Meeting, both of which look almost at death's door when viewed in the light of their early history. It is curious, however, to note that what seems to be most regretted in connection with these races is the falling off in the betting; that is not a fiftieth part of what it used to be--hence the regrets. To ensure good racing a field of forty horses is not requisite, either at Chester or anywhere else; excellent sport may result when not a fourth of that number may be running. It is different as regards the betting element. A very large entry and a good acceptance promotes speculation, and when the field of horses competing is a big one, the odds ought of course to be good and betting brisk. But at the present time, when a week seldom elapses without the decision of a big race of some kind, betting such as took place on the Chester Cup thirty years since need not be looked for.