SPORTING ODDS AND ENDS.

The Colombo (Ceylon) correspondent of the Field writes:—" The following is probably a unique case. A baby mare. Berlina, grand-daughter of Stockwell, aged _: years, was brought op here from Australia in March last. She won two races on the bills in April, and was trained for the chief events at our annual meeting in August. She was galloped, sweated, and physicked more than any other horse in training, and vet' the fat' did not come off. On August 13, carrying lOst. 91b., she won the Government Cup, one mile, in a common canter, beating a good field. On the 17th, she started for the Turf Club Plate, two miles, cot off with a bad start, *md went round all the way. finishing nowhere, in evident distress. "The following morning chi was found to be 'in pains,' and died un delivered on the Friday, three days afte-v Ihe muscles inside the' pelvis were *o developed that it was impossible to get the hand on the foal. A hue colt of 8 _.onths was found in perfect position. There is no reterinary surgeon in Colombo, and the msre's state was suspected by no one but a doctor, who was also an owner. I fancy this is the first time it has ever been recorded that a mare carrying an eight months' foal won a good race in good time.' From the Licensed Victuallers' Gazette: — "Lord Calthorpe did good business when he bought "Mr Manton's" yearlings for fire hundred pounds a-piece last season. Satiety, Sandal, Seabreeze and Zama have already won twenty races, worth £10,385, between them, and Justinian, Devote, and Seraphina have yet to carry silk." " John Osborne himself did not have a penny on Gloriation for the Cambridgeshire, whilst all that Kobert Osborue was leftwithoutofatritlingoutlayatDoncaster on behalf of himself and some Middleham friends was twenty-nine shillings ! Yet we have heard some people who backed Gloriation swear they were inspired "straight from the stable." The mau who said all men are liars spoke the truth himself." " When Bendigo's sire, Ben Battle, was offered for sale at the Newmarket July Meeting last year, there was no bid for him. Such is the uncertainty of breeding. There is no reason why he should not get another Bendigo." That great good racehorse Bendigo goes to join Hermit aud Galopin at the Blankney Stud. Fee, lOOgs. Hermit's list at 25tl;rs each is full.

Mr "Abington" stands at the head of the list of winning owners in England during 1887, having won 47 races of the value of £20,124; Mr D. Baird comes second with 15 races worth £16,619; Mr "Manton" is third with 19 races, value £16,116; the Duke of Beaufort fourth, having landed 2"i races the aggregate value of which was £15,0t'.i. Then come Mr Vyner (39) £15,358; Lord Calthorpe (27) £13,327; General Owen Williams (31) £11,734; Sir F. Johnstone (14) £11,175; Benzon, the plunger, won 10 races, value £1782. Last year the Duke of Westminster was first with £24,430; Mr "M—nton" second with £14,174; and Mr "Abington" third with £11,444. Mr H. T. Barclay, the owner of Bendigo, in 18S6, £10,625 iv stakes, but this year his account has dropped to £4503. Lord Rodney, the lucky new man on the turf, has won in stakes in his first season £6913.

The splenetic writer of ** Sporting Notes" in Truth says:—There were twenty runners for a Selling Nursery at Warwick, and the winner was bought in for 85gs ! Among the beaten lot was Sea King, the brother to Beaudesert, who cost 2,350gs last year. He has not won a farthing, and after his defeat he was sold for lSgs! Sea King commenced the season with thirty-two engagements, most of them being' heavy' ones, so that he must have cost his owner <_uitc£3,3oo. It was given out when Sea King was sold at Newmarket that his purchaser, * Mr C. Allerton,' was ' an elderly gentleman who had not hitherto figured as an owner of racehorses.' If the description were correct, we have another example of the truth of the saying, '4T here's no fool like an old fool.'"

London Standard thinks there is every reason to be satisfied with the development of the thoroughbred horse of the day. It sees no cause for supposing that the best of the horses now on the turf are not at least equal to the best of any earlier period. Advocates of the past point out that no animals now run four miles as they used to do; but there is no proof that they could not do it, if they were put to it. Courses generally have been shortened, and, it must be admitted, to a very undue extent; indeed, the proportion of races under a mile which are to be found on every day's card is an evil sign of the times; for, except in tha case of two-year-olds, who should not be over-taxed, five and six furlong races show nothing that is worthy demonstration. Whether four-mile races were abandoned because of the heavy tax on the horse, or because they lasted too long and did not produce sufficient excitement, is ddubtf ul; but if horses were now trained to run four miles, experts confidently believe that no deterioration of stamina would be found. It is, at any rate, certain that during late years races have been run under weights which it was formerly thought no horse could carry successfully.