SPORTING INTELLIGINOE

It inevitably happens (6ays an English writer) after the defeat of a favorite for the Derby that excuses are made, and that everybody who either directly or indirectly is connected with the fallen idol is blamed, but m this ca_e there is no ground for any blame anywhere. The conversation which the writer referred to had with Darling, Slieve GalHon's trainer, within half an hour of the bitter moment of defeat, brought to light a courage which, under the circumstances, was little short of splendid. Any man can fly the flag of a sportsman when he is winning, but it takes a very genuine sportsman indeed to keep that flag flying half an hour after a Slieve Gallion has been beaten m I the Derh>y. Darling said : "I have been beaten before, and I shall be beaten again. I have no excuse to make for Slieve Gal- I lion. Higgs rode him exactly as I told him to. I am quite satisfied that h^ has been beaten by a better horse." Higg6, the rider of the crack, expressed practically the same opinion. Nothing interfered with the horse, he said. He had a clear course all the wav and Slieve Gallion was beaten on his merits. Only those who are able to put themselves into the jockey's boots are able to realise what the disappointment must have been to Higgs. • But he, like Captain Greer, and like Darling, took it unflinchingly. A dead heat and a deciding heat m a steeplechase, such as the visitors to Caulfield witnessed between Springfield and j Boomerang, is an extraordinary thing, re- j marks "Ribbleden," but, although rare, i there are instances of horses having won ] two or more jumping races m one day. Some of the witnesses of the Caulfleld incident said that the contest savored of cruelty to animals, and suggested that when two horses run a dead heat m a steeplechase a division of the stakes should be comoulsory, as with two-year-olds ; but it is doubtful if any harm was done. At Moonee Valley m May, 1888, I remember a horse named Cannon, belonging to "Joe" Gardner, won the Hurdle Race and the Steeplechase within ah hour or so ; and it is recorded that the Tasman ; an horse Mormon won a like double event at Carrick two years m succession. Nicholas, at Melton Mowbray (Tasmania), in> 1884. won two jumping races, and Beadsman, m 1886, repeated the trick at the Carrick Boxing Day meeting. Caledonian is also credited with having won the Campbelltown Grand National Steeplechase, four miles, and the Maiden Steeplechase, two miles, m one day; .but these performances were merely a circumstance m comparison with the achievement of Denmark, who, at Bothwell, m 1883. won three jumping races m one day — viz., the Hunt Club Cup Steenlechase, the Hurdle " Race, and the Dennistoun Steeplechase. Denmark, like Caledonian, was by Horatio, and was a fine jumper, as the frequenters of Caulfield, Flemington, and Rand wick will bear .witness. Thoueh both the New Zealand candidates for the Ascot Stakes, Noctuiform (5 yrs. 8.2) and his sister Nightfall (6 yrs. 8.4). again failed to make much of a show m the race, Australasia could claim a share m the honors m this old-estab-lished event. The winner. Mr W. M. G. (■"racer's Torpoint. is an aged son of Trenton, and stays like a descendant of that grand horse should. Carrying 8.4, he covered the two-mile course m 3min 24 l-ssec, winning easily by three lengths from Feather Bed (s'' vrs, 8.0). with Gourd (5 yrs, 7.4) third, two lengths further away. Noctuiform, ridden by Hewitt, was fourth, close up, and Nightfall sixth. Blinker, whose death has been reported from Melbourne, was, remarks Sydney 'Referee,' one of the most expensive* failures of the Australian turf, ac, after running nowhere m the V.R.C. . Derby and third to Acrasia and Lord Cardigan m the Melbourne Cup, he was sold at the disposal of Mr J. Wilson's racing stock m 1905 to Mr J. Wren, who gave 1,650gs for him, and never got a race out of him. He ran m the V.R.C. St. Leger, but was beaten by Munderah ; and m tho Australian Cup could only finish fifth to Lord Ullin's Daughter. Then he broke down, and could never be raced after. Blinker was bred by Mr Wilson, was by Pilgrim's Progress from Reminder, by First King from Chloe, by Maribyrnong. In chatting about Derby Day sights, an English scribe remarks that at Epsom the stewards have abolished the old English fair element, and now only the innocentlooking oocoanut shy remains to remind veteran visitors to the downs of the oldtime uproar. Still, there are sights which it will be a public service to remove. TheDerby seems to attract maimed humanity m all its" most horrifying forms, and that these mendicant monstrosities should be allowed to exploit their deformities' m order to tap the charity of racegoers is a blot on our national life. There are still familiar survivors of the earliest traditions of the turf to be found scattered over the downs and on the hill — wrinkled disciples of Mother Shipton : importunate readers of your horoscope, whom v only a native, slowness of wit and enterprise and lack of funds prevent setting up studios m Bond street; warm-hearted tipsters, who sell the winner of the DeTby m a ' penny bag pf sweets or inside the tough skin of an ou't-of-season orange ; and brokeu-looking gipsies who appear to have no relation to the swaggering gipsy of melodrama. One looked m vain, however, for pearly buttons and exuberant feathers among the mass crowded on tlie hill. Trenton's best son, Aurum, is returning to Australia to take up stud duty at Oakleigh during the coming season. Aurum, who is a grandson of Instep, won his two-year-old races m great style, carrying the full penalties, and, says the 'Australasian,' no $hree-year-old has ever equalled his performance m the Melbourne Cup, when he carried 8.6 and ran third to Gaulus (7.8) and The Grafter (7.7), with Bundook (6.11) and Positano just behind him. Mrs Lang-

try gave Mr Wilson 5,000gs for Aurum, arid he was taken to England to race ; but would not stand training. At the stud he was not a prolific foal-getter, but got a good filly m Aurina. Should he improve as a ioal-getter m Australia, there is no reason why Aurum should not become the best of the Trenton sires. Notwithstanding that the New South Wales-bred gelding All Fours won the champion high jump at the recent big horse show m London, another horse jumped higher than he. This was M. De Santa Victorin's Due, who one evening cleared 7.3, but the following evening would not tackle any of the obstacles. When L. Hewitt recently won the Salisbury Cup on Golden Measure, that horse [ was a hundred yards behind the leaders .it one stage of the race. Golden Measure is I one of those horses which run their best ! races when allowed to go along as they please m tbe early part, and Hewitt, being | aware of this, did not attempt to bustle j him m the least. Mr Harvey Roulston, "Umpire," of the i Sydney 'Referee,' was recently appointed as one of the stipendiary stewards to theWest Australian Turf Club and other racing bodies m that State. The Victorian 'chaser Bellis has been treated for an injury to his shoulder, but it is not serious. A two Cups candidate m Sparrow has arrived from West Australia, and is located at Caulfleld. The Wizard, winner of the Caulfie'd National Hurdles on Saturday, belongs to Mr H. G. Pegler, and is an aged gelding by Cyclops — Mystery. This horse won the Hurdle Race at Moonee Valley on 27th. July, and is described as a slow stayer. The Irish Derby, of £1,000, was won by Orby, who starte, at 10 to 1 on, and .won m a canter by four lengths. Writing of Hewitt's caution by the stew- , ards of Hurst Park, " Rapier " says : " His | excuse was that he thought Major Edwards ; would not l'ke the mare knocked about. I Major Edwards, I am sure, would not like j any mare to be knocked about, but he • likes just a little suggestion of energy to ;be thrown into a finish. Hewitt, notwithstanding that he won on Lally, appears to be an * exceedingly expensive importation, and we really have enough, disappointing jockeys without them." An English paper says that Colone Kirkwood sold a* half -share of The White Knight for £10,500 before the Ascot Cup Race.