AUSTRALIAN.

Quotations in Melbourne on future important events are as under : — 1 HAWKESBURY HANDICAP.100 to 7 agsfc Kathleen 100 — 7 Honeydew 10Q — 7 Prince Imperial 100 — 7 Wing 100'— 6 Kingsdale 100 — 6 Polly 100 — 5 Glen Elgin 100 — 5 Myles-na-Coppalcen 100 — 5 Lord Exeter 100 — 5 Astrcea 100 — 5 Happy Thought 100 - 5 Ellington 100 — 0 Anglesey 100 — 5 . Coolaban 100 — 5 Abner 100 r- 5 Lifeboat 100 — 5 Eagle Grange 100 —5 — — Farewell. GREAT METROPOLITAN STAKES. | 100 to 7 agst Prince Imperial 100 — 7 Silver King I 100 — 7 Astrcea 100 — 6 Moonshee 100 — 5 Lord Exeter 100 — 5 Normanby. 100 — 5 Welcome 'Jack OAULFIELD CUP. ! 1000 to 50 agsfc Lord Wilton (wntd) 1000 — 40 Juana (fck) 1000 — 40 Lesbia (tk) 1000 — -10 Velocipede (off) 1000 — 30 St. Lawrence (tk) 1000 -± 30 -i— Lantern (C.) (tk and off) 1000 — 30 Claptrap (wfcd) 1000 — 30 Grace Darling (off) 1000 — 30 Plausible (oft) 1000 — 30 Lucky Hit (off) j no — 3o St. John (off) 1000 — 30 Blink Bonny (tk) 1000 — 30 Archie (off)* 1000 — 30 The Irnelite (tk) 1000 — 30 Hurricane (off) 1000 — 25 Mozart (tk) 1000 — 20 Too Too 1000 — 20 Merlin (off) 1000 — 20 Welcome Jack (off) 1000 — 20 Vision (off). V.R.C. DERBY. 1000 to 250 agst Newstead (off) 1000 — 150 Uralla (wfcd) 1000 — 100 Dunlop (fck and off) 1000 — 80 Monte Ohristo (fck) 1000 — 80 ' Isonomv (tk) 1000 — 50 Sunny Days (off). MELBOURNE CUP. 1000 to 60 agst Commotion (tk) 1000 — 60 Coronet (fck) 1000 — 40 Trenton (off) 1000 — 40 Normanby (tk) 1000 — 40 Stornaway (off) 1000 — 30 St. John (fck and wtd) 1000 — 30 Reginald (fck) 1000 — 30 Thunderbolt (tk) 1000 — 30 Liverpool (fck) 1000 —30 — — Arsenal (tic) 1000 — 20 Manchester (off) 1000 — 20 Myles-na-Ooppaleen (off). 1000 — 20 Lesbia (off) 1000 — 20 July (fck and off) At the V. A. T. C. Steeplechases the Grand National Hurdle Race, of 200 soys, was won by Mr Hart's The Agent, by Slanderer. He carried 12st lib, and beat a dozen others. Some rare "spotting" was done by the " talent " at the same meeting. Of 22 starters for the Sapling Stakes, Louise Berta (a daughter of Darriwell) and Edith were first and second „ favourites and they came in first and second ;" while of 25 starters for the Balaclava Stakes, Bohemian, Too-Too, Claptrap, and Gipsy's Warning were first, second, third, and fourth favourites, and they came in exactly in that order. We very rarely find brother and sister within a neck of each other at the end of a fast race run in a. big field. This happened in the Balaclava Stakes, when Bohemian and Too-Too— both by

Maribyrnong out of Nina — finished first and second. Too-Too is five years old, Bohemian four. Midwinter has turned bookmaker. Thunderbolt wa<s backed on the 17th inst. for the V. R. O. Derby at 2000 to 180, and for the Melbourne Cup at 1000 to 30. Lord Wilton, the winner of the Adelaide Cup and City Handicap, has been the hero of the latest betting sensation, the son of Countryman having been backed to win the Caulfield Cup to the tune of something like £30,000. Lord Wilton's weight in the race for which he has been backed is Bst 21b. It will be remembered that he finished second, carrying 191b less, to Blink Bonny Jast year. On Thursday morning a big commission was placed in the market to back Stornoway to win the Melbourne Cup, and the transaction being very skilfully executed, nearly £20.000 was altogether obtained at an average of 50 to 1. Stornoway is engaged iv tho big race with 7st 51b against his name, and in the Caulfield Cup with lib more. He is four years old, by King of the Ring — Norm'a. "Vigilant" says he has had several fancy wagers to chronicle lately, but the following is perhaps the most sensational of the season : — A wealthy western district squatter, returning from the Caulfield Grand National meeting, offered to lay a medical friend £10,000 to a fiver that he would not pick the winners of tho Caulfield Cup, V. R. C. Derby, and Melbourne Cup. "Done," cried the doctor, and he at once selected Lord Wilton, Uralla, and Sardius, aud offered to accept the same price about another trio, promising to take neither of the horses he selected first. The squatter was agreeable, and laid him another £10,000 to £5 against three outsiders — MoEart, lsonomy, and Stornaway. Australia is to be represented in the li.st of nominations for the Eclipse Stakes of 10,000 ' sovereigns, to be run at the Sandbwn Park meeting in 1888. By the last mail Dr L. L. Smith forwarded to the proper authorities the entry of his yearling colt by Liberator from Princess of Prussia. In appearance this is' a very promising youngster, and on the score of breeding there is nothing to be desired. His sire, Liberator, is by Irish King fr.om the imported mare Mobile, by Monarque, sire of tho great French horse Gladiateur. " Verax," in The Week (Queensland), says :—: — " I hear on good authority that Mr Gordon has had an offer made him of £3000 for Darebin. That's double the price given for him, if not more. The bid came from San Francisco, so the ' Yanks ' evidently think that the horse is worth some stuff." At last the two Adelaide racing clubs have come to terms, and the newly-formed Adelaide Racing and Coursing Club will have the management of both the Morphetville and old Adelaide courses. Here is another specimen of the silly nonsense which Australians, in their desire to " blow " about their own institutions, write of what they see at Home when by some slice of luck they manage to raise sufficient money to take a trip there. It is an extract from a letter to the Melbourne Sportsman written by an Australian after seeing the race for the last Derby: — "The favourite and winner, Melton, who is a small neat weed, was wonderfully well, with a wonderful artist on his back, just landed by a short head, beating a lame horse and the most rotten field I ever saw for a Derby, and as -soon as he has done racing they should cut his throat. Paradox is the best horso in it. The race itself seemed to me just like the panorama put on the stage in the 'Flying Scud.' Of course there was a large attendance — 250,000 — and they say I should have seen the fun on the road, and not go there to see racing. Ido not want to go there again." Of course all the English papers were wrong in describing Melton as a marvellously good-looking and muscular horse,' and it is satisfactory to know that we have at last a true description of the Derby winner ; of course also Melton's owner will take this Australian authority's advice, and cut the colt's throat as soon as he reads his remarks. What a judge of a horse that must be who calls a hoi'se lame that was within a nose of the Derby, and a few days after won the richest stake in the world — the Grand Prix de Paris — in a common canter. It is the old story of an Australian going Home and getting disgusted at no fuss being made over him, and it must be mortifying for him to realise that the British public won.'t care " tuppence " whether he goes to the Derby again or not. It is a pity such men as he do not serve themselves as he would serve Melton before they utter such trash. The following are some notes from the Sydney training-grounds of different days' work done by the New Zealand horses : " Amongst those to act^there were the New Zealand contingent with the exception of Thunderbolt and Vanguard, who were sent something like three miles at a good, sound pace on the course. Both are coming on well, and the more I see of Thunderbolt the better I like him, for he is a beautiful goer, und on close inspection is a much bigger animal than the first glance would indicate. . . . We have not a straighter goer at Randwick than the New Zealand horse Thunderbolt. He worked with Liverpool, both in sweaters, doing long, solid work, with a run home. . . Vanguard and Thunderbolt put in about three miles at a steady pace, and a straighter goer than Thunderbolt we have rarely seen. . . . Winchester was given about threo miles at a good sound pace, his last six furlongs being covered in good time. The rest of the string under the care of the New Zealand trainer, Mason, were exercised on the tan track. Mason evidently does not belive in cantering and spurting, but gives his charges long solid work, much after the style of the old school of trainers.