ENGLISH.

A sweepstake of £1000 each, to be run on October 29 between Ormonde, Melton, and The Bard, is to take place at Newmarket over a distance of a mile and a-quarter. This information reaches us by cable, but unfortunately we are not told on what tearms the three great guns are to meet. If they were to carry weight-for-age on the day, Melton Would carry 9st and the two three-year-olds Bst 61b each ; but it is not at all likely that the owners of the The Bard and Melton would agree to meet Ordonde at weight-for-age after the latter's wonderful .string of performances. I shall expect to see that in this great match, which will cause intense interest among racing people, Melton will give Ormonde 31b or 4lb, while Ormonde will give The Bard perhaps 61b. The figures of the leading English jockeys up to August 6 are as follow :—: —

Crafton went out almost friendless for the Goodwood Stewards' Cup, but his owner, Captain Machell, "threw away" £100 on him at 33 to 1. Bearing in mind the time-honoured maxim tempora mutantur, and not to be outdone by 'their neighbours at Esher, the Keraptori Park Company announce a race of the value of £10,000 to the winner, to be called the Royal Stakes, and to be decided at Kempton Park during the Spring meeting of 1889. The stake is open to all-aged horses, with certain penalties, and the distance is fixed at one mile and a-quarter. The subscription for a foal is five guineas, with 10 guineas for yearlings, two-year-olds, and upwards, the only forfeit if declared by the first Tuesday in October twelvemonth. Horses left in after that date pay another 20 guineas, with 30 in the following March, and the final 50 guineas after the first Tuesday in January 1889. 300 are to enter, or the race to be at the option of the directors. This is the kind of racing we (Sporting Life) love to see, to read of, and to write about, and we wish Messrs Hyde and Bell and the dirpctors of the company every success in their venture. At Goodwood a noble, lord offered 5000 to 2000 against Commissionaire whilst the horses were at the post for the Selling Stakes, which the son of Queen's Messenger and Styx won so easily from Chevel^y. No doubt this leviathan speculation was merely offered to increase the odds on the field, as the amateur layer would not close with a prominent bookmaker who offered to accept the modest bet of 100 to 40.

The entries for the Autumn Handicap show a falling off, as will be seen by the following figures -.f18R1 1882 1883 1881 1885 1886 Great Eastern ... 64 43 32 27 49 44 Cesarewitch ... 122 104 111 96 luo 83 Cambridgeshire... 165 137" 136 120 116 98 The nominations for the two big handicaps include such cracks as Plaisanterie (last year's double winner), The Bard, St. Gatien, Bemligo, Althorp, Candlemas, Eastern Emperor, Melton, and Saraband.

St. Mary, winner of the Levant Stakes, cost 3900 guineas as a yearling. She comes of a very distinguished family. Herdam, Adelaide, is now dead, but has proved a real gold mine. Her last four children were all daughters, and realised as yearlings the following figures at public auction : —St. Mary (1885) 3900 guineas, Ste. Alvere (1884) 2000 guineas, Solitude (1883) 1600 guineas, and Queen Adelaide (1882) 3600 guineas. The dates given are the years in which each sale took place.

There is to be no Eclipse Stakes next year, but there is another in 1888. Next year there will be a race run at Sandown called the Electric S takes, but that is for three-year-olds only. The following are the exact details of the entries and forfeits of this year's Eclipse. The original entry numbered 268, but by the deaths of Mr Bowes and Mr Christophers five nominations became void, leaving 263. Of these 101 paid the minor forfeit (£10), making £1010 ; 66 more paid £30, equal to £1980; then 48 paid £60, or £2880 ; and 48 paid the full amount of £110— thus making a grand total of £11,150. Of this £10,000 went to Bendigo, the winner, and the £1150 was divided between the owners of Candlemas and St. Gatien.

Wood, C. Archer, F. v Barretfc, G . IVatts, J. Barrett. 1\ Pagan, J. Cannon, T. SVhite, A. Mounts. Lost. Won. ... 278 ... 175 ... 103 ... 316 ... 221 ... 02 ... 389 ... 321 ... 68 ... 269 ... 217 ... 52 ... 303 ... 254 ... 49 ... 151 .:. 106 ... 45 ... 166 ... 127 ... 39 ... 180 ... 151 ... 29