ENGLISH.

Merry Hampton's defeat in the Grand Prix is partly explained by'liis being severely' kicked by another horse at the starting übst *' '

For the St. Leger Merry Hampton is first favourite at 1000 to ' 300, while Florentine and Eiridspord are backed at 9 to 1 each. Details of the principal races at the Ascot ' meeting will be found in another column.

Friar's Balsam, the Ascot New Stakes winner, wasbredatCrichelby Lord Alington, and had not appeared in public before. He is a rather heavily-engaged colt, amdng his two-year-old liabilities beiri£ the July- Stakes' at New- ' market, Champagne Stakes at ' Doncaster, Middle Park Plate and Dewhurst Plate, while for next season his name appears among the entries for the Two Thousand Guineas, Epsom Derby, Grand' Prix, Doncas'ter St. Leger. Kempton Park Royal Stakes of 10,'OOOsovs stud the Lancashire Plate of ll,ooosovs at Manchester. Lord Alington and Sir F. Johnston, his joint owners, haye refused an offer of £10^000 for him. , Enterprise, winner of Two Thousand Guineas, has been 'struck oat of the St. Leger. From . this we may presume that the' case of the Two ' Thousand Guineas winner is aya v hopeless one, so far as training" the son of Sterling and the sister to King Alfred again "this season is concerned, and the 'accident which prevented his running for the Derby turns out more serious than' was at first imagined. ' Under the circumstances Mr Douglas Baird is to be commended for hiis prompt action in putting the pen through the name of his colt for the Doncaster race. The following are the figures of the leading English jockeys, up to June 10 :—: — Mounts. Lost. Wot. C. Wood ... ... 198 144 54' G. Barrett ... 250 205 45 .S. Loates ... ... 168 125 41 „J. Watts ... ... 137 110 ,27 .F.Webb ... • ... 84 61 23 , W.Robinson ... 133 111 « 22 T. Cannon... ... 83 64 ' 19 ■B.Martin... ■ ... 127 108 19 F.Barrett ... 89 72 17 . In connection with, the race for the 1 Hard wicke Stakes, a sporting writer has the follow 1 ing : — " I have never known excitement run 8«> high — on Ascot Heath at all events — as when Minting, Bendigo, and Ormonde swept along the ascent with apparently equally -balanced chances, So far as onlookers could determine th,e pace had been severe throughout, ' the running naturally having been made 'by Mr Vyner'a colt, the endeavour being to overtax Ormonde's respiratory organs,' thus telling on a' weak point which undoubtedly exists. . But the champion by sheer pluck and pace got "up inch by inch and won right gallantly, having for the first time in his life found it necessary to put forth a supreme effort." , , ■ • ' Ormonde, is undoubtedly somewhat of a roarer, for 'he makes an unmistakable noise when extended. ' ' '"'

The person who cannot dream winners nowadays is of little tise as a 6leeper, for such dreams ' are numerous. Here, however, is the latest, which my friend Captain Hawley, Smart kindly' writes me ; and this dream, it will be perceived, differs f rom'ithe great majority because it was ,not made current after the event, -when most of these visionaries remember what J tips they had' in their slumbers. " The following dream," the author of -"Bound to Win writes, " was told , me pn 'the Saturday before the Derby by Captain , a famous plunger of the days' just previous ' to the Crimean War, but if you think it worth recording please keep his name "out of it. A friend of his dreamt, some years ago, ' that a horse in a green jacket won the Derby, and that a horse in a green jacket with white sleeves was second/. 'No such combination of colours has ever occurred till this year,' Captain said to me,,' but should Merry Hampton win and The 1 Baron run second that vision will have been accomplished.' I wish I could add that both ray informanttand'the'dreamer won rnking slakes, but veracity compels me to admit I don't know what either backed." — " Rapier," in The Sporting and Drama' io News. " - *

It was not Mr Benzon, says " Atlas," the new , "Jubilee plunger," who betted ten " monkeys " • twice on Ormonde for the Eous Memorial Staked, but two youngsters who each laid that amount — in other words, £5000 to £500 — on the winner. Mr Benzon's luck fluctuated considerably during ■ the Ascot meeting, arid though he laid .£IO,OOO to £6000 on Ormonde for the Hardwicke Stakes, it did not 'go far to wipe out his loss of £18,000 on the Cup day. Ormonde, the unbeaten, scored his fifteenth win at Ascot, and has now won, 'in stakes, for his owner, the Duke of Wesminster, the total sum of £27,875 103. ' , That was an amusing bit of repartee which passed between the Duchess of Montrose and- ' Alec' Taylor in the small paddock adjoining the • royal inclosore after Gay Hermit had won the , Royal Hunt Cup. Shaking his hand with great . , 'cordiality, ." Mr Manton " joyfully remarked ''You are a good "trainer, Taylor!" To which 1 the latter replied, in his dry- John' Bnll tone, '"' "Yes, when I win!" How different from the little scene which sncceeded.the defeat of several stable favourites at Newmarket on a former , occasion, which was equally enjoyed by the bystanders,' when 1 Mr Taylor sank' the rank of his distinguished patroness into plain "'Ma'am !" It is stated that the Jockey Club 'have it in immediate contemplation to establish a new three-year-old race at Newmarket' which will eclipse the, Derby. 'We (Sportsman)' have msde inquiries about the matter; and find that at pre> sent it'has pot gone beyond the region' of a sog- , gestion which was made by one member- of the' club. Though, of course, it'is quite possible for the Jockey Club to take g«ch a. ptep, we belis?*

that it has not even yet been discussed formally, and certainly nothing definite has been decided, i , . A report was current at Ascot that Ormonde had ended his racing career with the Hardwicke Stakes. This is'untrue, as the Duke of Westminster has no present intention of taking that; step. Mr Abington made Watts a present of £1000 for winning the Derby on Merry Hampton.