GREAT GOES AT NEWMARKET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2387, 30 November 1899, Page 40

GREAT GOES AT NEWMARKET.

This meeting began on October 10, when backers went down badly over the Champion Stakes. Victoria May, backed at evens against the field, was badly beaten by her stable companion Dieudonne, who started the outsider of the party at 7 to 1. St. Gris wore down the favourite, but only to succumb himself to Dieudonne, on whom M. Cannon rode a well-judged and beautifullytimed finish. It really looked as though the roarer stayed the mile and a-quarter the best of the lot, but the time was not good, and doubtless Dieudonne was really served by his fine speed. The winner is by Amphion out of Mon Droit, by Isonomy from a daughter of Hermit. Other winners of the Champion Stakes in recent years have been : 1885, Paradox; 1886. Ormonde; 1887. Bendigo; 1888, Friar's Balsam; 18S9, Gold;' l69o, Amphion; 1891, Orion ; 1892, Orme ; 1693, Le Nicham ; 189*, La Tleche ; 1895, Laveno ; 1896, Labrador; 1897, Velasquez; 1698, Velasquez. Tho Clearwell Stakes for two-year-olds, generally goes to a good horse, and a good one triumphed this year in Elopement, who was making his first appearance since being beaten by Jouvence, under untoward circumstances, for the Great Foal Plats at Lingfield in July. Though M. Cannon waited with him to the distance, his challenge of Mahdi was decisive, and the verdict easily went to him by a length. Elopement is a son of Rightaway and Maid of Lorn, 'and by his victory he follows in the footsteps of his sire, who won the Clearwell Stakes for Mr Low in 1889. Odds were laid on Landrail for the Newmarket Oaks, and when at the half-distance she was six lengths ahead, the race seemed won. Then, however, she broke down badly, leaving Multrue and Gadfly to fight out the finish, which ended, after a close thing, in the neck victory of the last-named. "The winner is a daughter of the defunct Hampton and Merry Duchess, and had only once previously been seen in public, when she ran unplaced for the Choveley Slakes last October. Twentytwo runners for the Cesarewitch made a party only one less than when Merman won a couple of years since. That horse was again in the field. Favouritism was eventually shared by Irish Ivy and Scintillant, of whom the first-named had made many friends since being sent over from the Curragh to have her final gallops at Newmarket, whilst Scintillant's form in the St. Leger and afterwards at headquarters gave him a chance second to none on public running. A closer finish could hardly have been witnessed, and the son of Sheen and Saltire, running very gamely in the hands of F. Wood, just got home by a head from Ercildoune, whose penalty earned in the Duke of York Stakes proved too much for him. Scintillant has thus copied the example of his sire, who won the Cesarewitch, as a five-year-old, in 1890, under 9.2— the highest weight ever carried to victory in the race. The Sportsman, to which I am indebted for the above particulars, says of the Middle Park Pl?te : A field of half a. dozen for this race was three less than last year, and interest in. it centred in the antagonism of Democrat and Simon Dale, who wore fighting their Champagne Stakes battle over again. Beyond the oair nothing . was seriously thought of, and Lord W. Beresford's gelding started favourite at evens, after all the 6 to 4-'s had been exhausted. A furlong from home Simon Dale seemed to hold a winning chance, but he had had enough soon afterwards, and left Democrat to fight out the finish with Diamond Jubilee, who could only carry the Royal colours into second place, and went down by half a length. The Kingselere stable had a second representative in the Duke of Westminster's Goblet, who filled third position. Huggins has thus trained the winner of the Middle Park Plate two years in succession, as Caiman, a twelvemonth ago, hailed from the Heath House stable.