ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

(FROM OUR LONDON COHKESPONDKNT.)

London, November 16. The End of Flat Racing.

The fiat racing season of 1889 ends at Manchester to-morrow, when the November Handicap of 2,oQosovs (now a very heavy betting race) will wind up matters fortunately or disastrously for the nobie army of punters. Donovan's year, like its predecessor, will be remembered chiefly for the "lucky Duke's" almost unbroken series of successes. His Grace has certainly experiencfcd a wonderiul time this last two years, and with Donovan and Semolina, Sound and St. Serf coming on (not to mention a yearling brother to Donovan of whom Dawson already predicts great things), who knows but that the fickle goddess may have still further favours in store for this spoilt child of fortune ? Colonel North won £8,000 over Philomel's victory at Liverpool in flat defiance of his trainer's advice. The latter had not a penny on, nor had Lord E.andolph Churchill, who practically manages the " Nitrate King's " stud. The Dukes of Westminster and Beaufort have experienced a " smashing " season, and the former is said to ungratefully meditate removing his horses from Kingsclere. He has ~ never quite got over Ormonde's turning roarer, which he attributed in some mysterious manner to poor Porter's letting the horse catch cold. Ormonde, by the way, has ai rived safely in Buenos Ayres, and seems to take kindly to the climate.

The Beaufort hoops have nofc been borne to the fore even in a small handicap once this season. "MrManton," too. would have done badly bub for Riviera and Devilfish, as Her Grace's forfeits amounted to many thousand pounds. At Derby last week and Manchester this, leviathan fields were the rule. The Chesterfield Nursery at the former meeting proved a great triumph for the handicapper, as so many of the, twenty-three runners were backed for money that at the fall of the flag the long odds of 10 to 1 were betted on the field. One has to go back to Buchanan'6 Lincolnshire Handicap (1881) for a parallel case to this. The first favourite (Henry George) then started at 10 to 1, bub there were thirty-six runners, against twenty-three only at Derby. The new Lord Falmouth has registered the magpie colours, and will keep a few horses in training:,

"Jummy" and "Jocko," or, to speak more respectfully, the Duke of Portland and the Earl of Durham, are now warm friends again, and the latter was last week a guest of the former at Wolbeck, where large house parties are in progress. Afc the Duchess' great ball on Wednesday, the vast, subterraneous riding school and corridors (extending for miles underground), constructed by the late Duke at a fabulous cost, were for the first time thrown open to their Graces' guests. A whole army of artisans and labourers occupied the surrounding villages during the years these works were in progress, but once complete no ou9 ever saw them, and the greatest curiosity ha 3 always prevailed in the neighbourhood of the castle with regard to their extent. The late Duke used to ride about them in solitary stabs.