ENGLISH RACING.

THE ECLIPSE STAKES,

LONDON. July 24.

There Im-e been few races of sufficient importance during the past fori night to justify mention in these notes. The first was the Lingfleld Park Plate of £2425. a weight for age race, decided over a mile and a quarter at Lingfleld Park, Inst Friday Aveek in which a dozen three and four year'olds sported silk. Of these. Mr Ernest Caswell's Love Charm (Love Wisely—Omaha), 3 years, 7.5. was avoll supported, and Avon in 2.8 4-5. Tlie second in order of running, hut i>j far the most important race run since the Dcrhv, was the Eclipse Stakes, decided at SSSowi Park last Friday. This race run over n. mile and a-quarter, was worth £9285 to the winner, there being £500 for fhe second, £500 for the nominator of the winnei and £100 for the third. Only five ni m U Turned out to take part m the Srs oS whiclfwo* the One Thousand nnd Two Thousand Guineas and the St. T e^er-hist year, Mr Faber's Duke of WestLeger last. ) - >d Roseberrs sTaf flir Orloie 9 -j3 3) ye a ars, 8.12). The lit- ?£ field however, provided a race which 8 anything created greater excitement than -the furious tussle between those eSufne giants Ormonde, Minting, and Bendigo in the Hardwickc Stakes of 188,. For reasons not particularly apparent atlev AM Patrick's performance in the Princes, of Wales Stakes recently, the "tatent" were all for Rock Sand, the best odds against him at flag fall being 5 to 4 In the betting. Sceptre also had the call of Mr Gubbins' Derby winner, her See being .7 to 4 against, whilst against Ard "Patrick 5 to 1 could always be had "The Duke's" chance was reckoned .at 100 to 0, and those who fancied Oiiole could always get thirty three's about the fiiry From a splendid start, Rock Sand came away like a flash, and being steadied Oriole took up the running in front of the favourite and Ard Patrick, with Sceptre at their quarters. So they ran for a Sue when Oriole had shot her bolt, and Ard Patrick joined Rock Sand and pulled his way to the front, with Sceptre in hot nnrsuit The battle between these three t P he commenced in earnest, but Rock Sand cracked n quarter of a mile from hofce, and as he began to drop nway. Sceptre raced up to Ard Patrick, and ten thousand voices acclaimed her the winner But the race was not over. Sceptre certainly got her nose in front a couple of hundred yards from home, but as they came up the final ascent Madden called cm Ard Patrick for a last effort. As he did so, Hardy on Sceptre brought his whip into play also. Both animals responded nobly, but Ard Patrick's effort was best sustained, and amid a scene of wild excitement, Mr Gubbins' gallant four year old beat the mare by a short neck. Flotsam, who seemed to go rather scratchily on the hard ground ran home third, "three, lengths behind, with "The* Duke" and Oriole a respectful distance in the rear, fourth and las* respectively. The son of. St Florlan atid Morganette thus credited his owner

with two "ten thousand pounders" in the space of a fortnight, and he has now been sold for 20,000 guineas to Count Lebudorf, who purchased Ard Patrick for export to the Imperial stud at Graditz. But before parting Avith his grand horse, Mr Gubbins can run him for the remainder of his weight fov age engagements, Avhich Include the Jockey Club Stakes of £10,000, in October.' In this event, he will' probably meet Sceptre and Rock Sand once more. The time of last Friday's race was 2.7 4-5, Avhich is only 2-sths of a second outside Diamond Jubilee's record for the race, made in 1900. On the morrow Avas decided the National Breeders' Produce Stakes of £4307, for two -year olds, run over five furlongs. The field "for this event numbered one short of a dozen, and included Major Eustacii Coder's filly Pretty Polly (Gallinule—Admiration 1 ) who allowed others' L; make the pace, but then came through like a flash, and won in a hand canter by a couple of lengths' from Bobrinski, Marsden being third three lengths away, The time («3 4-5) was decided'!, good, considering the weight (9,0, aT,d It is evident that if Pretty Polly tains on Major Loder's chances of leading in the Oaks winner next /ear are distinctly good.