TALK OF THE DAY.

BY MAZEFPA.

*#* Certain persons interested in tickets taken on Bauaaby for the Con3olalion Handicip at the recent Dunedia races held a meeting on Saturday last, and cirne to scnn sort of an understanding, tho immediate upshot of which was that legal advice was liken as to the probability of success in an aclioo against the club for the return of the money put into the machine. Ifc if contended, I believe, that Barmby had no chance to win, the s'.ewardj having practically decide! beforehand that if the colt came in first hs could not get the states, as he would be disqualified. The purport of the advice given by the legal gentleman who was ccmulted has not reached my eara, and I do not k&oar whether it is proposed to let the matter drop or carry it into the courts. In either case it can do no bat m to state as a simple fact that after bearing of Mr Sherwiu's request for an iuqniry I a^kfd. some of the stewards whether anything had been done, aud received as answer the assurance that the matter had not been considered in any shape or form. This information was given me by a gentleman whose word Icm fully rely upon. Morooyer, spirt from the reliability of the ujfo'rnaattOD, thire is tho common-sen*e proposition staring one in the face that until Barmby hid actually run a second time no one could charge him with the inconsistency which vraa the cause of his ultimate downfall. Apart from these consid< rations, I do to some extent sympa'h's) with Barmby 's backers. It is arguable merely fiom the fact that a question as to the colt'a running bad been raisad that some thought ho could win on the handicap, but found themsdres burdened with the problf m of whether if he did win he would get tbe money. Investors ought not to ba worried with such coi'Siderations. They should be entitled tD assume that every horse whose name figures on the face of the totalisatoris frej from disability on account cf previous doings; in other we id <, that he has> souud qualification. It is more than probable that in regard to Barrcby tho problem referred to did present itself, and, if so, those who settled the difficulty by pickir.g the right one and backing ths wroog ole may be excused if they feel annoyed. I myself should have been ravage if I had backed BarmV>y. Bat Ihe question is whether the c\«b neglected any precaution tbat it was its duty tohavetakfn for the protection of its clifJJtfllhe mvist as ; and if it is not proved that there was euc-h neglect how can the club be blamed for what has happened ? The blame really lies on !he author or autbois of the wrorg that was perpetrated. Tho club is merely an agent— a rcqnnsiVe .agent, I graut, bub oaly to the extent of douig all in Us power to keep racing straight. A? I said Ja^t week, my chef obj-clion to the steward*' virdicj in this tail.ter in not on rccouut of the decWion itself, wlich probably was rig^t enough ss f« as it went-, bat to the manner in which the decision was arrived at. It was decidedly improper to coavicb Brown unheard. In that respect the club made a sad bungle, unthinkingly it may b3 assumed, but nevertheless cue c»nnot acquit the stewards of blamo.

* x .* The Macdeville Club, beiDg lucky in dodging the bad weather, had a verj pleasant

afternoon's sport last week. Tbe track, though heavy, prouded ccund aud safe going— a matter of no small importance afc this period of tho year— and, it being tho last show for ownera ia Sjulbburl, th&y responded by sending up enough horses to mako Rn averngo of eevcu starters for each race. Outran) ar d Dandcuong were equnl f Avoucites for tho Hurdle Race, and tha former secured a very ca y victory, hi* opponents all running off aud DaDcleuoug falling after bsing put on the course again. In tho» Mandevillo Handicip old StockDsu was first to show in front, Reflection at his heels, and thus they finished, nothing coming from t'ae reor to trouble them. Tho pecp!e evideiitly reckoned that Outram would not face the croES-couutry: fencf s ; that is the enly explanation of their making Armstrong so much the better favourite. But tho latter curoe down, and then had to bo rushed up to icgaja tho It ad ; Traitor was also bustled .along ; and the story cf the rece is simply this : that Outram waited on them till the obstacles were parsed, and then made his chalfeugp, which resulted in a v.iv by half a length. Greystsira must have hid a very soft thing in tho Tw<o-Milo Trot. Ho can do even time, or better, as eft en ts you like, and yet was allowed to win in Gmiu 13£ sec. Outram was lucky in the Wantwocd Steeplechase. Aparima and Victory both baulked, and Traitor had not eirugh pace to seriously trouble lha grey in the run homo. Sail Home was the pot for the mile trot won by Oreli. I ahculd have thought that on the handicap Sail Homo had a gccxl show, but good mare though she is, «ho cannot be expected to be always at her best. It will bo seen that Outram started ia the threejaanjing cvt-nts. I draw special atttn'.ion to the fact for tbe purpose of recording my protast against what I take to be a c'.eir ca*e of overwoiking. True, tho horse won each time, and in the record tbun established some show of evidence may be found that the task set tho horse was nob beyond i's powers. Th*t argument is by no means conclusive. Outr&m was lucky ; or, if you prefer to put it the other way, his opponents were unlucky. My contention is that a horse, when started for a third ruca in the one day, must h*ve expended a considercblo amount of its stamina, and to give him euch a job is to invite accident to his own and other riders, to say notbiog of tho horses. I should very much like to boo the conference take np this question, aud say in the interests of onr four- footed Mends that two races a day; is a big enough task fur any horsa. Take this 38 a practical test of the matter -. that we never hear of a first-clacs horse being saddled up three tioaf s in a day. Owners would not do s<?. Why P For fear of eloiug the horses an injury. Then why should we be less merciful to the scrubbara ?

%* Handicappers in Australia come in for their full t-hare of growling. Sa} s a writer in Melbourne Sportsman : I hope tbat Mr Thompson is not of a sensitive D&ture, for tho abuse habitually launched at unhappy handicappers by every relf-Beeking trainer and owner in eearch of petty advantages is certain to nt'end his bcsVconsidered productions. Me Scarr died universally refpeoted, yet I have heard every term of reproach and opprobrium conceivable heaped upDU bis devoted bead by owners on the publication of his weekly handicaps. The better tho handicap, indeed, the more cure iaifc to be condemned, because nearly everybody, to ba quite tatisfied, would need to be given an advantage of several pounds over every opponent, "Whoa any special ccmpUist cf handicap treatment is made, a R«ro and often specely win may be ant'e'pated. The person representing Lottie at Matibjrnocg made bittsr complaint oosf s her treatment by the hanelioapper tbere afc 9 3 in a pony race. Three pouuds wera takea efr that allotment, and sLe appeartd at Moontc Valley and treated her opponents like hacks. It was her first raid upon the metropolis, and it was certaiuly tff» c i ve. Fielders wi 1 not coon fo-gtt tho name of Lottie. And an Adelaide ecribe writei thus-. Mr Hughes has had a pleasant iuterchange of courtesies with Borne of the owners respecting his bandicappirg of the two-year-olds. II?, however, is (oo sensitive. He will find his hands a:e quite full enough ia framing imposts without trying to prove to each owner that bi.s representatives have been fairly dealt; with. Every handicappcr is liable to err — Mr Hughes candidly admits he made a miitike with Burntido in the Narse'y Handicap— but it is impossible to please all, and thero was never a man living who did it.

* # * Harry R. S»rgent has given the Sporting World a lengthy history of the Widger family and their connection with the Liverpool Grand National. To win the big race on a horse of their own and ridden by Jce became the dajdream of the Widgen. To endeavour to reiliso the vision they purchased Satsfield ia 1891 from Mr "William Ready, entering him for the nexb Grand National, and be was favourite until he broke down just before the race. John then bought Wild Man from Borne} from Mr J. J. Maber for 550gs, and put him in for last year's Blue Riband. A great deal of comment was made upon Joe Winger's riding in that race, which was thought by many to have been unfair, but nowhere did I te3 it rtorded, ror did I hear from anyone, whab waa the real cause of tho Wild Man not doing better; than he did, although I saw it plainly enough through my glasses. Joe begun to look for hia raca at the wrong place and in the wrong way. At th» »ixfurlong post three or four horses were sentt 20 JsDgths in front of him, but instead of orer hauling them gradually, or, in other words, letting them " come back to him," he pat on » spu it w hich b: ought him to tbe leadert.' quarters before the la»t fence but one was reached. The horse could not tben make a secard effort, so got only into third placs, where \s bub for that uatime'y rush he would have certainly beaten Lady E'len II if he had not actually won. Joe Widget's riding in this Nationsl, of course, is not found fault with— oa the cjnfm-y, it i« praised, eimply because be ba? wan ; but tba 1 ; is always the way. If, however, the truth weie known, perhaps he rode just as well ksfc year, bar the one mistake. Anyway, he 10 2e a fine racß. In the ruck at tbe commencement he fctaered clear of evcytbiog and gave his horse plenty of room at his fencsfi, bub after landing over the fence afc the C«n*l turn the first tiaae, so smartly did lib bring tho Wild Man round that ha gttiued a? many lengths as brought him from the rear t j tha front. This I saw through my g!BS3cs, but I am told by a gentle-mwi who vies standing clo?o by at the time that at tba big fence near tbe bodge young Widger showed both head and horsemanship ia a marvolloua manner. In the fust tound two ho ses, «n the inkide, were ia front cf him by a couple or lengths, but en reaching the fenci* both sw«rved ri^hb across him, 0' c taulking while the othti 1 j 'imped towards tie bridge. Quick as lightning Jje pulled to Ihe le!t, and broth'-ug the quarters of one of the otheis his generous boxso cleared that ter.ible jump slantingly. A man with leis head would have crashed iu'o the others, sending them and himself biug inlo tho ditch, which is wide and deep enough to hold twice as many, but by his own coolaew &od the handines* of his hoise ho noi slone saved a 1011, but gained, iaauy more lengihi of a kad upau. tb.e one who had jumped to the light two. m

vas behind him when comiog to the fence. •That is what I c*H riding. *«* A question of some imporlar ca was decided last mont.li by the magi^tr^te at Havrera. Mr Frai:c : s Willismson, cf Normanby, sued Mr A J Canning, Becntwy of tbe Elth&m Racing Ciub, for the sum of £12, being for 120 complimentary tickets at 2s each, issued at tbe last B-than> Race meeiiug, tbe gatis of vshich he w»b a purchaser. The plaintiff's case was that too mention was made at the &a l e as to tbe ccnv plimeutary ticket*, and that nearly all present tad suchtickets. The defence was tfcat tbe gates were sold with the usual privihges, and that this included complimentary tickets. Judgment ,*»« give for the dt-feudant. Thia is just what might have been expe cted. No one ever heard cf a club depriving itself by a fale of privileges of the right to distribute complimentancs. At the same time, these free p&'SM seem to hive Ijeen put about rather liberally, aud ib is no surprise that the purchaser felt aggruved. It Xirould be a fair tbing to announce, at the 'time ,'» gate ia put up to auction, how many tickets the club intend to give away.

*** Lesterlin, winner of the Nottingham Smug Handicap, is an Irish-bred colt, aud a «mart one, for he h^d 121b penalty to carry a mile, yet he was pulling his rider cut of the saddle the whole way and won in a canter from * field in which clasi was w( 11 reprettnted. He ran in blinkers. At Manchester there was the biff fteeplechare on April 15, duly reported in another co'.nmn ; and coccermrg this event the main point of interest to us is that Wild Man from Borneo found himself anchored under the not very turdensome weight of 12.0, bo be w Urdly first-class. The Newmarket meeting followed, and here, on the opening day. the Yankee visitors scored in the Crawford Plate ■wiih Iroquois'* sou Ban Gallic, who won trom end to end of the buc furlongs and landed a nice Btake for hi« putty, who placed their conimisrion at 5 to 1 and 11 to 2, though M W» start 8 to 1 was obtainable. The 'colt had as rider W. Bima, who, Baya a 'London writer, docs not sit &s a pattern horseman, though he evidently knows somethirg, fir ■when tte horee appean d l'kely to swerve at the finish he took up his whip, but the moment Eau Gallic set himself straight the whip was not used, and Sims, though he set the pace from «t»rt tofioub, had s.raetbing in hand at the 'finish The winner ih by Iroquois (son of imp. Leamington and M-ggie B 8., by imp. Auatralian) fronx Duchess, by Kinjfishir (son of Lexington ard imp. Ethsm Lss-) frcm Lady Blesnington, by imp. Eclipße (son of Orlando) from Fhilo, by Mariner from Cassandra, by I riam. Mintlaw, who made his dthut and won the Pour-year-old Biei.nial Stakes, has been an unfortunate animal for Sir J. Blim'lell Maple, who gave 4500gs for the colt at Sir Tat! on Syk<s'* Doncaster j earliug sale. Lsst year the son of Minting and Reprieve was tried better than Athione, but Bubsvqutntly splitting his pat-tern the colt was thrown out of training, and uutil recently he bad not beeu put into active wcrk. -The Babraham Plate was generally voted to be at the mercy of Soy lie, who had, it wafl aupposed, been robbed of the Northamptonshire Stakes through the blow accidentally received from Loatcs's whip just afc the fioieb of the coutpftt. Oddß were accordingly betted ob Sir J. Blundell Maple's mare, but *he could only set third. Thcssalmn, the winner, pulled off this stake for Lord Pcnrhyn three years ago. The Craven Stakes always takes a good horse to vt'vo, and there is no doubt as to the quality of The Owl, who was successful this year, even though he has not e cored in (he classic races.

*** Tbe Americans' victory with Eau Gallic has caustd all hacdi to tr« at the invaders and their riders with not a little rtspect. The ept-cial of the Sportsman gives aome interesting particulars. Eau Gallic, he fajs, is a goodlookii'g, wiry, well-balanced bay son of Iroquois, with a email star of white on his off fore heel and over the back of the fe lock j'int, and white, over both hind fetlocks. One of h ; s chief recommendations is Ivs ptrfectly-f haped, clean, haid limbs and excellent feet. He stripped .very fit, too, and in his case the change to tbe Ei.glish climate has been nust beneficial, for last season he was a shy feeder, nervous and delicate, so thtt nothing much could be done with him ; but now he is es hearty and vigorous as possible, and frtm the moment I had a fair look at him I thought he would win. The field was not of much sccouot, it is true, but Eau Gallic's weight, 7.8, was no light impost for a ,*hree-year-old, tLough Sims had no small difficulty iv getting down to it. Before the race George Porter, then whom (here is to shrewder judge, Baid to me : " Don't make any mistake about Sims ; he can win if the horsa io good 'enough. I've seen him ride exercise, and in atiiul, and he never lets anything vsprawl." This quite prepared me for what wfs coming, though it did seem strange when it was teen that the American jockey was seen to be riding at least three holes.shorter than an Englishman would, and takir-g hold of his reins not more than about a fcot from the torse's mouth. In this way he cantered down to tbe s'.ait with his Tiand and Eiu G»llie'a head alike elevated, but there was an indescribable, businesslike sooieihing about him despite hi?, to us, strange appearance. The two styles w<re soon to be put to tbe test, for after a few false starts, in all of which Sims was away like greased lightning, he tent his mount right out from the fall of the flag, and coming a f ong belter ekelter, Boon had a four-lengths lead, while the other •jockeys could not bring themselves to understand lhat a horse thus ridden would not come back to them. Such an error will be inexcusable if ever made again, for horses trained and ridden on the American plan do not come back as curs would do if similarly ridden without being similarly trained, and there is nothing for it but to keep within striking distance if possible, though I much doubt whether that could have been done to-day. Down the Bushes Hill into the dip came. Sims all on his horse's neck, as it seemed, and as one or two others drew up there wai a cry that he was beaten. Certainly as they commenced the final rise it looked like it, for Eau Gallic, on being challenged, swerved from the whip only to be strhigltened again, steadied very cleverly, and sent along with the race still in band. A second challenge came this time from EBtar, but Sims was all there. For two strides he took stock of the position, and then pushed to the front again, winning quite cleverly at the finish amid great cheering, for, indeed, everyone was dfclighted to see the pluck and enterprise of our visitors so well rewarded at the first time of asking. Old Tom Jenningß remarked that Situs's riding reminded him very much of Tommy Ljc, who used to get just as far forward on his horse. One thing I would like to remind my readers of, and that is that I have never ceased to maintain the value of the time test ai properly understood. Here is a horse tried simply against time, heavily backed in consequence, and winning. One of our trialß Would not improbably have been run at a fa'se pace, and the result altogether upset in the race. Eau G«llie was put to rights sfterwardg very carefully by his trainer, who dry pooed him with some lather-producing fluid, much to the astonishment of the spectators.

*** Something for Mr Lawry lo re«d before he finally decides to try and get consultations Ingulfs d in Now Z''a'and : — There is no getting away wi.h ihe fact that s'n cr- the consultation sweep business eettled amongst us on such a large 6ca.le our racing fortunes Lave been going down the hill, notwithstanding the contention that the running of huge lotteries on our principal local races invests thtm with more value to horsi owners and makes the interest in them more widespread. This contention may be sound tnough from one poiut of view, but it is out of the lunuing when one conMdera to what an extent the speculation in swetp3 afivcts trade in general and discounts the backer's chances ot picking winuers by surrouudiug the intentions of owners with mystery. This is a quotation from the Auetr*hsiau.

* # * " Maitiudale " refers to a matter that has caused a stir in pony turf circles in Sydney: the Merry Girl-Pearl Powder case. Some time back at Kensington racecourFO a race whs run in which ponies named respectively Merry Girl and Pearl Powder were c>m}etitors. Merry Girl CF.nia in fi>st and Pearl Powder second. The rider of Merry Girl weighed in with his whip, and, it ib said, was 2-^lb overweight, and aloo that the rider got off the scale without being deslared weight. Now, my readers must remember that I am only stating what ban been told me. The owner of Pearl Powder entert d a proles'; for the lider weighing in with bis whip. After dud inv^xligation the stewards disqualified Merry Girl, and awarded the stakes to Pearl Pow dt-r. I have it from the Eecictary ox the K-^i bington Club that the stakes were paid over (o the owner of Pearl Powder. Now Ptarl ro'd^r was a strong fir.t favourite and M. >ry Girl a decided outcidar, consequently the b osmakers by this decision lost n-O' ey. After the nc? tbe owner ef Mtrry Girl, who is Mr Frank Hill, jun , appealed to TfttteranH'e Club to deal with the matter. This has been going on from week to week, with the result that last Monday Tat ersall'a Committee decided to postpone it mdi finitely. Now the first rule of Tattereall's is that all bets go with stakes, so now why did th<>y not decide this at once ? This will take a lot of answering. In the meantime it is jutt possible thst the Kensington Club will take, ss it were, "the bull by the home," and order all books to pay. A Sydney telegram to Hobart, dated the 30tb, ult. sa^s: "At Kensington races to-day, bofoie the racing conimepct d, some exciti m. Nt was caused by the committee of the club calling upon bookmakers to pay the money won in tbe P<arl Powder and Merry Girl case to backern of P< arl Powder. Those members of TaUersall's Club who had made bets i n the disputed race rotused to pay, and were r^ oi.re ordered off the ground. Other members of Tatteraall's who were present in th° paddock then fctm n k, closing their books. Tbe Kens'ngton committee, to prevent inconvenience, called in Lojkmakera from outside. This evoked tremendous applause on the course."

*** This year's is the 116 th race for the Derby. Every recewal of the great race has about it some special di6tingu : sbing circumstance of greater or h S3 importance, ei'hur as to breeding or owneiship, or timp, or riders, or tbe way tbe race was run — something which enables ench race to be readily remembered. This year tlcre are at least two distinguishing marks. First, tbat the mcc has been won for the second time in succession by the Prime Miuis v .er, Lord Rosebery. This fact was at once seized upon as a subject of comment even by persons who would be offended if termed racing men. Half a dczvn times sir.cc the new a of the result came I have been caught by the buttonhole and met with the denfand : " Now, old man, you know all about racing ; tell me straightaway, without your book?, whether the Derby has cv t r before been won two years in succefsion by ono owner"; and when, after gammoning to require a moment's reflection, I have rt plied "Yes, by the Duke of Portland," the vaiyitig forms of respt use have all more or less indicated a belief that 1 wa* up to my work aud t.ot to be caught napping on a question of history. SUould any cf my propounding friends lead thi« paragraph, tliey may pf rhaps find it as news that at st-veial periods the Dei by has bten won twice iv succession by one (.wj.er. Sir F. Stands h was succfcS'ful in 1795 with Spjead Eagle, and in 1796 with Didelot; L.rd Egrtmoi*t carried off the honours in 1804, and the following year with Hannibal and Cardinal Beaufort ; after an iite;val cf three years the Duke of Grafton repeated the feat with Pope and Whale-bone ; Mr Bowes won in 1852 with Daniel O'Rourke and in 1853 with Musket's great progenitor West Australian; then there was Sir Joseph Hawley's twofold success with Beadsirau (1858) and Muejid (1659); and of latt- years we bar! the Duke of Portland's run of luck with Ay> shire and Douovan. So that Lord Rtstl er>'s f uccesp, so far from being rare, is the seventh instance of the kind, snd wculd ba hardly worth mentioning but for the added fact -of the owner being the Prime Minister. This circumstance, however, m%kes th : s year's result of cocs'derable importance, eapec : aHy co afCer the blackguarding ho was f u v ij* cted to last year by the custodians of the raueh talked-of Nou-couformisb Couscienca. Very clearly it stands reveal el that this bogie has lo terrors for Lord Kanebery. When the goody-goodies held up the wh'te sheet and rattled their tin thunder he qirefcly rejoined : "Like Oliver Crcmwell, whose ( ffii ial position was far higher than mine, aud the Btrictness of who-^e principles can scarcely be questioned, I pensefs a few raf chorees, and am glad when one of them happens to be a good ODe." That fnmous response to the bullying demands ef the Cold Tea Party deerves to bo and doubtless will be preserved in the recollections of the people. It is a manly protest against the humbug which denounces racing as ntcseswily evil. And this year's Derby result will engrave tee protest yet deeper. Lord Rcsebery has dared to continue his racing Btable and to wiu the Blue Riband for a ssctud time. In other words, Eugland is still a free conntry. We can well understand the literal truth of the message which says Lord Rtsebery was loudly cheered when his colt Sir Visto c;me hema. Even in these colonies the news waa well received. We all admire a ttraight sports-man, especially one who is fcailess in his patronage of the national sport.

*** One thing I do not quite understand about the message giving the result of the Derby is a remark that Sir Visto's success was unexpected. The odds given show that at the finish it was an open race — 100 to 15 the favourite, the highly-bred Liveno, son of Bond Or and Napoli, and if Sir V;s'o had backers at tbe price quoled, 9 to 1, he was not much of an outsider. He wa«, of course, much belter bick>~d tban thfS3 figures would seem to indicate, for Lord Rostbery had himself declared at the close of tbe winter that he reckoned Sir Visto was a. slicker and. would therefore outstay seme of h'i3 opponents over tbe Derby course, and there was plenty of moiaey for him at 13 to 2 in April. What would tell agaii.s!; him was the fact of his biing defeated and sent to third place in the Two Thousand and the Newmarket Stakes ; bat no doubt » fair proportion of. the

public remenabo-etl the owner's remark that his colt was a Btayer, and the ivmaik tliab the victory was unexpected may therefore be qualified when the full particulars corns to hand. The reference above to a eecond c'istinguisluHg circums'unca in connection with this j ear's Derby is to Iho fact that fectnd place was filled by a colt whose dam is a half bred mare. Curzon ran a Rood colt, by the account to hand. If he had won we could not have shown his pedigree in full. Such a state of affairs is surely qui>e uncommon in connection with the world* Great Race. Imperfect-pedigreed horses aro occasionally be»rd of in handicaps— Liberator, to wit. But the experience is a strange one for a Derby, and we shall probably find tLe English senbeu commenting on the 6trange peculiarity that, at a time when fancy prices are being freely given for the choicest and purest blood, the sen of a halfbrcd sbould bpat all the cracks bub one in the most important race on the planet. Cu'zon, by the way, was not a bad perf c rraer last season. He beat a fnir field in the Surrey Breeders' Foal Plate of £1082 at Epsom; had another easy win in the Bibury Cuampagoe of £355; was first h' me in the Troy Stakes of £550 at Pontefracfc; defeated the more-fancied Keuney, to whom he was conceding lOJb, in the Icterl»' lonal Breeders' Plate of £685 at Kempkon Plate ; and was also succefsful in the Troy Stakeß of £325 at Newm n-kofs. So that he won five times out of 11 starts. He was bred by his owner, Mr T. Cai>nr>n, who owned Tib, this aare baing foaled in 1883, and got by Tipthorpe from Nelly Rose. One race I remember Tib winning was the Chatsworth Plate at Derby, fcr wLich she started the rank outsider at the nominal piica of 25 to 1.

* # * Tattersall's provide 145 stalls for horses brought there to be auctioned. In the course of a c'aat with a Tit-Bits man, the members of the firm said: Tat'ec^atl's has been in fxisience si:ce 1766. In that jeu- Richard Ti.fcfcersall started the business at Hyde Park Comer, on a piece of ground row covered by Sb. George's Hospital. He bad a 99 years' lease from Lord Grosvißor, the Duke oi Westminster's ancestor. Mr TaltersaU knew George IV very \\el', and gold a stud for him whsn the K'ng was Prince of Wales. Ib was thie Tatt^rsH.ll who bought for 2500g8 from Lord Bjlingbroke the celebrated Highflyer. We came to Kuightbridge in 1865, ■when thellydePark corner lesss expired. NtarJy every great sale of horses during the past century his bren in our hands What is the highest price for which a horae has leen pu^Hcly sold by us? I b^'ieve tie biggest was tli sale of Me'ldler, which fetched 14,500,^. i he colt, which was a three-year-old in the July before the rale, was bought by an American fthen the late Mr Abmgdon Baird's animals came under tha hammer. There was great txcitement afc the sale, and the bidding was followed by the cn'o kers with bated breath. Hardly a soul stirred as the price crept up, and you could hear a palpable «gh of relief from the audience when my father knocked the horse down. The next highest price was that fstched by Blair Athol, knocked down for 12, 500gn. Other big piicas obtained include that oi 9000^6 fcr Isouomy. That isthebigbestprieeatwhichahorfebas been Bold in this yard. Two of the cheapest were Galopin and St. Simon, sold by o-cUr of the ix-cukr3 of the lato Prince Batthyany. Gftlopin was 11 ye\rs old and wtnt for 8000g«, while his son, St. Simon, a two j ear-old, fe'.ched 1600gs. Since then these two horses must have brought in for their owners Several thous- nda a year. St. Simon, you may remember, ran as a two and a thies year old, was never bealeu, and he is the most successful sire in England.

*** " Terlinga " writes : The Duke of Hamilton, who died la6t mon'h, could only have been 22 years of age whtn IL-ruoit won the Dert.y, b.»t be was on" of the plungers in the Hastings era, and I think it is Mr John Corlett who credits him with having laid the biggest bet ever noted agaii st a hor*e. Spoking from memory, I think the figures (quoted by Me Cjrlett) were 180,000 to 5000, snd had the bet stood the tat or, Captain Mitchell, would have won the Duke's money, as Hermit for the Derby was the subject of tbe wsger; but Admiral Eous heard of the transaction, and getting the two joung fe-llows together, he gave them a severe rating, and insisted oa tbe wager being scratched. One of the parties to the bet accut ed the other of telliig the admiral about it, and the result was that ihe tno visited Newmarket early one morning and had a set-to with the raw-'una. 'lh". Duke of Hamilton was an entLudiast on the subject of steeplechasing, and although of late he had nut been seen much on racecourse?, he always had some jumpers in work, while, generally speaking, h's old trainer and jockey, R. Marsh, had eoosellat-racers of his at Newcastle. With Cottolvin the Duke won the Grand National in 1867, bub. since then tbe French grey jacket was never successful in the big race over Aintree, although its representatives were often victorious in other good races over hurdles and fences. With Mhs Jurnmy he won the One Th usand Guineas and Oaks in 188G, while the Anrcrican-Bired Ossian, who afterwards turned rearer, won him the Leger in 1833. Other horses which won good racts for ths Duke of Hamilton were Wild Tommy, LoUv pop, Midlothian, Fiddler, Friday, and BoauharDais. lie was only 50 years of age at the time of his death.

*>* No more of. Messrs S*ephen«on and Hsz'etb's hor6e3 have found buyer 6, so far as is known, and in oil probability, uules3 some eligible offer is made in the meautime, the firm will keep on racbg for a bit, simply as the preferable alternative to a sacrifice. It is a very wise thing, and indicates a g od understanding betwesu tbe partners, not to force a sale at this particular stage of the sea.' on. By the eirly spring we may find Hippomenes once more in wiimirg form, Outpost fully himself (I am Eatitfkd he ha? of late been somehow or other e>ff colour), aud Gipsy Grand di-playing some of that galloping ability which got him his name in the middle of the expiring ?ea?on. In that case, there will be fair prices There is thia consideration about the horses in Bishop's charge; that none of them have been raced off their legs and thereby weakened in constitution.

*#* The Town and Suburban Cinb'a Winter meeting deserves a notice. Mr Donnelly was first to score, his three-year-old Hu^tai, son of Daniel O'Rourke and Pearl, ent-red for the New Zealand Cup, pulling off the Maiden Plate by half a dozen lengths from the more fancied Martyrdom. He went to the front and stayed there. A s'i'l greater eurpiise followed in the Birthday Handicap, of 50-ovs, seven furlongs. Fi.ui"isr, who scored a somewhat lucky win, inisinuch sns Archeress and Lotion both atuinhlrd, was the ouffcider of the party, and paid £G Bs. He is a six-year-old brother to The Wincuinan, being by Cadogan — Miss Rutfaley. Plungers had a turn, however, in the next raca, the Hurdles. Hopeful, son of Prairie acd Frowning Beauty, went out a hot favourite, and, plajing a waiting gamp, won very easily, though concerting 371b and upwards to his opponents. The Taradile Handicap, of lOOsovs, n. mile and a-ln)f, produced a splendid race. The whole e£ the sis starters were together a quarter oi a,

mile from home. Musketeer 7.2 was first to emerge, but Znnella 7,4- came at him, aud Taitan 6 10 mnking a flue run from the distance, a capital fiuish rosuUed in a three-quarters length victory for Zanella fi\m Tartau, with Musketeer close up, and the favourite, Spindrift 8 10, last. Zanella, who is a four-year-old daughter of Apremout and Flatter, ranthtj distance iv 2o\iu 47sec, and paid £5 19*. Aphony gave weight and a beating to his nine opponents in the Meanee Handicap, six furlongs, paying £5 Is } Drury Lane, the aptly-named six-year-old by King Colo from Peg Wofiiogton, got home iv the Welter, and la'.ded for his backers the dividend of £63 15s ; and Muskttser 7.8 scored what eeans to have be.-n a nid-itoiious win in the Flying, beating Brooklet 8 4 by only a nose after getting away badly. His dividend was £7 2s. The sum of £2981 was passed through the totalisatur. Parker was fined £5 and Couuop £2 by the starter, Mr T. Jeffares, jun., whoEe efforts with the fl*g were not altogether a success from all that can be heard.

*#* The Australasian reports that at the Birthday meeting of the V.R.C. the New Zealand- bred Captain Webb was fancied for the Hurdle Race, but cracked np before reaching the last fence, and a good race ensued between Emmalea and Mtuovite, the former winuiug by a nesk, with Captain Webb, who broke down in front, a good third. Emmalea, who is by The Gondolier from Maryland, by Welcome Jack (son of Bethnal Green) from Alice Drew, by Attos, used to run in the colours of &Ti Ge.irge Davis, but is now owned by Mr J. B. Biv.wer, who backed her to win a tidy stake. Bill fell at the second hurdle, but neither horse nor jockey was hurt. A. good field turnod out for the Royal Handicap, and although Mis 3 Gladstone was at first favourite, E4 King ultimately wrested the position from her, and started in otiotg de~ mand at 4 to 1. Wi-s Gladstone koked very dange'ous at the junction of the courses, but Boon sftarwards Walwa put in his claim and held his own to inside the di-tance, where Erl King, who had been disappointed in trjiog to get through, came with a rattle, and settling Walwa in a few strides won with soicetl ing to spar?, Hova, who lost considerate ground by swerving out ab the junction of the course, ili ishing th'rd. Gaillardia was left at the post, aud tojk no part iv the race. There was nothing to choose between Chester 111 and Flat Iron for favouritism in the Handicap Steeplechase, and all hough Fl*t Iron ran well, he was beaten by KuebsvvO'tb... Taj forth ran off at the lust fence. The wiuner, who is by Young Sussex, was twice successful at the Wau'iiambool meeting a few weeks »go, and is evideutly a useful horse. Moondah tell at the second hnce. The Admiral was a dtcidtd favourite for the Birthday Eaudicip, but he never ouce fluttered his supporters, and Best Bower, who was beaten a few dajs previously at Epsom carrying the same weight, created a eurprue by winning easily, albtifc he pulled up lame, and may ljob be able to race again for some time. M>\ie wa3 most in demand for the IVo-y ear-old Handicap, but the was beaten out of placa, the prize falling an easy prey to the outsider Dally, a smart filly by tfce Euglinh bo se Padlock (who cam« hither from India) from Lady Betty, by The Hook from Bitty, by Hercules.

* # * There are 56 nominations Per the New Zealand Cup. This is ccnsidembly ksj thm the average ; and somehow the lift ikes not look so impressive as muil in respect to mmes, siuce two or three of the hor.-is entered are pivmote-1 hacks— of an excellent class, I grant, but never' helt-ss confessedly hack-, The Artist and Biockld being examples;' while, v.lnt is really serioua iv surveying (he piobabilitiee, is the tact that f ome other horses r.rc out of the country, and may not come bitk unless special induc< meute offer. Of this lot are Sfe. Hippo, Osculalor, an<i Blr Gullan's quintet. It is, howc-ver, ra'hur early to prophesy evil, aid I am ntit going to do so. The Cup has probably attrpe'ed most of our hoises that can be fairly deemed wottLy of the company, aud no doubt the event will bo as iutciestiug as ever as a subject fcr speculation, monetary aud otherwise, during the winter and early spring. There are 39 nominators reprefientod, of whi-m Otago is re3p( risible for livo with six horses, Mr Stephenson being the only owner from this part to Bend in a couple.

*** Fine»se, winmr of the Otski Plate, of 150sov8, the cbief event at the Otaki Hack inee'ting, is a. foar-year-old daughter of Torpe do and Revoke, and therefore wdl enough bred to win any handicap in tbi* or any other colony. Then; were 16 starters, Nelson's son, Man-o'-War 7.7, being most fancied, with Waitongoroa 8 9 starting Fecond favourite, but neither iml aiv> Ihii gtj do with the finish X thurangi 810 was the first to show iv frout, after which Slaiden 7.8 rushed to the head of affairs, and his endeavour to win the race in one run seemed probable of aucesß up to the last ha'.f-dozan strides, when Finesse tackled him and secured the reward of her patience by outlasting her opponent to ti.e extent of a head in one of the bett finishes tbat could be imagined. The mile aud a-half wafl cant behind in 2inin 45s<c. Coocidcriug that the course would uec sjarily be slow at this time of the year, the pace was Bound enough for racehorses. A dividend of £37 14s was p&i<i for each of ths 22 investments on Finesse. Const-rip', a son of Volunteer, won the firs'; Hurdle Ksce ea=ily from Chrjstal, the l->tttr receiving 171b; but fa*er in the day, in the te-cond Hurdle Kac j , the difference in weight being increased to 29ib, Chryatal won by a couple of lengths. This second race, however, was apparently not quite truly run, there being some interference owing to the field becoming bunched together and one of the number falling. Titoki, a three-year-old by Puriri— Bro.vnleaf, won the Trial Haudicip utider 8.6, this hdng nearly a ttone overweight, and ali>o Bcored iv the lUukawa Pl&ta, one mile, with the steadier of 9 6, wherefore I conclude that he is not a bad one; and Swordfish, by PiscatotiiHi, s»l?o landed a double, the Flying and the Stewards' Handicap, defeating on each occasion a select lot of so-tailed hacks. The meeting appears to have been a marked success in most respects. There were 84 starters for the seven races, an average which ia rarely obtained at any country gathering, and £3382 went through the machine.

* # * One discorcUnt note seems, however, to have been struck during the day. " Gipsy King " thus refers to the incident : There were high words in the saddling paddock between Mr Quiulivan, sen., and the jockey S. Lindsay. The former did not appear to be fait fled with Lindsay's handling of St r < amlefc in the Triel Handicap, of tix furlongs. To fh<SQ who wattliM.l the s v ait of the race it was p\tent to them that Lindsay was not to blame. There were 13 starterß, end for 6omo rear on 10 horses were placed in the front rank and three others (including Streamlet) were i laced behind these. When the barrier went up the 10 kept so c'oso together that those behind them had no chance of getting through, so consequently Streamlet, who looked cub of condition, waß unable to h'nve a fair ran. Her subsequent running in the Flying Stakes over theoame distance and with a

different horseman up pro Ted she had no chance of winning the Trial Handicap, as in the Flying Stakes frhe did not run nearly as well as she did in the first race. I only mention this in justice to Lindeay, and I feal sure Mr Quinlivan must have overlooked the disadvantage at which Streamlet was plsccd at the star!;. No one champion! the troubles of owners more than I do, but at the same time I will always endeavour to do justice to jookeys rrhen I think they are not receiving fair play.

*** HughM'llroy, who has of late years beea riding for Stephecson and Ht-zlefctfa stable, purposes to take atrip to Australia. He leaves for Sidney on the 18th. The objects are to have s change and to look out for mounts at the *ame time. M'llroy is a capital horseman, his specialty being in regard to judging pace, and he can be recommended very highly not only aa a rider, buta^o became of his "Btraightneea" in all his engagements. No one has ever suggested that he gave & race away. This is high praise in tbeie days, not that I believe there is a general lack of fidelity amoDgst the jrckejs, but because we often hear of such suspicions attaching themselves to the few unworlby members of the profession. Hngh is distinctly not one ef these. He can ride and he can keep straight, and I am proud to call him a friend. His chief mounts have been on Hippcmenes and Forbury of late, but he has had a general experience, and I trope he will get a show on the other side.

*** I am indebted to a Gore exchange for tha following : A meeting, of the Lumsden Hack Racing Club was held last week, when the protest re the identity of the horse Fashion. was further dealt with. Correspondence read led to two menibors being appointed to meet Mr Cowie, the owner,, on a dny to bo fixed by himself btfarc June 8, when he will bs required to produce the two horse 1 , Faßhion and Redleap, otherwise a recommendation will bs made to the metropolitan club to difqualify all the parties concerned in the matter, and the hone also. There should be no trouble in complying with this request, as Mr Keith wrote stating he owned the horse R*d'e*p, and of course the affair is so recent that Mr Cowie cam easily l&y his hands on Fui-hion. The results of the late meeting showed a deficiency of £1 I*, bat half tbat amount was promised at tbe meeting, so that a cU an theet will likely be brought forward at the next meeting.

**# The Jong-proi-afced American Racing BUI, which has the approval of the Jockey Club and other great lurf interests in the States, was introduced into the New York Assembly a few weeks ago. Briefly summarised, it provides that there shall be te>-ti» of. speed and racing between Ist April and 31sfc October of each year. On the ranting turf there ihall be no track leis tlan one mila, and on the trotting turf no track less than half a milo. The bill prohibits p'ol-sclling and bookmaking on or oft' any race t-ack, and prohibits even the transferring of wngers by telegraph. Indeed, it fixes a heavier penalty than now, making it a fine of £1000 and imprisonment. The bill legalises raciug for s'sskt-s, and provides that men may bet among themselves ; but there ia a provision that the but 6hall be binding, and eifcl er party may lecover by a suit afc law. Bub thu foint is that, while there is to ba no public bookmtking, th ye can bo no limit to the individual betting. The act provides that the i rovieiom of the bill tlnll be enforced at any race track by two special policemen. The State tax of 5 per csnfc. now paid in from rece'pfcs shall htreafter be bastd on the earuiugs.

*{j* There ha* la'ely »n'«en a "school" of unlclievers in the A'ab, who regard all the oW-tiine crflz*) for the horse of the desert as wasted enthusiasm, and the whole romance of the wiud swallower as a myth. The latest and most radical reformer in this reßpect, cays the Horseman, is John H. Wallace. Iv his lecture given before the Nuw York Historical Society, he took up the hi^iry of the Godolpbio Arabian, ro cal'ed, and mnintaimd that tbis famous old- time site, "tte Rjßd>k's ILnnbletoniau of the thoroughbred family," was certainly not of Arabian and probably net of E< stern or Oriental origin, but ahorseof totally unknown blood. As for the Byerly Turk, Marklam's Arabian, and otl er pires that figure iv the Engl'sh Stud Bjolc j\s tLe foundation sock of the racehcrte family, he ci.cd the Duke of Newcastle and the owner of Markhana's Arabian bim?elf to show tbat when these Eastern torses wfro imported iato E/ig'and they and their stock were inferior in loth speed and Bfcan.iua (o the native runners of Great Britain at that ppriod, and notably to in comparison with the Irifh Hobby horses, so called. To the latter breed, a very old tribe of raoerunnerß tbat orig nated in Ireland long before the lirsb Arabian stallion is known to have reached England, Mr Wallace was plainly inclined to attribut-3 much of the superiority of the present-day thoroughbreds. The lectures also dealt with the early history If the American trobting horse, which, he said, wa? de-s-encled from tho old-time pacers common to England and all Europe prior to the eighteenth century. Frtm the str«y notice* and other advertisements published in the newspapers of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island ia colonial tini's he 6howcd that a very large proportion of the horse stock of these c .■lonies were B'g'i'h pacerc, some of them postC'Sed of a good de^rejof speed. The hnt liotbcß brought to New York, on the other hacd, were largely natural trotters of tha Dutch brood, and following them came the pacers from the other colonies.

*#* " Rata" telegraphs on Wednesday night : " Goodwood and Silver Spec have commenced their education iv view of hurdl-j racing. They are, co far, being schooled privately, but 1 hear that Hilver Spec shapes uncommonly well. She is a class above moat hurdle racera here. Clarence will not evidently be worked for the National meeting ; he is being spelled."

# # * "Taihao" telegraphs on Wednesday night :— " Mr L. Shaw, of Napier, has putchased the hunter Seddar for £75. Swordfish was offered this week for £150, bat bo deal resulted. Cameron's lease of The Artist having expired, the horee has returned to his owner, Mr S. M. Baker. Old Steppe, dam of M*haki, Stepniak, Lady Norah, Russley, Stopfeldfc, &c, was shot at Wellington Park last Tuesday. Her old age pressed io heavily on her that Mr Morrin shot her as at; act of mercy. A wrestling match for £25 a-side was arranged to-d&y between Brightwell, of Gisborne, and Hudson, of Aucklaud. 'Ihe contest will take place in % month's time. OWNERS' REMINDERS. Two important race 3 in connection with the Dunedin Jockey Club's next season claim the altentim of owners on Monday, tho 10th inst. On that day, at 10 p.m., nominations will close for the Dunedin Stakes of 20030V5, five furlongs, to be run at the Spring meeting, and the Champagne Stake* of 2josovs, six furlongs, at the Cup meeting. Both races are for two-year-olds, now yearlings.