IN A NUTSHELL.

Cordon broke his neck yhile being schooled over hurdles. — Fas S-eul and Ivanoff are registering gocd work at Riccarton. — The post and rail fences at Moonee Valley are to be padded as an experiment. — Silk "Web, who is registering good work, has been supported for ihe Winter Cup. — .At the Sydney horse sales the New Zealand horse Lord Delavel brought 170ga. — Haydn was scratched for the Grand National Steeplechase at noon on Thursd&y. — The Goodwocd Cup resulted a» follow. — White Knight 1, Madame Soubise 2, Malua 3. — Czar Kolohol, the brother to Kremlin, is shaping pleasingly in his work at Bicearton.

— Nominations for all handicaps at the Ashburton spring meeting close on the 24-th rust.

— The Xational Hurdle candidate Lady Hune Is reported to be "looking uncommonly well."

— Lull, the winner ol the "Winter Hurdles at Wellington, has been pleasing the critics since his arrival at Eiccarton.

— Phaetontis continues to register good serviceable work at Riccarton, and is reported to be looking very fit and well. — Probable is reported to have shaped particularly well in a gallop over seven furlongs with Gwendalina last week. — Sen Sim has been made the second leg in Eome business which was transacted cm the National double during the past week.

— A lady -was recently an applicant for a "EO arei>ly' J irom one o£ otir 2ea^3infj fielders, but was courteously informed that the list ■»oa fnlL

— -A Christchurch telegran? states ih*t Uranium was scratched for the Grand National Hurdles at 10.30 on Monday morning. —B. Carslake, the Australian jockey who has a handsome retainer to ride in Austria for Mr Greher, recently won the Oaks in that country for his patron. — During the past week the plough gallop at the Forbury has been turned over, and in the meantime trainers have been using the outside of the course proper. — The services of Positano, the sire of Poseidon and the record priced yearling Orcus, who made 3050g5, can be obtained bj breeders on payment of a .modest SDsovs. — Starlight, who is top weight in the E-n-neld SteapJes, ran second to Romany Lad at Napier Park, and that form should make him danger cos on the first day at Bicoarton. — Accused of burglary, two lads in London pleaded that they had to do something since the Street Betting Act had robbed them of their legitimate calling as bookmakers' runners.

— Buttjleuch is reported -to have come on a good deal dsiring the past few days, aad if ha misses the Winter Cup i*e should be dangerous in «>me of the short-distance events «n the programme. —R. 2 . Mason is booked to leave for Sydney this week with Boniforcn, Count Wifcte, and the ..wo-year-olds Sunglow (sister to Boniform) and Armlet (the daughter of Menschikoff and Armilla). ~" There is a final payment due on Friday i.ext for the National Steeples, Hurdles, and "Witter Cup, and at the same time acceptances are due for Ihe minor -events on the ■first day's card of the meeting. — Newhaven, who has -won a greater amount of prise-money than any rftailion in Australia, is standing at 15gs. During hia turf career in England and .Australia the son of Newminster captured £13^54. — "Writing upon the -winners at * recen* London metropolitan meeting, a writer of a humorous weekly thus indulges: "Wtoo says racing is not going to the devil? Lucifer won on Friday and Old Nick on Saturday! Follow form!" Achilles was scratched for the New Zealand Cup on Friday morning, and Scatter Cash for all engagements »t the Grand National meeting. Paritutu was scratched on Friday for the Trial Hurdles and Waihuku for the Hack Flat. , .... — Slow Tom is not pleasing the critics Jrt Riocarton, and the fact that he is shewing signs of lameness may prevent him from going to the poet for the National Steeples. It will be a pity if such is tb& case, as, fit and well, he would prove a troublesome member of the field. •* If the sporting body po .rue were not as unreliable as a ilock of sheep, the Street Betting Bill could have been defeated just as the Education and Irish Acts were "beaten." Such iB the opinion of a leading English sportsman. —In a couple of displays over tb© schooling huidles at Biccarton Paritutu did not shape too well, but in a go with Leeside on Saturday he pleased the touts by taking the forces as smartly as his companion, who is quick at the obstacles. — Sports of the Times, the American gentleman's newspaper, of June 1, pub.ished a full front-page picture ol Circus, underlined *s - Australia's record-priced yearling, b c, by Positano— Jacinth, by Martini-Henry, by Musket. Price, 16,00»dol. . — London Pink Un recently published a table to show that during the history -of the Derby, 12S years, the favourite has won 48 times, Tan second 25 times, third 16 times, and unplaced 39 times. Thus, the favourite has been placed on 89 occasions. Almont's brother, Belmont M., was recently sent against ihe watch, and, assisted by a galloping pace-maker, -easily paced two miles against time in 4min 46isec. The following are the times for each half-mile (flying start):— l.9, 2.21, 3.35*, 4.46 J. — JJJbbonwood, the champion of Austra-asia, is to be at the services of breeders during the coming season at a 12-guinea fee. His stock show such promise that it is leg^t table that more use was not made of the s on of "Wildwood in this country. Sans Souci 11, the winner of this year s Grand Prix de Paris, which was worth in all ll,lß7sove, is by * grandson of H«nmt> and his dam, Sanctimony, was got by bt. Serf (son of St. Simon) from the Bend Or mare Golden Iris, who is a grand-daughter of Araucaria, the dam of Apremont. — Andover w*» second favourite and i-aily was quoted at 100's to 6 in a field of 24. The long price against Lally is said to be partly on account of Hewitt's indifferent horsemanship on Fairy Rose. An additional honour, however, went to Hewitt in the fact {that the King was present and witnessed the race. —The late Baron Finot, who bred many good jumpers in France, had small steep-e-chase fences erected in his paddocks,- and the yearlings he bred could all find their way over the miniature jumps when on their way to the stables at night. Each youngster, whether destined for the legitimate or illegitimate sport, became a natural tencer. — Achilles, the nail on which the handicaps for more than one New Zealand Cup has been hung, had the scratching pen put through his name last week for next season's race. As a three-year-old Acnilles was handicapped at 7.10, as a four-year-old top weight at 9.6, as a five-year-old top weight at 10.0, and as a six-year-old top weight at 9.8. — Paritutu is reported to have given an indifferent Oisplay of fencing in a schooling lesson at "Riecaiton on Friday. It is said he dwelt at his fences and hit one very hard. Paritutu did not have a companion in his task, and that fact alone is enough to make a h.orse hang fire a bit — particularly when he is it novice at the game. He pulled up fresh and. well.

— After declaration of the first forfeit for the fctepniak Stakes, which is to be decided ai the North Otago spring meeting, it is found that 21 youngsters remain in the race. Sir George Clifford has five left in, Mr J. P. Buchanan and Mr J. B. Reid have each three engaged. Mr J. Ellis has a pair, and the bstlance ib made up by single nominations of different owners.

—In referring to the race for the Ascot Gold Cup the Sportsman states that the last mile and a-nalf of the two and a-half mil© journey was run in 2rnin 34sec. The White Knight, ivho dead-heated in a bumping finish with the French horse Eider, was awarded the race on a protest. The cable informs us tha-t The "White Knight also -won the Goodwood Cup last week. — There is a, prospect of a record field being seen out in the Grand National Hurdles next week. There is another payment to be made, but the shrinkage it will probably oause in the fiela will no doubt leave it numerically stronger than the 16 which contested the great race which was* witnessed when Medallius scored in 1904, whilst there is a possibility of it being a record field for the track.

—Up io June 16 St. Simon, who is unquestionably one of the most, if not the most, successful sires the wo^d has ever known, had not had a single winning representative this season in England, and on© of tis l>est son-s In Per^itninoli Hjtcl scored n€xi to nothing during the came period. Oth«r sons of St. Simon, in the shape of Desmond

r and iH. iJrusquin, were well up on the list < of wanning stallions. ' — Prior to winning the Derby Jar ■"Boss" . Croker's Orby waa invariably referred to bj ' the ±lome papers as "ihe Irish colt." After he won, however, iShe -victor wa» claimed to. be "half English and half American." The - former on toe ground thai he was foaled in iingland whilst his dam was cm a visit to Ornae, and the latter beoaase his dam was an American mare. Another injustice j to "'ou_d Cirekmd." , ; — A:message from Auckland .states that Mr D. O'Brien has left for Sydney with Ohamade and Maianui. The first-named is * bay filly by Uhlan from the Grsfton maze Heriot, who produced Multifid to Multiform. Unlan is -an Auckland Cup winner, and as * eon of Cuirassier and the Leolinus— L'Orient mare Aida, who is also the dean of a New Zealand Cup winner in Impulse. Ji&oanui is a sea of M»latu» and th« Carbine mam Grafin, the dame of Bejoiem and Grenade.

— The Due de Gxamont's coli Eider, -v, won. of St. Bza», «foad-heaied with a stable companion in the Prix Dollar, of ISOObovs, -two miles one furlong aad a-half, at Auteuil poor to dossing the Channel and dead-heatae with The White Knight in the Ascot Geld Cup, in which -the pair were ravaging «ach other as they -were finialiTng, When C^frig the post both houses had Sheir months open, and were grabbing at each other, xri.th the - result that the judge did not attempt to separate them.

— Hallway travelling will soon he as luxurious for, arustrocnaiic horses aa for iheir v millionaire ownezs (says the Chicago InterOcean). The New York Central Railroad has just ordered 30 special can to be used ' exclusively for -the transportation of valuable thorouahoreds. Each car will be lighted by electricity, heated by steam, and fitted with, feed and water compartment*, harness closets* and suitable berths fox grooms. The ventilation of these oaxs Trill <■ be as good as in, any passenger coach.

— A remarkable accident happened recently to iir Allan Mecfarlase's two-year-old celt Darraeq. fie w«e being led into a box tot Ihe Britannia Hotel, Adelaide, when the lad who was leading' him felt a sudden jerk, and an looking around found that the colt had crashed through ihe covering of an old -well, the exurtenoe of which had been unknown to those connected with the stable. Darraeq fell 40ft into water. After considerable trouble, tackling was "fixed to him, awl he was heated to the -surface. £to seemed none the worse for his adventure.

—J. Lowe has aaxived. at Riccaxton with, the Winter Cup candidate jSSolua, who is 1 looking very wsiL The writer took a. fancy t to the son of Eotoclydon, when he caught and defeated Buocleuch and Golden Cairn in tba Craven Plate, and followed that nee by winning die Post Handicap at the same meeting with 9.7, and running a mile in 1.43 4-5. jßolua is a very resolute finisher, and if he does not get chopped out (a serious - thing in a big field) at the start of the Wan* , tor Cup, his opponents will have to he busy, • to beat him. — The V.R.C., instead; of "registering" bookmakers, as formerly, now merely grant them a "permit" to bet. The paddock men are provided with leatherette labels, on which is printed among other matter: "Permit -to Bet." Bookmakers on the fiat had nothing to indicate whether -they had' a permit ox not. There are two betting rings on -Hie flat, saya a Melbourne writer, one opposite the weighing enclosure-, and the other "beyond the grandstand lawn, and to each there is a telephone, as well as another to the hill, so that in ease of dispute ox trouble the authorities in ihe paddock may be communicated with. — The first three horses in the Derby were descendants of Birdcatcher in the direct -male line, aad there wen four znoxe«f that family among ihe unplaced lot, if one can take it for granted that John Bull was by .Hawfinch. That being so, Orby, Wool Wander, G-alvani, and John Bull trace hack to Birdcatcher, via Stockwell, and Earlston, via Rataplan, while Slieve Gallion and All Black : axe members of the Isonomy, or Oxford, i branch of Birdcaicher. Bezonian was the sole representative of the family of Galopin, and ihe ninih runner was the Herod horse Galleot.

— A one-time well-known crack of the trotting track in the shape of the Blackwood Abdallah gelding Bedale died last week. fie was an aged horse away back in 1891, when, running in the late Mz H. Mane's colours, he won a four-mile raoe at a Canterbury meeting in 11.44 J. In 1897 he won in 5.114 at Tahuna Park, and made a mark that was somewhat rare even in those comparatively recent days. That, however, marked She climax of his sucoea*, as, despite the fact Jiat he raced more or less ha every season from 1896 down to 1903, ihe record does not give him another winning bracket. — English papers are full of .complaint anent .he amount of welshing that goes on in the small rings at racecourses in that country. Backers are rightly of opinion that as they pay to go into -these rings they should be protected by the clubs concerned, instead of being liable to be "balanced" or assaulted when attempting to collect a winning bet. At Epsom, after the Derby, one man handed his bag, estimated to contain £300, to his clerk, who decamped with it. The bookmaker, however, was detained, and was subsequentry sentenced to three months' hard labour for welshing. He had previously been imprisoned for a similar offence.

— The Wellington meeting is now past and gone, and the slain counted and buried. The S.P. men caught it hot on the hwt oay of the- meeting, and, it is understood, had a bad time generally over the gathering. Some of the horses credited with chances at Riocarton did not carry any S.P. money, and the victories of Seaman were somewhat unpalatable from the fact that he was well supported for his wins, but went out neglected when he finished outside the money on the first day. His race on the first day probably did the horse a lot of good, and he is now regarded as having a big chance in the Winter Cap. — On. the day that Nkjctuifonn was defeated in the Ascot Gold Cup Hewitt had another important ride in addition to being up on the son of Multiform. He rode Mr G. Facer's colt Bushranger into second place In the Prince of Waka Stakes, of 2175sovsv one mile and five furlongs. The winner waa Qu'appelle, who easily defeated Hewitt's mount; but Bezonian, who had played a prominent part in the Derby, was third, and owners such as his Majesty the King; Major Loder, the Duke of Portland, M. I/. de Rothschild, Lord Rosebery, and Lord Harewood had horses running, sa that the ex-New Zealander is really in the limelight art Home. — This, of course, happened at a "country meeting," and not in New Zealand either: — In a certain handicap the starter had the best of reasons for 'wishing to get one particular horse lengths off in front of the rest if he could manage it. He delayed the field for a quarter of an hour, while the impatient public E«id:' 'Why don't he let 'em cork He's had lots of chances.' All at once the starter gasped, his jaw fell, he stared hard for o. nwmeni at -\jhxi paxticuliur xi«l«r -vrbowouldn't go out in front, then let the field. away anyhow. f * Only to think," he said to

• friend afterwards, "me and me friends all on him, everybody on him, and every chance to let him win, yet it took me a quarter of on hour to grasp the fact that the boy on 'im was backra' something else."

—Mr C. H. Poole, M.H.B. for Auckland West, wishes to make it obligatory upon all racing clubs to dose the totsdisfttor at least five minutes before the" advertised time of starting of each; race, and that no investments be allowed to be rung on the totalisator after the advertised tame of starting, the penalty for any breach, of this provision, upon being repented to {he Colonial Secretary, to be the immediate cancellation of the club's license to use the totalisator at eny future meeting of the club; and to provide that inspectors be appointed by the Government, and paid for by the racing clube using the totalisator, whose duties shall be to watch and check all investments on the totalisator, and to see that no investments «re rung on it after the advertised time for the starting of each race. — Messrs Burnett and Grant report the following business on the Grand National double-— 125&- to 20 Phaeton.tis— Lendiock ; 120* to- S P&aetontis— Sen Sen; 1000 to 17 Phaetontis-- Lull ; 1000 to 1" Hutama— Sea Sen.; 800 to .* Fha«ton*ia— Le Beau; 800 to 6 Slow Tom— Creusot : 800 to 6 Romany Lad— Lull; 809 to 2 Nadador— -Sen Sen; 800 to 1 Romany Lad— Sen Sen; 750 to 4 Loch Fyne — La- Beau; 70& to 7 Phaetontis— Regulation ; 700 to 7. Kiatere— -Shsapnel; 70ft to 5 Irish— lie Beau; 600 to 10 Phaetemtis — Shmpnel;. 600 to 4 Romany Lad — Shrapnel; 600 to 4 Lock Pyne— Le Beau; GK> to 4 Loch Fyne— Uranium; 600 to * Huiana — Paritu+u; 600 to 4 Nadodor— Shrapnel; 600 to St. Kooringa—ld*?*; 508 to 8 Phaetontis— Mahoe; fiOC to 7J Slow T-om— Mernwai; 500- to 6 Pheetoartis — Uranium; 500 to 5" Irish — Shrapnel: 50frto S Looh Fyne— Cuiragno; 500 to 5 St. Kooriisga— teeaide; H» to 2 Irish— Aqua. Regis ; 590 to 1 Hikaxoa— Royal Shell. - —Mr Hichaid Oaker's congratulations on winning the Derby with Orby did not end frith these showered on him in England, end it ia doubtful il «ny we*» more appreciated' t&an the welcome he received on returning to Ireland. He- vmw* entbuswstioally cheesed from the train to his- residence at Gleneaira, outside which braes and other bands played, foe several hours during the small hour* of the morniHg, -while the gathering crowd cheered. Mr Croker made a speech, in which, he thanked the crowd for the welcome, and, of course, hoped there would he many more similar occasions for eucfi rejoicing. Though most sporting writers were agreed that Orby won the Derby on his merits, one netted authority wrote that Had Higgr given Slieve Gallion a ;hanoe— • that is to **y, not sent him along as if he stayed far ewp-and landed him neatly round the corner, he would have won the Derby. The riding, he swys, was deplorable. A. rematkable and very exciting finish was witnessed foe the Ascot Gold Cup. There are no double rails at Ascot as there are on the majority JL open, racecourses m England where big; crowds congregate, and the result w*a that the sea of yelling, excited humanity hanging over the rails, with necks strained and voice* roaring 1 c*u*ed Eider to swerve away. He oolHofea with" The White Knight, and" for the remainder of tbe nace continued to hang on to that horse. The White Knight rtsented these unpleasant attentions, and, turning ai » head savagely, tried to plant hia teeth in the remzxle of Eider. The French cdt retaliated, and the quaint sight woe witnessed of two horses racing home- at tfh« head of their field in an Ascot Gold Cup contest doing; aE. they could to savage each other. Ihey passed the post with their heads turned inwards and their mouths cpen, The White &night grabbing at Eider and Eider a* The White Knight, so that the judge could not separate them, and amid unspeakable excitement he gave it a dead heat. The South Canterbury Hunt concluded their season with a steeplechase meeting, which wae got off on tbe Timaru racecourse last week in the presence of an excellent attendant Some of the winners which scored du*ing the day ane engaged in the hunters' events to be decided at the National meeting, and their wins suggest they will probably be found fit tot T»ce against the stronger opposition which they are likely to meet at Biccarton. la the Owners-up Steeplechase, decided over about two mLes of country. Bosemosn (who is engaged m the Hunt Club Cup) defeated seven others. Flying Fox had- almost a bloodies* victory in the Hack and 1 Hunters' Hurdles owing to the others- failing- to get the course. The Messrs El-worthy's Craagmore and Gnat finished in that order in the Hunt Club Cup, but Lucky Star, who would apparently have been dangerous, fell at the second last fence. Hinemoa ate© fell during the race. Gnat- oame out again in the Tally-ho Steeplechase, and defeated a stable companion in Matthew after a punishing finish. All the horees named are engaged at Biccarton next weelr. — Evenlode and Inni&killen gave a pleasing display ovar -the Ricearfon schooling fences on Saturday last, a-nd the latter is reported to have shaped very well. If Inni&killen is back to form, he will be -one of the hardest to beat in the Btakes. He won in a very convincing fashion two years ago, when he was inclined to charge his fences. Now he i 3 said to have settled down, and, taking a line through Phaetontis, must be given a good chance, as he meets the latter .on much better term 3 than when he defeated him in 1905. It will be remembsred that both horses raced in company to the penultimate fecce, which, however, proved fatal to Phaetontis's chance, and Inuisfcillen ran home *n easy winner. Tbe writer ba3 always been of opinion that Phaetontis wcu'd have given his opponent a gcod go for first place, bar accidents; but excuses are exouses, and even when explained away still leave some doubt remaining. P#cth horses fell when they subaequently met in the Lincoln Steeples, on •which occasion Inniekillen was handicapped to give away lib to Phaetontis now he meets him on 17lb better terms. The form is a bit old. but it will be interesting to note how it turns out. — Tbe London Sportsman of June 19 gives a full account of the Ascot Stakes, two miles, in which Noctuiform 8.2, with Hewitt up. was sent out favourite, but only managed to finish fourth, whilst Nightfall 8.4 finished in sixth place. A* <3ie opening of the betting Noctuiform was installed favourite at 3's to 1, whilst tbt Trenton horse Toxpoint. who proved to be the winner, was quoted at a point longer. At the finish Noctuiform was favourite ai 11 to 4, with Torpoint at 3"s end a third choice at 7's. Torpoint, an aged horse, had 8.4. and 5 won easily in 3m in 24 1-Ssec. Jfocttuioom*, who was six lengths away, would run the journey easily under Bmin SOsec, and it will be remembered that he~won the New Zealand Cup comfortably in Smin 29 l-ssee, after being badly blocked in the ruck- until close on four furlongs from home!. The son* of Multiform was credited with 'run n ing his last half in 48sec when he scored ai Riccarton. and. allowing for the natural improvement; 'brought by age. it will be seen thai, judging By the time test, he is not fat good a horse as he was when out here-. The Ascot course is evidently easier than Biooarton. and it is safe to say thai Noctuiform with a clear run cou'd have knocked three or four seconds off his Cup time. The son of Multiform, evidently put up

the best performance he' has displayed in England, and may yet get back to the form which, mode him one of the meet sensational three-year-olds- ever seen in Australasia. — The downfall of &lieve Gallion was a less complete collapse than the failure of Polar Star in the Coronation Cup, because there is still a chance that the ex-l>erbj favourite was not exactly beaten on his merits; but the Jubilee winner wae hopeless half a mile from, home, and not only does the race suggest that he is a non-stayer, but it also causes- one- to think that bis victory in the Jubilee Stakes may have been in some measure due to the fact thai ha met a lot of moderate' horses. It is true that Velocity was in the race, but Velocity was attempting to give 281b, and was shut in vi the bend, and, after all, was not beaten very far. At Epsom Polar Star was meeting Troutbeck, Polymelus, and The Wbite Knight, on weight for age terms, and he had run himself out at a mile, and, being unable to go on, dropped right back. It is evident, therefore (says the Field), that the big cheatnut is only a short-distance runner, and the same remark must surely apply to Witch Elm, who won the One Thousand in a canter, but was quite unable to repeat the form on a course of a mile and a-half. Thus, as far as can be judged on one individual performance, it is shown, that tbe winners of the Two Thousand, One Thousand, and Jubilee Handicap (tinder a very big weight for a three-yeaar-old) non-stayers, and this is a most regrettable circumstance. — This July will long be remembered (says the Sydney Mail of July 24) by jockeys engaged in the perilous calling of cross-country work. At the V.E.C. Grand National meet iag 1 i horses were killed 1 , several jockeys were ..ujured, and one, the unfortunate Fl Croker, succumbed to dreadful injuries received from a fall while riding Evening Star. At Canterbury Park on Saturday week two riders met with accidents in the Hurdle Race, and the horse Loch Lai a was killed. One of these riders still lies in the hospital in a very critical condition. This lad is a New Zeaiander named Phillips. On top ,of this long sequence of deaths- and injuries -same serious accidents at Ascot pony races on Wednesday. When rounding the turn for home in the tac« for the Novice Handicap, St. Patlick (V. Gallagher), Lady Meny (W. Kenny), Testarnette (C. Murphy), and Bobbie (H. Mulligan) fell, and St. Patrick was lulled; while H. Mulligan, who had the mount on Bobbie, sustained a severe shook to tfoe system and some abdominal injuries. Later on, at the start for the Fowrfceen-fcwo Handicap, Miss Havoc parted with her rider, J. P. Bomer», who also received severe concussion and abdominal injury. The injured jockeys, were taken in {he ambulance waggon to the Prince Alfred Hospital in a critical condition. During the week a jockey was killed in Queensland.

— The enormous income (says a London writer) which cornea to some race funds from the sale of " pitches" at Epsom is really little understood evem by those who visit racecourses regularly. I was much interested during -the Epsom, spring," meeting in the information supplied me as to what various oiassea of people pay for the right to either ply their calling or to sell their commodities. Of course, one can. readily understand that the booths contribute a very substantial sum, but there are many of these which pay big nms for certain privileges outside the regular rings. Thus £40 to £60 is not at all an uncommon price for a man to pay for the six days' ' right" of making a book "outside." Of course, it is an. elaborate fit-up, including large advertisements at the hirer's expense, and ample room for three or four connected with the business to. carry on a regular "office." Really some of tnese bookg are extraordinary. I happened to see one of them on the City and Suburban. The transactions filled two pages, each of which contained four squares of paper. Everything from Is up was booked here. I heard of one pitch taking in over £500 on the Great Metropolitan, and yet losing on the race, but only a sum under a sovereign. This is surely a record, but at the same time shows bow jlosely matters come out when working on scientific principles. Father Blind, winneor of the Metropolitan, was a rank outsider.

— Looking back on the Epsom meeting, it seems strange indeed that two non-stayers, as Slieve G-allion and Polar Sitar, are now believed to be (says the "Pink 'tin"), should have attempted a task that only the best of stayers could hope to succeed in — viz., trying to cut down the field. St. Affiant did it, and we take it that when he was in the humour he was an extraordinarily gcod horse; in fact, be must have been. It would not surprise Us to hear that Slieve Gallion overpowered his jockey in going through the furzes, and that v.-as tbe reason why ior six furlongs there was such a break-neck pace. Maher, in the belief that Bezonian was a thorough stayer, art one© went after him and encouraged him in it, with the result that bo*th oame bo grief, and, despite the extraordinary improvement that Benzonian was supposed to have made, there was the same 71b between him and Slieve Gallion as in the Doncaster Champagne Stakes last year, and. again in the Two Thousand!. We recollect that ia the Derby of 1864 General Peel, who had won the Two Thousand Guineas, overpowered Aldesroft, strong as he was, precisely as we believe Higgs to have been overpowered. in tiie late Derby. In thai year, however, the horses all round were much better than the lot Orby defeated, and there was none of the "slowing down" that was witrjessed in the recent race. General Peel kept up the^ running until Blair Athol caught him at the stand.

— Hewitt had tie critic's pens jabbed into his epidermis as a result of his indifferent horsemanship on Fairy Story in the Vyn«r Handx-cap, but he subsequently made amends by steering I/ally in the Royal Hunt Cup, and the Sportsman, in referring to his riding in that race, said: — "When Hillsprite dropped away Lally, who- had been racing in close company (the two being in the centre of the course), took the lead, and Hal&ey pulled Andover into the immediate wake of Mr Purefoy's colt,, and thenceforth, so far as it was possible to judge, the race resolved itself into a battle between the two. The situation was a critical one, because Lally notoriously is deficient in staanma, and Andover is a glutton. Hewitt was making his first acquaintance with Lally. Would he realise the state of affairs <rr would he try to add to the lead he had acquired, and when ha found bis mount faltering rould be pick up his whip? To do either of these thir-gs would have been fatal, but the temptation must have been strong. Hewitt came through the ordeal with flying colours. It takes an artist to nurse a horse up the lest furlong of that cruel hill, wLen he holds a lead of a length and feels his mount is putting in all he is capable of. buit is gradually dying away under him. The artist was there, and I/ally got past the post half a length in front of Andover, whose challenge when it came — and it came at precisely the right moment — was as vigorous and as sustained as might have been expected.

— Lack of judgment among the jockeys may have had much to do with the result of the Derby, and here it may be pointed out that many of the present-day riders seem to have little sense of the fitaesa of tilings .

It is generally recognised that before the American invasion there was too much dawdling, and that about nine races out of ten were only really contested in the last furlong or two. Then we went to the other extreme of hammer and tongs from start K» finish, and there we have remained. But if it is allowed that a hammer-and-tongs policy pays in a fiye-furlong race, it does not follow (says the Field) that horses can race at top speed even over a mile course, let alone one of a mile and a-half. Yet this is what many of them are at times asked to d<o, and it need ha-rdly be said that very frequently a result occurs which is- due to a. horse or horses having run themselves out too early in the race. At times some of the jockeys seem to ride wrbh their head*; but at other times even the same jockeys never appear to think of taking a. pull at their mounts, but keep on forcing them until they can be no longer forced. The waiting business was undoubtedly overdone a generation ago, and now pace-foxcing is at times overdone in the longer races. There was a race at Hurst Park s week or two ago in which the horses crept for a mile and raced for two furlongs quite in the old style; in the Derby a>U thai could get near the front tried to cuit eaoh other down, and even if they were, in a way, riding to orders, they were not carrying out instruction^ af all cleverly. Circumstances alter cases, and if a trainer told a jockey to make strong- Fanning he would hardly expect that jockey not only to make running, but to race against any horse which came near him in the early part of the race.