TOPICS OF THE DAY.

(From the "Star's" London Correspondent.) LONDON, Mat 9. THE CHESTEE CUP. The victory of Busybody in the One Thousand Guineas, showed that Tom Cannon knew what he was about when he advised Mr Baird to pay nearly £9000 for Lord Falmouth's flying filly. Within three days of Mr Tattersall's hammer descending on the rostrum, £7000 of the purchase money was got back in stakes and bets, and the filly seems to have the Oaks (worth £4000 more) at her mercy, not to mention a chance second to none for such richly endowed events as the St Leger (about £5000), the Prince of Wales' Stakes at Ascot (£2175 last year), Coronation Stakes (£2250), Hardwicke Stakes (2761), Great Yorkshire Stakes, and Great Foal Stakes. Of course Busybody was sold under Lord Exeter's conditions, but even with this drawback Mr Baird. will be unlucky if he doesn't make twice £9000 out of her between now and November next. Whether Harvester was worth £8600 seems, on the other hand, very doubtful indeed. His chances of winning one of the big stakes are distinctly remote, and his legs are none too sound. Still, the fact remains that his old trainer, Matthew Dawson, bid up to £7000 for him, and if anyone knows what the colt can do it should be he. Year by year the poor old Chester Cup (once greatest of all great handicaps) continues to decline in popularity. The Eooder seems to have been as crowded as ever on Wednesday last, but the Eings were only meagrely patronised, many professionals preferring to stay in London and wait for Kempton Park on Friday and Saturday. Very little ante-post betting took place on the Cup, but what there was seems to have been in favour of Cameliard, who opened at 7 to 2, but soon rose to 5 to 2, eventually starting at 2 to 1. Havock, who ran third to Barcaldine in the Northumberland Plate last year, was next in demand, and of the others, Mr Eothschild's Louis d'Or and Bay Comus were most fancied. The Chester Cup of 500 sovs, added to a handicap sweepstakes of 25 sovs each, 15 ft; the second received 100 sovs, and third 50 out of the stakes; winners extra. Old Cup Course, nearly 2\ miles. Mr C. J. Merry's Havock, by Cardinal YorkNanny Thonnanby, 6yrs, 7st Sib (car 7st 101b) (C. Wood) 1 Baron de Rothschild's Louis d'Or, aged, 7st 71b (C. Bowman) 2 Mr T. Green's Sophist, syrs, 6st 131b (Thornton) 3 Beauty, Alban, Robertson, Cameliard, Ironclad, Witchcraft, Gaydene, and Bay Comus also ran. Betting : 2 to 1 agst Cameliard, 4to 1 agst Havock, 10 to 1 agst Bay Comus, 100 to 9 each agst Louis d'Or, Alban, and Witchcraft, 100 to 7 agst Gaydene and j Ironclad, 25 to 1 agst Eobertson and Sophist, 33 to 1 agst Beauty. The field ran close together for the first mile, at the end of which an accident happened, Beauty catching the rails, and bringing down not only herself but Alban. Witchcraft now took the lead, followed by Eobertson and Cameliard, with Havock, Sophist and Louis d'Or in close attendance. At the last turn for home, Cameliard took a clear lead, and Havock, Ironclad and Louis d'Or made a simultaneous move to ths front, but some 50 yards down the straight Beauty, who had broken her off foreleg, managed to scramble up again, and was unintentionally a stumbling block, into which Cameliard blundered, and immediately lost his place. Ironclad, in the centre, then became the leader, but was soon collared right and left by Havoc and Loui_ d'Or. The former soon shook off Mr Eothschild's colt, and drawing away with a clear lead, won by a length and a half, with Sophist third. Time — 'lmin Usee. Value of the stakes, £767. As is usually the case when an accident happens to the favourite, many said Cameliard should have won, but I think it is very doubtful indeed. !