TURF GOSSIP.

(BY TURFITE.)

It may be-interesting to some of your readers' to' know that the last mail brings an account of the Liverpool Grand Steeple-chase, which contains its charncter as thei greatest cross country event ih-England, the course being four three-quarter miles and the weights ranging-from lOst. •up to 12st 71bs. It is a very unusual occurrence for the same horse to Win so grieat an event twice in succession,1 'but such wasj' the fcase at the last steeple-chase. It; was won by a liorse called ".The Colonel ■' i the property of* Mr Evans. The d'-nhle success only occurred before in L°so- i when Abdel-Flader was the dinner. George Stevens has won the race no less than five^.times —m l^iili, or. Freetrader, 1863,"on~Emblem.; .18fi4.-og Emblematic, 1869-70 on The Colonel. Next to Stevens came the celebrated Tom Oliver, who won it three times since its commencement in 1839, when it was won by old Lattery. It. -has only been won once by a horse of less age than six years ; that was by Alcibiades five years, carryingl list'4lb!-'-'The quickest race was in 1862, when Huntsman won;! carrying ' lOsti in 9-min. 30 sec, which was considered I tall going. The same mail informs' lus of the death of one of the first of {•England's gentlemen riders—A-Mr Ede, who always rode under the name of " Edwards." He was a fine horse-• man and won something like one hundred races and steeple-chases^— among them the much coveted Liverpool Grand National, on the Lamb, in 1868. Mr Ede met with his death at the Lefton Steeple-chase, Liverpool. He was riding a horse called" Chippenham, who fell at the first fence turning a complete somerset, and falling on his rider, who expired five days afterwards. The greaV professional rider, Sam Rogers, of Newmarket, is also dead. Poor'old Sam was fifty-one years of age, when, he departed this life. I notice that Sir Joseph Hemley has sold his celebrated horse Blue Gown, for the magnificent sum of £6000. This piece of blood is intended for racing on the Continent, so we may expect to I hear more of him yet I find by cal-

culatioh;that]t.w^ketojk^ Cluh^l %^Sjft(th W-ales; aif&Victoria paid away rib!lessja^li tflh £20,645 in stakes ;la^ |seasb|n,^piich speaks well}for>the:^ogr^s, t i^^icing in the colonies^ andl^togjj^rammes for nexTseason are even more valuable.