A SENSATIONAL ST. LEGER.

Evening Star, Issue 7367, 12 November 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

A SENSATIONAL ST. LEGER.

THE WINNER LEFT AT THE STARTING POST.

DESPERATE FINISH BETWEEN THREE.

[From Our Special Correspondent.]

London, September 16,

The race meeting just concluded on Doncaster Town Moor will long be remembered as one of the most successful ever held there. If the weather was indifferent,- the fields were large, the sport good, and the attendance everything that could be wished. On Leger day, for example, despite pouring rain, the receipts taken at the grand stand were L 2,000 greater than last year. The big race itself resulted most satisfactorily. Lord Rodney, though a comparatively recent recruit to the turf, is genuinely popular, and everyone was glad to hear he had won L 20.000 over Kilwarlin’s gallant victory. Jewett the trainer, Captain Macbeth, and Mr Blake, who bred the brother to Bendigo, are also large winners, and the Irish division were on to a man.

The two-year-old heroes of the week were Ayrshire, Socrates, and Tondina. The latter, an unfashionably-bred filly, by Tvnedale or Fitz-James, out of Extradition, supplied the greatest surprise of the week, beating a good field for the Rons Plate, when unbacked for a solitary sixpence. Rumor had been busy with the supposed merits of Mr Peek’s Socrates for some time, and the easy victory secured by the promising son of Xenophon and Alone in the Tattersall’s Sale Stakes excited little comment.

Results, generally speaking, were against backers, who saw favorite after favorite go down on Thursday and Friday. The Kilwarliu party threw in for another good stake on Thursday, when General Owen Williams’s Lisbon (by Coeruleas-Centra) spreadeagled a field of nineteen in the Portland Plate, winning hands down by six lengths. The annals of Doncaster Town Moor record no more sensational race for the historic “Sellinger ” than that run last Wednesday. Certainly if the Derby of ’B7 was flat, stale, and generally unprofitable, the St. Leger has made up for it. Such enthusiastic cheers as greeted Kilwarlin and little Robinson on their return to scale have not been heard in the North since Apology’s year. The victory was a thoroughly popular one; the Tykes to a man were well on the winner, and turfites generally were not sorry to see the over-sharp Meny Hampton party baulked for once. Ever since the Derby the doings in connection with Mr Abington’s horse have been most equivocal. First there was the Grand Prix fiasco, then the attack of megrims • cum • staggers at Newmarket, and finally the alleged breakdown last Friday week. Curiously enough, no symptoms of recent lameness or weakness was apparent in Merry Hampton upon his arrival at Doncaster. The horse’s market position, however, continued questionable. One hour certain layers with notoriously deadly pencils would be firing broadsides into the colt; the next, the same men would be tumbling over one another to back him. Mr Abington could (or would) only say he had L 15,000 on the Derby winner, and that Watts (whose integrity is above suspicion) would ride. It Was, however, an open secret that the young man had lost confidence in his trainer. Whatever the adverse influences may have been, they faded at last; in fact on Wednesday morning Merry Hampton was almost favorite again. The Manton party, as usual, disagreed as to the merits of their pair. Alec Taylor fancied Eiridsford, the Duchess of Montrose Timothy. Eiridsford, according to report, had been tried good enough to win, but somehow never became a very hot favorite. When seen in the paddock, neither Kiridsford nor Merry Hampton were as well liked as Kilwarlin, who is the double of his splendid brother Bendigo, and a magnificent specimen of the thoroughbred. This colt makes a noise like Ormonde, and it was feared he might not stay the course, or he would have been very much fancied by the public. The weather on Leger Day was wretched, but the crowd seemed the same as ever. Nine runners were telegraphed for the big race. Kilwarlin and Eiridsford finished up equal favorites at 4to 1; then came Merry Hampton and Scottish King at 6 to 1, and Phil at 15 to 2. All these animals were heavily backed, the two last especially bearing strong orders for places at even money. A little money was laid out upon Timothy at 100 to 7, and Savile and Grandison found plenty of friends at 20 to 1. Against Carrasco 40 to 1 was fruitlessly offered.

In the parade Kilwarlin showed such limper that Robinson dropped out and made straight for the starting corner. Here, too, however, Lord Rodney’s colt bucked, kicked, and persistently refused to join his horses; eventually, to the horror of everyone, being left behind at the post. A perfect yell went up from the Ring as this fact was realised, and “ 20 to 1 Kilwarlin !” became the universal cry. The field bad gone fully 150 yards before the errant animal put bis head on his chest and started off like a steam engine. Once away, however, it became evident that the brother to Bendigo was travelling far faster than the other eight runners, and as the colt slowly closed up with the whippersin, hundreds to five against him became less plentiful. Before a mile had been traversed Kilwarlin caught his horses, and was carefully steadied. Savile'and Merry Hampton had made the running for the first part of the race, but nearing the turn for home John Osborne drove Phil to the front, and Mr Fenwick’s colt made such a bold show rounding the bend that even money was laid on his victory, A minute later, however, he faltered, and amidst jubilant shouts from followers of the Manton scarlet Eiridsford assumed the lead. Kilwa lln was now closing up with the front division, and when Eiridsford compounded half-way down the straight, Lord Rodney’s colt shot gallantly to the front. Almost immediately, however, he was challenged ight and left by Mer y Hampton and Timothy. A ding - dong race ensued between the three, but Kilwarlin managed to stall both of them off, aud eventually won cleverly by about half-a-length from Merry Hampton, who beat Timothy by a head for second place, whilst Phil, who came agaip, was only a neck behind the latter, fourth. The finish was one of the finest ever witnessed at Doncaster, and will never be fdrgotten by those who witnessed it. Lord Rodney’s face was wreathed in smiles as ho led the winner back to scale, and even Captain Machell for once looked positively cheerful. The Ring have, vulgarly speaking, “got snuff” over the race, and (as is usual in such cases) were loud in their wailings. Kilwarlin has been backed for the Cesarewitch, in which he will carry Bst 3lb at 8 to I, with a run given in. “Jummy” (as His Grace the Duke of Portland is called by his intimates) scored a coveted victory with Ayrshire in the timehonored Champagne Stakes at Doncaster bn Tuesday. Crowberry and Caerlaverock were the most formidable opponents of the flying son of Hampton and A talanta in the betting, but'neither could make him gallop in the race, and what serious opposition there was came from the dark Marmiton, a colt of Mr Douglas Baird’s, by Gallopin out of Bellicent, that ran second. Ayrshire is at present a good favorite at 8 to 1 for the.Derby nf ’BB. The “betting boy,” as turfites contemptuously style Mr E. Benzon, lost a cracker over Carrasco for the Leger. After paying Porter the astonishing price of L 5,000 for that animal, Benzon commenced to back it as if the race were over. What theaggre-

gate of his wagers were no one knows. Fry alone laid him nearly LIOO,OOO against the beast. The King, however, never seemed the least afraid of Carrasco, and np to the last most liberal prices were on offer against him. In the race itself Mr BouzonV colt broke down after going three-quarters of a mile, and finished absolutely last. The “ Plunger” is at length said to be tiring of backing the carefully “readied wrong ’uns” prepared for bis benefit. York, Derby, and Doncaster were all most disastrous meetings to him. In future Mr Benzon will confine himself strictly t > backing his own steeds. It is an axiom in turf circles that bettors who stick to this rule seldom come to grief. The late Lord Hastings would most certainly never have been ruined bad he done so. William Wright, who acted as one of the Marquis’s commissioners on Lecturer’s Gesarewitch, confessed only the other day that he paid Lord Hastings L 75,000 over the race, and he was only one at the Danebury commissioners.