SPORTING NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXII, Issue 7282, 2 July 1884, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

■ «» - OUK THBE£-YBAIW>LI>S. [Br HsXIOS.] J liowsow, May 8,1854. Whatever way have been »aid or written of our threo-yoar-oldii during the dull winter, tmtro Is 000 thing certain that wo t'ftn wnUd]iatfi with more confidence now that we have seen so many <>f our crocks sport Silk &t Epsom and Ncwmavkot. The Craven and the First Spring meeting, as well m th«< City and Suburban wt-.* have been odd**! to tho paat, and the lout month racegoers cannot complain of either quantity or quality of the sport. The Craven woek re-introduced u» to a very much improved colt in Scot Fine, who, as a yearling, cost Mr Poy, hiaowner, but 2Sogs, The colt made hacks of those opposing him in tho Craven Stakes, and folks literally went mad about the son of Maegrcgor atidCelibaoy fortheTwoThouaand Guineas. The time-honoured Biennial, of the Gravis* , week, had, been landed by Koyal Fern, ; who, stoncling in higher estimation on last i year's form than Scot Free, was ahto much | fancied for the Guineas, and we should nil have been plisaaed to see such a true sup- ! porter of tha National paatimo as Mr J. 11. Houldnwortb win. However, there must bo winnow and loners, and Royal Fern cut up a wretched non-stayer. On the contrary, although entrusted to tho handling of not a very artistic jockey, Scot Free, Mke his giro, came bounding like a cricket ball out of the Abingdon mile bottom, and with Boyal Fern out of it, St Modard and Harvester, the two stable companion*, raced homo in hopeless pursuit of Mr Few's jolt. St Medard and Harvester had only "been companions some forty-eight hours, and I was of decided opinion that Sir John Willaughby gave too much money (860028) for Harvester at Lord Falmouth's sale field upon the Monday in the First Spring week. Lost year, Harvester was a long way behind Busybody, St Simon, Duke of Bichmond,- and Queen Adelaide, and, what is more, very little in front of Talisman j while for the Guineas it could not be said that he stripped like a winner. By this, I do not mean to infer that he was trained for sale and not for the race, albeit he sweated agood deal, and on those parts suggestive that a good gallop ot two would have better pleased his supporters Be that aa it may, he ran much better than the connection of Jewitt's stable could have anticipated; for the morning after tho sale they stripped him and fairly galloped him to see of what stuff he was made. Ilia intimate connections said the trial was one for speed, but as he was galloped six furlongs with tho same tackle as tried St Medard, the market suggested that they did not fancy their new purchase. Still, as before said, he was on the premises, and would, I should say, be able to turn the tables upon St Medard in the Derby, as the latter is a mere handicap horse to look ai, and, with the exception of Scot Free, was the most perfectly trained horse in the race- Scot Free is not in the Derby, and for this event the One Thousand Guineas has left Queen Adelaide at the head of the quotations j indeed, Sir John Willoughby now stands in the happy position of having first and second favourites for that all-important event. As regards Queen Adelaide, she is entitled to that post, for her race with Busybody shows that she possesses that form which enabled her to credit Sir John with two ox three rich prizes as a two-year-old. What a great and glorious thing the Derby would have been for St Simon had he been entered; albeit the Duke of Portland's colt has just commenced long work for the Epsom and Ascot Gups. Busybody, in winning the One Thousand Guineas, proved a better purchase than Harvester, and the gentleman racing in the assumed name of Mr Abington got some of the 8300 guineas back at the first tame of asking. The filly was ridden by Cannon, who w2l in future train her, and with health she cannot well miss the Oaks. The blow to backers in the case of the One Thousand was the defeat of Saadiway. The latter is a small but neatly made filly, the property of the Duke of Westminster, and had been triec as good as Whipper In, a son of Hermit and Scarlet Runner, who just now is proving himself useful in second rate handicaps, as well as a trial horse at home. To Kingsclere he must be valuable; indeed, this " chestnut" may he described as the key to everything. Last year Sandiway*£ class was behind that of Busybody and Queen Adelaide, and she ran perhaps up to her form in the One Thousand. Nevertheless, the Kiugsclere people did not expect the filly to be beaten so far as was the case, and some day or other she may wipe out part of her disgrace. Of the classic races, it is so far certain that Busybody and Queen Adelaide, as last year, stand out as champions, and next in esteem must be held the Guineas* winner, Scot Free. It is looking very far ahead to the St Leger, but if all goes well until September, a more interesiang prize of the North it would bo impossible to imagine, seeing that there is the choice of Queen Adelaide, Busybody, and ScotFree, and last but not least Lambkin, a very much improved colt, who is not unlikely to win the Grand Prix do Paris. Like Scot-Frce, ho is not in the Derby, and an admirer of Scot-Frec took 500 to 100 about his winning the StLegera day or so ago. This, to my thinking, was a bad bet to take. Since my last, we have fairly swept the board of the Spring handicaps. The Metropolitan Stakes unexpectedly fell to Z&dig, a son of Lord Lyon and Zara, the property of M. Lefevre. He hod shown a bit of form ia th« Biennial in the Craven week with Boyal Fern and Wickham, but here he may bo looked upon as a lueky winner, for had Luke not been as weak as a rat upon Looh Bania, the latter must, as at Northampton, have credited the Duke of Hamilton with the long distance handicap of the Epsom Spring meeting. A tremendous blow was administered to backers when that groat public favourite, St Blaise, shut up like a pocket-knife in the City and Suburban. That the Derby winner retained his action was beyond doubt when folks saw hitu canter, and he literally shaved the rails as Archer took inside berth at Tottenham cornor. Still, a quarter of a mile from home he stopped as if shot, and it may be that ho was short of a good gallop' ox two, as he ran.untried, and, what is more, had never been stripped of his clothing until quitting the paddock at Epsom. On leaving the weighingroom before tho race. Archer jestingly said to his valet: " Here, give me my whip, Solomaa. It's time I went to wake up this favourite. He's had his clothe* on long enough." Still, with the confident reposed in tho oolt by owner and trainer, tho Heath House jockey little antic*. pated that he should so early ask hut mount a question, and when beaten he pulled him up. I never saw ** uiauy horses look tike winning the- City and Suburban in the but quarter of a utile. Whoa St Blaise suecumbed, Modwd took hi* dace, then Eieluuond, and Koy&l Sfcag, all in turn, looted promising, but in the last hundred yards it was a matehbetwwea Quicklime awl Thebois. Tholattex was conceding Ist I8lb, ( to a horso that was placed in the Two ThouHand Guiaoas and Derby, i«id what ia inert, won the Prince of Wales Stakes in a ctote.* atAwok It was asking ThebaJa to do a ' deal too much, and she easily tnecumhadat; tha finish by half a length, with Boyal Stag just getting a .place from the three-year-old Richmond, who was purchased prior to the roe® by Mr Plunger Walton, who has appear*! ©a our side again, and having stumped up his lout year's losses, has been and I should say to no good. Ho will, how. over, never got the «am« amount of credit

t 1 * 8 * 1 *? M heretofore, axd at Epsom and Newmarket I heard him more thau once insulted without attempting to retaliate. Brides Biohaiond,tho Yankee ran Deceiver and Girofii, but the latter never troubled her backers, as she was in the lost lot tho whole way. Richmond, on the other hand, showed a bold frout,ondit is thought that ha would have won, but for Archer interfering with the colt when ha tried to como inside of St Blaise. I bate excuses for horses, and it is my opinion, that the best that ran in tho City and Suburban was Quicklime, the winner. Since tho race Eichmond was well backed for th« Derby, but he has not been seen upon the trainin« ground for several days, and all sort* of wild stories are afloat. Walton I am told, however, hau hedged his money, and thin gives a sort of confirmaytion to the report that the eolt has a "Icj?." Talking of handicap trophies. Heath House, in tho minor race* at Newmarket, found a fair representative in Splendor, who carried Mr Stead's colours to the fore in the Bretby Stake* at Newmarket Craven; indeed, it was only fine riding that enabled the half brother to Lowland Chief to just beat Lovely, who turned the table* upon Mr Stead's horse when meeting later in the week on the Peel eouree. This track wan not so severe to Lovely as when Splendor proved victorious, and, although Mr Maiiton's jady lilly now turned the tables it was indeed » war thing. It in something in one's favour to have Archer to ride, and it was a treat to see him handle Splendor when defeated as well m victorious. In hk» beaten race Splendor was nnrer able to get fairly in his stride, and Archer had to ride him hard to get upon terms with Lovely. Knowing the litter's dkpwitioa, Splendor's rider then changed the whip from the right to the left hand, and Lovely no* sooner saw it than she swerved. This must have lost the mare quite two lengths, aid although Splendor ran home rw straight as a gun barrel, he suffered a head defeat. Splendor, I may add, looks wonderfully well this spring, and, although still sound on his legs, I hear his "pipes " are not so clear asthey might be. In the First Spring week he again twice sported silk } in the Visitors' Plate he ran moderately, but showed to a greater advantage in the April Handicap, when ho was placed a bad third to the much improved Beatrice and Fro* Frou, the former of which won. Victor Emanuel, another old slave, came out in handicapformatNewmarket, andC&metiard had run so prominently in the Crawford Plate behind Geheimneas and The Prince that he was next looked upon as a certainty for the time-honoured ChebterCup. Here Beauty fell and broke her leg, and Cameliard was so much interfered with that it lost Lord Bosebery tho race. Thai is the public opinion, but with it I can hardly agree, as Havock, as soon as Wood came to the fore, had his race in hand. Havock, the winner, belongs to Mr Merry, a son of the late Mr James Merry, the owner of Doncaater, Marie Stuart, and other good horses, aouie twenty years ago, and with the exception that a white cap is substituted for a black, the racing livery is the same. Chester has, however, faiien into decay, and little further of interest could be added if I dealt at further length with the meeting- The Duke of Westminster is still one of its best supporters, and I that it is not unlikely that the fixture will eventually be transformed into a " gate money" affair. The steeplechase season has ended, and we finished up well at Sandown with the International in the City and Suburban, week. For this half-a-dozen competed, including Boquefort, who waa third in the Liverpool, and I sever remember seeing a prettier contest. A mile from home, with. the exception of Eilworth, who had fallen and broken the arm of Count Kinsky, of Zoedm fame, a shest would have covered the lot aa they cleared the obstacle going through the Bottom, and two fenees from home Saviile, the winner, looked the moot unlikely horse to do the trick. But it is just on the car da that he mighthave troubled voluptuary at Liverpool had he been allowed to reinaai in the entries, for Tom Cannon's Sandown winner not only jumps like a stag, but can stay a month. Writing of steeplechasing reminds me that the contest between natural and artificial, has at length been settled ia the Grand NaSaousdHunt Cabinet. The "Hunt Committee could not stand the continual abuse heaped at their obstinacy, and eventually they have removed the ever-to-be-talked of open ditch, and have substituted the following . —'* There shall be in each mile at least one open ditch 6ft wide and 3ft dovp on the taking-off side of the fence, which ditch may be guarded by a single rail, and which fence must be 4ft Gin in height, and if of dead brushwood or gorse, 2(t in width.** This reads a little more like plain sailing, or at any rate the wording is such as will not necessitate a farmer cutting about a natural hunting country to suit the taste of a few parlour sportsmen who have brought steeplechasing to their own doors by the aid of a lot of artificial and circuslike eourses. Unless a natural country can be selected, steeplechasing will never do much good; and as regard* quantity and quality! I doubt whether the past season has showed any improvement. The sale of Busybody and Harrester I

(have referred to above, but some further comment is necessary here for such an important disposal of blood stock as that of the sale of Lord Falmouth's horses in training. As one might have expected, the muster round the ring was large and influential, but it did not include Lord Falmouth, who, it seems, ha 3 been indisposed. The competition for two sucn heavily-engaged ones as Harvester and Busybody naturally attracted attention, but of the old horses these alone brought big figures, Sir John Willoughby, as before stated, giving 8600 gs for the colt, and Mr Abington SSOOgs for the maro. The two-year-olds, however, brought long prices, and John Porter .gave nioei money for a colt by Hampton out of Chevisaunce, called Louisbourg, who reached -MWOgs before tho hammer fell. The eolt was bought for Mr Cloete, a gentleman recently arrived from the Cape, and 1 may add that he has made a good etart at Kemptan Park, aa I hear he won the Grand Prite with Cherry. Jael, by Silvio out of Janaette, was purchased for Mr ilantoa, and Tom Cannon took Esther Faa, by Skylark out of Wheel of Fortune, for Mr Abington. Heath House patrons did not take so bold a part aa anticipated, but it was a rare tip when Lord. Hastings gave iSOOgs for a half sister to Galliard. and Armida. * Of oth«r turf gossip I regret to learn the death of Mr A. H.T.Newcoiuen.agtsntleman well known in racing circles, and more particularly iu the north. Mr had at various timea possessed several racehorses aioro or less well known, and was also closely iduutified with the Kedeor meeting. Tho news reaches me from Bourton Hill as to the dt»in«c of the famous brood mare Prosperity, by Ethelbertout of Production, E* West Australian, and the property of rE. W*wer. She died recently from inttaratuation, which eusuwl after giving birth to a fine colt by Pallegrino. Prosperity was the dam of many winners, ; amongst others being Prosper, Prospero, Sir Joseph, Sir Charles, Vanquisher, Sarah Bernhardt, Pales, kc.