SPORTING NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXII, Issue 7386, 31 October 1884, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

[By Helios.] THE ST LEGER.

Doncaster, Sept. 10. As I sit down to give my readers a sketch of what I saw on tho St Legor day at Doncaster, tho streets of that pleasant Yorkshire town are still alive with the noisy revelry of what may bo termed its annual festival. Lambkin, the property of Mr R. C. Tyner, has won, and the Tykes are frantic with delight. Mr Tyner is one of their own kin, and that is the reason for the extra rejoicing. It would no doubt have been increased had Lambkin been trained bn tho downs at Hambledon by William Sanderson, with tho remainder of Mr Tyner’s team; hut in tho late Mr Clare Tyner’s time the colt was handed over to Matthew Dawson, who was thus enabled to lay claim to having trained his fourth Legor winner. There is an old and true adage which says it’s bettor .to be born lucky than rich, and this really applies to tho case of The Lambkin, who without doubt is nothing but a good second-rate handicap horse. Not that I wish to detract from his victory. Far from it. He could do no more than place his name among tho list of St Legor winners, but I will toll my readers how this was accomplished. Of course, as you are aware, wo have had an exceedingly dry season for this changeable climate of ours, and trainers at Newmarket and other places have been at their wits’ end to know what to do with the celebrities under their charge on the dry and parched turf, bomo shrewd judges a month ago expressed the opinion that some horse of second-class would win the St Loger, as his trainer would not be afraid to break him down, and one of those was none other than Mr Christopher, an intimate friend of Mr Poy, tho owner of Scot Free, then tho reigning favourite. In TattersaU’s subscription room he then told me that he had been at Newmarket to have a look at the Guineas winner, and said that one might as well train on the turnpike road os on thp.Heath. Little did he think at the

time of his visit that ho saw the colt in Lambkin that would realise his idea. Trainers, as before stated, wore in fear of sending good horses along, and at that period Mathew Dawson could have had little idea of winning the til Loger with Mr Yyncr’s colt. He had an outside chance of course, and the Heath House trainer had instructions to prepare him especially for the great prize of tlic North. Daily therefore was this colt galloped over the adamant going, and ho stripped a trained horse on the day of the race. The same could not ho said of Scot Free, Harvester, Queen Adelaide, Superb,a, Ac., each of which was at times more or less under suspicion, and coukl not have been in the best form when pitted against The Lambkin at Doncaster. The latter, therefore, won the St Loger, through being thoroughly fit to run, and that the good judges were right in their theory that horses require to be up to concert pitch, was further verified when Sandiway hunted home The Lambkin. Sandiway, we all know, is at least 141 b behind a good classed colt like the Duke of Richmond, and when placing the latter alongside another flyer like St Simon, it says very little indeed for the lot that tried conclusions for the last classic race of the season. On Tuesday morning I kept up the time-honoured custom of going out to see the horses gallop on the Town Moor, and here I found further proof of what Mr Christopher and other critics said of the chances afforded a moderate horse that was clean wound up, beating all the cracks. Of the number present three were only galloped the coarse, and curiously enough, they included Lambkin and Sandiway, the pair that finished first and second. Mathew Dawson himself said to a friend of mine on this very morning that he could not understand how the present new school of trainers were likely to win a St Leger with the middling sort of preparation that many had received, while John Porter also said that to do so they must have a deal in hand. The real fact is that many owners and trainers get infatuated with a good horse, and believe him capable of almost anything. But of this we have ample proof that such ideas are erroneous. We have fifty instances. Take the Great Yorkshire Stakes at York, and the St Leger at Doncaster, as a guide to this line of argument. It was clear that Apology, Blair Athol, Dutch Oven, and others of our time were far from fit when beaten in the Knavesmire, and yet the extra gallops they had between that and the St Leger told one what a fortnight will do. The constitution of horses, I am well aware, varies, and ahorse of the Newminster line does not require the same amount of w*rk as a deacerdant of Stockwell. But to gallop successfully over such a long and-striding mile and threequarters like the St Leger track, a horse must be kept moving to substitute hard muscle for flesh, and this was the case with The Lambkin and Sandiway, who looked as hard as nails. The Duke of Westminster’s filly is rather mean looking, and what is more, has a decided tendency to the weedy side, and this was shown more than ever when racing home with a powerful and striding colt like The Lambkin. But to my thinking there was not a real tip-topper in the field. Superba has thickened into a very nice compact filly, and fairly carried off the palm in the paddock, where Harvester, the Derby dead heater, was not liked; neither was Scot Free. From some points, the Guineas winner has plenty of character, but he is rather short to my fancy, and gives one more an idea of speed than staying. Besides, I doubt if he was quite so sound as when we saw him in the spring, albeit when Osborne set him going in his canter he moved very short and scratchy, and Harvester did not exhibit the same dash as we saw in the Derby. He is a cripple, without doubt. What a mess St Gatien would have made of the lot, had he been among the competitors! St Gatien stays well, and this we saw at Ascot; indeed, it will not in the least surprise me to see him beat all the three-year-olds in the Cesarewitch, despite the fact that he has been allotted Bst 121 b, a task hitherto unknown in the annals of racing.

The Lambkin, of course is first favourite for the Cesarewitch, since he landed the St Leger, but with Bst 41b on his back he will find it no easy task. If any of my readers have never seen a race run on the Cesarewitch course, let them ask Mr Joseph or Barney Thompson, both of whom have returned to the Colonies. I do not think they found bookmaking very remunerative even here, and the “ firm” left close upon ,£IO,OOO behind them. Bather an expensive trip, attached to which there could be little pleasure in taking one's stand in the ring and bawling the odds from one week’s end to the other. That, however, was their business and not mine. Barney told me himself that he had learnt much from our mode of bookmaking, and admitted the system was decidedly better than the principle in vogue at the Antipodes. But, according to all accounts, if the brothers lost .£IO,OOO they have paid dear for their experience. It is a wonder that they did not stay for the St Leger, but I expect they were anxious to return in time to see the Melbourne Cup decided. It was curious to read on'this side, in the entry for the greatest of all hanlicaps in the Colonies, the name of Robert the Devil, and that he was owned by Mr Brewer. May he be half as good. Had “ our Bobby” been in the St Leger what misery he would have relieved those from who pinned their faith to such rotton reeds as Harvester, Queen Adelaide, Scot Free, Ac. There was class for you and something to look at. Then, again, it is a curious fact that the time test has been exploded to a certain extent by the result of The Lambkin’s race. Moderate as these colts and fillies were, they are represented to-day as running the St Leger course in the fastest time on record. The watches made it 3min 13|soc. They seemed to run the race at a good pace, and no doubt those who " clocked” the Leger were correct to the “ tick.” But of what use is all this sort of thing ? I am well aware that in America and in the Colonies it is always considered reliable. And it may be so where you have prepared tracks and see your jockeys ride like butcher boys from end to end. Our system is quite different. Our races are run over hill and dale, and our chief jockeys have more sense than to play such a cut-throat game. It has always been my opinion that trainers should never let boys even ride with a whip. One hand is not sufllciently strong to finish with, and what is more they Always got abroad in trying to use the whip. More than once little Martin, one of our best light weights hasfolthurt, when a certain trainer has said " give me the whip,” when lifting him into the saddle, and Fordham always maintains to this day that had Martin been allowed the use of one last year he would have thrown the Cesarewitch away on Don Juan, Then bad horses are more likely to run hist races in public than good ones, and when a crack is running in this country he is always to be seen waiting with his more moderate opponents. Indeed, the only use the time test in this country is. that it shows the pace at which a race is run. Even then it is of no value. As a trial tost there is nothing like putting horses together when the tackle can be relied upon to bo in form. At Doncaster, few, if any, of the competitors wore galloped or tried before Doncaster, and not even did tho Duke of Westminster ascertain whether Cambusmore was better than Sandiway before leaving Kingsclero. The public, of course, took it for granted that such was tho case, as Archer wore tho proper colours on Cambusmore, but if hart steered Saudiway she might have been much nearer The Lambkin, if not absolutely in front of Mr Vyner’s colt. The latter chestnut was a good deal banged about in the race, and like the winner and Superba had quite enough of it. From the be s d *£ e ™ rs ? w too begin to roll so, and with Tho Lambkin, carrying Sand 5 way

partly across the course Wood wasenabled totake inside berth with Supertyi, The latter, however, had crossed her legs previously, and another pair that werjj much interfered with were Scot aad Harvester. The trio each pulled upleg weary, and Ihave little hesitation in saying that the best horse on the day won the Si; Leger. The Lambkin’s form hero makes t ie French colt Little Duck, a liyer, and the pedigree of the winner shows him to be stoutly bred, both on the side of sire and dam. The colt, as 1 have hinted in my opening remarks, was bred by the late Mr H. P. Clare Vyntr, and about the time the entry closed for the Leger he was in such illhealth 'that his brother nominated The Lambkin ; indeed, it read a little curious on the card—“ Mr Ji. C. Vy:ier names the late Mr H. F. C. Vyncr’a b c. <tc.a fact that caused Captain Machtll to ask the stewards a question a* to the validity of the entry prior to the start. The Stewards decided the colt was entitled to run, and, as all the world now knows well, he has been returned the winner of the muchcoveted prize of the North, a race that Busybody must have landed easily had she remained sound. The Oaks Heroine, I may add, broke down about tea cays before the race, and will now quit the course for the paddock. It is a pity that the fatal pen was not used in scratching this filly earlier. One does not like to see good racehorses in the hand of the dead meat bookmakers, a fact that in Busybody’s case has proved little short of a scandal.

The Prince of Wales was present at Doncaster, looking remarkably well, and I hear His Koyal Highness vm among the fortunate backers of the winner of the St Leger. Lord Falmouth, was also present, and as he re-purchased Darnaway, a halfsister to Busybody for IOOOga, it is just on the cards that before long we shall see the magpie jacket on our racecourse again. So far it has been much missed this season. I have little time to deal with the other part of the Doncaster sport, but may here add that the Duke of Portland won the time-honoured Champagne Stakes with Langwell, a colt that has in..re than once disappointed his connection this season. Lawminster took the Great Yorkshire Handicap, beating three opponents by his staying powers, and Theban came out hr the aU scarlet of Mr Manton. AQUATIC. In conclusion, I may add that we are all expecting to learn some 'details of the defeat of Hanlan. It was the surprise of the year to find that he Lad at length found a conqueror. We could scarcely believe it. Joe Thompson was delighted when he heard the news, an<| talked of the good men of the Colonies, immediately. This happened, however, to be said in. the presence of Hanlan's ’chief London hacker, who at once remarked, “ Yon are going home and ‘can take a challenge.” Continuing, the backer said, “ I cannot throw' the glove at the feet of a beaten man, so you can .ted them out in Australia that if Beach wants a match in. England, Wallace Boss shall row him over the Championship coarse, from Putney to Mortlake, for .£SOO a-side.” This took place on receipt of the news, and the defeat of Hanlan will, no doubt, disturb rowing from, its slumbers.