ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 9169, 31 July 1890, Page 7

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

'[FROM ova OWN CORRESPONDENT.] London, June 5, Of the two great races decided since I •wrote last week the first was the Manchester Cup, which fell to Lord Randolph Churchill’s L’Abbesse de Jouarre. When this quaintly-named filly won the Oaks a year ago seven furlongs was supposed to bo the: full length of her tether, and for this reason the daughter of Trappist and Festive ran unbacked. For similar causes the-public declined to stand “ Absceas-on-the: jaw ” over the stiff mile and threequarters at New Barns last Friday. Neither Trappist nor Festive could ever get even a- mile comfortably, so that it did aeem to the highest degree improbable their daughter should prove an out and out •tayer. Really, Tom Cannon’s superb riding and the filly’s turn of speed judiciously husbanded won the race. Eighteen runners went to the post, nine of whioh were strongly supported by their stables. Yasistas (first favourite since Kempton) finished in strong demand at 100 to 30. Barone, eights could be bad abdtft- either of four—Theophilus, Father Confessor, Honndsditcb, or Reve d’Or. Then came Kenilworth (an eleventh hour rush)'backed down from 33 to 1 to 100 to 6, and Redsand at 20 to 1. Ringmaster and '.L’A'bbeaae do Jouarre, after figuring at 12 to 1 in the morning retreated to 20 to 1 offered, and 25 to 1 was tendered vainly about Oxeye and Propriety. Narrator (once second favourite) started at 50 to 1, the extreme outsider being Bert at 66 to 1. The party at the back of Houndsditeh, believing staying to be their representative’s strong point, instructed Woodburn to make the running after going the first half-mile. These orders the boy obeyed so well that entering the straight Mr Lowther’a horse seemed to be winning hands down. A few yards further bn, however, Houndsditeh compounded, and was pulled out, leaving Father Confessor with the lead in the centre of the course. Had S. Loates then secured the inside berth, Mr Abington’s colt must have won. Unfortunately his attention was centred on Yasistas and Theophilus on the right, both of which were racing him hard. This enabled Cannon, who, after keeping L’Afcbessede Jouarre last most of the way was how coining, with a wet sheet, to slip in’ between the rails, and the favourite. Riding with rare ' dash, ho closed wiih Father Confessor in the last hundred yards, and won a pretty race by half a length/ Yasistas, beaten a neck only for second place, was third, and Theophilus fourth. The stable won a nice stake, but (as has been stated) Lord Randolph’s filly was not a public fancy. ’■ The Whitsuntide Plate, of 3000 sovs, for two-year-olds, on Saturday, resulted in a big turn up, both MrHouldsworth’s highly tried Orvieto and Mr Mahton’s St Cyr succumbing to M. Blanc’s Reverend, by Energy—Eeveuse, the three having a large field behind them. Reverend only just managed to outstay Orvieto by a head, and St Cyr finished close up. ' June G. ' .Those who went to Epsom this year on Derby.Bay,will.remember the weather and the race to their dying hour. Bar the Cambridgeshire afternoon of 1882 (when the big 1 event bad to be postponed), it certainly was the vilest day upon which a great crowd ever went holiday-making. Th'e' pouring rain no doubt did keep many thousands away; and I dare say as a matter of fact the attendance was one of the smallest - bh record. Nevertheless, the cro#d on the hill and in the rings (which were' soon quagmires) seemed as dense as ever, and the discomfort of the occasion wasj of .course, greatly intensified by the unceasing heavy downpour. Usually, the paddock is a havqn of refuge and quiet on Derby Day; -On this never-to-be-forgotten Occasion, howbver, it proved only a. delusion and a snare.. The long grass wetted one worse - than ever, there was no ihelter . (worth .the, name) from the elements, -and ‘ the - one horse we all ♦ wanted to see—i.e., the favourite—was not , there. But tha race itself up for many trials. Since Melton and Paradox fdught out the issue in' 1885, we have not . witnessed a finish for. the Derby equal to Wednesday’s. It was all the more exciting, of course, because the betting indicated that the-race must, in more senses than one, prove a one-horse affair. During the morning , the, favourite was easy at 2,t0 1 on,. 9, to 2 being laid against Sainfoin, and 40 to 1 Rathbeai. Suddenly, money from all over the country began to pour into the ring for the last-named, and in less than half-an-hour some £7OOO must have gone on' Captain Maohell’s colt. The stable commissioner took all the bets he could get down to 20 to 1 (which was his limit), and the public followed suit, so that Rathbeai ultimately started third favourite at 100 to 7. Sainfoin, early in the day, travelled very badly in the market, a rumour gaining currency that the Kingsclerecolt disliked galloping in the rain. From 9 to 2 (taken freely). Sir James Miller’s representative receded till 7 and, in .places 8 to 1 was on offer. Ultimately a slight' rally'resulted in Sainfoin starting at 100 to 15. Neither the furore about Rathbeai nor the decline of Sainfoin materially affected the favourite's price, which grew warmer and warmer as the . eventful ’ moment approached. Finally, plungers wishing to back the crack had to lay 95 to 40 and 3 to 1 on Surefoot. Arthur Coventry started his first Derby field (the smallest on record since 1803) on excellent terms at the initial attempt. The Australian, Kirkham, led the way for the first half-mile, but the pace was very bad; indeed, from the grand stand, the field seemed simply to amble along. Not to pnt too fine a point upon it, the race was simply a travesty in its early stages, . and interest only began to be aroused when George Barrett drove the TOO i to 1 chance Orwell to the front. .From this point I will quote an admirable . description by , an expert. *< When,” says this writer, " the pace improved .it did so with a vengeance, for scarcely, had they commenced to make the descent of- the hill ere Kirkham .dropped rapidly.b a h.h into the. rear,.and Orwell • came on,. closely followed by Sainfoin. Round the. historic and dangerous 1 Tattenham Corner this pair swept clear of their rivals, with Surefoot now rapidly nearing the leaders. Even yet the race had been powerless to excite the multitude . as in most former years, but as they turned intp the straight something like an old--fashioned cheer greeted the oncoming rivals. Descending the hill both Surefoot . and Le Nord had seemed to sprawl a little, ' but when fairly round the dangerous bend both were balanced, and set straight for the final struggle. Almost os soon as they were turned for home a shout, already ..triumphant in its ring, wont up from ’ those who had pinned their faith to Surefoot, for Mr A. W. Merry’s colt was going Jo well that it seemed no difficult task for lira to gg to the front at any moment. In an ins.tant the aspect of the race had changed, for just after crossing the road .•Liddiard was seen moving uneasily on his charge, and this time the cry of ‘The favourite's beat I’ went up from the ring, - and,; sure enough, there was Surefoot .floundering about in hopeless, helpless -fashion, just when he should —according to ill.estimate of form—have been cantering " clhan away from his rivals. From this point until the winning-post was reached .therace was.full of surprising changes. When Surefoot was apparently completely done with the way to victory for Sainfoin was made easy, but suddenly.it occurred to the onlookers that a turn up of the most sensational kind .was imminent, for side by side with Sainfoin was his despised stable companion, Orwell, going to all appearance just as well as his more fancied rival. There was . no mistake about the fact that Orwell was troubling Sainfoin at this juncture, and Watts seeing the threatened danger sat : down in the saddle, and for the first time - called upon Sir James Miller's colt to do his best. Right gallantly did Sainfoin respond to the call, as after a struggle .that appeared to be much more protracted : than it really was. Sainfoin commenced to , draw away from Orwell. In the mean- ■ time, Surefoot all unexpectedly had com..menced.to gain upon the leaders, and before we were aware of it, so rapidly did

he make up his lee-way, that his victory seemed after all to be possible. To add to the excitement, Le Nord, npon whom P. Barrett bad been riding a patient race, made his effort, and joining issue with Surefoot, the pair bore down upon Orwell and Sainfoin. Opposite the telegraphboard the race had assumed a phase sufficiently interesting to atone for the tameness of the commencement of the struggle, as not more than a length separated tha leader. Sainfoin, from either Orwell, Surefoot, or Le Nord. Some fifty yards more remained to be traversed, and m this, the crucial, part of the race. Sainfoin gallantly held his own and passed the post three-parts of a length in front of Le Nord, who defeated Orwell bv a neck in their respective places, whilst Surefoot, who was placed fourth, was only a head further in the rear.” That the race was falsely run I feel pretty sure. Liddiard says Surefoot twice endeavoured to “savage” Rathbeai, and the crack’s temper is evidently none of the sweetest. Porter believed Right Away to be Sainfoin's superior when be and his partner (Sir Robert Jardine) sold Wednesday’s winner to Sir James Miller. The latter (a young man in the Guards) has landed a nice stake, and the general body of backers who will not lay odds are winners on the race. Some of the plunging fraternity looked very blue indeed after the numbers went up. I hear of one youngster who absolutely laid 8000 to 1000 on Surefoot getting placed, and all the big bets—wagered on lota of four (Surefoot, Riviera, Heaume and Le Nord) during- the winter are, of course, lost. Surefoot started the hottest Derby favourite on record since the creation of the race. June 14. “To him that hath,” Ac, Last week the Duke of Portland not only won the Epsom Grand Prize and Oaks, but landed Derby sweeps to the tune of nearly a thousand pounds. In the Turf Club sweep, worth over £SOO, his Grace had two shares for which he drew Sainfoin and Surefoot. The Garrick Club Derby sweep fell to Irving, and “friend Toole” shares with Mr Edmund Routledge the first prize at the Devonshire. The pony Semolina made the running in the Oaks for a mile, when she compounded, and Signorina for a few moments seemed going to win. At the distance, however. Memoir collared her, and quickly getting the best of a brief struggle, won easily by three-quarters of a length; MrHouldsworth’s Ponza third. Evens were laid on Signorina, 7 to 1 agst Memoir, 100 to 30 Semolina. The Prince of Wales has bought Tho Imp from Sir James Mackenzie, and itwill run in the Royal colours for the Ascot Hunt Cup on Wednesday, for which it is much fancied. His Royal Highness likewise wanted to buy Sainfoin, but as tbe colt failed to pass the vet.. Porter persuaded him not to, urging that nasty things would be said if be asked his royal employer a big price for tbe colt and it later broke down. Sir James Miller, of course, elected to run all risks. He is a Captain in the 14th Hussars, and only twenty-six. Watts, like Tom Cannon (the two Sbotovers) and Archer (Mellon and Lonely), has succeeded in riding winners of Derby and Oaks in tbe same week. The Grand Steeplechase de Paris (worth £2000) was run last Sunday at Auteuil.the winner, turning up in the Irish chaser Royal Meath, for whom Lord Dudley gave £SOOO (with a contingency of £2OOO if it won) before tbe start. Royal Meath started favourite at G to 4, and won easily by three lengths from the French Fetiche, Papillon IV. and eight others, Mr H, Beasley riding. The distance is almost the same as our own Grand National, but the fences are much easier. For the Grand Prize of Paris to-morrow Surefoot and Signorina have been scratched, and Sainfoin is not engaged. Under these circumstances Baron Rothschild will probably win with either Heaume dr Le Nord. Donovan will run his last race in tho Ascot Gold Cup on Thursday, after which the young horse joins Ayrshire at Welbeck Stud Form. The Duke of Portland cannot bear to risk defeat with his favourites, and the greater his success the more this peculiarity grows upon him. His Grace wished little'Semolina to win the Oaks, but, acting on advice, made no declaration. Watts was offered bis choice of mounts, and judiciously selected Memoir. In all probability seven furlongs is Semolina’s best distance, as it was her mother’s. A mistake has evidently been made about St Serf’s non-staying, as, after seeming thoroughly beaten at the bell in the Epsom Grand Prize, tbe colt came again with extraordinary gameness, and, catching Ornatus in the last few strides, won by a neck.