ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1186, 23 November 1894, Page 24

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

THROSTLE’S VICTORY.

From Our Own Correspondent. -London, September 21.

Be the owner of a successful outsider rich as Crc@3us and straight as the proverbial die, he yet shall not escape calumny. Ever since Leger day the “dead sharp" in town and village all over England has been admiring Lord Alington’a supposed “coup" with Throstle. Even at the clubs where men should know better, there is a tendency to hint it was “ doosed well managed don’t yer know." A® a matter of straightforward fact the most surprised persons on the course when Throstle headed Ladas were John Porter and his employers. After the Nassan Stakes at Goodwood they fancied the filly for a time and a, small Leger commission in her favour was worked at an average of 100 to 6. Then she was tried with Matchbox (the colt giving away 141 b) and beaten all to pieces. This seemed too bad to be true, so another test gallop was fixed up. At the second time of asking Throstle bolted. No sane owner could trust her after this, especially as on Leger day her coat was rough and staring, and her temper and internal arrangements upset. John Porter begged permission for his second string to be walked straight from the paddock to the post, so the filly took no part in the preliminary canter. Morny Cannon says she was sulky, and declined to go in the early part of the race. When, however, Common’s sister did take hold of her bit she flew over the ground, and her tussle with Ladas was magnificent.

The Kingsclere folks stood an immense stake on Matchbox, even John Porter having LSO (the outside sum he ever bets) on the crack. Lord Alington accepted 1000 to 20 Throstle simply in order to persuade Peach to lay him a bit more Matchbox. Baron Hirsch’s colt was, in fact, far and away first favourite for money. “Full against Matchbox" one heard on every side, whereas Ladas seemed easy, “evens" being offered against the Derby winner in the big ring. The fact of Morny Cannon being up on Throstle knocked the bottom out of most of the books in the big and the silverrings. Cannon had splendid luck on Tuesday, riding four winners in succession, and thousands of small punters consequently stood hi 3 mounts on Wednesday. It must not however be thought these gentry got 50 to 1. Your small bookie never lays such prices, but the Id’s and 20’s to 1 he noted several times over were q ;ite enough to spoil for him what should have been a good race. In Tatte’sail’d the owner of Maundy

Money (whom Throstle boat in the Nassau Stakes) backed Lord Alington’s filly to win LSOOO, and Robert Peck stood her one or two. Neither of these gentlemen however knew about the home trials or they would have kept their money in their pockets. The race was in one sense not unlike Hermit’s Derby, when you may remember Marksman devoted so much attention to beating Yanban k that his mount had no spunk left wherewith to challenge the outsider, who bore down in the last hundred yards. This seemed to be Ladas’ case. As on previous occasions he fairly bested Matchbox, but he had no staying power left to stall off the despised Throstle. John Corlett suggests that if Loates had ridden Ladas as Archer did Galliard in his Guineas struggle with Goldfield, or Melton in his magnificent Derby finish with Paradox, the result of the Leger might have been different, He says :—Possibly if Ladas had been ridden in any other way in the Si. Leger he would have been beaten further than he was, and we merely give expression to an idea rather than as suggesting that there was anything wanting in the horsemanship of Loates, when we say that if he had been ridden as Archer rode Melton in the Derby, and as Fordham was wont to finish on a speedy horse that could be nicely placed, he might have won. With Fordham nothing would have been seen of Ladas until the hurricane rush at the finish. One of the things for which Ladas will be most remembered is the extraordinaiy manner in which after vvaiting he joins the leaders. You direct your glasses on him and eee him a long way behind. You then look to see what some of the others are doing, and then turn to Ladas again ; but where is he, where has he got to ? Surely that cannot be him at the head of the field ? Only an instant ago he was last. It is Ladas, however, all the same. What surprised us most at Doncaster was, after running a waiting race, to see him come out with the lead half way between the Intake turn and the Stand, at which point he seemed to have well won. Bob Basham, who rode Knight of St. George when he won the St. Leger, and who had a good experience of Doncaster, once told us that there was no other course on which a jockey could afford to wait so long. How Archer beat Paradox for the Derby with Melton we will attempt to convey as nearly as we can recollect in his own words. Said he, “You know I had been on the back of Paradox, and knew what a beggar he was to stop when he found himself in front. When after passing Tattenbam Corner I saw the others dropping away from him, I knew what a tangle Fred Webb would soon be in. It was just as I expected, when he was left with the lead, and I determined not to go near him, as I knew that directly I raced alongside him, on he would go again, and beat me, as he would run longer than mine would. 1 left him there until we were nearly at the winning post, .when I gave'Melton two of the sharpest cuts with the whip 1 ever gave a horse, and at that moment we werß on the winning-post. Directly Paradox saw Melton-with bis head in front, on he came again, and in another stride he had done me, but we were then past the, winning-post, and I had wan by a head." That and the Cambridgeshire won by Sabinus were the two finest we ever saw, as far as jockeyship is concerned, the “ head “ in each case being that of the jockey. We think it is just possible that if Ladas lnid not attempted to come to the front until he was within a few lengths of home, that he would have wan. Looking at the pace he would have been travelling, however, and if under the circumstances he had been beaten, it would have been on every tongue “ a chucked- away race ! If Loates had come earlier he cou’d not have lost, he was going as fast again at the finish as the winner !" and so forth.

LIVERPOOL AUTUMN CUP. London, November 9. Liverpool Autumn Cup (handicap). Cup course, one mile and three furlongs. Mr P. Alexander’s b h Son-of-a-Gun, by Petronel—lthona, 4yrs ... ... 1 Sir W. Throckmorton’s b h Avington, by Melton —Annette, 4yrs ... ... 2 Mr A. D. Cochrane’s b h Egerton, by Hampton —Pompeia, 4yrs .. ... 3

DEATH OF " ME MANTON.” , London, -November 16. The death is announced of the Dowager Duchess of Montrose.

[The Dowager Duchess of Montrose was a well-known figure in the English sporting world as an owner of racehorses under the name of "Mr Manton.” She was noted for her eccentricities. The Duchess was married three times—to the fourth Duke of Montrose, to Mr W. S. Stirling-Craw-furd, and to Mr M. H. Milner, brother of the Countess of Durham.]