ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1187, 30 November 1894, Page 25

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

THE LATE ALEO TAYLOH.

From Our Own Correspondent. London, October 6.

Old Alec Taylor, who succumbed to a long illness at Manton last week, was one of the ancient school of trainers, and opposed to all modern innovations. He had very independent ideas, and if his clients didn't like them they ceased to be his clients. That redoubtable old lady, the late Duchess of Montrose, held Alec Taylor in great respect. He was, unlike most of her servants, not the least afraid of her, and when she scolded, he returned her home truths quite as good as she gave. For many years after Mr Stirling Crawfurd's death the Duchess periodically removed her horses from Manton, and sent them back again there. For his old patron's sake Alec Taylor stood the tempers and whims of his relict. When, however, Her Grace bestowed her venerable hand on her present spouse, there was a permanent breach. **l am used," Alec is reported to have said, "to your Grace's peculiarities, but I canna stand being ordered about by a young whippersnapper as might be my grandson." The Duchess being several years older than Alec, this was—as servants say—- '.' a nasty one."

Alec Taylor's first Derby winner was Teddington, whom he trained for Sir JV-seph Hawley, and that same year (1851) he carried off the One Thousand wi*.h Aphrodite, the Ascot Stakes with Vatican, the Great Yorkshire with Confessor, and the Doncaster Cup with The Ban.

At the end of the year a serious difference broke out between Sir Joseph and Mr John Massey Stanley, which ended in the latter purchasing Sir Joseph's half of Teddington for £ISOO, and remaining in command at Fyfield, with Alec Taylor for his private trainer. Between 1852 and 1856 the fickle goddess withdrew her favours from the Fyfield Stable, and on Mr Stanley's retirement from the Turf Alec Taylor's fortunes were at a low ebb. Fortunately several new employers came to the rescue, and among them the last Marquis of Ailesbury but three, who soon restored the stable's good luck by winning the Doncaster St. Leger with St. Albans in 1860, and the City and Suburban in 1861 with Cantine. Shortly afterwards Alec Taylor resolved to transfer his quarters from Fyfield to Manton, where, in the middle of the finest downs in England, he built himself one of the most perfect training establishments that these islands have evpr seen. The approach to his house for the last two miles is over a roadless green down, and the stables are built in the form of an ellipse, without a single window looking outwards. A private chapel is appended, at which service is performed on Sundays, and such is the inaccessibility of the place that the secrets of the Manton stable have for years past been kept better than those of any other racing establishment in England. In addition, the gallops, which, at great expense. Alec Taylor at last succeeded in clearing of stones, are the best (with perhaps the exseption of those surrounding Weathercock Hill at Lambourne) that any trainer can boast. Immediately in front of the Manton gates there i* a deep cleft or valley, sunk between a couple of hills along which two-year-olds can be tried for threequarters of a mile, without ifc being possible for any strange eye to catch a glimpse of the gallop. Most of all, however, will experienced visitors to Manton be delighted with what Alec Taylor called his Cesarewitch course, which we do not hesitate to affirm is one of the finest long gallops in the world. It is said that, after paying a visit to Manton a few years since, Captain Michell, on returning to the house, sat down and wrote a cheque, across the top of which he inscribed the words, " under £50,000," and tossed it across the table to Alec Taylor, bidding him fill in what price be liked, subject to the conditions written above, in exchange for the Manton establishment. How much truth there may be in the story I am unable to say, but certain it is that nothing but death would have divorced Alec Taylor from the home in which he had lived so long, and for which his affection was so well known. ,

Although it has long been the fashion to allege that he was too severe upon his horses, no one can deny that the greatest confidence was reposed in him by a long line of illustrious and experienced employers. After Mr John Stanley's secession from the turf, Sir Joseph Hawley, one of the most sagacious and practical owners of racehorses in the world, offered to come back to Manton and again to appoint Alec Taylor his private trainer. The latter refused to surrender his public stable, and in it he has been supported by such distinguished patrons as Mr W. Stirling Crawfurd and his wife the Dowager Duchess of Montrose, by the Marquis tf Ailesbury t Mr Charles

GreviJle, Mr George Payne, the Duke of Beaufort, Mr F. Gretton, Mr J. N. Astley, Mr Hatuer Bass, and others. Though it was not till the Liverpool's Dam colt (as Sefton was for a long time called) followed up an unexpected City and Suburban victory by landing the Derby itself in 78 that Alec Taylor repeated the Teddington coup he was on several occasions very near securing the Blue Riband. In 1866 Savernake was only beaten a head by Lord Lyon, and in 1872 the Fyfield outsider Brother to Flurry (subsequently named Pall Mall) was within an ace of overturning a tremendous pot in Cremorne. Besides the Derby Alec Taylor won the Oaks for Mr Orawfurd with Thebais, and the Leger with Craig 1 Millan. Thebais subsequently ran second for the City and Suburban, and won the Liverpool Cup under 9st 41b. She had the Cambridgeshire cf 'B2 at her mercy, but the Duchess scratched her, and thereby hangs a tale too long to tell hero. Alec Taylor always played a strong hand in the autumn handicaps, but he was not lucky. Perhaps the worst stroke which ever befel the stable occurred in 18S6. Then, with not merely the Cesarewitch but the Cambridgeshire at their mercy they missed both. Carlton (3yrs, 68t 131 b) was—as not merely his trial but his subsequent career showed —a dead certainty for the Cambridgeshire, and how he came to run third only puzzles people to this day. The Cob, too, ought to have won the Cesare>vitcb, but the 6st boy riding tired to nothing, and when Stone Clink bore down with a wet sail he could not set his horse going again. Londotst, October 13. The concluding day of the Kemp ton Parle October Meeting was utterly marred by the weather. During the early races a thick white mist obscured the horses till they were within a stone's-throw of the stands, and just after the principal event, the Duke of York Stakes (handicap), of .£1745, had been run off rain poured down in torrents. For the valuable prize mentioned a very good field turned out, no less than 18 animals journeying down to the mile starting - post. The better - known horses included in the field were —Lord Alington's Leger winner, Throstle, who had a burden of Bst 91b; Sir W. Throckmorton's Avington, 4yrs, 9st 71b; Victor Wild, 4yrs, Bst 91b; Athel, syrs, 7st lib; Worcester, 4yrs, Bst 21b; Carrick, 7st 131 b; Buckingham, 4yrs, 7st 121 b; and the disappointing St. Florian, by St. Simon— Palmflower, 3yrs, 7st. The public fancy was Worcester, who started at .-5 to 1, Avington being backed at sixes, Throstle at 100 to 15, and St. Florian at 10 to 1. When the horses came out of the mist Athel was in command, with Throstle, Avington and St. Florian a few lengths in the rear. A hundred yards from home the latter suddenly shot out, and though the colt gave his little jockey all his work to do to keep him straight, St. Florian stalled off the desperate challenges of Athel and Avington, and won by half a length from the first - named, the top - weight being beaten by a length. Throstle and Worcester were only heads behind, but the mare ran very unkindly. The last great flat race of the " legitimate " season with our neighbours across the Channel was run on Sunday, when, in avengement of Matchbox's defeat by the queerly-named Dolma Baghtche, an English horse put to the credit of a very English sportsman the valuable Prix du Conseil Municipal. Thirteen runners sported silk for this event, a handicap of the value to the winner of .£4OOO, run over a mile and a half course. The Frenchmen constituted Baron Schickler's Ravioli, 3yrs, Bst 51b, favourite, but he was closely pressed in the betting by Mr Wallace Johnstone's Best Man, 4yrs, Qst* 21b, and by Fripon, syrs, Bst 31b. Mons. Abeille's grand colt Callistrate, 4yrs, lOst lib, was, despite the burden, well supported at sixes, and Tom Cannon's Reminder, 3yrs, Bst 51b, carried a good deal of both. French and English money at 8 to 1. The remainder figured from 12 to 66 to 1, the betting accurately foreshadowing their position in the race. After some delay at the post the lot got well away together, Ravioli making the pace, and the favourites in handy attendance. At a rare pace the field came on till within three furlongs from home, where Ravioli caved in and let up Fripon. At the distance Best Man and Callistrate challenged, and a vigorous set-to ended in the English horse winning by a length from Mons. Abeille's crack, with Fripon third three lengths away. The time was 2min 42 3-ssec, which was very fast, considering the heavy state of the track.