ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1193, 11 January 1895, Page 25

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

THE LATE “MR MANTON.”

From Our Special Corresjpondsut. London, November 24.

Caroline, Duchess of Montroa •, known to her iut'inates as " Dabs," and to the turf world as "Mr Manton," was a redoubtable dame, and will bo talked of in sporting circles for many a long day fo come. Her Grace had reached the respectable ago of 70, bub she did not look more than 53, and up to a comparatively recent date enjoyed magnificent health. Iu temperament she was a thorough Irishwoman, warm hearted, cheery, and genial, but afflicted with a hasty and ungovernable temper. Her Grace had little of the Ducheas about her. She was a tall and buxun lady, with sandy hair, a high complexion, line teeth, a horsey manner, and a jovial Hugh. A more enthusiastic sportswoman never lived, but she was too impulsive, aud too hot tempered to be fortunate racing. Jockey after jockey tried to enjure her gusty furies for the sake of her big retaining foes* but either she dismissed them or they sent in their jackets, and finally she could get nono of the celebrities to lide for her. Tho Duke of Montrose wag tho do ceaaed'a first husband. She then married Mr Stirling Crawfurd, who was one of tho richest commoners in England, and when he died in 1883 ho left her a magnificent racing stud, and a huge fortune. Jii 1882 Mr Crawfurd'a Conic Roy won the Coaarowiteh, and thuro can bo little doubt the splendid Thebais would have carried off tho Cambridgeshire also, but p.ome professional backers having helped themselves to tho cream of the market, tho Ducl.ess persuaded Mr Crawfurd to scratch her.

This led to a great hullabuloo, aud to tho hissing of Mr Crawfurd's odours when tho bearer of the "all scarlet" won a small raco on the Dewhurst Plate day of 1882. Fortunately the old gentlcmm, though sitting in his landau in tho Jockey Club enclosure, was too deaf and senile to realise what had happened. But Her Grace understood, and made a rare scane iu the Birdcage, bursting into a tempest of furio is tears before every body, and consigning Tattorsah'a Ring (from whence the hissing had chit fly came) to unmeut enable shades and lurid latitudes.

When Mr Stirling Orawfurd died his inconsolable widow announced that she meant bo give up racing. This resolve, hovyevar, did not last many months, and in the spring of '94- " Mr Manton's" name was registered, and carrying tho "all scarlet" Thebais ran second so Quicklime for tho City and Suburban. In tho autumn of the same year the daughter of Hermit and Devotion won the Liverpool Cup under 9.tt4!b.

" Mr Manton," de pile her splendid Etud, was not lucky, in handicaps, with Keir, Gay Hermit, Oberon, Loved One, Energy, Macheat.h, Timothy, and Shrine, Her Grace did faiily well, but her uo.vesb approach to classic honours v as in 1836, when St. ftliriu hid tho had luck to buck up against Onnondo and The Bard, and ran third for Dnrby and Leger. The Duchess, in a rag-, sold the colt to Sir Fredrick Johnstone for whom, with Archer up (it was this race that killed him), he all but cart ied off th«? Cambridgeshire of 'B6 and a huge stake. Next year (1887) St. JMirin did win the Liverpool Cup.under Bifc 12lb, defeating Her Grace's G*y Hermit, who was second. "Mr Manton's" most famous sale, however, occurred a little before this, when in 1880 Captain Machell purchased her entire stud of yearlings for Lord Calthorp. The lot included tho almost invincible Seabreeze (winner of Oaks and Leger) and Satiety, two animals of themselves worth four times the sum Lord Cilthorpo paid. A few years ago the Duchess dis covered she required a man to lean on, and advise her, and mado matrimonial proposals to Mr Plenty Milner, a young fellow who might have been her grand son. Mr Milner was not enraptured, but in consideration of liberal settlements consented to become Her Grace's third husband, and to manage her racing stud for her. Mr Milner's name took the place of "Mr MantonV on our race-cards, and for a brief period the Duchess seemed happy. Naturally, however, such an ill-assorted union could not bo permanently satisfactory. In ; time ructions broke out, and at last Mr Milner—after many warnings—walked out of Her Grace's house never to returnH She then tried to deprive him of

tho settlements made ab the time of the wedding but was not successful. A few months, ago the indomitable old lady's health gave way, and she became ill, but it was nob anticipated she would die so soon. Her Grace is a great loss to the turf. She spent tens of thousands annually on entnos, trainers' bills, and what not, and subscribed a fairish sum towards the maintenance of tho lting.