IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2735, 15 August 1906, Page 49

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Volume 111 of the New Zealand Stud Book has been issued. — NominaticnH for the Ashbnrton Raciag ] Clufc's* springs meeting close on August 27. I — Training reports from Caul&rfd state that Menschikoff and Delaware were doing good ! striding work. i — Flying Lemur, a brother to Flyinsr Fox, ! was sold recently in England: at 7500g5, and : goes to Germany. — Starshooi has incurred a. slb penalty for the Epsom Handicap and Metropolitan, and 31b for the Caulneld Cup. — - The trotting pony John Gilpin was sold ' (through Messrs Campbell and Sons) at Kirk'.s 1 Bazaar to Mr Gust for 4Ggs. | — tea Moon, the sister to Seahorse, taken acroM to Australi*, and sold there, has been placed in training »t Caulfleld. — The <lefunct colt by Bl»ckston« from Red" Riding Hood is included in the list of those engaged in the next Welcome Stakes. I — Maniapoto is training on nicely at Randwick, and all going weD he should get amongst the winners at the A.J.C. spring meeting-. — At Mi- J Mn&ker's sale of horses Pnncess Melton, wlio sold a* a two-yeasr-old few 15,000g5, was bought by Lord Derby at 3200g5. — The Ingomar horse Hova, who is out of | the Musket mare Happy Land, was put under I the hammer recently in Melbourne, but passed at 160gs. — Tbnrlow won a mile and a-half trot at Moonee Valley on July 28, and beat seven others, in 3.34 A. He went out third favourite at s's to 1. — r Xho well-known stallion Obligate ha* | been sold through the agency of Messxs- ' "Wright, Sf-ephenson, and Co. to' a. Nerta Island buyer. I — Several trainers and jockeys who were recently granted their licenses by the V.R.C. were cautioned against "hanging about" the betting ri»gs. — Solution is reported to have moved sorely whilst doing half-pace work at Randwick, but nothing serious is believed to be amiss with the daughter of Problem. —Mr G. G. Stead's invasion of the Au«- , tralian turf last spring succe^dLed m placjne

r ' aim fifth on the list oi winning owners in' 3 Australia with £3370 to his credit. !• — The Wallace colt Tom Moore, who first i saw the light of day at the Elderslio Stud, r whither his <fern was sent on » visit to Step* i niak, pulled up very lame alter working at - ; Caulneld recently. j • — F. Musgrave, who has the Menschikoff— r Apparition colt on lease, neglected to register > the lease- when nominating' for trie A.J.C. f young races. Tfee A.J.C. Committee' hxve dcs cidei that the- nomination was valid, but fined 1 i Musgrave £1 for bia omission. — The- 3leP>onrne Argus states that Yabba t Gabba has been backed to- thw extent of £3000 • ' for ike Caulneld Cop, in: which, ber weight is 6.9. She is of Buenalf and the . Tienton mure The Meddler, whose dim wa* f got by Grand Flaneur, Ilie sire of Rueaalf. t : — i'he Slepniak — Madder colt belonging to j Mr J Buckley has been named Ml Red. At [ j latest accounts the colt was not doing too \ well and was to be «<tsed up a» bit in his \ j work. Tns Stepniak— Herman* colt in the ' J same stable is said to be shaping promisingly j at present. ' ; — The Racehorse Owners' Association in \ ! England is being severely criticised fox its : \ action in boycotting the Sundown. Park Comf i pany. Sally's says it will not be long be- > for* the Jockey Club comes down on the 1 ' association with a heavy hand, and that will ' ' be the end of it. - . — After being identified with the fortunes < • of the Danedin Jockey Club for *• great many • years,, the well-known fofejisator proprietor, > Mr P. Mason, and oar metropolitan- boQy,h»v«» ; parted; owing to the latter accepting- fh» ten- ■ ■ tier of Ifessr* W. and F. <f«m«s to work the ; ' totsSisstOrs at Wingatui. [• | — Pretty Polly's sire, GaHinttle, would not, '- -. when his »tud Ufa Began, have been looked a* ', : by Engliah breeders, and in- Ireland? Bis- ser- , , \ioea wera for son* Jw»r» firee to approved i mares. Bachelor's Bwtton is- by'"Winkfield, a ' > horse given sway by John Hornsby, who ifl 1 j those days trained at Letcombe Regis. ! —In this colony charges at betting with i "infants" are usuaUy faa*en«d- on. to boofck makers, and the tot&lis&tor, although not «lto- ' gether innotoeat in thfrinattef, is left alone-. ," but in Brisbane recently a. totalisator clerk ' [ was fined £10 and £2 17s costs for- selling a> 1 r ticeta to « person under 91 years of age. : > — TJ» Hew Zealand mar* Windy was i ' amongst the winners at Moonee Valley on ■ July 28. She went out at tfa to- lin a fieJel :-! of 12, and won by four lengths in» an eight and i-hsitt furlong race, which sb* left behmd I in 1.51. It will be remembered the daughter i of Chincotfon and Brown Spec- was sold refi oently at 380g», and is booked for India. : —At a sale of yearlings in England a. bkek i colt by Lov«d One from Edna was sold at j 15gs. Mr Tattersalt declared him to be 1 absurdly oheap. "We have," he added, "seen | several bla-:k horses win this week, and yet ' there appears to be a- prejudice against them.' 1 "I have ott'^n noticed this prejt^ce, and won- : dered why it should be so penitently enter1 tamed," say* an English writer. J —la conversation with J>. J. Price, .fa» ' Maonland trainer, he stated (says » Sydney j \vritar) that the Kibbcnwood youngsters n i New Zealand show great promioe, a yearling t over there being able" to show a %30 gait. : "la Bibbonwood a, stayer?" was asked Mr i Price* His f«o» fairJy lit up as he replied, • "A stayer to the backbone, a t«n-miler." And .' h» ought to know, as he handled Bibbonj wood" in his training and drove him in hi* . : races. „_, ._ j —It is said tfcat" r we are to have » bill to ! regultto r«cinc ia the State introduced ' shortly. lam mfornifld (sftys the Sydney oor- ;' resopndent of the Australasian^, that the lead- • ins features in it a*e. no track of less than ' se*«n ftniongs will b«r »nowed, «nd ttat not ; more tk»* W ofeyo' racing will b« granted vi i a season on any ©ne course. If this becomes i law, ft- will cut down th« profits that »ome of ! tb» speculators anticipate making out of pony and galloway racing. ! —At » meeting of the D.J.C. Coru- ! mittee held last week the* offers to j work the totaliaator at Wingatui for ! the year were considered, and after full discuasicktt it w*s deckled to accept the offer of Messrs W. and F. James, The question of system was referred to the. Totaliaator Committee, with, power to act. The committee then considered the programme for the year, showing, an intjrease in stakes, of £570. In future in no open race will the stake be less than lOOsovs. . — Writing of the Grand Prix de Paris, the Field says:— The tctal receipts for admission to the course and standaL were £18,400, or £3114 more than last year, the takings being chiefly from tB» visitors in th« grand stand, while the* money invested at the pwri-mutuel was over jBaOOOOOi of which. £90,(K» was on tb« Grand Prix, alone. The tot«l increase^ as com- • pared with lost year, was £76,000, so th*t there ! can be, no doubt as to the popularity of this i mode of betting; which ha» tb» immense ad- ; vantage of baing the> true exoxeßsion of th» '•• edds against each Bots©- in the racev I — When tu* la*i; mail left London his- Mas' jesiy the King's horse Persnnmiott stood at the bead ot winning stallion* compiled after Ascot, June 34. Fewhnmon had eight r wmnel* ol 11 races, woitfa. £10,324. white Gailtnule filled, aexond place, and Carbine third. Xbe former wa» oxodited witL nine winners of 13 ' races, valued at £3751, and' the latter with, six , winners el eigjat races, worth i 28977, a^total which doe* not, of course, inrfude «ie Grand | Prix «c Pariir, which was wol*^^lo'^w ol *^^ lo '^ ! Ladas is fourtri orr the list, seme £&& und«: I Carßine; then follow Winkfierd, IsmgJasfi. St. ! Frusfluin, and Ayrshire, with Matchmaker, ! whose progeny won J4«O, last; . ! — Giea* interest was takep;-in t ? e n ,? a ' y •■ yearling B*fc» at Newmarket, England. There Were buyer* present from Prance, Argentina, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Italy. 3ix J. Musker cleared out bis mares stolhonv an* I foals for a total of *3,76050 v». S» R W. B. I Jardine secured Baroness- !L» Fleehe for 1 750053, and La Force for 28»bb> Los*. Derby «»ave 320033 for Princess MeFton, which- Me ! Joel purchased for 15,0(X%s as »■ two-year-old. Chevening BeHe r Admiral Baefcse,. and Qrui wcr» soli to Hungary, «md Flying Lemur fourul a yiwc^as^ m Germany for 7500g5. Thirty tw3-year-alds sold for 12,880g», among I them beirg a sistax to Paid Up, which wenti to Sir E. Cassell for 2100gs. — Some three years ago Messrs Barnes purchased Siege Gun to assist St. Bfrrize in th» Dyraaba work, and, says "Milroy," judging this hsradsoroe son of Hotchkisa by his stock, they have no reason to regret their enterprise. 1 Siege Gun is s dapple toown horse, and * j combination of quality and strength. Like S». Blaise, he i* exceedingly good through th« heart, across- the- loins, and from coupling- to hock, and, better still, he i* prepotent to a degree, and stamps his stock. Siege Gun is a deal in Niagara's atyte, that is, he favours Frailty rather -than his sire. Niagara j is by Anteros, a chestnut breed «nd *«*«*• 1 aon of Stockwell, while Frailty, I am told, bore I the stamp of Goldsbrough to the bfe. The I tiharacter of Goldsbrough. i» certainly recognisable in her sons— Trenton, Niagara, Havoc, and Siege Gun,— who wore all by different sires; and what a splendid quartet which, with Cuirassier, Zalinski, end Lancaster, represent* the old mare's blood to-dey. , — Sir Donald MacfcenzW Wallace, m m« recent work, "Russi*," says: "The number of post-horses generally used in those partg of Bxreeia where railways b»ve not penetrate* ' is three, unless tbo traveller is inaiffiertu*

to appearances, when he may content himself with two. One harse ie put in the *h*fts, his head kept high by a barring rein, but the others are lodiely attached on each side, and gallop freely with their heads turned outiaaxds in classical fashion. "The horses aro «suaily the moat miserable-Joofcing ocrow« it is possible to imagine: but their appearance belies them, «nd they will do their 10 or IS miles an hour in mot>t creditable iashion if properly driven. The post-boy, or yamstchik, commonly carries a little harmless whip, iut ihe smtekr uses 3t, except by waving it horizontally in the air. All his incitements are oral He talks to his horses unceasingly, now in endearing accents, now in. term* of the tfcurp*Kt Abuse. At one moment they are his 'fittls doves,' at another, 'cursed hnnruis.' "

— 4Etf .all "whips," either amateur or professional, erer known in Kngtandj, none showed ao much reckless -daring as "Jack" Myiton. On one -occasion he paid a -visit to Mr -Qarhe, a wsll-known horse-dealer, of Grock Meole, near Shrewsbury, with the object, .pwsuniably, *«f baying a horse. One of the animals shown iiki 3# pnt, tandem-fashion, io his^g, to see if i» *ronhl make .a good leader. As they -went howling along the road, Mr Clarke sitting hnfiifJD ham,. Mytton inquired if tie dealor thoqgirt Obe horse irouH make a good jumper. iQn Mr Clarke replying that he had his dorib'ts about it, Mytton responded, "Then -'we'll, fif Aim," asd, the oksed turnpike gate '■■;' atfr'JßaaMWpA -being before them, he gave the ' horses fheir heads. A nick of iha whip on ' the flank "at the' same time, and €he leader went at the obstacle, clearing it in fine style.leavioj; Mytton, .the dealer, and all else on the otherside. By what was almost a miracle. * neither of the bipedß nor quadrupeds suffered any injury, though it fe recorded that the gig was smashed to atoms. — Ma meeting of 3he Victorian Owner* and Trainers' Association, held recently, the ■takes given at suburban meetings were under consideration Tho <3hairman W. BxaSL) said "the fees for racing -were far too heavy. Owners had to put down £460 to Tun for &0& or £350. How was the sport carried on? The T.B.C. -and VA.T.C. were legitimate racing clubs, but the proprietary olubs were 'milking the racing cow" The latter clubs were taking: from £10000 to £LsfiO9 y»«*ry out <d the sport. It iid not appear likely that any redress was to he obtained from -the V.B:C., and if they could not get what they wanted by others means. Parliament should b» approached. Nobody really knew what the proprietary .clubs earned." Finally it was decided, on the suggestion of Mr J. H. Davies, that -the vice-president (Mr Said) ha asked to attend the annual meeting of the V.8.C., and seek t<> have -an amendment of the rales, so that In* nomination and acceptance 'fees should be & per cent, of the stake, 1 per cent. 4f tfts-awMtat W go to the prix*. No notice having Win £iven, this cannot be done. — In Melbourne recently the Pull ■Court delivered judgment in the case of Oolman v. the V.8..C. It unanimously found in lavour of plaintiff, who asked for a declaration that the bylaw of 4he club which empowered it to fix a fee {or bookmakers .plying their calling on the Plemington Racecourse was invalid. The Aotmg-chief Justice found lor the defendant dtob *t Oa .trial, and hia decisioa .ha« therefore been reversed. Justices Hood, and Cnomley delivered judgrxent, and held -that to iiapeee such * registration fee as tb« committee shouU^-from time io -time detezmine "was unreasonable and uncertain, because it allowed differential charges between one parson and another. The Chairman of the V.B*C. is eat of <he,«tate; but Mr Croker. a member of the committee, states that a special meeting will be held to consider the decision, and thai probably an appeal will be lodged. The effect of the decision is that any one who chooses to pay -for admission may go te the rouree -to bet, provided he does not cause' annoyance or bet from a technical "pW" v — Speaking the -other day with an owner •who holds a very prominent position on ihe turf, he was discussing (says an English writer) the small number of wins which the King has, considering the number of horses he bVsfde and has in training. He was mentioning this as demonstrating what a thorough sportsman, his Majesty must be, for the majority of owners would become co discouraged that fliey would not proceed against all the bad luck they were encountering. In the case of the head -of the State it certainly is refreshise to see such a thorough "plucked 'nn." He ha® the very best of material to •work on, but hitherto as Tegards those he has bred himself since he was King, the results have not been at all satisfactory. -Certainly he won %-sreall race at Epsom, but his record for the last three seasons is not «t all encouraging-. Some of the assumed good ones find their way evsnttfally into selling hurdle races or steeplechases iv other colours. There may be sane daxk.-oues which we have to see yet. -but if Nuih' Secundus was supposed to ievive the i<y*l fortunes, all I can cay is that the rest must he * very poor lot, as no? one seems to have tlis slightest desire to posses! «. colt wh-.> ran last in the Derby. — - "Tale-tellers" -and "tick-tackers" flourish on West Australian racecourses, and. referring; to this undesirable state of affairs, -* Perth scribe says: — "For some time past I have been drawing attention to the want of activity on the part of racecourse officials in ridding the enc'oeures of undesirables. So far «« the suburban clubs are concerned, action in this direction has not ye* been taken. Bunners, tick-tockers and trie-tellers still follow their objectionable practices unchecked. On Saturday, a-t jOunning Park. I saw two bookmakers who operate at turregietered -meetings interviewing jockeys, trainers, and stable :m «n-. itt and about the stalls, as the horses were being saddled up. Visits to the ring followed. This is done quite openly, and in front oi "the public they take jockeys aside for a private talk. One of those I saw i-s a man disqualified from the unregistered -courses. Yet he has fuu access to the enclosures and saddling -paddocks of registered courses. Surely it is time thai the jockeys were kept «.way from the general public, *s is now done on the goldfields. ■ Above all, H is high time that the responsible officiols v were forced to do their work and protect the public by refusing admittance to the undesirables I have referred to. They *re not hard to find." The well-kuown bcokie. Dyke Wilkinson, t^lla a Rood story, which is retailed by "Boondi," oi a noted vagabond known as "The Infant, 7 ' chiefly because he was of enormous size and possessed a pair of hands very nearly as large as boiled legs of mutton. The police, being very anxious to keep this ruffian from 'disgracing an Ascot. Cup Day. which the late Queen Victoria intended to honour with her presence, but not having any charge that'could lie clearly sb««tecl tome to linn jn«=t -flzen, "wm him in" on «. trumped-up charge of "attempting 1 to- pick pockets," being probably believers in the old Jesuitical opinion that "in order to do a great goou it is sometimes necessary to do » little wrong." When ike charge was read out in court and "The Infant" was asked what he had to say in defence, he breasted the spikes, and, stretching hw great prizeham Sets over them, said: "Look 'ere. yer Washups, look at them, and then say if they're the kind o' hands » man would go about with to pick pockets! •Why, s'welp me! I couVinT pick a pillow-case or even a mattress with them!" Boars of laughter greeted that strange bu* good defence, <\ad ikt Solona evidently recognised the uttef

impossibility of the fe*t, for they let "The Infant" loose on condition he took his great fists to some other county.

— The Australian horses Fabric and Hollander established a name for themselves immediately after their arrival in England, tJlOUgii XtIVJ Were l»2«le*l moie like p»sce Men than racehorses; so well had they done on the voyage. They bucked and kicked to such a tuna on icing mounted for the first timethat they Jos* no time in unseating their •riders. The Sydney jockey Gilmore, who accompanied Mx Woof-ton's horses to England, applied lor -a .riding license, and got A straight away, so Hut -he has probably long since resumed the jpsachce of hi* profession. An Australian -sportsman who seni the above items to the Sydney Daily Telegraph also remarks that he -visited Ascot, and found it a very up-to-d*ie .place, quite equal to Bandwick or Iftemaagton, except in a few minor matters. He saw Bachelor's Button defeat Pretty Polly in the Ascot T2nj>, but says it is the only time he ever will 'heat her. Bachelor's Button -was as fit as a ndeße, -while Pretty Polly was not nearly so forward, and. in -addition, ehe lest ground at the home torn. There Bachelor's Button -slipped up on the inside, and his rider (Maker) quite txut-gsneralred Dillon on Pretty Polly. The Australian, sportsman referred io says that race meetings in England are infested with pexsons who "left their mark* *n no way nattering to -themselves on the Australian turf. They -are well dseseed, and live on the "fat of the land." and therefore- find England not at all a bad place for their operations. One noted Australian sportsman got into -fee clutches of some sharps, and was relieved of £350.

—An Australian who went lo Epeom in June in order to see the Derby writes "Milroy" as follow*: — "Tie arrangements on the course 'were just as bad as could "be. In some -of the grandstand bars the attendant* were very ancient men and women, who probably were in the business when the late Queen Victoria, cams to the throne. You don't «ac the horses (without you take a 10 minutes' walk down to the saddling paddock) before they come out. They do not use numbered saddlecloths, either. The horses just walk down the coarse, iqrs round, and .gallop back .towards the starting point I had a j*al good view oi the Derby, and it «as without daubt - the worst start I ever saw. Had Mr Hazry Mackellar started a xace like that at Band-wide the crowd would have -eaten him. It appeared to me as though the starter was only watching one horse (Black Arrow), who was -playing up * bit, and the moment he cantered up to the tapes he let them go. Fully Iraif the horses had no chance from the 'word '"off. The winner, Spearmint, won very "saoely *t the -finish, but he was one of the first four or five away, and the others who got off with him were not much thought of. LaTly, MEafata "Saney, and nearly all the other fancied horses got away badly. I could not .get near the homes "to have a real good look at them, but irom what I could see I should say on appearances Hhat they w«a» no hetter khan oar -own first-class three-year-olds; but -the jockey* axe a long way better than ours at race riding. They «een to know whets the post is, and they try to be ahead there." — Writing of the great three-year-old even* of the English season, the London correspondent «»f ihe Queenalander mentions that it -was hardly a, popular Derby, in the usual sense. Spearmint and his owner, M4jor Loder, were neither of them great figures in the sporting world. .The horse — a lanky animal, not reckoned a beauty, even when decorated with the blue riband — was "picked up" not long ago for 360 guineas. Bui tb» race itself -was a brilliant, even, a startling, performance. "1 could have won at any time," said Maker, the jockey who piloted the victor, and the splendid fashion in which -the colt swept •through his crowding competitors at the critical moment on the way home fairly' justified the boast. It is the fastest Derby on record. The ting's horse, Kulli €ecundus, was a. ludicrous failure. He was beaten at Tbhe start, and came in a long way -behind the -score of others in the race. His Majesty was forced to laugh at the spectacle ; he probably had a serious interview afterwards with his trainer. Major Loder hae been ai> owner of racehorses only since 1900, and has been more fortunate than tho majority in his career on the turf. In his second year he wot £9320 with one horse. In 1903 he netted £15.277, and 1904 brought in £19,899. He is a quiet man, who spends a good deal of his time among his paddocks in Ireland, and is much better known in the small region of May fair -than to the general public. Some of his sporting friends say his judgment of horseflesh amounts to a s-pecies of genius, but he does .not agree with this compliment himself. Ho says "yon may put all the bra-ins you have into racing, and you'll be nowhere unless you have luck/*

-Following up the steeplechase fiasco at Broken Hill, the Weekly Courier in Tasmania writes: — "A eorres potvdent draws attention lo -what he describes as ihe ' funniest steeplechase ever ran.' It was in connection with the Carrick Boeing dub's birthday meeting, held on May 34, 1881. Drenching rains had teen falling fAr days beforehand, and in one ot two places on the steeplechase course the boTEB6 were in imminent -risk of getting begged. Tiw race itseH "was full -of unrehearsed effects, and provided *n excellent example of the courage of ihe horsemen and the .grit of the horses. The former comr>rised G. Law (who won the Caulneld Grand National Steeplechase in 1897 on Britomarte), W. Dalian. J. Currie, Tibbals. a.ad Messrs G. Bailey and Lartda-le; »n3 the later Paul. W.H.L., Groystanes, Victor, Bed Deer, and May Day. Falls and baulks ■were -as numerous as the mulberry leaves of blessed memory. At the start the pace was more of a walk than a gallop. Bed Deer fell at the first fence, Paul baulked at the second, and May Day came down at the third. Tibbals remounted the last-named, and before the nest obstacle was reached led the field by six or seven lengths. May Day then took the wrong track. Near the stand Paul kissed Mother Earth, but Law resumed his place in the saddle. May T>ay again fell, and Bed Dcci unshipped his rider. Next Paul baulked, and W.H.L. turned * somersault. At the last ie-nc* "Victor fell, and as mounted by * bystander; but the old horse lost Hb feet on •the flat. W.H-L. and Greystaae* alao slipped dewn after clearing the final obstacle. George Law, after all bis curious experience*, managed to trot Paul (by Bingleader out of a \>»ish mare) home 100 yards to the good of W.H.U, wbi was the only other to finish. The term ' obstacle race ' would have fitted "the event nicely." , „ , — Although Americans hold a nigh opinion of neaily everything American, the following, from Ih-e uen of "The Irresponsible One," m the Sports of the Times (New York), suggests tbat many followers of racing are not exactly enraptured -with ih» jockeys now riding in .hat country : "We have practically no 'riders' to-day. We have «. few monkeys who can eit a hustling finish, who can handle * freeruuarag horse, but who among them can time a horse, can place a horse, and 'draw their whip' -without letting the head down, without tensing one rein and loosing the other, so that the hcrrees 'siStrve under the whip,' as some of the critics say, not knowing that the animal is swerving to the tens* rvin, and from tho loose one. Let any practical man go to the start aayl note the seat of the modern boys, who expect the word 'go' at any breath. Note how many are sitting « •&« pbaiiSj how many have their hones

in hand and' ready for" a start. Then note when the webbing rises. There is no getting a horse into his stride. It is a mad working of the hands back and forth, with no object but a mad hustle on the part of the rider, as though h« — and not the horse — were doing everything. How many times have we eeen * jockey, tlowii the stretch, riding- for dear life with his hands in a head finish, the hands moving spasmodically, but the reins so loose that his -work is absolutely without effect on the horse's mouth, although the sides oi the neck nxe being pleasantly tickled. If the present method has made world-beating jockeye, where are they? Not in this country, England, cr France I"

—In spite of all the agitation which has taken place in recent years with regard to the wearing of bearing reins, this addition to their harness is io be seen on 19 horses out of every 20 which are driven in the park. -Indeed (says the Field), it is probable that the number oi horses which are not troubled with this somewhat -cruel and unnecessary xeAn is understated -when one in 20 is mentioned, and possibly one in SO would be more correct. That young horses may require a hearing rein when being broken to harness is quite feasible, and some horses which pull hard are- more amenable to the driver's hand when so borne up, out that a huge majority of horses do not require such an adjunct to their toilet after they have once been broken is proved by the large number of skilled coachmen who axe strongly opposed to it. The Anti-Bearing -Society Stave done good work, and, as regards draught horses — especially in the streets of London — their persuasions have had a most satisfactory result. But with regard to smartly-turned-out carriages results have not been so satisfactory* The bearing rein is still far too .common, and this 'was particularly noticeable at ihe -recent meet of the Feur-in-Hand Club, when only two horses nut of a total of 32 had their heads Ipose. It may be added that the two horses in question carried their heads well tip, and doubtless others would have done the same had they been allowed the chance. A^beariag rein, even moderately tight, places a horse's neck and head in an unnatural position — a fact which is at once evident by the way a horse will titretch his head out immediately the rein has been zemoved. When « hill has to be surmounted and the bearing rein is not loosened, -discomfort becomes almost cruelty.

— Concerning Pretty Polly's defeat by Bachelor's Button in the Ascot Gold Cup, "Vigilant" wrote in the London Sportsman- — "It would, I suppose, be too much to write -that the defeat of Pretty Polly was a national calamity, but it is quite certain that it oast a gloom over the proceedings at Ascot. It is, oi course, easy to be wise after the event, but I heard a good many expressions of opinion prior to the race that it was a pity to start the maie. The circumstance* were these. She has, as must have been noticed by those who have often seen her, a somewhat prominent wart, and this began to fester. Mr Livock, who was died in, used his lancet on Friday last, and it was thought thai she was in a condition to do herself full justice. Tbis was probably a mistake, for. .the necessity of a slight operation would scarcely have risen if her blood had been in really good order. It was generally remarked that she had never looked worse in the whole course of her career than ehe did yesterday. She was sweating profusely, which, perhaps, w.as not surprising on such-* close, warm afternoon, but she looked a trifle light and tucked up, and was decidedly dull ir. her coat. JNo doubt Major Loder and Gilpin were placed in a very difficult position. It would have been a sad disappointment to many thousands present if the mare had been withdrawn, and yet this would have been nothing like so bad es to see her beaten. The usual cob -was not in attendance, her place being taken by Hammerkop. It is easy to understand the -silence with which this great triumph was received. It was not that Bachelor's Button, who has been run out in genuine fashion for all his engagements, is not a popular horse, hut people were too much astounded to be able to realise anything eree than thst the idol of all lovers of racing has at last suffered defeat in her own country. I saw more than one lady crying, and. indeed, am not ashamed to confess tlwt I fell: inclined to do the same -filing myeelf."