ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 8, 20 September 1890, Page 4

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

Much interest is always taken in the July Sales at Newmarket, when numbers of fashionablybred vearlings are usually brought to the hammer. Seldom can Mr. Tattersall have enjoyed such brisk bidding as has this year been the order of the day. The “ boom ” began with the sale of Her Majesty’s Hampton Court yearlings, when one, an own sister to Memoir, the winner of the Oaks, brought the highest price ever reached in the country, namely, 5,500 guineas ; but it continued at Newmarket, when several youngsters fetched large sums. Mr. Douglas Baird gave 2,000 guineas for a chesnut colt by Sterling—Geologist, and two or three others brought amounts which ran into four figures—next day, however, these prices were cast in the shade. Thirteen yearlings—-let us hope the number does not bode ill for their turfcareers —brought sums varying from one to three thousand guineas. Lord Dudley paid the last-mentioned sum twice for a bay colt by Barcaldine—Junket and for a sister to Heresy by Hermit —Controversy mare, and Mr. Hamar Bass .gave the same amount for a brother to Energy, by Sterling—Cherry Duchess. But the highest individual price of the week was brought when a brown filly by St. Simon Josyan fell to Colonel North’s bid of 3,200 guineas. Counting the Hampton Court Sale, twenty-seven yearlings fetched rather more than ‘50,000 guineas. Business can hardly be bad when owners are found ready to give such enormous, amounts one the chance that they may be obtaining an Ormonde, a Donovan, or a Memoir. The racing at Newmarket early in July was very interesting. Baron Rothschild, who is having a very good year, won the July Stakes with Beauharnais, and Mr. J. H. Houldsworth the Zetland Plate with Ponza; while L’Abbesse de Jouarre, Morion, and Iddesleigh were among the other winners. Bumptious failed to win the Bottisham Plate, in which Mephisto turned the tables on him, but he added the Plantation Stakes to his credit. An unfortunate contretemps took place in the Cumberland Plate at Carlisle. Tyrant was made favourite, and justified expectations by securing an exciting race from Mr. Burton’s Barneside. It was immediately discovered, however, that the race had not been properly started, and it had to be run over again. This time Tyrant was. nowhere, and Barneside won at his ease. 'At Kempton Park we may note the victories of Sir F. Johnstone’s Fuse in the Grand Two-Year-Old Stakes, of Deuce of Clubs in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, and of St; Cyr in the International Two-Year-Old Race. The Zetland Plate at Leicester fell to Coreza, who, by the way, was disqualified for the Hurstbourne Stakes at Stockbridge, owing to her having carried wrong weight. The Midland Derby fell to Hartfleur, and the Portland Plate to Mr. Houldsworth’s Orvieto, the favouiite, Peter Flower, being second. The only event of importance at the Leicester meeting was the Prince of Wales’s Stakes for three-year-olds, in which Surefoot, caught in a good humour, recovered his lost reputation. Memoir was second and Alloway third. At Sandown Park the threatening weather frightened many away, and the attendance was but small, but the racing was good. On the first day the principal race was the Royal Handicap. In this the favourite, Miss Dollar, justified ■expectations by winning in a canter. Public . form was again upheld on the second day. when Day Dawn won the Surbiton Handicap. The second July meeting, which has become quite a fashionable event, opened at Newmarket in very fine weather. The Prince of Wales was present, but brought no luck to his colours, for his Nandine could only get second to Lord Gerald’s Sweet Vernal in the Maiden Plate; and his Pierrette occupied the same position in the Soltykoff Stakes, Lord Ellesmere’s Belvidera 11. beating her by a neck. The summer meeting at Liverpool is always interesting, and the Liverpool Cup, as usual, has been the medium of considerable speculation. The next race in importance to the Cup was the St. George’s Stakes, in which were seen 7 the two well-known three-year-olds Le Nord and Alloway, both of whom had to give considerable weight to Hebrides, who won by half a length, and was promptly promoted to the post of favourite for the Cup, run on the

following day, and which resulted in Father Confessor being first, L’Abbesse de Jouarre second, and Shall We Remember third. Lord Durham’s Peter Flower continued his victorious course by winning the Mersey Stakes (value and Dog Rose, who made his first appearance this season, took the Molyneux Cup, to the surprise of the backers of Day Dawn; Ostrogoth, and others more fancied than the winner. The annual meeting in the Duke of Richmond’s park always occupies the minds of all racing men, and also a very large number of the fashionable world, who look upon Goodwood races as the break-up of the season, and the last place to meet each other en bloc for some time to come. The long and tedious journey has always been the great drawback to this otherwise most charming meeting, but even this has been much improved of late, as the railway companies run some very fast trains. However, a vast number got there somehow, and, society was excellently well represented. As usual, the Prince and Princess of Wales were among the Duke of Richmond’s numerous guests; and, as the weather was fine, the show may be considered a success in every way, except that Lottie Smith, the favourite for the Steward’s Cup sadly disappointed her backers, only getting about sixth place to Lord Hartington’s Marvel. Two unfortunate things happened in connection with the race. Mr. Coombes heard that his handsome horse Maxim had met with an accident, and at once scratched him, but as matters turned out, the injury was so slight that he could have run and given his backers a chance, and a good one; the other case being that of Upstart, who was supposed to have a good chance, but unfortunately through some accident in the morning, he was too much injured to take part in the race. The Goodwood meeting of 1890 is now over, and very little light was thrown upon the great Doncaster three-year-old race by the events decided at the meeting. The only prominent candidate seen out was Memoir, and she had little difficulty in defeating her opponents, but the easy manner in which she did what v'as asked of her at once brought her back to her former position of favourite for the St. Leger. Father Confessor won the Chesterfield Cup, after running a dead heat with Edgardo, thus proving himself a really good horse, for he carried gst. 61bs., giving his three-year-old opponent 44-lbs. Everyone was glad to see the Rothschild colours to the fore this season, but they have met with some severe rebuffs of late, not the least being the defeat of Beauharmis by Sir James Duke’s Matenhurst. There were others besides the Baron who felt the defeat of the colt, for odds of 3 to 1 were laid on him.