ENGLISH SPORTING STATISTICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 25, 17 January 1891, Page 2

ENGLISH SPORTING STATISTICS.

The Manchester Meeting, concluded on November 22, is the wind-up of the racing season, and it is time to make up the statistics of winning owners, jockies, and sires. With Semolina, winner of the One Thousand, and Memoir, of the Oaks and St. Leger, the Duke of Portland again takes the lead of winning owners, the list of which he heads the third year in succession. His total this year consists of £25,203, a sum which, added to the jos. of 1889, and the £*26,811 10s, of 1888, realizes the extraordinary total of £125,873. This appears on paper a most extraordinary amount for one man to have won, and various comments have been made upon it. However, it must be borne in mind that, during the last few years, stakes have enormously increased — several being worth £5,000 and some even £ll,OOO. Therefore, an owner with good horses has every chance of making his account at Messrs. Weatherby a good one. Let us look back, however, to the good old days when there were no gate meetings, ergo, large stakes. The Derby being the principal and most valuable stake, the St. Leger and the Two Thousand next in demand. Jockies had not valets* and first-class carriages to travel in, turtle soup, champagne, etc., for dinner. Was it nbt more meritorious for owners like Lord Eglington with Flying Dutchman, etc., Lord

Zetland with Voltigeur and Co., Sir Joseph Hawley with Teddington, Beadsman, Musjid, Blue Gown, Rosicruscian and others, later on Lord Falmouth with his magnificent team, and we were almost forgetting Mr. Bowes with Mund,g, Cotherstone, Daniel O’Rorke, and West Australian, to win the amounts they did (all these horses we remember) than those of the present day, who have all these valuable races almost at their doors ? However, we are digressing, and will return to the list. Mr. Holdsworth runs second w’ith 14 races worth £14,719, chiefly secured by Alloway and the the two-year-old Vireto. Mr. Milner (Duchess of Montrose) comes next with 3 1 races of the value of £14,123, of which Shall We Remember, Gavotte, Rousseau, and Lady Heron were the principal contributors. Amphion’s victories in the Hardwicke Plate at Ascot; and the Lancashire Plate enables Col. Byrne to mal p the respectable show of Col. or , with his high-priced stud, can only show against his name £\0,654 —this must have been swallowed up twice over in loriei s while Mr. Abington is much in the same condition. Lord Calthorpe, with his small stud, has not done amiss, having won seven races worth Then comes a number of owners close together, and low down in the list is His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, with four races to his name worth £694. Taking the jockies next. T. Loates, at the top of the list, scores 147 out of 659 mounts, George Barrett, 106; Watts, who is third, 5 wins, including Derby, One Thousand, Oaks, and St. Leger, a good record ; while old lom Cannon has 63, including the Hardwicke, Lancashire Plate, the Manchester Cup, and the Liverpool Summer Cup ; while old Johnny Osborne, the best and most civil of jockies, has 40 wins to his name. He is the oldest jockey riding, having been born in 1885. He had his first mount at Badcliffe in 1846. Mr. Abington has done better than s0 ] me i _ °* professionals, as out of 114 mounts he has had 42 winning ones, 18 seconds, 20 thirds, but then he could choose his mounts and ride when he liked, which a professional cannot do. To breeders the list of winning horses and sires are always interesting. It is, however, not surprising to find that St. Simon is the head sire with thirteen representatives, winning twenty-seven races worth £3 2 >799 » Wisdom, who has long been a neglected sire, comes second, fourteen of his get having won the same number of races, although in point of value worth but £20,411, Surefoot being the principal contributor; Bend Or is third, with £ i7 627, of which Virreto is the principal winner; and then comes Springfield, who sees his first Derby winner in Sanfoin ; Balcardine and Charibert, the last-named of which, now located in France, can boast of more representatives than any other stallion, for no fewer than twenty-seven representatives a.re against his name. This number also credits him as the winner of fifty-one races, one moie than the total scored by Barcaldine.