AMERICAN HORSES IN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 993, 18 March 1909, Page 6

AMERICAN HORSES IN ENGLAND.

The weights for the big spring handicaps have just made their appearance (writes the London correspondent of the “Australasian”), and the outstanding feature of the whole list is the way in which the handicappers have treated the many American horses now being trained in this country. The new ‘‘American invasion” is, of course, the result of the antibetting laws recently passed on the other side of the Atlantic, and the fact of Messrs Keene, Belmont, and Whitney now running big stables in this country, cannot fail to add an immese amount of interest to the coming flat-racing season. Of these three prominent American owners, the two first named have long been well known on the turf in this country, and as far back as 188.1 Mr Keene scored his well-known double in the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire with Foxhall. Many other good horses have carried his colours to victory in this country since that time, and his son, Mr Foxhall Keene, is also well known here, having won the Oaks in 1891 with Cap and Bells II- Mr August Belmont has also raced here for some years, and one of his most notable victories was scored as late as last season, when Norman HI. won the Two Thousand Guineas; but Mr. H. P. Whitney is a newcomer to the English turf, although his late father gained many big successes here, notably that in the Derby with Volodyovski. With regard to the coming season, it is almost certain that these successes will be grealy augmented; but as far as the spring handicaps are concerned, it cannot be said that our handicappers have erred on the side of leniency with the many recent importations from the States- Indeed, of the eight most important races for which the weights have just been issued, no fewer than half-a-dozen show American horses heading the list. The five-year-old Ballot claims pride of place in four of these—the Newbury Cup, City and Suburban Handicap, Jubilee Handicap, and Victoria Cup—and the four-year-old Priscillian holds the like honour in the Lincolnshire Handicap and Liverpool Cup. In addition to this, however, the Americanbred four-year-old Colin is also reckoned superior to all our champions in the only two races for which he has been entered, having been set to receive 21b. from Ballot in each case. Llangwm—undoubtedly the best of our three-year-olds of last season—has been reckoned 31b inferior to Colin and 51b inferior to Ballot, and there can be no doubt that, great performers though they have proved themselves in their own country, the three Ameri-can-bred, horses will have all their work cut out if they are to score any handicap triumphs in England.