The Express.
London, England, 1863-06-08 00:00:00

TO THI IDITOR OF TEI =rum

Sig,—The presence of the Prince and Princess
of Wales on two of the four days, the dead heat for the
Gold Cup, and the unprecedented attendance of oonipsoy on
the grand day (which was oomputed to equal that at Epsom
on a Derby day), will render the Ascot Meeting of 1a63 ever
memorable, for the @porta were of their usual brilliant cha-
racter, l'uesday's racing alone being worth all the pushing
end crowding to witness, as the seven contests brought out
an average of fifteen starters each—nothing surprising,
nevertheless, when it is considered the aggregate value
of the prizes reached nearly s,fflal. The upper ten
thousand drew first blood, by the aid of my se-
lected Tipler, who won so cleverly that he was instantly
claimed for the stipulated 200 sows., to the chagrin of
the Duke of St. Albans. who forthwith scratched him fur
the Royal Hunt Cup. Only platers contested the Ascot
Stakes ; but there was a good field for her Majesty's Gold
Vase, wherein the Epsom running of Adventurer, Ather-
stone, Zeeland, Buckenham, and Hurricane was confirmed
to the letter, the former's only dangerous antagonist turning
up iu W lupus, who surprised everybody by dayiug the
two mules. He pressed Adventurer so severely that the
City and Suburban winner pulled up quit* leg-weary,
although he did not break down, as was at fist supposed,
and we may bear of him again in the Northumberland
Plate, where his weight is Sat 131 b, including the 61b
penalty for winning this prize. Umpire, his old oppseent,
ran a rogue, as usual, in the Queen's Stand Plate, and
let Knowsley beat him in the last few strides by three-
garters of • length, but neither could make a
show in the Royal Hunt Cup on Wednesday, which
was literally run away with by the turned loose
Victor, who got the best (thanks to Fordharu's tender
nursing) of • very bad start, and " won all the way,"
being about the " hottest" favourite for this event the
ring seer coffered by. The Visitors' Plate proved what a
good hone Mr. Bryan has in Millionaire, now that be runs
kindly ; and the first race on Thursday, wherein leathern
met with an accident that happily has not turned out very
serious, showed the Lady Evelyn colt to be in his old form.
In the Cup, Tim Whiffler, Buckstone, and Caller Ou carried
all the public money ; but the latter was not in her best of
humours, nor dud her recent severe work on the hard ground
improve her actions so that the issue was reduced to •
match between the first and second in last year's Doncaster
Cup, since the decision of which Buckstone had improved
so much that he had a host of friends, although
on " public running" he had not the remotest
chance. Tun Whiffler looked as well as ever, in
my opinion, but evidently did not like the hard
ground, and only his indomitable gameness and Rogerss
masterly piece of jockeyship caused him to make • dead
heat of it, as Buckstoue appeared to have the nee in hand
half way up the bill. Both pulled up sadly the worse for
the struggle, and it was at hest feared the hill had affected
Mr. Merry's horse in the same manner as it did at Epsom,
for he showed symptoms of his old complaint, the staggers.
He wee, however, himself again when the deciding beat had
to be contested, while Tim galloped shorter than ever over
the hard ground, and the latter having to make his own
running, there was nothing surprising in Backstone beating
him as easily as heshould have done the first time, had be pos-
sessed the same amount of gameness. The plating on Friday
was certainly not up to the usual standard ; but we had had
quite enough of racing during the three preceding days, and
the quietude would have been quite a treat had the elemente
been propitious. Caller Ou was fortunate in having only
one opponent, Birdtiodeo, in the Queen's Plate, who never
troubled her, although • good goer, for he ran in his shoes,
and lost something like • quarter of a mile at the turns. A
better fate may betel him some day, and yet I do not that
his " performance" will obtain for him so light • weight in
handicaps as he might have been greeted with had he
stopped at home.
The two-year-old contests &reheat reviewed by themselves,
for meat of them produced some in-and-out running of an
extraordinary character. In the Sixth Biennial, Light exhi-
bited even an improvement on her form at Bath, where she
only just beat Molly Carew when in receipt of 51b, for
Tomato bad no chance with her, and yet the latter bad
so improved on her Broom form as to turn the tables
on Midnight Maas in the Ferubill Stakes on Wed-
madly by as many lengths as she pleased. Goldy-
locks, who beat her for second place to Light, ought to have
won the New Stakes easily on that form, as Queen of the
Vale, who won the race with • 5-lb. penalty, was nowhere
to File dsl'Air and Molly Carew at Epsom, where Fills de
l'Air succumbed to Midnight Masa and Tomato. The mis-
take usual to nearly all Lord Stamford's hones was made
with Battaglia, who represented his lordship instead of
Prisons. (before Queen of the Vale at Epsom), and carried a
lump of money, but without ever once showing in the rare,
although she appeared to hold Queen of the Vale safer
than any other animal in the race. Procella has previously
run a long way in front for the Two and Three-year-old
Biennial, wherein the much vaunted Scottish Chief made
his debut, and he proved no mistake had been made with
him by winning in a canter. He is a Derby horse all over,
to look at, and supposing he can get well through the July
sod Chesterfield, Champagne, Criterion, and other Two-
year-old engagementa, will winter at • shorter price for the
Derby than even Dundee did.
The three-year-old racing was even more inexplicablethan
that of the younger animals, as we saw Borealis and Judea be-
fore Vivid and Blue Mantle for the Prince of Wales's
Stakes, Onesander before Queen Bertha and Blue Mantle for
the Ascot Derby. and Gladstone before Kiog of the Vale
for the St. James's Palace Stakes, all of which performances
were totally at various with the running for the Two
Thousand, Derby, and Oaks ; and when we consider how
easily ffaccharometer beat his field for the Fifth Biennial,
. and the example the Ranger made of him in the Grand Prize
of Paris, there can Le rio doubt about the latter being the
beat horse that ran in the Derby, and that those finishing
before him therein were only a moderate lot,
Lord Clifdeu and Macaroni included. The Avenger
fairly nn away with the Prince of Wales's
Stakes, and even allowing that he had 7lb the best
of the weights he looks the second best three-year-old of
the year. Still, the performance of the King of the Vale
must not be taken cognisance of, as be should have been in
the stable instead of contesting the St. James's Palace Stakes
over the hard ground, which it was never on the cards for him
to win, if he were so lams on Monday as not to be able to
contest the Prince of Wales's Stakes on the first day. The
race did him such an injury, under the circumstances, that
it is more than doubtful whether he Can be trained for the
St. Leger, which now looks more open than ever it did at
the conclusion of an Ascot meeting, for the talents do Dot
appear to know how to choose between Avenger, Lord
Clifden, King of the Vale, the Ranger, Oticsaoder, Saccha-
rceneter, and Queen Bertha, and it is quite on the cards for
something to " drop from the clouds" good enough to beat
the whole lot before the day.
The little meeting at Hampton may produce some better
sport than usual, there being upwards of twenty accept-
ances for the Surrey and Middlesex Handicap, two miles,
which will make the stakes worth Dearly 4001. On last
year's form, it is eau to perceive that Gibraltar. 6 yrv,
7st 81b, could win, as he heat Fitz-Avon and Spencer very
cleverly for the Wiliam Handicap at about even weights,
sad with the exception of Millionaire and Buckenham, who
have plenty of weight, hie opponeats are so moderate that
Flash-in-the-Pan, aged, 7st 21b, looks second best, the
course being such an easy one that he cannot fail to stay
the two miles, The Claremont Sakes, for two-year-olds,
about half • mile, Molly Carew has 10Ib penalty for ; and
Garotter and Lady Michal are also penalised slb each, so
that it is doubtful whether more than the latter will show,
and she must find • difficulty in besting Black Friar, Tom-
foolery, lady Warwick, and Bold Houghton, Sleek Friar's
race with Crytheia at Bath entitling him to the preference.
In the Stead Plate, six furlongs, Liston, 3 yrs, fiat 510. and
Corroborator, 3 yrs, fist, are well treated, and the latter has
7lb less to carry in the Visitors' Plate, same distance, on
the second day, when we have also the Eichmond Plato, one
mile, which is likewise dependent on previous running.
Newtoe will be but • poor meeting, especially when spun
out for three days ; ad the three principal handicaps, the
Great Newton, Gold Cup, and South Lancashire Trades-
men's, will seriously clash one with the other. Brilliant may
win nee of them, he barium mat to fear from Baldwin in
one case, Patrick and litoodio is another, and Leonora
in the third ; the Comet for the St. Leger, and Persuasion
in her two races, comprising the only other selections I
dare make.-1 am, he., METEOR.