The Express.
London, England, 1865-08-29 00:00:00

ilitehmosNom.

TURF TOPICS OF THE DAY.

TO Wit =MOS or tuns NIYINIML
811.,--So We are to have another " re-opened''
ease, sad Clextoe is to become em great a hero in the eyes
of theeniaats as ever Tomato was s heroine, simply becalms
as turf lawyer esa be found to watishetorily expound the
wit oode of rules forded for the gnidaoce ef the betting
fraternity. Altogether, this scratchy disputa brings pro-
airway before the world a very pretty pre of turf
essadsi, and the following history of Olazton himself points
a moral for the guidance of the uninitiated, if It does wet
rattly "adorn a tide." After a fair two-reread career
this hero is sold, runs so badly the next session on three do
0•1102 d that everybody jumps to We orclusios be is being
"roped," and lung be:writhe publication of the weights be is
or of the proluicent favourites for a Cesarewitah. Just on
the eve of thor publication, however, be is resold (for I
think 1,2001.) to Lord St. Varied, who, to his direst,
dads bile more troublesome end a wore bargain then a live
eleptrost Gould have been, for be triune sod rasa him add
heartily sick of the horse, he having woo nothing but a
Rubs race at Wye from a trio of leather flappers or lame
'nee that would be dear eta "pony " each. But he re.olves
upon 'values one more trial, sod then to part company if
disappointed agais ; and the handioapper for the Cerra field
Cap at Goodwood having lot him in at list 21b, he rode him
the toit fur that, previously, however, tripe offered
100& for the horse if he lost. He did
as is well known ; still, after the race, a party,'
who subsequently tuned out to be meting
Jr his lordship's trainer, was chmitable rough to buy
Claxton for 123 f. " for a lady's hack." This was le the
afternoon of the 20th of July. Then, on the 30th, Lord St.
Vincent declared forfeit for all his eueagemente (being
liable to pay the forfeits for them, or the full stakes if the
here reused lost), which he dal not sell with the horse.
A few days afterwards all the sporting papers saner*e the
decimation ; and yet as the Bth of August, the Primer, p-
resenting to or of the Huntingdon stewards that he
bought the horse with his engagement., is allowed to start
him for the Huntiagdoushire Star, mitred for before the
scratchiog. These be won, me is well known, bet most un-
expectedly, rhe beat the very borer, Re lie, to whom
be ran " nowhere " at Goodwood in his last
effort to remain in the precision of Lad St
Vincent. Tue objection, its deferred 'settlement, the
issothd Aboute about the bete after the disqualification,
and the ilimmisfaction almost generally exposited at the
decision that the backers of the wincing horse, Suspicion,
were not to het choir money, era facts that do not need re-
espitulalion • but I may mention that while the first die.
pure Ira pending, and it was evident there would be
"row" about the beta bowerer the stakes west, the trainer
wrote to his employer, ryieg, "You have osly to say you
mold him with his engagements, and everything would be
settled." And yet the champions of the Claxton backer
(or rather ot bookmakers, for it is their tight, as not
cue hacker in a hundred would have thought of the horse
beating !'.admire after Goodwood, bad he been in the
race, sod it is merely a question whether they pay
over Snapieicie or " thin the lamb") can perceive
• difficulty as to who mud be believed on the point of
the horse tend sold with his engagements or not! It is
plain that the Huutingdon stewards were deceived, and
that Lord St. Vincent did not sell the horse to his trainer
at all ; but this fact had no weight with the parties de-
cidine the question of het., the interests of which see
separated from those of the stakes, because there is • rule
stmnleting that, " If an objection be made to the qualifica-
tion of a horse on the ground of incorrect pedigree or nomi•
nation toter the rare is ran, the bets shall go to the horse
that mute in first, provided he is of the right age and not
otherwise disqualified by the laws of racing." As to how the
ease will eventually be settled, it is about h to 4 on
the Claztooitr, for it ie startiag—or rather fol-
lowlog up—a very bad precedent to reconsider
dispense after they are ones decided, and os this
ground alone, many will stand by Messrs. Westnion,laud,
G. Payee, and Admiral Rout The question all binges upon
the interpretation of the italicised words gored above, sod
whether Claxton was disqualified on the ground of being
incorrectly itemiser& Literally, he was not "incorrectly
somicatect," aud it is for the full court at Tattersall*, to do-
✓&
whether the rule shall be read literally or io the spirit.
It *notate% we eau get at the spirit of a law • but is this
iastauce the very framer of the rule, Admiral Roos (who
drew up the code of laws for theguidancie of bettors) avers
that it wan intended to apply to such a Cale as the one wider
discussion, and under the o:caterers* it will be hard to
upset the first decision. Of course, Lord St. Vin-
cent and his trainer have split; but this is
nothing to create sorprir, a far more startling
split having takeu place in the north, as Lord Car-
goes% who appeared to have settled down to John
soott after his many thither, resolved to take all his horses
away from Whitewall the moment White Duck was beaten
for the Yorkshire Oaks. Had his lordship waited, soil seen
Whir Duck's mistress, Kim inska, win the Great Yorkshire
Stakes us addition to that event, he would
thought of such a course, but joined in the general praises
of the Wizard foe the wonderful change he so suddenly
effected in what was always looked upon as a very moderato
filly. Rimiest* wee decidedly the beroir of the late
Yogi Auger meeting, her defeat of Broomielaw over the
• Leger distance being so easily effected that
to say she is not one of the duagerous claim-
ants for the forthcoming Doecester
be downright insanity. She heat Night Watch
quite as easily as Breadaloase did at Goodwood, and Airier
ee easily as that worthy did at Ascot ; sod as Peeress lest
her at Goodwood, and Lambed ran up to his Two Thousand
form for the tint time at York, whilst the Duke is reported
all r;ght again, we shall have a St. Leger worthy of the
mule after all, with Gladiateur, Regalia, Archimetivs,
Christnets Cad, Attaché, and several others to cope with
the aboth in the field. The two-year-old runs at York, in
despite of the abettor of Student, Lord Lyon, Monarch of
tit., Glen, &e., were mod exciting ; and Mr. Pitt me the
great horse he showed himself when overthrowing Robin
Hoed et Newmarket. Their &Mtge-compares, leads, did
bean, if there was any differeeccin their two perfornmocie,
as the beet &radiomen, Yespadas sad Augusts quite
as easily as Mr. Pitt did Slue Kihrind sad Chitral
and if a daughter of Fierce can be made to stay, she
do more for Danebury next season than Siberia (her half
sister) has done this. Mr. Pitt is not in the Derby or Two
Thousand, having started the present season, singalarly,
without a solitary three-year-old esigagemeot ; but be will
he all the more &rigorous at Newmarket in consequence,
and Jolts Day can give him a thorough preparation for the
Hopeful (wherein he has Sib extra), and also for his engages
meat armee: Student and Robin Hued in the second beat of
the Troy Stakes, this pair having each logics hint 41b. The
excellence of the two and throe year oat racing sustained
the prestige of the York August me-ting, fully competed-
tag for the many walks over ' • and the half dozen • fix-
tures " for toe current week do net isomprise one
that can Lear any comparison with it, plating being the
rule and a grand race the exception. If there are any events
to take pace that can assume importanos, we must look to
the Two-year Old Stakes at Exeter, Ischia, Beelzebub, and
Robin Hood being is the Greet Devonshire Produce Stakes,
and Mezeppe, Ile Pitt, Magician, Longtime, sod Beelzebub
in the liambeed ; but I do not expect to see more than or
" crack " run for each event, and Robin Hood may bs left
to the first, with Larissa' sad Mazappa to the second.
Lord Portsmouth is sure to be io great force at the meeting ;
and J. Day's pasty will be just as well worth following at
Derby, tits only other "fixture" for the week worth toes-
tiouiog.-1 em, he., METEOR.