The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-12 00:00:00

TO 17011 IDITOI OP TEI ELPHAY.

the frost is Loaning that ws are al-
ways being threatened with is hard to tell, bus it is to be
hoped the last alarm sounded was a false one, so far aa the
min world is coeceened, for after the curtest week we
commence a series of meeting., among which sad havoc will
be created if any adjour MIAOW are necessary. Ten of them
have to be brought off daring she period extending from
l'eb. 20 to March 23, szolosive of small fry ; wed Master
Jack could play the vary Pertain person with these if be
chose to reign for stew days. There ars so signs of his in-
terferieg with the current week's business, of which the
seat eventful item la the Deis' Derby at Waterloo ;
mad I shall proceed with my brief sketch of the
two great handicaps at Northampton (March 20) and Epsom
(April 12) is if they were perfectly safe, though the "legi-
timate" has been " postponed on account of the frost" be-
fore now. Neither the Northamptonshire Stakes nor City
and Sabath= have roused the public yet, who still seem
disinclined to speculate on any of the spring events ones so
popular with them ; but this is sot to be wondered at as
regards the first-named, the hsedicap being too great a
puzzler, with nothing " well in" at first sight but Mail
halo, whom they have had enough of at last, having
waited for his coming too of tea last year, when he never
ran once. The imposts are on a very different scale to
those of the Chester Opp, for John Davis, who heads the
poll at 9st, is giving from 61b to 161 b more than weight
for age to the three ear-olds, end from 161 b to 351 b to hie
brother five-year-olds, while the four-year-olds meet him
with from 121 b to 311 b, end the elders with from 7lb to
3416, the beet of it. The latter body comprise eight
et the party. Three acceptances, Scamander being at
the heed of them with Bst 91b-151b more than he won
with last year, and 41b more than he carried home second
for the Goodwood Stakes. He is a big-framed horse, with
whom weight a not a great consideration ; and I do not
know of one "old 'us" to prefer to him, unless they can
bring out East Lancashire (Sat 61b} fit to contest the severe
struggle, be bsieg "best in" of all the lot engaged, on the
strength of his Goodwood Cup performance, of 1864. Pearl
Diver (Bst 41h) is a sound, honest horse, but bas none the
bast of it with John Davis, who finished far before him in
the Cesarewitch. Raglan (Set) is hardly class enough for
the company; Alerts, (Mat 81b) is • doubtful stsyer ; the
Kitty Shoby geldiel,(7st 4lb ) has never been out in public,
Charley (611 12Ib having, too, only shown once in a
bunters' race at Amick last November, when he got
second ; and the 13-year old Brewer (Sat 1016) has not won
a rage for many years ; coosequeutly„ there
b only East Lancashire that can look any way
threatening of the old horses in the Northamptonshire
Stakes. Tee five-year-olds are a more likely lot, East Lin-
o:63litre having a favoured stablonoinpanion in Ethelred
Rat 41b), whose best performance, li.iwever, will bear no
comparison with that of Mail Train (7st 1216) in Tbaleetris'e
Cesarawitoli, If John Davis cm give the latter 161 b, as
required, the two horses must have changed most surpri-
singly ; for not even Lord Zetlsnd at 7st 7lb, nor Valiant
at let, can be deemed so dangerous as the " shunter," and
V this pair should not be wanted here, those in the
Woody...atm train will be as right as the mail if they only
get the office to " put it &two." It may not, of coarse, be
Mail Train's journey now ; and if not we must fall back
upon John Day for the champion of the " talent." He
has, besides Lord &Mend, one of the most dangerous of
the four-year-olds, in Lansdowne (Set 71b), who
gives but 31b away to Whisky, and has the best of it
with everything else of his own year—of whom 'Arabia
(bet 81b), Grapeshot (bet 1316), and Nightwatch (7st 91b)
are the best to my fancy. Taking the three-yr-olds as a body
they area formidable lot ; for allowing Nutrition (6st) aid
Gunlock (sst lithe) have no better chance thaa such a
horse as Blue Baband would have at 7st, it is possible for
Beacham (sst 1116) and Kingsley (set 8lb) to 'be smoothie
to them, it looks go for anything, whilst the two Black
Princes, at fist 71b each, most claim respect. One of these
got third at Ascot for the severe Trial ; and the other is
is the Danbury string, of which it is oot imposible he will
prove this best. Such a circumstance would be very con-
venient, as Lansdowne could then be reserved for the New-
market and Metropolitan Handicap., wherein be has but
fit 21b in each case, sod Lord Zetland for the Cheater Cup.
It is difficult to discover what will be the elected of
this stable ; but I must confess to not being over sweet
on Lansdowne, the only one in the market yet ; sod if Lord
Zetisud isnot "the one" 'should rather look for Mali Train,
Valiant, East Lancashire, Hawthorn, and Kingsley to pro-
duce the winner, my greatest faith being in the two
5-yr-olds.
The City and Suburban is a very different kind of race,
as it is over a mile and a quarter instead of two miles, and
a much better class of horses is engaged in it. The
4-yr-olds supply the first five left in, Archimedes (Bst 12lb)
batting to give 2616 for • year to Xi, who is conceding some
ci his fellow-juveniles 191 b, and yet is more favourably
dealt so far as concerns his relative weight with the
good homer, than in the Chester Cup. For instance, Archi-
medes and Breads:llmile (Bst 101 b) are both giving him more
time weight for age, and he is handicapped more in accord-
awe with his actual performances when put down as one
of about the same class as Split the Difference, Crews
Prince, Beelzebub, and the like, instead of the same calibre
as Mr. Pitt and Blue Riband. But he can warmly be deemed
in the race, the first 3-yr-old that "strikes" me being
Hawthorn (fist 21b), and he is not so favourably weighted
as the Czar (sst 121 b), who, with Lochiel (Set 1311.), Mephis-
tophe'es (Set 11Ib), Effervescence (sst 91b), Roland (sst 91b),
aid Delight (sst 91b), are suspected to possess more merit
than they displayed last moon. Mephistopheles has already
played some most fantastio tricks in the market with re-
f/recce to the Lincolnshire Hesdiaap, and may be reserved
for this if the motley is not got on satisfactorily ; neverthe-
less, if he is, I should give the preference to the Czar of all
the 3-yr-olds—who are running many fours at • great dim-
advaouge, the weights of these running down as low ea
Sat 111 b, or within 21b of the minimum. Thus Archimedes
has to give about three storm away to some of his own
year; sod when Oat-and-Ooter receives 211 b; the Buck
and Brahma, 2616 ; Scarborough, 271 b ; Provisor, 28Ib
Nuksbeeit, 2916 ; Bigote, 30lb ; Sidewind, Holstein, and
Shrapnel', 311 b ; Pepper's Ghost, the Yellow Jack gelding,
Lady Florence, and the Attack filly, 3431 b ; Morris Dancer,
391 b ; and Dubiety, 401 b, from him, it would be • surprise
indeed, if he were to win, for it is most improbebleall these
are unworthy ci the reputations they have earned either in
private or is public. The rather must it be supposed, some
have been reserved for this very coup ; and if W. Gloster has
not another Merry Hart in Brahma, Previsor, or Sidewied,
the fortunes of his party are at a low ebb indeed. Pepper's
Ghost and Dubiety are the "best in" of the remainder;
but these have done nothing since they were two-year-olds,
when Brahma was capable of giving them more than the
weight required, and if the latter is only in form now, he
can scarcely fail to start the favourite, if he done not win.
The five-year-olds will be best represented by Copenhagen
(Set 216) and Valiant (7.0, who have nothing but their
private reputations to boast of ; sod the elder horses ac-
cepting only comprise Muezzin (B.t). Alerte (7st 51b), Merry
Hart (Tat), and Eleanor (Sat 121 b), whom it is impossible to
fancy, seeing that Admiral Roue seldom makes the mistake
of turning old cries loose in his handicaps that win. Perhaps
the strongest argument against Merry Hart is that he leaden*
better "in" than when be won this race two years ago ;
and if Mr. Gloater is to wis again, it is more likely to be
with the Brahma. Should be poems a better ally than the
latter, it will be "all over but shouting" before the flag
falls ; and there will be few to beat besides Out-and-Outer,
Copenhagen, the Czar (or any others that may represent
their respective stables in pi defame), and Dubiety.—l
am, he., METEOR.