The Express.
London, England, 1868-06-22 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,

THE NEWCASTLEEETINGS. AND STOCKBRIDGE
M

TO THE EDITOR Or THE =MSS.
(Is,—However eventful tint
bombsort at quiet
Whidsor and noisy Hampton may have ose im-
mediately concerned in the results, the returns for the
whole week have a most unimportant complexion when
viewed critically. The two coveted Windsor cups were
carried off by a brace of beasts like Fitz-Ivan end
Armourer, the hard ground causing all the good horse% to
decline going in for the Clumber ; and out of the many
two-year olds entered for the 50!. Plate, the Royal Stakes,
and the Windsor Stakes, there were only nine, altogether,
to contest them. The cream of these were Masaniello
and Electricity, whose meeting for the
sameour
was not at all satisfactory to the many, o going
so far us to say the Frenchman's jockey stopped him when
pursuit of the filly was not quite hopeless. Electricity
won all the way, however, and I question if Masaniello
will ever beat her at the weights over the same distance,
even when he has returned to the form shown at Epsom
Spring. There he was a long way the better of the twain,
het on a six-furlong course, and at a time, too, when
Electricity had not nearly come to perfection, tho upset of
Robespierre last Tuesday being a performance on her part
that may appear almost extraordinary 'some day. Nanny
Thormanhy won the Castle Nursery very cleverly, and
then went to distinguish herself at Hampton, where she
lost one race by a head, and next day won two others
within a space of 45 minutes, so that she fairly rivals the
heroine of Newton, Salliet, who won a prize on each of the
three days in the old Mise Julia colours. How Nanny
accomplished her third win I cannot understand, for on
the previons day she and Winifred ran home head and
head with Baroness, and the race "in " Mr. Reeves's
filly should have ensured the tables being turned. But
we must put all the many surprises of the week down to
the " hard ground," including the disgraceful exhibition
of Emigration, who looked a real certainty for the Surrey
and Middlesex, after Lord Pahnerton's easy success in
the Windsor Handicap. Should the prevuiling drought
continue, it is shuddering to think what will become of the
summer meetings. By Goodwood time half the horses in
existence will become atomised up, or the Stakes could
not help affording one of the great ruses of old, the
weights being apportioned in a manner to give good
horses far better chances than usual. Goodwood
has only fist 121 b, though he ran second to
a Derby 3-yr-old for the Chester Cup, giving
him 301 b for the year; and List year's Stakes victress,
homers,, has actually Sib. less to carry, thanks to her
having been beaten by Hippie at Epsom just before the
letter went off. Romping Girl is let off well at let 91h.,
considering she has run but once since her third to Julius
and Westwick in the Cesarewiteti wherein Blinkhonlie
was only fourth. Nevertheless. it is a most promising
handicap, and, should the prayed-for ruin come down,
both the Stakes and the Cup at Goodwood will hold their
own this year. The Hermit (71b extra), Achievement (71b
extra), Bliukhoolie, Knight of the Garter, Julius, Good-
wood, The Rake, Fripo tttt icr, Speculum, King Alfred,
Vale Royal, end The Earl are in this latter; and it
would Ix: a tine trial if Julius and The Earl met
thoroughly prepared for the struggle, as WO should then
discover what this season's three-year-old form is molly
worth. But with the Marquis of Haetinge many hundred
miles away, The Earl may not be pulled out till Doncaster,
especially as the gentleman in whose colours he ran not
long ago repudiated all connexion with such a horse
when he "rushed into print" over Admiral 'LOUR'S me-
morable letter. "The Admiral" did not say Mr. Padwiek
was connected with The Earl, that I can discover; nor
was there the smallest occasion for the "financial agent"
to put pen to paper through what was said concerning
either the lord or the lady • but the blunder is easily ex-
cused, for the bombshell has created such a profound stir
in all turf circles that everybody wishes to have a
say in the matter, and the subject engrosses all others
wherever horsey men do congregate. Lord Hastings felt
bound also to tako up the cudgels, though he does
not absolutely deny anything adrlinsie4 bz *be pillimt
Admiral, as more than one construction can be put on the
sentence, "There is no one single circumstance mentioned
as regards my two horses correctly stated." Perhaps the
statements were not strictly correct—only nearly so ; but
the Marquis does not explain anything too clearly, doubt-
less thinking the fight rested more between his trainer
and Admiral Rem. It was virtually "reduced to a
match " between them from the moment the gauntlet
was thrown down, and an exciting one it is likely to be
if the combatants only come to the post "well and
meant" Much will be learned from the battle at West-
minster, to a certainty, and more dirty water will be
thrown on the turf by the little things that must come
out ; still, the said turf may be improved thereby, the
atnmepliere having become so murky of late that
nothing less than a tremendous storm like that just
brewing, whether the Admiral is right or wrong, can any-
way punfill..o Things must he coming to a
_pretty pass
when the of Newmarket taken up the cudgels or the
or public; t until lately it was only over certain
handicaps that the practice prevailed of bringing horses
on to the scene at the last moment, and then scratching
them; and when an Earl is put out of the way only
sixteen hours before the Derby, and a Rustic put one
hour before a St. Leger, with no other apology guru that
their owners did not think they could quite win, we must
be prepared for anything, for the turf must surely be in a
tmuntme state. Anyone who visited the spleadid stud
fano at East Acton on Saturday, would have thought so,
especially if he had made one of the crowd at the first sale
of last year, for there was a host of useful looking year-
lings brought up, but no buyers. Not half the 58 lots
advertised were absolutely sold ; and many were, in aue-
tioneer's parlance, " given away," Mr. Goodwin and
Mr. Vedette Ilodgman having a nice game of catch-ball
with perhaps the best lot of yearlings ever turned out by
Mr. Simpsesu. However, the failure must not be attributed
to the badness of the times, but rather to the threatening
morning, coup:fele/A .2 review at Windsor or the
Gun Club smiting attracted ie many the upper,,l
flatisiclay next may tell quite a differkee
The "gentlemen," at any rate, look this Week llherisaii;iii,
ing some of the money they left in the ring at Ascot, there
being a few apparently good things in both the Newcastle
and Stockbridge programmes. The broad sheet of the
north country gathering says—" Twelve watering-cartsaro
employed from sunset in the evening to the following
morning" in moistening the course, and hence the going
should be something near the mark, so that, no matter how
numerous the fields may be, the talent must have a better
chance tbpn they %MA beest of late. The meeting is
bound to be a gold one, scitis abed 1,000!. clear of all
plate entrances added to the eimhteem items to be got
through during dist three does ; and ;LOU clear is
added to the North Derby, a throe-year old race, ono
mile and a half, with Mereinsit (est 21h), Tabouret
(esst 51b), Haymaker (Bst 10Ib , Viscount (list 511)),
Apollo (tat 131 b), Chelsea (flat 511.), ussicui Bear (881 13M),
and Warrington (Sot 511), mimed. Chelsea could about
win this if he were a stayer, especially as Mercury is not
quite up to the mark, for the latter looks like beating all
the remainder. Mercury and Chelsea arc also in the
Biennial on the 'Ame course, though there are two useful
companions to 'she latter for Watson's stable to fall back
upon in See Pew and Buttercup, and Donalbain can help
Mercury do c say for the Tyndale blue and silver. Black-
lock, Frolic muse, and anything else that may start, are
useless erg waist the two stables, the best in which
comeinse 'Mercury and The Sawyer, though, owing
to the strange wording of the conditions, it is im-
liono'de to say what weights they are intended
to carry. In the Biennial for juveniles, the Hied has
snly to fear Fitzwilliam and the best of the "dark"
and she may win with all her penalty, as should
also Consternation tlie Mimed it he is half the horse they
think him at Malton. This Johnstone colours must be in
the van for the Meraberts' Plate, when the Priest carries
ism only, the tame being dangerous in Wednesday's
Q‘leerl'S OW Corporation Plates, and the Tyro, with
Mereblare, Priest, and the Lady Melbourne filly to carry
dem,. But it will be just as well to defer meddling with
Ltlcse until the first day's proceedings are over, and it is
also possible for them to influence the Northumberland
Plate, on which so much has been speculated in the
north ulready. The public generally have not
cottoned to this event as of yore; consequently,
fewer cases of milking than usual- have occurred, and
a genuine race may be anticipated, in despite of
Blinkhoolie, Lord Palmerston, and Buttercup being dis-
posed of by the heavy penalties put on them. Others
are put out of the way by different means, the defeats of
Tyuedale, Cactus, Lord Hastings, and Warr since the
publication of the weights, ;creaking badly for them,'
whilst the market looks had for Tyssedale, Fair Wind,
Cawdor, Minster Bell, and other early favourites. Philo-
sopher, too, is reported to have broken his leg. Still,
John Seed with Tenth:in, Fobert with Fortuities, Lo
Zetland with El Cid, Elliott with Polecat or Stella, Wat-
son with Flom, Martin with Russian Bear or Ainsley,
Lord Stamford with Warrington, Shepherd with Lady
Zetland, and Mr. Thompson with Deceit, may all mean busi-
ness; though from the freedom with which Fortunio has
been backed it might be inferred his party do not think many
will oppose him, his "paper" chance, with 84 7lb to carry,
beitga very moderate one. I should almost prefer
BF lioolie, under his crusher of Ist 121 h, and OrPOCt to
see Taraban, El Cid, Flora, and mayhan.one of Elliott's,
all before him, barring accidents, giving the palm to
Flora or Taraban.
The feature of the four days' meeting at Stockbridge
will be the two-year-old running, there being some
valuable stakes for the youngsters to pick up. The Duke
of Newcastle looks well for the two richest of them, the
Hamilton and Bennington, notwithstanding his beet, Ab-
stinence and Tender, were easily beaten at Ascot. New-
market can also cut well into the Champagne with
Curicure (Sib extra) and the Diomedia fitly (41b extra),
in their interest, as either can beat Miss Foote
(121 b extra), and I do not sruppa,e Flower Girl,
or any of the Marquis's nominations- will be allowed to
ran
mShouaMt thßilganmettintleng(Slblvehxitrach)isbeunpderulletn°°°dt, howwirdver,nevelet
the Diomedia filly will have to scslt to her laurels. On
Wednesday, Brigantine is engaged in thelltham Plato,
and unpenalised, so that she can barely lote, with &Jahn
*bent the best of the public form ergurnst her. But the
Club dare proceedings will throw a light on thisoind per-
haps tel also whether Portsmouth sue, be steed • for tho
Cosene, Belladrum for the Coventry, sod Knight of the
Gutter fur the Steekbridge &c.s

SO tO
20 to
22 to
2 to
to
25 to
25 to
:25 to