The Express.
London, England, 1857-03-21 00:00:00

SPORTING.

THE NORTHAMPTON MEETING.
TO THE ZDITOIi or TXI H[►lttltl.

Slate—The bill of fare for the two days at
Northampton will alwuya be good, while the Willttle-
leery, Northamptonshire, Altherp Park, Racing, and St. Lis
Stakes are among the items. These are fourteen in mueber,
with which upwards of 11001. are given, end et a moderate
computation the fate of we* 3,500!. m stakes alone—and not
one heavy produce stake in the pregemenae—will be decided.
For the brat day the Queen'. rote and a Selling Ran and
for the wound the Selling Plate, only have to clew, the eleven
filled item, promising the best of sport.
The Trail Stakes, ono mile, gives the 3-yr-olds all the
best of the weights, 261 b. for 4-yrolda to give them over • mile
being rather too severe a teak, especially as the easy winter
has brought the young horses into a forward condition.
The two forward stables—T. Parr's end Mr. Barber e—have
the race between them—Odd Trick and M.D. standing fur the
funuer, and Commotion and Lord Nelson for the latter; and
LIT. Parr will start his beet—M.D.—he will be able to give
the comp de gram to either of has opponent ; but if be is nut
mailed out—and there is a good doubt about the point—Lord
Neiman will be found feat enough to defeat the Odd Trick,
and Commotion ran stay at home. If Mr. Barber should
to beat M.D., what a •' Commotion" there will be in
the y favourites!
The field for the Northamptonshire Stakes, two
miles, will be almost sue to rte-lode Homily, Bracken,
Porte Rico, Lawn, Adamaa, Skirmisher, St. Odes,
Amen, Sanereet, Sir Colin, Codrington, and Silk-
more; while some of the following may help to
make the number a decent one—my fifteen :—Fultieck,
Palle, Commoner, Borderer, South Western, Madame Ha-
i awl, and Lady St. Liz. Tame Deer might also run, to do
the needful for Adwas, and Charles O'Malley for Codring-
ton, but they will have nothing to do with the actual race.
Homily has not been supported as yet by her party, but
Bracken lAA, and he has been timed to have a chance. He
always rtes cur after two years, old, and I think him rather
too old to have bona cured since last hammer. Porto Rico
there are similar objectiona to; but hie full brother, Orme o,
was • Ind-tempered horse till four years old, when be im-
proved into a first-clam horse; and if Porto Item has fol-
lowed in the same steps, young John of Daoebury meet not
be opposed, and he behoves the bore to have as good a
chance as any of the pnrtent favourites. The breed, how ever,
ware Dever glutton. at a distance, and two severe mike might
be a little too much in this awe Lawn was well happened
at one time, and, being always a good horse in the eijuM,g, I
should nut despair of him but for the miserable exhibition of
Alonzo at Salisbury, when basked pretty freely ; but when
such a mistake is made with the tutor the scholar ran have
but a poor chance. Adams's stable is in good form, and he
haa been highly tried ; but such a performer should never be
supported by me while giving homes of his own year some-
thing between llb and 161 b. Ile is in the best poe.oihlo form;
but 1 =mot art lota be is kept out of the Metropolitan Stakes
betting, where he is treated with a better weight by 41b, and
if he le worth backing for this he must surely have a chance
on his owe ground with less weight. His condition will take
him hew; hat the weight will tell too much in the finishing
straggle -Skinniather is weighted within Ilb of him and is
the decided favourite for money, it being a difficult
:natter to procure more than 4 to 1 about him.
AA a public performer hie pugilistic ideas eater
allowed him to do the same as in private and still he
did not dugraeo himself. It I. said the Fandango cannot
give him 301 b, and if the latter bad been in fine race at Net
10Ib, and intended, odds would be freely laid on him. These
totals, however, seldom prove correct when the actual race
takes place, and Skirmisher might not run quite up to his;
but as he need not do so to have a splendid chance of win-
ning here, and will be sure to run to win, I Khali follow the
stable that can boast such horses as Fandango, Ignoramus,
Vedette, Demirolte, de., all in training, and I should be
greatly pleased to see the "spot." have a turn. He runs
kindly enough at home, and all that is feared is that the ex-
citement of a racecourse will revive hie old idesa, that he has
only to mach a horse to bite him. St. Giles does not go
down with the public, despite the official return, of 6 to I
being taken freely at different place. An oppontion appears
to haven't in agunst him because there is a doubt" of his
staying, and if the doubt was a certainty he could not receive
muchmore " pepper ;" but I shall advise his opponents to beware
how they heat him. Ile has proved a first-elan horse over
a short distance, and his trainer has every confidence in hie
ability to run elually as well over a long one ; let any one
look at W. Day a favourites for previous handicaps, and see
bow many mistakes he has made, and they will and he is
seldom far out when in earnest. I myself took a dislike to
the horse at first idea; but till there is a proof of his ina-
bility to get over a distance I would not put my opinion
againat the knowledge of his trainer, and as the horse is
favourably weighted, and undoubtedly fast, I shall not desert
him now he le a favourite, lifter standing him while at 26
to 1. Aniati and Somerset have good outside chances, and
were the money on the later, he 'mould be a great favourite.
Them is some slight wanexion be tweet blue and Sir Colin,
who has received strong doses of the pepper-box within
tho hut twenty-four hours; but he etood it well, and it
may only hate been an invention of his own backer* to get
on mere money, and I knew they always thought hedging
quite out of the queetion. It is a fact, however, that he
receded most comtiderably in the market yenterday (Friday),
and several rumours are afloat as to the cause, one being that
he has stet with a alight accident which caused Idea to be
stopped in his work, and another that him owner ham deter-
! mined not to start for private reausons. There is always wine
excitement with a good homes the day of. great race draws
I nigh, and this may only be one of the numerous retards that
are gut up jest for a little amusement. My edemas during
the earlier part of the week were most favourable, and till
they are contradicted direct I Isbell not waver. Codrington has
bees so heavily backed that he is as good a favourite, any-
thing after Skirmisher and St. hike, and hie trial before the
Doncaster Handicap was quite good enough to give hen his
position in the market ; he has a lighter weight than any. of
the other favourite., and will be ridden by a most promising
feather. Silkmore will try his best ; but lam afraid he will
find the company a little too good. Of the doubtful starter,,,
Commoner ie the only one at all to be feared ; but at prevent
Skirmisher represents his party, and only in the event of an
wrident to the latter would be try if he started. Palm is •
good mare ; but I understand she will ley her fortune in the
Ilrhittlebury, where the dietauee is more to her liking.
I shall only have to fall back en St. thine if Sir Colin
ha
missing ; and the next of three two will be Skirmisher and
ellienTZ'd Plate, one mile, will not find the top-weight
Mary, far from A 1, for she ix very favourably weighted,
taking into account her Doncaster victory. There is little
to choose between her and Prince of Orange at the weights,
and the confederate. can win with which they please. in
my opinion, unless Mr. Howard makes en effort with Jewie
when she might be good enough to bowl over either of them:
Huntington will also finish in the front rank.
The weights for the Whitticbury Stakes. for 2 and 31r
olds, six furlong,,, have been revised this year, and the
difference is now 'Alba, instead of 321bs. For ell that the
3-yr-old. are still in a minority, the odds being 20 to 11
apnea them, and yet they have all the advantage now, the
same scale being abed at Newmarket even at late hi October.
Oemma di Vergy (51bs extra), Odd Trick (31k. erra),
Madame Cliequot (Mb extra), and Palm are good 3-yr-elds,
especially over this distance, and Jemmy I. well able to re-
present them—if law does not keep hint at hotue. In his
absence, Carmel (2-yr old) and Polio alien rue for me.
The NlllO Stakes, about one mile and five furlongs, has
seven acceptor., and they are all so bad that it is a more
difficult matter te Lind one to stand on than if they were good
horwe. Tame Deer is in running, said has only to beat Lau-
demi& to win,
The second day'd proceedings are so much dependent en
the running for the above, that I shall not go iute them
full, sa an a weight will probably be altered. Gamma di
Cagy leeks Lost fur the Racing d Glade Hawk
nut ; Happy 'And and Caring for and
Park Stakes ;