The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-20 00:00:00

LATEST SPORTING INTELLIGENCE

LINCOLN SHADOWS AND COMING
EVENTS.
TO TIM EDITOR OF TOM IMMO&

Sts,—lt has long been a maxim, even among en-
thusiasts and professionals, that the turf season com-
mences too early and closes too late ; bat the promoters of
the "inanition* " have invariably a good answer to the
old saw—that they are successful ; and to sea the lugs
crowds of horses performing day after day " last back-end,"
and then again at Lincoln during the past two days, one
might reasonably come to the °occlusion that certain
patrons of the turf would gladly keep the game alive all
the year round. Before to-morrow's sun seta, we
shall have had such • bustling week as would do
honour to the times when sportsmen of the spe-
culative type art in the height of their glory, for
steeplechasing is going on at Moreton.in-the-Marsh, as I
write, as is also the mixed business at Harrow, and, clash-
ing with the second day in the metropolitan district, we
shall have the double-supplement to Lincoln in the shape
of Boston steeplechases and Mansfield flat races, indepen-
dently of the fin.de to the coursing gathering at Altair
that has excited so much general interest since the betting
public took to the Waterloo Cup. Further feeding greedy
appetites, comes the startlingly bad news that the Oxford
and Cambridge boat race is not likely to come off this year;
and Lord Jersey's horses have not been sold many hours
before it is known the Duke of Beaufort intends to sell out
also. Here is matter, indeed, for sporting pens to make capital I
of, and bow gratefully it would have been received some
few weeks ago, in the dull time when the wildest rumours
would be graved to write columns about ! It is to be
feared the statements herein made are too true, and that
the stud of the Danehury Duke will be sold se sorely as
were the forty-one lots just knocked down at Tattersall'',
although his grace does not intend to take leave of the
turf altogether. This team will sell well—far better,
anyhow, than Lord Jersey's, some rare bargains having
beau picked up by some of the judges last Monday.
through the want of • " reserve "—and the Chester Cup
engagement makes Viridis worth • trifle. The recent
decline of this filly in the betting—es much as 30 to
being offered —is now explained ; and it is only
• pity the cause is such a serious ono, for it
may be far more fatal than anything that
has yet happened to Rosicrucian and Typhoeus, the three-
year olds, whose turn it has been to get behind a cloud
since my last.

The transactions with reference to the future were
blank at Lincoln, professionals and pleasure-seekers having
to work early and late to enjoy the brilliant meeting—
preceded by a great fire and concluded by water—and the
London movements, since Monday, have not been at all
startling, Chimney Sweep and Aleibiadesimply " coming "
—as they have threatened to do for some time, and as
Astrolabe and Huntsman's Daughter may do shortly—for
the Grand National. The moat "curious " lot in this
race is Mr. Brayley's, for Pearl Diver is at a short price,
and Moose really backed, and yet their owner Mitred to
take 4,000 to 2,000 of one of the Chimney
Sweep party that his outsider, Sea King, beat
the latter " in their places," a bold bet to proffer with
one horse at 1,000 to 70, and the other at 1,000 to 11, even
supposing the Sweep's talented pilot, J. Adams, should
not recover from his recent serious accident in the bunt.
ing field in time to tool him again. The Doctor's victory
at Lincoln puts him out of the hunt, by adding 10th. to his
weight, almost as effectually as a reason assigned for his
not performing at Birmingham would have done bad it
been true; sad if the public can only let his companion,
liunternarili Daughter, alone until the last moment, they
may find a good investment in her. The Duke of llama.
ton's long string an particularly quiet since Shakspeare's
disgrace, though his Beadle won a hurdle nee in France
last Sunday, in capital style, and Slyfox would have
sacked the Steeple Chase likewise, in the same colours,
but for a fall. What a good thing it would be for the
Cortolvin stable if the Beadle could get over the
Aintree four miles and • quarter without a
blunder, and heat Avenay and Jack of Trumps
at the weights they eath have when put through the mill !
I cannot help thinking that this division helps to m►ke
the Frenelt-trained homes very dangerous in the Grand
National ; and Mortimer was not badly represented at
Lincoln, for all the break-down of the Gear, 'P. Jennings
winning the principal two.year•old stake for Count F. de
legrange, and with a " flyer" too, Colimae being a Tar-
tar for the best that she heat to catch any day, let the
Sunflower filly, Alpenstock, Jove, De Vere, Fenian, Rajah,
&a, get ever so much nearer to her in condition as the
season advances. What the juvenile " form," as a whole,
was up to is little more than a nutter of guess work ; but I
must venture an opinion that it was not so good as the world
had been led to expect, and the fact of Catton running De
Vere and Electricity so close for the Blankney Stakes,
giving them 331 b. for the year, will favour the idea.
Speculum gave the 3-yr.old no less tl a 10Ib. in the Trial,
and an additional 71b. beating, so (that he must have im-
proved immensely since last season, when he was • stone
below first-clau, for De Vera and Electricity, at any rata,
to ever get near the top of the tree. He completely put
Cotton's pipe out for the City and Suburban, wherein
Matthew Dawson is bound to be respected, for the steadier
of Gst 12Ib does not absolutely settle Speculum himself,
and there may be a better one in the background. New-
market was in great force during the two days, nearly
every " legitimate " event going there, the only exceptions
being when Indian Star and Di Vernon won two scrambles
for W. Goatee, and the Guile colt had a selling stake
presented to him. In the principal handicap the
turf metropolitans supplied the first and third,
thanks to the moderate calibre generally of the
opponents of Indigestion and Artesian, and, perhaps, to
the break-down of the Czar, who was at least as well off
as the winner as regards condition and soundness of limb,
but had not the good fortune to " stand up." Victory ap.
peared well within his grasp onus, and es he looked like
bringing me off another Vanlervelde coup • quarter of •
mile from home, I certainly have no cause to be ashamed
of my " selection," made immediately the weights were
published, and adhered to consistently, as the Czar ad-
vanced from 33 to 1 to less then one-fourth the odds. The
only 3-yr-old that made any great show in the ran
was the extreme light weight, Lady Zetland, and she ob.
tained her second place, perhaps, more from the good Mart
she got than actual merit. She is not in any
of the great spring handicaps ; nor is Indiges-
tion in aright beyond the Nottinghamshire, for
which the 101 b. penalty stops him. Artesian and
Ligurian might have a chants for the St. Lis at North-
ampton, with their reduced weights ; but I do not think
very highly of them, and the savage Purveyor and Rhine
Wine running simply disgracefully, not having such a
good excuse as the finally rushed favourite Cauthlem,
who got badly off, or the Czar—it cannot be said that
Lincoln saw many shadows of coming events. The pro-
ceedings have not even made the little go coming off at
Mansfield to-morrow look any worse than it did when the
bad entries were originally published, the best thing on
paper being Problem (whose owner did not win a race on
his own ground) in the Sonny, as the fear of penalties
may prevent Lure and Speculum being pulled out for their
engagements. Concerning the principal affair at Harrow,
I have to observe that Woodbury Hill has Dem added to
the acceptances since my last, and if it is intended he shall
start my Tottie is in danger.-1 am, Ao., METEOR.
Thursday. •

(BY TILLORAP/L)
HARROW MEETING.-(THIS DAY.

TRIAL PLATE. Five furlongs.
Enema., Bouquetiere, Charivari, Ellen, Thoradyke,
Rickety Winksey, and Laker are here.