The Express.
London, England, 1868-07-13 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

'HIE CURRENT WEER'S MEETINCM,

TO THE EDITOR OF TUB FAI'LLF-443.

SIR,— -Not a solitary match race all through a
four days' Newmarket meeting, a Derby without what
may be called.a favourite, and a Middle !'ark sale minus
one four-figured purchase! What can the matter he? Are
there not two spirited plungers left to make the pot
boil, ands Lpeawaelmrnind of link between the old and the
new life of t generation of turfites ; or are we
going back to e good old times, when gentlemen raced,
simply from a love .of sport, and gambling was only
an adjunct to the national pastime ? Truly there is
nothing to " put the pot on" for the Derby, the July !
week at Newmarket having kept up the charter
established at Stockbridge and Ascot, and left the
" best form" all ,of a heap; besides which, the mart
cock of the walk, ,
Belladrum, has recently had some .
dreadful things said aboie him, Newmarket men chuck-
ling over the ides that he "makes a noise,- and _Ms
.&
"dicky" leg to boot, when are failed to meet xsysn-
worth to play out the rubber. However, there is only the
bitter lemons lately learned the go-a-head school of
turfites to account for the isiappoiutmente breeders of
blood stock have had to sustain this season, for the supply
is just now decidedly in egress .of the demand, and had
not Mr. Blenkiron determined to let go everything that a
bid was made for at hiseecond saleof yearlingsonflaturday,
be must have retained at least bait of the 47 lots put
up. The upper ten patroniaieg Jam were only con-
smenoua by their absence; and but for the brothers
Matthew and Joseph Dawson--purchasing no doubt for
their employers- there would have been a sad lack of
competition, whilst Mr. Tattersall would have had to shed
tears over even a poorer average than It 2 14-43 guineas,
by far the lowest seen at Middle Park for eight years.
J. Dawson secured seven lots a 260 guineas each, and
among them the top-sawyer, a colt by Saunterer out of
Governer', for which a little "1" would bare had to be
placed in front of the • 620" against his name had he
been disposed of in the deg-days, when 2,000 was thought
nothing of for a promising youngster by rival young
rapids. The second best rice was 420. J. Day giving this
for a half-sister to Miss Foote, by Mama', as did also one
of his followers for a Newmmater lady that mewl
rather to favour her near fore leg as she
walked away. Mr. J. Dawson's 310 for an im-
proved copy of Veda and her little master in their
nursery days comes next, closely followed by a 300 given
by his brother for a bit of Newminster and Kingston
blood; and a long way ahead of the remaining
sums is 260, all that Mr. Tattersall's perseverance
could obtain for a half-brother to Chatelherault,
Leonie, and Gaspard, by Dundee. Taking them all iii
all, they were undoubtedly a more level batch than
Middle Park has produced of late, and eonaequently than
were not so many gems to be selected ; still, that the
bad prices were a result more of the queerness of the times
than any falling off in quality may be inferred from the
fact that the son of Trumpeter, and perhaps the fleetest
half-miler that ever tied the turf, the celebrated Nutbush,
could not get beyond 210, although Mr. Bleukiron
gave 410 for him as a foal at Mr. blather's
sale last September. Another Trumpeter, purchased at
the same time, the son of Sharp Practice, represented
even a greater falling off, only one-thud of the original
330 being reached.
It was a credit to Middle Park that Leonie's brother,
the 2,000-guinea Chatelhemult, should win two-thirds
of his purchase money the first time of asking, the Ches-
terfield having fallen to his lot on Thursday last, though
only afters most thrilling finish with two of his com-
petitors, Abstinence and any selected Middleton Maid
colt, and more by luck, perhaps, than sheer merit, the
opirliou being generally held that my ally would have
pulled through if Fordluun had not been jammed in
between the two stable-coos anioas in the lad fifty yards.
?tear any circumstances it was not a great perform-
ance on the part of Chatellierault, for Abstinence was carry-
ing a ilb. penalty, and must have been a little the worse for
her spin over the T. Y.C. two days previously; and both he
and Mr. Savile's unnamed colt must improve immensely
to become prominent Derby favourites. It is plain now
that Abettnenee should lhtve beaten Xi at Ascot; and
looking at the difficulty Tenedea had in Denting Martyr-
dom for the Pocket Sweepstakes, she ought also to have
won the Kahan' Plate at Stockbridge instead of her com-
panion, as she was some lengths before Martyrdom in
the July. At first sight it seems astounding how she
could give Chanoincase the Hb and beat her so far in the
Chesterfield ; but, as I expected, the severe finish stalled
off Hermit's sister, who, nevertheless, detracted materially
from Badzworth's prestige when cutting up so indif-
ferently, as after the way the pair ran at Bath it will
never do to maintain any longer that Prince SoltykofFs
colt is quite at the top of the tree. Another early cele-
brity also lost caste at the July meeting, Brigantine
having been injudiciously pulled out, notwitstanding she
was too much amiss to run for any of her three engage-
ments nearer home only a fortnight previously, and her
irienda were rewarded by seeing her the first beaten.
Chief of the remaining two-year-old events were the
plates, won by Candidate and Carlotta for the Blom
division, the former having twenty-six behind him,
though how many were really against him is another
miner. King Victor's brilliant handicap performances
had nothing to do with the future, for they were over
short mamas. only, and can give his party no idea of what
0111110111 Bull is capable of in the Goodwood Stakes, any
more than the market betrays what are the intentions
concerning him. It is nothing for the "good things" of
the Suspicion stable to be at 40 to 1 one day, and 10 to 1
the next, as the workers are generally clever
enough to get mane money on instead of against the
hone ; and after Lucifer has been to Stamford (where
there is little more than Emigration to fear in the Burgh-
by Handicap), something at least decisive may be done
with him. He has only to stand, in my opinion, to start
good favourite; both he and the other Newmarket
vouritc, Gomera, going on as well as their most san-
guine friends could expect these hard times. Beyond the
favourite, Ecast, and Tabouret are the only candidates
really firm in the market, most of the other early fancies
having u very " fishy" taint about them, whilst Fiddle,
Wellow, and the like, simply promise to " come," having
been a long time before the public at shout one price. There
be doubt that many whose owners originally intended
they should run are stopped by the hard ground ; and the
same may be said of the Goodwood Cup, which is reduced
to a match—now that Suzerain has gone wrong, and
The Earl and King Alfred appear thrown up for a time—
Istweeu the Duke of Newcastle's Speculum or Julius, and
Mr. Chaplin's Blinkhoolie. I cannot stand Friponnier
ewer two miles auth a halt, and Blueakin has no better
chance than Tyndale, the only good outsider in the race,
unless Suffolk should suddenly come back to his best
form.

This week will doubtless tell some tales on both the
Boodwocal events, ninny animal's being engaged that are in
the Stakes or Cup. One of the north countrymen, The Spy,
is in the Great West Riding and the Mile Handicap, to
he decided at Pontefract on Monday and Tuesday, and
if he can beat Three par Cent. he will be "heard of," this
old horse showing some capital form of late. Adamant,
however, has only to go north to prove the best
of the youngsters, and there is nothing to beat
Russian Bear among the three year olds for the
Pontefract, though his owner may not care to run
Lim against Three per Cent. at their present weight. It
i• impossible, however, to properly deal with such matters
)'fore stable arrangements are made; and I can only say
of the two-year-old races that Agrippa must win the Park
Bill it his owner is not afraid to lose the allowance of
weight from Badsworth he gets at Liverpool.
The 'Reading meeting, to be held on Tuesday and
Wednesday, would have been all the better off had not
acme of the horses entered been run through at Hunger-
ford. Still, there is every prospect of some fair sport
held out by the. programme should we only get a further
sprinkle of rain. The principal handicap in not
of much amount ; nevertheless, an indifferent lot
having accepted, if I except the four throe-year-olds
that arc giving weight to Wild Briar, whose suc-
cess would be almost insured were Mr. Naylor to
start her in preference to waiting for the Liverpool Cup.
In her absence Citron may take it into his head to run
straight and win. having no ambition to look at such
articles tea selling handicaps, I pass on to the Whitley,
wherein Seringapatam will run well, as would also lem-
ma/ter, were the prize tempting enough fur him. In the
Heading Two-year-Old Stakes Electricity should give the
way to all comers, Juanita being the best of her uppo-
ao nts, and lir. Idorgun'a filly will not be last in the Abbey
Stakes on the second day, though it must be doubted
if she ran give the weight required to Buds.
worth. and Palmitine, too, is to be at least feared.
The first day's results, and the betting lit the
tan prove the only reliable guide a over the second
day's handicap% tempting as FSt. Mungo may appear in
the Nursery.
Following on to Reading, we have meetings at Odiham,
King's Lynn, Stnmford, and Liverpool; but it is impos-
sible to fairly disco, their progrnmmen at this writing,
and it will be time enough to steidertake the task when the
horses likely to run are en route.—l am,

METEOR.

BETITNO AT MANCIIESTER.—SATuarmy.
GOODWOOD /OAK Iff
4 to 1 art Oomoa (t) 20 to 1 apt Romping. air) ,t;
Ile to 9 Meta (off) 119 to I Our Ma'Ann (t)
1I) to 7 l'abourrt (t & lb) 20 to I -. Loriter
90 to I - l.Lonaw Ban (t) >ri to 1 Wallow (t & off)

BF."ITING DT LONDON.-BinuLDA7.

- •
The attendance at the club to-day proved very scanty, while
epic:Wotan wail languid in the extreme. The principal part of
the 'miming that did take plate was in room...bon with the
tiondwond Stakes, for which Onmera maintained her position of
gun favonate with great ffrennere, 4 to I being biken about
her to all the money that could be got, and in the
end asked for but not to be obtained. Although Envie
Van only baked for a little at 12 to 1, layers evinced as
damnation to take illation with Lim, and m a rule would not offer more than too to 9, while on the other hand 100 to 8 would
Lave be in aerated freely to money. At Nu to 7 Tabouret
was in ootiiticlivable demand, as were Welton.. and Fitz Ivan at 26
to I each, and (or the tad there was no change On the lira-
pool Cup bring mentioned, there were some inquiries after Wild
briar, but PO price was offered, theonly transaction that came
under our police was the booking of four pouta in favour of
Honestish. or the floodwood Cup Julimi VAL... again in good
demand. 6 tot lying readily taken and asked for about him, and
los priceectUed down at no mote than 4to I offered. A commis-
sion was partly executed in favour of Suffolk, the rommindoner
gull Malang to go on at tlw pritv, 20 to 1. The St. Lige, proved