The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-09 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,

TATTERSALL' S—THURSDAY.
Possibly the announcen►ent on Thursday morning that
the subscription room would be opened on Saturday for
comparing on the St. Leger, and business as usual, had its
effect upon the attendance to-day—numerically, fcr a
smaller muster on the Thursday before the Leger we never
recollected seeing before. There was little or no betting,
and the momentary instalment of Blair Athol as first
favourite for the Leger nay be attributed as much to caprice,
or the complexion of certain " books," as to anything that
may have transpired to tlq.ow any additional light upon the
merits of the Spring Cott age favourite. The only trans-
actions that took place were to sma't amounts, as follows
ST. LEGER.
sto 2 agst Bair Athol (offered, take 3 to 1)
3 to 1 agst General Peel (offered)
Bto 1 agst Miner (taken)
12 to 1 agst Baragah (taken)
150 to 10 agst Jubn Day's lot (taken)

LEICESTER RACES—THURSDAY.
The Belvoir Stakes of 5 cove each, with 20 added ; for

hunters. Three miles.

Lord Courtenay's Damascus, 6 yrs, 12st .... (Custance) 1
Mr E. C. Clayton's Playfellow, 6 yrs, 12st ....(Owner) 2
Mr H. Barker's Croydon, 5 yrs, list 71b.. (Ur Topham) 3
Betting-6 to lon Damascus. Won by four lengths ; a
bad third.

The Scurry Handicap of 50 soya, added to a sweepstakes of
10 Boys each, 3 ft; winners extra. Half a mile.
Capt. Christie's Prescription, 3 yrs, Bst 111 b (inc. 71b ex.)
(T. French) 1
Lord Bateman's Gipsy Girl, 4 yrs, 7st 71b (J. Grimshaw) 2
Mr J. Wood's Pupil, 6 yrs, Bst 81b (Warrington) 3
Betting-7 to 4on Gipsy Girl, 2to 1 apt Preseription.
Won by a length, three lengths between the second and
third.

The Leicestershire Handicap of 75 soya, added to a sweep-
stakes of 10 soya each, 5 ft, and 3 if declared; second to
save his stake. IV inners extra. One mile and a half.
Mr Whittaker's Pikie, 3 yrs, Get 81b .... (J Grimshaw) 1
Mr Lincoln's Ross, 5 yrs, Tat 81b (Maid ment) 2
Betting-7 to 4on Ross, who was beaten by a neck.
The Selling Plate of 3 soya each, with 25 added ; weight
for age, with selling allowances. Three-quarters of a
mile.

Lord Courtenay's Damascus, 6 yrs,Bst 71b(t30)(Custance) 1
Captain Barrow's Tolegrana, 2 yre, fi.tr Ith (£5O)
(J, Grimshaw) 2
Mr Lowther's Zohrah, 3 yrs, 7st 71b (DO) (T. French) 3
Betting-9 to 4on Damascus, 3to 1 agst Telegram.
Won by two lengths; a head between second and third.
The winner was bought in for 120 guineas.
The Kelmarsh Stakes (Handicap) of 15 soya each, 5 ft, with
100 added, for 3-yr-olds—winners extra. One mile and

a quarter.
Lord Uxbridge's Rattler, 7st 51b (T. French) 1
Mr Page's Sensation, 7st 41b
Betting---5 to lon Rattler, who won by two lengthF.
The Skeffington Park Stakes of 10 sovs each, 3 ft, with
40 added, for 2-3,z-olds ; penalties and allowances. T.Y,C.
Half a mile.

Mr G. Graham's Vision, Bst 12Ib (J. Nightingall) 1
Mr Merono's Terror, Bst 10Ib (Merone) 2
Mr Henley's Eugenie, Bst 71b (Pearson) 3
Lord Uxbridge's Cockcrow, Bst 101 b (T. French) 4
Betting-6 to 4 agst Vision, sto 2 each agst Eugenie arid
Terror, 6to 1 agst Cockcrow. Won by three-quarters cf a
length ; three lengths between second and third.

The County Cup Stakes of 19 soya each; weight for age,
&c.; winners extra. Tw;ce round and a distance.
Duke of Rutland us Land of the West, 4 yrs, 7st 21b
(J. Nightingall) 1
Lord Curzon us Cervus, 3 yrs, 7st 2lb .. (Holland) 2
No betting. Land of the West ran under protest, and
cantered past the post.

DONCASTER RACES.—St. Leger Prophecies, by
" Beacon," "Rhyming Richard," Cock Robin," and other
popular writers ; with latest betting, list of horses expected,
exclusive lamination, and " anticipations" of the Doncaster
Meeting ; special reports of Warwick, Leicester, Curragh,
and Baden Baden races ; the Cesarewitch and Cambridge-
shire Weights ; the great match between Chambers
and Cooper, and all the aquatic, cricket, and sporting
news of the week. See " The Sporting Gazette" (limited),
of Saturday next, Sept. 10, Price fourpence ; stamped,
fivepence. Office, 14. Yerk-street,Covent-garden.

AQUATICS.

THE THOUGHT AND THE TORPID.

The sailing match between these two cutters over the
regatta course of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club inside the
Isle of Wight was brought to a conclusion on Wednesday by
the Torpid winning two days' races in succession. The
wind was from the same quarter—W. by S.—as on the pre-
ceding day, but less violent, although still a good full
sailing breeze for a first-class sized yacht. Two tons of
ballast, which had been taken from her previously to her
sailing on the previous day, were again returned to her be-
fore starting on Wednesday, and this, together with(we must
say it, although unwillingly) the superior manner in which
she was handled as compared with her management of the
previous day, greatly improved her rate of going both in
running befora the wind and in turning to windward. Ac-
cording to the original programme agreed upon by the
owners of the two yachts, the course for the second day was
to have bean round the Isle of Wight, but owing to the
boisterous state of the weather, this was altered to a second
course—round the Victoria Club course. _ _ .

At 10 49 the preparatory gun was fired, and the starting
gun five minutes afterwards, when both were got off very
smartly, the Thought a trifle to windward, but the Torpid
leading, each with a reef down in their mainsails. The
Thought's sails were beautifully set, and the little vessel
looked fit to race for a man's life. The Torpid's greater area
of canvass, however, and the position of the wind—the latter
enabling the vessels to lay their course to the buoy of the
middle without a tack, was all in the Torpid's favour, and
she soon gave evidence of fore. reaching her antagonist, but
the distance was too short to give any great difference. In
nearing the buoy the Thought sent up her topmast, and was
followed by the Torpid. The buoy was tacked round by the
Torpid- at 11h 33m 20s, and by the Thought at 11h 34m
10s. Jib-headed topsails and balloon forsails were now set,
as sheets were eased off in the run up before the wind on
the beck of the tide to the eastward. The Thought's top-
sail was set very badly from some course,but off Ryde a baud
was sent aloft, and improved matters. In passing the No-
man buoy the Thought was 78 seconds astern, and had
therefore lost 28 seconds in her run down from the buoy of
the middle, no great loss in a contest with a vessel that was
evidently greatly superior in power, and sailing under cir-
cumstances the most favourable to her. The wind came
fresh out of Brading Harbour, and both craft dowsed their
topsails and sent down topmasts, preparatory to tacking
round the Nab, which was tacked round as follows :
Torpid . • .. 12h. 42m. ss.
Thought .. .. 12 42 655.
The Thought thus gained on her rival in the distsnce
between the Noman and the Nab what she had lost between
the Noman and the buoy of the middle. The little craft
certainly stood up under her sails in the freshened breeze
out of Brading harbour better than the Tcrpid, and went
along gloriously. From the Nab back to the Noman, close
hauled, the Thought continued her overhaul on her rival,
decreasing her time behind to only 37 seconds. The Thought
continued her work handsomely, when the Aid steam tug,
from Southampton, with a party on board, was placed by
her master on the Thought's weather bow, hung there for
some time in seeming ignorance of the mischief he was
doing, and threw the Thought back considerably in the race,
doubling nearly her distance astern of the Torpid. Under
the Ryde Sand both vessels made several tacks in shore.
The Torpid stood in further than the Thought, but the
latter stood far enongn apparently to fetch the buoy of the
middle, and then with sound judgment oho was laid fairly
for it with the tide under her lee. In opening Cowes Roads
the wind headed them and gave the Torpid an advantage
from her weather position, the buoy being tacked round
only 55 seconds apart, as follows :

Torpid 2h. 2m. Os.
Thought 2 2 65
Topsaig and balloon foresails were now again set for the
run eastward to the Nab, the Thought this time sending up
her square-headed topsail. Running past Ryde the Thought
had decreased her distance astern to 33 seconds. In running
over the sand inside the buoy the Thought boomed out her
foresail, but made a mess of it, and had to bring it back to
the stay. She was drawing fast on the Torpid, and the
latter on closing the Noman boomed out her foresail. In
passing theNoman the Thought was only 22 seconds behind,
having gained 11 seconds from Ryde Roads, and in complet-
ing her run to the Nab she gaided still further, for she tacked
round only 10 seconds astern, and shot round clear on the
Torpid's weather. In tacking round the light ship, however,
she unfortunately carried away her jibtack, and the jib had
to be got in and the damage repaired. She was winning the
race at the time hand-over-hand, was standing up like a
church under her canvas compared with her opponent, and
looked a winner all over. In standing up close hauled for
the Noman the Thought's topmast was sent up, and her
jib-headed topsail set, but the accidental carrying away of
her jibtack had reduced the chance of her winning the race
to a minimum point. The Torpid had as much as she could
manage without a topsail, but the old Thought carried hers
gloriously. At 4h 3m 20s both vessels tacked under the
oast end of Stokes Bay, and stood in for Ryde Roads, the
Thought to windward, but necessarily astern, and her top-
sail shaking fearfully,and now doing more harm than good.
Ryde Roads was fetched, and the goal reached, the Torpid
winning by 45 seconds only, and the Thought evidently
losing the race solely owing to the conduct of the master of
the Aid steamtug in getting on the Thought's weather bow
at a most critical point in the race, and the unfortunate
accident to the Thought's jibtack at the Nab. The designer
of the Torpid, Mr M'Cormack, of the firm of Messrs. Su-
mmers and Day, of Southampton—may well congratulate
n victor himself on being the builder of a cutter that should beat
such a famous vosel as the Thought, aithoug y
was won, in sporting parlance by a
Mr Seldon, as the owner of the Torpid, and winner, takes
, both vessels and £2OO stakes.:
Thus ended a cutter race which, in its second day's sport,
for the closeness with which it was contested, and its ac-
L companying interest, is unparalleled in the annals of yacht-
ing. The result may be briefly summed up thus :—la 15
years the progress in the rate of it in yacht
building is exactly three seconds per year over a course of
; about 65 miles, 'caking allowance fur the distance gone
over in turning to windward.