The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-30 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
Ignorant and ill-informed writers, totally unversed is
the present condition of the turf, have repeatedly asserted
that the breed of horses has degenerated. This is altogether
untrue. We have a proof of what thorough, breds can do in
the fact that our cast-offs from training establishments are
capable of asserting the superiority of blood and breeding
by beating cocktails over severe steeple chase countries. I
confess my surprise at finding the supposed leading sport•
ing journal taking up the silly cry, and declaring that there
was a want of race-horses at thelate Northampton meeting.
I believe I shall be confirmed in my opinion by every com-
petent judge when I state that such horses as Asteroid,
Atherstone, Ivanhoff, Le Marechal, Millionaire, Fantastic,
Cairncastle, Fairwater, Carisbrook, Hartington, Dunkeld,
Molly Carew, Midnight Mass, Lady Clifden, Argonaut,
and Man-at-Arms---•all of whom ran at that meeting—are
as fair a sample of their respective ages as we ever had
upon the Turf, It is therefore simply nonsense to brand
the class of animals of the present day as altogether below
par as race-horses. Certainly I concur in the opinion (else,
put forward by Bell's Life) that many owners " use horses
as they would dice—merely for the purposes of gambling,"
and that we had a fair sample of this in the non-starting of
Man-at-Arms for the Northamptonshire Stakes. Ido not
say that Mr. Sutton absolutely profited by the withdrawal
of his horse, but I do say this, that some person con-
nected with the ownership must have given pretty
plain instructions with respect to the horse, as it was patent
at Tattereall's on Monday that Man-at-Arms was a " stiff
'un ;" or, at all events, that his non-starting was being
turned to the advantage of certain "commission" people.
Every handicap seems fated to be the medium for some
strange doings, and what with the working of Canzonette,
Oldminster, and Man-at-Arms, to say nothing of the sus-
picion attaching to Grimston, the Northamptonshire
Stakes proved no exception. Apart from this matter, and
the disgusting starting nuisance, the Northampton Meet-
ing was a brilliant success. The racing was abundant, and
the professionals were delighted with the two days' sport.
The Trial St ikes opened the ball well, as it brought to-
gether probably the best field for that kind of race we shall
see all the season. Asteroid came out as fresh as paint, and
Manning had put a polish on him that made him shine
in the sun a perfect picture. Here I may at once satisfy
the mind of the sporting public as to the idle rumour of this
horse's death. It was currently stated at Croxton Park
on Friday that he was found dead in his box on his return.
from Northampton. Having inquired myself of his trainer,
in the course of Saturday, I received a letter this morning
stating that no horse could possibly be better than he is at
the present moment. Returning, however, to the subject
of the Trial Stakes, let me remark that the meeting of
Asteroid and Le Marechal was regarded with a great
deal of curiosity, and considered as a decisive test of La
Marechal's Chester Cup pretensions. Soapstone, a good
performer last year, has not improved with time, and
seemed to me light and leggy, while Ivanhoff certainly
wanted time to complete his preparations. Asteroid won
his first race this season in a canter, and if he keeps well, he
will take some beating—with all his weight—in the Great
Spring Handicap, in which he is engaged, and, with health,
the Ascot Cup leo► s acre id) at his disposal, as he is, in my
opini ,n, in greater form than ever. In the Northampton-
shire Cup we had a btd field, and Aurelian—never fond
of a distance—and Millionaire, a notorious coward, on this
occasion ran very gamely, and won each in a canter. Lord
Stamford and his Master of the Horse, Captain Little, be-
lieved they had a great thing in Livingstone, and accord-
ingly the Lord of Enville "lumped it down." If good
looks could have won a race, Livingstone ought to have
cantered in, but being troubled with that fatal infirmity
" roaring," good looks in his case were only like the blan-
dishments of the syren, and led to destruction. Fantastic
had very much improved, and Mr. Bryan backed him for so
much money that Lord Stamford's followers by no means
sat on velvet. Cairncastle, at one time a coming horse for
the Derby, was eagerly scrutinised, and, of course, Mr.
Harry Hill and those having Derby books went to have a
100, at him when he was stripped. But the unanimous
verdict was—no Derby horse. The horse ran so gamely,
however, that he is certain to neat Fantastic over a longer
c-turse, and, after all said and done, it will not surprise me
to see Cairncastle get home one of the first four for the
Derby, as he has just wear and tear took of a horse likely
to get up and down the Surrey hills. Fantastic won very
easily, and although by Hesperus—a notorious non- staying
family-50 to 1 was taken about him for the Derby. Au
amusing incident occurred in connection with this three-
year old. Mr. Jackson, immediately after the race, offered
to take 3 to 1 that any of Lord Glasgow's beat Fantastic in
the Derby The Northern Leviathan was immediately
"shot" for £3,000 to £l,OOO twice, the backer
of Fantastic naming as the one of Lord Glasgow's lot Light
Bob, a horse that is at the present moment a cripple. Mr.
Jackson was of course sold in this little transaction, and
evidently annoyed, as he tore up his card into a thousand
fragments and strode away. Fifteen runners for the North-
amptonshire Stakes was a larger field than was expected,
but three or four that ran did not " try" a single yard, and
those that were doing their best were in a smith minority.
Knutsford kept a great favourite to the end, but he was so
much li, hter than last season that I wonder he kept his
pos tion. Hartington, Carisbrook, and Balham I should
think were merely lookers-on, and I do not think that 1,000
to 10 in money would have induced the owners to back
th-m. Fairwater became a great favourite, and the " gen-
tlemen" all got their money on the mare. One of the last
bets I saw booked was 200 to 20 taken by Lord Courtenay
About her. She looked superb, and old Tom Oliver, with
the inevitable ash-stick, was so confident that he repeated
his Cheater Cup saying, and vowed to us that it would be a
worse job than when Moscow was burnt if she didn't win,
en further declared that there wouldn't be a shirt left in
the village, as every man-jack had backed her for his last
rag.

Brother to Springbok, who was also at the finish made
a great favourite, was a light plain-looking horse, and there
must have been some mistake in his trial with Athers tone,
as I will never believe that such an ordinary-looking one
could have beaten the old horse at 2 st. From the last half
mile the race was not in doubt, as Fairwater was pulling
double, ann " Stevy'e" shout of "Mr. Cartwright beats any
thing for a hundred"—as she approached the distance—was
-accurate enough, as she came away and won in a canter.
Attaman's having such a good race of it additionally cha-
grined the backers of Man at Arms, for the two had been
tried at home at Northamptonshire Stakes weights, and the
latter won anyhow.

• Maurico and Batsman's match was a great treat, and some
people would have it that the running of Mr. Ten Broeck's
gray at only 71b. was good enough to give him a fair out-
side chance in the Two Thousand, and it is a question for
your readers whether or not they would back the old 'un
at Newmarket at 9st. 31b. Gloater and Fordham, in point
of jockeyship, were as well handicapped as the horses, and
each did his utmost to achieve victory, but without success,
and there was a roar of surprise and delight when the " 0"
announcing a dead heat was put under the golden horse
over the judge's box. There was nothing else in the racing
of Tuesday, but Fontenoy's ridiculously easy win in the
Nene Handicap showed how bad a game had been played
with hint at Doncaster. Wednesday opened well
with the Racing Stakes, in which Dunkeld,
King of Utopia, and Ls Marechal met. " The King"
seemed to have scarcely finished his preparation, but was
nevertheless a great favourite; and it is said that the party
hoped to save a portion of their money, having booked his
winning here a certainty. Dunkeld is but a mere pony,
and I should as lief think of a Galloway winning the Derby
as that game little son of Drumour. But he is lull of good
points, and sure to slip well found the sharp curves at
Chester as his sire did before him. Golden Dust, who
lately nearly ended her owner's life by kicking him in the
abdomen, is a nice filly, and showed such a fine turn of
speed, that I am convinced she will pay her way over certain
courses this season. D inkeld won in a canter; but, not-
withstanding his easy defeat of " The King," it
must not be forgotten thet the latter was giving
him 101 b., and backers were, in my opinion, justifies in
taking 1,000 to 15 about him for the Derby after the race.
The Althorp Park Stakes introduced us to a sweet filly in
Molly Carew, and a very good-looking colt in Midnight
Mass, and, as I predicted in your edition of last Monday
evening, Molly Carew won easily, though opposed by such
a large field. Being a stable companion of Starbeam, the
party could hardly make any mistake about her, as, when
the two were "roughed up" about Christmas time, Molly
was found to be some pounds the better. Reeves's run of
luck with his two-year-olds is not likely ea end here, as I
know he has one or two very promising ones still
in the background, and I may particularise one
that has not yet run, called Confederate, but likely
to play a conspicuous part when wanted. The
Spencer Plate gave rise to such a scene at the
starting post that every one was sick even of the very name,
and Lord Spencer and Mr. Marshall could do nothing with
the jockeys, and sent for Admiral nous to come to the
rescue. The first thing the Admiral did when he got to tha
post was there and then to fine Harry Grimshaw a " pony ;"
and I regret to see that this promising jockey is adopting a
course of conduct that, unless he is very careful, will lead
to his being warned off the turf'! However, the evil will
be followed by some good, as I believe Lord Spencer has
made up his mind to increase the distance in this race to a
mile and a quarter, which will put an end to the disreput-
able scene enacted on Wednesday last before the flag fell.
Alan at Arms, as I predicted, wen the St. Liz Handicap in a
canter, and his hollow success is the only remaining event
of which I need make a note. The present week is almost
a blank, as there are no legitimate features. In my next I
will draw especial attention to the Newmarket Handicap,
in which it seems to me that Paste and Attam, n have all
the best of the weights, and, according to their antecedents,
ought to be about winning. PEGASUS.

ETTRICK FOREST.---The Southern _Reporter un-
derstands that Mr. Scott of itodono h.s in prepara-
tion a volume of " Genealogical Memoirs of the Scotts,"
embracing the whole of the Border families of tho name
descended from the House of Brauxholu,, midi the origin
and pedigree of each during the respective possession of
their lands in Ettrick Forest, Teviotdale, and Eskdale, in
die 16th and two following centuries.