The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-15 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

The meeting at Chester was a great success, but owing
to the unpropitious state of the weather was not patronised
so numerously as it otherwise would have been. There
were 20 starters for the
.Chester Cup, one more than last
year ; the absentees of the 27 " coloured" being Breda-
mante (7), Redcap (8), Chocolate (16), East Lynne (21),
Terror (25), and Sidewind (26). John Day, as last year,
ran three—Ackworth, Lord Zetland, and The Grinder ;
the Marquis of Hastings and Mr. Barber alone starting a
"second string" to "do the needful" for the two favourites.
The only. other stable with a couple of representatives was
Scott's, of Holywell, which comprised Buckfoot and Farce ;
whilst Wm. Day, who carried off the Cup in 1856 with the
latter's dam (One Act), and has invariably been " with
them" here for many years past, had nothing at the meet-
ing, owing to the going amiss of Mail Train. Nor had
John Scott, John Osborne, Tom Dawson, or Godding—
names more or less associated with the great Roodeo prize
—a starter on this occasion. Mr.T. Hughes, as a matter of
course, indulged the natives with a peep at another of his
"yearlings," whet has been backed to win the Cesare_
witch, Liverpool Steeplechase, Oaks, and all the leading
races during the last ten years ; and a great many
confidently believed in a repetition by Mr. Hughes
of his last year's coup with Flash in the Pan, in similar
weather; forgetting, however, that the present performer
has long since entered his "teens." The Brewer previously
ran for this Cup in 1859 (six years old), 1860, and 1861,
haVing begun his racing career (as Emulator) by winning
the Harpenden Handicap just ten years ago, while it was
the second appearance of Oldminster, Change (who was
such a "pot" last year), and Lord Zetland, whose starting
was only decided upon after the rain came. The "sister
kingdom," after an interregnum of some duration—great are
the changes on the Irish Turf since the days of Cruiskeen,
Harkaway, Mickey Free, Ould Ireland, Coranna, St. Law-
rence, Peep o' Day, which latter trio carried off the great
Cestrian prize three years in succession—put in an appear-
ance again with Leprechaun, who wore an exercise-hood,
which created an unfavourable impression against the
conqueror of Caller On at the recent Curragh meeting ;
and France had a couple of representatives in La Toacques
and Soumise, the former of whom came out appar-
rently as sound as ever—a triumph of training skill—
after a long absence caused by the filling of one of her legs
(which was blistered no fewer than seven times) during
her preparation for the Goodwood Cup last summer. There
was no " chopping and changing" of jockeys at the last
moment, and though it was imagined that Grimshaw or
Carroll would be on Helen (who carried 11b. overweight,
and was ridden by Ward without a whip), the former rode
the horse he was originally engaged for (Lion), and Carroll
steered Buckfoot. A question was submitted to the stewards
beforehand respecting the latter'e liability to a 51b. penalty
for winning the Willoughby Handicap, worth £2OO, " in-
cluding his own stake" at the Warwick Spring Meeting,
on which occasion, it will be remembered, Buckfoot
" played old gooseberry" with his friends by upsetting
a " pot" on his stable companion, Stanton ; and as the
Cup conditions contained a special clause to that effect,
it was decided in the affirmative, which had the effect
of driving him back in the betting from 100 to 8 to
20 to 1, though the confidence of his stable, who
have sadly "messed" matters with this horse, was in no
degree shaken by his eitra weight. The betting became
very bad at last, according to the bookmakers, though
noticeable for two or three important changes, the great
feature being the furore to get on Gratitude, who left off
fourth favourite at 7 to 1, the continued support of the
Highflyer's dam colt, the advance of The Brewer to 100
to 6,and the decline of Victorious and the Mcestissima filly.
The only young one at all firm was Lion, whose chance, as
well as that of all the three year olds amongst turned loose
old ones, with the ground in such a state, was ridiculed by
all racing• men of experience and judgment; and The
Grinder's mission, it was pretty generally supposed, was on
behalf of his stable companion. At one moment, imme-
diately after The Clown's -victory, Helen looked like dis-
placing Ackworth in the betting, as she became quite as
good a favourite, and in a few instances was backed at 4 to
1; but the Danebury horse recovered his position before
the start, and left off unmistakably with the call, the
last investment on the part of his noble owner being
300 to 100, though far below the market price, which, after
" comparing " with the leading bookmakers, cannot be
returned at loss than 4 to 1, albeit half a point less was
taken in a great many cases. The race was preceded by a
delay of upwards of three quarters of an hour, and it need
scarcely be added a great many false starts occurred, for
causing which the ringleaders were very properly reported
to the Stewards, and punished, as the breaks away in
several instances were perfectly- unjustifiable—even when
some of the horses were walking back directly in front of
the main body ! It was fortunate this delay did take place,
or the race might have resulted in a fiasco, owing to Mr.
M'George mistaking the starting-post, which would have
necessitated a "second heat," if the start had taken place
in the straight. At length, however, at forty-seven
minutes past three, the signal was given, and all got away
in capital order except Farce, whose previous misbehaviour
caused no regret at being left behind. Of the three-year-
olds Lion and Grinder alone showed prominently at any
part of the race—the latter in racing with the fea-
ther-weighted Macbeth (to secure a pace for their respective
stable companions, Ackworth and Helen), during the whole
of the first round, and to the Workhouse turn beyond the
Stand the last time, when both retired, whilst Lion lived
with the front lot until near the half-mile post, and then
gave way beaten. These three, with Helen, the High-
flyer's dam colt, and Leprechaun, formed the vanguard
from the start; and when The Grinder and Macbethretired
from the contest at the point already indicated, Helen took
up the running, but the Highflyer's dam colt joining her
before she had proceeded far, these two raced side by side,
first one's head, then the other's, showing in advance along
the Dee side, followed so closely by Leprechaun as to in-
dulge the fielders with hopes of a "turn up" by the suc-
cess of the Irish horse ; whilst Gratitude (who could not
have won with a stone less on her back), after running
forward for a mile and a half, was nowhere visible now, and
Ackworth and La Toucques were in trouble nearly half a
mile from home, when Buckfoot, who emerged from the
ruck at the commencement of the last round, passed them
full of running, and overhauling the leading trio was well
up with them at the Grosvenor turn. The excite-
ment became intense as the two favourites came round the
last turn abreast, the white cap of Helen (who was next
the rails) being sufficiently in advance to account for the
enthusiasm with which the success of the local mare was
proclaimed by her numerous partisans ; but her fate was
sealed before reaching the distance, where the Irish horse
—mistaken by many for Victorious, as besmattered with
mud were horses, jockeys, and "colours "—was in trouble,
and the Highflyer's dam colt appeared to have the race in
hand, when Carroll brought up Buckfoot with a tremendous
run, and passing Leprechaun and Helen below the Stand,
overhauled the leader so rapidly that Hibbard had to set-to
in earnest to defeat the Holywell horse by a neck. The
overlooked 51b penalty just turning the scale, and prevent-
ing Buckfoot quite getting up, though so close was the
finish that the hoisting of the winner's number at the chair
alone relieved the anxiety of the spectators at any distance
from the goal—Carroll thus being second two years in
succession for the same owner, who would have landed a
" reeker" on each occasion.

The only noticeable feature in connection with the Derby
betting has been the increased support awarded to Gladia-
teur and the knocking out of Zambesi and Chattanooga,
one well-known bookmaker having laid a level .£5O that
the latter would not see the starter.

There are two meetings this week, viz., York an d
Salisbury, but the principal race is the Great Northern
Handicap. There will, in all probability, be about 20
starters, selected from the following (those marked with an
asterisk are doubtful) :

La Toucques
*Gibraltar ...

Age st lb
... 5 8 10
... a 8 2

Ago st lb
F by Stockwell—
dam by Pyrrhus
...
__

Stanton (inc .51b ex) a 711 the First 4 613
*The Clown ... 4 7 10 Gondola ... 4 6 13
Welcome ... ... 6 7 9 Revival ... 4 613
*Gratitude... 5 7 7 Castle Espie 4 6 12
Groin° ... 4 7 4 Finesie 4 6 12
*Joco 5 7 4 *Sidewind (in 71b ex) 3 6 7
Cathedral ... ... 47 4 *Huntsman's Daugh 5 6 6
Buckfoot (in 51b ex) 4 7 3 Macbeth (in 51b ex) 4 6 5
Battaglia ... 4 7 0 *Jeannette 4 6 0
Claxton ... 4 7 0 Club Queen 3 5 7
Flatterer ... 7 0 Flying Horse 3 5 7
La Toucques ran well for two miles in the Chester Cup,
but she will be more worth trusting later in the season.
Welcome is sure to turn out the best of theWhitowall divi-
sion. Cathedral will run well, if ho does not quite win.
Macbeth will turn out the best of Mr. Barber's, as The
Clown would prefer a sherter. distance. Battaglia is not
over-weighted, and is likely to represent Mr. Robinson in-
stead of Gratitude. Buckfoot, the outsider that I selected
for second in the Chester Cup, and who obtained the posi-
tion that I awarded him, although four and five to one
at starting could have been obtained about himforaie arsity o
situa-
tion, is now first favourite. There is .a great variety of
opinion what weight he ought to carry.
Handicap
pol Lowing are the conditions of the Great Northern
each,
sous,
fina specie,
csi ei
f,
va'lue I,ooot sous
aided h
teo Gar ea tSweepstakes Northern handicapof
2o
so
soya
sf
declared • the winner of any handicap
after March' 1 at 10 olfocionseovosf,soorOt
the
evsse
second for
foorf
of one of 200 sous ..
one value 1,000 sovs.i4slbextral9;
declared."
From to receive 50
sous. Two miles. subs.
From the above it will be seen that the Willoughby
Handicap
worthh
i2moo7sl nova, including
extra,
launddi thentghatrunning ru second
winner's own
stake,
for the Chester Cup gives him another 51b ; but competent
whiwchaa makes
judges assert that the winner's stake in the Willoughby
Handicap is not included in the conditions of the Great
Northorn Handicap, which would reduce his penalty to blb
as only having won over £lOO ; but still there is the other
penalty for running second in the Chester Cup, which
would make his penalty up to 101 b. The conditions of the
race do not say that penalties are accumulative, and in
that case he can have no more than 51b extra, being exactly
the same weight he carried in the Chester Cup. Claxton
is likely to do a good thing at last. Ho has been long in
reserve, and now his party are seemingly in earnest. His
forward running in the Metropolitan ought to entitle him
to the greatest respect. He belongs to Lord St. Vincent,
the owner of Lord Clifden who seldom makes any mis-
take. In conclusion, I think the judge will place
CLAXT ON 1
WELCOME 2
GONDOLA or LA TOUCQUES 3
A FRESH MAN.