The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-19 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

THE NEWMARKET HANDICAP.
The proceedings connected with the Newmarket Han-.
dicap have created no little sensation. The lonirecordi-
of turf trickery anchnicertainty perhaps scarcely furniih
their parallel ;_ the " scratching system" was- adopted.
and pursued with an utter disregard of individual cen-
sure, and an undisguised indifference to public scandal.
Horses were sent tf) Newmarket, seemingly not to fulfil-
their engagements, biit solely for pecuniary and ques:
tionable purposes. The pernicious operation of the
;system complained of will be best set forth by a round
unvarnished statement of the facts.
Virago obtained a " flying .reputation" at Epsom.
She then became the leading favourite, not only for the
Newmarket Handicap, but for other events. Although
some doubts existed as to' her starting for the Newmarket
Handicap, yet they were soon dispelled by her arrival it .-
headquarters. The desire to "get on" at any terms was
general, for all persons deemed her success, barring acci-
dents, a certainty. She maintained her position in the
betting with seeming steadiness until Monday, when cer-
tain movements in the market, and the eagerness evinced
in well-informed quarters to "get out," excited suspicions
which were eventually confirmed, for on the afternoon of
that day Virago was declared not to start. Bracken,
too, on whom many investments had been made at some-
what short odds, encountered an opposition which showed
that with him " things were not all right." He had not
taken his customary exercise in the morning, and on the
reading of the list his withdrawal also was announced.
Having thus disposed' of these two formidable animals,
a new favourite was introduced in Defiance, who had ar-
rived on Sunday evening. He was supported with con-
siderable spirit until Monday evening, when a reaction
commenced, and he was ultimately driven from 2 to 1 to
30 to 1. Early on Tuesday morning he was quietly sent
home ! The " ring" then became puzzled, and specu-, •
lation was temporarily stopped. At length, however,.
a well-sustained demonstration was made in favour of
Adine and Nicotine ; the former, however, ultimately
took the lead in the betting. This position she main-
tained until about an hour before the time appointed
for the race, when it was reported she had been sud-
denly taken ill, and she too was scratched.
For Virago's withdrawal I was prepared ; and in my
"Notes," published in The Sun on Monday, I stated
its probability. Her owner, perhaps, deemed the
chances of a break-down stronger than those of success:"
It is questionable, however, whether the motives which
actuated him to scratch the mare will be either • under-
stood or appreciated by the public. Ile, however; doubtless
deemed that he had a perfect right to do as he liked with '
his own, and it must be confessed that he did it. The
doings connected with Defiance admit of no extenuation.
Adine, it is said, really went " amiss" at the last moment,
and that her owner actually intended her, and backed
her on the morning of the race for 2001: The truth of
tins report lam not at present able to confirm. All
attempts, however, to explain her owner's conduct are
met with derision. I shall, however, reserve my opinion -
on the matter until I am in possession of the facts.
So insignificant a lot of horses was never, perhaps,
mustered at the post for a leading event as that which
contested the Newmarket Handicap. The winner,
Coup d'Etfit, as in 1552 when Father Thames carried
off the stake, was scarcely mentioned in the Ring. Some
people, however, went for the "off chance" with him,
and backed him at prices varying from 100 to 5 to 100
to 7. He belongs to Sir Robert Pigott, and is trained
at Newmarket. lam informed that, although his owner
did not invest a sixpence on him, Lady Pigott took 100
to 6 about him ! Time will not allow me to extend my
remarks on this subject. ,
Baalbec won the 'Riddlesworth in capital style. He
is a good looking animal, and will be a most dangerous
horse to stand against for the Chester Cup:"
I shall not attempt to indicate the winners of the
various events appointed for decision on Thursday and
Friday. The must seemingly accurate calculations may
be upset by the extreme hardness of the ground. Even
the withdrawal of West Australian from the " Port," _
will not surprise me, Sittingbourne, too, although
much fancied, appears to me to be not " exactly up to
the mark." Should West Australian be scratched, I
shall, with a start, be inclined to place some faith in
Orestes.

A FRESH MAN. •

Newmarket, Tuesday Night.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEORAPH.)
• NEWMARKET, Tars DAY.
ADINE AND THE NEWMARKET HANDICAP.—We have
ascertained that the withdrawal. of Adine was rendered
absolutely necessary by a,sudden and most severe attack
of intimation of the lungs, and we cannot but express _
our sincere regret that in the paragaph despatched on
the Heath on Tuesday afternoon other motives should
have been implied. ,