The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-21 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

No. XI.
LIVERPOOL SPRING MEETING.
GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE, &c. &c.

"The Chase! the Chase! the Steeplechase!
The rasping leap and the rattling pace;
The rider brave and the gallant steed,
Whose lava-veins display his breed ;
The flashing eye and the hoof of light,
That far outstrips the tempest's flight;
The start, the struggle, and the goal,
Where victory winds up the whole.
Oh ! ne'er on turf or stream a race
Can beat the manly Steeplechase."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—My analytical powers will net be brought into play
to day on the appointed subject, the Newmarket Handicap,
the dissection of which must stand adjourned to Monday
next, but on the principal events of the Liverpool Spring
Meeting, announced for Wednesday, the 20th, whose claims
put forth a prior right to an immediate and careful considera-
tion at my hands, which they shall most assuredly have.
The Liverpool Grand National is to steeplechases what the
Derby is to flat-races, the most important stake in the annual
turn of this sublunary ball; it took its station as the most
important race of the kind almost from the commencement
of steeplechasing, some twenty years ago, and generally
attracts a very large field to the post; other steeplechases,
among whom may be classed those of Worcester, Newport
Pagnel, and St. Albans, have risen and since fallen away
from their great estate, but Liverpool stands firm as a rock,
and bids fair so to do for years to come. In 1a49 the number
of entries amounted to 67, thirty-eight of whom accepted;
in 1850 they numbered 70, and forty-four cried content; this
year the nominations show a slight falling of, being 63,
thirty-one of whom (within two of a moiety) are contented
with their burdens, a sort of impost receiving much more
general support than Sir Charles Wood's house-tax substi-
tute for the duty on the light of heaven. As I before re-
marked, the fields in proportion to the acceptances are always
very large; in 1849 twenty-four went to the post, in 1850
the great number of thirty-two mustered to contest the
stake, and this year, so far as I can judge at the present
writing, the field will range between a score and two dozen,
among whom the following will be found :—Sir John,
Vain Hope, Sir Peter Laurie, Peter Simple, Fugitive,
Farnham, Rattrap, Half-and-Half, Shinrone, Young, Un,
Maria Day, Abd-el-Kader, Tipperary Boy, Mulligan, Rescue,
Currig, Sam Hood, Maurice Daley, Penrith, and Volatile or
Venice. I will now attempt to deduce conclusions from past
performances, and present condition, commencing with the
top-weight. Lord Waterford's b g, Sir John, by Windfall,
aged, 1 Ist 121 b, stands at the top of the scale, with a steady-
ing weight on his back; in 1549, September 25, at Cashel,
he woo the Rock Stakes, beating Wedge, Fugleman, and
The Hermit in a common canter; November 21st, carrying
list 11b, he won the Liverpool Autumn Steeplechase, beat •
ing Vain Hope, lOst 61b, The Victim, I Ist 71b. and fourteen
others; in 1850, list 81b, he ran a good third to Abd-el-
Kader, 9st 121 b, for the Liverpool Steeplechase, beating
Peter Simple, 12st, 21b—Rattrap, list 71b—Farnham, I Ist 31b
—Victim, list 21b—Mulligan, lOst 101b—Maria Day, 10st
51b—Shinrone, lOst 51b—Tipperary Boy, lOst, and twenty-
one others; April 2, at Tipperary, was beaten by Archy and
several others, having fallen early in the race; April 9th,
beat Archy and five others for the Limerick Stakes; and at
Cashel, September 25th, for the second time, won the Rock
Stakes easily by five lengths, carrying 12st 131 b, beating
Currig, llst 61b, and another. These performances, all at
welting weights, mark Sir John out as a very dangerous
horse to be against for the ensuing steeplechase; he will be
ridden, I believe, by Ryan, and I have but little doubt will
be near the front at the finish, although, in my opinion, not
the first.

Mr. Vevers' Vain Hope by Safeguard, 6 yrs. list 81b, has
held a prominent position in the betting throughout, and was
yesterday backed for several hundreds at prices varying from
100 to 6 to 10 to I, but, though others place unlimited con-
fidence in him, I think be is over-weighted, and have no he-
sitation in declaring his winning to be the vainest of vain
Iwpes; his running has, however, been highly respectable;
in 1849, November 2, he won the Worcestershire Handicap,
carrying Bst 101 b, beating the Young-Un, lOst, and eight
others very cleverly; November 14th, 9st 1016, won the
Aylesbury Handicap by half a length, beating. among
others, Maria Day, lOst 51b (third), The Young•tin, lOst
21b, and Tipperary Boy, lOst 71b ; ran second, carrying lOst
61b. to Sir John, for the Liverpool Autumn Steeplechase;
December 4th, lOst 51b, first favourite for the Leamington
Open Steeplechase, was no-where to the Knight of Gwynne,
list Ilb (first), and Abd-el-fader, 9st 101 b (second);
Dec. 12th, lOst 91b, ran Maria Day, 10st, to a neck for the
Metropolitan Steeplechase. In 1850, Dec. 4th, I Ist 21b, was
beaten off for the " Worcestershire Grand Annual," won by
Miss Collingwood, lOst 41b; Tipperary Boy, lOst, (a good
second); he comes out, however, on the 13th, and wins
the Wolverhampton Steeplechase easily, carrying lOst
131 b, beating The Victim, list lib, Peter Simple,
list 31b, Maurice Daley, 9st 131 b; and two others. He
has not, as yet, run this year; he will be ridden by Archer,
I presume.

Mir. Barnett's br h Sir Peter Laurie, aged, list 71b, an
much fancied by the touting tribe, with 10st 6lb up, ran no-
where to Vengeance, 9st 61b, for the Coventry Craven
Steeplechase last year; lOst 21b, won the Leamingtonst;
Grand Annual," March 22d, beating Peter Simple, e
•
Abd-el-Kader, lOst 121 b; and Tipperary Boy,
lengths, besides some thirteen others. April 12th, lost, by
was lost by Fugitive, lOst 81b, for the Metropolitan Steeple-
chase;' by Lucy
Nov. 20th, list 31b, was run
°CeS his egs
Steeplechase. Sir
Neal, 10st 61b, who won the Leamington _ Ilst 51b,
Peter's chance, if you were to believe the T. T., is as good as
anything in the race ; I'm not of opinion.their
1849, carrying list;
since then he has only run six times. December 6tb,
list hir.:llCb,uwnnoningthhainsesstbeegplePcehtsesre Simplein
by Patron, aged,
12st 41b, was not placed for the Leamington Open Handi-
cap ; in 1850, 12st 21b, was
beaten early in the race for the
Liverpool Grand NI
Hataionndaiel,:p,aosnbi‘elawraesh with22l;
hel won the
2stup for
Leamington AnDlla
West of Scotland Open Steeplechase cleverly, beating Isaac
and half a dozen others; Dec. 13th, list 31b, was out of the
race for the Wolverhampton Handicap, won by Vain Hope,
lOst 131 b; and at Lincoln, February 6th, of this present
year of grace, lOst 101 b, was third to Lucy Neal,
10at I.lb, when he might have been, had his
jockey so chosen it, first in the commonest
of canters. The foregoing are his latest performances; with
the exception of the first and last, they are not much in his
favour, but, he is a good horse, sound, and iu first-rate trim,
will take a good. deal of beating, yet I cannot fancy he will
win; he will be ridden by his owner.
Mr. Storey'a b g The Victim, by Drayton, aged, lOst 131 b,
I am inclined to eschew in favour of 'the Tuung-un, agid.
103 t 71b, w .0 has shown that he can run o,cusionally, espe-
cially in his spin for the WorceAershire Aanual last De-
cember, when he cut out the -,7ork for his stable companion,
who could not accomplish the winning feat that day, conse •
quendy tbiowing the Young. un's chance away,
_and doubly
victimising the backers of the. stable. Tayhr will ride the
champion of the stable.
Lord Largo's c4W WilgitlikbY Rash WI, Nit I_2lk, iA