The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-15 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

No. MEMORANDA FROM MY MX.INUTE-BOOK ON THE
METROPOLITAN HANDICAP, &c, &c.

" 'Tis the sunshine of life gives me mystical lore,
And coming events cast their shadows before."
CAMPBELL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Stn,--The result of the St. Albans Steeplechase proves,
with one horrible exception (the Mulligan caper), the accu-
racy of my information, and the thorough sifting the merits
of the animals engaged in that race underwent at my hands;
for, excluding Ben Lornond's position, gained more by good
jockeyship on the part of Frisby than ought else, the quin-
tette of horses to whom in my last note I awarded the five
foremost places, passed the judge's chair first, third, fourth,
fifth and sixth, and I have but little doubt that the two I
placed first and second (Mulligan and Trust-me-Not) would
have run home in those positions had not the Mulligan party
(who messed their own interests with him a short time since
at Southern, now made a nrulbagain of it, with this diffe-
rence, however, that the good easy public were the sufferers
this time instead of themselves) discovered at the eleventh
hour that their horse was too good to be allowed to come
within the 2001. selling clause in the conditions, preferring to
reserve him for the Don:aster Steeplechase, or some "good
thing" they have in view,, or, for some other cogent reason,
which, as
Natur%-has made man's heart no windores,
To .publish what he does within doors,
nor what dark secrets there inhabit,
Unless his own rash folly blab it,"
I ha`:o not been able to discover; but this much Ido know,
tkat on the arrival at St. Albans on Wednesday morning of
a good sprinkling of the speculative division, the flying ru-
mours of the night before in town received immediate confirm-
ation by the fact becoming known that Archer had been
shifted from Mulligan to Buscot, and that Mr. H.
Elmore would ride the quondam crack, for crack he
was no longer; as little as 5 to 2 had been booked about
him in town on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, but
his first price at ancient Verulam was sto 1, minus takers.
From this price he rapidly receded to a figure much nearer
fifty ; in fact, any price was obtainable -it was the Peter
Simple game at Lincoln over again. The disappearance of
Mulligan elevated my second best fancy, Trust-me-Not, to
the premiership in the odds, who, tooled by Mason, won
cleverly from Ben Lomond, despite the artistical handling of
the latter by Frisby. The next batch consisted of Valiant,
St. Leger, Legislator, and Mulligan.
Since the publication of my last note an important change
has come o'er the spirit of the
BETTING MARKET,
more particularly on the Chester Cup, for which stake Ha-
ricot cannot be quoted at more than 18 to 1, while Rhesus,
who has hitherto held, at least since the appearance of the
weights, the foremost, position in the odds, has fallen
from his high estate, e., from 12 to 18 to 1, partly
caused by doubts as to whether he is going for
the Metropolitan, which, as a matter of course, would
seriously affect his Chester chance; The Italian, in the early
part of the week, also tumbled from his position at 18 to 30
to 1, but has since returned to 25, at which price he rules
unsteady. Brother to Dough, the dangerous representative
of Danebury, has advanced two or three points, and stands
at 30 to 1; this horse, if bottled up for Chester, and well on
the day, will be one of the first four. I estimate Brother to
Dough's chance to be about as good as Lady Evelyn's (who
is firm in the market at 25 to 1), who will be about first on
the lioodee, not only in the race, but also in the ring. Lord
Eglinton's Cnreus has rushed to the front in the betting on
the Metropolitan, being quoted , firm at 12 to 1, fifteens taken
.freely yesterday at " the Corner." The Northampton Handi-
cap still commands but little attention ; Cocktail finds backers
at 8 to 1, and two of Treen's—Zadoc and the Swindler, were
yesterday supported at 15 and 20 to 1; beyond this nothing
much is doing; Nutmeg is occasionally inquired after, and
booked at 15 to 1, well worth taking, I should say.
The principal events of the Liverpool Spring Meeting are
beginning to attract general attention ; for the Spring Cup
Doubt and Panope are equal favourites at 5 to 1 each, Unity
(not bad at 4st 101 b) may be quoted 6 to 1 (the outside
figure), Idle Boy 8 to 1, and Caurire 10 to 1; and for the
Steeplechase Vainhope still maintains the lead at a slight ad-
vance yesterday upon previous prices, having been done at 7
to 1 ; Sir John re-appeared at 10 to 1; Peter Simple was sup-
ported at twelves, and Rescue and the Tipperary Boy at
week.
A few scraps of information have come to hand concern-
e v twentiesevents in
ing the each;
hleshall