The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-08 00:00:00

.SPOR7 IN G NOTES.

Without the Grand National Steeplechase the Spring
Meeting at Liverpool would be a complete failure, as the
day appears to have gone when the Spring Cup could
draw together goodly fields of horses; and there is
nothing of the Dundee, Lady Clifden, Big Ben, or Little
Lady stamp to compete for the Tyro Stakes. This anni-
versary Knight of the Garter had an easy task to win the
Spring Cup, as he had merely to vanquish the non-staying
Honesty, the Attack gelding, The Breach, Ajax, and Vol-
tigern—the latter of whom, though he looked remarkably
fit, figured in the rear throughout. Knight of the Garter,
who has grown into a magnificent horse, was nut
thoroughly wound up. Still, he won the above cup with
nearly 141 b in hand, and must be handy for the Chester
Cup, in which event his weight, with Mb penalty, is
:Ist 11b. The field for the Grand National was scarcely
so strong as antic:pated, for only twenty-two competitors
went to post ; and, with few exceptions, the horses that
ran were very 'nosier:Jo in quality, as must be admitted
when the immediate attend nts of the Colonel were
Hall Court, Gardener, and Alf.ildade. The race itself
was a chapter of accidents frcin start to finish, and
thu "moving incidents by flood and field" more nume-
rous thaa usual. Only thirteen hoses charged
the water leap in front of the grand stand
the fist time round, as Fan, Pearl Diver, Guy of 'clrnr-
wick, and others, through refusals and fallings, were dis-
pose lof ere two miles had been traversed. Neither De-
spatch nor Fortunatus - the latter of whom was a raur3
shadow in cxnparison with his gigantic stable com-
panion, Pearl Diver—could stay the course; and clever
though Messrs Brayley and Studd are, they were awfuly
out iu their calculat'ons. Over grass land three miles in
extent Despatch and Fortunatus would, doubtless, be for-
midable ; but neither horse can stay, and the last-named
was the most unlikely Grand National winner we ev, r
examined, as he is light, and deficient in size and power.
Despatch, who was trained to perfection, is an ugly horse,
but a fine mover. For the defeat of him and Fortunatua
there is no legitimate excuse, as both had a fair fight
for Aintree laurels; but what the fate of Fan and
Pearl Diver might have been, had they stood up to the
finish, it is impossible to say. Both these horses were
in blooming condition ; and it was " hard lines " fo
Messrs. Barber and Brayley that their representatives di
not run to the end. Guy of Warwick performed like
the coward he is, and steeplechasing is evidently not his
forte. Little Globule, whose fore legs exhibit signs
of decay, and Huntsman's Daughter ran well for a long
distance, but the latter broke her fetlock joint-
another blow for Mr Morgan, whose luck has been bad for
some time past. Q. C., considering that Le is a young
horse, presented a bold front to within half a mile of home,
and ho is sure to make a finished steeplechaser when time
has matured his latent qualities. The first four at the ter-
mination of the contest—The Colonel, Hall Court, Gar-
dener, and Alcibiade—are fine cross-country horses; and,
considering that it was The Colonel's first essay over the
Grand National ground, his performance was a highly
creditable one, although the wretched pace at which the
race was run detracts somewhat from the merits of his
victory. The Colonel is home bred and trained, and his
owner, who is a Shropshire farmer, must feel satisfied with
the result of the race, as it is no empty honour to win a
Grand National the first time of asking. Messrs. Evan;
Roberts, and Stevens are, however, entitled to share the
honour of The Colonel's victory with Mr Weyman, as they
have each contributed, by advice or otherwise, to the sue-
cessful result. For the "proud Salopians" the issue has
been a great bit, as the Ludlow division were on to a man,
and The Colonel bad also strong bands of admirers in
Herefordshire and South Wales. His victory, therefore
was a popular one ; and, although we never believed in hi
Grand National prospects, we willingly award the honour
due to The Colonel, who is a half-bred son of the Knight
of Kars out of Boadicea.

There will be meetings this week at Warwick, Mel-
ton, Downpatrick, ITlveretone, Kingsbury, and Scar-
borough. The programmes, however, issued from War-
wick and Malton are the only ones that are:worthy of
criticism at this date. The Warwick Spring Meeting will
take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, :and Thursday ; and
for this pleasant :gathering Mr. Merry has published his
usual lengthy broad sheet. If all the proposed events is
the programme fill, twenty-four races will be brought to
issue ; and the decisions in the Great Warwickshire Han-
dicap and Willoughby Cup may throw some light on the
fast approaching Northamptonshire Stakes, which has
been a dead letter in the market. The principal closed
items in Tuesday's card are the Trial Stakes, the Wil-
loughby Cup, a Two-year-old Sweepstakes, and the Han-
dicap Hurdle Race. For the Trial Stakes (1 mile) only
Vale Royal, Silenus, Orion, Charnwood, and John Leech
have been nominated. This entry shows a lamentable
falling off, as compared with previous years, when some
of the best horses in training ran for this stake. Charn-
wood, if tit, would win easily; but as I have doubts
on that scare, my selection must be Orion, who has
recently been seen in form. Eighteen horses have
accepted for the Willoughby Cup (1 mile); and Yoe-
pasian, 12st 71b, has been honoured with the top
weight. This splendid miler will, notwithstanding his
heavy impost, be bad to cut down. Knight of the Garter,
121 t 7lb ; Master Willie, lOst 91b ; Historian, lOst 31b ;
Sister to Vedette, lOst 21b ; and Belfast, 9st, however, ap-
pear to be the pick of the handk.ap ; and the race may
finally be left to Bloss's or Sir F, Johnstone's representa-
tive, which will probably be Historian. A Sweepstakes
of sovs each (about 3 furlongs) will be won by Sister
to Veda, who is only likely to be opposed by Hollandaige.
In the Handicap Hurdle Race (2miles)thirty-seven horses
have been weighted. As the minor forfeit, however, is
only 1 soy, and nearly every nominator is represented by
two or three horses, I shall merely point out Coruna and
Lord Poulett's as being well in. On Wednesday, in the
Great Warwickshire Handicap (1k miles) twenty horses
stand from the original forty-four subscriptions. Knight
of the Garter's weight has been raised by a 71b penalty to
Oat 51b, and, despite this fact, the gallant son of Prime
Minister is far from out of the race. John Davis, if in his
ancient form, would be dangerous at Bst. Tertullus, Est
1 21b ; Cheltenham, Est 121 b; Aggravator, Est 51b; the
Vixen gelding, Est 21b; and Robespierre, 6st 81b, are, after
Knight of the Garter and John Davis, the pick of the
handicap. Robespierre, in the face of his spring engage-
ments, will scarcely be brought out atWarwick. Knight of
the Garter, however, is a likely runner, and either he or
Vortigern, who meets the Knight on 1 llb better terms
than he did at Liverpool, should hit the winning mark.
The Two-year-old Stakes (about 3 furlongs) is spoiled by
the name of Sister to Veda appearing amongst the
nominations, as the 71b penalty will not stop
her way to the winning post, when her bast
opponents are likely to be Mimus and Ken-
nington. The Handicap Plate of 50 sovs (half a mile)
should be won by Luna or Carite. The Debdale Stakes
by the Vixen gelding. The Hunters' Steeplechase we
award to Endsleigh or the Drone. On Thursday there is
every promise of an excellent day's sport, as the Grand
Annual Steeplechase and seven other races are down in
the list. Amongst the sixty-five candidates entered for
the Grand Annual Chase (about 4 miles) are Hall Court,
Gardener, Alcibiade, Despatch, Fan, The Lamb, The
Doctor, The Nun, Brigstock, Globule, Pearl Diver, For-
tunatus, Sea King, and Shakespeare. The winner of the
Liverpool Grand National has not been nominated, which
is an unfortunate circumstance, as the presence of The
Colonel would have invested the Warwick race with cona
siderable interest. A powerful field may, however, be
calculated on, as Mr Merry's handicap is on the usual
flattering scale. Fortunatus and Despatch may stay better
over the Warwick country than they did at Liverpool;
nevertheless I most esteem the chances of Fan, The
Doctor, cud Brick, and I shall give Mr Barber's mare
one more trial before discarding her, as she is in splendid
condition at present, and none the worse for her fall at
Liverpool. The Hunt Cup Steeplechase (about 3 miles)
the Stand Handicap (1 mile) by President Lincoln, Master
appears likely to be carried off by Fan or Fortunatus ; and
Willie, or Sir F. Johnstone's selected.
The Mallon Steeplechase Meeting will be held on
Tuesday, and an interesting day's sport will
haveill be
closed
he list w° •et-
nessed, as three out of the five races in t
with good entries. For the Malton Open Steeplechase
(about 3 miles) The Doctor was struck out at two p.m. on
Thursday. Seventeen horses now remain in,
n amongst
them Benazot, 12st 21b; G•
h Fusilier, lOst 121 b ; Wings of the Wind,
131 b ; Royal lrrsreenland, list 81b ; Fan, lOst
lostv 41b ; Chorister, 10st ; and Primrose, 10st. Fan will,
Wings
believe,o
take the Warwick instead of the Malton C.r-
cuit ; but Greenland, Minuet (or Royal Irish Fusileer),
sthe Wind, Primrose, and Chorister are among
others likely to run for " the Open.' Of these the best will
be found in Primrose and Lord Poulett s representative,
which, notwithstanding his Liverpool defeat, may be 133-
etas he will like the easy grass land at Malton better
than the heavy ploughed country at Aintree. In the Op.)a
Hunter's Stakes (about two miles), twenty-one horses are
found, the most noteworthy of which are Huntsman's
Scampston, Canny Woman, and Dolan.
Sister, it will be remembered, was made a
sliStirusoutnetgrs'mfaaAvulo'iscuerte for a Hunt Stake at Lincoln, and though
beaten on that occasion by the Cornerstone gelding, she
ought to be good enough to pull through here, if she
eaa
defeat Scampston, who is a useful stamp of hunter,
A FRESH MAN.