The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 30, 1868.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

EPSOII RACES-FRIDAY.
THE OAKS DAY.

Of late years the Oaks has shown a decided
falling off in point of numbers at the post. Last
year Achievement frightened many away, and on
this occasion the struggle has been considered to
lie between Lady Elizabeth and Formosa, and the
field has dwindled to about the smallest on record.
There are many reasons for this. May is not the
mares' month, and it is curious that the founders of
the race, the crucial test for the best mare of the
year, did not consider this. Why are our great
races for mares run so early in the year ?
The o.tlis of this year will, in ad lition to its
race, be remembered for one of the most violent
storms cf thunder, lightning, and hail we have had
for years. It came on very suddenly about 12 30,
with no other warning than a sultry and heavy at
naosphere. " Descended in torrents" is a stereo-
typed phrase which had a real meaning to-day.
Below Durdans, the re,idence of Mr. I leathcote,
the scene was a curious one. A large pond, three
or four feet deep, ha I been formed by the damming
up of the flood, and about one u'eloek, when the
road was at its most crowded st it a rich harvest
was made by " coughs," who ea, Tied pedestriam.
across on their shoulders, and cabs plying over the
temporary ferry demanded fabulous sums. We re-
gret to say one, if not two, lives were lost ; horses
were killed ; and the keeper's cottage at the War-
ren demolished. The storm continued for nearly an
hour, and when at its height of falling water and
ice, combined with the terrific roar of the thunder,
it had about it something approaching the sublime.
A small, but by no means ill-looking, lot of fil-
lies were saddled in the paddock. In fact, remem-
bering the calibre of the field for the last two or
three years, we are inclined to rank this as, on the
whole, of a higher average. About the first to
show was Fair Star, a nicely-framed mare with
plenty of good looks and grand quarters, not quite
elegantly set on. She came into the paddock
stripped, but was, neverthless, all of a lather, and
to appearances more as if she had run a race than
being about to do so. The thunderstorm had pro-
bably had some effect on her nervous system, as
such weather has on many other mortals. She
was soon joined by Matthew Dawson's pair, both
looking very fit ; of the two, Lady Coventry is a
fine upstanding filly, with good ends, but leggy
and light of bone below the knee, while Lennie is a
very taking, wiry little mare, with powerful racing
like quarters, and standing on short wearing legs.
Janet Rawcliffe, " the humble companion" of For-
mosa, is a shelly animal of no symmetry, and a very
striking contrast to the heroine of the Thousands,
who was brought to the post by Henry Woolcott
in beautiful condition, handsome to the eye, but
not big, and altogether the best-looking mare
in the race. Judged by her inches, she is but a
little one, for she reaches no higher than to
15 hands one and a half, but she is capitally fir-
nished, and full of muscular power. She has a
pleasing head, with a good breadth of forehead, and
a strong, slightly crested neck, reminding one more
of a colt than a filly. She has strong shoulders, a
goodiniddlel famously-shaped quarters, and unex-
ceptionable legs, upon which she stands as firm as
a rock. With her head well up, and her bold car-
riage, she walked away with Fordhain a very pic-
ture, and even then it certainly looked to be all
over. No animal has ever continued to improve
more, and Mr. Cookson, is of course, anxious to get
Buccaneer back again. The chief reason, indeed,
for ever parting with him was his being a terrible
savage, and never to be trusted. Virtue, another
rising favourite, as a neat, light mare, of no great
power, with light limbs nicely formed and well
placed. She was a good deal fancied, but blew so
fearfully on getting back to the rubbing-house
after the race as to give one the idea of her being
very thick-winded—she has, in fact, an enlarge.
ment of the throat. There was no such tho-
roughlythe field as Athena,
nice light neck, capital
shoulders,
d eh
d quarters, and altogether
h ot
uh lresr racing-like
goodmiddle,
head,
a n filly I y in
well-proportioned length of limb. A weed called
Curfew Bell joined company just at last, and Lady
Elizabeth found courage to canter pass the Stand.
When she did enter the paddock after it was over,
she showed a jaded, beaten, tuckel-up auiaail, al;
the worse for her week's excitement, and worn to a
scarecrow ; and the running confirmed. the truth of
that for the Derby. When L tdy Eliz tbcth appeared
to take her preliminary canter, a cry almost of de-
rision greeted the famous m gyre of last year. It is
not too much to say she looked a bag of boars, and
had an untrained appearance strange to SCJ. There
was no Danebury bloom upon her. How the
public could have been induced to take 5 to 4
about the shadow of her former self was probably
the thought that flashed on the minds of most of

SPORTING OPINIONS.

the spectators. Still they took 9 to 2—a great
supporter of the stable, we believe, accepted 800 to
200, and there was yet a belief she might retrieve
her Wednesday's disgrace. A vain imagining. She
again got off in the rear division, while at a
wretched pace Janet Rawcliffo made the running,
and corning through the furies Lady Elizabeth
momentarily
inspired Cannon with hope by run-
ning into her bridle, but the hope was short-lived.
Before reaching the corner she died away, and
Formosa, who had taken the lead at the mile post,
made the most signal example of an Oaks field ever
seen, by winning
in a common canter by ten
lengths, with Lady Coventry second, and the non-
staying Athena third.
The Glasgow Plato of 100 sovs (Handicap) for all ages;
winners of any race (matches excepted) after publication
of the weights 51b extra; the last seven furlongs of the
Derby Course.
Sir J. Hawley's Xi, by Gen. Williams, 5 yrs,..Bst 131b_

- (T. French) 1
Duke of Newcastle's Foresight, 4 yrs, 7st (Daley) 2
Lord Westmoreland's Foresight, 4 yrs, 7st (Kenyon) 3
The following also ran :—Verulam, Lord Pahnerston,
Secrecy, Tribune, and Queen of the Forest.
Betting -6to 4 agst i, 9to 2 agst Silenus, 7 to 1 agst
Secrecy, 8 to 1 each ags Foresight and Lord Palmerston,
snd 10 to 1 agst Tribune. Won in a canter by a length
and a half.

The Epsom Two Year Old Plate of 200 sovs ; colts Bst
101 b, fillies Bst 71b ; winners of a plate or sweepstakes
Etlb, twice or more 71b extra ; starters twice without
winning a.lowed 41b, thrice 61b extra; T.Y.C. (three-
quarters of a mile.)
Mr T. V. Morgan's Electricity, by Thunderbolt, Bst llb
(Snowden) 1
Ur Johnstone's Lord Hawthorn, Bst 61b (Cameron) 2
Mr B. E. Dunbar's The Baroness, Bst 11b (Parry) 3
The following also ran :—T he Lad of Scotland, Bianca,
Elector, Sea Breeze, and Thirl-
stane.
Ampleforth, Sovereign,

Betting-7 to 4 agst Sea Breeze, 3 to 1 agst Electricity,
7 to 1 agst Lord Hawthorn, 8 to 1 agstThirlstane, and 100
to 7 agst any other.
Won by a head.
The Oaks Stakes of 50 soya each, h ft, foc fillies, then
three year olds; Bst 101 b each; the second to receive
100 sovs out of the stakes ; the last mile and a half on
the New Course; 215 subs.
Mr G. Jones's Formosa, by Buccaneer ..,(G. Fordham) 1
Mr M. Dawson ns Lady Coventry (Daley) 2
Mr Padwick's Athena (T. French) 3
Marquis of Hastings s Lady Elizabeth (Cannon) 0
Mr G. Jones's Janet Rawclule ............... .....(0. Page) 0
Duke of Hamilton's Leonie ........................ (Aldcroft) 0
'
Mr W. Davis's Fair Star ........................ (Grimslaaw) 0
Mr G. Holmes's Virtue.. ...................... (Snowden) 0
Mr Weleby's Curfew Ball .......................(J. Osborne) 0
Betting-11 to 8 on Formosa, 9 to LadyagSu Eliza-
beth, 8 to 1 agst Virtue, and 12 to 1 each agst Leonie and
Lady Coventry. Tho precautions taken on the Derby-day
were again had recourse to, as to the saddling of Lady
Elizabeth and her stable companion, Athena ; but on this
occasion the "British public" were indulged with a prelimi-
nary u whicyhsh however, did not appear to raise the
hopes of t
her e
ip's backers. When fairly round Tat-
c r ,
Lad
Tat-
tenham-corner, Virtue, on the lower side, took the second
place, the three immediate followers of the favourite evi-
dently having had enough of it, and being passed by Athena
with a pull, and, looking round
to place
and Lady Coventry. Lady Elizabeth even at this early
period was out of it. Half-way Fordham was seen
to
he then with a quiet smile resumed
t even indulge
histn u Formosaouv
of e
Lisrs way,
the favourite passing the post
fl
in a water canter," ten lengths in advance of Lady
Coventry, who ran past the pulling-up Athena at the
stand ; Fair Star just headed Virtue on the post for fourth
place, Curfew Bell pulling up fifth, k ith Lady Elizabeth a
long way in her rear ; Janet Raweliffe and Leonie were
the last two. The race was run in 2inlu. 471 sec.
The Paddock Nursery Plato (Handicap) of 100 sovs for
two year olds; winners of any race (matches excepted)
after the publication of the weights 51b extra; three-
quartersCapt. Mitchell's Martyr, by St. Albans, Bst (car. Set 31b) 1
(Fordhatu)
Lord Westmoreland's Lyttleton, Get 71b
of a mile.
(Kenyon) 2
Mr IL Clark's Bush Hill, 7st 41b (Noels) 3
Ilact fplloyilag tan gida ;—Dtuct9n7)lo,44lA9 Stately c9lt,

Actress, Sister to Veda, Charon, Nightlight, Little Go,
Acknowledgment, April Morn, Janina, Lunelle colt, and
Moscow.

Betting -7 to 4 agst Martyr, 5 to 1 each eget Lyttleton
and Charon, 6 to 1 agst Moscow, 10 to 1 agst April Morn,
and 100 to 7 agst the Miss Staveley colt.
Won by a neck.
The Burdens Stakes of 5 soya each, with 109 added ; two
year olds 7st 81b, three 9st 61b, four and upwards, lOst
31b ; mares and geldings allowed 31b ; horses having
started once at this meeting, and been beaten, allowed

' Mb, twice olb ; the winner to be sold for 120 goys; if
-entered for 80 sovs allowed 71b, 60 141 b over and above
- -
, other allowances; half a mile.
kr H. Wright's Little Coates, by Lambton, 2 yrs, Est
2lb (car. 6st 31b) (.£6O) (Butler) 1
Mr Gee's f by Dundee—Lady Lotty, 3 yrs, 6st 21b (£6O)
(Hunt) 2
Mr Joseph Dawson ns Lelia, 2 yrs, Gst 71b (XBs)
(Uradock) 3

The following also ran :—David, 31ochrie, and Barce-
lona.

Jeffrey weighed for Mr. Chaplin's Sister tl Veda,
6.4 21b, and the number was put up, but, having wreuched
a plate, she returned to the euelosure and her uuraber was
withdrawn.

Betting opened at 6 to 4 on Sister to Veda, and Oos -1 5
to 2 agst Little Coatcs, awl 3 to 1 agit B ircilola awl
Lelia. Little Coates mad.) all the rituniug, and wou
by a length.

Le Great Surrey Foal Saks of 1) slvs each, with 101
added, fur three year olds; colts B,t Lill), tidies 84 71 ;
the winner of the D3rby 121 b, of th. 3 ()Aim- Two Thou-
sand Guineas Stlkes 61b extra ; fiflius having started in
the Oaks without being placed allowed 31b. Last mile
of the Derby Course. 19 subs.

Lord Stamford's Vale Royal, Bst 10Ib ...(J. w. o.

Another Derby has been won and lost, and the " glori-
ous uncertainty of the Tart" was never more exemplified
than in the hollow defeat of Lady Elizabeth, who was not
only beaten, but shamefully disgraced. For her defeat no
valid reason has been adduced, as the mare looked well,
and carried the confidence of her owner and trainer. That
the po.formance of Lady Elizabeth, however, in the Derby
was correct we do not believe, for, ju aging by her brilliant
public form, she was bound to have figured prominently in
the contest, whatever her fate might have been at the ter-
mination of the race. True, May is not the " mares'
month," and Lady Elizabeth might have baen suffering
from the periodical ills to which fillies are liable.
Turning, however, to the contest itself, we may observe
that Sir Joseph Hawley deserves the thinks of the British
public for the honest run he gave them with Blue Gown,
as the Kentish baronet had a mere trifle on this horse in
comparison with the amount he steed to win oa Itosicru -
cian and Green Sleeve. Nothing, however, c lull shako
the confidence of public backers in Blue Gown ; and the
Champagne running again proved a good beacoa. For the
victory of Blue Gown we were not prepared, as he ap-
peared to vs a non-stayer, and on more than one occasion
have we seen him display not the sweetest of tempers.
His stable companions —Rosicrucian and Green Sleeve—
galloped with great freedom, but staying is not the forte
of either animal. King Alfred was voted inferior to the
short, weak-hocked Suffolk by the followers of Baron
Rothschild ; but the King ran a good horse, and had a
patient jockey boon in the saddle instead of the "past-boy,'
the "dark blue and yellow" would have been victorious,
as King Alfred had " the foot" of Blue Gown until the
last half-dozen strides. How many great races have
teen lost for want of a judicious pull? Speculum,
whom we stood by for the last two months, beat
all the favovurites and secured a place. St. Ronan, a
good honest horse, took fourth position, and beat
all the leading favourites save Blue Gown. Pity Mr.
Ohapliti's horse is a "piper," as he belongs to the useful
school. Paul Jones and Orion both ran bad to Totten-
ham Corner. The Forest King is one of the best-looking
horses that ran, but he was early beaten, and is many
points behind the best of his year. See-saw
was brought out in blooming condition, but he
does not seem to have grown or improved m
terially since last year. Cap-h-pie is a powerful colt ;
but NS by such horses as he, Viscount, Samson, Cock of
the Walk, and Brother to Bird on the Wing colt were
started we are at a loss to conjecture, as winning chances
they had none. Franchise, who galloped in fine style,
looking much fitter than when she ran at Newmarket,
broke her leg during the race. This, coming immediately
after the accident to Captain Kidd, is another blow to Alec
Taylor's stable, as both animals would have paid their
training bills this year ; and it is more than probable Cap-
tain Kidd would have won both the City and Suburban
and Chester Cup, so highly had he been tried. All the
horses that ran in the Darby, with the excep-

tion of Blue Gown, Speculum, Cock of the Walk,
and Suffolk, are engaged in the Doncaster St.
Leger. For this event King Alfred will, of course,
be a groat favourite; but as Danebary will have for its re-
presentative is Yorkshire Lady Eiiz bath and The Earl—
the latter of whom could nut have lost the Derby, had he
been permitted to run—we apprehend the Doncaster prize
will be secured by John Day's stable. Respecting the
withdrawal of Tho Earl, who was 13ft in the Derby until
7 o'clock on Tuesday evening, s ):n) bitter renri..ks were
made, as ho was essentially a public h erse If the Mali:Lis
of Hastings, however, had hid the entire control of his
stud, we believe different tactics weull have bean a lopted,
but as he is in the hands of parties who pay little defer-
ence to public opinion, further came:lent on the ma iner in
which The Earl was worked in the inarkA is unnecessary.
On the whole, backers had the best of it in connection
with the Darby, and hew heavily the ring were hit was

fold by the ominous silence noticeable when the number
of Blue Gown was hoisted as the winner of the eighty-
niuth Derby Stakes. The pleasure of the Oaks Day was
marred by the terrific thunderstorm, which burst over Cie
district about noon. Nine runners assembled at the pst
for the Oaks, amongst them Lady Elizabeth, who looked
in wretched condition, and ran even worse than she did in

the Derby. That she is out of form at present cannot now
be doubted, and if ever she is to regain her fiae racins
qualities the daughter of Trumpeter must havo rest, nut
work.

There are seven meetings in thelist of fixtures for next
week, the principal of which are M inchaster, Croydon,
and West Drayton. At present the weights have not been
issued for the stakes closed at Croydon. Mr. Beadinan,
however, has the Two-year-old Stakes and Shirley Piste
at his mercy, if he will tikes the risk of running a goad
horse like King of the Ravers over one of the worst courses
in the kingdom.

The West Drayton Meeting will take place on Monday
and Tuesday, and lengthy entries have bean secured to
the handicaps already closed. The programme is com-
posed of hurdle and flat racing; but, as the season ought
to be over for jumping business, and the horses nomi-
nated for the various handicaps have bean engaged, some
of theta several times, wo dare not attempt to analyse the
list.

The Manchester Meeting will b 3 celebrated on Wednei -
day, Thursday, and Friday, and the new committee have
issued an attractive list, which includes twenty-one races,
equally spread over the three days. A new race-course
and stabling, capable of accommodating eighty horses, will
now be found at the " Cotton Metropolis," and, as the added
money is liberal—upwards of .£1,503 —the meeting ought
to command the patronage of owners and trainers. Five
out of the seven events in Wednesday's card are completed,
and the Da Trafford Cup (11,- miles) has secured thirty-six
entries. Vespasian, 9st 101 b, heads the list, but he is in-
ferior to his stable companion—Knight of the Garter, 9st
51b —at- the weights. The Knight ; the Clown, 7st ; Em-
press of India, Est 101 b; the colt by Romulus out of At-
tack, Est 81b; Mercury, Est 81b; Tribune, Est 41b; and
Chivalry, Est 31b, are the "cream" of the handicap.
Mercury, if he runs, will be bad to dispose of ;
but should the Middleham colt be an absentee, The
Clown or the Attack colt will prove successful. There
aro twenty nominations for the Copeland Stakes (about
5 furlongs), and the bast of the candidates are Master Tom
(31b extra), Little Duke, The Hin 1, The Devil's Owe,
Musk, colt by The Cara out of English Rose, filly by
King of Trumps out of Sortie, and Rosa Pauline. Of the
public performers from this lot we prefer Master Tom ; but
he may be overthrown by the dark Hind, a remarkably
clever filly, by King of Trumps out of Passion Flower.
To the Westmorland Handicap (1 mile) there are twelve
subscriptions, but, although Chivalry and Alicia have not
been over-weighted, Ottoman and Master Willie read
most like winning names. In the Philips Handicap
(about 5 furlongs) Salliet and The King's Daughter are
the pair we should select to produce the winner, although
Patrician and The Squire are rather smart at this distance.
The Clamber Stakes (one mile) will be won by Waflies, if
he can beat Hagar.
For Thursday six races have closed out of the seven in
the list. Eighteen horses stand from the thirty-ene origi-
nally entered in the Manchester Tradesmen's Cup (two
miles). Knight of the Garter, 9st 31b, is the highest
weight accepting; but, as he is a doubtful stayer, we do
not anticipate a victory for Captain Machell's clever colt.
Success 7st 71b, Lord Hastings 7st 61b, l3racken 7st 31b, the
colt by Romulus out of Attack Gst 31b, and Buttercup ost
71b are the horses that appear bast in. The Attack colt
has a prior engagement, but if he is reserved for this raze
he will scarcely beat Success and Mr Eastwood's
representative, probably Buttercup; and to the butter
of the latter pair do we look fur the winner. The
City Handicap Plate (4 furlongs) should be carried off by
The King's Daughter or Parma; and the Selling Heath-

cap (6 furlongs) by Lady Lyoa or Scarth Nitch. For the
Euvitle Nursery Plate (about 5 furlongs) seventeen two-
year-olds have been handicapped, and the imposts rause
from Declaration, Bst 101 b, to Wain 3s, 7st 21b. The horses
that seem to possess the best winning chances are Retort,
Bsl 21b ; Kicksey Wicksey, 7st 81b Musk, 7st Sib; and
Rosa Pauline, 7st 81b ; and in retaining a couple we should
take Retort and Rosa Pauline. In the Denington Plate
(4 furlongs) several horses unknown to fame have been
entered ; but we take Mr DaWcOlft; pair—the Damsel filly
an 1 RJSA Pauline—as the best of those nominated.

On Friday, in the Salford Borough Cup (11 miles), 32
horses have been handicapped. The majority of the can,
didates will have been "run through" ere the hour for the
dlciaja 91 thiii Psi AidYtisi a 4uigh6 9i tin GtutorAuc-