The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-02
ENGLISH TURF GOSSIP.
a aENHRlE EOoK ar THE "sFoRT
OF KINGS"

W. ' UT t
This Years. Derby Prenises = gensauep-
Moro Absut Wtsntag siros-us tire De-
caaepce or MusttnG Checked at last :
LONDON, Dec. 24.-At this season Of the year
We are in an uncertain state in England. Sports
mon are centralized either In the hunting
shires or they are shooting. Cycling and golf
have increased followers Of both sexes this
season, but the attractions of the steel
stoed have not had 80 depreciating an effect on
the horse industries as some have been fearing.
Tho hunter Is in as great request as ever-more
so In point Of ratio, Of course. The fact lie,
thoro is a hunting revival. A splen-
did type Of weight-carrying jumper IL being
bred at the present time hore from our best
stations crossed on fino hunter mares, and the
Devon and Dorset efforts to this end deserve
attention from speculative breeders and i'm
porters for this market. The Yorkshire and
the Irish hunter need no moro special oommen-
dalton than to say they are unfolding their OK
%cellence. You can't beat an Irish mount over
a stiff country.
To go by appearances, q sensational Eng
hsh Derby may be looked for In 1893. 30 close
In merit are at least half q dozen Of the prob
able candidates. wildfowler and Tho Baker
are much fancied opponents to tho favoritism
Of Dieudonne. whose form I fancy to DO the host,
WOW ~ idIs h0Eo 10 uO tclluB Wuhb bn0
winter may do. but 1t is truly a mild one here
up to the present. Many as there are Of rival
merit among this seasons two-year-olds, the
owners Of many Of them may think 1t fortunate
Cyllene cannot oppose them in the big clas-
sizes. Mr.. @. d. Roses colt ran up very smart
ly with tho best of them. and Is seid to be Of
the improving sort. He promises to DO the
best son Of Bonavista, who carried the blue,
black sleeves, and cherry cap FIRST for the Two
Thousand of 1892.
But the breeding of noxt years probable
Derby winner claims prior attention at the
moment. Dieudonne is q ane chestnut by Am.
phion, ono Of our most talked Of sires, and not
unlikely to dispute the leadership in tho
winning list at no distant date, especially II no
be represented by a few moro such youngsters.
Amphion's other racing progeny included Am.
phora. who has displayed great speed this sea-
son for Mr.. M~cCalmont, whose rumored re-
tirement, by the way, is much regretted over
here. He Is q very wealthy man. owning at
Newmarket alone q considerable estate. On
Cheveley Park he has built O very handsome
steeplechase course and private stand, which
docs not look much like retiring, 30 that I hest
tato until making inquiries to confirm this
rumor. Altesse. Helm Crae. and Tears of Joy
are other Of Amphion's speedy ones.
The dam of Dieudonn6 is Mon Droit, the
daughter Of Isonomy and In Bounds, which is
very smart breeding indeed. as 1t shows this
good-looking candidate for the highest honors
on the English turf to be bred on both sides TO
stoutness and speed. Here again, besides the
formidable Sterling strain. we find the Black
lock blood directly inherited through volti-
geur, Speculum, and Rosebery, the sire of Am
phion, while Touchstone is q great factor. In
fact. Dieudonne ought to stay as well as keep
the measure Of his field.
While referring to the Derby favorites It Is
difficult to forget 30 recent a success as that of
Bread Knife's fine chestnut son, The Baker, in
the Prince Of Wales's Nursery Plate at DON
caster. when. over the Santall mile, he got homo
a clear two lengths ahead of Sir John Thurs
by's Foxstones. to whom he was conceding a
stone. and Lord Durham's Lupin, who was get
ting two stone. Mr.. 7. w. Rivis has decidedly
q smart one in this colt, If he can stay the
other half mile. He has remarkably stout
breeding, too. being directly descended on both
sides from Stockwell, to whom he is indeed
strongly inbred. His dam, Crusade, is by
Uncas (son Of Stockwen), her dam Helen Pal
mer. by Gray Palmer, grandam Belle Helene,
by st. Adams tson Of StockwelD. On the other
hand, Bread Knife, the sire. is grandson of
been rather an uncertain performer. however,
during the year, and :! doubt his ability to keep
The study Of the sires and their rivalry
through their racing progeny is one of consid-
For Instance, there is the Hampton blood.
still so prominent, and still ever threatening to
achieve actual pre-eminence. Hampton HIM
Bay Ronald. History. Chiselhampton. &C, his
son Ayrshire lat Weibeckl, with such winners as
With With the hsa Total Hf q over 1 sie. 100 aon0f his other rs ts son!
now at stud. .Roya! Hampton lSir /. Blundeli
SM dM1 tb at I% S55aiIdwi ibsD EIm + E few %;t FTu y 1oI eve 3;
step. vssqsian. perthshire. and Royal Royal Foot.
Soltykotf's stud. though his total is less than
xe;oG has 'b been se one Of tho Hs MOST his psFdIIE sspgpol h9ra a asd
ILysanMdter. his best contributor, is Of high prom.
Use. These four .Hamptons total over a37, 800.
Of melancholy interest to many people. as
s spof 'o Il is O o1e Of 9P those of things. s ioo. for Which, 81
you m can find md no @s eEeq ne 18th They = did much EH,s;,-e 90
for a. While. Here You picked up a rafting
good hunter often enough. after as fair 9 test as
f Hns f fa the w Hobb asde eSoqgs be %Riss. fnis b
you may do %stil::;if you go to the right place.
Of the old sort left in the Kingdom. These meet.
ings are moi. the less missed on account Of the
steeplechasing and hurdle racing in the off sea
son. To-day you see q Goodwood Cup or Ascot
hss0 ea ish Of cou late scbo n9SsS the rb stiG = ssti ss in
tAS S.oe ~ SOhAAp 1htD 40
tory. but it initiates against the farmer and the
type long known as the natural hunter and
therefore 1t is a pity the other class of meetings
fall of SO rapidly, These hunt meetings were
nocent jollifcation. We really cannot afford
to lose these treasured associations Of English
don't, Like yourselves In America. we 60 to
pace here now. There 10 g rush for the win:
the extremes that are always being gone to-
and one of the penalties as we'll.
1t is, nevertheless, apart from these special
considerations. q source of much satisfaction
more OF late. There is a revival recaiiines.
though family. the enthusiasm Of the first half Of
branch Of sport set In. Now we have almost
as many pleasant little reunions, around Lon
don as Paris itself. though we do not find 10
necessary, or desirable TO centralize 80 much.
The Grand National Hunt arc cred.
tied with a desire to do better. and we are all
looking for the r~esults-though, to say the truth,
1t is not so easy to engender public cnthusiasm
in cold weather as supposed, and the climatic I'M
certainty of English winters, is a great barrier.
This Is n pity, for nothing beats good steeple-
chasing as an equine sport. and great things