Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

between these two. Wassailer won, it is true; but if we abide by Lord Nelson's motto, " palmam qui meruit ferat," we must give the palm to John Day for winning this race out of the fire. Wassailer was dead beat more than a quarter of a mile from home; and nothing but the exquisite riding and admirable judgment of John Day, coupled with Terror's jock not riding to orders, could have placed the Gold Cup in the possession of that veteran sportsman, Mr. Biggs. So much for NATIVE'S judgment. With respect to this race, I can say that I have been in the habit of seeing most of the provincial meetings, coupled with the " top-sawyers" at Newmarket, Epsom, &c. from my youth up, and am now verging into the vale of years; and although I have seen much quicker run races, yet I do not recollect having ever seen a more true or closer contested race than this.

In the next place, NATIVE states that the race for the Dorsetshire Stakes" was, perhaps, one of the most beautiful races, over the most splendid course in England, ever witnessed."

This

is a very pretty course for spectators to see a race, and strongly reminded me of the description given of it in one of your Numbers of "auld lang syne,"-viz. "that it is situated as it were in an amphitheatre." It is, however, a trying course for the legs of "holiday" horses, as Cornelian evinced in his race for the Gold Cup. I think the Dorsetians might make a much better course on other parts of these extensive downs, if they would take the trouble.

Again, he states that Firman beat Whisk and Elspat for the 501. Plate: now the truth is, that Whisk did not happen to be in this race, but it was our old acquaintance Wassailer. NATIVE is right in stating it to have been a severe race.

After this comes a long cock and bull story about the Handicap, where Ömen, Gilbert, and the Centaur filly ran the wrong side of the post. The fact is, that Cowley was making smart running on Omen, Gilbert and the Centaur filly following close behind, Whisk and Bacchanal lying by. The New Mile Course, over which they were then running, is a curved one; and as the sun was then shining very strong in Cowley's eyes, he did not happen to see one of the posts in the bend of the course; and instead of going round this post, he went straight on to the next; and Gilbert and the Centaur filly, being too much in a hurry to notice the blunder, followed his example; and consequently these three were distanced. John Day, on Whisk, as I said before, being behind with Bacchanal, observed the mistake, and profited by it accordingly. Whisk won in a

I cannot subscribe to: the race was won easily by Brownlock; Coronet had no chance throughout. At starting, Coronet (and not Brownlock) went off, leading, with Brownlock in the rear, and so they continued until Tom Cowley thought fit to give Coronet a view of Brownlock's stern, and Coronet, spite of all Trenn's efforts, was unable to repay the compliment: Cowley had the race in hand from the beginning. Neither can I agree with NATIVE that Blandford is "the most splendid course in England." It VOL. IV. SECOND SERIES.No. 20.

Q

canter: so that I am unable to fathom NATIVE's meaning about John Day "lifting his horse," as he won too easy to have any occasion for lifting the mare. It was a horse to a hen affair-Bacchanal having had whatever running might have been in him taken out of his corpus long before this race; and no wonder! for the poor devil had been only two or three months before qualified to run for a gelding's plate; and yet, notwithstanding this, he was running in almost every race of the Meeting! If this was not enough to sour his temper, I don't know what is: and as to his bolting, perhaps it was a hint from the poor brute to his master that he had had enough for the day and which hint his master would have done well to have taken, instead of exposing him in the way he was exposed, running three or four heats following without the shadow of a chance, and then brought out the next race agaiust fresh horses, with less chance than he had for

the previous race. This does not look like the judgment Mr. Farquharson has displayed in previous races with his other nags.

No

Pardon this digression, Mr. Editor, but I am a stickler for the rights of beasts; and it galls me to the quick to see such a generous and noble spirited animal as the horse abused. blame can be attached to Cowley and his companions in ill-luck for running the wrong side of the post; it was entirely the fault of Sol's bright rays, which dazzled their eyes and cut them out of

[blocks in formation]

proper and injudicial on a racecourse. And, indeed, if we take notice, we never find these races got up by any of the racing men, but in general by a pack of would-be sporting characters-mere carpet knights-anxious to show off a seat, with doe-skins and silkjackets, before the eyes of some score of love-sick lackadaisical young ladies, who deem the heroes must be men of wondrous metal that can screw sufficient courage to the sticking place to canter gently up to a hurdle, and vault lightly over it on the back of a well-tutored hunter. Why, Sir, such leaps are nothing more than we may see daily practised in the riding-schools in town; and as to racing, it's all my eye and Betty Martin. If these youths want to leap in downright earnest, let them go steeple-chasing, and not interrupt a race course with their buffoonery, where they have no business-for nine times out of ten their jumpings end in a wrangle.

Trusting that NATIVE will take this hint all in good part, and, ere he again attempts to give a returned list of a day's running, that he will not forget to qualify himself so as to perform his task faithfully and properly, I remain, Mr. Editor, wishing every success may still attend you,

Your constant reader,
London, Nov. 7, 1831.

VIDI.

P. S. After concluding the above, I read the excellent observations of HIPPOs on Clipping; and I think it but just to state, that although once inimical to this practice, yet observation has convinced me of its utility.

Three winters ago, having read marvellous accounts of horses dying from lock-jaw that had been clipped, I was afraid to venture: however, having an old hack that I did not much value, I was prevailed on to allow of his undergoing the process, and from that time I became a convert to clipping. What is the consequence of this? Why, instead of having my nags come home now after a day's work with their long penfeather jackets as wet as if they had been dragged through a river, and in this state requiring the stable to be kept open, with the men at them for two or three hours to get them perfectly dry, to the annoyance of themselves in their wearied state, and disturbance of the other horsesnow that clipping has been introduced, on a horse coming home after a long day, and receiving at the hands of the groom a common wisping and washing out of the feet, with the other little et ceteras, not оссируing altogether half an hour, he is fit to be bedded up, fed, and left to his rest: and if this does not flog the old method I am mistaken. Added to this, horses work vastly better, and are not so quickly blown; and though last, not least, it adds consider ably to their appearance-thus combining the utile with the dulce:

for how much better does a well clipped horse appear than one in his shaggy winter's coat? And as to their being more liable to take cold, it is no such thing, provided the stable men pay them but common attention. For myself, I think that he who has once had horses clipped will ever continue to do so.

One circumstance at Blandford Races, not a little singular, seems to have escaped the notice of NATIVE; and which I wonder at the more, as he appears to have paid greater attention to the Ladies than he did to the racing. The circumstance to which I allude is, that at Blandford Races they sport a female Clerk of the Course, and, above all other things, an unmarried one. I could not help thinking it rather outré to see a fair lady weighing the jocks; and when they came to change their jackets, or put on a flannel sweater or two to make them preponderate in the scale, to see them standing as cool as cucumbers before the fair damsel, or at least full in her view, with doeskins all unbuttoned, I deemed it to be a pretty particular considerable tarnation queer sight I guess; but prenez garde! prenez garde! Mr. Editor; I must hold hard, and come to a conclusion, or you will think this a terrible ouvrage de longue haleine.

SIR,

BE

you an

TARPORLEY HUNT MEETING.

EING present at Tarporley Hunt Races, I beg to send account of them in as good a way as I can. Having all my horses ill with distemper, prevented me from hunting with

them; accordingly, I cannot give you any information of the runs during the week, but I understand they have had some very good sport. Many anticipated that there would be a great deal

of company in the Forest, but the weather was so very bad it kept a great many away: there was, however, a very respectable attendance. Being only one day's race, the list shewed for five races. The first was a Twoyear-old Stake of 20 sovs. each, for which five entered, and all came to the post-Sir T. Stanley's b. c. by Champion, Mr. Beardsworth's b. f. by Catton, Mr. Nanney's br. f. Kitty Fisher, Mr. Turner's ch.c. Scrivener, and Mr. Armistead's ch. f. by Teniers. They all came away at the first start (and a very good one it was), keeping all together until two distances from home, when the Teniers filly and Kitty Fisher shewed in front. The Teniers filly a little after got before Kitty, and looked like winning; when, within a few yards of the ending post, Calloway made a very good rush with Kitty, and it was declared a dead heat.—Morris Jones rode the filly by Teniers very well. The next heat Darling was put on, but Kitty took the lead, made all the running, and won easy at last.

The next was a Match between Sir Richard Brooke's b. f. by General Mina and Sir H. Mainwaring's ch. h. Hawk's-eye. The latter took the lead, and won by a length, badly ridden by some Gentleman's hunting-groom; the latter in good style by Whitehouse.

All-Aged Stakes, 10 sovs. each,

two miles, 5 subscribers, of which three came to the post-Lord Derby's Roseleaf, Mr. Johnson's Jupiter, and Mr. Nanney's Georgiana. Jupiter went away at a rattling pace, closely followed by Roseleaf, Georgiana being about two lengths from them. In this way they kept until half a mile from home, when Roseleaf challenged Jupiter, and so they ran to near the distance: at this time Georgiana got close to them; she then went up to the other two, and they kept together for a short distance. Jupiter being beat off, Georgiana and Roseleaf ran a severe race home, which was won by Georgiana by half a neck-ridden by Calloway; Roseleaf by Spring, and Jupiter by Darling.

A Hunters' Stake of 5 sovs. each for horses not thorough-bred— Sir H. Mainwaring's Thimbler and Mr. Walmsley's b. g. by Gulliver. Thimbler made all the running and won cleverly―rode by Spring; the other by Darling.

The last race was for a Cup with 15 sovs. in it, for maiden horses not thorough-bred, the property of Cheshire Farmers. Six came to the post, which, after a scrambling race and a great dispute, was given in favour of Mr. J. Cliffe. They were the very worst lot of race horses I ever saw come to a post.-The Meeting on the whole was very good.

November 7, 1831.

BARABBAS.

AMENDED RULES OF THE JOCKEY CLUB.

A Ta meeting of the Stewards and Members of the Jockey Club, held at Newmarket on the 1st of November, it was stated

that much uncertainty had prevailed with regard to the operation of the Rules and Orders o the Jockey Club, and therefore it

was thought proper to declare that they apply to all races run at, and engagements made for, Newmarket ONLY the Jockey Club having no authority to extend their Rules and Orders to any other place; although they have, for the sake of greater uniformity and certainty, recommended the adoption of the same Rules to the Stewards of other Races. Also, that the Stewards of the Jockey Club will not receive any references of disputes from any places except those at which the Rules and Regulations of Newmarket shall have been declared to be in force in the printed articles of those Races.

It was also resolved, That from and after the last day of the present year, Rule 6 should be altered as follows:

"If any dispute arising elsewhere than at Newmarket shall be referred to the Stewards of the Jockey Club, and they shall think fit to take it into consideration, the matter must relate to Horse Racing; the facts or points of difference be reduced into writing, and be sent by or with the sanction of the Stewards

where the matter in question occurred; and the parties must agree in writing to abide by the decision of the Stewards of the Jockey Club."

And it was resolved, That from and after the last day of the present year the Rule 20 (relating to the validity of nominations) be void and of no effect-And that Rule 25 be altered as follows:

"No person shall start any horse unless he shall have paid all former stakes and forfeits to the Keeper of the Match-book before the time fixed for starting the first race of each day on which he intends to start his horse.”

And it was further resolved, That at the expiration of each meeting meeting a list of all Stakes and forfeits due at Newmarket shall be exhibited in the Coffee-room at Newmarket; and that a similar list, and also a list of all stakes and forfeits due elsewhere, which the persons claiming them shall transmit (free of postage), be posted at Mr. Weatherby's office in Oxendon Street.

For the Rules and Orders of the Jockey Club, we refer our readers to the Sporting Magazine, vol. xxiii. N.S. p. 297.

AN EPISTLE FROM LEICESTERSHIRE,

BY WILL CARELESS.

Contents:-He waxeth ambitious, and claimeth a high station.-Visit to Nottingham The Castle and the Races.-Sir Harry Goodricke and his Establishment at Thrussington.-Cub-hunting. - Opening of the regular Season at Brookesby.Advice to incipient Meltonians, with a moral and sententious Conclusion.

IN

these tumultuous times, Mr. Editor, unless a man puts himself forward, he has but little chance to obtain preferment; and as every one seems anxious to

better his condition, I see no reason why WILL CARELESS should not get into office. With this view he solicits your suffrages, gentle readers; and as he is not

« ПредишнаНапред »