Page images
PDF
EPUB

the industrious will be enabled to dispense. It will be in the multitude of his counsellors he may reckon on safety. He will, of course, look carefully at the high weights first. He will weigh such chances as those of Sir Tatton Sykes and his party with due deliberation. For my poor part, I look upon a known good race-horse, such as the winner of the St. Leger, and Iago, and Sting, with all his untowardness, and others to be found at the head of the acceptances, as far more dangerous, at racing weights, than a lot of rubbish "turned loose." Now the scale for the Chester Cup is the lowest adopted in any of the leading handicaps; and when we find the winner of the Oaks with a year and half a stone in hand, in any sort of a field, we cannot but regard her as favourably situated. He will then, and cannot avoid it, take cognizance of the circumstances under which the "feathers" must come to the post. Where are we to look for anything alive in the human shape to ride a horse as he should be ridden round the Castle turn, whose weight shall be under three-score pounds?.........

Whether this year's Chester Cup has or has not reached the point beyond which the acceptances for a handicap cannot conveniently go, remains to be seen. Where are you to find backers for horses by the hundred, and where are friends of any sort to be had to such an amount? How the game may eventually be made for this great coup is of course an affair not meant here to be meddled with. I am only treating of probabilities, not possibilities. According to the market indications, there are already materials in it at remunerative prices. The principle for their solution I have ventured to point out: its application must be left to the management of the dealer. The odds have become much more of equal main and chance than they were before the acceptances were declared though, of course, still full of their glorious uncertainty. When Sting was at 100 to 1, his party had the pull of getting on: they knew they should accept, and so get off at one-fourth of the money, probably. But, though our public cannot command such a rate of exchange, they can see their way to such negotiations as may work for their profit. If they adopt my views, they will not speculate in cheap goods. They won't do business with the light division. Let them take the long odds against animals of known character-in stables in a similar category. They can hardly choose but turn such a system to profit; and conceive the pleasure of a trip to the old city of Chester to lay off good money at a premium of a hundred

per cent.

How fares it with the fortunes of our especial cockney handicap, the Great Metropolitan Stakes, established for the praiseworthy purpose of getting up a sort of anticipatory meeting at Epsom, as a prologue to the mighty play, tragedy, comedy, farce or burlesque, as the occasion may be? It is the best endowed handicap extant, and in the matter of speculation all but forsaken. There is hardly a public book opened upon it. To what cause is this to be attributed? Dissatisfaction at the weights, and the recent date of its establishment, or the footing that its contemporary, the Chester Cup, has obtained in general favour? This is an inquiry of much concern to the future fortunes of this spirited contribution to the metropolitan turf; for if the tide of popularity once sets against it, whether justly or unjustly, the venture will surely be "bound in shallows." As a specimen of the science of handicapping it does not rank high; but that it was made fairly I have no doubt; that as

it goes on it will prosper, I also believe; for, from the nature of the course, it is adapted for a strong field, and this will prove an inducement for liberal entries—the golden bonus always had in account-while the vast range for speculation in the Chester Cup is more the source of its market success than any intrinsic prestige it may possess. The system of the handicap is evidently a contrivance for the benefit of bad horses; to give the worst a chance as well as the best, according to the conventional reading of it: but, in reality, to give the indifferent a better chance than the good. Nothing can mend the prospects of animals in at the top weights, but many accidents may make them worse; for instance, heavy ground puts them hors de combat effectually. Now, the Great Metropolitan handicappers began with a standard that disposed of the "cracks" named at once, and consequently let in the small fry at weights that enabled them to accept with some hope of finding jockeys to ride them. The scale is about half a stone higher than most of the others, though of course in many instances the average does not apply. I think it a great mistake to begin by apportioning the penalties in a handicap so low that the descent must lead to infinitessimal results. Nature never formed in this island equestrian phenon ena enough to ride for the Chester Cup, as handicapped for this year of grace. Four stone, saddle and et-cetera included-not the weight of a good Christmas turkey! The owners of first-class racers may spare something for the proprietors of tag-rag-and-bobtail." A man who has won the Derby or the like with his nag, ought not to begrudge his neighbour that ran "boots" a "shy" for a decent handicap: this can only be done by leaving him the possibility of a jockey. The principle of the Great Metropolitan Stakes is a just one, and deserves popularity. It is right to state this fact.

[ocr errors]

How long will the weighting for our great handicap races be the mystery it is? When will it begin to be a science?-for such assuredly it is not-at these presents. That it is capable of being reduced to any system, or modified according to any scale, is very doubtful. I do not think that can be done: but there ought to be known public functionaries, paid and responsible for their performances, appointed for the duty; a sample of the anomalies in the weights for a few of them in the approaching spring will serve to establish the force of this necessity. These discrepancies I noticed when the handicaps were first published; but they may conveniently be repeated in these pages of record, whose record is true. Previous to entering into the respective weights, however, it is necessary to observe the relative lengths of the courses ; for every horse has his distance, out of which the variation of a few pounds will not place him upon equal terms with those it may better suit. The first event on the list is the Northamptonshire Stakes, the course for which is 2 miles; the second the Newmarket Handicap, is 13 miles; the third, the Somersetshire stakes, at Bath, 2 miles and a distance; the succeeding ones, the Great Metropolitan Stakes, and Chester Cup, are respectively 2 miles. To this must be added, the generallyacknowledged principle, that horses, having arrived at their fifth year, are better calculated to run a distance than their junior companions, for which due allowance must be made. With the exception of the Northamptonshire Stake, for which he was not named, Alarm has been entered for all, and has had weights assigned to him, varying from 9st. 4lb. to

9st. 121b., the former in the Newmarket Stake, and the latter in the Great Metropolitan, for both of which he declared forfeit. For the Chester Cup 9st. 61b. was the weight proposed for him to carry. Thus it appears that the Metropolitan Handicap is fixed at a standard of 6lb. and 81b. higher than the others, a result which the Alpha and Omega present, although in some instances a unity of weights is to be found throughout the five handicaps. In this category may be included Crozier, whose weights do not vary more than 31b. or 4lb., except for the Metropolitan, where he has to carry 5st. 131b., being 6lb. more than at Chester; but, as the former stake gives an average of 6lb. or 8lb. higher than the latter, he may be considered as nearly as possible equally weighted in each. Humdrum has the respective weights of 7st. 5lb. in the Northamptonshire Stakes, 7st. 1lb. in the Newmarket Handicap, 7st. in the Somersetshire, 7st. 7lb. in the Metropolitan, and 7st. 3lb. in the Chester Cup. He accepts in the Metropolitan. Sweetmeat is in the Northamptonshire Stake at 9st.; at Newmarket, 9st. 1lb.; the Somersetshire Stake, 9st. 4lb.; the Metropolitan, 9st. 9lb. ; the Chester Cup, 8st. 12lb. He declared forfeit both in the Newmarket and Great Metropolitan Handicaps.

At Northampton, Wolfdog is to carry 8st. 11lb., for which he accepted, the same weight which he declined at Newmarket; for the Somersetshire Stake, Sst. 12lb.; the Great Metropolitan, 9st. 3b., and the Chester Cup, 9st. 2lb. The weight for Refraction, at Northampton, is 7st. 10lb.; the same at Newmarket; for the Somersetshire Stake, 7st. 9lb.; for the Great Metropolitan, 8st., in which she remains, and for the Chester Cup, 7st. 131b. Do they conceive that distance suits her, and have therefore raised the weights as the distance is augmented? Public running leads to a different conclusion. Sheraton appears at Northampton with 7st. 5lb.; Newmarket, 7st. 4lb.; for the Somersetshire Stake with 7st. 31b.; the Great Metropolitan, 7st. 5lb., at which weight he has accepted, and has 1lb. less at Chester.

We now come to something very like the absurdities of avoirdupois. Annandale accepted in the Great Metropolitan, with 8st. 13lb. he has Sst. 5lb. in the Somersetshire, 8st. 6lb. in the Northamptonshire, and only 7st. 131b. in the Chester Cup. Should he win, or even run forward in either of the former cases, the Chester Cup ought to be all over, save the echoes of the last hurras. Banana, with 7st. 1lb. at Newmarket, has 6st. 10lb. for the Somersetshire, 7st. 7lb. for the Great Metropolitan, but only 5st. 71b. for the Chester Cup. Her owner has discreetly declined the honour of accepting the higher weight. The succeeding, and most extraordinary case, is that of the stale old steeplechaser and hurdle-racer, Councillor, who is required, at Northampton, to carry 7st. 7lb.; at Newmarket, Sst. 71b.; for the Somersetshire, Sst. 2lb.; for the Great Metropolitan, 8st. 8lb.; while at Chester he is to be let off with 6st. 131b. When it is notorious, even with the lightest weight, his chance must be remote in the extreme, how are the other handicaps to be justified? Best Bower has to carry 7st. 5lb. for the Northamptonshire Stake, 7st. 81b. for the Newmarket Handicap, 7st. 121b. for the Great Metropolitan, and only 6st. 5lb. for the Chester Cup. As he accepts the high weight, his owner should be sanguine of success with the light one, though it may be imagined fow other persons would be found to entertain an opinion favourable to his chance on

the Roodee. Finvaragh appears with 6st. 11lb. in the Newmarket Handicap, 7st. 71b. in the Great Metropolitan, and 7 st. 9lb. in the Chester Cup. Calculating the average weights of the Metropolitan at 7lb. higher than those for the Chester Cup, this horse is more unfavourably in on the latter occasion by 9lbs. On Camera Obscura the weights are greatly at variance: for the Northamptonshire Stake she will have to carry 6st. 121b.; for the Newmarket Handicap, 7st. 1lb.; for the Somersetshire Stakes, 7st. 5lb.; and for the Chester Cup, 6st.

At

The greatest difference hitherto apparent is in the weight assigned to The Lamb, that at Newmarket was weighted at 7st. llb.; for the Great Metropolitan, 7st. 11lb.; but for the Chester Cup only 6st.-a decrease of 25lb., or, according to the average, 181b. Surely the handicappers were not apprehensive of the Wolf in disguise. Comet is obscured at Newmarket and in the Great Metropolitan, with 8st. 3lb. Chester the atmosphere is more genial and bright, where this luminary appears in the descendant, with one stone less. Headsman has 6st. 8lb. at Northampton, 6st. 121b. for the Great Metropolitan (for which he has accepted), and only 5st. 12lbs. for the Chester Cup. Little Jack is weighted with 7st. 10lb. for the Metropolitan; only 6st. 6lb. at Chester.

Justifiable complaints have appeared of the weights put upon Premier, for the Metropolitan Stakes: 8st. 3lb. is an enormous weight for a four-year-old who has done nothing to distinguish himself. 6st. 121b. will suit him better for the Chester Cup; but with that weight he does not appear to be remarkably well in.

Of the unaccountable inconsistencies in the scale of betting, the following cases may be taken as examples :-The Horn of Chase, whose running last year in Ireland was decidedly good for a two-year-old, and who appears to have an outside chance for the Derby, was at precisely the same price for both it and the Chester Cup, an engagement that may be looked upon as an exceedingly good trial for a nag courting distinction at the grand anniversary on Epsom Downs. It becomes necessary to compare the weights with such horses as might be looked up to as affording just expectations of what may be acquired in a trial of a Derby candidate, for which purpose Alarm and Sting appear to be well calculated. The weights which a five-year-old of good character might be expected to give a three-year-old, will be 2st. 71b., and a four-yearold should give 24lb. For the Chester Cup Alarm is at 9st. 6lb., and the Horn of Chase at 5st. 12lb.- -a difference of 3st. 8lb.; and therefore 15lb. more than the latter ought to receive. Sting's weight is 8st. 6lb he is therefore giving the Horn of Chase 12lb. over weight. Not that these remarks are made in any way to disparage the equity of the handicap, inasmuch as Alarm and Sting have so established their reputation that they are entitled to give young ones great allowances ; but if those young ones really merit favour as candidates for the Derby, how much more so do they for the Chester Cup! The same comparison is equally applicable to Cossack, Projectile, and others; but "satis est quod sufficit."

If in this condition of the system of putting handicaps on the scene they command any share of popularity, how much more would they prosper and "partake the gale were they but launched in better trim! All the details of the turf have been subjected to revision, and in most

[ocr errors]

instances have been greatly improved, during the last three or four years, save these weight-for-worth races. They are the enfans trouvés of the turf: nobody knows where they come from, who is responsible for them, their breed, seed, or generation. This was a matter perhaps of no great account, so long as the foundlings were destined to abide in the obscurity wherein they were produced. But the affair is now changed altogether. Your handicap ranks in the highest order of modern chivalry. The public interest is little less in the Chester Cup than in the imperious Derby itself. Surely the one should not monopolize all the talent of the British turf in the science displayed in bringing its fields to the post, and the latter be committed to such chance-medley of economy as may come of the humour or skill of those Medes and Persians by whom its penalties are decreed. The interests of racing call for an immediate reform in this mysterious despotism. Even the Royal Plate articles have been remodelled. With so much more need of revision, let us not doubt that something will speedily be done to make the handicap a contrivance in every way more worthy its position in the British turf.

[blocks in formation]

I ought to be "quite the lady" to write any account of hunting for the past month; for ladies only write well about nothing. That one may expect frost in January is undoubtedly the fact; but to have one's expectations fulfilled after such a December as last year's is more than painful. The most extraordinary part of this frost has been its extreme partiality:

"Coelum non aninum mutant qui trans mare currunt."

But without going to another country, nay scarcely crossing the boundary of their own county, men have ridden under a cloudy sky, at the tail of the Warwickshire or Mr. Lowndes' hounds, whilst the Pytchley have been unable to get out of kennel. This is rarely the case in any season, and in a hard frost we have usually the selfish satisfaction of knowing that our brother sportsmen are as badly off as ourselves. This is the more provoking as the county has been singularly fortunate in attracting an unusual crowd of sportsmen, as the stabling at Watford, Brixworth, Weedon, and other places will shew. The latter place, not generally used as a hunting quarter, has now about a

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »