view raw text
ENGLISH AUTUMN HANDICAPS Bays a recent London letter to an exchange Mammoth entries have been received for the two great handicaps of Autumn the Cesare witch and the Cambridgeshire run respectively in the middle and at the end of October Better patronage of either event could not be desired 132 for the Ceaarewitch and 134 for the Cam bridgeehire constituting in each case a record In recent year In fact the Ceearewitoh entry ii twelve better than any from the commence OMt In the year 1889 With the Cambridge bin things are different for between 1810 and ISM an mtry of 1S4 would have been eofiiidered very small potatoes and in 1870 tb year of the FrancoPrutaian war the race reached ita Moith with the magnificent total of I t b crii tions In that yajar too a huge ftelii 6 fortytwo went to tte poet Smch a field has only once been equaled and once excelled in the whole history of the race In 1862 when Lord Chesterfields fouryearold mare Bathilde was successful she defeated fortytwo others In the opening year 1839 when lazy Laner cost won there were only flftyfive subscribers of whom twelve went to the post and as Is also the caae with the Cesarewitch lest than that numbsr have never run since The great increase in the subscriptions for the Cesarewitch shows plainly that long distance races are fortunately continuing to grow in popularity and as long races are infinitely bet ter tests of the merits of racehorses than short ones and as they tend to the improvement of our stock whereas sprint events of the kind of which the six furlong Stewards Cup won by ODonovan Bossa is a sample are simply ruin ¬ ous to our horses legs and tempers it is a mat ¬ ter for much congratulation Bookmakers pre ¬ fer the sprints for so much depends upon the start that they become mere lotteries and it is mainly owing to the influence of the ring that short distance events like the Stewards Cup have become such popu ¬ lar mediums for antepost speculation Not that backers are much more likely to pick out the winner of the Cesarewitch but if you pick out a good stayer possessing speed as well you are assured a good run for your money and hold a better chance whereas in a scurry if your fancy does not get off he might just as well be at home for all the chance he has Think for instance that during the last thirty two years the Stewards Cup has only fallen on four occasions to a horse starting at less than 10 to 1 against while in the Cesare ¬ witch out of the thirtyone races from 1870 no fewer than fifteen of the winners have started at less than the rate of odds mentioned The Cesarewitch distance is 2 miles Z furlongs and 35 yards and the Cambridgeshire 1 mile and 240 yards During the same period 11 Cam bridgeshires have fallen to horses at less than 10 to 1 and this graduated scale shows plainly that the longer the race is the more likely backers are to find the winner American own ¬ ers are well represented in both events In the Cesarewitch Mr Corrigan has nominated Sardonic II Semper Vigilaus and Fancy Man Mr Covington has Belo supposed to be a rod in pickle and Dunlavin the Messrs Keene have entered Cap and Bells Noonday and Binopi Davis has Santoi and Uncle Mac Eugene Leigh Biddo and Mr Whitney Kilmarnock Elkhorn and Petronius Wishard has nothing in this race but is respon ¬ sible for Dr Shepard and Stratton in the Cam ¬ bridgeshire In this race Mr Whitney has a strong hand to play from his lot including Volodyovski Kilmarnock De Lacy Spectrum Watershed and Elkhorn The Eeene contin ¬ gent is also larger than that in the longer race consisting of Olympian Noonday Cap and Bells and Chacomac Wellknown American horses now iu English hands that are engaged are Inishfreo and Kings Courier France has a strong contingent in both races including this years French Derby and Oaks winners Saxon and La Camargo while Semendria the heroine of last years French Oaks and Grand Prix de Paris is nominated for the Cambridge ¬ shire only
