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THE ST. LEGER AND GRAND PRIX DE PARIS. "The St. Leger is to be on a totally different footing after next year, and it will be extremely interesting to see how matters work out, says the London Sporting Life. "Hitherto a man has, quite naturally, thought twice before putting a horse Into the St. Leger, because he had to pay 25 whether the animal faced the starter or not. Major Loder did not think it worth while to incur that liability for Spearmint, even though he had taken a considerable fancy to the colt. In future, however, the initial liability will be one of 5 only if forfeit Is declared by the month of March following the closing of the entry. That will make a world of difference, and there will be much less chance than there lias been of an owner finding himself early in the season with a two-year-old, likely to develop into a horse up to the classic standard, who is minus an engagement in the St. Leger. "Having now brought about this reform,- one wonders whether the Jockey Club -wilt in due course revise the conditions which govern the Two. Thousand and One Thousand Guineas.: I am, of course, well aware that these two classic events1 are not quite on all fours with the Derby, Oaks and .St. Leger, but the bald fact nevertheless remains that In the two Newmarket races owners "are simply running for their own money, the subscription being 100, half forfeit. "On the same page of the .Calendar as that on which tne St. Leger advertisement appears we find the announcement regarding the closing of the entries for the Grand Prix de Paris In 190S. The figures relating to the .prize money make our own principal three-year-old races look rather-small by comparison. The total value of the great race at Longchamps is 12,000, of which po less a portion than 10,000 Is given by the City of Paris, the remaining 2,000 being contributed by the five chief railway companies in the Republic. That is something like an endowment. There is also a sweepstakes of 40 each, 1 24 forfeit; reduced to 20 if declared the Wednesday preceding the race, and to 4 If declared on May 2, of the. same year. The second horse is to receive ,1,200 and the third 600 out ,of the stakes. "We can never hope to see such liberal terms offered In tills country unless and until we adopt the pari-mutuel, and none of us. will live to see the betting machine in operation on this side of the channel. Entries for the Grand Prix close on Tuesday, September 13 that is to say the Tuesday after the Doncaster meeting. "Now that an English horse has won the race after a, lapse of twenty years, we may expect to see more entries made by our owners, but many of them feel they are debarred from making nominations because of their conscientious scruples against Sunday racing. Some thirty or forty years ago an endeavor was made to Induce the French Jockey Club to decide the contest on a week day, but the effort failed, as It was bound to fall. The late Duke of Westminster was one of our great patrons of the turf who refused to support the. G rami Prix. If he had leeu otherwise minded we may be quite sure that the gap between the victories of Minting and his grandson Spearmint would not have been such a long one."
