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ENGLANDS BAD THREE-YEAR-OLDS. Remarkable List of Horses of that Age Which Proved Great Disappointments. Theorists in this country who are fond of do-crying the American thoroughbred can find scant comfort in the views of Warren Hill of London Sporting Life, who In the following article seems to take a gloomy view of the unsoundness of the British thoroughbred. In reviewing some features of the racing of 1907, he says: "Looking back at the season thus ended one is struck by the very extraordinary collapse of an enormous number of our best horses, and taking im.o account the favorable nature of the season it provides amplo grounds for alarm at the increasing softness of our present-day breed of thoroughbreds. Witli three-year-olds the bed rock of the future, tliey form a mosit important branch, and if one looks through the list handicapped by the keeper of the Match Book last autumn, complete evidence can bo obtained. "The place of honor was rightly assigned to Polar Star, who after winning the Jubilee degenerated almost to a plaler. Slieve Galllon failed to stand training and has gone abroad to the stud; My Pet II. lost every vestige of his brilliant form in France; Saxham degenerated into a sprinter through some constitutional decay; Traquair became seriously affected in bis wind, and has left for more temperate climes; Sagamore is scarcely beyond medium handicap class; Orwell, the most brilliant filly of last year, has failed even in moderate handicap class; Olympian, the giant, has retired from training; Bcnzonian is soft, delicate, and of moderate handicap class; Auber proved of little account; Bilton Park was disposed of after a poor display at Epsom Spring; Prince of Orange absolutely refused to race altogether, and I never remember to have seen a horse stop so deliberately as he did in his second race of the year; Weathercock became quite helpless and hopeless as the year advanced; Candahar cannot win even a handicap; Freeborn first degenerated to a sprinter and then began breaking blood vessels; Illinois, an Irish horse, came to an untimely end; Witch Elm, after winning the One Thousand Guineas, could do no more; Linacre, a great, fine horse that raised high hopes in the spring, could not win a good class handicap in the autumn; The Welkin never got beyond live furlongs, the best course of Ids two-year-old days; Lalla Rookh, the brilliant Irish filly, has not done enough to keep her name alive; Acclaim started with a great flourish of trumpets In the spring, only to deteriorate to moderate handicap form in the autumn; Sixty perhaps always labored under a false reputation; Simon Square could not stand training; Bella vista collapsed and was retired to the stud; QuAppelle became a roarer; Tui became a bad rogue; Gnome was a I victim to fever; Galleot apparently lost his action; m Avenger proved unable to win a moderate handicap; Balbriggan "and Hexagon dropped to third-class handicaps; Eastern gave way in his temper; Chestnut Sunday retired .to the stud in Ireland; Lord Carton collapsed after the Royal Hunt Oup; The Sun and The Cherub could not win a race at all; Turpitude collapsed early In the year; Wife of Bath is little better than ordinary selling plate form; Glacis never improved, and developed a temper; Orby, winner of .the Derby, gave way In his training; Knight of Tully has hardly been seen; Bonniface has gone in for hurdle racing; Knockna-garm is struggling for maiden plates; Belle Vale was unable to lo any racing worth mention; OCullen can hardly win a third-class handicap; Diary lias dropped to selling plate form; Fra Dia-volo has not won a race; Slim Lad Is quite unreliable, and Victoria has been "retired to ;tho stud. "The above were handicapped above ninety-eight pounds ana continuing below their standard, results proved almost fully as disastrous. Thus Vcnilia went downwards to third-class handicaps; Emerald gave way in her training; Performance was disposed of; Varra Weel could not be trained; Shirley became a wild horse; Peach was unable to win a race, and finally fell on the road and cut her knees; Sym-machus, her stable companion, ran away and collided witli a tree, breaking his hip; Ulpian has only appeared on a race course twice; Hillsprite got wrong in his throat; Viceroy was a source of great trouble to Major Bcatty; Billidere remained just useful in sprint races; Morla we lost sight of; Stirabout has left England; Angouleme R. Day was glad to part with; Stron Ard was queer in temper as well as legs; Ste Claire II. makes a noise; Pet-chora, Allargue, Sequin, Geronima, Beattic, Sweet Thrush, Southannan, Painted Lady, Athlete, Prince of Piedmont, Zinc, Vada, Terlinga and Rosalind also were all thought worthy a place in his Free Handicap but what are theyi "Or, if we go even to those overlooked in the above list there is the same sad tale. Bushranger is a determined welsher; King Ciarles collapsed before half the year was over; Asian would not race; Meadow Rue proved a jade; Adora failed to stand training; Counts could not stand the season; Sella collapsed early; Reckless proved a complete jade; St. Petersburg", which might have taken high honors, broke down; Luisls has been put. to hurdle racing; Dusty Miller became quite unreliable; Underwood broke down; St. Ollalia broke down. "Now we are dealing with some hundred and thirty three-year-olds that ought to have provided a backbone to all our handicaps and classic races open to all ages next year, and all that remain with any great chance of proving useful arc Gal-vani, Wool Winder, Earlston, Forerunner II., Stick-up and possibly Baltinglass, whoso temper is uncertain; All Black, Linacre, . Rockbourne, Sagamore, Polar Star, Bczonian, Cargill, Acclaim and Dusty Miller, if they can be restored. Then there are the marcs Jubilee, Laotncdia, Altitude, Silver Heeled, Mildew II., Glass Doll and a few others of such class, though few are in the least reliable and do not look like improving. "It would. I think, be quite Impossible to recall a similar record and another day I will show an equally extraordinary collapse amongst the older horses."
