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■ I . . | • I [ i I i [ • i • i ■ i i I RHODORA DEEMED BETTER THAN LESBIA. Noted English Turf Writers Estimate of the Comparative Merits of the Two. Last year in Kngland the best two-year-old fillies were generally held to be superior to the best colts of that age. It was also decided by the ma-irity of experts that I.esbia was the liest of the lilies and iu consequence the best two-year-old of the year. To neither of these opinions does "Augur." of London Sporting Life, subscribe. He lolds Khodora was better than I. sbia and in an interesting comparison of the performances of the wo crack fillies, says: •When the last tlal race season ended then-were not wanting folk who d "lured that among the two year-olds the fillies were better than the colts — in opinion that 1 could by no means siibscrilie to. mil now that the young ones referred to are three vears old. I doubt very much the same opinion being expressed at he end of the coming season. II max b rather a lxvld line to take. but. as I .ecently wrote. 1 shall not • believe in I.esbia. the supposed liest of last years fillies, asserting superiority over the eoits in Hie classic races of the now fast -approaching season. I eall Lesbia the" supposed best. because by common consent she has haaa awarded the place of honor, though, for my part. 1 consider Khodoras performances entitle •er to the pref renee. An impartial comparison of the deeds of the pair will. I think, convince anybody who witnessed most of their races that the Irish-bred fillys work in her first season was better •nan that of Sir Hani 1 loop rs filly. In saying :his. I am u it forgetting that Rlnxlora was tin laced in lie Middle Park Plate, won by Lesbia. but surely, in the light of Khodoras subsequent performance in the Pewhurst Plate, no one will •oiilend that Mr. Crokcrs filly showed us her true form iu the Second October Week. Probably she was fifling flic effects of her journey across St. Georges Channel, for we saw her give a very different performance a fortnight later, after staying at the turf headquarters. "Admirers of Lesbia will, of ooursv, urge that she is unbeaten, but. after all. what did she really do.- she was out five times, her first appearance lieiug delayed ill the York August Meeting, where thorough fitness has as much as anything to do witli her victory in the Princ;. of Wales Plate, and she In-lit nothing of any account, while it should tie liorne iu mind that Keauty Sleep and Indian | Kuinior were giving her fifteen and eighteen pounds respectively. Her next race, the Champagne Stakes at Doneaster. I refuse to accept as u true test of the merits of the youngsters that ran. Jockey-ship had much to do with the victory of Lesbia, which had all the luck of that day. ami while the others were se sawing about. Maker, on the nippy little daughter of St. Frusquin was saving a lot of ground on the extreme inside of the elbow rack. Her third essay was a walk-over for the Buckenham Stakes, and then she dead-heated for the Imperial Produce Plate at Kempton Park with Vamose, but what did they haatl And if the erratic Kingsclere colt had known his business better, I doubt whether Lesbia would have got to his neck, although I will admit that she ran on most gamely at the finish to make a dead heat of it. Probably her last race was her best, when she confirmed the York form with the disappoint ing Morena in the Middle Park Plate, and quite exploded any theories that Miranda might prove as good as her illustrious sister. Pretty Polly. For sonic unexplained reason. Khodora did not show her true form that day. as we can see by referring to Hi DewUurst Plate, where she beat Your Majesty a long way. and Mr. .1. K. Joels colt had finished in front of her at the Second October Meeting. We shall see how I.esbia progresses, but it is not encouraging to her admirers to hear that she lias not grown at all. "The I ewhust Plate winner had a much harder season that Lesbia. and did a lot of traveling backwards and forwards to her Irish training home. She came out at Leopardstow n on the last day of May. when she won the Cadogan Plate in a canter from Tcineraire and three others. Less than a month later the last named gray son of Grey Leg turned the tables on Khodora iu the Waterford Testimonial Stakes, but it must lie remembered that the filly was conceding the colt eleven pounds. The pair met a third time, in August, when for the Londonderry Prize, at l.eopardstown. they dead-heated. Khodora carrying KM pounds to the 133 pounds of Tenierairc. Probably the latters form with Rho- dora has had much to do with the purchase ot Tcineraire l y a patron of S. H. Darlings stable, I remember hearing such a good account of the gray iu tin- summer that I selected him in this eaaaaaa to win the Steel Lam -a-hire Kreedcrs Produce Stakes at the Liverpool July Meeting, but probably his cross-aha unci journey had temporarily upset him. for he i-ould not have run up to his form when bcalen by the Paee-eggcr filly and Yvette. Re verting, however, to Khodoras performances, prior to her third meeting with Temeraire. she had been sent over to contest the National Breeders Pro- duce Stakes at Sundown Park, which many people think she was unlucky not to win. for, after being kicked at the post, she began slowly, and it was the general opinion that her rider sent her out to wiu her race just a little too soon. As it was. she had a very hard race, when White Kagle so gallantly ran her ..ul of the finish, for Mr. Hall Walkers colt was conceding her twelve pounds, The knocking about and severe finish would have Continued on second paci RH0DORA DEEMED BETTER THAN LESBIA. Continued from first page. settled some fillies, but a month later she was de:»«l-heatlng with Temeraire, as mentioned above. Thou dime her two Newmarket races, to which 1 have already referred, but her ready victory over the severe seven furlongs of the Rowley Mile must cer tainly be accounted better than anything that Lesbia accomplished, during her first season, seeing that the beaten lot included Perrfer, Little Goose, Ednam. Vamose and Norman III. among otliers."
