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DAY OF THE PLUNGER PASSES. At one time the Cesarewitch was one of the biggest liettiug races of the year in England and fortunes were won and lost on it. In those days gigantic coups were engineered and horses backed to win vast amounts, simultaneously with the publication of the iiomin.it ions, writes George Greenwood in an English sporting weekly. Nowadays, however, such a thing would he an impossibility, for the simple reason that there are no leviathan bookmakers prepared to lay the odds as of yore, and thero is practically no market until almost the eleventh hour. Probably tills is all the better for horse racing; nevertheless, it is a strange commentary on the ups aud downs of the sport that there is so little money to lie won. Far from insignificant hauls were made by those connected with the first half-dozen winners, but it was not until 1845 that a really big coup was landed over the Cesarewitch. In that year, notwithstanding that such sound judges of racing as Col. Anson and John Scott opined that the. Baron could not possib!v win under 7st. 91b.. that dashing bettor. Lord George Bentlnck, thought otherwise, and. witli his usual coupge, backed the golt hejivily anil won a sub stantial stake when the St. Leger hero romped home ahead of his opponents. So cleverly had Lioness been managed that few people anticipated her success in 1SG3. which, though it gained a heap of money for Mr. Merry, lost him several valued friends. So badly had the mare run previously that her sudden reversal of form was too much for some of the spectators, who took no pains to conceal their disapproval of the stables tactics. After five ihglorious displays during that season, Salpinctes was the medium of a heavy gamble by the shrewd Lyttleton coterie in 1SG5, and the result vindicated their judgment, while of her immediate successor. Lecturer, it may be truly said that if lie did not run for a mans life he ran for a mans liberty for, according to John Day, It was "a case of Lecturer or Whitecross Street," and bv his prowess the Marquis of Hastings cleared 05,000 over the race-, an amount which helped him on till Christmas. The late Mr. George Hodgmau, who was one of the cleverest coup panners of his day, always heaved a sigli of regret whenever he spoke of John Davis, which, representing the greatest and most concrete certainty of all time, was beaten for the Cesarewitcii of 1SG9 solely through the egregious folly of his rider, Sam Mordcn. Had John Davis won, which lie assuredly ought to have done, the ring would have been poorer by some 1913.sh00,000, which was the sum for which Mr. Hodgman and his friends had backed the horse. Equally bitter was the experience of that longheaded turfite, Fred Swindell, who in 1874 had got the apparently useless Truth gelding Into the longdistance handicap at S2 pounds, and backed him to win 00,000. But for once the engineer was hoist with his own petard. Young Archer had to waste to ride at three pounds overweight, and this so weakened him that he was beaten before his mount. Had he been allowed a few pounds more weight he must have won in a canter. Never, perhaps, was a more daring coup manipulated than that for the Cesarewitcii in 1S75. Prince Soltykotfs Duke of Parma had most inexplicablv been let off with the absurdly low Impost of S4 pounds, and looked like becoming a strong favorite. He was sent to Great Yarmouth to compete in a paltry sprint race, in which lie finished fourth in a field of five. Three weeks later he started first favorite for the great Newmarket event in a field of thirty-six, which Included several good class horses, and won easily. This result aroused a good deal of criticism, in reply to which it was stated that the "Duke" was beaten at Yarmouth through the distance being too short, whereas no course was too long for him. It was hard luck for Captain Machell when Hilarious managed to beat Macaroon in 1877. for bv the Iatters victory he would have been 50,000 the richer: but Mr. R. C. Naylor was more fortunate in the following season, when, by the aid of Jester, he hit the ring as heavily as would Mr. Fred Gretton In 1S79 had Westbourne, which lie had backed to win, 50,000, only got Ills head in front of Chippendale. One of tho last memorable coups was that landed by Don Juan, owned by Mr. George Lambert who was at one time a racing confederate of Fred Swindell. The son of John Davis, skilfully handled, not only avenged his sires defeat, but won a big fortune for his owner, who left a lot of money to charities when he died some years ago.
