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! ! J a 1 « 1 | 1 1 « « i 1 ? I « 1 s 1 I I I I I J * i , c J ! . c D a a a t r a y | n ii in f C a a 1, ■ - J l " - * ■ ™ n ■ 1 • ■ i tl w r " " ■ J ■ " :l ■ ? " in tl 1. a 5 ,, J !, • " in j, in ., j, 1. In vv j ,■ .. ,. ..; y In « •; m DOUBLES IN BIG ENGLISH HANDICAPS. Looking down the list of winners of the Cesare-witch and Cambridgeshire from tlie commencement. 1 cannot see that the double has fallen to the same stable on more than five occasions. There may. of course, have lieen years wlien one stable brought off the.. coveted ■•double" in the early davs of the two races, but they were first run "for as long ago as 1S39. and I must plead guilty to knowing very little aliout the trainers of the various winners of that early period. As far as my paf ticnlars of the two big handicaps carry me, tlie first occasion on which the "double" was brought off was in 1S«0, when William Dav. the fsmns 1 trainer, won the Cesarewiteh with his own « .v. Dulcibella. anif* the Cambridgeshire with Mr. F. Swindells Weatherbound, likewise a fillv and also three-year-old. After Dulcihellas victory, as - is related by Day in his "Reminiscences of the Turf." she became first favorite for the Cambridgeshire, which, it may he well to mention, at that time, and for many years afterwards, was run over he old Cambridgeshire course, which finishes at the "top of the town." Dulcibella and Weatherbound were tried on the Thursday before the race over the Cambridgeshire distance, which at that tlnre was a mile and a distance, instead of the present mile and a furlong. Prior to the trial Weather-bound was a 100 to 1 chance, but in the reaatt she de feared her stable companion by two lengths at even weights, with the two four-year-olds. Si-hisc* and Bevis. hcind the pair. On receipt of a cvpher telegram announcing the result of the trial "Armstrong, one of Swindells confederates, would not lielieve it. suggesting that either the telegraph d»-rU or William Day bad made a mistake. Swindell, however, was of a different opinion, and told Armstrong. "Its right enough, lad: go and put the money on. and If we hear anything from William to the contrary we will make the liest of a bad bargain." Accordingly Weatherttound was backed to win a good .stake. In the race itself she got badly off. and Admiral Rous, who assisted at the starting that year, declined at first to lielieve it when told on bis return to the stand that Weatherbound had won, saying, "Nonsense! She never got off." The next occasion when one stable carried off the double was in 1870. when Rosebery accomplished the feat for the late Mr. James Smith. What a horse the son of Speculum and Ladylike was. I who wrote these lines was not yet racing in the middle of the seventies, and the first time I saw ■ssaBatjr was on a gloomy winter Sunday afternoon at Tatter-sails in the early eighties, when I went to Allien Gate with a friend to look over Sir John Astleys horses in training which were coining up for sale ou the following day. At that time he was a much neglected stallion, and Mr. Vyner some little time afterwards bought him for the bagatelle of 400 guin eas. That was some time before he gave the turf brilliant performer in Amphion. and the latter in turn gave us a great race norse and sire in Sum]-ridge, from whom came a Derby winner in Snnstar and many other good race horses, inclusive of two winners of the Middle Park Plate in Absurd and last Fridays winner, Argos. Rosebery carried 103 pounds in the Cesarewiteh Fred Archer up, and the Cambridgeshire, which he won bv a neck from Sir John Astleys Hopbloom, his weight, inclusive of a fourteen ixiuiiil extra, was 117 pound-. The example of Rosebery, which was trained by Clement, in carrying off the "double." was copied few years later by Foxhall. which won the Cambridgeshire under the big weight for a three-year-old of 126 pounds. This years wiuer of the Cesarewiteh. Sir Abe Baileys Son in Law. is not of course, engaged in the snorter handicap, and the question of the possibility or one stable winning the two rnces now hinges on the chance of Ambassador, which lielongs to Mr. Donald Eraser, adding the Cambridgeshire to the success achieved by his stable companion in the long-distance handicap for the establishment at Jerraee House, over which Reginald Day presides with such conspicuous ability. Few trainers have done better in the past with the material supplied them than Day. and he has always turned out bis charges so well for their ra -es that one would scarcely credit that in not a few instances they were bought as yearlings for small sums. In his case I suppose it is inherited ability. for bis father. F. W. Day. liefore him did big things in similar fashion with horses that either were castoffs from other stables, like Airs and Graces, with which he won the Oaks, or generally reckoned of but little account, like Ceorgic. which nevertheless brought off a useful double indeed in 1S9K. Ceorgic was an Australian mare, a six-year-old, which had been imported into this country by Mr. II. C. White. The first event of tier double was the Prince Edward Handicap, for which she defeated a much better favorite in Oazotteer and other good horses. For that race, then only a mile anair. Ceorgic. which was by Clau Stewart out of Mirzaiiore. started fourth favorite at loo to 12. and by winning it she incurred a ten-pound extra the Cambridgeshire, which brought her weight for the latter race up to KKi |miuii.1s. Ridden in both events by Seth Chandley. she brought off the second half of the double at the long odds of 40 to 1 by length and a half from another 40 to 1 chance iii Dinna Forget, with an even longer-priced one in the shape of Mr. Bottoinleys Hawfinch »50 to It third. Ceorgic may have lieen lucky to win. for that was the Cambridgeshire for which Nunsnch Sloan upl. owned by King Kdwar.l then Prince of Wales, was left at the |iost. Ceorgic was giving eight pounds to Nonsuch, and they both ran a couple of ifciys later for the Old Cambridgeshire, and that race they were first and second. NniisiH-u, receipt of twelve |m uii.Is. besting Ceorgic in ;J trot by ten lengths. The remaining doubles in the two big autumn handicaps that materialized were in 1SS4 and I8yv the former year John Hammond won the les A witch with his three-year old St. Catien. cai-MF the record weight for a winner of that in 122 pounds, and the Cambridgeshire with II..- four-yen r old Florence, whose feat in scoring under 127 iHiuuds has yet to lie sasBussed. St. Catien ::nd Florence were trained by Rot Hit S1i.-i-w.nmI. Sr 1SN5 Plaisantcric. a Frem-h-bred threc- ear old won bolli races, this lieing the third and last ne". castas, on which they have lieen secured by th.. same auimal.— "Vigilant" iu Loudon. Sportsman,
