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ENGLISH RACINGS GLOOMY 0VTL00K. Strong Probability No Flat Racing Will Be Permitted - Except at Newmarket. About this time of the year we are accustomed a t. tin ling the pages of the "Racing Calendar" largely occupied by advertisements in connection with the closing of the principal spring handicaps ■ as well as the leading weight-forage events, of ,f which tin- Gold Cup is the most important, at t Await. "Nomination day" is usually arranged for the tirst week in January, but there are no signs f that such will lie the case next month. Yesterdays " "Calendar." indeed, runs to only seven pages J of printed matter, the last one being a blank. I In connection with Ascot, too, it is notified that 5l the races which usually close on the first Tuesday in January will probably be advertised to 0 clo*e on the first Tuesday in March. This latter announcement, taken in conjunction n with the absence of any intimation regarding the e Lincolnshire Handicap. Great Metropolitan Stakes, ». and City and Suburban. Chester Cup, and Kemp-ton Jubilee Handicap, is significant in that it conveys a hint 1 li.it Mat racing next season may be p entirely confined to Newmarket, as it was during r* „ the latter half of the now rapidly-expiring year. I have omitted mention in the aliove list of the Liverpxil and Newbury Cups, as it is understood that there is no likelihood of racing being permitted r. at either place in the spring, and it is. s. I am afraid, improbable that any of the other • courses will be available for months to come. It II appear*, therefore, a* though we must make up p our minds that the usual series of spring handicaps will not Ik- decided next year, and that if ■ there is any flat racing at all away from Newmarket, it will lie confined to such of the southern courses as are to be employed for jumping this winter. Events advertized to close on January 4 are the ie Rous Ilate and Scarborough Stakes at Doncaster ,r Septenilier meeting, while the view that there i* |s not likely to be any interruption so far as the u. Newmarket serie* is concerned is borne out by ,v the notification of the dates of closing for the jL Ashley Plate and V km1 Ditton Stakes at the Craven ,n meeting. the Newmarket Two-Year-Old Ilate. e. March Stakes and May Ilate at the First Spring, tlie Rurwell Ilate at the Second Spring, the "? Soltykoff Stake* and Sale Stakes at the Second 1,1 July, the Clcarwell Stakes at the Second October, • and the Criterion Stakes at the Houghton gathering. r* It is also to be noted that the entries for .r certain event* which closed on the seventh of this ,s month have been published. Thus there are twenty-eight fl nominations for the Spring Three-Year-Old • Stakes, twenty -three for the Several Stakes, forty-rive t for the Somerville Stakes, thirty-seven for the le Zetland Ilate. and twenty seven for the Champion 1 Stakes. The suhs-ription list for the last-named event i* alwas an interesting one. and in this s instance include* the name* of Volta. Diadumenos. Hasta. Silver Tag. Iommern. Vauclnse. and Sir ir Eager, as well as of such notable youngsters as " Marcnis. Eos. Canyon. Ihalaris. Clarissimns. Athel-ing. Flnnella. Kings Joker. Sirian. Figaro and id Argon. There i* a decidedly high-class tone about it thin entry, which, it is to he hoped, will yield an 111 equallv interesting contest in due course.— "Augur" " in London Sporting Life of December 17.
