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INCIDENTS OF SOME OLD-TIME RACES. A slashing golden caestaal s„n of BteckweU out of Cordelia, by Bed Deer. Thunderbolt was a horse of great speed, and he- was one of the most formidable rivals of Thormanby in their two-year-old days. For Mr. Caledon Alexander he won five races out of eight in his first season inclusive of a walk-over. Thormanby he met three times I at two years, finishing i« front of him in tin-iindon . Stakes at BoOdWOOd, when a neck and head I divided Nuthourne. Thunderbolt and Mr. Merrys great horse-. Previously, however. Thunderbolt I ran unplaced to Rupee, and Thormanby for the New r Stakes, and at their last meeting in tin- "Criterion" • Thormanby defeated him by a length after a great race-. Pordham having to use- the- whip on tin- winner in a strenuous finish. Kathe-r curiously Tauntons "Famous Homes1 states that in Pel I Thunderbolt won the Stewards Cup at Goodwood 1 under 139 pounds, but that is an error. Hi- eer tiiinly ran for that race carrying the weight sped fieel. but he was unplaced to Croagh Patrick, to which he was trying to Concede no less than siztj pounds. Thunderbolt, moreover, started at the forlorn odds of id to 1. At the stud he- sired many bit; horses, but nowadays the best known of I htm is perhaps Reverberation, which became- the- sin- of J Concussion dam of Hammerkop. Stream, Llan-gibby. etc. Among his dauglite-rs were Lady Blanche, which was the graadam of Banbury, ami Locket, which weal to Australia and produced, among others. Chain Shot. The last-named came to this country as a stallion. A famous mare that t likewise attained the age of thirty -one- was Kosa -monel. by Buzzard, clam of the St. I.eger winner, • Barefoot. When she foaled that colt to Tramp she Was already twenty -two. and she continued to bear loa is for another four year-. Barefoot* Leger was most sensational, for after " thru false starts twenty - three of the twenty seven competitors broke away anil ran the whole course. Barefoot finishing second to Carnival. Tin-race had to be run over again, and only a dozen Went to the past. Barefoot finally winning. His ; original backers had good hedging, for his price- of 20 to 1 prior to the false start was subsequently resmeed to ." to 1. In those days, of course-, there-was ■ no such thing as starting price, but. hail there been, his backer* would, of coarse, have been 1 entitled to "twenties." In more recent times the- point was definitely derided when Barmecide • Won the- Cumberland Plate. That was in IBM. All the nine runners except Ke-dsand went the .ours.- in a breakaway. Tyrant, a warm favorite at "evens." coming in first, beating Barmecide 8 to 1 by a half length. Two of the fielel did not go to the post for the actual race-, which was won by Barme-c-iele 3 to 1. with Tyrant 11 to 8 ■ against unplaced. It was argued in some quarters that the- prices at the actual start Should rule, but if that were correct, what would become of the money wage-reel on the- two horses which were finally withdrawn? Having once- been under the- starters orders they we-re clearly runners within the meaning of Rule 1 of the Rules of Racing. Bookmakers were therefore entitled to receive over them. and. per contra, they were equally entitled to pay halt III the original, or false start, prices over the actual winner and placed horses. There was a previous ch-cision to the same equit-able effect in connection with the Northamptonshire Stakes of INS". The circumstances were-rather different, for after Middlethorpe had won 1 by six lengths from Valentine, with Postscript third, an objection was made to the race on the • ground that the proper distance had been excelled, and the stewards ordered the course to be measured, when it was found that all the horses ; had run two bandied and fifty yards more than the- prescribed distance. They ordered the- race to 1 be- run over again in accordance with the rule. Iive of the horses did not go to the past the ! second time, and Middlethorpe won again, with Postscript second, Sandpiper third and Valentine and Throne unplaced. In his book on "The Kules on Betting" a well-known legal authority on turf matters some- years later dissented from the ep.i-ssion. which was given at the time, that all the horses which ran in the race over the wrong coarse were starters, whether or not they i--,i jr. the -e-tual race. His opinion was "that this decision was erroneous, inasmuch as there was :•■ starter properly acting within Cue scone o," his el-it es I must confess that I am un 1 lie to follow I. is argument, for apparently the start. -r was not responsible for the mistake, and evn had be be -n. Bute 33 of the Kules of Kacing 1K.N7 slated in plain words that if a race wis ran by ill li. horses at wrong weights, or a wrong distance, or when the judge was not in the boy. the *l»waT«J* wen- to order it to be run agafn on tiie same day. That being so. there was. as far n* a mere layman can see, not the smallest loophole for a quibble. Ten horses went to t e post and look part in the- original race, and they were there-fore "starters," whether they went to the post the second time or not. The settlement of stalling price wagers for that reason could only be made in one way. i. e.. by the return f tin- prices at the time of the start of the first race over the wrong course. Bookmakers were -ntiiied to ehem over the five horses that were withdrawn from the actual rac-e. and therefore they h-i 1 to pay Die prices current at the first start. Mi.l illethorp, It may be recalled, was then favorite at I t. i. with Nelly Farren second choice at .. to 1. l"»wt-SCript at 11 to 2. Throne at 100 to 15. Sandpiper 7 to 1. Valentine. 8 to 1. Chatterbox 100 to s. and so on. For the actual race Middlethorpe w. s a 7 to 4 on Chance, with Postscript at fotr-s, and the other runners. Sandpiper, Valentine and Throne, jointly at S to 1. It was only equity that starting price layers could not receive over Nelly Pal ion ami tiie other four absentee* and at the same time pay out over Mielelo the r-.e at the greatly shortened price- of 7 to 4 on. — "Vigilant in London Sportsman.
