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ASCOTS POPULAR ROYAL HUNT CUP. Some Incidents Marking the History of One of the Most Important English Handicaps. Ascot stands pre-eminent among all the race meetings in Croat P.ritaiu. alike on the sooro of the value of the stakes competed for. the quality of its sport and tin; bearing and importance it has in connection with the records of the turf. Next to the Derby, perhaps, tin; Cold Cup is tin; prize mostly coveted by those owners who race on the highest plane, and it lias fallen to the share of many horses that have earned undying fame both on the course and at the stud. The twenty-eight events making up the annual program include some of the most important set apart for two-ve.ir-ohls, and others afford almost every kind of racing test. The "St:ikes" and Koyal Hunt Cup are the loading features among the handicaps, and though the longdistance affair, now that it gives rise to no ante-post speculation, has dropped somewhat out of the general public estimation, the Hunt Cup retains its hold as a popular contest and a medium Tor wagering. It affords one of the prettiest spectacles of the mooting, and those who have witnessed the hold streaming along with the jockeys colors Hashing in the sunlight of a glorious June day are always anxious for a renewal of the experience Such a favorite is the handicap with owners of horses that large entries are invariably secured and the competitors have usually borne a fair tiro-port inn to them. It can scarcely be claimed for the ran; that any really groat horse has won it. though some of the winners stand well away rrom the rest in point of quality and reputation, while to others comparatively little credit attaches by reason of the casy lernis upon which they wore handicapped. As far as weight is concerned, Collingwond, which won as a six-year-old in 1S4! with 1.T.S pounds, holds the record, and the next best is that of Peter, which as a five-ycar-ohl carried 111! pounds in 1SS1. That Peter was a good horse is well remembered, nnd that he had an erratic temper is also in recollection. At Ascot he was heavily supported, despite his big impost, and to the dismay of his backers stopped to kick iu the middle of the race and it was owing to his vigorous handling by Fred Archer that he was induced to go on, pass his horses and win by three-quarters or a length from Sword Dance, a lightly-weighted four-year-old. Though no horse has won the Hunt Cup twice, more than one owner has had a double taste of success, and among them is Lord then Mr. Cerard, who won with the three-year-olds Sweetbread and Elzevir in 1N.NU and ISS:! respectively. Roth wen; considered to have pretensions for the St. Leger, to which their ready victories at Ascot lent color, but though both were well befriended for the Doucastoi event, neither ran into the first three. Ilaoli had. however, done Jew! its stable good service iu the Royal Hunt Cup. and two more three-year-olds from the same establishment Shillelagh and Suspender wore successful respectively in LSSS and 1.N0L. The first- nameil received strong market rocogniti but 1!5 to I was obtainable about the chance of Suspender, anil the latter, by the way. in scoring under It IS pounds, made1 a record among the three-year-olds. .1. Cannon, the Lordship trainer, has sent out two winners of the Hunt Cup Laureate II. in IS.ll ami Csaidas in 1001, and a curious episode attaches to the first-named. The batch of horses sent to Ascot by Cannon wore found to total thirteen, but as it was thought that that unlucky number might not augur well for the success of the stable at the meeting. Laureate; II. was "thrown in" to fulfill his ngag nil lit in the Hunt Cup, though it was not originally intended that he should run. Racegoers will recollect that Laureate II. minus the numerals won the Cambridgeshire for tin; lucky Mr. Hammond in 1NS:. ami after an unsuccessful career the following year was sent to the stud. Not shining in his new sphere, he was put into training again, and as Laureate II. made a couple of unsuccessful appearances before being sent to Ascot. In view of his Cambridgeshire victory he was not harshly treated as a five-year-old with 110 pounds, but his form on returning to the course had not boon encouraging, and H: to 1 was obtainable about him at the start. In the hands of Moriiingtou Cannon he got home by a half length from Rathbeal. the strongly-fancied Yard Arm failing to roach the first three. Cannons other winner, Csardas, by Ladas out of Polka, which had shown some fair form as a juvenile, was purchased by Mr. C. Morboy for 1.150 guineas as a four-year-old when the horses that had belonged to .Mr. Forrest Tod w-re sent up for sale at Newmarket by his executors, but did nothing towards a return of his purchase -money at that age. The next year he was regarded as having a chance for the Lincolnshire Handicap under a light weight, for which be got no nearer than seventh. At llaydock in May. however, he was an easy winner over a mile, thus .displaying some return to his form, and his chance for the Royal Hunt Cup showed iu a good light. Having the handy weight of lO.l pounds, he was backed accordingly and won easily. The Hunt Cup has proved a lucky race for four-year-ohls, no fewer than thirty-seven horses of that age having boon Successful since it was first run in 1N4:5. Among the earliest was a good one in P.uc-caneor, which was a smart youngster, and would probably have had something to do with tin; decision of the Derby won by Thormanby iu 1S!0 but for being got at" before the race. lie. however, won other stakes as a three-year-old. and the following year accounted for throe of the seven events in which he took part, in addition to the Royal Hunt Cup. He shone in bright colors at Ascot, for on the opening afternoon he won the Trial Stakes over the Now Mile, and as In; escaped a penalty for the Cup. run oyer the same course the following day. his chance as a four-year-old of his class with 110 pounds up looked promising. So it proved, for he scored with ease, having thirty-two competitors behind him. Another good four-year-old that won rider the Sjini weight eif.ht years afterwards was See Saw, curiously, a son of Ruoeuiicor from Margery Davt. and be display.! excellent form as a three-year-old iu handicaps and other races. Among his best performances was to win the Cambridgeshire with 114 pounds up a race memorable from the fact tlcit tin; first four horses wore three-year-olds, and that P.Ine Jown the Derby winner was only beaten a length and a half carrying lLi! poumls See Saw was running over his favorite distance iu the Hunt Cup. and, with the redoubtable Fordhaia up, was backed to win a lot of money. He had not much to span;, as he only won by a neck from Cock of the Walk, a horse of his own age, to which he was conceding a stone and a half, and which was quite as well supported as the son of Rnccanoer. Lord Wilton, the owner of See Saw, won the race again in 1S77 with another four-year-old in Cradle, whose performance, however, was different from that of tla; victor of 1S00, inasmuch as he only had SS pounds on his back. Cradle was the second winner of the race descended Iron; Rnccaneer, as he was a son of See Saw out of Honeymoon. As a two and three-year-obl In; had not done much, so that he was well dropped into the handicap, but he was trained in a stable that missed few chances, and they did well when Cradle won by a length and a half Rut then; hare boon much better fields for the Hunt Cup than Cradle boat, and In; failed to earn brackets again until be was a six-year-old. Four-year-olds that won with something like reasonable racing weights may be mentioned iu Satyr. 113 pounds, ISliX: Winslow. 1111 pounds. 1S73; Oay Hermit 111 pounds, 1S87; Victor Wild, 105 pounds, ISO I; Clorane, 112 pounds, 1805; Continued on second page. ASCOTS POPULAR ROYAL HUNT CUP. Continued from first page. Andover, 112 pounds, 1005; Lally, 113 pounds, 1007, and Bachelors Double, 110 pounds, 1010; and the best of the batch was probably Clorane, which will be remembered as the winner of the Lincolnshire Handicap nudcr 130 pounds in 1890, though it must be renumbered that "Victor" was the hero of two memorable Kcmpton Park Jubilees in 1895 and 1800. To only three "aged" horses has the Hunt Cup lMen credited The Mandarin in 1S70, Despair in 1SS0 and Royal Flash in 1900 and all started at remunerative prices, the first-named at 33 tti 1, the second at 25 to 1 and Royal Flush at 100 to 7. Despair was yet another descendant of Buccaneer to win the Ascot race, being by See Saw out of Peine do Coeur, and he had secured a considerable number of races in previous seasons. Origihalby the property of his trainer, the late W. G. Stevens, he passed into the possession of Mr. W. Gilbert, and was rather fancied for the Cup as a three-year-old, running third to Sweetbread and Edensor. In the field again the following year, he filled the same position, Elzevir being first and Nesseliff second, but his third attempt in 18S! was successful with 111 pounds in the saddle. It was a case of perseverance rewarded, as the son of See Saw never won a race afterwards. Royal Flushs victory was an incident connected with wliat was known as the "American invasion," when tbe tricks and the manners: of many visitors from. the other side of the Atlantic created anything but a favorable impression here. For a long time the properly of Mr. W. F. Lee now one of the official handienppers, Royal Flush hail gone through a useful career, chiefly in the North of England, where he won many races at about a mile and a quarter or less, until he was a six-year-old. On Mr. Lee relinquishing the sport and his horses coming up for sale, the son of Favo and Flush was purchased for 100 guineas by Mr. Wishard, who raced in conjunction witli his brother American, Mr. J. A. Drake. Subjected to Yankee methods of training and of management, he won a good stake for his connections iu the Royal Hunt Cup, into which lie was let at ninety-eight pounds, but he only got home by a head in the hands of J. ReilT, who was a jockey for the confederacy. Royal Flush afterwards won the Stewards Cup at Goodwood. Sussex Plate at Brighton and the Cleveland Handicap at Doncaster, and lie was thought good enough to match against that good horse, Eager, at even weights over six furlongs. The match, for 500 sovereigns each, with a gold cup of the same value added by the executive, came olt at the Hurst Park meeting and was quite a feature of the afternoon. Public sentiment was on the side of Eager, which, ridden by Morniugtou Cannon, lauded the odds of 7 to 1 on him iu a canter by three lengths amidst much enthusiasm. London Sportsman.
