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ENGLANDS MOST POPULAR HANDICAPS. Striking Occurences Studding tho History of the-World-Famous Ccsarewitch. First Installment. Broad as may be the base of popularity upon which many handicaps rest, or have rested, that of the Cesarewitch will bear the closest comparison witli the best of them. Horses have bjkn prepared for it in most parts of the country, ami from Northern moors and Southern downs thev have gone out to do battle for the big race of the Second October meeting at Newmarket, to say nothing of the still larger number supplied bv the turf metropolis itself. This indicates tlie high favor in which it has always been held by owners of all classes, and probably, with the exception of the Chester Cup in what may be described as its palmy days, the general public have rallied to no handicap in greater strength as a medium of speculation. Though the race has been often won by horses with light weights and of comparatively moderate capacity. It is, on the whole, a good test of equine merit, for, in addition to the quality of staying, speed is necessary to get a horse home in a contest usually run fast from end to end as Is the Cesarewitch. During the seventy-seven years of its existence three-vear-olds have played a prominent part in it. no fewer than thirty-six horses of that age having carried off the spoils a fact not greatly to be wondered at when it is remembered that they have not far to go ere taking rank as four-year-olds and seme of the greatest performances in connection with the contest are down to their credit. It cannot be said that the event had a brilliant send-off in 1S39 with the success of the five-year-old Cruiskeen under the "feather" of 90 pounds, but the record of the three-year-olds commenced in 1S42. when Arcanus won, carryin- 74 pounds, a weight which in those davs was a not uncommon burden for horses of that "age. In 45, 45, and 47 they again took the honors, but as Faugh a Ballagh and The Baron scored in the first two of them the race fell to horses that have made marks in turf history, for the names of both appear in the genealogy of many winners of note, and that of The Baron Is brilliant as the sire of Stockwell. What the progeny of the latter horse have done it would take columns to record, and all who have anything like a nodding acquaintance with racing are aware of the lustre with which they shone in the annals of the "classics" and almost every importance down to the present day. Legerdemain scored under another light impost in 1S49. and a good one was Weatherage in 1S52. That horse brought rare grist to the mill of his owner, Mr. Tom Parr, who was a prominent figure in the sporting circles of those times, and not a few of the general body of backers were on his side for that Cesarewitch. He started favorite at 4 to 1; but much of the money that brought him to that short price was got on at much more substantial odds. The three-year-olds Rocket, Artless, and Dulcibella was successively in 58, 59, and CO, and the first and last-named did well for those connected with them, and Mr. G. Lambert, the owner of Rocket, scored again with another horse of that age in Don Juan in 1883, also with no small profit to his party. Rocket only won by a head, with distance in the saddle, and Artless got the judges verdict by three lengths after a dead-heat with Oaspard, which belonged to the Mr. Parr mentioned above. Dulcibella was the property of tlie late William Day, and was one of the "good things" in the way of handicap: witli which the Woodyeates stable of that day was associated. How good it was. was shown by a ten lengths win, and as the fancied horses from that establishment never ran without being substantially befriended, a large sum was taken out of the ring by her success. Two years afterwards yet another three-year-old, Hartington to wit, accounted for the long-distance race under the colors of Mr. James Smith destined later to bring off the first "double" of the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire with Roseberry and in executing some of the commission, which resulted in the netting of no mean sum, considerable adroitness was dls-jilaved. Three-year-olds had a further innings in 1805, 1S0U, 1S07, 1S0S. and 1809 with Salpinctes, Lecturer, Julius, Cecil, and Cherie, and Julius rivalled the feat of Faugh a Ballagh in 1SS4 by carrying 112 pounds to victory. Salpinctes was one of the many "coups" with which Mr. Swindell was connected, but it was only by a head that he brought home the large sum he was backed to win. and he also had a hand in the business when Cecil pulled through. The victory of Lecturer in 1S!G was associated with the "plunging era" of the Marquis of Hastings, whose career on the turf was so fraught with many remarkable and stirring episodes. At the moment the fortunes of the connections of the Danebury stable, that played so big a part in the racing history of the period, were none too rosy, and something was wanted to rehabilitate them. It was found in Lecturer, and that sturdy son of Colsterdale, which was not much more than a pony, proved quite equal to the task set him, despite the fact that he was not exactly thrown into the handicap with 101 pounds. A trial had indicated that he could hardly lose the race, and great was the rejoicing in the camp when his number went up as the winner. What a genuine staying sort he M-as and incidentally what a certainty he had been for the Cesarewitch he proved the following year when he won the Gold Cup at Ascot from such good performers as Regalia, Ilippia. Rama, Tormentor and others, and followed up by easily accounting for the Alexandra Pluto the next day, with odds on him and with a couple of those he had behind him in tlie Cup among the nine that came out in opposition. In addition he won at Northampton, at Stamford and at Stockbridge, at the latter place carrying off the Ilurstbourne Cup, over two miles and a half, :uid though he certainly only had a couple of moderate ones to beat, the verdict was twenty lengths in his favor. Cherie was trained by Mathew Dawson, whose enduring fame rests rather upon what he did in the "classics" and in racing on the higher plane thiln in handicaps, and she won under the bottom weight for R. Naylor, whose name figures largely as the owner of Macaroni and many other horses that have made names for themselves. Yet another three-year-old was to the fore in 1871 in Corisande, owned by Baron Rothschild. This was the year in which "Follow the Baron" was tire advice given publicly by the Baron himself, whose colors were then much In the ascendant, and the advice materialised in the case of Corisande. She had been a good performer earlier in the year, as victories in the Coronation at Ascot and then in the Grand Duke Michael Stakes at the first October meeting sufficiently attested, and in addition she had finished well up in the Oaks, taken by her stable-companion, Hannah, with which Baron Rothschild declared to win and she did. These credentials gave her an obvious chance, and she added to her laurels in the Cesarewitch, ridden by Maidment, who was then the usual wearer of the "blue and yellow," and who, it may lie parenthetically noted, is still in the land of the living at Newmarket. Corisande was followed by Salvanos, which belonged to Mr. Radeliff, an owner wiio did not hare any too larish a share of fortunes farors. Arenturiere, In 1874, prevented a carefully arranged coup being brought off by Sir. Swindells four-year-old gelding by Wamba Truth that had never won a race,, and was dropped into the handicap with 82 pounds. That he was well backed can be taken for granted, and he started joint first favorite with Mornington at 5 to 1, and three pounds were given away for the services of Fred Archer, who had then come into prominent notice as a capable light-weight. The good thing just came undone, the Truth gelding going under by a head and leaving victory witli the Maiiton stable and a filly that had shown consistent form, and included among her brackets the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster. In 1875 Duke of Parma was successful under the light impost of S4 pounds. As a juvenile he showed indifferent form, and on making his last appearance won a selling Stakes at the Houghton meeting, out of which he was purchased for 230 guineas, and ran the next year for Prince Soltykoff. In his new service he did not shine particularly, and after winning over the Bretby Stakes course in the spring did nothing till the Cesarewitch, among the races in which he was beaten being a little .affair over the T.Y.C. at Yarmouth when odds were bet on him, and the Great Eastern Railway Handicap at Newmarket. These performances scarcely looked like winning the Cesarewitch, arid the handicapper gave him no more than SI pounds, made up to S4 in order ti;g allow of Rossiter riding. Starting a well-backed,! favorite at 4 to 1, he won by three lengths from thirty-five opponents; among which was Adven- turiere, essaying to repeat her feat of the previous season with 120 pounds up. Ililarius, hailing from Bates stable at Middleham an establishment that la its time played from strong hands in the handicap line won in 1877. and then came a sequence of three, in 1879. 1SS0 and 1831,. with Chippendale, Robert the Devil and Foxhall. Chippendale was a good stayer, which demonstrated the fact In other races than the Cesarewitch, and Robert the Devil, as those acquainted with racing are aware, played a prominent part in the sport Of hi day. nis sensational finish with Bend Or for the Derby; in which he wiis beaten a head through the thoughtlessness of his jockey, brought great disappointment to his conneetipns, as well as to a l.irge section of the sporting public, but lit s subsequent victories in the Grand Prize of Paris and the Doncaster St. Leger when he turned the tables on his Epsom conqueror were crform:inces of no mean merit, and fairly earned him the 117 pounds he had to carry in the big handicap of the Second October week. Some doubt at one moment wis felt as to his chance of winning with what what was considered a prohibitive impost for a three-year-old, but his joint owners were induced to run him, and back him into the bargain, and a hollow win of four lengths not only justified their policy, but showed what n good horse he must have been on that day. The American-bred Foxhall, the winner in 1SS1, another good one, and he. like Robert the TO-il, accounted for the Grand Prize of Paris. HViih 110 pounds up he scored in the Ccsarewitch in even more pronounced stylo than did "Robert," a verdict of a dozen lengths from the well-backed and staying Chippendale being one of the best things ever achieved in the race. To further illustrate the form he was in at the time, he the following day won the Select Stakes, and at the Houghton meeting accounted for the Cambridgeshire with a fourteen-pound penalty that made his weight 120 pounds, though to the consummate horsemanship of John Watts he doubtless owed his lead success over Lucy Glitters, a lilly of the same age, to which he was conceding no less than thirty-live pounds. The next three-year-old to win was Don Juan in 1SS3, which, as mentioned previously, was the property of G. Lambert, whose Rocket scored in 1858. Ry John Davis, Don Juan inlterited the staying qualities of his sire, but had given no Indication of it in public, his only victory prior to the Cesarewitch being in the Third Welter Handicap over the T.Y.C. at the Newmarket July meeting. It had been proved at Michel Grove, however, and a considerable amount was secured when he beat Hackness by a length, and the latter, which started favorite, would probably have taken as much out of the ring as did Don Juan had the length been the other way. A record feat for a three-year-old in the Cesarewitch was accomplished by St. Gatien in 1SS4, when he carried 122 pounds first past the post. That he was a thoroughbred of high class he showed by winning for Col. Rrace the three races in which he competed as a two-year-old, and at the close of that year he was purchased privately by Mr. J. Hammond. "Whatever may have been the price paid, it was a most profitable deal, for on his first appearance in his second season he ran a dead-heat for the Derby with Harvester the stakes being divided, and afterwards Avon the Gold Vase at Ascot. As in that race lie beat an approved stayer like Corrie Roy by four lengths, there was little doubt about his getting the distance of the big handicap at Newmarket, and there was warrant for the burden given him by the adjuster of the weights, though it was asking him to do something uncommon for a horse of his age. He was quite equal to the occasion, however, and Mr. Hammond was in the fortunate position to have in his stable the four-year-old Florence, which a fortnight afterwards accounted for the Cambridgeshire. a "double" that has fallen to the share of few owners. Not only did St. Gatien earrv off the Cesarewitch. but afterwards won the Free Handicap and the Jockey Club Cup at the Houghton meeting, thus bearing testimony to his own excellence and to the skill of R. Sherwood, who prepared him for his engagements. The next year saw the victorv of the French-bred filly Plaisantene, which had had a distinguished career hi her own country in additioii to taking the Jubilee Prize at Baden-Baden, and could not be regarded as harshlv treated, with 100 pounds. She had many good judges on her side over here, and thev were well inspired, for she won without difficulty, and took a lot of English money to France. Not onlv so, but a penalty of fourteen pounds did not stand in her way in the Cambridgeshire under 124 pounds, and she further depicted the coffers of the ring. A more profitable trip to this country has never been made by a horse from the other side of the Channel. Only another year elapsed ere Humewood kept up the charter of the three-year-olds. Originally the property of Tom Cannon, he was parted with for 2.000 pounds to Lord Rodney before winning the Corinthian Plate at Goodwood, and as that event was the precursor of the more important event at Newmarket, the deal was a profitable one, and the more agreeable since it followed the victory of Kilwarlin in the St. Leger. "With Kilwarlin in the stable Hume-woods chance for the Cesarewitch was soon ascertained, and so favorable was it considered that his jockev Robinson was able to shoulder five pounds above the handicap weight and win easily bv a length and a half from Rendigo, which was then "aged" and carried 133 pounds not at all a bad performance over that course. Moreover, the winner was substantially befriended and brought more grist to the mill of Jewitts establishment. Horses of other ages won until 1891, when Ragimundc appeared on the scene. This was another case of staying blood coming to its own, as a son of Petronel could be expected to run well over a distance of ground, and as a juvenile he wound up a not particularly distinguished career by at a mile, upsetting the odds betted on Ladv "Wharles, a three-year-old, for the Rothschild Plate at the Manchester November Meeting. Tins form was endorsed when he ;von the Great Metropolitan at Epsom under 91 pounds as a three-year-old, and though a considerable sequence of losers intervened before he accounted for the Cesarewitch, amends were then made for several disappointments. A thrce-vear-old had to do with the finish of the race in 1S93, when Cypria and the four-year-old Red Eyes ran past the judges box locked together, and it was agreed to divide the stakes. Red Eyes was a well-backed competitor, but the chance of Cvpria was so little esteemed that 00 to 1 could be had about her at the start, and she certainly had poor prospects on her form, for she had not previously won a race and did not appear in public as a juvenile. She had, however, been placed third in the Oaks, starting at the forlorn odds of 100 to 1. P.eing bv Carlton, staying blood ran in her veins, and as a four-year-old won over a couple of miles at Hurst Park, but was at best a moderate one. St. Bris. in 1890, did a good turn for the Kingsclere Stable, but he had displayed some merit over a mile and a half at Goodwood, and found no difficulty, under 92 pounds, in covering the extra distance at Newmarket, starting at 10 to 1, and winning by four lengths. Scintillant, in 1S09, got home by a head, carrying 98 pounds, and there were good grounds for backing him after accounting for the Great Foal Stakes and following home Flying Fox for the Jockey Club Stakes at the First October meeting. In winning he followed in the footsteps of his sire, Sheen, which in 1S90 put in a fine performance in scoring under 128 pounds. Ralsarroch, in 1901, won after a victory in the Qreat Yorkshire Handicap at Doncaster and a defeat in the Don-caster Stakes, in which he was last of four runners. It may have been asking too much of him to come again after his handicap effort, but his owner, the late Mr. J. H. Houldsworth an honored patron of the turn raced on the most straightforward lines, and always liked to see his colors carried. His defeat, and the fact that he had incurred a ten-pound penalty in the Cesarewitch though his weight was even then a pound less than he carried in the Great Yorkshire, made him easy in the market, and he started at 25 to 1. Ralsarroch was a winner by : half length from Rlack Sand, which was destined to win the race the following year, and, subsequently passing into other ownerships, he won races under National Hunt rules, and ultimately found his way to Austria-Hungary. The other three-year-olds to win the race were Submit in 1909, Warlmg-ham in 1912, and Troubadour in 1914. The first-named had previously done some useful service for Mr. J. B. Joel over about a mile and a half, and got home in the big handicap, under 97 pounds, by a head after a great race with Dibs. Changing hands subsequently, he has won several races for Air Coleman, the Epsom veterinary surgeon, and the" pluck he showed in the Ccsarewitch lias on several occasions served him in good stead, though for the class of his opponents nothing much could often be said. The victory of "Warlingham in 1912 was achieved at 33 to 1. the same price as that at which Submit started, but he woii easily for Mr. Sievier, and many of the general body of backers ranged themselves on his side. Sold afterwards to Lord Lonsdale, he was well backed the following year to win again, but was not destined to take the race twice a feat which no horse has so far accomplished. Troubadour, in 1914, upset many calculations, for he was allowed to start at 00 to 1, the fact that ho had been a good third at Doncaster over two miles and a furlong being generally overlooked. From what has been written it will be gathered that three-vear-olds have played a most conspicuous and interesting part in the story of the I x Cesarewitch, and perhaps as long, or a longer, tale I might be told as to the doings of older horses from the time of its inauguration. That, how-V ever would occupy an inordinate amount of space, as it would mean going back beyond the "forties" and making a deep dip into the archives of the dim and distant past. In a contest such as that under consideration, it may be said that the race is to the swift and the battle to the strong, and hence we find that only one "aged" horse has been able to win it. To do so requires a combination of stamina and speed, and as in most instances a horse loses something of the latter quality after passing his sixth year he is minus Mii essential element in a close finish. It was not u til 1903 that the aged Grey Tick then seven years old proved I successful, and he only carried the insignificant impost of ninety-three pounds a five-pound apprentice allowance being claimed for the services of F. Hunter. He passed the post ttoee-quarters of a length in front of that good horse, Zinfandel, then a three-year-old, and conceding twenty-three pounds to the winner, but Lord Howard de Waldens representative was beaten more by the heavy going than by the handicap, and took the honors, if not the spoils, of the race. In the spring of 1903 Grey Tick had been purchased out of Nightingalls stable at Epsom to lead Spectre in her preparation at Manton, Sir then Captain W. Rass having purchased the famous mare for 25,000 pounds, and not only did he prove an efficient schoolmaster, but thrived on his work sufficiently to be fit by the time the Newmarket Second October meeting came around. Incidentally, at the Doncaster September where light lias often been thrown on the Cesarewitch the gray won the Rufford Abbey Plate over a couple of miles, and the performance was good enough to indicate that he was not out of the big handicap with his light impost. So leniently treated, the ground at Newmarket Avas on his side, and he made a useful contribution to the records of a year that was a memorable one for Alec Taylors stable. A near bid for victory was made by another "aged" horse in 1S09, when John Davis, then a year older than was Grey Tick when successful, anil carrying three pounds more, ran second to the three-year-old Cherie. He had shown during his career that ho was a rare stayer, and was third under 124 pounds four seasons earlier. Rut youth was served in the case of the filly, and the veteran had to knuckle under. The most ignominous failing in the case of an old horse was that of Old Joe, the Grand National winner of 1SS0. Though the races he was used to were so widely different iu cliaracater from the Cesarewitch, it was determined in the autumn to give him a chance of showing what he could do on the flat, when a long course had to be covered and there were no jumps to negotiate. The old gelding he had then readied seven years was allotted the featherweight of cightv-seven pounds, but even with such a ridiculous "impost he was tailed off from the start, and was a quarter of a mile away when the other horses were passing the winning post. Needless to say that was his first and last effort to shine at flat racing. To be continued.
