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AN ERA OF MAMMOTH ENGLISH STAKES. Events of Great Values Which Proved Costly Failures and Vero Abandoned. It is curious that some big races should catch on and flourish exceedingly, whereas others equally well, or better, endowed at the outset, after making an initial success, have cither dropped right out or gradually declined in value and importance. After the inauguration of the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in 1885, a number of other mammoth races were established on rival English Rice courses, but in turn all but two vanished. The survivors, in addition to the Eclipse Stakes, are the Jockey Club Stakes and Princess of Wales Stakes, but of these only the first two have been able to maintain their fitatus as "ten thousand pounders." The Prince of Wales Stakes, on the other hand, has gradually decreased in value, and is now only a race of 2,0JO sovereigns added to a sweepstakes of thirty sovereigns for starters. It is easy to understand that the multiplication of such big events was bound to lcsult in failures owing to the big sums owners had to pay for running a horse. In the Eclipse Stakes, for example, it costs 115 sovereigns for a horse left in after the last declaration of forfeit, whether a starter or not, while the minor forfeits range- from sixty sovereigns down to a "fiver." Similarly starters for the Jockey Club Stakes pay 110 sovereigns, with minor forefeits from fifty-eight soverigns down to five sovereigns. Only the most wealthy owners were in a position to patronize more than one or two of the various mammoth events, and such rival big race3 as the Lancashire Plate Manchester, the Prince of Wales Stakes Leicester, the Century Stakes Sandown Park sooner or later died out. Of these, the Lancashire Plate lasted the longest, for the Sandown "Century" Stakes, which was run in April, 1900. and was a ten-thousand pounder, left a substantial deficit to be made up 1 by the executive, and the experiment ended with 1 that race, which was won by Lord Durhams good ! gelding Osbech. Osbech, which was by Common Alibech dam also of Son o Mine, afterwards won I the Northumberland Plate in 1902, and In later years was used as a hack. The mammoth Leicester affair, the Prince of Wales Stakes, was first established in 1SS9, and . was run over the straight mile and a few yards at the- April meeting. It was for. three-year-olds, and as the owner of the winner drew 11,000 sovereigns still the record stake, with 750 sovereigns for the second and 230 for the third, it was not surprising that a field, of seventeen went to the post. Odds of 13 to 8 were laid on the Duke ; of Portlands good colt, Donovan, and iu the hands 5 of F. Barrett he won in a canter from Mr. Ab- - ingtons Pioneer and Mr. Vyners filly. Minthe, with Enthusiast fourth. A few weeks later Enthusiast, which was again steered by Tom Cannon, effected a big surprise, bowling over the odds of STi to 20 laid on Donovan by a head in the Two Thousand Guineas. The latter, however, made amends in the Derby for which Enthusiast was unplaced and St. Leger, thus showing that the Leicester form was correct. Minthe, too, testified to the merit of Donovan by carrying off the One Thousand, but in the Oaks she played second fiddle to LAbbcsse de Jouarrc. In spite of the auspicious commencement the Prince of Wales Stakes in the next year was dropped in value, the winner receiving only 7,.r00 sovereigns, while in 1S91 it was further reduced to the gross value of 5,000 sovereigns. That was the last of that race, hut later in 1891 the Leicester executive started another big race, the Leicestershire Royal Handicap of 0,000 sovereigns, which was won by Mr. Hamar Basss Rusticus, a forlorn outsider 33 to 1, which defeated eleven others, inclusive of Victorious, En-niskilleu, Amphion, Reverend, Le Nord, Killowen, Unicorn, Fitz Simon, Blavatsky, etc. Truly a good field. Amphion had 147 pounds to carry, while Rusticus, like General Rryncs horse, a five-year-old, carried only 9S pounds. In the following year the value of the Leicestershire Royal Handicap was cut down to 5,000 sovereigns, and, curiously enough, it was again won by Rusticus, this time carrying 113 pounds, and again quite an outsider at 25 to 1. from twenty-one opponents, of which that years Jubilee winner, the three-year-old Euclid, carried the top burden of 120 pounds. In the following season the race had disappeared. The Lancashire Plate, which lasted six years, was first run in 1SSS, and in that year was a seven-eighths affair, for horses of all ages, of 11,000 sovereigns added. A brilliant send-off it received, for the field of twenty-four included Ayrshire winner of the Two Thousand and Derby, Seabreeze Oaks and St. Leger, Friars Balsam, Galore, also such older notabilities as Enterprise, Phil, and Le Saney, while among the two-year-olds were Melanion, Gay Hampton, Quartus, Antilles, anil Wishing Gate. The race resolved itself into a match between Seabreeze and Ayrshire, the filly winning by three-quarters of a length and crediting her owner, Lord Calthorpe, with exactly 10,222 pounds, 10 shillings, 10 pence. This curious total was arrived at owing to a surplus of 513 sovereigns obtained by the entrance moneys being equally divided among all the starters. In 1SS9 only ten of the entry came out to oppose Donovan, and he scored easily by two lengths from his old rival, Chittabob which had beaten him at Manchester in their juvenile days for the Whitsuntide Plate, with the two-year-old Alicante third, Pioneer fourth, and Seabreeze fifth. The value of the Lancashire Plate remained about the same for the next two years, Amphion securing the spoil in 1S90 and Signorina in 1891. Chevalier Ginistrcllis famous filly had only won one little race since her triumphant juvenile days, but on this occasion the four-year-old daughter of St. Simon and Star of Portici was once more in her best form, and she scored by a half length F. AVebb up from G. P.arrctt on the two-year-old Orme which was in receipt of twenty-nine pounds, with Martagon, which had run second in the previous season to Amphion, third, in front of Alicante, Gouverneur, Peter Flower, and the rest. In 1892 the gross value of the race was curtailed to 10,000 pounds. La Fleche was made favorite at 5 to 4 against from Orvieto 2 to 1, with Sir Hugo at 100 to 12, St. Angelo at 100 to 9, and May Duke at 100 to S. The betting is worth quoting, for against three of the remaining six runners 100 to 1 was offered, while 200 to 1 was offered against the other three. The 100 to 1 chances were good horses enough, for they were El Diablo, Llanthony and Son of a Gun. The 200 to 1 chances were Empress of Germany, Mark Price and Conifer, the last-named a useful horse, belonging to General Owen Williams, which had won a mile Biennial at the previous Ascot. The outsiders were all hopelessly outclassed, however, by La Fleche, which won easily from Orvieto, but all the same two of the 100 to 1 trio, in Llanthony and El Diablo, finished third and fourth. St. Angelo would probably have been in the first three, but he fell on some new ground. It was in connection witli this incident that his owner, the Dowager Duchess of Montrose, who raced as "Mr. Manton," was said afterwards to have averred to a friend, "I assure you he St. Angelo fell into the main drain!" The last of the Lancashire Plates, that of 1S93, found La Fleche again in the field, opposed by Lady Caroline, of her own age, and the two good three-year-olds, Isinglass and Raeburn. Isinglass had shown himself considerably the superior of Raeburn in both the Two Thousand and Derby, and even though he now had to concede ten ponds to the Duke of Portlands colt, slight odds were laid on the Derby winner, with La Fleche second choice at 9 to 4 against, and Raeburn backed at 9 to 2. As most people are aware, Raeburn won a lucky race by a length from Col. McCalmonts colt, with that good mare, La Fleche, beaten a half length for "second place. That race was the least valuable of the six, being worth only a little more than 5,000 sovereigns to Raeburns owner, and in the following season it was replaced by the Prince Edward Handicap, which lias come to stay, although the war has temporarily put an end to racing iu the North. Another valuable race of the handicap variety which made but a single appearance in the "Calendar" of past races was the Golden Handicap at Gatwick. Worth 2,000 sovereigns, and run over the straight mile, it attracted a big field. It was in July, 1S93, and amongst the runners Avere Mountain Chief, Worcester then a three-year-old, Esmond, the German horse, Ueheimruth, Workington, Queen of the Spring and Cabin Boy. Mountain Chief, Worcester and Esmond were all at shorter prices than Mr. Ilanburys Cabin Boy, which started at 100 to 11, and won a good race by a length from Queen of the Spring, with the favorite, Mountain Chief, third. Cabin Boy was a veritable terror to the owners of hundred-pound platers, and he won something, like a score of races of the kind, iu addition to more valuable events, scoring in all twenty-nine successes. The Golden Handicap was the biggest race that fell to his share, being worth 1,555 sovereigns. Mcntino of Cabin Boy recalls another good plater in Sir John Thursbys The Tartar, which scored on twenty-eight occasions, but neithers record approach that of Mr. Whipps old horse, Tommy Tittlemouse, which won altogether forty-one races. London Sportsman.
