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RACING OF FAMOUS HORSES • Sterling, Rosicrucian and Other Noted English Thoroughbreds. e Stories of Wonderful Performances Under Trying Conditions and Heavy Burdens. ♦ Sterling was always the property of Miss Graham, who was as closely associated with the busi-neaa of the Yardl-v Bte*l, at Which he was bred. as either of her brothers. His first appearance was in tic cohus ofJUalhew Dawson, who trained him, but afterward lie ran in the name of Mr. I.laydon until he had been beaten in the Cambridgeshire, after which he raced for Mr. Crotton. who leased him. Although Mothwell barred the way to his success in the Two Thousand Cuiiicas. Ihe only classic race in which he took part, he proved himself a really gnat horse on occasions, and was certainly a high-class handicap performer. Handicapped on a par with Favonius. that years Derby winner, at 128 pounds, his owner required a lot of persuasion to nut him for the Cambridgeshire as a three-year-old, but finally he eoneeated, and, having luckily instructed his commissioner to put him on a "thousand." was retained ihe remarkable odds of M to 1. plus I.SW to ]li » for place to cover expenses. Mis adviser ia this inslance was .lames Smith, ami a splendid coup was only just missed, for while racing with AUbrook both succumbed by a head to Saginus. to which he was gtrittg a rear and four pounds, and on which Fordham rode perhaps the finest race of his remarkable career. I may add that he backed his mount at L.OOO to CD. but forgot who laid him the Int. and never claimed the money, though plenty of people could have refreshed his memory on the point. A GREAT PERFORMANCE. Curiously enough, and at an interval of two years, it was again the Cambridgeshire which ■bowed him in the light of a top sawyer, though beatea. lor he was third only, giving t wently-two pounds to the French three-year-old Montaris and forty-two pounds t. Walmar. also a three-year-old. Caateace rode him on that occasion, and in his interesting "Hiding BeeoUectioaa" explains his defeat thus: "It was an nalnjrtj day for me when I rode hiin at the Cambridgeshire. II tamed in torrents and was dreadfully old: I had been waetiag for other races, and we were about tliree-•Miarters of un hour at the post. Then- were thirty-seven runners, and Sterling, which had behaved btmaelf pretty well far the first tea minutes, h -came almost unmanageable afterward. His tempi r was upset, he reared, kicked and did everything he should not have done. After we ban gone a quarter of a mile 1 was second with 139 pounds on. with my reins like soft soap. I ought really to have been about alactccnth or twentieth witii ■ tea a weight, but it could not be helped. My hand* were numbed aad powerless to grasp the si.p-pery reins. " lu short. Sterling, which Waa inclined to be tempestuous y , ihe best of timi s. was utterly out of control, and ran btataelf to a standstill, but he made handsome compensation later, and terminated his career en the turf in mag iiificcut Style at Liverpool with 122 pounds on Ids back. He won tin- in by a head from Louise Victoria KM pounds i. which in turn was a similarly narrow margin iii front of King Lud 110 pounds i. Sterling, it should be added, had been stooped in his work a week b forehand, and all things considered, it was a mageifi.-eiit victory, the merit of which was enhanced by the aahet qiient successes of both his victories at Shrewsbury a few days later. 1 suppose we may take it that with all his experience Caateace waa an export judge of what constituted a really good horse, and to quote again from his reminiscent ■ -s. in reply to the question as to which was the last hor-e he ever rode, he said he was not "quite sure which, but certainly either Sterling or Thar-manby." which was high praise for both. Mertiag returned to the Yardl-v Stud, anil as fretptently bappeaa with goad race batata, made a big hit in his fiist season by racing Isonomy, anil later gal aaothet nailer iii Paradox from Casuistry i. Which only missed the Derby by a head to Meitea, after beating Craften by a similar distance for Hi- Two Thousand iuineas. while he won also the Graad Prise of Paris. Bterliag also rired Harvester, whi.-h was Marly broken down when he dcad-beated with St. Gatlea for the Derby, ami another classic winner t-i his credit was Entbnsiasl in the Tun Thousand Baiaeaa. indeed, his name is wril ten b|rge in si ml history, helped materially by his son isonomy. which got iwo triple tioaaed heroes in isinglass ami Common, and an Oaks and SI. Leget heroine in Seabreeze. ROSICRUCIAN AND HIS GREAT PERFORMANCE. .lohn Porter, who had Kitiomy in charge throughout his earner, would no doubt five Ormonde preference as the better racehorse, but I should like to kaow also ihe opinit n of Tom Cannoii. who rode tiitiu both, la earlier days Kiageciote sheltered another caaapicaoea handicap perforaser in the hand-■oase Kosit rut ian. whose Ascot Stakes viclory in 1871 -lands ..ill a w lerful performance, for we have it on the aathority ol his trainer, as recorded iii his reminiscences, thai he aclually walked past the post a winner by six lengths, carryin.g 131 pounds am! giving seven pounus to Painter atea which hail in the previous year run second to King trait lor Ihe Derby. The minimum weight in handicaps in those days waa 77 pounds, which makes it all tin- batter as compared with the preseat time, and is consequently a far superior achievement to that of Ilivoli under 1_7 pnaadt three years ago. That was a fine week in Koslcraciaaa hiatory, fat he also won the Alexandra Plate, giving aetaa pounds to a famous stayer in Musket, which afterward earned a great reputation at the stud in New-Zealand, where, among other notable winners, he sired a veritable champion in Carbine. At ihe same meeting Iforteaner won the Cold Cap, a fact which reminds me of another big. if unavailing, effort a week or two before, when, under difficulties, he was beaten in the attempt to coaccde forty-three pounds to Qleallret in the Chester Cap. It was an ext optionally good field, ami included among others "itosi" himself. Which Was receiving five pounds ft- m the Frenchman, mention of whose name reminds me of the mighty iladiateur. which carried all before him as a three-year-old. including the Two Thousand Cuineas, Derby, Crand Prize of Paris and s:. Laser, aatil it nam to the Cambridgeshire, tor which he started favorite under 128 pnaadt. inclusive of twelve pounds extra, ami only just failed, though unplaced to Gardreisare sti peaads ami Nit 77 BOaads. SEVERAL OTHER NOTABLE HOUSES. Vt ] asfattl was a famous miler and put up a grand show „t 0 aad wood in 1Mb a bea, having nrerionaly scored in the Duke of Richmond Plate. 1 a:: let it! paintls ami temped away from n hand of good horses in the Chesterfield Cup. Asteroids winning record nndt . l.n poaada has never been hi at. n for the Cheater Cup. bal even so ditl i. ; make a greater impression than did the per- formaace of Knight of the C-nter. which gate three poaads and a font lengths beating to st. blunge, which was coasidered to have been taw of the best i hi ee ea r -olds ever tried by .lames Merry. But the Kalght was a aaillag goad horse aad unbeaten in that seaeoa, his successes laelad- ;i- Ihe Urer| 1 Bering Cap under 121 paaada and Ureal Warwickshire Handicap under UM i ads c i lea noanda extra, laaeph faaaoa. who ams fai many years Captain afaebella light-hand man ;it Bedford Cottage, consider* thai a apteadM aprbtt lag performance was schiered when Trappbd won the rVekingham stakes ;ii Aaeat, tarrying 181 pounds .mo ".ism- thirty-three pounds to Warrior. ami thai opinion is justified bj tie- Tut thai the bitter afterward won tie- same ratt- easily under 130 pounds.. curious incident in eaaanKthM with Trapplet, Which was by Hermit Death, is that after captain Ifacheil had dtecarered h;s rating merit he s,.t to ararh bo fiad his dam, but in spite of all bit endeavor* failed, aad, as i.u- as i know. ■ he was lit Vt ! beard •[ afterword. We hue seen inan. remark, lhle rating feais at Ascot, bill none more so, peril. Ipa, than when the curiously- tempered Pater won the Loyal Hunt Cup after literally stopping to kick before going halfway. He was live jears old. wilh l.l pernios on his ha.-k. ..iri 1icd Art her would in ihe cirenmataaeaa have been Jaaiflad in pulling him rp. but he was favorite, and. urged by the crowd to "Co on ." be got the son of Hermit going again and the horse mast have flaw a to have got up ami beaten sword Dance ninety-three peemds ami Petreaal 110 paaada, the winner of the Two Thousand Ualaeaa of the previous year, besides which there «:■• Mick well -km ovn horses in the field as Valour. Out of Bounds. Kn-ihloune. Wandering Nun, Rajajhl of BargJey and Wokingham. Not in my memory has such an electrifying exhibition been seen on any ra.-e rmtrtr Itanjng Baavtoaaaaj,
