ENGLISH NOTES

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 439, 22 January 1890, Page 3

ENGLISH NOTES

(From Our Own Correspondent.) London, November 29. AN OLD-WORLD TRAINER. The death of James Dover removes another of the rapidly-vanishing school of old-fashioned trainers. His name was scarcely known to the modern turfite of the Benzon genus , but elderly men will readily recall the time when it was as familiar to their ears as that of Mat Dawson and John Porter is to our own. Those were the days (can it really be 23 years ago ?) when the peerless Lord Lyon and the flying Achievement carried all before them. Mr Sutton’s colt, like Ormonde, secured the triple crowD, bub his victories in the Derby and Leger were in each case landed by a short head only. Tom French, who rode the second (Lord Ailesbury’s Savernake) at Epsom, was taken off in the Leger and Chaloner put-up, but the result proved exactly the same. Achievement, who was a whole sister to Lord Lyon (both being by Stock well—Paradigm), won eleven races in 1866, and the One Thousand and Leger of 1867. Subsequently Dover secured bis coups (handicaps mostly) for Lord Rosebery with Controversy, The Snail, Couronne de Fer (second for George Frederick’s Derby), and Aldrich. The lastnamed was the hero of Lord Ellesmere’s historic dream. The night before the City and Suburban of 1873 this peer dreamt that a horse called The Curate won. Next morning, en route to Epsom, he mentioned the fact, lamenting incidentally there was no such animal in the race. “Oh, yes,” said Lord Roseberry, “ there is. My horse Aldrich ussd to be called The Curate, bub I shouldn’t back it, as Dover says it hasn’t a 100 to 1 chance.” Lord Ellesmere, however; was not bo be stalled off, and backed Aldrich at 40 to 1 for a considerable sum. How the favourite fell at Tottenham Corner, bringing down half-a-dozen others and leaving the road open for the despised outsider, which won comfortably, you of course know.

THE LAST OF THE FLAT RACES. The liking of certain horses for certain courses was demonstrated once again on Saturday, when Mr Yyner’s Fallow Chab (4yrs, 73b 51b), which ran second for the November Handicap twelve months ago, improved on that position by winning outright. Fallow Chat has constantly failed in two mile races, bub can stay a mile and three quarters comfortably. On this occasion the mare had the race at her mercy from the distance and won comfortably by a length and a half. Mr Blake’s Conversation (6yrs, 6sb 101 b) second, and Mr Fenwick’s Phil (syrs, 7st 41b) third. The field numbered 28, and was the largest of the season, quite 14 of the runners being heavily supported by their respective owners. The Australian Ringmaster (aged, Ssfc) had a very large following; in fact, two days before the race Mr Eden Savile’s continued outlays made the horse absolute favourite. Its looks were not, however, much liked in the paddock, and the Antipodean’s price retrograded finally from 10 to 1 to 100 to 7. Lady Rosebery, Amphion and Vasistas were all the rage at the finish, 10 to 1 being offered on the field and taken about any one of them. Mercy (3yrs, 6st 131 b) was good business at 13 to 1, and Ashplanb and Fallow Chab had plenty of friends at 100 to 6. The latter would have been warmly supported but for stable prejudices, which favoured Redsand, also a previous winner at Manchester. The pair had nob been tried, but Johnny Osborne fancied Mr Gladstone’s youngster better than Fallow Chat at the weights. As a matter of fact, Redsand failed to stay, and so did Amphion and Ashplanb. The much-fancied Lady Rosebery was beaten a mile from home, to the intense delight of the ring, and for some time it looked as if a turn-up were in store with Conservator. Directly, however, Luke brought Fallow Chat to the front, the race was seen to be at her mercy, and the judge’s verdict of a length and a half might easily have been doubled.

Sam Loates, who won the Trial Stakes at Lincoln on Snaplock, carried off the Final Plate at Manchester on Parsimonious, thus both opening and closing the season of 1889.

The most promising of the young sires whose progeny debuted this season, is Galliard, who will do nicely to take the place of Galopin when the aged son of Vedette goes the way of all flesh. Little Tommy Loates, who last year had only 58 winning mounts, heads the list easily this season with 167, George Barrett, who at one time looked like holding the coveted position, coming next with 127 victories. Fred Barrett, facile jrrinceps in 1888, has now to put up with third place, but his 80 successful rides includo most of Donovan’s, Ayrshire’s . and Semolina’s triumphs. Of the heavy weights Watts naturally pans out best, though his total of 77 victories is smaller than it has been since 1884. .S. Loates seemed at one time to have the ball at his foot, for he can ride well if he chooses, but flatterers’ sycophancy and the hundred and one temptations which assail a fashionable jockey have proved too> much for the mannikin, and out of 348 rides he this year scored but 58 wins. I sincerely hope small Tommy may not meet a simila? fate,