That was the difficult problem to be solved. Drumcree, the winner in 1903, would probably get the course, but he had been on the shelf for two years, and his appearance at Kempton Park did not suggest sufficient go to win again, even with the best of them on the floor. The sequel spelt catastrophe for John M.P. He did not fall, but what he did do amounted to the same thing, so far as his chance of winning was concerned. He travelled exceedingly well for over a mile, and when he went some lengths clear between Becher’s and Valentine’s brooks, it seemed as though his natural speed was carrying him to the front without an effort. At the jump before Valentine’s, the course takes a curve to the left. Just here enormous numbers of spectators are always assembled, and much enthusiasm is displayed, the appearance of John M.P. leading clear being naturally productive of an extra amount. It is reasonably thought that the cheering distracted the horse’s attention. He was certainly not minding his business, and before he was aware of it he was at the fence, under the guard rail of which he slipped, going into the ditch. For the rest, Aunt May, getting the course for once in a way, showed momentarily in front a mile from home, and Ascetic’s Silver, Oatlands, Gladiator, Timothy Titus, Red Lad, and Pierre were all in the hunt. One by one they fell out till only Ascetic’s Silver, Red Lad, and Aunt May were left. Ascetic’s Silver was the only one to jump the remaining fences cleanly, and he did so in a way that was worthy of his jumping blood. He raced away from the other two, who bungled the last fence and gained a most meritorious victory. Whilst one cannot win without the horse, much of the merit must be given to Mr. Aubrey Hastings, trainer and rider of the winner. The time has gone by when the gentleman trainer was an object of commiseration with the profession, for he is now quite a power in the Turf world, and the circumstance is a remarkable one. Too much credit cannot be given to Mr. Hastings in thus consummating a long period of patience, not unaccompanied by some personal inconvenience.
To continue the story of John M.P., the circumstances of his mishap were such that he was started on the following day for the Champion Steeplechase, again being a good favourite. His jumping soon became a subject of remark, for he screwed badly at three fences. The distance is three miles, and more than half a mile from home John M.P. was a beaten horse. He jumped the remainder of the fences, but he passed the post very tired.
The thing was inexplicable, and, in one respect, though certainly not in another, it was a relief to learn later on that John M.P. had strained himself badly on the first day on the occasion of his mishap, and that, on the whole, it was a wonderful thing that he got the course in any shape or form.
The Champion Steeplechase had a painful sequel. Apollino had won the race last year, and by reason of penalties for winning four races over £100 each, should have carried 12 st. 4 lb. The fact was as clear as noonday to any one perusing the conditions, and the correct weight duly appeared on the card. The jockey was weighed out in accordance with this, but eventually started carrying only 12 st. After a meritorious display Appolino repeated his last year’s victory, and, apparently, another 7 lb. would have made no difference. Alas, on returning to scale an objection was lodged on the score of wrong weight, and the stewards had no alternative to disqualification. Plenty of people in the ring, be it remarked, had worked out the matter for themselves and shouted their readiness to back the second, who was Royal Bow II., as soon as he had passed the post.
With Northampton already forgotten, it was a pleasure to take one’s way to Newbury, which reigns in its stead, and appears likely to do so for some time, if appearances go for anything. By means of a chart the Great Western Railway show how very simple it is to reach the course from anywhere else in England. Going from London, last year’s experiences were repeated, trains doing the 53 miles from Paddington under the hour. The meeting was lucky in having lovely weather, and the drying winds had made the going quite firm, dust even flying on the course. Fields were large, one totalling thirty, and there seemed to be plenty of people. Large attendances will be necessary if the system of good stakes is to be persevered in, for simple arithmetic showed that these were far from paying their way. This is a little difficulty from which no racecourse, however popular, can be exempt, and the question of finance will crop up at Newbury, as elsewhere. What strikes one at Newbury is the absence of much of the stress and worry that attend most meetings. In the members’ enclosure are seen many faces that are not familiar on the metropolitan courses, and the feeling of being locally supported is prominent. The lovely surroundings and ample space give the place a freedom that is very welcome. Mr. John Porter, in his position of Managing Director, is always on the spot, rendered quite young again with new duties. He had introduced a novelty from Australian racecourses in the shape of a stewards’ observation stand, a skeleton structure of considerable elevation designed to enable stewards to see for themselves what has transpired during a course of bumping or crossing. The stand was placed forty yards or so above the winning post, and it is thought that it would be more serviceable at about the distance. Whether stewards would care to walk this distance for each race may be doubtful. Stipendiary stewards would, of course, do so as a mere matter of routine duty. We can imagine the berth being an exceedingly cold one during spring and autumn racing.
On the first day we had the Newbury Spring Cup of £1,250, distance a mile. The Thrush looked splendid, and Ob’s Lincoln penalty giving him the same weight of 9 st., he was practically out of it with Thrush, who had won over this very course at the opening meeting in splendid style. Roseate Dawn and Velocity were running; Roseate Dawn doing well, though not well enough to beat Succory, who won rather easily. On the second day the Kingsclere Stakes of £1,000, distance a mile and a quarter, saw Colonia making her essay as a three-year-old. She ran badly, but not more so than many anticipated, from her appearance in the paddock, although she was lively enough in the canter, and was beaten when a mile had been covered. The race was won in sensational fashion, Madden on the Gressoney colt, having made the best of his way home to such purpose as to appear to have the race at his mercy. Bridge of Canny, Maher up, came on the scene at the distance, however, and gained rapidly. Still, his getting up did not seem feasible, but a terrific finish, which took us back to the old times when electric rushes on the post were the rule rather than the exception, gave Bridge of Canny the race by a head. This success gave Maher his five hundredth winning mount in England.
FRENCH RACING.
The French racing season always begins on March 15th and closes on November 15th, the four intervening months being occupied with cross-country sport, which is often of the highest interest, as there are so many valuable prizes to be won that it answers the purpose of owners to pay very high prices for horses that have figured to advantage on the flat. Thus, there is a steeplechase of £5,000 representing genuine added money, while, in addition to this one, there is another (the Grand Prix de Nice) of £4,000, and there are several others that range in value from £2,000 to £1,500 each. No wonder, therefore, that cross-country sport in France is very prosperous, and that the class of horse running is much better than it is in England; but, none the less, genuine sportsmen hail the advent of the flat-racing season, which has begun auspiciously enough, so far as actual sport is concerned, though a shadow has been cast across its track by the additional misfortunes which have befallen M. Edmond Blanc. It will be remembered that his formidable stable was visited last year by an epidemic which struck down all his best three-year-olds (Val d’Or, Jardy, Adam, and Genial), and deprived them of their best races, notably of the Derby, which Jardy or Val d’Or could either have won, and of the Grand Prix de Paris, which Val d’Or had “in his pocket.” It is true that Val d’Or recovered his form after the Grand Prix, and beat Cicero, at a difference of 3 lb., in the Eclipse Stakes, but he went amiss again after that, and nothing more was seen of him or of Jardy, the latter of whom nearly died after running when unfit in the Derby. But it was hoped that the mischief had been stamped out of the stable, so that we should see Val d’Or, Adam, Jardy, and Genial coming out as four-year-olds in their best form, and that two of them would be sent over to England to compete for the £10,000 prizes in which they were engaged. But this hope has to be abandoned, at all events so far as Val d’Or and Adam are concerned, for they have both gone amiss, or rather have met with an accident which has made it necessary to remove them from all their engagements. The mishap to Val d’Or is all the more provoking, because it is understood that he was doing remarkably well, and it is, comparatively speaking, a slight compensation to M. Blanc that he should have since sold Val d’Or to an Argentine-Republic breeder for over £20,000, as he would have fetched that and more after his racing career was over. The case of Adam is not less vexing, for this brother to Ajax was always regarded in the stable as being better than either Val d’Or or Jardy, and he, too, had done well since last season, until he met with the accident which has brought his racing career to an abrupt conclusion. Adam has not up to the present found a purchaser, and he has gone to M. Blanc’s famous stud, where he will rejoin his brother Ajax and his sire, Flying Fox.
Whether M. Blanc will do as well this season with his three-year-olds as he did last year and the two preceding ones remains to be seen, but the odds are that he will not, and if he gains a victory in one or other of the French classic races it will probably be with one or other of his two fillies, Blue Fly and Belle Fleur, while the former may possibly come over to England and run for the Oaks at Epsom, though she would have powerful opponents to quash in Flair and Waterflower, both of whom would have the advantage of being on their own ground. It is a great handicap for a horse to have to make the journey across the Channel, as we have so often seen, but there will be no representative of the French stables in the Derby this year. Whether Jardy will come over later for the Gold Cup at Ascot, or the Princess of Wales’ and the Eclipse Stakes, will depend, of course, upon the progress he makes between now and then, but there is another good race in which Jardy can run at home, there being the Prix de President de la Republique of £4,000, with no penalties or allowances, which is run for at Maisons-Laffitte, and in which such English celebrities as Pretty Polly and St. Amant are engaged. It will be remembered that Pretty Polly’s sole defeat was sustained in France, when she was beaten by a French colt that ought never to have finished in front of her, and it will be interesting to see how he fares when he meets her again in July, always provided that the encounter does not take place a month before at Ascot.