THE OMNIBUS.

“There he sat, and, as I thought, expounding the law and the prophets, until on drawing a little nearer, I found he was only expatiating on the merits of a brown horse."-BRACEBRIDGE HALL.

Racing of the Month-York Races-Sir Tatton Sykes's Sale-Sledmere-Northallerton Horse Show-The late Mr. Drinkald-The late Marquis of Queensberry -Hunting Mems-Mr. Rarey-Capt. Spencer's Greyhounds.

We always feel quite disinclined to go near a race-course in August, and the racing has been rather dull than otherwise, owing to the utter absence of St. Leger interest. At Ripon, Julia, after her frequent seconds, hoisted the Teddington flag twice over; and Mr. Hunt's Flying Dutchman filly, and Shafto by Colsterdale, did the same. No little Yorkshire meeting looks healthier than this. The Cossack blood did well at the Potteries with Archduchess; and the crockery lads had their annual cheer for "The Alderman," when Thornhill won. Still five times out of six did the narrow blue stripes come to grief before their eyes. There was little to note at Brighton, except that Saunterer retained his Goodwood good temper, and that Fallow Buck had it all his own way with two-year-old winners, Electric, and the Subterfuge and Colleen Bawn colts. Surely his day as a fashionable stallion must come; and now that the Barnton lease is up at the royal paddocks, they might give him a chance. At Lewes, Daniel o' Rourke scored his first regular victory with Hibernian, and J. Goater made a very fine win with Queenstown, for the Handicap. There is no lad on the Turf more deserving of support, and we always delight to see him throw in. Flitch was quite close to Gracchus in the Two-year-old Stake, and the colt could not play with her as Electric had done at Brighton, when she reached his shoulder. The consequence was, that Gracchus's Derby supporters grew dreadfully frightened, but, we think, without a cause. He is a fine big horse, no great beginner, and will be served over a distance of ground. At present he is by no means furnished. He was sold by Mr. Tilburn, at Doncaster, last year, for 100 guineas, and is half-brother to Villikins, who was purchased by Lord Londesborough from the same owner for some 300 guineas. The latter colt had a great private reputation, but he never did anything, and we are not sure that he ever ran. The mare is very unlucky, as she has missed, three seasons running, to West Australian, then to Stockwell, and now to Stockwell again. Gracchus's colour was originally bay, but he has grown into a brown, in the most extraordinary manner. One of the finest yearlings for sale at Doncaster this year is a chesnut colt by Rataplan, the very image of the horse, and bred by Mr. George Hatfield, the Mayor of the town. At Wolverhampton, Lady Kingston was never caught in the straight half-mile, and Spratton, as at Nottingham, was left at the post. The mare is very small, and absolutely perfect in every point; but her pipes will, we fear, never carry her more than five furlongs with perfect comfort. Two days after, she was

at Reading, beating Ardour, Pandora, Gracchus, Rosabel, and Zitella, in, perhaps, the best two-year-old field of winners that has been out this year; but there it was only half-a-mile again, and Gracchus was out of it, beaten for speed. The mare has the most wonderful Nelly Hill power of jumping off at once, but in another 100 yards Ardour would have reached her. Zitella beat Rosabel this time of asking. They began to talk of Knight of Kars as a Leger starter, after he won the Whitley Stakes Handicap, and no very complimentary allusions were made to Mr. Rarey, when Miss Finch was seen hard at her old tricks again at the post. The crowd was something enormous, though, perhaps, hardly so great as last year. Some set the numbers at 40,000, and as for the gigs and carriages by the side of the cords, they were "legion" too. The London mind does not seem contented, as of yore, with ending its racing circuit at Hampton Court, and Reading is now fairly added to its list.

York, which was quite resplendent with new light iron rails, opened its ball with the victory of the Wentworth "Waterloo Blue," which was borne by Cheery Chap. Julia disappointed us in the Biennial, as we thought she had form enough to beat Gildermire over that distance of ground. Hepatica was not herself in the Oaks, and moreover she requires a distance. Ashmall weighed for Go-a-head, but he was 3 lbs. overweight. On the rule that every one must be supposed to mean what he writes, we do not see how Gildermire's allowance claim could be disallowed. How strange it is that the York conditions are so fertile of wrangles! Argosy is rather short and little, and not a very taking mare, and nothing but Sam Rogers's riding brought her through on the post. We are right glad to see this great jockey coming into more practice all over the country. Even 8st. 7lbs. is a tight fit for him now; and he may well say in his wasting troubles, that none of these jockey lads who sweep all the mounts "know what work is." In these degenerate days of horsemanship, owners are bad judges to let him stand down. Scott's stable expected, when they came, that it would not be a difficult job to carry their winnings back; but still they did hope to win the Yorkshire Oaks. The Voltigeur blood was victorious in the Convivial with Cavendish, a remarkably good-looking colt, but still backward, and more likely for three-year-old work. Voltigeur has done well, and got a wonderfully stout stamp of horse, but it is early in the day to raise him to 40 guineas. Stockwell and West Australian cannot hold at that price, and the latter at least will have to come down to half next year. The running of King of Arms was some pounds below his form; and we thought very little of the Ellerdale and West Australian nick. Fisherman had a complete revenge for Stockbridge over Ignoramus in the Queen's Plate; and such is the heavy lumbering look of the latter, that the Yorkshiremen would have it that he had as many stones of flesh as Fisherman had ounces.

York was not itself this meeting, though things grew better on the second day. At half-past ten the people began to pour in, and two inunicipal guys in cocked hats, snuff-coloured suits, staves, top-boots, and black gloves, walked their solemn way down to the stand, as supporters of the door. We never heard the Leger less spoken about; and the Great Yorkshire was also a dead letter. The race-goers seem to have quite forgotten the "Red, White, and Blue;" but they have got another song of a more domestic nature. Every one seems to hum it. As

the jockey boys rode down that stretch to the Two-mile post, we heard three of them in chorus at a “stable-mind" parody of it:

"She's gentle and she's kind,

And she carries her tail behind," &c., &c.

Chanticleer, Flying Dutchman, and Slane was the order of the finish in the Rawcliffe Produce Stakes. Rainbow bore up for the honour of the greys most gallantly, but with a feeble field behind him. He is not a pleasant horse to the eye, rather too high in his withers to give him an even look, and we confess we feel puzzled about his future. Phryne, who was barren this spring, has, we believe, been put to Chanticleer; and her son Hobbie Noble is expected at Cawston next week, after his six weeks' sojourn (owing to his accident) at Chester. The Dutchman will, it is said, leave Rawcliffe next season, and with our favourite Newminster, to take the lead; they will not miss him. Poor old Slane, who was quite an object at last, had been shot the very evening before the races. Venison and Bay Middleton, who ran with him in that celebrated '36 Derby, have all gone down before him; but we are not sure as to whether Gladiator is alive. When will such a quartet of sires run in the first Surrey four again? We don't know when we have enjoyed the Ebor Handicap more. There was Fisherman with " Sam" up, and looking really quite jolly now. Why they kept him so low in flesh till the Ascot, and then popped it on as if by magic, will always be a horseflesh enigma to us. Underhand looked perfectly lovely, and he is the prettiest horse that we know of at this moment. Still we do not like him just behind the saddle, and it rather puzzles us how he has ever got two miles in the style he has. Fobert never brought him out in finer form, but he looked anxious and doubtful as to what Mr. Johnson would say; and well he might, when he saw Védette. This horse is all over a Cup horse, pounds better to the eye than he was last year, and filled right out into muscle. As the Voltigeurs get up in years they seem quite to lose that disparity between the forehand and the quarters, which always spoiled their sire. Borderer might be anything to look at, and would never be picked out in a crowd, and El Hakim is one of those sturdy little fellows, with a slightly rainbow neck, who would enlarge out, if nature would take such an eccentric freak, into a coaching stallion. In fact, we might fancy that he had a good deal of the Cleveland in him To see his useful form by the side of his half-brother Underhand's, was quite a physical curiosity; but The Cure does get them of every style, and is as useful a horse as we have. Gemma di Vergy was big, and if he did not slope from his withers to his quarters, would be rather handsome. His legs were bandaged, and his break-down was very severe, though not so bad as Schiedam's. It was quite odd to see him and Fisherman return to weigh in, the one hardly able to crawl, and the latter very leg weary, and walking with his front legs at intervals nearly a yard apart. Minnie is a pretty little thing; and really Bird-in-Hand, as he was led back with his hunting saddle on, is as varmint a looking gentleman for a flying country as we ever saw on a race course. dette went like a Cup horse; and when it was over it was buzzed about that Mr. Starkey was anxious to run Lord Zetland for a £1,000 aside, two miles, weight for age, but that his lordship would not have it, as he is not fond of matching. We must confess, that after what we saw, we should, with health, stand on the spots. Fisherman was ridden to the

Vé

end, as his owner had backed him for a place; but Védette won with loads to spare. In the Doncaster Cup they will have to meet on much more favourable terms for Fisherman, so Mr. Starkey need not wait long in doubt. Early in the morning there was a story that Védette had broken down; but there was no such good luck for Mr. Jackson: he went sweeping along with his head low, as is his wont, was well steadied after the first quarter-of-a-mile, and then came up, and won like a racehorse, as he is. Johnny Osborne rode him back to scale with the most imperturbable visage, amid such shouts as have seldom woke the echoes on Knavesmire. Poor Job's eyes used to twinkle on these occasions, but the Yorkshiremen never get a look or smile out of Johnny.

The Biennial Stakes were an average looking lot, Etoile du Nord as taking as any of them. Indifference was very racing-like and pretty, especially in the forehand. Phantom was quite short of work; but we like his stamp better than The Dutchman's generally, while there is less of Volatile than we expected to see. West Stanley is very like West Australian, more so than any of his get we have seen; his ears are very Melbournish, and we fancy that his hocks are a trifle suspicious. Tom King is very common, and so is the Miss Agnes filly. Among the other animals that day we noticed the Terrona filly, a big slashing animal, of Stockwell's get, who has improved since Wolverhampton. Volcano is a very racing-like colt, and as good as anything which ran at York. He appeared to be very fit, and nothing could be more clever than his win. Malachite is quite a different creature since Pontefract, and is likely to improve every month to the end of the season. Gamester is a very fair colt, and did Cossack and Ewart every credit; not big, but with plenty of racing points about him, which only require " The Malton Wizard's" finishing touches.

Friday made a good wind up. Volta, a very heavy priced Doncaster yearling got the Consolation Handicap. Then came the dead heat between Rainbow and Cavendish, in which, owing to the badly digested programme, the grey had no penalty. Rogers's finish on Cavendish was a thing to be remembered. Still the grey would have won the first time, if he had not made a stumble in the last 20 yards. The Great Yorkshire pretty well proved that Gildermire is a regular cur, who had her length at the Oaks, and here Scott's ill luck began again. Hepatica was not in form enough to start, and her three companions could do nothing with Tunstall Maid; and then Mutineer, on whom the Malton barber and others have been building for the Derby, went down before Lord of the Manor. Argosy gave the light-bodied Julia another second place to ruminate over, and must make the whole Potteries lament that she is not in the Leger. From all we can hear, perhaps a dozen to fourteen may go for that race; and the Dawson party were busy with their dark hints, that Blackthorn was better than Hadji; but no one heeded them. Telegram, Longrange, East Langton, Toxophilite, Volta, Knight of Kars or Gourd, Governess, Gildermire, Fitzroland, Eclipse or Clydesdale, Sunbeam, Kelpie, Mentmore, Incledon, Physician, The Hadji, and Compromise are the starters at present spoken of. Toxophilite we have always looked on as a doubtful subject (though we think he must get into the first three, if he stands training at all), and Kelpie and The Hadji are the ones we should be most afraid to be against; but really they are all bad, and we wonder that every one who has a thing with the

remotest pretensions to get the distance, does off chance, and let us have a Memnon field. The West back to scales, the Leger has been "surprises."

not bring it out on the Since poor Frank rode nothing but a series of

The sales near the Theatre were not lively; York is a bad place for it; but a mare of Mr. Digby Legard's was bid up to 245 guineas, and bought in. Then Mr. Fobert went in at 130 gs. for a chesnut, and Sir Tatton's sale began. The Baronet stood on Mr. Tattersall's left, and Messrs. Gully, Saxon, Weatherby, and a few others were round the ring, but we do not think that there were biddings for more than eight of them, and the hammer-tap of Mr. Tattersall's had no ring in it. Still the 122 guineas average was not bad for such young stallions. The crack price colt, by Daniel O'Rourke, is a grandson of Grey Momus's dam, and old John Day can never be weaned of his love for that blood, though Grey Milton might have given him a sickener. We cannot say that we were much struck with the colt, and take him for all purposes, we would as soon have bought the colt by Daniel O'Rourke out of Jack Frost's dam, as anything. As it was, 90 guineas was the last bid, and a rather darker and lengthier chestnut, half-brother to him, out of a Hampton mare, went for 110 gs. It is a moot point which is the best of these two, and Sir Tatton holds with the latter. Half-brother to Gorsehill was a nice colt, and it is generally allowed that Gorsehill himself is as neat a shortlegged specimen of hunter as ever appeared on a Yorkshire

race-course.

It was pleasanter to see them at their Sledmere home, as they came out one by one into the yard, and the beautiful white Stumps mare completed the review. Sir Tatton had five other yearlings, which were drafted as rather too small to go to York, but one of them especially pleased us. Rifleman has grown and widened amazingly, and is a very different object to what he was when he came there. In fact, but for his head, we hardly knew him again, as he is so rounded, though still plainish behind. Daniel O'Rourke is a perfect picture, lengthy, and with legs like iron, and as sociable as a puppy. We forget his exact height, but we believe it is fifteen one and a-half, and that he has made nearly an inch at Sledmere. For substance, his back is one of the most wonderful things we ever felt, and cloven like a ram's. Nearly all his stock are dark chesnuts and bays, with wonderful legs, and the sweetest and cleanest heads and necks we ever saw on yearlings, taking them as a lot. In fact, if they do not race they ought always to fetch a high price in the hunter market, with such legs and character to recommend them. We saw five of his two-year-olds, which were not sold at York last year. One of them, which has a Derby forfeit on his head, promises to be every thing a small hunter should be, and we went twice to have another look at him. Then there is his half brother, whom Mr. Rarey operated upon, and Sir Tatton rather thinks of keeping entire, but he is of a different stamp, more of the foreigner about the head; and quite the magnified pony now. Two hands less, and he would make a sort of Arab Highland Laddie. There is also a third, whom huntingmen look at a great deal, as he promises to have greater size, but he was not so much to our taste as the first. There were sixty-two foals in the park, upwards of half of them by Rifleman, and wonderfully promising they were, generally bay, and inheriting his neat white blaze.