ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY A. COOPER, b.a. SETS afternoon. 2S Fifteenth Sund. after Trinity.s 5 33 8 22 1 S Pheasant Shooting begins. 3M Lewes Fair. 4 T. Richmond Races. 5 W Bedford Races. 6 T Woburn Fair. 5 4 43 5 2 Morning. r 10 M Newmarket Second Oct. Meeting. s 12 W North Union Coursing Meeting. 15 S Brentwood Fair. 6 16 3 1713 0 28 0 46 4 28 14 1 3 1 19 r 6 23 5 15 17 s 5 6 5 4018 3 7 3 23 r 6 27 6 15 19 3 39 3 56 16 Seventeenth Sund. af. Trinity.'s 527 Eighteenth Sund. af. Trinity.r 6 40 24 M Newmarket Houghton Meeting. 25 T Cambridgeshire Stakes Day. Morning. 1 492610 4311 20 3 1427 11 49 No tide 4 4128 0 14 0 37 SETS. 29 0 59 1 21 afternoon. s 4 46 r 6 44 26 W Ardee Steeple Chases. s 4 42 27 T Baldock Coursing Meeting. 28 F Wigan Fair. 29 S Hare Hunting begins. r 6 51 6 10 4 3 41 4 0 303 Nineteenth Sund. af. Trinity.s 4 34 7 7 5 4 19 4 38 31 M Carrickmacross Steeple Chases. r 6 55 8 15 6 4 59 5 20 .......... 10 Kelso ...................................... 18 Newmarket Houghton...... 24 COURSING MEETINGS IN OCTOBER, Audlem (Open).............. 41 Ardrossan Club Bendrigg (Open) ..........4, 5 Combermere 11 Scorton (Open)..........11, 12 Burton-on-Trent (Open)..11, 12 Tredegar, Monmouth....11, 12 Caledonian (St. Leger).. 11, &c. North Union (Massarene) .. 12 THE OMNIBUS. "There he sat, and, as I thought, expounding the law and the prophets, til on drawing a little nearer, I found he was only expatiating on the merits of a brown horse."-BRACEBRIDGE HALL. THE DONCASTER MEETING. There is no gainsaying the fact, that Doncaster had a deadly-lively sort of meeting, on the whole. The racing was good enough, as, out of the thirty contests, there were two "necks, four "heads," two "short heads," and one "dead heat ;" but still, it lacked interest. The Wizard did not lend his aid to the Champagne on the first day; Promised Land's premiership fairly cut the heart out of the St. Leger betting; Mayonaise did not meet North Lincoln on the Thursday; and Gamester and Promised Land and Wild Rose all shirked the Cup. Hence, there was little to link the days together; and there was no money going. This "tightness" was so prevalent, that some regular frequenters positively kept their annual Betting Rooms guinea in their pockets. The Corporation made nearly £3,200, which is about £800 below the great Blink Bonny year; and the Race Fund, with its £430 from selling stakes, knew no decay. We got into Yorkshire the week before (making our first stop to see Captain Gunter's renowned strawberry-roan heifer Duchess 77th, who has made such a noise in the shorthorn world); but it was impossible to credit that the St. Leger was at hand. There was none of that gentle simmer of excitement which stimulates the orators of the Yorkshire horse-world, over the mahogany, in the public-house ingle, or on the corn-bin. All hopes of Malton had died away; and every one seemed to have made up his mind that "The Land" would win in a trot. In fact, only one question seemed to agitate them still; and that was, whether "Bill Day was wasting to ride him? And so, in somewhat a dull mood, we drew near Doncaster at last. There was a band in the train; but it was good to tell that they were not Pritchard's. However, they ground away manfully; and at every station, three or four women seemed to dash out by instinct, and waltz vigorously, beneath the light of the moon, on the platform. The bells of the new parish-church were in their merriest mood, as we turned out of bed next morning, and found that there had been some heavy rain. There seemed to be not a few announcements of beds to let, in the principal streets; but the town has increased so enormously since the reign of the Great Northern began, that the principal streets are no longer a gauge of the attendance at a meeting. Priory-Place astonished us most, by coming out quite in a rash with anti-race placards and The latter were deftly fastened under a window; and there they fluttered in the breeze, while a woman and a child sat constantly behind them, to watch the effect. At first we quite thought that it must be a great sanitary movement, to cleanse the locality from the tracts. pollution of the memory of its old lodger, Palmer; but we finally made up our minds that it was a masterly strategical effort to convert the editors of the Life and Sunday Times, who had pitched their tents in the heart of it, for the week. These strange Pharisees also mustered in strong force on the road to the race-course. The Corporation have declined to allow their limes to be double-barked with texts, because the effect is very bad both in an optical and a filthy-parody point of view; and hence the opposition mustered under one, as the people went down to the race-course, sang verses of hymns, and then knelt on their pocket-handkerchiefs. We also heard that the race-goers had been nearly preached to death, the Sunday before, by a wild curate, who strongly recommended excommunication. His old landlady, hearing of this, regularly tackled him, as we are told, on the point, and asked him why, holding such views as he did, he had consented to go out of his rooms, one race-year, to let a racing man come in? He said that his views on the point had become more decided since then, which was a very reasonable answer; but still, we do not see why he need burn quite so much sulphur and brimstone when he announces his change. There was not much doing in the Horse Market on Tuesday morning. Mr. Groves's motley lot, with the great straight-backed Colonist, Black Prince (a son of Touchstone and Queen of Trumps), and Plomp. ton Rock-a rather springy-looking two-year-old-were walking round and round. The pretty-looking brown Montague was also for ever on the move; and we liked a yearling Augur filly out of Morra very well. The majority of the other yearlings had gone back; but we learned that Ellerton had been bought in for 600 gs., and another of Lord Londesborough's for 500 gs. Underhand's dam was not, we believe, brought out at all; and, as we were on our road to see Satinella in the stable, we stumbled across a shoal of thirteen gaunt-looking broodmares, with pads and we know not what on their backs, as if they had let them out for rides to the tinkers by the way. We had rather a curiosity to see Satinella, as she is the first thing out of a Flying Dutchman mare. She is a very elegant, lengthy, bay filly, although rather light in bone, but looks very fast. People are sticking so to their Newminsters, that hardly any were in the market; and she was bought in at 145 gs.-just below the reserve-and went back to Aldborough again. Mr. Wetherell has just sold her full-sister to Mr. Jackson for 100 gs.—an enormous price for a filly-foal-and the mare is in foal to Voltigeur. As the latter, who made £1,600 last year, is going to the Royal Paddocks (in the place of The Cure, who goes to Catterick), Lord Zetland has adopted Fandango; and he is to stand at 10 gs., at York. There was a rumour of Fisherman going to Tickhill, and Saunterer to Neasham Hall, next season; but we believe that, at present, nothing of the kind is settled. Taking the week altogether, the yearlings were below the average, although there were about a dozen very superior ones. It was a remarkable fact that Rataplan's blood should have done so well, as his fame, so far, has been so very small. His yearlings were very different in their styles-the chesnuts generally grand and handsome, and the others smallish and melancholy-headed. There was a general dulness, too, pervading this great horse-'change. The high reserves prevented brisk business; and, really, it seemed as if the majority of owners had thrown away their £7 or £8, just to feel the market, and show the world what they had got. There were a few foreigners; but the Magenta exultation which nerved their arms at Horncastle had evaporated, and they would not bite as they did in "the brave days of old." The latter phrase came to our minds as we looked on the equipages opposite the stand, which consisted of one cart, two dog-carts, three barouches, (one of them, as usual, with the Whitewall party), and two broughams! However, the racing began well, with a struggle between Zuyder Zee and Underhand, the latter with 3lbs. the worst of the weights. Fobert was afraid of his old acquaintance, and nothing else: but, as the Newcastle chaps say, Mr. Foster "niver fears nought till he's beat; and then he comes agin him next time." The latter gentleman was once head of a large iron-works; and his horse is called after the professional title of one of the officials there. The little bay looked quite as beautiful as he did at York; and he cantered down the course with his neck right up, and at every third or fourth stride giving a proud little stot. Somehow or other, good stayers very seldom go in that style. Aldcroft seemed to sport a bran-new whip for the occasion; and some thought that he did not bring his horse quite soon enough but we fancied that nothing could have reversed the decision, as far as the judge was concerned. There was the deepest dissatisfaction at the way in which the objection was disposed of. It was a most important one; and the stewards ought at least to have deferred their decision till the next morning, instead of settling it then and there. Mr. Greville, as we are informed, took the lead, and would hardly hear an argument with patience, and virtually settled it in quite an off-hand style; treating Admiral Rous's decisions, when they were pressed upon him, with most magnificent disdain, as if they were the mere "mistakes" of a boy. This is not the way to secure respect for Jockey Club law. But we must not wander away from the rest of the Fitzwilliam field. There was Butterfly, a little high in the leg, but full of quality; Shafto, looking tucked up, and rather shabby in his coat; and Wild Rose, sweeping along with that glorious stride, which must be well served over Newmarket. This mare has done well during the last two months, and bids fair to be ripe in October. The Berkshire people might well say, "Great Pan is dead!" after his performance; and Benhams entertained no more ideas of sending him for the Leger. He is a light Burleigh looking horse, with white heels, as far as we remember him. Then the eight Champagne candidates came out; and Bretby was represented by The Gentle, a compact-looking son of Teddington. Madam Eglantine, with her neat shape and pretty Cowl quarters, began her tricks opposite the stand; and we thought that it was all over with her again. Lupellus was light, and had a deceptive bloom on his coat; but Mr. Parr knew that he was far below the mark, and, going up to Kendall as they returned from their canter, told him to pull him up, the instant he was in difficulties. Sweet Sauce's odd back struck us even still more than it did at York; and so did Vanquisher's. Predictor had remarkably good stifle-joints, and large stockings on the near side; but, despite his being, like all the Augur race, a little short, he is a nice useful colt. King of Diamonds had, it was said, beaten Restes in a trial at Newmarket; and he has rounded immensely since Ascot. The form in which Hayhoe brought all the Baron's horses to the post, was worthy of his Whitewell tutoring; and we have never seen a stable |