40 HUNTING AND SPOBTING NOTES. 



TWELFTH WEEK— January 12 to 17. 



Tlie perusal of the Spring Handicaps will throw a little 

 life into the turf world. The new handicaps at New- 

 market have not quite received sufficient patronage to 

 entitle them to reach the ^1,000 added money. Perhaps, 

 however, the Jockey Club will be generous. The City 

 and Suburban is the most noticeable in its falling-off of 

 entries. This can scarcely be wondered at, seeing that 

 Epsom has failed to go with the times in the matter of 

 added money. The Grand National once again rears its 

 head more proudly, with an increased entry of nineteen. 

 It is made up of a mixed lot. There are three previous 

 winners engaged — Seaman, Zoedone, and Voluptuary, of 

 which the last reads likely to be dangerous again. There 

 are plenty of novices engaged — many of them Irishmen — 

 Ben More, Ivanhoe, and Etonian being the best class of 

 the fresh names of English horses. Little Pink 'Un, of 

 Tarporley and Bangor fame, is among the entries, but 

 surely she can scarcely aspire to figure successfully over 

 Aintree. If so, sad indeed must be the deterioration of 

 our steeplechase horses ! Next week we will dissect this 

 interesting problem a little more carefully. Shrewsbury 

 races have, I am led to believe, more chances of revival 

 than ever, and I was not wrong in predicting that such 

 an old country gathering would not be allowed to die like 

 a do^ in a ditch for want of a little well-directed pluck at 

 the eleventh hour. 



As to hunting — it has been a case of another broken 

 week. Frost unexpectedly put down its iron foot on 

 Monday — not sufficiently, however, to stop Sir Watkin at 

 Socket Gate. Goodall came on to Petton, where Mr. 

 Sparling, as usual, found him no end of foxes — four 

 brace at least in one or other of the snug spinoies 

 thereabouts. One of them became a victim, and the rest 

 live to fight another day. What is more satisfactory, 

 however, only one quadruped, Captain Whitmore's 

 favourite old horse, broke its back during the dangerous 

 process of pursuit. 



Tuesday and Thursday were given up to dancing — on 

 the former day at Berwick, where everything was de- 

 lightful, I believe, and on the latter day at the Music 

 Hall, where the Young Hunt did its best to make every- 

 thing charming and biilliant. Here, too, success beyond 

 precedent smiled upon the scarlet runners, who rattled 



