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[Illustration:  THE GOLFER’S DREAM.]

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LADY GAY’S SELECTIONS.

Mount Street, Grosvenor Square.

DEAR MR. PUNCH,—­Your marvellous judgment in the selection of your “staff”—­(I believe that is the correct term to use in speaking of those who write for the paper, though as a rule a staff is wooden-headed, which I am sure none of your contributors are!—­I can answer for one!)—­has again placed you in the position envied of all Journals, viz.,—­(why do people put “viz.,” and not “namely"?—­it is silly!) that of affording “information” given by no other Journal!  All of which preamble means,—­(by the way, why “pre-amble"?—­if one is a speedy writer, why not “pre-canter"?)—­that Punch, in the person of LADY GAY—­(that may seem a little mixed, but it isn’t)—­was the only Sporting Paper which tipped the winner of the Cesarewitch!

For confirmation of this I refer the sceptical to my last week’s letter, in which I stated that in dreaming of the race I dreamt that “Burnaby came to the rescue”—­and if this is not giving the winner, I should like to know what is!  It is true I made Brandy my “verse selection,” but that would only mislead the people who go no further than the surface (not of the brandy), as anyone who gave the matter a moment’s thought would realise that Brandy is always applied after a rescue!  I hear there was a “ton of money” for the winner just before the start, but I did not see anyone carrying it about, so I suppose it was what they call “covering money,” which, I presume, is covered over for safety, as it would be risky to walk about a race-course with a ton of loose money—­not that I suppose anyone who goes racing would touch it, but it might be lost!  Anyhow, there was a ton of money for the winner after the race, which his owner had to take, willy-nilly, or HOBSON’s choice!

The pleasantest feature of the meeting, however, was the re-appearance of H.R.H. the Prince of WALES, which was also pleasantly marked by one of his horses winning a race!  The Public having anxiously “watched” for H.R.H., the success of The Vigil was received with enthusiasm!

Next week takes us to Gatwick and Sandown—­(or rather the train takes us—­another absurd expression)—­the last day of the latter Meeting being devoted to “Jumping Races,” which is the contemptuous way some people speak of the winter branch of our National Sport!—­forgetting that it demands the two most desirable qualities in a horse, speed and endurance—­whereas the modern flat-racing has degenerated, for the most part, into scrambles and gambles, where speed is the only requisite!—­but more of this anon—­but not anonymous, as I believe in signed articles, as the apprentice said! (Not BRADFORD!)