NOTES BY HIPPONA.

■ Tflß Takapuna Spring Meeting on Saturday was notable for two things—acci"denta and the extraordinary bad lack of the gentleman who races under the assumed ; nt,m« of Mr B. Thompson. Yuba Bill broke down so badly in the Spring Handicap that.lt is probablo we may not see him figure on a race-course again, and old .Anglsr had to bo shot, owing to the iniurits he sustained in the Steeplochase. Added to this, Mr Thompson's representative Bull's Eye could get no nearer than wcond In both the Hack Race and Flat gelling Race,while his much talked-of mare Pipi ran very indifferently in the big event of the afternoon. She was certainly not in •onditiou, but a cr«at improvement will have to tak» place before »ke can have any »l»ow of winning the Auckland Cup. There v «n» matter ia connection with the meeting that I cannot allow to pass over, and that !• tho way Otara and Topthorn shaped in the races thsy started for. The Club, I knew, are always ready to do their best to protect tba public and they would do well to hold an investigation into tho running of the horses mentioned. The- New Zealand Stud Company have issued a catalogue giving full partioulais of the twenty-five yearlings that tire to bo put under the hammer on Monday, the sth of January. Messrs Hunter and Nolan, in conjunction with Mr A. Buckland, aro the auctioneers, and the sale takes place on tho Ellsrslio Show Grounds. ~ I* would seem that Mr D. O'Brien's luok ias not altogether deserted him this season, for by the aid of Johnny Faulkner anc ; JUtbirm, ha secured tho two big events of the Dunedln Spring Meeting, viz., the St. Andrew* Handicap of SOOsovs., and PresiV dent's Handicap of 200sovs. From the details to hand, it appears that the St. * Andrew's Handicap furnished a splendid contest, Johnny Faulkner only beating TaiarJa on the post by "a noso," the mile and a half being got over in tho fine time 'of Jminß. 42seos. At Sylvia Park, Hannah has produced a filly to Musket, and Rftngl a colt to Looliou«. •. Mr G, Bate a horses, Tlift Poet, Minerva, ■ Tho Painter, The Jilt, and Patrician hn've been disposed of to Mr H. Horsford. The Jilt has Dsen put to Cadogan. She Auckland Racing Club havo made arrangements with Mr Byron Moore, secretary of the V.R.C., to receive nominations for the Groat Northern St. Leger of 750 " boy». Entries nloge on the 10th or January. .In noticing the Auckland Cup weights, "Senei" sees nothing to choose between i Welcome Jack, Vanguard, Black Rose, liWerpool, Fusilier, and Necklace ; nor can Tigredia be out of the race, judging her through her running with Pearl at Napier. The same writer states that when out §} at Riocarton a few days back he saw

pain, and walks sound. The seat of tho V« welling seems to be on the inner side of the back of the knee joint, and the injury : i>! vory probably the effect of an over-reach. Its has not been thought necessary to blister the limb, but it is Mr O'Brien's intention to restrict him to walking exercise £ for the next two or three months.

'■':-■ Mr E. Blaikie intimates in our advertising i colntiiUH that lie has S' books'' open on all "forthcoming events, including the next . MolbOurso Derby and Cup.

. ' ,Mr Allan McLean has lost his mure Midge. Sho was own sister to Merlin, being out of Malice by Blue Boy, abd con- "' I ■eqttently half "sister to Mischief on tho '■"■ dam'« side. She was found bast in a wire ■ ' fonc«, and in her struggles to got free she - . had strained herself internally and ruptured ft blood vessel. M* G; G- Stead has disposed of Carl ton lor 100 guineas. ■ : Books have been opened in Melbourne on I next seaiion'i V.R.C. Derby and Cup! For I th« former outright Newstead has received support ats about 7 to 1, and 1,000 to 20 has ■; been taken that he wins tho double, and at

1 1,000 to 10 Manchester, Monte Christo, and j£| othsra hava been backed to win the "two. ' A three-y«ar-old filly called Impulse, fiwned by Mr W; J- Thorogood, was the fcaroof the Wagga Wagga Meeting.- On P th« first day, »h« secured the Gold Cop, b«a^n«j !Favo, Brown -and Rose, and six .others, mi ob the «»cond day, proved victorious in the Grand Stand Handicap S ftnd Selling "Plate. Impulse was |sred by ;- Mr A. Town, and was got by old-Sylvia's '- ;• ;*on Goldeborongh. The Sires'- Produce Stekes fall to Corday, who is one of the

■■'*■ progeny of the unbeaten Grand Flaneur. '•■• At Wangansi _a few days back, Black / .. Base's dam (Who was got by Albany from ' Red -Rose) dropped a colt foal to Somnus. M She goes to Natator this year. Maid of the '■"*:■ Miit,' dam of Foam, and Fame, both ■ Wanganul Darby winners, has dropped' a If filly foal to Natator, and has been sent to ; Patriarch. »-; • yiyro ' bookmakers named Fleming and Vance have been expelled, from the Vie- & iorian Betting Club, Melbourne, for alleged malpractice at the late Hawkesbury Meetm ing. -L. Barnard and A. Summers liave '■ also been, censured and fined £50 each: for I bftjnff involved in the matter.' v , - • The profits of the late Victoria Racing Club Spring Meeting exceeded those of last -' year byJE3,0(30.. I The turf Is certainly doomed in Adelaide, '.for at a meeting of the South Australian Jockey Club it was rosolyod to wind up tho Club and-discontinu'e racing. , Mr Mondy haa sold Bristol to Mr Haines, ■""nf Melbourne, and has purchased Prodigal (full brother to Tasman) in his stead. Lawson, who trains for Mr Mondy, has this 1 latest addition to his string under his charge, '•'and Sir Modred has also returned to the

same static. , .■•'.■,■ - ' It is stated that the St. Albans trainins and breeding establishment has :fcoen purehawd by Mr J. Crozier. Mr y C. L. McDonald, the trainer of Sir Garnet, Helens and others, it is also said, has been selected to take possession of the stables, *etc., and train for the Adelaide gentle-

Mr A. F. Smart contradicts the rumour ;'tha* ho has" purchased the Maribyrnong -Plate winner Newstead. The settling over the late Caulueld and Spring Meetings has been the worst ' that has ever been held. Several layers of odds have hardly received 10 per cent, of their money, and Mr J. Thompson, jbho-. leviathan, avers that on Bottling day■■ over ■ *HeV.R.C. Meeting he took £12,000 into Victorian Boom, and paid away" over '"''•£ 8,000 before ho received £1,000. - Thoroughbred horseflesh, like other ./marketable commodities, frequently doVteriorates in value, as instance^ by Harvester and Queen Adelaide, who were supposed to be tho two crack 3-year-olds at the commencement of the present English season. Queen Adelaide, who as a yearling .cost Sir John Willoughby 3,600 guineas, and Harvester, who at the sale of Lord i'almouth'a stud last April was purchased 'for 3,600 guineas, were offered at auction -'daring the Caesarewitch week, but in neither cose was the reserve of 3,000 guineas ;teached. . '

'■"' tho English correspondent of the '^Melbourne *' Leader ": —The newest hero is always the grottteat, and it may therefore ";l)Oxpnßidorßaa.ni<i*e.iionnalitv to Bay that St. Gatien'a victory, fetha greateat that haa •vcr been accomplished within fha memory 'ef racing men. I saw Julius in 1867,r0mp to with the then nnprecedented sof Srt. JSu 1880 I likewise saw Robert'the iJßril carry, 8«t. 61b.;, and now lam DOTileged t» sen both these thrown into the i^adeßy^t.o ■ ".;*. ■";" -«c

won by four lengths each, but the fields of '67 and 'SO were not to be compared in quality with that of 'S<t. I foar to say how much St. Gation had in hand, but to jny mind 71b. more would not have stopped him. He was disappointed in coming through his horses, but he nevertheless ran round them, camo away when asked, and loft Archidue, Polemic, and Florence as if they had been standing still. The pace also from start t5 finish was a cracker, and everything enhances the greatness and the truth of the performance. Stockholm, Highland Chief, Studley, Ben More, and all the heavily backed ones ran well, and every .favourite was in it till it came to racing. Polemic's second i« perhaps puzzling to those who did not sco his ignominious defoat at Edinburgh by the moderate Lady Adelaide. I saw it, and his defeat I am quite able to understand. Morgan was not in a fit condition to ride him, and the Scottish race, so far as a test of merit is concerned, may bo entirely ignored, and his Ascot deeds taken as his true form. At the royal meeting he ran a good horse, and St. Gatien's giving him a year, 2st. 101b., and a handsome beating, still further adds to his reputation. There are mar.y now who would stand the winner against oven tho other saint, St. Simon, and a match between the two would throw into the shade eren tho grent encounter between the Flying Dutchman and Voltigour at York, upwards of thirty years ago. MiHammond and his immediate friends have again won a good stake, tho lucky owner's share alono being put down nt £60,000. Truly it never rains but it pours, and Jack Hammond's cup this year has beon filled to overflowing. He backed tho horse openly, and told everyone it was sure to win, but the majority of tho talent, like myself, could not believe in his giving woights to old ones that had been readied for the occasion.