RACING IN NEW ZEALAND.

WAIMATE STEEPLECHASES.

June 16th.

WAIMATE STEEPLECHASE HANDICAP,

Of 100 boys ; Becond horse to receivo 15 soys. Three miles.

Mr H. Adams' b h Kosciusko, 5 yrs, lOst 91b • (Sheenan) 1 Mr James Allan's b g Little John, aged, lOst Sib (Allan) 2 Mr W. Douglas' b g Baron, aged, lOst 121b (Keith) 3 Mr P. Jones' Young Sledmere (lOst 81b), Mr Sherwin'a Mokarakara (lOst 81b), Mr Muir's Why Not (lOst sib), Mr Pilbrow's Canard (lOst 131b) also started. Betting : Gto4 on the field. Why Not, Young Sledmore, and Mokarakara came to grief, while Canard was thrown out through some of the spectators erroneously believing that he jumped outside a flag, and calling on his rider to pull up. Tho three others went over the heavy ground in good style, but Kosciusko won by fully four lengths, with little John second, 10 lengths in front of Baron. Of £123 in the totalisator only £4 was on Kosciusko.

MAIDEN PLATE, Of 60 sovb ; second horse to save his stake. Weight for age, but winner of the Tiuiaru or Oamaru Maiden to carry 101b extra. Two miles. Mr W. De Reeves' b g Overdraft, aged, 12st 31b (101b penalty) .. .. (Boyle) 1 Mr W. S. Armitage's bl g Black Doctor, syrs, 12st Bib .. .. .. (F. Hodge) 2 Mr G. B. Barclay's b m Lubra, syrs, list 121b (Simpson) 3 Mr P. Jones' Gang Awa' 6yrs (12st 31b), and Mr Douglas' A. G., 4yrs (list), also started. Gang Awa' and A. G. baulked repeatedly, but the rest jumped well, though Overdraft struck one top-rail with his kneos, and Lubra fell near the finish. Overdraft finally won by four lengths. Of £209 in the totalisator, £72 was on the winner.

• COUNTY CUP, Of 76 boys. Second horbe to save his stake. Two and

a-half miles.

Mr J. Pilbrow's eh c Clarence, 12st 121b (H. Lunn) 1 Mr H. Muir's Why Not, lOst 41b (carried lOst 101b) (T. Lyford) 2 Mr P. Jones' Young Sledmere, lOst 4lb (Joyce) 3

There was a close race throughout, Clarence and .'Why Not rising at the last jump simultaneously. Tho former, however, then drew away, and won by two lengths. Young Sledmere was a good third. Of £132 in the totalisator £76 was on Clarence.

CONSOLATION HANDICAP,

Of 40 boys. Two miles. Mr Sher win's Mokarakara, Kst 71b (Cotton) 1 Mr J. Allan's Little John 10=it 81b (Allan) 2 Mr Barclay's Lubra, lOst 71b . . (Simpson) 3

Mr Armitage's Black Doctor (lOst 7lb) and Mr Jones' Gang Awa' (lOst 41b) also started. Gang Awa' baulked at the sod wall, but the test got round, many of the fences having had paps broken through them in the previous races. A great finish took place between Mokarakara and Little John, the former Winning by barely a length.

ENGLISH.

Shotover was tipped for the Two Thousand Guineas by " Bleys " Bell's Life and by " Vigilant" in the Sportsman, although almost friendless elsewhere. The 'filly was not mentioned in the 'betting till five days before the race, when on the strength of a good trial she was introduced at 25 to 1 , and quickly rattled up to 10 to 1. The course was frightfully heavy on the day of the race, and the time was consequently slow. Mr Lorillard's colt Gerald was left in the Two Thousand till nearly two o'clock on the afternoon of the race, when he was scratched. Commenting on this tho Sportsman says : — " There were heartburnings about the scratching of Iroquois for the City and Suburban, but even that event sinks into insignificance as compared with tho conduct adopted in the case of Gerald for tho Two Thousand Guineas. The colt had been backed for thousands and thousands of pounds, and it was not until the eleventh hour that sinister rumours began to gain curroncy. It was whispered that the horse was not fit to run ; but still those most intimately concerned with him gave no sign, and once again ho was supported with spirit. Even on the morning of the race there were found plenty who would not allow their con fidence to be shaken, inasmuch as they doubtless believed something decisive would have been done earlier had the intention really been that Gerald should not see the post. Still matters looked terribly ominous, persistent opposition being manifested to the son of Saxon, and at length the adverse speculators had their own way. It was not, however, until twenty minutes to 2 o'clock on tho afternoon of the race that the crash came, and Gerald was scratched."

On the same subject Land and Water says : —"In betting circles on the day the only sensation was the onslaught made on the American horse' Gerald, a performance that too surely foreshadowed the scratching of the winter favourite, which was, however, deferred until 1.40, in order that his ' milking '" might be complete. And thus for tho second time our American cousins put confiding John Bull in the hole, and undoubtedly the most unpopular name to-day in all English sporting circles is that of Mr Lorillard, if it is not so also on the other side of the Atlantic."

The stewards of the Sandown Park Club meeting having reported Mr T. M'George to the stewards of .the Jockey Club for careless starting, he has been cautioned by them as to the- future.

Mr Harry Hall, the well-known artist, and most successful painter of thoroughbred horses since the days of J. F. Herring, died in April last at his residence, Newmarket, after a very short illness. For many years Mr Hall's brush has been employed in reproducing famous winners, not only in this country, but on the Continent, and the "Baily" series of celebrated horses was mainly contributed by him. His sturdy, grey-coated figure was well-known to Newmarket race-goers, both in the Birdcage and on the flagstones between the Rooms and the foot of the Terrace, whore, until recently, it was his wont to chat on the events of_ the day with his many acquaintances. A visit to his studio will be amongst the pleasant "headquarters" memories of not a few, often seasoned as it was with interesting talk of the celebrities whose likenesses were to be found there, and of horses that had come under his notice in days K>»g gone, by,

At the sale of the late Earl of Wilton's horses the twenty lots realised 13,910 guineas. The highest priced ones were Blue Rock, a two-year-old filly, by Hermit — Stockdove, 2300 guineas (Captain' Machcll) ; Anchorite (2 yrs), by Hermit — Young Melbourne mare, 1250 guineas (Sir G. Chetwynd) ; Nautilus (2 yrs), by Hermit — Barchettina, 1100 guineas (Mr Dover) ; Cylinder (5 yrs), by See Saw—Honeymoon, 1020 guineas (Mr A. Sassoon) ; aud Violetta (2 yrs), by Honnot— Anonynia, 1000 guineas (Mr Sherrard). The list of leading winning jockeys up to April 29th was as follows :—: — . Mounts. Lost. Won. Archer, F. .. ..70 51 19 Wood, C. .. ..79 00 19 Barrett, G. .. ..74 57 17 Fordham, G. ..47 S3 14 Cannon, T. .. ..29 20 9 In the following week Archer rode eleven winners at Chester, bringing his total up to 30 ; while O. Wood rode six at Windsor, making his score 25. Barrett added two and Cannon one to their rospectivo figures, but Fordham was unsuccessful.