IN A NUTSHELL.

—An offer of 3000 guineas hag been refused for Prince Foote. — Nominations for the Waikouaiti Bacing Clvb 131 3 meeting close on December 11. December 4 is nomination day for the Vincent Jockey Club's annual meeting. — Saturday of this week is nomination day for the Alexandra Jockey Club's annual meeting. — Nominations for the Lake County Jockey Club'B meeting are due on Saturday of this — Nominations for the Alexandra Jockey Club's annual meeting are due on Saturday of this week. — A copy of the New Zealand Raoing Club's entries for classic events has been received, and acknowledged: with thanks. A. large number of Riccarton-trained horses will be taken over to the WestJSoast for the Christmas and New Year meetings there — Mssrs W. G. and G. L. Stead's houses, which have hitherto been trained by fl. D. O'Donnell. have been transferred to tne caxe of J. R. Pranks. —It is said that Mr John Buckley, the secretary of the Victorian Club, has not missed a day's raoing \t Ftemington durmg tho last R0 years. The nominations received for the IVunedin Jockey Club's summer meeting are very satisfactory, and should form the ba«is of a successful gathering. — Little Medallist ran well in her races at Tuapeka, and downed Kostroma, over four furlongs in fairly smart time when she won the Shorts Handicap. — Artillerie, who has been racing in Australia since last March, will probably be brought back to New Zealand for the principal autumn fixtures. — Exclusive of the trophy, the Melbourne Cup was worth JE5335 to the winner; dhe Derby, £1897; Maribyrnong Plate, J61521; and Melbourne Stakes, £1010. — Chorister, a, North Island bred gelding by St. Paul, was amongst the runners in the Maiden Plate at Tuapeka, "Se is trained by J Use, a,t Wiitgatur. — Nominations for the Lake County Jodtey Club's annual meeting (whTch is dated to take place on December 10 and 11) axe due on -Saturday of this week. —C. Jenkins is making an excellent recovery from tne effects of his accident at Riccarton, and hopes " to be in- the saddle again in some little time. —It is stated that O. Madden and W. Halsey, two of England's leading horsemen, intend retiring from the saddle at the end of the present season. — Applications for bookmakers' licenses to bet at the Ashburton Trotting Club's meeting will ba received up to Deoember 4. The fees are 12gs and lOgs per day. — The Gore Trotting Club will give away 400sovs in stakes at their annual meeting, to be held on Boxing Day. The principal stake is to be worth lOOsovs. — Redmond was fancied for his races at Tuapeka, but failed to gather the money. He is the best-looking horse that the writer has noticed cf the stock sired by Black and Red. —In the opinion of "Whalebone," of the Auckland Star, the stewards of the Auckland Racing, Club, by their Tecent decisions, have fully earned the right to be called 1 "stewards with a caution " — Optional waa the unlucky horse of the Tuapeka meeting, as he ran second to Waiju in one tace and dead-heated for the same honour on the second day when Busyland scored in the principal event. — Excellent acceptances have been received for the Forbury Park Trotting Club's meeting, and the large fields should furnish some interesting sport The first race is timed to start at 1 o'clock each day. — A couple of winners on the second day at Tuapeka were made good favourites as soon as the betting opened. If their form on the first day was true, they should have been amongst the " long-ahot *' division. — James Sccbie regards Alnwa as absolutely the beat horse he has ever trained, and La, Carabine, Paul Pry. Maltster, Clean Sweep, Sylvanite, Emir, Hautvilliers, Sweet Nell, and F. J A. were all pretty good. — During the running of one of the races at Ellerslie a backer, who apparently had some difficultyin distinguishing the corses, exclaimed. "What's th*t on the rails ? " "Paint!" came the answer from a. we-il-known sport. — During the English racing season, extending from March 22 to October 1, D. Maher had 318 mounts, and had he remarkable percentage of 27.04 wins. P. Wootton during the same period had 558 rides, and a winning peroentage of 21.83. —It is reported that Seddon, the brot'uer to Wairiki, recently changed owners .it 450gs. Seddon sold us a yearling (under the glamour of Wairiki's turf record*, at llOO^s. bu-t h* 1 ? been a comparative failure on the turf, although he has won a race or two. — Maltster's stock have won 01 er 6300sovs in stakes since the beginning cf th» present season in Australia. TII3 defunct Sir Foole, principally due to tl»e success of Prince Foote, has put over 1-) 0-%'sova to his credit durinp tbe sanie period. — Rcdmorn looked particularly well, and was made a well-backed fancy for the PuLi licans' Handicap, but she ran badly in tb-o race. She did very little better on th.-> second day of the meeting, bu; »ot»>d much freer with the sting out of the track. — Vyvyan. who got amongst xbe winners j at Tuapeka. is a good cut of a gelcin? tii&i I would probably make a hurdler. Ho was got by Cannonball, a sen of Chain-shot and Miranda, the dam of Vaultress p.-id Crown Jewel. Miranda is a half-sister lo Templeton. I — Palette, a- shapely three-year-old gelding. '• got by Pallas from the Apremont mare Bealey, won the Maiden Plate at Tuapek.i , in promising style, and was subsequently 1 purchased by a patron of E. M'Donald's 1 stable at 250 guineas and a 50sors conj tingency. 1 — The crack English three-y«aT-old Bayardo won £20.648 in stakes thin season, Minoru coming next with £14,896. Traquair's half-brother, Keil Gcw, tbe champion two-year-old. is thiid with £7737. "Mr Fairie" heads the list of winning owners, with £26,123, the King following with £19.794. — The popular win of the Tuapeka meet- ! ing was that of Frisco in the Sprine Trot on the second day. The gelding was driven by hi* owner, Mx G. Ruthven, who "tips the

beam " about 16 stone, and after the race the spectators gave vent to salvos of appreciative applause as the veteran returned to scale. — It is very rarely fchat a rider of 70 years of age wins a race. This feat * was accomplished by Mr F. H. Elliott, owner of Hotspur, at jibe L.V.B.C. meeting e.t Broken Hill on November 3. Hotspur carried list 9lb to victory in the Ladies' Bracelet, and; going out favourite, won easily -bj two. lengths. — The Gore Racing Club are going to issue an exceptionally attractive programme for their summer meeting.." The Gore Cup is to be worth 200sovs, and the principal event on the second day -will have a stake of 185sovs. In addition, there are to be three other races carrying lOOsovs or more in' prize money. — The going on the first day of the Tuapekft meeting vras very adamantine, and some of the horses palpably shirked hitting out on. that account. Old Speculate ran indifferently in his first race, but in the deep going which followed the rain, he ran in a manner which suggested he is not yet a back number. — The Waikouaiti Racing Club have issued a programme- for their annual meeting which is to be held on Monday, January 3. The club will not have the assistance of the totalisator, And have consequently curtailed the length of the programme and the prize list. There are six events on the list, and 130sov8 will be given, away in stakes. — The Stepniak — Aileen gelding, Kostroma, was raced twice at Tuapeka. In his fir3t race he was beaten a Head by Little Med»liist — a- result which was, in a measure, due to D. King' outriding Blythe on the-top-weight. Kostroma's next appearance was in the Flying Handicap, in which he finished close up fourth after leading for over five furlongs. — Ronaldsh-ay showed pace in his races at Tuapeka, but failed to stay on. He looks as if hurdling 01 croaa-country work <rouli be more in hia line. In fact, considering the great dearth of useful hurdlers we have at this end of the country, and the well-en-dowed stakes that are hung up, it is a wonder such horses as Jtonaldshay are not given a chance between the flags. — The trotting events at Tuapeka did not attract particularly large fields or a highclass lot of performers. Whisperer won both events on the first day's card, and! had no difficulty in surviving a protest for interference in his first race. Frisco annexed his race comfortably, and the good-looking Bow Bell paid * fairly large price when bowon the last trotting event on tbe programme. — For the first time Jn its history the Tuapeka County Jockey Club utilised » starting barrier at its annual v meeting, which took place iast week. The despatches, whioh were under the control of Mr George Henry, were worthy of praise, as in only one race did a horse obtain a decided advantage over the rest of the field. Thie is a. vast improvement on what has been the case at previous T.C.J.C. meetings. —Mr Byron Moore, secretary of the Y.R.C, states thai" the attendance a>t the spring meeting was the- best since- 1688, Exhibition* year. The added mbney distributed on this occasion totalled £17,000, 'and tbe meeting, notwithstanding che great increase, shows a. profit of £11,000. On one occasion the spring reunion showed * profit of £25,000, but at that time ihe stakes totalled only £9000. • — A writer in Fry's Magazine gives the following details of stakes won by his Majesty's horses since 1893: — 1893, £372; 1894. £3499; 1895, £8981; 1896, £26,819; 1897, £15,770; 1898, £6560; 1.899, £2189; 1900, £29,385; 1901, nil; 1902; £1514; 1903, £3105; 1904. £1903; 1905, £900; 1906, £2788; 1907, £2944; 1908, £5490. U,p to October 1, 1909, the King's horses had won £19,974 for fehe season. —At Lexington (Ky.), in October, the two-year-old Native Belle, in winning a heat of the Kentucky Futurity, trotted a mile in 2.7 J. The previous beat for a two-year-old was Arion's 2.10Jf, which, stood as * record for 18 years. On the same afternoon that Native Belle put up her time Flota Dillon, by Sidney Dillon, paced a mile in 2.10 J. Another good performance in America a few weeks ago was that of the trotter Uhlan, who got over a mile in 2.2 J. — There wa* a good deal of bumping and shoving at the Tuapeka meeting, but it was due to the cramped space on the brack, and not to fou: riding on the part of the jockeys. Waiju. in his race on the second d*y, was put off the trap*-, and afterwards got a bad passage, or he would have seriously troubled Buayland ai the finish. Lord Clutha aiso got a bad run in the Flying- Handicap, bat in the small field he bad better opportunity to recover than Waiju had against his opponents. —An unfortunate accident occurred_ during the running of the Electric Handicap at Tuapeka. The club had installed starting barriers on the track, and by some means or otter Hie rope bracing the tops of the posts at the mile start dropped down on the outside of the track, and; J. Horn, who was riding Benzole, was caught and pulled out of the saddle. Horn received a rather bad fall, and tad one of his ribs fractured by another horse in the field galloping on him as he lay on the ground. — Revenue, who won the Melbourne Cup of, 1901, and is now used as a hack by the GovernoT-G«neraJ, was ridden to Flemington on Cup Day 'by one of Lord Dudley's suite. — Sombrero, who waa recently weeded out of Mr L. C. Haz'ett's team, made tyro appearances at the Tuapeka meeting, and conMflerir>«? t! it the track was against him shaped" fahiy weil iz> getting second to Firebell. It v,-as at best only a moderate performance, but still it suggests that the wellbred Simmer — Toque pe'ding 's not altogether use'ess vs a racing proposition. — The Xew YoTk correspondent of the London Sportsman, writ-ng in October, had the fo;!ow>ng interosti_R<; paragraph : — When it come* down to the law and its administration we aro a pretty difficult proposition from every standpoint. A.i I mentioned last ■week, our little reformer" had their first *nd only cutin<» right after the Gravesend meetinnr opened, with the result that 17 layers v.ere arrcted. They were brought to court, Ihe case* wore adjourned, and tbe defendants immediately released on bail, wulh the result that they at once motored; back to the track anci resumed business on the "oral and meanry" nlan. — The Hon. H. Sikwsman, whose death recently occurred in Queensland, a few years ago had a string of horses in training at St. Clair when the old Forbury Park course was in full swing. He also had stud farms ■at Waitati and Auckland, but hi* colours were not carried with any great success whilst 'in Dunedin. Amongst the trainers who acted for Mr Mossman were Harry Jackson (now in the North Island), P. M'Grath (private trainer for Mr J. Buchanan), and Mr H. Goodman. Antarea. Hengist, The Idler were amongst the b?st horees Mr Mossman owned' in New Zealand, and Balfour was a good winner for him in. Queensland. — When congratulating Mr Hennessy on tbe victory of Hag to Hag in the Prix dv Conseil Municipal, an English writer asked for an explanation of the horse's stramge name, and wta» told that it is an expression 1 used by one of Mr Hennessy's friends, »

! lady. "When she mentions some little semi- ' secret which is certain in a short time to be generally known, she is accustomed to preface the recital with the remark: "I can bell you, as h«g to hag/.' etc., hag being a> gossiping old woman. Hag to Sag .is an Australian-bred daughter of Haut Brion and 1 the Nordenfeldt mare Novelette 11, whose , dam. Ouida also produced Artillery, Hilda, ? Strathmore, and HazeL It will be seen that Hag to Hag is 'of the same family as 'the New Zealand Cup wdnner " Lady -Lucy .and other , good ' stayers in Mahutonga, Fulmen, ' An tares, and Heorthen. \ - — Lord Cluthfc did not beat a sow of Carbines in his dual win on the second day i at Tuapeka, bat still He -won vcrj con- \ vicingly. In his first race he got a bad ■' passage, but once clear, he came dean away, i from his field, and in his second win some] of his opponents appeared to lose their w&yj to the winning post in the heavy downpour! of rain which was falling whilst the race was I being run. I*oi<t Clutha was got by Legerity/ (St. Leger— Hazel) bom Stookflower, fli«7\ dam of Flower o' Clutha. Stockfldwer ia an Australian-bred more got by Saunter «r^ ■ (son of Stockowner) from. Stockrose, by Ton* ■ King from Rosemary, by Stockwell. Hazel, / the dame of Legerity, won the Great Autumn * of 1891 in the colours of Mr Dan O'Brien, 4 and is a sister o Hilda^ the dam of Lady ( Imcy,' w!k» recently enrolled herself *a » s New Zealand Cup winner. ; — The double Canterbury Cup and C. J.O. t ! Derby has been won previously at Riccar- t ton by the following three-year-olds : — Ma- \ [ nnka (1869), Daniel O'Eourke (1875), Stony- \ hurst (1885), Maxur <188T),. Manton (1888), A Stepniak (1892), Skirmisher (1893), Euroclydon. } (1835), MuHdform (18§7h Seahorse (1899), / Menschikoff (1901), Noctuiform (1905), Elev*tion (1907). Sir Modred aleo got there in r | the same couple of events, but (says "The- 1 | Squire-") did not win the Cup as a three- j year-old, his victory in the two and a-quar-ter miles being achieved two years after. he bad proved successful in the DerbyJ Knottingley, Peeress, Lurlim, Welcome Jack, and Multiform each had a brace of wins in the Canterbury Cup to their record Winners of the triple crown, New Zealand Cup, l ! Canterbury Cup, and C.J.C. Derby are* Manton. Euroclydon, S«ahors«, and Noctuiform. . —It has caused not a. little food for con- • versation amongst sporting iolk to learnJ that the Messrs Stead Bros. Have parted with • both their trainer and chief horseman in thespace of a few days. Whilst acting k>trainer for the Yakffiuret team, It OTDonnell. who was for many years head man to R. J. Mason, proved himself a capable man , with horses. He won ihe Champagne and i (Challenge Stakes with Golden Slipper, the* Great Autumn with Bonifonn, the Welcome*' Stakes with N-antiform. the Jockey Club" Handicap with Ringdove, and otherwise' proved himself a capable -trainer. M'Comb has also won races in which success was due to horemonship. and as both have* helped to keep the yellow and black in the forefront whatever grievance has come o'er the scene the trainer and £h« jockey at least claim a. measure of kudos for some successful endeavour. . •-> —An English- writer, .who holds an 1 exalted! opinion of the Persimmon horse Your Majesty, writes anen< him tfius:— "Mr J. B. Joel has scratched hia horse, out of all eng*gf«ments thi* year. 'It may bo that last year's St. Leger winneT, through breaking , down, has saved Me owner and others money,' It is very regrettable that such & goo& horse should have to go, and it is « very> severe disappointment to Mr Joel, inaamud *s m the spring tie highest hopes wer* centred on the son of Persimmon. He* went on quite the right way last wi«t«i and had developed into » magnificent-looking *mm«k and in his «wrl 7 g»Uops ifai 8 seaacS^ with Dean Swift had shown Morton wba. •• a smasher he w«. Perhaps one of the bear Persimmons in training now ie Royal Realm, and it irpuld be extremely interesting to hi# Majesty and all those connected with racuu to find this good horse become the great ammai many always thought he would." —In England, as elsewhere, it is reckoned stipendiary steward* would improve racing^ There have Ifeen some peculiar happening* , in connection with big races, and, toocbinA | on this state of affairs, the Winning PoiS? ! says "There ia seldom 'smoke without fire*., and the itmosphewj of Tattersall's ring ha£'been peculiarly' suffocating to backers oS, favourites in certain circumstances during j the past 18 months ox more. Why shoulc Englishmen bt less suspicious than theu£ i brothers over the seas in Australia, or thanf. the 'cute Yankee of the States? There i., just .as much money to be won in England^ '• it not more, than in the countries mentioned, and it cannot be denied tnat thereis a stronger touch of the commercial element in racing here than ever. Therefore it* behoves the authorities to be more stringent than heretofore in preserving for the sport a healthy atmosphere, so that those who do patronise it out of a purely sporting instinct shall have honest surroundings ii whioh to pursue their favourite pastime." —In striking contrast to the Riccartoir carnival, that which was held at Fleming* ton appears to have been a. bad one iot the bookmakers. Thus the Sydney Dailj Telegraph : It is considered the correct thing by fchoee who do not know to smile when told that the ringmen claim to have lost money over a race meeting. Ther« ie a mi*-, taken idea that the man with the book and pencil can ''bet round " when he chooses, and thus make a oertainty of winning no matter what the result may be. It is true that occasionally individual members of the ring exaggerate their losses, and though, this may be .he case with regard to toe recent four day's meeting of the V.H.C., ifc is absolutely certain that all "fair fielders" lost very heavily at Flemington. Almost without a -break those who' were backing horses were on the winning line. They 1 "picked" the handicaps time after time, and not on any one day did the layers of odfla leave the course witk » winning balance. There were many large winners among Sydney backers of horses, and one of our sportsmen, who would finish an easy first if. a vote were taken as tc who is the moefc popular "punter" "here, is understood to hare won well over five figures. The followers of M'Grath's and Kelsp's stables also won largely, and so did . "the heads" as !> body. — Prince Foote, the hero of the spring,- is not the first of the progeny of Sir Foote, tbe Sydney trainer, Frank M'Grath, has handled. /He had charge of Antonioua, one of Sir Foote's first progeny at three years. This little colt, who was a flyer at two years, was in T. Payten's stable, was unfortunate m being .out in » year which pro-__^ duced such a great horse as Poseidon, atnd he had to put up with second honours behind Mr H. R Dentson's horse in both the Derby and Cup. Like his sire, Aixtonioua was a nard horse to train, for he suffered from leg troubles, which necessitated his earfy retirement to the stud. A. Sydney writer, who knew Sir Poote, says: " He wa-a himself a fine galloper and a. handsome horse, but was always unsound 1 . Though | always half a> cripple, Saxnshaw managed to fit him up well enough to win the Futurity i Stakes, Newmarket Handicap, »nd Doncasber' [ Handicap, three races worth a- nrifle over £1000. Though" hi» brilliance was Tuiqxtes- [ tionable, Sir Foote was but little prized in

Hs own country (EaglanS). and Mr Brown, ( got him at selling-plafe price for Australia, t Strangely enougn, when he started as a stallion here, Sir Foote was liot Lie most fancied of Mr Brown's stud, nut the pufoiio . patronised him well. lrussing Cup was classed higher locally, but Sir Fcote proved this view to be erroneous. CJafortunately, fc« died too soon. He was ? crack show horse, and usually in show condition. Fat atailions seldom last as long as those kept in healthy buckle, and returning from one .visit to Sydney peritonitis got him, and Australia lost one of the best sires in the country " • Sir Foote was R- granascn of Wisdom, and the latter was a descendant cf jeu d' Esprit, ancestress of Alawa. I