CAPAND JACKET

£1000 for two drinks ! ! just think of it, The Maribyrnong Plate was worth over £2000. The followers of Walter's are very sweet on Piseatorius for the C.J.C. Handicap. Nothing is backed for the Canterbury Derby but Lure, about whom level money is taken freely. The Totaiisator Bill has been thrown out by the Victorian Council. The local bookmakers are with one exception, hard hit over the Cup Race. Mick Gallagher and Jimmy Poole, are both big winners over the Cup. Eighteen of the Melbourne Cup horses are entered for the Champion Stakes. If a well-conducted totaiisator is legal, why not a well-conducted roulette table ? Mr. Bartlett the photographer, drew Lord Burleigh and three outsiders in Abbott's second sweep. The correct translation of Grand Flaneur is "great gossip." The Stud Company's All Steel has foaled a fine filly to Musket and will visit him again. The chief item of the EUwke's Bay Jockey Bay Summer Meeting will be a Cup of 500 guineas. Spinningdale, the third in the Maribyrnong Plate, is by Maribyrnong out of Sappho, and is therefore half-brother to Kingsborough and Savanaka. Lure will win the C.J.C. Derby, Betrayer the Handicap, and Foul Play the Clip. Take my tip and back them, it comes from an Al source. Only three first favourites have proved successful in the Melbourne Cup since 1866, namely Tim Whiffler, The Barb, and Don Juan. The biggest surprise ever known in the Melbourne Cup took place in 1871, when The Pearl who started at 100 to 1 offered won. Atlantic won the double at Dunstan. This half-brother to Punga pays better up-country than he did on the big courses. Welcome Jack's price for the Maribyrnong Plate on October 16th, was 100 to 5, and Spinningdale' s 100 to 6. Fancy both the big prizes in Abbott's sweeps going to Whangarei. Why there won't be a man sober there for a month. Mick Gallagher was the first to hear the result of the Melbourne Cup. He arranged for an urgent telegram and beat the " Star " by an hour. Those who want to back Grand Flaneur for the Champion Stakes, had better wait awhile. There will be longer prices on otter later on. Everybody is trying to get on Grand Flaneur for the Champion Stakes. If he keeps well it should be a gift to him. The highest weight ever carried to victory in the Melbourne Cup by a three-year-old prior to Grand Flaneur's race on Tuesday, was 6st. 121b5., by Chester in 1877. The Melbourne Cup has been Avon four times by a six-year-old, five times by a five-year-old, three times by a four-year-old, six times by a three-year-old, and once by an aged horse. For the C J.C. Handicap 4 to 1 each is laid against Betrayer and Foul Play, 5 to 1 against Le Loup (offered) and 6to 1 against Piseatorius (taken). This is the very latest from Chrzstehureh. A telegram from Christchurch received this Thursday morning says:— "Luxe is favourite for the Cup at 3 to 1, fours being taken about Foul Play, and sixes about Virginia Water." Mr. P. Stafford, who will be well remembered by old sportsmen here, has been very seriously ill, so much so that his life was for sometime despaired of. Owing to fresh treatment he is now recovering. On the night Darriwell won the Melbourne Cup of '79, Jimmy Poole backed Lord Burleigh at 100 to 1 for the big event of '80. Plucky wasn't it, and pretty near the mark.

The Waimate Jockey and Steeplechase Clubs have amalgamated. The annual meeting will be held as usual on January Ist. The biggest two-year-old race in France, the Grand Criterium, run at Dieppe, was won by Baron Seilhiere's Eva by Trombone, out of Eineasa, Strelitz second, and Perplexite, third. " So it isn't > Mata ? " said the luckless backer who had put his shirt on the gelding. "No, does it Mata (matter) ? " was the reply. Then that unhappy sportsman rose up and kicked his friend. Joe Gallagher is reputed to have won over £1000 on the Cup. He disbelieved in Mata and " peppered " the brute. Others wish they had done the same now. On Tuesday afternoon a bogus telegram was pasted outside the Thistle Hotel, which gave Grand Flaneur 1, Progress 2, and Lord Burleigh 3. This jocular despatch Mr. Gallagher at 6.30 replaced with a real one, bearing exactly tlie same words. I am beginning to think the totalisator is not after all such a good thing as people make out. £2 in Abbott's on Grand Flaneur only yields me about £9. Whereas £3 invested with a bookmaker at the last moment, has returned £18. Mr. Dau Skill ian, the winner of the fiist prize in Abbott's £2000 sweep on the Cup, is a labourer at ss. a day engaged in driving drags for Sam Dickey of Wangarei. Haiti a queer looking card with a "kink" in one eye. For out and out mendacious impudence, commend me to the " Star's " assertion, that it got the result oi! the Cup first — wlieu everybody in tlie town knows that journal absolutely asked Gallaghers permission to use his wire for their "extra." "Enquirer" wants to know whether the totalizators now used by the hotels in town, are the same as those for which the workers received a term of imprisonment in April last. — No, certainly not. There are no machines at all in connection with the hotel totalizators. The thing is all done on paper. Mr. James Pemberton, the winner of the first prize in Abbott's £5000 sweep on the Melbourne Cup, is a gum digger at Wangarei. He spent his last £5 in tickets, and then bartered the winning windier to Mr. Davis of the Kaino Hotel for two drinks. Whether Mr. Davis intends to stick to it has not as yet transpired. Mr. Buck's sweep on the Melbourne Cup proved a most melancholy "fizzle." The unfortunate host had to take 10 tickets himself to make up the number of entries, and even with that there was only £109 to fight for. The result is that non-starters will get about 2s. ljd., and starters about 11s. 2|d. A regular sell isn't it. The Hon. E. K. Cox's thoroughbred sires Chandos and Bliukboy arrived by the steamship Somersetshire, and have gone on to Sydney. They will be rather late for the present season, but we believe it is intended that a majority of the Femhill mares shall visit Chandos, who is one of the soundest and best weight-carriers that ever left England. Mr. Bassett has named his Middle Park purchases as follows :— The bay filly by Traducer— Norina, Prinia Donna; and the chesnut gelding by Castaway out of Sweefcineet, Pukituriki (starvation). Had Mr. Basset known that there was another Prima Donna (by Havensworth— Ladybird,), he might have adopted some other nomenclature. Welcome Jack, one of tlie dead heaters for the Maribyrnong Plate, is by the imported Bethnal Green from Colleen Bawn, by Hobbie Noble, her dam Colleen Dhas by Rust. The colt is trained by Heywood at Caul field, and has (according to the "Leader") improved greatly during the winter. Lavinia is by Talk o' the Hill out of Nancy and belongs to the South Australian contingent. I regret to state, says "Hermit" in;the "Canterbury Times," that it is highly improbable that either Sir Modred or Somnus will be starters at the Metropolitan meeting. That the Hon. R. Campbell should have had such bad luck with two of his high priced team is to be regretted, and I trust he will be recompensed by the victories of his other youngster, Idalium ; but this, I am afraid, is too much to expect. The following record of the prices at which winners of the Melbourne Cup have started may be of interest :— 1866 The Barb 6to 1 ; 1867 Toryboy 100 to & ; 1868 Tim Whiffier sto 2 ; 1869 Warrior 10 to 1 ; 1870 Nimblefoot 12 to 1 ; 1871 The Pearl 100 to 1 j 1872 The Quack 100 to 18 ; 1873 Don Juan 3to 1 ; 1874 Haricot 16 to 1 ; 1875 Wolloinai 100 to 6 ; 1876 Briseis 100 to 15 ; 1877 Chester 100 to 20; 1878 Calamia 100 to 10; 1879 Darriwell 100 to 3 ; 18dO Grand Flaneur 5 to 1. Bend Or won the Derby, Robert the Devil the St. Leger. Is this a repetition of history as shown by the lessons of years ago V Is it Plenipotentiary and Touchstone, or Daniel O'Rourke and Stock well, when the better horde secured the le^-coveted prize of the year? At any rate, the English press and our own correspondents have led us to believe that in 1880 the winner of the St. Leger id tue best three-year-old of the year in England, ana will in future be so regarded. Says the "Bulletin" of the 30th:— "The Melbourne man who controls the sweep business, has already drawn fourteen sweeps of £2000 each on the Melbourne Cup, and has opened a fifteenth, so that he has now about £30,000 of public money in his keeping. He has an office in a leading: hotel, and in that office, which is opened to the public, is a receptacle marked ' Mr. s letter-box.' ' Men and women,' says our correspondent, may at all times be seen there by the dozen, dropping letters into the box, taking away printed slips announcing the result of the precious drawings, and folding up £1 notes in envelopes. And it is a somewhat suggestive fact that as many women as men are to bo seen hovering round Mr. -'s letter-box. Mr. P. F. Tancred, of the Wairarapa, is, I am informed, the lucky possessor of one of the best thoroughbred yearling colts in the colony. He is by the Premier, out of frince Mary, and though but as yet a mere baby, he presents'a much more forward appearance. He possesses the most perfect symmetry, has powerful quarters and arms, capacious shoulders, beautiful chest, with the head well sec on, and, in fact, all those points which go to make a well shaped animal. I understand that he is to be called Administrator. Mr. Tancred is one of the few breeders on the eastern side of the Tararua who has not spared money in getting good stock, but I shall be glad to see him successful with this very promising youngster, who will probably make his debut at Christchurch in November, 1881. A lather funny thiug happened to me in connection with the Melbourne Gup. On Monday evening last about eight o'clock, I strolled up to Abbott's to see if by chance my eight consultation tickets were worth anything. The sweep was being drawn at the time, and just as I entered the room a horse came out. There was the usual hush of expectation, and then I heard someone say with great distinctness, " 1951 A. S. R., Mata." I at once cleared and having no belief in the gelding, tried to sell the chance. Within ten minutes I was lucky enough to dispose of £ share and returned to the United Service with cheques for £75 in my pocket. Then came the blow. — On inspecting the list 1 found that I had made a mistake. What was really said was " 1951 A. S. R. Martingale," and I only caught first half. Of course I had to go and return the cheques at once and very foolish I both looked and felt. Subsequently, however, my chagrin was somewhat mitigated by getting rid of ■£ of Martingale for £15. It is the intention of the owner of Russley to put his recently imported mare Pelchra to Perkin ] Warbeck. Pulchra is certainly one of the grandest' bred mares south of the line, being by Rosicrucian, out of the celebrated Buccaneer mare Formosa, whose extraordinary three-year-old preformances are almost unprecedented in the annals of racing. She won the One Thousand, ran a dead heat with Moslem for Two Thousand, and won the Oaks and Leger. Her daughter Pulchra could of course,it is needless to say, avail herself of the services of Leoliuus, and it certainly is a very high compliment to Perkin Warbeck when such a first class judge as the owner of Russley selects the son of Adventurer as the most fitting mate for what must be considered the most aristocratically bred mare inhis paddocks. The result will be looked for by our breeders with no small amount of curiosity. I personally have little dought about the result, as apart from his patrician lineage, I have always felt sure that the handsome little Perkin Warbeck would get high class racehorses if well mated.