SPORTING NEWS.

• FAR AND NEAR. \ (By THE POSSIBLE.) A very fair programme has been issued for the North Otago Jockey Club's Autumn j Meeting, to be held on May 24 and 25. The principal race on eaoh day, the. Empire Handicap and Victoria Handicap respectively, are each of 50 soys value, and the other stakes are sufficiently large to go a good way in purchasing winter oats. Tbe nominations will close to-morrow (Thursday). At a meeting of the committee bf the Greymouth; Jockey Club,, on April 25, Mr H. D. Roberts appealed from' the decision of the Kumara Racing dub in awarding the stakes for the DUlmanstown Hack Race to Argyle, his horse Korimako being second. The appeal stated that the race -was advertise! as the Dillmanstown Hack Race, and no- official notification waa made- 6r advertised as to any alteration in the conditions of the race, excepting that on tho race cards the word "hack" did not appear. The race was won by Argyle, and the trainer of Korimako, who finished second, protested against Argyle being declared the winner upon the grounds that he -was not eligible to compete in hack races, haying won over the specified sum both in a single race and ( collectively. The stewards, after consulting) authorities, dismissed the protest, and the Greymouth committee, as the metropolitan club of the district, after discussing the question, resolved to dismiss the appeal, on the, ground that the Kumara stewards had acted in accordance with a suggestion given by Sir George Clifford through the Greymouth metropolitan Club. Mr Roberts has given notice of his intention to appeal to the Racing' Conference. The reason for the decision) should certainly be made- publio, aa the question isone of importance. . The attendance on the first day of the Manawatu Racing Club's Autumn Meeting, last Wednesday, was larger than at any previous autumn meeting of the club. The course was in good order, the racing interesting, and the financial results eatisfac-. Tory, the totalisator investments, £10,536, being £2700 in advanoe of those for the corresponding day" last year. A number of withdrawals' were made from the minor events, but still tbe fields were good.. The opening event, the Telegraph Handicap, was won pretty comfortably by Kremlin, who' was a pronounced favourite. The Trial Hack Stakes produced a most exciting race between Waitatapia and Matakokiri; who ran neck and neck for-the last two furlongs, the former gaining his advantage of a head in the last stride. Agony was favourite, but finished out of a place. Tho Guesser was favourite for the • First Hack Hurdle Race* and he won very easily, after Monarque ' had led most of the way. Cannie Chiel \?as a slightly better favourite «than Melodeori for the Cup, Madrigal also being well backed. Sir George Clifford's horse led all the way. Jewellery was his nearest attendant for a mile, and then Full Cry challenged with a splendid run, but the favourite lasted just long enough to win by a length. Melodeon was never prominent,, but Madrigal finished a fair fourth. The winner and his owner were loudly cheered. Lissa was made favourite for the First Hurdle Race, but Comfort waited on : the field until entering the straight, and then ran through and won easily from the outsider Levant. Lissa was third. Waipawa was a good second favourite to Gold I Trip for tbe Welter Handicap. The former led from 6tart to finish, but Woodmount . | got to his girth as the winning-post was passed, Gold Trip being beaten nearly half a mile from home. Black Reynard and Armistice shared favouritism for the Longburn Handicap, but the former was alone at the finish— the easiest win of the day. A hot favourite in Lady Bobs, after waiting till the straight was entered, came through and won by ten lengths. The second day's racing p_ tlie Manawatu autumn meeting attracted a larger attendance and gave rise to more active speculation than the first day's. The fdtalisator investments amounted to £11,211, making the total for the two days £21,747, as against £14,443 last year, lbe fields were larger. Kremlin, in the Borough Handicap, was, raised 161 b for his previous day's victory, but was made favourite, and won very comfortably. In the Flying (Handicap, Lady Bobs, despite 101 b increase in weight, from the first day, was made » very strong favourite, and won cleverly, after making - a very pretty race, in which Trent and Athol Brou were in turn prominent. The Second Hack Hurdle Race was between Lurcher, Pushful and Valima, who were favourites in the order named. Lurcher led till close upon the last.Jiurdle, when Pushful took command, going on and winning pretty comfortably, Valima just beating Lurcher for second place. Narcissus was fourth. Monarque fell. Cannie Chiel was a pronounced favourite for the Autumn Handicap, Full Cry being next in request. The favourite was never conspicuous, and Black Reynard, "except for being headed by Melodeon for a 'few strides, was always in command,^and won easily. Good, Intent and Madrigal had a great fight for second place, the former being successful by half a length. CaDnie Chiel was fourth, St Alba fifth and Cyrw last. Matakokiri scored a runaway whi in the Hack Scurry. Comfort repeated : his previous day. success in the Second Hurdle .i Race. . Provost Marshal won the Kairanga j Hack Handicap after an exciting race with

Waipawa; and another runa-way race was seen when Bounce won the Farewell Handicap. The result df the first two English classic races, the _wo Thousand Guineas and the One Thousand Guineas, suggests that the form of last year's two-year-olds is likely to be reproduced this year. St Amant and Henry the First, who occupied first and third places in the Two Thousand Guineas, were bred by their respective owners, while John o'' Gaunt was bred by Sir Tatton Sykes, and was purchased as a yearling by Sir John Thursby. Between St Amant* and Henry the First there was very little to choose last season, though, going strictly on form, the first-named had a little the best . of the argument. Against that, however, there was the fact that, whereas St Amant began public life in capital style, and won his first two races, Henry the First was palpably backward when he made his debut, but improved greatly as the season grew older, and showed much better form in the autumn than in the summer. The pair met in the Prince of Waies Stakes at Goodwood, J when a grand race was witnessed. Henry the First obtained the first run, and for a time looked like .winning, but then St Amant got at him, and. snatched a verdict by a short half-length. On this form there ; was not much to choose between the pair, and the public evidently recognised this, as they have disputed favouritism for the Derby all the winter. John o' Gaunt, though he -did not gain much distinction as a two-year-old, was picked out as a likely Derby winner on the day he was sold as a yearling, and from the form he showed last week it looks as if he would have to be reckoned with in connection with this season* s* events. On breeding lines he can hold his own with the best inthe world: Isinglass and Lai Fleche were the best of their respective years, and Isinglass has already proved his worth as a sire. It is a matter for- regret that Pretty PdUy was not entered for the Two Thousand Guineas or the Derby. On last season's form she was some distance in front of the colts, good judges estimating her superiority to St Amant at 101 b at the end of the season. On this showing it seemed only a question of health for her to win the One Thousand Guineas. If all goes well in the nleantjnej Pretty Polly will have a chance of meeting the Derby winner in the St Leger. That she i. an exceptionally good filly her record shows. Some of hei- admirers class her as superior to La Fleche and Sceptre, but there will be time enough to endorse this view later on in the season, when she has had a* chance of meeting some of the. older horses. The victory of St Amant draws further attention to the stud prospects of San Francisco, who is a full- j brother to St Fnisqttin, the sire of St Amant. Though San Francisco has still to'make I a name at the stud, he is bred the -right way to be a success; and each victory gained by a descendant of St Frusquin must increase the rejgret felt at the departure of his brother from New Zealand on the occasion of the break iip of the Sylvia; Park, Stud. The judges at the recent show in London of the Hunters' Improvement- Society reported as follows to the Eoyal Commission on Horse Breeding: — "As judges of the thoroughbred stallions,, we consider that, taking the show all oyer, the horses shown were suitable for the purpose for which they were exhibited, but the various classes were by no means equal in quality. In some j classes, notably E and F, whioh stood, pro- | minently -forward, most of the ., stallions ,'j shown were good, but in other classes. ;the exhibits were decidedly poor. We found the information given by the Commission as* to the length pf time the stallions had been in training, and their performances on the turf, to be of much assistance in enabling us to form an estimate of their natural soundness and constitution." Class F included the New Zeali-nd-bred Gold Medallist, who waa one of the four horses selected. for the district, which. is a very extensive and good hunter breeding neighbourhood, comprising Gloucestershire, Hereford, Monmouth, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwick, Worcester and South Wales. He was very favourably noticed by the critics. It was stated that but of ninety -four stallions entered for exhibition, thirty-eight were former Premium winners, sixty-two had been shown be- :