SPORTING NOTES.

The Victorian jockey, B. Carslake, has arrived in England. Catapult, a three-year-old by Carbine,, was a winner a. Sal.sbury in May. Maniapoto ia an some demand with backers for the big spring handicaps in Australia. After winning- the steeplechase at the Boulder maeting, West Australia, King Pin dropped dead. , The Sydney pony clubs have suspended hostilities, and have agreed about a reduced number of days of racing. Flying Fox provided the winner of the French Oaks, in Flying Star; another filly by him, in Sais, being eecond. ' It is. reported that Starshoot cost his connactions a lot of money- at the Warwick Farm ~ ■-■la the Coronation- Cup; rttnc it Epsom' the day after the Derby. Pretty P Uy won in a canter from Achilles and St Amant. It is reported that Captaai Campbell's horses, Playfair, Sobraon and Elmwood, will be Bent to England after the Grand National I meeting. | The North Island jockeys, G-. Price and S. Keid, who are enjoying a holiday in Sydney, have been granted licenses by the Australian Jockey Club. \ F. Macmaneinin, the Auckland trainer, is now the sole owner of Haydn, the partnership whioh previous^ existed in the ownership having been dissolved. Welbeck is reported to be doing good work at Ashburton. in view of the Grand National Hurdle Race, for which he has ' many staunch supporters. In order to encourage West Australian breeders, it is probable the "West Australian Turf Club will put on a race next season for two-year-olds bred in that State. G-rafton Lad, ridden by L. H. Hewitt, was made a strong favourite for the principal event at Canterbury Park, Sydney, on June 23, but was beaten by Byton. Carbina was represented by a winner at the Koyal Ascot meeting, when the three-year-old Foresight, by Carbine — Chaffinch, won the Forty-fourth Biennial Stakes. The principal riding for the. Hon J. D; Ormond's stable will probably be entrusted next season to D. Price, the light-weight horseman now associated with F. Tilley's stable. . ! The: Sydney horse Codlarit, the crack two-yeax-old of this season, has been awarded 7st j 121 b in the Melbourne Cup, Antonious being given 7st 9lb. In the Caulfield Cup Collarit has Bst and Antonious 7sf 71b. , The widow of S. Fergus, who died from injuries received when riding Silicia at Ellcralie last month, has made a claim on D. Moraghan, the owner of the horse, for £100. The claim has been sent on to the Racing 1 Conference. An English exchange is responsible for the statement that Tod Sloan is engaged as a billiard-marker in America, but a South Australian who recently returned from a trip around the world brings the news that the one-time crack jockey ia sporting editor on a New York paper. F. D. Jones scored his first success in England at the Bath meeting, on May 22, when he won tiie Tradesmen's xwo-year-oid. oenuig Plate on G-az-kette. On the came day he roie the two-year-old itaytoi into eec-nd piavC in the Badinxntou Plate, the winner being nes.ar gon, by Lodas — Concertina, and therefore halfbrother to the Newmarket Handicap winner, Piayaway. ' . An Australian in England, writing to a friend in Melbourne, states that he saw Noctuiform, the New Zealand-bred horse, at Kemp ton Park. His opinion was that Mr Bucuanan's purchase was by far the bestlooking horse he had seen since his arr val in England. The son of Mult form was manifestly on the big side, and would take some time ' to reach racing condition. Ihe same writer points out in his letter how much super.-or Australian racehorses are to those in England, and' how very much superior is the catering for the pub.ic done Here as compared with that on the Old Country racecourses, such as Kempton Park. A writer in the Melbourne " Sporting I Judge" says that from what he has heard of late the time seems to be approaching when it will be necessary for the Victoria Kacing Club to take in hand the question of country handicapping. Among some of the weight-adjußters alluded to, at loaet on* is said to " lean " considerably toward certain folk, and another bets largely when ccii tain "friends" have good things. The cut. ting up of Victoria into sections and th« appointing of a handicapper for each section is suggested ac a good way out of th« difficulty. The several handicappersh— say about four— could then confer occasionally. The Massachusetts Legislature recently passed an Act mak.ng it unlawful fcr any ! auctioneer to receive an offer for Bile at pub* lie auction of any horses which by reason of debility, disease, or lameness, or for other causes, could not be worked in that state without violating the law against cruelty to ' animals ; or for any person to lead, ride, or drive on any public way any such animal for any purpose except that of conveying it to a proper place f:r its humane keeping or kill- ' rig, or for medcal or surgical treatment, i The p nalty clause provides for the cance.lo- ! tion of the auctioneer's lioense and a fine of ' not less than sdol nor more than lOOdol, or for imprisonment for: not more than six months. The Babolna Stud Farm, in Hungary, covers an area of nearly 10,000 acres. It has, since about 1816, been given up almost entirely to th« breeding of Arab and Arab halfbred stock — the latter being used for military purposes, and also for supplying other State ' •tudi with »tallioaa for publlo use. It i» the

i ' ' rule with the half-breds that they musk apt exceed a certain size, nor vary from, a certain well-recognised type. Horsea which dp not comply with these requirements are sold as saddle or harness horses. The horses at Babolna, Arabs and half-breds, are allowed to run about loose in immense stables. The young stole, yearling and two-year-old*, spend their t me in the great pastures attached to the stud buildings. That owners have neither a legal nor moral claim to any part of the money the drawer of their horses in a " Tattersal! " sweep stands to win I have often argued (says a Tasmanian writer) with . a certain owner in this State, who never would admit I was right in my contention. Recently this owner hadahrrse engaged in a race here, on which there was a Tatt»rsall sweep, and if ever there was a certainty for a race the horse in question 3"« ned one for this event. But no sweepI money iwas forthcoming, and the horsis was scratched at the last moment. Then., just a~ the race w«e run, came a telegram from ths drawer of 'he horse, a resident of a M«iboum» ruburb, offering t*e owner a thousand out of the sweep-m-ney if the horse won. It is very evident that there will, within the next few months, be a most determined effort made, both in this State and Victoria, to put a stop to the great amount of betting and gambling that goes on outside the race tracks (says the Sydney " Town and Country Journal.") For years, both in Sydney and Melbourne, there have been numerous shops and places carried on in which betting took place. Many of them appeared to defy the .law and those appointed to carry it out. Latterly a move has been made towards their suppression. It is said, however, that we have a house in Sydney, and they have aJso one in the southern State, that cannot be stopped until Parliament meets and passes a short Bill giving the authorities greater power than they now posses*. The question of riders i» at present » rathe* anxious one, says an English writer, for some who are left without a jockey, j which reminds me that Carslake, the lead-, ing Australian jookey, i^ at present with us. I saw him ride Gala Wreath (in C. Arbhers* string) on the Limekilns,' when' he certainly shaped in the style of a first-class horseman, which I have not the least doubt ho is. In speaking afterwards to F. W. Day, the trainer, about him, he confirmed my opinion, Thero is undoubtedly plenty of room for a few good riders here at present, as some of the exhibitions of jockeyship I have seen this year, and more particularly here last week, w«Te too painful for words. | Garrison, the two-year-old by Phoabus Apollo — Vivandiere, and therefore half-broth-er to Canteen, won a race in West Australia last month. For several years the starting-gate has been in use on all the racecourses where sport under Jockey Club rules is carried on, and, *on the whole, public opinion favours the method of starting horses from behind tapes. But it is, nevertheless, a fact that certain owners and trainers still dislike the present system, and it is generally conceded that more horses are left at the post than . there should be. Though the very unequal starts— when the. field got off in Btragg^.ng order, with a huge gap between the leaders and the rearmost horses — which used to be seen almost daily under the flag system are practically things of the past, the starting is by no means perfect yet, and just lately there have been many complaints as to certain horses having had their chances of sue cess destroyed at the post. It is, then, absolutely necessary (says " The Field ") that measures should be taken with a view to ameliorating the present state of affaire, and a very practical suggestion on the part of a well-known traii.er is to the effect that the starter's platform should be made higher, with a rail placed round it, and that the starter should work the gate with a foot lever instead of by hand, as is now done. This would prevent the jockeys from follow ing the starter's hand with their eyes a* they so often do now, and thus one cause oi horses being left would be removed, for it has often been noticed that jockeys whose eyes have been .fixed on the. starter have by no means the best of the start ' when the tapes have gone up. It is possible, . too, that the plan of walking horses up to the barrier might . answer, many who have seen it in other countries having spoken highly of its efficiency ; while many critics of racing in this country are , strongly opposed .to the standing start. It is to be hoped that the Astewftrids. Jofc.ib.e- Jockey Club will continue - th«tr^-^lSrlm«Ditei- -so^that ■■ the best - patterar of gate and the best system of using it may be discovered, . . . '