AUCKLAND.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9763, 26 June 1897, Page 4

AUCKLAND.

June 21. Arrangements have now been completed •f«..r the purchase by the Ohinemuri Jockey Club of Mr N. Dickey's large paddock in which the races have up to the present been held. A deposit of £250 has been paid,, and a surveyor has been engaged in altering the course in such a way that all the sharp turns have been . taken away. It will be remembered that it was at this turn so many accidents took place at the Club's last meeting.

Steps are being taken with the idea of amalgamating the Papakura, Onehunga and Otahuhu and Suburban Racing Clubs, with a view of forming one strong club for next season. It is proposed to remove the grand stand from Papakura, and re-erect it at the Otahuhu course. So far the proposal is only in its first stage.

A pony named Epaulet, brought up here from New Plymouth by E. Kelly recently, was put up to auction to-day, but failed to find a buyer. It wa3 given out that he is by Escutcheon. The hunter MB, advertised as lately the property of the Wellington huntsman, and winner of the Maiden Steeplechase at Wairarapa, Was also passed in. * . ■

I notice that a paragraph has been going the rounds, telegraphed from here through the Press Association, that the betting prosecutions in Sydney have resulted in a large number of ponies and a number of horses being sent over to Auckland, and that several Sydney pencillera have also made their appearance. This is altogether incorrect. The fact is a cable was sent over from Sydney and evidently thought by the Press agent here a local item.—[The paragraph should have appeared under the headins; of " Melbourne."—Ed.]

During the past season the Auckland Racing Club established a record for tbe colony in the amount of money passethrough the totalisator. At their five meetings held.'the sam of £100,366 was bandied against £81,297 in the previous year. The Government benefit to the extent of £1605 9s 10d r the tax paid into the treasury amounting to that sum.

In connection with the breeding of Winnie, dam of St. Simon, Major Lusk has been good enough to- forward mc the following :— " Thames, June 15th—Sir,—Having noticed a paragraph referring to that grand hoi_e St. Simon, and th»t you were somewhat in error as to the pedigree of his dam, Winnie (bred by mc),. I have thought that you woutd be glad to have the pedigree corrected, and as many of Winnie _ progeny are in the hands of racing men, it will doubtless interest them to have the matter cleared up. I bred both Winnie and her dam, Dolly Vardett, and was long the owner of the grand dam Brttfiette (whom I lost during the Waikato war), so that .1 am clearly the Best authority oW the subject. Winnie wa* got by Kingfisher oat of Dolly Varden. Dolly Varden Was by Pacific out of Brunette. Brunette was by Yah Trorap, oat of an Arab mare, who was bred in New South Wales. Sh'i was the best and gamest bit of horseflesh I ever crossed, ana Won races both on the fiat and over Sticks.—l art. &d., D. H. Lrj_ft. w

I hear there is ajjroposat on foot for the Auckland Racing Cbib to take under their wing the poDy racing at Potter- Paddock. I mean by this that the programme of the pony events WiS be submitted (6 tbe A.R.C. authorities for approval, so that ponies can race arid jockeyjf ride at both Potter*- Paddock and Ellerslie without being disqualified, as at -resent.

Bonnie Blue is to be shipped to Napier tomorrow ; thence it is proposed to go to Wellington.

J. Bae takes a team to Wellington and th* New JJenland OJran.} N-itomtl >««etin_?. The wei&Utajo. Zealand Cu# are.

of course, being awaited here with a good deal of interest. Day Star and Earoclvdon are the local favourites. Ant-res has been supported locally.

In my last week'a wire I made reference to the* licensing of bookmakers by the Auckland R.C. The word " not "is omitted, which makes the paragraph read the very opposite-to what was intended—that the A.R.C. will not again license bookmakers.