"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK.

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

"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK.

A programme of the Calcutta races for 1897-98 has been handed mc for perusal fay Mr Wanklyo, secretary of the C.J.C. Seeing that tho meetings are held in Decent' ber and January next, the management it may be said, give plenty of publicity, by circulating their bill of fare, this no doubt in order to attract the attention of English, Australian and foreign buyers, who make it a practice of sending horses forward for sale. The Viceroy _ Cap i« this year oi the value of 15,000 rupees, and ther- a.-*-. quite a number of races of note, such as tt.* Metropolitan Stakes of 8000 rupees, the Indian Grand National Steeplechase of 6000, the International Pony Stakes, the Grand Annual Stake and Merchants' Plate, eaoli of 5000 rupees, and half a dozen others of over 4000 rupees, the stake of lowest value being 1000 rupees. In India there is no end of betting, and speculation on the chief of the events commences early, as is the case over such events as the Melbourne and New Zealand Cups.

Bracelet horses are somewhat in request amongst hunting enthusiasts, and anything likely to be forward enough to compete for the Hunt Club events of the coming season commands attention. This year's Christchurch Hunt Club Bracelet Race may not improbably provide a good field, especially should there bathe usual number of visitors. For the open Bracelet event at the New Zealand Grand National Meeting there will probably be some useful horses engaged. I don'tknow whether Epaulet, from Mr Steadteam, may be trained therefor, but being still a maiden he should make a likely candidate, if he can be got fit in time. Why the committee of the C.J.C. have so arranged their Grand National programme that no three-year-olds oan compete in the flat handicap events Ido not know. It is more than likely that there would have been a few entries of such age received from Christchurch owners and trainers had the conditions not acted as a bar.

From a private source I learn that it is not unlikely that G. Wright, who trains for Messrs L. D. Nathan, T. Morrin and a few other leading owners up north, may take a team of horses to Sydney shortly. It will depend upon whether there is an early spring meeting at Ellerslie. What horses Wright would visit Australia with I do not know, but he ig said to have a fairish team in hand just now. Day Star, has gone up more on the leg than ray fnend expected. Haria who joined the team some little time back, is looking wiry and well and may be a better horse than he was last year. Antare3 fills the eye better than he did, and looks a tough sort of a customer, though built on light lines. Woodstock, in whose appearauce many saw some resemblance to St. Hippo lastßpring, is a biggish lump of a gelding no*v, and my informant, who * fond of a jumping horse, says he would like to have a few of Woodstock's sort to try his hand upon.

The nominations received for the tw_ chief jumping races of New Zealand and for the Beaufort Steeplechase, run at the Now Zealand Grand National Meeting under the auspices of the Canterbury Jockey Club, are on the whole very satisfactory/not perhaps so large as the increased value of the stakes might have led the club to expect. Still ythoy have about as representative an entry as the most sanguine could have anticipated, when the eutries for jumping events in other, parts of the colony are taken into account, and in the. mutter of all-round quality I fancy they compare favourably. Last year j the entry was a record one for the Grand National Hurdle Race and for the Beaufort Steeplechase, and the entry for the Grand ; National Steeplechase equalled that of the j previous year. This was as it should be. The total entry now for the three events, is the same as last years, although there is a falling off of four in the big hurdle event, and of one in the big cross-country j iace. The figures herewith speak for them- j selves:— ■ ... I *92 '93 "94 '95 *0> '97 Grand National Steeplechase 27 23 25 19 28.27! Grand National Hurdle? ... 25 3* 24 27 43 39 Beaufort Steeplechase .. 16 12 22 23 25 30 _i 74 71 69 95 96 I It may be taken as a coincidence that but nine of the horses entered this year for the Grand National Steeplechase were "engaged in the race last year. The same thing was noticed when last year's entry was received,' when it was found that but nine of the previous year's entrants had been engaged. This points to the presence of new aspirants for honours between the flags, and it may be mentioned as somewhat remarkable, perhaps, that only five of the horses nominated last season in the Grand National Hurdle Race find a plaoe in the coming year's event. There were some who feared that Mutiny, who has twice succeeded in winning the big stake, might be reserved for the Victorian Grand National Meeting, but it is pleasing" to note that he has been entered for the New Zealand event which,has helped to make his name famous in the racing world. Mr Douglas has engaged nothing else for this particular race, and it is the first time for some years that the Hawke's Bay sportsmau has not had more "than one string to his bow. Levanter, twice the hero of the Great Northern Steeplechase, is entered for the big event, and it is to be hoped that both he , and Mutiny will take part on the day. St. bimon, the crack hurdler, is likewise entered, and the flat country may be more to his liking; Still his form over both the Ellerslie and Takapuna courses has been disappointing, and it may be .that his owner will not race him over the big obstacles. His presence would lend 'additional interest to the however. After this trio tfe class is not tiptop, but R_e has a consistent stable mate.of Levanter in Kingawood, and we have only to go back to the figmont and Wanganui meetings to find that sttch horses aa the Friar, Bradshaw, and Rangipai were capable at a reasonable concession of holding their own With the Auckland pair. Mbrag, the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase winner, Perform, and Tally-ho have proved more than useful at the game, and so has Gillie, who, however, has been unsound a long time. Sootlea i_. 6_e 6f the plodding brigade, and has three, times been unsuccessful in the same event. Rhino's chance may be better n this than in any previous steeplechase he has started io, but if it be correct that he is a ndii-slayer, the longer distance may tell a iate. Highlander is a beginner, but in appearance more like a 'chaser than a hurdler, to my mind. Dundonaid is a pelding that I have a strong liking for on his hunting race essays. Te Kooti and Pyrites (torn- under the same category as Gillie. Both have had to undergo the patching-np. process. Old Dromedary is not yec done with, as instance her race With Flirt at the Napier Park Meeting a shbH-time b_ek. Nat, who w_* perhaps a bit. overdone last year, and Violence are both good jumpers, though they may be suited' better in shorter races- Dummy, too, who won the Grand National Hurdle Race last felt, is built on light lines for such a Btiff contract, but still may be <zw fail over big as well as the little jumps. Weight is ti&t greatest ednsideratten in hia case, perhaps. MnSdafel is strong enough aad font enough if she should hi a clever fencjHVi, She, however, has to make her aver country. Ulster is another maiden in so far as -teepiechasiiig ia concerned, •'but. like Muscatel, in her first attempt over hurdles she shaped very tf ell. Frjseflbm is on c of tha i*»v»t known to fam .--ofthoaa, engaged, hub i hails I ttdderstiadi f the Wair*i_jj«.

Of the twenty-seven entered for the race, the South Island has but six representatives, two of the number being North Island-bred-ones. Of the six three are practically unsound, and it looks long odds on the race* being borne off by the Northerners once more. With the exception of St. Simon and Ulster, the same lot are engaged in the Beaufort Steeplechase, though the names of of Rawai, Undesirable Bill, Ulysees, Peter Simple and Clarence, all winners, are not found in the longer distance race. So much for the Steeplechasers.

In the New Zealand Grand National Hurdle Race of those engaged there are some very likely to furnish into more than Useful hurdlers. The beat of class is seen in the gelding St. Simon, while such performed horses as Donald McKinnon, Annabolle, Levanter, Melinite, Ilex, Social Pest, Tally-Ho, Dummy and Prince Charlie, are in this list. There are some fast flat horses entored,a better all-round lot, indeed, than we usually see in the lists. Taking the rnniden lot, we have Jewel, Drury Lane, Sylvia Park, Golden Plover, Monte Carlo, Umslopogaa's, Penrose, Arquebus j Quiltiri, Missfire, VoUigeur. Chaos, Hippomenes and Sylvanus, arid they should furnish something pretty good from their ranks. Then there' are those that have only figured oh one or two occasions over hurdles, such as Kalmea and Muscatel. Mr Henry has a task Bet him th_t means considerable work with so many practically unknown qualities to deal with. I fully expect to; see capital entries for the Maiden Hurdle Race and the other events on the card when the time arrives for making them, and altogether it would appear that there ia a good outlook for the big jumping meeting.

I took a rUh over to the Plnmpton Park racecourse the other day and drove ■ round the new gallop, laid down recently, in company with the contractor, Mr Holmes, who has made a fair job of it, all the shallow places where shingle existed/being well covered. Now that this has been done, the main thing will be to keep it in order, and this can only, be done by continually having the harrows at work and keeping Btook off it. It would pay the club well to keep this track in order,, and make a charge for

trainers to work on it, for it appears to mc that it would be a capital gallop in all seasons, and it can always be top ( dressed with sand or soil. Shortly the course proper will be top dressad and put in order, and the sooner this is done the better. I understand that the executive contemplate going in for a two days' meeting there in November, and intend giving some short limit races.