CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1971, 14 November 1889, Page 24

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Bt RATA.

Some uncommonly good sport was witnessed at Riccarton all through the Metropolitan meeting. Perhaps no Carbine, Maxim, or Manton (as Manton was at this time last year) was seen during the three days' racing, but a couple of good colts are Tirailleur and Scots Grey. Scots Grey Is usually affected slightly by lameness, but some of the best horses have been like that, and in Scots Grey the actual ailment cannot be discovered. Peerswiek, who ran third in the Derby, has been similarly affected behind for something like a year, and his legs, like Scots Grey's, are perfectly clean, and I have no doubt that the nature of the ailment in both horses is identical, and that it is centred in a kind of rheumatism— in the shoulder in Scots Grey, and in the near hindquarter in Peerswick. Prior to the decision, of the Cup it was generally thought that Scots Grey could not get two miles or even a mile and a-balf, but his late performances have dispelled that opinion ; no doubt it was inculcated by the non-staying of some of his dam's previous progeny, but it is now certain that he is a real stayer, and it is well known that he is just as good a horse as Gipsy King was. In Tirailleur he met an excellent colt in the two Cups, and had Tirailleur been in the Derby.the North;lsland woutd have emulated Manton's feat of '88 undoubtedly. Tirailleur is not so good-looking as Manton, and his action is nob so pleasing, but in all probability he will race .bebter after his last week's victories than did Manton after his memorable treble twelve months since. In Percy .Martin he is evidently in the hands of a capital trainer, and he is now about as fit as he can possibly be made. As I previously remarked, the greatest exception) I take to Tirailleur is his front action when galloping ; he seems to take up his off fore leg very clumsily, but Mr Redwood assures me that Lurllne— not Lochiel, one of the finest actioned horses in the world— was very similar. Tirailleur is certainly a bit slab-sided and aogulnr to look at, but immaterial of that he is a racer with plenty of size, bone, substance, and prominent muscular development where muscular development is really wanted. Tirailleur, too, prominently exhibits the existence of an element of lottery ia the purchase of yearlings. With the best judges of thoroughbred stockstandiug round the sale ring at Sylvia Park, fancy a horse like Tirailleur being the lowest priced yearling sold! and I have scon the same result on various occasions.

Occident ran very well in the Cup, and he merited his victory in the Consolation on the con- j eluding afternoon of the fixture. I fancy somehow that he would have gone even a bit closer for the big race on Tuesday had Messrs Stephenson and Hazlett put up White in lieu of Chapman, No doubt Chapman is a good horseman that has hid a lot of experience, but beyond that White is a very exceptional jockey. Occident is about as fit as he can be very well made, and no doubt he will be heard of again presently; he is a fairly good horae that can stay well, and though he hardly shows the quality of such as Tirailleur and Scots Grey, he is a very useful nag, and one of the best Staart Waddell has had an opportunity of operating upon for some time, I imagine. White was only engaged to ride Whisper on Monday morning, and it is matter of fact that her trainer did not fancy her gceatly over a two mile journey ; she cannot stay much over a mile, though she is very fast over that distance, and her win from Dudu and British Lion in the Metropolitan Hand!-, cap was eventually a result of superior speed in reality. Dudu was " spun out" for that' race, and I fancy the stable thought she could beat British, Lion, and no doubt she would have done so had she not been started for the Canterbury Cup. A mile and a-half is just about Dudu's distance, and no doubt her running in the Canterbury Cup immediately prior to beinjr pulled out for the Metropolitan Handicap took a lot out of her ; at any rate she "Bhut up" very quickly when it came to racing— about half way up the straight— and at the finish British Lion showed a lot more pace than she did. Evidently British Lion Is a good mile and a-half • horse, and I strongly suspect that it would be odds ' on him beating Whisper were they run again at Metropolitan Handicap weights and conditions. British Lion can get a mile and a-half " right out" at top, but Whisper cannot do that, and I am of opinion that British Lion is a better stayer than Dudu, though I am assured that two miles is a bit more than he can travel comfortably. Cynisca won the Oaks easily enough, and she also ran a real good mare in the Derby, but like Whisper, a mile and ft-half is just a bit beyond the length of her tether in a strong fun race. Nevertheless she is a very brilliant mare over sprint or mile courses, and when the opposition is not absolutely first class she will always bo dangerous over a mile and a-half, in consideration of a very fine turn of speed. She is faster considerably than Ravenswing was, and I believe that Bhe will be good enough to carry heavy weights more successfully beyond a mile than Eavemwing could—she is a bigger mare. Moraine cannot be a very bad one on his running with Pygmalion in the Spring Nursery Handicap, but Pygmalion was slow in getting away, as youngsters very frequently are in four furlong races, and for that fact I do not think that any advantage is gained by having two-year-olds raced over a less distance than five furlongs, and whenever Moraine meets Pygmalion at Spring Nursery Handicap weights over a five furlong course, Moraine will go down. An excellent two-year-old is Pygmal'on, and should his forelegs stand- 1 do not like their conformation—he will develop' into a first class racer. Of the prominent three-year-old performers of last season, Chain Shot has gone all to pieces ; he has shown a lot of soreness Jn his exercise gallops for somo time, and it is very evident from his last week's running that he is not within 231b of his last November's form, when his trainer and the late Hon. W. Eobinson fancied he could hardly be beaten in the Derby, even after Manton's previously exhibited brilliancy in the New Zealand Cup. Sextant, too, has only partially recovered his early form, though he is looking wonderfully, well in himself, and bis legs appear to be considerably sounder now than they were during the winter and spring of last year ; should Sextant progress favourably, and be treated equitably in <he future, he may yet be seen to the fore iv some important handicap decided over a distance within his compass. Mr O'Brien has always maintained that he was a clinking racer when trained by him. and he must have been exceptionally smart when he succeeded in worsting Maxim in the Challenge Stakes as a two-year-old: It is apparent that Vaultress can gallop a bit after all ; she his only been taken up for a comparatively short period, and her performance on the second afternoon showed that she was a fairly cheap purchase when bought out of the Scratch Selling Race on Tuesday. No doubt Mr Webb would have retained her but for the fact of his having more borees now than he cares to keep in actual work.'. The winning of a selling race also constitutes the only profitable method of disposal for horses of Vaultress' class ; the owner at the time of victory has stakes, price, and betting all rolled Into one to make up his horse's value, provided - as in the first tale of Vaultress last week— the proceeds (or any pare of the proceeds) go to the owner. I have previously discussed the subject of selling races, aad I am strongly of opinion thac material alterations could be advantageously made in the Metropolitan Club ruleß governing their manner of conduct.

It appears that Apre3 Moi 33 hardly as fast as her early promise indicated) bub tbougU she f«il»tl to score right out at the meeting she did something towards paying expenses, and Me Goodman had a nice little win in the Epsom High-weight Stakes with Don Caesar. Don Caspar can travel fairly fast though not anything approaching a really firßt class horae in himself, and he ought to be useful in the future. His owner ia taking down Milord, but he would have nothing to do with Retina ; a flighty mare Is Retina. Milord ought to be a useful acquisition to tho stable, and a youngster will also accompany him South. A neatly made little filly is Watercress, but

she is too small and lacks sufficient pace and, weigh carrying ability to foot it with the beßt two-year-ojd of the season. ' ' ' The amalgamation of totalisator dividends I 'was a novel innovation on the second and third days j of the fixture, and an innovation that I fanoy ought ' to become general in the working of machines on the courses. Totalisator dividends are altogether different from odds offered in a betting ring, in so far as an investor can have little ides of the amount of a dividend until tbe starting bell be about to be rung. Under a totalisator regime, too, the inside and outside dividends -exoept in exceptional instances— are mainly regulated by the average attendance evidently, and when an inside machine shows a monetary advantage of dividend over an outside totalisator, it is commonly a result of inside investments outside at such a meeting as the 0.J.0. Metropolitan ; and vice versa, when an inside dividend is smaller than an outside one, its smallnesa usually ao- % cruet from stable money going on inside too late for insiders to lower the dividend outfide. An amalgamation of dividends cannot possibly affect a club's revenue in any way, and it, obviates sharp practice very considerably, in so far as a semblance of sharp practice now. exists on the part of professional backers and that perhaps is mainlyseeniaan acumen exhibited in watching stable money invested, and ! getting the backing confederacy's money on the j machine, then paying the biggest dividend, or paying the biggest dividend as long as money can be invested just before the atarb. That neither benefits the club nor the public ; it merely reduces the dividend on one particular horse on one or other of the j machines, and it militates against punctuality, and no owner or trainer can be benefited monetarily by i being " followed." The show on Friday was a very good one. Xhere was an excellent display of draught horaes, cattle, and agricultural implements, and tho hunters' were a fairly good lot, but they did not evidently oare for the circua-like track and artificial jumps | provided for them at the show grounds. ,BUt few of them were raced at the obstacles, and equally but few of them got over without a spill, while some fairly good jumpers refused to tackle the timber at all. Messrs Pyne and Co.'s sale of Middle Park yearlings was more successful than that of last season, when the Middle Park sale was held later on in the year.audjfrom the number present it is oblvous that a better attendance of buyers can be had in November than at any other period. Mr Horsford's youngsters were also told, and ull of them fetched low prices, but had they been sold at Russley, like last year's lot, they would not have made a higher average. A. good sportsman is Mr Horsford, and hie enterprise merits a considerably better monetary return than it has received recently. I should think the Kussley paddocks are short of grass, too. The youngsters looked healthy enough ia themselves, and "stuffing" yeanlings rarely benefits buyers; it deteriorates rather than augments facility of judgment, but, on the other hand, a certain amount of the "stuffing" process frequently raises an average in a sale ring. The filly by Albany— Athole was the highest priced lot of the nine sold from Rutsloy, and she only brought Tors, the average of tho nine lots being under 39ga. That cannot possibly pay breedIng expenses, and I should think that the purchase of Lochifll will make some little difference in the prices realised for the Russley yearlings in the courpe of two or three seasons. The Middle Park Stud Company had a very good sale in so far as the six yearlings sold were concorned. The six made an average of )68gB. and seven -were passed in. That average will pay, I" should think, and I have no doubt that Middle Park is greatly in front of Russley for the- production of thoroughbred stock. The grass at Middle Park is so good in consequence of the excellence of the soil, and tho yearlings were better grown than the Russley lot. Mr Stead took Merrle England's brother at 350gs, but I hardly think he is Merrie England's superior, and he may not; be the prpmier two-year-old of next season. He. $s a good colt, nevertheless, but I do not like the St. Georges generally. St. George is too cobby and light in the bone, and neither Merrie England nor Exchange stood really winding-up preparations in the early part of their three-year-old seasons. I fancy the Apreraont— Rupee nick is better somehow than the St. GeorgeRupee. Rupee is a good mare. The chestnut colt by St. George— Becky Sharp was knocked down cheaply enough to Mr Ormond at 170gs, and that buyer had another bargain in the St. George-Miss Plat filly. The pair of two year-olds by St. George from Red Rose and Charm were Bold at 105gs and lOOgs respectively. Some odd lota were then put up ; but there were no buyers about for old horses apparently, and the yearling by Apremont— Fantasy failed to realise his value, and was pased in, Fantasy with foal at foot also passing in. Ravenswing has dropped a filly foal to Total Eclipse. Apparently some of the Nordenfeldts retained in the North Island have come a bit earlier than the lot brought to Canterbury, and how the Nordenfeldts brought to Riccarton and Yaldhurst perform will bo ono of the most interesting features of two-year-old racing presently. Evidently a Nordenfeldt won up North the other day. Ravenswing's foal to Total Eclipse is a bay colt, and not a filly. I have never ieen him, however. The latest foalings at Middle Park are a bay filly by St. George— Hammock, and a bay filly by Apremonfc — Watersprite. I hear that Fantasy, with her foal by Apremont, has been sold since Saturday, and that the Apremont- Fantasy colt has been entered in the Welcome Stakes. 1 85gs were offered for him on Saturday, but apparently his owner thought he was worth more money, and no doubt he is. His pedigree cannot be traced right out on Youds Traducer's side, but no doubt he is fullblooded. Manton, for instance, has a stain in his pedigree j but there is no doubt that he is purely bred. 1 Apparently a lot of thoroughbred mares were imported to Australia in the early days whose pedigrees were not sent along, with them, and consequently the various supposed stains ia the pedigree of good horses. In appears that Mr Goodman, who left here yesterday (Tuesday) morning, has only taken down Milord, in addition to the two, Apres Moi and Don Caesar he brought up. « Considerable professional criticism has been heard in regard to the New Zealand Exhibition Cup weights, and it is generally thought here tuas Occident has been let in very lightly, but I hardly think so, and it -will take him all his time to get home in front of some of the three-year-olds. The C.J.C. have received 82 nominations for tbe Welcome Stakes, 85 for the Derby, and 42 for the Oaks.