TURF GOSSIP.

[By Hipi'OSA.]

The Island Ray Park Racing Club Meet ing takes placo on Friday and Saturday next, the two principal events being tho Gold Cup, 11. milo, and Nowtown Stakos, three - quarters of a milo. Tho nninos and weights of those engaged in tho Hold Cup aro : Tasman, 9st 51b : Nelson, '.Ist 31b ; Administrator, I'st ; Pasha, Bst 121b ; l'oarl, Sat 51b; Lady Emma, Sat; Armourer, 7st 1 lib ; Captain Webster, 7st 101b ; Loon, 7st 91b ; Salvage, 7st lilb ; Soudan, 7st ;">lb ; Ugly Buck, 7st -lib ; Talebearer, 7st :i b ; Capsize, list 121b. To vonturo a tip, I think that whatever beats Feahl will win.

Tho Wellington Cup, which comes up for deci-ion on tho sth of February, has decreased in numbers to fourteen, but thoso that aro loft in should provide tho sports of tho Empire City with an excollent contest. With 8--t 41b, Nelson would cortainly appear to have a bit of a mortgage on tho nice-that is, judged by his running horo — and my present opinion is that whatever belts him will win. Tho Hutt courso, however, is somowhat notod for surprises, and it is just likely that wo may again bo treated to ono this year. Tho following aro the namos of thoso who have accoptod : — st lb st lb Tisni'in .. .. !l 8 Kusllado .. .. 7 (i Administrator .. 8 ti GrandUnko ..7 1 Nelson ..8 1 Salvage .. ..7 1 Pacha .. ..8 2 l.con .. ..7 1 Lady Kmma •• 710 Waitirl ..7 2 Pearl .. ..7 1) Speculation .. (113 Armourer.. ..7 8 Tho Marquis ..GO Derringer and Necklace, I understand, will bo shipped next Thursday, to fulfil their engagements at tho Dunedin Autumn Meeting, but it has not yot been definitely decided whether Turquoise will accompany the pair. It seoms that a commission has boon executed throughout tho colony in favour of Dorrinoer for tho Cup, and with 7st -21b, thore can bo no denying tho fuct that, tho son of Muskot is particularly woll doalt with.

Tho accounts in conn»_:tion with tho Auckland Summor Mooting havo not boon finally dealt with, but I understand tho meeting will result in a profit to the Club of clo-o on i'o,ooo.

Mr Evett's adjustment of tho weights for tho Onehunga Summer Meoting can hardly bo put down among his best oll'orts. Had ho commenced tho Cup on a slightly lower scale, it would have given Cinderella n chance, but it is asking her too much to CMt'ry-trai ii". ■•ijroimjni»-..~— >,- __.—-.- ---with. Although Alaric and Shofover havo been withdrawn from tho Hurdles, they had nothing to complain of, for all of thoso encaged aro a vory modorato lot. The groat blot, however, of tho compilation is tho lenient treatment awarded to Mi trail louse in tho Suburban Ha.idicap.

I havo hoard it stated from pretty good authority that Hormitago will turn out to bo tho solccted ono of Mr D. O'Brien's stablo for tho Dunedin Cup. His impost for tho ovontis 7st. 81b.

A proceeding took placo in connection with tho Midsummer Handicap at tho Summor Meeting of tho Canterbury Jockoy Ciub which should scarcely havo beon tolerated by the stewards. It seoms that tho winner, Mr R. Ray's Leon, loft tho saddling paddock with his shoes on and took his preliminary in them, but thoy woro carefully removed at the back of tho courso. By his victory, Loon has incurred a 51b penalty for the Dunedin Cup, which brings his weight for that event up to 7st 81b.

Nordenfoldt is in great favour with Australian backors for tho Champion Stake?, but tho Holders do not care to do business. Tho son of Muskot I notice is doing stoady work at Randwick.

Tho woights for tho Takapuna Summor Mooting woro issued during the weok by Mr W. W. Robinson, and thoy appear to bo most equitably framed. In tho Stooplochaso though, I think Alaric should have had a bit more on him, for ho roads particularly well with list 101b. Acceptances and genoral ontries for tho meoting are duo on the 22nd inst.

Mr Jubal Fleming, who has so successfully conducted consultations in Christchurch undor the namo of " Kobin Hood," has been on a visit here during the last ton days. Ifo loft for Sydney on Wodnesday, whoro ho intends carrying on his business in future, that drastic measure, tho Now Zealand (laming and Lotteries Act, driving him to this courso.

The following are tho prieos for the Dunedin Cup:— 100 to 15 against Nolson, 100 to 14 against Derringer, 100 to 12 against I.ochiel and Trenton, 100 to 10 against Fusilado and Hermitage, 100 to 8 against Lady Emma, 100 to 7 against Evorfou Lad and Loon, 100 to G against Patrician and July, 100 to 5 against, Russloy. Among the ontries for the Australian Cup, run in March noxt, are tho New Zealand bred ones Liverpool, Winchester, Thunderbolt, Welcome Jack, Maori Chiof, Matchlock, and Nordenfoldt. In the New market Handicap nominations, tho name of Oudeis figures.

The Christchurch papors state that the attendance on tho two days of the Cantorbury Jockoy Club's Summer Meoting was onough to givo tho officials "a fit of tlie blues." Auckland turfites will certainly not bo sorry to hoar of this.

From Napier I learn that Mr Allan McLean has lost his brood mare Repo from enteritis. Tho mare had a foal by Vasco di Gamma nt foot. "Flaneur" states that Mr H. Rodwood's Fair Puritan has also paid the debt of nature, Sho had a Dauphin foal at foo\ which still survives.

Writes " Sir Launcelot" : —In commenting on the victories of Soudan here and Trenton in Australia, in November last, I noted " that Musket has owed his chief successes as a stud horse to being crossed with mares possessing thorough colonial podigrees, notwithstanding that the son of Toxopholite had such numerous chances with tho most aristocratic blood that has of late years beon imported from England. ' Again has this statement been borne out by somo of the results at the Auckland Summor Meeting. The winning descendants of Musket at this fixture wore Foul Shot, winner of tho Derby and Grand Stand Handicap ; Derringer, who beat him in the Stud Co.'s Sires' Stakes ; Mitrailleuse, who won tho Railway Plate ; Ricochet, the heroine of tbe Great Northern Foal Stakes; Necklace, winner of the Newmarket Handicap ; and Revolver, winner of the Selling Stakes. In addition to these VVaitiri ran second to Nelson in both the Cup and R.C. Handicap. With the exception of Necklace all these descendants of Musket are out of thorough colonial-bred mares—so much so that Foul Shot and Waitiri have blemishes in their pedigrees. The granddam of Foul Shot has never found a place in a stud book, while Waitiri'sg.g.g.- dam is also unknown. The success of Musket with theso colonialpedigreed mares is worth nothing, and provf s that because a mare is sprung from a Sydney or a Tasmanian-bred mare imported to this colony without pedigree before the days of stud books, they were not necessarily tho produce of cocktails, and not a few of this class that havo either raced well themselves or are the maternal ancestresses of good performers have deservedly found places in the N.Z."Stud Books" without the (c) prefix attached te their names,

Mr G. G. Stead's Dunedin Cup candidate Loehiel is stated to have pulled up lame after a gallop. Ho is somewhat easier in the betting for the big Otago event in consequence. At the V.R.C. Mooting on Now Year a Day, Mr J. Cripp's Duration won both the Midsummer Handicap and Stundish Plate, beating good fields in each. The Normanby Stakes fell to Mr W. A Long's filly Madollina. , . . Tho following is a list of winning sires at tho C.J.C. Summer Meeting:—Albany, £'504 10s ; Loolinus, .£244 ss; Anteros, £241 Us ; Feve, £200 ; Te Koe, £109 5s ; St. Albans, £95 ; Pacific, £S7; Apremont, £7(i 10s; Totara, £56 Is ; Manuka, £53 14s ; Muskot, £29; Maribymong, £19 ; King of Clubs, £19; Hibornian, £19; Korari, £19 ; Opawa, £10 ; unknown, £100 1 18s : total, £1,988 17s. While running in Sydney Tattorsall s Cup on Now Year's Day, the woll-known performer St. Lawrence injured his spine, and died shortly afterwards from the effects. . Frod Archer, by his victories on Monte Rosa in the Budbrood Stakos, and Stourhoad in the Midland Counties Handicap at Warwick, has brought his total of winning mounts for this year up to 243, which iB the largest number of winnors over ridden by any jockoy during one season, tho noarest approach to this magnificent total being Archer's own of 241 of last year. In tho Anniversary Handicap, to be decided at the Sydnoy Turf Club Mooting on tho 29th January, Welcomo Jack has boon awarded Sst 121b. Tho distance is 1 mile 3 furlongs. Tho Hon. W. Roovos's throe-year-old colt Tiger Tim broke down badly when running in tho Middlo Park Stakes at tho C.J.C. Midsummor Meoting. This accounts for his withdrawal from tho Dunedin Cup this week. . For tho noxt English Derby Ormonde is tho favourite at 11 to 2, but half-a-point more is accoptcd about Minting, and Saraband is almost as much fancied as tho lattor. Tho Bard has also a numerous following at (j to 1. The throo-yoar-old colt Dorwenter, by Manuka—Miss Jackson, an inmato of Dan O'Brion's stablo, has boon purchased by Mr R. Rutherford foroasovs. The Committee of the Australian Jockoy Club mot sevoral days back to inquire into tho contretemps which took placo betweon Messrs W. A. Long and W. Gannon at tho Boxing Day Meoting with roforence to the lattor's starting. After two hours' sitting, tho affair was amicably settled. The handicapping difficulty in England is assuming curious phasos. Mr Edward Woathorly, tho jockoy club official, has resigned rather than submit to tho abuso of dissatisfied ownors. An English sporting papor says that a cortain owner complained to tho hiindicappor that his horse had been givon a stone too much weight. Tho abused official challenged tho aggrioved owner to run tho horse, which ho did, and the horso won with quite 51b in hand. There is littlo wonder that tho Jockoy Club should experience some difficulty in securing a successor to Mr Weathorly. Thoro is somo talk of introducing tho totalisator at thomeoting6of theTasmaniau Racing Club. Mr T. S. Clibborn, of Sydney, will in April noxt submit by auction tho whole of tho colobrated Terrara stud horses, consistinn of Robinson Crusoo, Navigator, Piscator, Grand Prix, and Guinea ; also sixty brood marcs, including Rose of Donmark, Cocoanut, Ragpicker, and other woll-known matrons. A numbor of yearlings aud two-year-olds will also bo offered, as Mr Do

Mestro intends to relinquish his breeding stud.

Trainers, like doctors, differ as widely in tho diagnosis of their chargos' defects and propensities as thoy do in tho treatment which they orclor for tho improvomont of their condition. Chatting tho other evening with threo or four of our trainors, (writes "Vigilant") this fact was very noticoable, but some of tho hints dropped struck mo as being somowhat original. One gentleman is a firm boliovor in weight - not in tho shape of lead, that thoy all havo a standing aversion to, but mado up of bono, muscle, and firm flosh. Tho trainor lam writing of contends that the avorago race-

bursa is always at his best at a cortaii

weight, and if his charge does not perform sali-factorily whon light, ho throws him off a while and determines to put a bit more ilos-h on him. A month or two back, for oxumple, ho purchased on animal who, despite hia breeding and appearance, turned -•-•—rr--' -f," tr. hia nrnvinilß O'vnor. His present trainor at once made up his mind to sco what a hundrcdwoight or so more flesh on him would effect in his speed and staying powers, and with that view he has tho horse, who is still doing shady work, weighed regularly, and when ho turns tho scalo at tho maximum which his present owner has allotted him, that will bo considered his proper weight, and ho will bo worked and diotod

with a viow to keep that weight up. Tho tr,liner's argument I tako to bo somewhat as follows : " Every horso is at his best at a certain weight. Malua, for example, was probably never so well as whon he won the Molbourno Cup. If I had had him I would havo weighed him that day, and tried afterwards to train him to about the samo

woight." Ono of the greatest mistakos made-most frequently by young trainors

- is in imparting an outward polish to tho coat of an animal while the muscular portion of his anatomy is almost neglected. A horso may bo made to look remarkably handsome and fit without apparently a pound of superfluous flesh, and with a coat as slook as satin, and yot he may luck that without which no doeont raco was ovor won—muscle. By dint of constant and assiduous rubbing, a clover trainor—either of men or horsos—can put on muscle where it is needod, and if grcator attention wore paid to this part of tho businoss and loss to the sonsational gallop order of things, fowor of our wollbrod horsos would bo found striving to oarn thoir oats in soiling racos and five-furlong lluttors.

This is a very strango and porfoctly true story of dreaming a winnor, which I havo nover soon in print (says a writer in the "Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News"). Some yoars since, in 1854, to bo prociso, a man dreamed that the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood was won by a-hoiso named Pumicostono. Ho did not sco tho colours in his dream, as some prophetic visionarios have dono, but the name was firmly impressod on his momory. When ho woke ho looked at the entries and found that thero was no horso namod Pumicestone in the raco, and only ono colt without a name—an animal ontered by Lord Chesterfiold. He could not get ovor his dream, and wroto to lord Chosterfiold relating tho circumstance, and asking weather ho might tako the liberty of bogging his Lordship to namo the horse according to tho droam. Lord Chesterfield wrote back saying that ho had sold tho colt to Lord Wilton, that it was a very modorato animal, in no way likely to win a good handicap, but that he would forward the letter to the present ownor. Lord Wilton roceived it in due course, thought that Pumicestone was as good as any other he could think of, and so tho colt was named. It won the Stewards Cup-jin a field of 37 !