TURF GOSSIP.

[By Hirro.vA.]

There will be plenty of interest centred in tho doings ab EHer_J-_ during the forthcoming week. The Chrisbchurch con bincent, who are now on tho way up, will reach here on Monday, and Mangaohane

joins them ab Napier. Matters in connection with tho A.R.C. Summer gathering will then have assumed a definite shape, and wo will be able to get an idea as to the probable winner of tho Cup. The rain that has fallen on one or two mornings this week has been acceptable to George Wright, and he has been able to give Hilda some good serviceable work. The hero of the Spring Meeting is going and looking well, and wm never better. Nelson has been treated to his usual amount of strong work, wibh Raglan, and both 'are thriving on it. Nelson is still on bhe big side, and I question whether he can win bhe Cup. Lady Norah is also on the stoub side. She is doing long work, aud so are Antelope and Puschka. I look upon Hilda as our best Cup representative, and if she cpnnob win, I bhink bhe prize will go to Christchurch. The first payment for the Derby and Foal Stakes fell due last night, and these will be found in another column, together wibh the general entries for the Summer Meeting.

While at Sylvia Park on Saturday, I had a stroll through tho paddocks containing bhe brood mares and foals. The whole of them aro looking exceedingly well, and it is no wonder, for the paddocks are luxuriant with white clover, trefoil, rye-grass and cocksfoot. For good looks the best of the foals is a filly by Nordenfeldt—Tres Deuce, therefore half-sister to Manton. I also liked a filly by Nordenfeldt; out of Mersey * (Carbine's dam). Nelly Moore (dam of Lochiel) had a fine colb foal by Nordenfeldb running ab her side, and Frailty (dam of Trenton) also had a big powerful colt, sired by Nordenfeldb, scampering about her heels. The Sword Dance youngsters are anything but goodlooking, and the best of them is Woodnymph's filly foal. Onyx also ha 3 a filly sired by the defunct stallion. Tetford wns brought back from Sydney this week. He bus gone into George Hope's hand-.

Auckland lost a couple of good lightweights this week in the jockeys R. Kidd and George Durston. I understand the latter is to be employed iv Kelso's stable in Sydney, but Kidd will go on to Tasmania, where hie joins the erst Auckland trainer, M. Carmody. Mr J. H. Aisiabie, the Secretary of the Poverty Bay Turf Club, has sent me the programme of their annual race meeting, which takes place on the 15th and 16th of January. The two loading handicaps are the Turanga Stakes Handicap of 250_ovs. and the Tradesmen's Handicap of 150-Ovf. Nominfcfcion.- close on Tuesday next, and I hooe fco see Auckland owners have a cub in.

The Christchurch handicapping comniibtee have beon very lenient with Sextant in the C.J.C. Midsummer Handicap. I don't know whether the colb is sound and well, bub provided he is, he should have nexb door to a moral with 83t on hia back.

His Excellency the Governor has intimated thab he will be present ab the A.H.C. Summer Meeting.

I notice thafc both Cinderella and Pearl Shell are among the acceptors for the A. J.C. Summer Cup, l{r mile, run ab Randwick on Boxing Day, and that bhe pair have also paid-up for Tabtersall's Club Cup, and Carring-on Stakes, to be decided afc fche New Year. Necklet is among, those in the Lady Carrington Prize (for two-year-olds).

Mr H. Horsford, the Christchurch studmaster, has had bad luck by losing his valuable brood matron No "Name, who succumbed while foaling. She was the mother of Nonsense, Disowned, and Oudeis. No Name was foaled in 1867, being bred, by Use late Mr J. W. Mallock in Canterbury. She was a daughter of Traducor and Emma. By-the-by, I notice thafc No Name's son Disowned was sold the other week fco Mr W. Crosier, a brother of the proprietor of the St. Albans atud farm, where he will werform stallion duties.

The last mare to foal at Sylvia Park was Spinnaker, recently purchased from Mr Stead, and she has "produced a filly foal to Tradueer's boh July. This season she has gone to Nordenfeldb, who, I may mention, lias served 31 mares. Last year 30 visited his harem, and the year previous 16, so it cannot be said the Company are exactly abusing him. Nordenfeldt was looking wonderfully well when I saw him tiie other day.

Niagara was submitted fco auction in Melbourne the obher week, and was passed in at 340 guineas. The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club have received miserable acceptances for the principal events of their meeting on Boxing Day, and there is a probability the Club will suffer a loss by the gathering. Thero aro only six left in the principal handicap, viz., Silence, Waterfall, Jet d'Eau, Meta, Lenore and Partner.

The Australian Jockey Club intend coming out of their shell in the matter of stakes during fche season of 1889. An increase of aboub £'6,900 has been made in added money on previous years, and bhe events of fche Easter Meeting have been very substantially raised all round. The added money of tho Sydney Cup is now £1,500. The Rosehill Club, nob to be outdone, announce that the Rosehill Cup, the principal event of the Spring Meeting, 1889, will be increased to £2,000, and supplemented by a gold cup value £100, the distance, IA mile, to bo tho same as last year. This is the largest stake yet offered in New South Wales.

At the last Rosehill (Sydney) meeting, the Steeplechase was a most sensational event. The race attracted six starter-, and it soon became known thafc a brown mare called Marigold, with 9at 71b, was a really "good thing." 6 to 4 waa freely taken, while the next mosb fancied was Major. Melton refused the first fence. At the second of the trebla Syndicate knocked tho favourite down, and fell herself, while Blackall refused, as did also Cracksman and Major. Major, however, was quickly taken afc ifc, and going over, went away alone. The favourite was also remounted, and went in chase, bub after going a mile fell heavily. Cracksman was then remounted and went to gefc second place, but he also came to grief, so that Major was the only horse to finish out of the _ix. The riders, however, were not seriously injured.

The thoroughbred horse Ve_pasian (imp,) broke a leg recently through running against a fence at his owner's place, Mount Brisbane, New South Wales, and .had to be destroyed, iv his day ho won many crood races in England, and was- very brilliant over r<horfc distances and under nil sorrs of weights. Vespasian shed the N.Z. Stud Company's mare Realisation (dam of Maxim) while in England, and since hia arrival in the colonies he got a lot ot winners, among them being Blairgowrie, Grey wing, My Lady, Touchstone, and Vespasia. He was foaled in 1863.

A barefaced swindle was brought to light; afc a recent meeting od Sandhurst. Tho facts are: —A mnre named Brunette was entered as a maiden in the Time Handicap Trot, and placed on the ten seconds mark. Ib was a three mile race, and this mare, lying well behind the leader., until the last mile, came with, such a marvellously fast dash ab the finish that people well versed in the sport simultaneously ejaculated, "That's no maiden I That's the fastest trotting mare in Australia, wherever they've brought her from !" Then knowing individuals remembered thafc the mare was backed to win many hundreds—thirteen or fourteen —at longish odds by strangers evidently " in the know." Later on—the moment, in fact, that she left the weighing enclosure —the aforesaid wily strangers presented their tickets, collected their cash, and silentlydeparted in company with the mare, all within the .pace of about a quarter of an hour from the time the race was run. Then the stewards determined to hold an inquiry. But, alas ! 'twas too late, for many of the bookmakers, including Mr Joe Thompson, had paid out, and Brunette's backers had departed. It subsequently transpired that the mare was a celebrated New Zealand trotter, and that fche man who rode her had beon recognised aa a trotting jockey in this colony. The stewards are further inquiring into the wholo affair.

Donovan has clearly proved himse'f fco be the crack two-ycar-oid of the season in England. He followed up his Middle Park Victory by adding the Dewhurst Plate to his already lengthy list. This was Donovan's thirteenth contest, 11 of which he had placed to the credit of the Duke of Portland. Adding the Dewhurst Plate value (£1,197) to the amounts previously won, the eon of Galopin and Mowerina has during the season earned no less a sum than £15,-IS7 15s, and. he will now bo allowed a wellmerited rest of a few months. The Duke of Portland's colt now appears, like Chamant and Friar's Balsam, winner of the double event-the Middle Park and Dewhurst Plate—and with ordinary luck may be considered to have a splendid chance of taking rank with Kisber and Ormonde in following up this juvenile success by winning his way to the blue riband next year.

At the Newmarket Second October Meeting, Blue Peter, by Peter, from Musket's daughter, Sonsie Queen, won a Maiden Plate, for two-year-olds, beating twelve others. Blue Peter is a half-brother to the well-performed Eirid-pord, and the performances of these two colts, and the form shown by Son-of-a-Gun, suggest that the Musket mares are likely to perpetuate the fame of their illustrious sire.