SPORTING NOTES.

[by "caller ou."] The W.C.R.C. neither did themselves nor their handicapper any justice by issuing tho ■weights bofore the H.B. Jookey Club's meeting, and they may consider themselves lucky hi the fact that the handicapper paid no attention to the woigbts as allotted to tho horses at Hastings, for if ho had their meeting would have beon a failure. Tho handicap on that account may bo described us haudbappmg within a handicap. This is boautifully seen in tho Hurdlo Race. At Hastings Bateman bad to concede seven pounds to Fnugh-a-Ballagh, tho winner, while at Kaikora ho receives sixteen pounds from his conqueror. Denbigh meets her victor on seven pounds better terms, Claude receives eleven pounds for his defeat, and Greyling is six pounds better off, so that it looks as if the handicapper saw pretty well what would bo tho result of the Hastings race. All tho same, there can be no doubt that issuing weights in advance of another meeting is a big mistake. An outcry in certain quarters is being got up against tho totalisator because it lends to gambling, nnd ono writer objecting to tho machino couples with it tho readymoney bookmaker. There is no doubt tho machine is being systematically abused. It is easy to got up a meeting at which £100 will bo given in prizes, the totalisator will produco £00 or .C7O, and tho other privileges will pay the balance of tho stakes, so that tho nominations aud admission monoy will represent tho profits. Without tho totalisator racing would bo thrown back years in tho colony, and those who have tho sport at heart should tako steps to havo tho uao of the machino regulated. It may bo admitted at onco that it results in backers having a fling at every race, which must result to them disastrously. Few men ovor made money by backing a horso for ovory race. Thoso who havo done best on the turf havo plunged heavily when they know they had a good thing, but for tho ordinary sporting man as distinguished from tho truo sport, having his " bit on " iv overy race, why he is only courting defeat. Of eourso there aro puuters who bet on every race, and at the year's end their accounts will square ; but theso men proceed on a system, without which the ordinary backer is lost. As for tho cash bookmaker, thcro is less evil in such n course Fewer men are now iv gaol through dealings with them than those who patronised tho credit layor ot the odds, because whero tho cash has to bo found there is less risk of plunging. Amateur bookmaking has ever been a source of amusement, for tho doings of the individual aro ludicrous in tho oxtremo. Of course' in tho colonies bookmaking is not so legitimate as in England where men lay to figures, but tho amateur lays on no system. Some years ago an amateur—we will not call him sport—backed every dog in the Waterloo Cup and then found ho had lost monoy, though tho Grand National came to his rescue and cancelled tho wagers. I heard tho other day a good talo of a bit of an amateur bookmaker. Ho laid 10 to 1 that To Kooti was shot at Petane, aud afterwards laid 10 to 1 that Tc Kooti was shot at Gisborne. A good effort for an amateur ! If ho was shot at neither place the layer lost £20, if he was shot at Petane ho won £1 and lost £10 for his not being Bhot at Gisborne. I havo omitted all reference to tho bad taste of betting on human lifo as it forms no part of tho true tale. Tho Englishman is at last beginning to have some faith in tho time test. The Cambridgeshire this year was ono of tho best betting races over known, because sovoral of tho welter weights had " broken watches." St. Gatien met his first defeat, with tho steadier of 9st 101b ouly getting fifth, though had bo not beon blocked ho would, it is said, havo got second. Bondigo with 9st Sib was second, ho won tho rn:o in 1883, and rau second last year as well as this. Tho winnor, Plaisitnteire, must be n clinker, for a three-year-old to carry Bst 121b into first placo in tho fastest timo ever made by fully four seconds, and shows how difficult it is "to handicap a really first-class performer out of a race. The course was terribly holding, which all tho moro enhances the performance. Against ono starter the liberal price of 300 to 1 was laid. Thiuk of that New Zcalauders, who often accopt 10 to 1 about a doublo. East, a lad of ninoteon, beat Follott in a i Bculling match for .£IOO v sido on the Thames. English rowing men look to the youngster as the coming man.—Ormonde and Minting aro about equal favorites for tho English Derby. —Tho yearling brother of Nowstead is highly spoken of.—Mistaken, a red-hot favorite for tho Melbourne Cup won by tho Assyrian, has died in India.—Ringwood, with a big weight up, has won a St. Legor in India. There the race is neither w.f.a., nor confined to three-year-olds.—Some timo ago Frank Walters was blackballed by the M.C.C. for somo iv- \ serutublo reason. Recontly the rules were | altered, Frank elected, and ho goes Home as a member of tho Australian Eleven. In the absence of Murdoch it woidd not surprise mo to find him the best average bat when tho season is over. Owing to his business avocations for the last three years lie has had no practice, but twice was at tho top of the tree for South Melbourne in matches. Won all, tho bonier, is a comp. on tho Age.—"Joe Cohen's horses havo beon removed from Cbifney's." Another proof of tho profits of bookmaking. "Joo" was formerly v clothier in a small way, and in tho old list days used to lay the odds to crowns and half sovereigns, hut it must bo said for him ho was always straight. —Nelsou easily beat Charles Mattorsou in a sculling match on the Parramatta. Harrington somo time ago beat Nelson.— M.C.C. gave the Bohemians v day's leather hunting, scoring 350 for 1 wickets; Scott (notout) 101, Bounor 111.—Bowes's TattcrsalTti Cup was won by tho South Australian nutro Gratitude.—The Indian Government aro in want of thoroughbred entires. Tho sum of 2500 rupees will be given for bay, brown, or chosnut weight-earners from •1 to 0 years, us described, tho height to bo from 15 to 15.2.—University scored 100 against M.C.C , though the latter hud for bowlers Spot-forth, Palmer, and Bruce. Freeman scored 111, and Moulo 110. Tho latter will bo remembered as making the sensational stuud with Murdoch, last wicket, in an All England match.—There was somo remarkable shooting at tho Melbourne Gun Club's ground recently in sweepstakes. Mr W. Saycr, at 31A yards, killed 20 birds in succession ; Captain Inglis, 10 ut 31 yards; and Mr A. Garner IS at 27 yards. During the whole shooting IU7 birds wero trapped, of which 170 were killed.—Mauled telegrams aro not confined to the colonies. Router's message in London gavo " Ricinous " and " Pancake " as second und third for Melbourne Cup. Few would bo able to make these spell Grace Darling and Trenton. — Thus a London correspondent: It is a wellknown fact that no one who makes "the Turf " bis pursuit can foretell what will happen to him till he lies under it; but now and then the account of somo gigantic success or reverse awakens cur astonishment notwithstanding. For example, there lately died iv St. Giles's workhouse, London, a man who lost, aud paid, £50,000 on tho Derby in Lord Lyon's year. Ho hud lived apart from his wife for many years, and but for tho corroborative evidence of a sporting fishmonger, sho would not have been able to identify him us her husband. —Tho owner of St. Gatien wants to match him against Melton next year for £5000 to £20,000.—A filly by Maribyrnong—Habena was recently sold for 80 guineas.—The N.S.W. junior probable eleven for the intercolonial mutch recently played a doubtful fifteen and scored 57, doubtful* 55 for no wickets.—Tempo, who won at Sydney on Boxing Day curried Ust 101b, a stone loss than Ceriso and Blue. Tho winner was tho property of Mr White, and a Sydney sporting writer reviewing the race said Tempo bad better be left in tho box!-Victoria bent New South Wales in tho intercolonial handball contests. Tho second exhibition contest of seven miles between O'Brien und Livingstone was won by tho latter in forty minutes. Tho betting on this event was two to ouo against O'Brien. Liviugstono led in tho last two laps by 150 yards, but after a spurt in tho last quarter of a milo O'Brien going ns if bo wero finishing a milo spin was beaten by 10 yards ; so that the public can »co how the land lay. In a squaro contest 'Livingstone could not stick to his opponent for a singlo lap.