IN A NUTSHELL.

— Mentor is. scratched for the Bagot Handicap. —■The English jockey J. Osborne is about again. — There are 44 foalings at Sylvia Park this season.

— In Sydney they have a trotter called O'Jane.

— The trotter Boojum has been served by Young Diomedes. — Mr S. G. Cook has disposed of Remus to a Queensland buyer. — Fiokle was bought in at £20 after winning the Novel Raoe at Ashborton.

— Mr West refused to allow Tradition to be spurred in either of the Cops. —Mr Haines refused £100 for Spade Guinea after she had broken her shoulder.

— 'The. Assyrian's stock won three out of the five races in the Hobart programme. —St. Malo and Carbine are among the scratchings for the Auckland Derby, —Brisbane Tattersall's Club has 800 contributors and a credit balance of £2085.

~" Senex " hears that Whakawai has become the property of the Hon. W. H. Pearson. — Lake County races fixed for the 10th and 11th January. There is a very tidy programme. — Three hundred and sixty guineas has been refused for the three- j ear-old brother to Bon Bolt.

— Foremast recently picked up a nail with one of his fore feet, but is now ready to go into work again. — Blink Bonny has dropped a colt foal to The Assyrian. Mr Talbot refuses to sell the mare at any price,

— The Taieti Club have inally decided to carry oat the suggestion that an Easter race meeting should be held. — Pippo, who was purchased by Mr S. Martin during the late V.E.O. meeting, has gone into J. ! Morrison's stable. —While the trainer Kaft was attending the ' Flemington races a man attempted to murder his wife at Mordialloe. — England has bat one-half the courses she had 50 years ago, atill the raoing is much better, and there is more of it. — T. Loates has had his riding license withdrawn for disobedience and insubordination at the Newmarket meeting. —Robin Hood, who ran second to Flashlight in the Fiemington Steeplechase, formerly ran in a pig- cart at Mount Gambier, —The disappointing Too Soon and Queenie, New Zealanders by birth, have gone into the stable of W. Kelso (Sydney). — Tenebreuee's ran the Cesarewitch course— 28yds over two miles and a-quarter — in 4min sseo. In 1883 Don Juan won in 3min 59 3-ssec. — The numerous friends of James Monaghan will be glad to learn that he has so far recovered from his recent illness as to be able to be about again. •—Mill Stream, after finishing second in the Cesarewitch, was sold, with her engagements, for £1000 to Mr Robert Feck, her original owner. —Owing to the re-legalisation of the totalisatorin South Australia, the Onkaparinga Club have raised theu. Great Eastern Steeplechase stakes to 500sovs. —Mr G. Coombe, of Toko, tells me that Wildrake is doing walking exercise daily, and there is yet hope of getting another race out of this son of Argus Scandal. — The actual money takings for admissions to the hill and stand on Cup day at Melbourne were £1900 in excess of the amount received on Cup day last year. — Engagement, Chain Shot, and Exchange have been scratched for the Midsummer Handicap and Son-of-a-Gun for all engagements at the C.J.C. Summer meeting. —The Hon. G. M'Lean's filly foal by Rubezahl out of Malice died at Warrington last week. It had been ailing since its birth, but the manager thought it had got round until just before death. — Mr Allan, the well-known Flemington veterinary, confirms the report that Ensign's fetlock had been fractured previous to the Cup race, and that the ' bone was diseased for six months. — Quibble had a close shave of a collision with Water Baby on Thursday last. The big horse was jost finishing his gallop when the filly darted across the course. There was not an inch to spare. — In London a bet of five "monkeys" was offered on the field for the Derby. This tender came from a quarter in which 1000 to 80 had been laid against Ben Strorae subsequent to his Middle Park Plate defeat. — A peculiar accident happened at Springfield (U.S.). Mabel S. caught her hind foot in her front boot, turning a complete somersault and landing her driver 30ft away. Both horse and driver were uninjured. — A lusus ntturg is reported from the Tunbridge district, where a mare dropped a foal to Britisher which had six legs, the abnormal members being in the fore-part of the body. The freak of nature lived a few hours. — " The Astrologer's " opinion is that Whakawai's 3min 40fsee gallop on the Saturday morning knocked him out, and he is the more convinced thereof from the fact that Whakawai ran worse and worse every time during the meeting. — Lord Hastings recommends a federation of : Australian racing clubs and the formation of a union whose members snail be elected by the various clubs, and whose decision on all matters shall be final, similar to the English Jockey Olub. — Snapper Garrison will ride no more for Mr Haggin.. He says that a heavy-weight jockey has to undergo a living death in training to ride at the present weights. He does not want any more of it. Next year he will have a stable of his own. — One of the yarns in circulation as to the doings of New Zealand sporting men in Victoria is to the effect that a well-known ex-Dunedinit* made £1000 odd on Chicago, and dropped every penny of it on the Melbourne Cup. Tall play, this, if trne. — A few days ago Blairgowrie tried his teeth on a fence, with the result that he broke his jaw. Mr W. Day, who was called in, performed a delicate, and, so far, a successful operation, and the Champagne Stakes winner is now in a fair way towards recovery. — "Newmarket" of the Weekly Times anticipates the field for the next V.R.C. Champion Race as Cyclops, Mentor, Tradition, The Australian Peer, Abercorn, Oarlyon, Carbine, and opines that the result will be virtually a matoh between Tradition and Mentor. —Donovan's time for the Middle Park Plate, six furlongs, was Imin 15 l-ssec, thus beating Friar's Balsam's record, which was a fifth of a second slower. The value of the stake won by Donovan was £2105, the smallest sum since the race was instituted in 1866. ' — After winning the Selling Race at the Forbnry last Friday, Windsor was sharply competed for up to a certain limit, though one or two in the crowd kept admonishing bidders to "Let the boy have his horse." Eventually the son of Mabel fell to M'Laughlin's bid. — J. W. M'Call, of Milan, Term., has what he thinks will prove another pacing wonder in his 22-month-old colt Robert Koch, by Tennesee Wilkfts. With six weeks' handling this youngster recently paced a mile without a break in 2min 45sec, hauling a man weighing 1501b. — It is stated that jockey M'Laughlin's wife will shortly sue for a limited divorce. They have not lived together for more than a year. Mrs M'Laughlin is allowed an income of 2500d0l a year by her husband. She wishes a larger allowance. Her husband's income is 15,000d0l a year. — On the strength of the good work Nelson is performing on the Ellerslie track the public are accepting 5 to 1 that he wins the Auckland. Cup. Recruit has come into favour for the i Steeplechase, and has been backed in conjunction with Nelson, Manfcon, Hilda, and British Lion at 100 to 5. —British Lion, Sultan, and Steelbone are equally weighted at 9.4 in the Inaagab.ua Cup. British Lion could, I think, dish the two others at the weight, but he is more likely to go to Auckland. I should take Hermitage (8.6) Rewi (8.0). and Leeston (7.8) to be the most dangerous in the Coast event. — Dave Waldron, a native of Murrurundi, was killed by a fall while riding a horse called Acotfent at Newcastle (N.S.W.). The lad's neck was broken. A subscription resulted in £100 being taken up for Waldron's parents, and upwards of £200 for the jockey Murray, who was hurt in the same race. — The reported accident to Stuart, the winner of the French Derby and Grand Prix, is not as serious as was expected. The horse suffered very much from the hard ground previous to the French Derby, and having hit himself while galloping had a tendency to develop " a leg." He will not be seen in public until next spring. —A correspondent of a contemporary com-

plains that the District Race at Otautauis confined to horses belonging to owners residing in Otautau, Waiau, and Wairio ridings. As the j cjub claims to be a Western District Racing Club it seems hard that horses owned in Aparima aud Orepuki ridings should not be allowed to run. —Letters' have been received frointheDun* stan and Cromwell Clubs approving of the suggestion that they Bhould join with the Tuapeka Club in securing the services of Mr Dowse as haudicapper at a fixed sum for the lot. As & reply from the Ophir Club, which was also invited to join, was not to hand the matter was de-* ferre^d to a future meeting. —As •showing the extensive nature of a certain penciller's volume on the Cesarewitch, Ifc may be stated that the operator in question betted to lose £16,000 in four hands against the winner, Tenebreuse, besides numerous' other minor wagers. The four bets alluded to as thay occurred id order were 5000 to 200, 4000 s to 200, 2000 to 100, and 5000.t0 200. —It appears from the Canterbury Times that there was one entry fer the Consolation at Ash" burton. It was that of College Boy. Of course (says our contemporary) the owner of the grey gelding had a perfect right to walk over tor half the stake, and we must admire the liberality which induced Messrs Hobbs Brothers to withdraw their nomination and forego the £10 placed at their mercy. —Charlie, Buffalo Bill's favourite, and the " star " horse of the Wild West Show, was a half-bred, reared in Kentucky, and of extraordinary pluck and endurance, once carrying his master 100 mites over the prairie in ohr 45min, winning a wager with 15min to spare. On the return voyage of the Wild West Show to New York in May last he took a chill, which proved fatal. He was 20 years old at the time of his death. — The Canterbury Times' representative says that the young Johnny Faulknera running at Mr Markey's place are a particularly nioa looking lot. Tasmania's foal, a dark bay colt, so closely bred to the consistent Tasman, is to be called Stewart O'Brien or Shane O'Brien ; we really forget the Christian name, but the other name—* the Irish one— is good enough,as the enthusiastic owner puts it, to make a rocking horse win the New Zealand Cup. — The three favourites for the St. Leger be* longed to three of the richest men in England. Ayrshire is the property of the Duke of Portland, whose income is simply stupendous. Orbit belongs to the Duke of Westminster, whose net annual income is calculated at the round figure of three-quarters of a million sterling, and Seabreeze, the winner, is the'property of Lord Calthorpe, who, if he should live another year or so, will be worth £500,000 annually. '[ — Tenebreuse's victory in the Cesarewifch wa§ received in solemn silence so far as the " natives" were concerned. The French people present were jubilant, and for this they had good cause. People who speak with authority say that her success took upwards of £100,000 out of England,, and as this follows pretty closely on the grand hit made by Plaisanterie at Newmarket, it must be admitted that Frenchmen have every reason to plume themselves on the success of recent racing ventures in Englaud, — Had it not been for the £50,000 sweep (remarks a contemporary) there would riot have been more than 20 starters for the Melbourne Cup. About 10 ran simply for the sake of the £370 which holders of a starter in the sweep were entitled to. Unless this big lottery ia put down it will have a very pernicious effect on future Cups. In the ordinary course of things it will be magnified to £100,000 next year, and then we shall see an enormous field, as it will pay people to enter a cab horse and run him for the sake of starting-money. —The Adelaide Oup is to be revived in May next. When Malua won this race in 1884 the added money was nearly £1000, the largest amount tbat had ever been given in a handicap in that colony. That race will long be remembered (says the Sydney Referee), as Sir Thomas Elder's flying filly Conjecture, who was heavily backed by the local people, led the field at a terrible bat until she reached the' distance. Here Malua came with a brilliant run, and beat the filly easily, the lad on Conjeoture being so distressed that he could not assist the mare. —Mr W. E. Dakin narrowly missed what would, no doubt, have been an exceedingly serious accident at Sydney. He was riding his old brown pony to the course when the animal stumbled and came down heavily. To the consternation of his rider he' found his foot fast in the stirrup, and in this perilous position he was dragged some; distance with the horse lunging at him viciously. Fortunately Mr Dakin's solid weight was sufficient to break the leather, but not before he sustained a shaking and severe abrasions on the hand and knee.-^Sports-man. ' ll — The Latonia Jockey Club made an attempt to get up a race between the crack American two-year-olds, Proctor Knott, owned by Sam Bryant, and Galena, belonging to Jim Gray. They offered a special purse of 5000dol. Mr Bryant informed the club that he had turned Proctor Knott out, and he would not run him any more this year. It is believed that Galena could beat Proctor Knott. In the Futurity Stake race Galena went 30yds further than either Salvator or Knott, owing to the bad riding of his jockey, yet he was only beatdn a half length. — According to "The Druid," two-year-old racing had its origin in a match between Mr Hutchinson, the breeder of Hambletonian and trainer of Beningborough, and a Rev. Mr Goodriefce. In 1799 the first race of the kind was run at York, and won by Mr Robinson's Belle Fillie, the first favourite, and in the following year Lord Darlington won the maiden race of ' the kind at Doncaster with the first of his two Muley Moloohs. It was not until 11 years later that Oiseau, by running away at weights for age over a mile and a-half atDoncaster, from a four-year-old and a five-year-old St. Leger winner, gave the first proof of what good two-year-olds really can do in the autumn. — Lord Alfred Paget's most intimate friends are probably more surprised than, the outsiders to learn that he died so rich a man. I notice k that his personality is sworn at £107,000. A : most cordial, genial mart, there never wag * more persistent pleader of poverty than Lord Alfred. On this plea he " dead-headed " all along the line— at the theatre, on the railway. He was a poorer, younger son than was dear old Napier Sturt, with his piece of twine for a watch guard, because " it wouldn't run v to wear a chain. When in India with H.R.H. his requisition pretext for the pretty souvenirs he gathered in from Bombay to Delhi, and from Calcutta to Trincomalee, was that they were for " my littl* children."— The World. — Writing of Tradition, " The Astrologer" says it must not be too hastily concluded, that the horse was nob fit when he ran at the Victorian carnival. " Surely the gentleman who has had the horse in his possession for' years should know whether he was fit or not. ' And as to Aspinall's riding, he certainly brought himself down a goodish lump to be able to approach something approximate the weight, and no doubt was rather weak in consequence; but there couldn't have been much the matter with him or he would never have scored two seconds and a third in such classic events as the Caulfield Cup, the Melbourne Stakes, and tke Melbourne

Cup. No, no, It strikes me Tradition is about on a par with Strathearn and Sardonyx — just good enough to get second." —•The Sydney Referee says that there were at least a dozen stiff 'uns at the Queensland meeting. Honest Ned ought to have won the double, but in the Cup the reins were too strong. Mr Woodyatt's Honest Ned, Mr Nihill's Citadel, and Mr Thomas' Daybreak were all in the one stable, and they worked in company. Honest Ned proved in trials that he was the best of the string, and his owner wanted to try and win the double with himbut Mr Nihillaspiredtothe popularity of a Queensland Cup winner, and — well, the best horse didn't win. You know how these things are worked, and your readere can form their own conclusions. It is enough to say that Mr Woodyatt waa induced to back Citadel and Honest Ned, while the other stable owners and the trainer backed the double ju«,t the reverse way. The usual official inquiry was held for suspicious running, but nothing came of it.