TALK OF THE DAY.

BY MAZBPPA.

* # * Don Pedro, whoso death was aunounced last week, was bred by Mr Allan M'Leau, of Hawkti'a Bay, got by V»sco di Gums (brother to Pero Gomez, the Dcncaster St. Legcr winner of 1869) out of lona, who came from Musket out of Mr Redwcod's mare Repo, by Tow* on from the dam cf Mata. It was iv 1886 that Don Pedro was bom. As ayearliughe wai presented to the Hon. G. M'Ltau, and racsid during most cf bis career in that gentleman's colours. He fir»t appeared in tho Dunedin Champagne Stakes, ard made a very joor chow. Fite weighed out, but one of them— Mr Cults's fllly Alsace— refused to budge from the prsl-, aud the race waa ataited without her. Cjn'sca won rather easily from Duukeld, with Scots Grey a fair third, and Don Pedro distanced. Under a light weight he did a little better next day in the City Stakes, bub still did not gain a place, and Dunkeld, who won, was giving him over 321b. His next attempt resulted in his finishing second to ApresMoi in the Hopeful (Stakes, but uo oue pretends that that ra.se was a t. Sb, eince the four competitors were gent off by the starter one atter the other, as iv a trotting race, and fctey fit i«ihed as they began. Aea thrte-j ear-old Don Pedro bpg*n with a win. It was in the Shorts Handicap at the Otago Hunt Club meeting. St. Mao hud won the Kensington Haudtcap so easily with 7.3 that it was thought he could win tho Shorts with 8.3. Bub Waller Boddicombe rode a good race on the Dt-n, aDd in a rattling finish jufct beal the favourite by a nose, «fter a struggle all up the straight. What made Den's success meritorious was the fact that he v>as one of the two that suffered most by a bad start. Next day he run second to Litllo Shamrock in the Welter, giving the grey half a srone. He ran twice unplaced at the Exhibition meeting, and then retired for a spell, which lasted two years less a month. His hocks had begun to *how signs of weakness, and this was the cftuseofhis being thrown out of work. It was as a five-year-old that he reappeared, and really showed him-elf to be a racehorse. After racing unsuccessfully at the Taieri and Duuedin Spring meetings he pulled off the Central Taieri Handicap, snd later on accounted for the Gore Cup, in which ho gave weight to all bis op^ocents ; then ttarted twice without any luck nt the Duuedin Cup m.eting; *ud atthatyoiutof his career became ihe property of a patron of LougMin's stable. This sale was one of the many strokes of bad luck the Hon. G. M'Lean hai had to eacoanter. Don Pedro's totsl return in stakes for his keep up to tho date of the gale- nearly five years— reached only £132, and ho landed eight stakes for his new owner before the season waa over. Mr M'Lean is nob the man to make a song about a thing of that sort. On the contrary, he said to me at the time, and has often made a iinillar remark both before and since, that he likea to sco a horse win for a

customer. Still it is tantalioing to mo;t people to see a Lorse with whom one has be«u losing for a long time suddenly develop winning form after leaving the stable. Iv thiQ caso, of course, M'Ginuis had just got Don Pedro at his very bo*t about tho time of the fale. That waa the buytr's luck, and I may add that, though everybody likes to see the Zotland spots win, uo one begrudged the euocess that o&me to the new owner, who is a Drat- class sportsman iv every sense of the word. Under Loughliu's training Don Ped»o won the ConaoUtion at Central Taieri in March ; the ConsoUtion at Ptilmerston after being beaten by Melton in the Shag Valley Handicap ; the North Otago Cup, for which he started the outtider, and puid £8 16s; tho double a1;a 1 ; iho Taieri in April; the Afthburcon Autumn Handicap, doing the mile and a- half in 2miu 42neo, and the Welter at the same meeting ; and the double of Birthday Handicap and St. Clair Welter at Dunedin in May, paying £46 in the Ust-tncntioued race, thus landing in all £729 in etaken for his now owner. As a six-year-old Don Pedro ran mx times unplaced before making any show ; at Invercargill he flniahed second in tte Cup, and was disqualified for going ineide a post, but secured three btakes before that meeting was ov(-r ; and wound up the season by running two thirds at Queeustown. That closed bis career ou tbe turf. His record, exprefsed in figure?, ze&da thus : — Un- Won in Starte. Ist. 2dd. 3rd. placed. Stakes. At 2yrs ... 3 0 1 0 2 £ 19 At 3yvs ... 4 110 2 52 At sks ... 2fi 11 3 2 10 7l'O At Oyrs ... ]5 3 3 2 7 104 48 15 8 4 21 £965 In estimating Don Pedro's earnings something must be allowed also for his having covered mares while atWanington eluiiug his lengthy spell. * # * The leading Canterbury wiiters unite in ciiticising withmoroor less severity the deoision of the D.J.C. stewards in respect) to Gillie. This is not purprising. They were tofc prweut to i«e the racing for themselves ; they '.hMcfore reply on what they read aad heard ; aud no doubb much of what they heard was about aa trustworthy as tbe telt grum quoted by obe of them : •' General opi&iou here (Duneuin) that stewards acted harshly and wrongly re Gillio." Messages of that sort are not Infrequently Bent to friends of a pewou who g'ts it.to trouble. They can be forwarded for a shilling, or if dolaved only sixpence, and the conselat'on is cheap at tho money. Ptsiibly, also, it pj»y be sißcoie. Even in regard to Gillie, a few of ttose who were present may really believe that tbe protest ought to have been disallowed. You will always find someone to stick up for a verdict of acqnittal, whatever tie evidence may be. But this consideration need net trouble us. Tho stewards' decision to award Jack Hiwkaway the fit*k«s was generally accepted by tho*e who brw the race-i as a fair thing, and the only j.oic<t I heard discmsed was whether it was ju&titUble to simply stop there and not proceed to puuishment of the person or persons conceined. It is urged by rnai-y, and nvt without reason, that if Gillie wss really stiffened tha party who stiffened him should have been disqualified. Well, I 9111 not concerned to argue that pointooeway or the other, but I should like to say that in my opinion the suggestion made in e-oinequat tc-rs that mercy w&s shown because Mr Wynn- Williams is desuiiled as a gentleman is cot correct. I was at tbe meeting of stewards called to adjudicate en the prote«t, and all that was ftitd aud done led mo to the concluhion that this question of status had no weight at all in respect to j the decision. What did iiifluecice the stewards, I think, was the fact that the Messrs WynnWilliams wero young fellows with' uo black marks against them. I feel pretty sure that that v.as the feeling of the meeting, and surely it is not strange if that consideration had weight. There is plenty of precedent for such leniency in tho daily practice of the law courts.

* # * Having had the privilege ol sfeirg lomo private galloping at St. Albans, "Ascnodeus" is able to say something of special interest concerning tour horses that aro expf-cted to take a prominent part in the current seagou's racing. H&voc and Bradford, he writes, engaged in an extended gallop, at the termiuaticn of which Havoc fairly pleyed with his leßß prttentiou3 compaiiiou. Always a good-looking horse, Trenton's blue-blooded relative has filled out into mujpt-tic proportions, and is now about the fluest-ltoking animal in training. He iB, moreover, in splendid henltb, and all going well with him, Havccwill, in my opinion, prove themoit d fficult horse the flower of the three year-olda will have to reckon with in the weifjht for-age events of the ensuing season. The two Derby colte, Challenger and Wnllacr, galloped separately, each acquiting himself satisfactorily. Challenger, wbo fairly towers over the chestnut in point of size, has wintered famously and has grown into a very shapely colt, and one tbat will require to be reckoued with when the time arrivcw for determining potsestion of tbe Drrby diadem. One could not help being impressed with his beautiful machine-like action aud the exteut of ground he covered in each fctiide. ■ Wallace, who bss grown but very little since last seen in public, gallops in quite a different style, his action being of a peculiarly* extravagant order, yob he gets over the ground in quick time all the same. Wallace's temptr elctcs coL seem to be co nicely toned as that of Challenger ; he is i elm tut. t euough to start a gallop, but f nee set goivg he shows marked irritability and a decided disposition to fight for the free uae of his head.

*)(* When the members of the Tuapika Jockey Club came together on Thursday evenitig last for the annual meeting that was supposed to square up the irreguladbies of the meeting previously held, a way out of the difficulty was found by what senn3 to me a rather curious path. It will be borne in mind that at bhe previous meeting— supposed to be the annual meeting — a question arose as to whether persons who had not paid the membership fee for the year then expired should be allowed to vote. Some such persons did vote. Then the question was asked of Mr Sycluey Jauie.s as to the regularity of such a proceeding. That officer replied tbat it was improper to permit the voting of any who had nob paid up. Iv so deciding Mr James' is supported by universal precedent, founded on equity. A fresh meeting was thereupon called, and held last week. The president explained that the previous proceedings were illegal ; that it was time a more regular melhod of conducting the club's *ff*ir3 waa begun ; and that their duty sbculd be to get on a sound wot king basis as blou as possible. Mr Laffey then rrse to remark: "Then if you have btcn carrying on illegally from the outset, there can now, strictly speaking, be no member of any legal standing in the club." Tho president repeated his observations, and added that their meetings should in future be conducted under the rules of the Dunodin Jockey Club. Mr Nichols said if that were done there could clearly be no meeting held tlat evening, nor could members be elected. They could only be proposed, and a ballot would have to be taken

on a future evening. Mr Oudaille and Mr Laffey scorned tho idea of conducting a country club under the rules of a metropolitan club, and it wes eventually decided, on the motion of one of these speakers, seconded by tho other, that the meeting abide by the business transacted at the lust mtjotiiiT, Th^t foams to havo nettled the queetion, for according to the report upon which I am rtlyiug— that, namely, of the Tuapcka Times, a journal wh.se reports I know from experience are to be depended upon — the meeting procenled to thank the retiring secretary, Mr Polts, for his su-vicea, nnd to appoint a committee to draw up a code of jules ; and tho whole argument fizz'c 1 out after Mr LaiiVy had withdrawn a motion instructing the secretary to p;cpare a list cf members \>ho had cot paid.

* # * The tangle into which the club got itself was very simple after all, and the knot could have been easily untied if anyone had thought of the way. Mr Craig owned up manfully that they had acted irregularly at the first meeting. Surely after that the direct way out of tho difficulty was to declare tbo proceedings null and void, and go through them again according to rule; tbat is, allowing no one but duly qualified members to vo*e. It was apparently the remark of Mr Laffey, to the effect that if the club had been carrying on illegally from the outset no m< inbor could have any legal standing, that started the "log." Mr Lhffty'a ob3eivation embodies a fallacy. "If," he said, "we havo been currying on illegally from the eutsefc." Bub as far as I understand (he pos'tion, the club had not been carrying on illegally from the outset. Where m tho illegality ? There is no law wbioh 6»ys even tb.it a racing club shall possess a written cor-stitution. " Illegality " is not » suitable tft'm ftt Mil. ThftM certainly wan Rn irregularity, but bo far w) we know it b=g(\n at the meeting where votes were received frcm persons who had no right to vote, and that irregularity oould have been cured by adopting tho course abovo suggested—a getuwajfrom the difficulty which to my mind would have been more strictly in order than the method adopted. A furthor fallacy is involved in Mr Nicholo'fl observation tl.at if tho club was going to be worked under D.J.C rules there could be no meeting held that night, i-or could they elect members. Why not ? 1 »hould like to a*k. Becaose of there be ing no constitution ? If that contention holdi good, how cauld anyone even propose members ? If no one was a member, who would be eligible to propose ? So far as I can see, it is, at all times, competent to call a meeting to form a body like a racirg club. The usual thing is to at oi.ee enrol as many of thoKe present as are willing to join ; ai.d then, after formation, a constitution is adopted. Mr Nichols's coutentiou seems to be equivaieut to aayirg that you should first have a constitution And then eurol member*. It would be a bit of a puzzle to get a start at a'l on those terms. But the point in uot wor;h r.rguiog furthor. The Tuapbk* O'ub Eoeuas to have gone about tho bu-ine*s in a left-handed way, but ib io mt»inly a question of procedure, and no great harm is done so far as I can see. Oat of tbe m\x-up will come ona nrccesury change in the management : the club will now have a code of laws for the governance of its butiuess. Up to this point, apparently, there were none. Possibly it may bo that Tuapeta's t-xporience will be of cervice iv inducing other clubs to frame a set of rules. There is never anything lost — sometimes » good deal is to bo gained— by having all busmen» conducted decently and strictly in order. Whether theD J.C rulei are adopted or not is a inttterof choice — if others are preferred, well and good, so long as they are bob at variance with the laws of racing. I shrewdly suspect, however, notwithstanding the unceremonie us references to the D.J.O.'s rules and the disrt-gatd of the D.J.O. secretary's ruling after ib being asked for, that the new rules when thoj' app<ar will bear a family resemblance to these which have proved acceptable to the lai gcr clubs.

*** A horse thM< carries a email head wc-11 up in a showy maimer is always admired — subject, of course, to a tolerably correct form at other points of his frAtm?, says a foreign wiitcr. Such a style of carriage is not only beautifn], but is otherwise of innortuice. Ahorse with a large and drooping head should be avoided. If a horse is carefully weighed, says Profefsor Fred Smith, it is found that the forelegs take more tban half the body weight, and the pesition of tbe head considerably affects the weight on the leg?. If the head ba r»isc-d up when the fore part of the horse's body is weighed, the weight on the fore legs will be found to be over 201b less than if the head were dependent. The practical application of this fact ia obvious — buy horses that carry thf-ir heads properly, and keep a (.tumbler well in hand. It may be added that as a horse'a head weighs between 401b and 501b, the po-ition in which he maintains it 19 of importance. Tho fore-limbs, which aro generally the first to give tyay, and the most severely taxe d, should be relieved of their burden as much as possible.

*** The drought quite spoilb the appearance of tho Utbdwick course for Tattersall's meeting on tbe 31st of last month. The brack and the paddock were almost devoid of verdure, and the careless throwing down of a lighted match set lire to a fringe of grass near one of the roads. For the Tramway Handicap, cix furlongs, Abercorn's three-year-old son Bluecap 7.6 was backed down to 4 to 1 in a field of 18, and ho won rather easily nt the fini-h in the fast time of lmin 14$scc. It ii more thau auaptcted thai some of the starters were reserving bhemselve?, bub the consistent Swagrnan B.G was having a go, and took more Bhaking eff than he g- nerally does. His detractors assert that his custom is to out it when challenged ; but on this occasion he pegged away to the flni'h, and Blue cap had to be ridden right out to beat him. The Hurdle Rice field included the New Zealander Flight, ridden at 9.7 by Rpgan, He had no sa.y in the contest. Tho winner turned up in Mr J. T. Cox'u Havana, a grey gelding by Clievcden— Cigarette that had previously won nothirg but a maiden race on the flat at an amateur meeting. They gay that he fchaped well, and will be henrd of again. Twenty-one fairish horses, including The Trier, Muhee, Hopscotch, and Newman, weighed out for the riatnpden Stakep, a nine-furlong race at weight for age wilh penalties and allowances. Newman, being very well, received firm tupport, going out at the short price of 7 to k, but the confidence was not misplaced, as the aged gelding, after being patiently ridden, got a clear run after passing the half distance, say 100 yds from home, and just got up in time to beat The Trier by a length. Valient, a son of Antteus, finished thiul. Form was fointb, and Dan O'Brien's Carbine colt Cartridge finished among, the rearguard. ♦Form, it should be mentioned, had a 101b penalty. In a field of 18 for the Two-year-old Stakes the public rushed Hurefc (a con of Cranbrook and Zanto) with iuoh pertinacity as to send him out at the ridiculous odds of 7 to 4. He got badly away and was never eeen. H D., a gelding by Lochiel — Constance, slipped off at a great bat and appeared at the home turn to be winning by himself ; but Huxiey brought up Lo Var (by

Lochiel—La Valette) with a splendid run, awl he won at the finish rather easily, the runaway curling up badly when collared. Sayles, aro her of the Lochiel crowd, got third place, all the Mtaaliona being thus filled by the progony of Mr Stead's New Zealaud Cup winner. Le Var, who had never before stared in public, was bred at Nio^fi-.ld. His dam, La Vale tte, i» by Maribymoni; from Quctnßborry,. by Hawthornden (imp.), lie oreatcd a favourable impits'iou in the »ul« rir>g when sold for 150ga to Mr Pay ten, on teh-Of of Mr J. B. Clark. For the Spring Handicap the public took Fiti:Dcmovan 7.4- as the best thing. Up to the end of about six furlongs Panoply 8.3 m»do the pace, Nib'emnn 8 9 lying iv a handy position and going so strong as to lead runny to suppose he would *iv easily. Half a mile from honn Vivian, the tbree-y ear-old rou of Abbicrn and* Ludy Vivian (by Mu-ket), gothiß head in frontj aud Panoply uhoitlj afterwards retirivg, Noble* man wrae on with his exptct ad rush. Viviau, howtver, held his own with grcst gartoness, and teourtd Ue vt-rdict by a hrad Jn a rattling finish, the Dtile aud a-ci'iarter being dODe ia 2uiu 10r<fc«. Vi»ian earri* d 6 10. He is de« siirilKd ns a Hnowy lightish colt. Fi'z* Donovan, who fitiihhed fourth, bad the bad luck to be interfered with, aud ono bump in particular so upset him as U spoil his chance of winning — so hio backerß nay.

* # * Tho question of how far the Government propose to and bow far they will be able to interfere with tho recommendations of the Racing Conference in rtgard to the usne of totalizator permits must eoou be settled. Time is creeping on ; certain clubs that ifc was pro-po-ed to leave out in tho cold are evidently bringing presauro to bear ; and the Colonial Kecrot«.rv himf-clf is moviig in tbe matter. Ha wrote to Oaptnin Kuistll, chairman of the conference, so long ago as the 2nd of latt motth : " Representations have lefcw mado to me roapeoting tho omission from Ibat Hot of tbe Ashursb Racing Club, the Napier Town and Suburban Riomg Club, and the Pnhiatua Jockey Club. I should, therefore, fed obliged if them*! tar oould be reconsidered with a view of allowing these cluba permisniou to apply for a totalitiator license." And a letter from the secretary of the conftrence (Mr Lockie), written und^r instructions from Cay,t*iu Russell, shows tbat the Hubj'.ct in reckoned to bo one of urgency. Tho letter referred to, addressed to the secretary of tbe Wellington metropolitan, conts-"n« theaa remark* : " After an interviow between Captaiu Rußtte.ll, the Hon. J. D Ormoud, the Hon. G. M'Lean, aud Sir P. Buckley, Mr Seddon, and Mr Carroll, ib appouis that uulcsi the distiictfl affected can show very uttotif reasons wby these clubs should not/bo allowed the use of th« totalizator the Government are determined tcr if sue permits to the Aahurat, -P»hi»tua, and Town and Suburban Raciog ( lubs. In fact, ib appear?, reasons or no reasons, that promise* have been made to theae clubs and tho Government intwd to grant the licounea. Such being the c*se it will bo neoitwary for the conforenoe ropreseuttilivcs of tho Welliiigton district to mof-b at once aud sulmit the Pabiatua Club for a license aud exoise ono of those approved by tha cottfnenoe. In the case of the Town and Suburban Racing Club, the confluence representatives of Huwke's Bay have airr ady agtesd on thiscour^e, and I cannot too urgently impress ou you the necessity for immediate action, aa uiitil the proposals submitted by the conference aw finally approved by the Government all eorts of complications may arise aud the Government may isfiue so many licouses to trotting club 3 tbat before tho end of tho racing season many of tho racing club 3 will hava to go short."

* # * We have here a dirfeb warning that in the common intecosts of tho turf ib is advisable to readjust the conference's lint so as to make room for the clubs that the Government hafl a mind to license. Tho announcement is SMjggjl wh*t of a surprise, but, as a matter of f»°?)wP in tho south do not km w all tho circumstances of tho case, and, though on goueral grounds it sermn regrettable that tbe Government i<hould inttrftro at all, oihj'b criticism is luigely disarmed in view of the fact that the recommendation to acquiesce comes from three such sturdy upholders of racing riglits as Captain Russell, the Hon. G. M'Lean, aud the Hon. J. D. Ormond. It ia inconceivable that men of that stamp would lower them«»lve« to a policy of tcimmiDg or wtably consent to a manifest injustice for the shke of peace aud quietnesi. Tbe thought that runs through my mind ia bhabbefore consenting to make the recommendation now btfore us they have had ihe whole subject threshed out with the Government, aud received satisfactory assurance that interference by the department will not become vexatious. Influenced by this belief, I refrain from saying anything furtter on that bianch of the iubject. There is one thiug rfevoaled by CaptMii RuiseU'B letter that undoubtedly gires coDfiimsition to the hope of soon having fche matter settled on a sound basis. I refer to the fact thtt the conference representatives havu been consulted. H*d the Governffen* desired to U6C their power in a reckless taonaer, thfty might have simply told the conference to 80 to tho dickens. In that caie there would have been, of course, a fearful row, and no one can say how it would have *nded. Evidently, however, neither Mr Scddon nor Sir Patrick Buckley 18 so ircline'd bo trail his coat on tte floor. It would have pleased me better if tbe recommendations of tho conference h+dbetn accepted without demur ; but since that is not to be I am bound to cay that the interference see ma to have been made a«. gently acd as politely as possible, and there is reason to hope fur a pacific adjustment of the difficulty.

* # * Lady Marion, winner of the Trial Btakefi ab Auckland, is by Msiua— Wanda. She took the lead after the first furloDg, and stayed there. Levanter, the "pot" for the Hurdle Race, seems to have waited a b'l too long ; tlab ib how I interpret the full and particular story of his defeat by a nose. Impulse started favourite for the Spring Handicap, Waiuku being nexb in demand. Lochnc-ss aud Waiuku were in command for the first halfmile, when tho latter shob clear of his opponent, whose place was taken by St. Regal, whilst Pegabus and Impulfe came next. Waiuku led itto the Btraight, and won easily by threequarters of a length from Pegasu?, wbo came very fssb from the corner. Popgun was fourth and Impulse last. Rubin was flret favourite and Armilla secoud favourite for the Welcome Stakes. St. Paul, who won, is brother to St. Clements, and Bhould therefore be tmart. It will be observed that third pUce was filled by a daughter of Carbine, Quickftve's breeding be'cg Carbine — Hesbia The Steeple chase proved fatal to two useful horses, Union Jack (eon of Liberal) and Nero (by iDgomar), winner of the Gibbome Park Steeplechase la«t July. Wftiuku had no trouble iv appropriating the Flying Handicap. The day's sport wound up with a thumping dividend, particulars of which appear in the report.

* # * Wo have news this week of the mult ol tho 120 th race for the 81. Leger at Doncaster. It was won by Sir Visto, who has had an honourable though rather chequered career, He finished third in the Two Thcueand won ta

Kirkcoßell, was also third in the Newnurket Stakes, then won the Derby, and afterwards got badly beaten in the Princcaa of Walss's Stakes. Ou this record many declined to s<aud him for the L' gey, and not a few named Wbittier aa the one that would put him dowu The ownor, however, nover wavered in his faith in the son of Viftn, believing Lim to bo a sticker, and now that he has won at the long cHu'-ance we iray tofce that ofl au eslitnate of Sir Viatw'a value, that he can stay belter than his cont*-m-poruws. He will not hereafter be ranked with ieingtaffl nor with Common, but bar thf *c two tons of Isoni'iny he perhaps drs^rves to ho spoken of as in the fame street as other gj. d deger winners. TeleEcope, who finivfied iecond, was a fair performer latt season, having won the Jolilfe Stakes, a five-furlong race, at liiverpoo] July, and also the more valuable ffrkoe of Waleb'g PJa^eat Doncaster, in which fee bad La Sagesee and a crowd of others Jbehiod him. Butterfly was this season fourth $n tha One Thouand and winmr of the Coronation Btates at Ascot Sir Viuto is tbe sixtet-nth torso that has won both the Derby and Lrger. Theliflt ifi an foil .wa :— IBOO Champion, 1848 Burplkje, 1849 Flying Dutchman, 1850 Voltigeur, 1853 West Au«trftliaa, 1864 Blair Athol, 1865 Gladiattur, 1866 Lord Lyon, 1877 Silvio, 1881 Iroquois, 1885 Melton, 1886 Otmonde, 1889 Donovan, 1891 Common, 1893 iMDgUs*.

* # * The leading events of tho Goodwood meeting are reported in this issue. It ia worthy of note, as good picking in a six furlong taw, that tbe plates in the Stewards' Cup were filled iy the favouri tea. Wise Virgin, (he winuer, mm bred by Sir T&tt-on Sykes aud told as a yearling for 22Qg«. The race, strange to say, •was not ofhYwlly timtd. Tho recorJ for it is the lxnin I4^ee made by. Marvel in 1890. Mr Bftstett, owner of the wiuner, has had a rare ran of luck. The Royal Hunt Oup is another of tbe racts he has collared this sewon. It generally takes a good one to win the Richmond Btftkw, and such a description applies to i^rMmmon, the Piinofc'a (lying two-year-old, who v*ry easily disposed of the opposition. Previous winnerao! this eveat include Jannttte, Wheel of Fortuue, Btnd Or, B»l Gal, Dutch Oven, and Orme. Persimmon was bred by his owner, tbe Prince of Wales, fend made his first public appearance in the Coventry Stakes at Ascot, which he won bj tfiree lengths from Mcli t&clo, Dynamo, and five others. He next ran iv the race above detciibad. Matcbmtker won the Gratwicke Stakes very easily, bat put his bftck«ts in a hole in the Su sex Stafcos, gaining only third {dace, behind Troou and Pride. It IB generally thought that W&tU'e fine riding was largely the cause of Troon getting home. Pride, equally well handled, would probably navo finished in front. Troon was bred by the Duke of Portland, and is an own brother to Ayrshire. The oolfc did not ruu as a two-ye*r-o!d, and was flret seen in public at Ascot this year, when he won the St Jnmoe'i Falaoe Stakes by four lengths from Matchmaker, St. Johann, aud fix others. He then toak part iv the Ealipte St»kea, won by Le Justioier, WLittier being second and Noue the Witer third ; and his next performance was in Ihe Sussex Stakes. The long-distacoe handicap went to Captain Machell with the aid of Canipanojo, who lUtLed at a nice pric^and was capably handled bj one of Jewitfe apprentices. CampuEi^jo had only, onoe previously run for OapUin Machell, who bought the bone for 1500gt after he had won the Great Northern Handicap. In the Lavant Stakes Omladina, a daughter of Royal Hampton and Geheimnis*, made her debut, and though the filly went to the post, remarks the Sport«man, iv a way suggesting that she was iiot.deriog what s.ll the noise was about, she came back like au old baud, aud when Flitters challenged resolutely the novice would not give way, and the pair p&s«ed the post locked together. Floriz*! II won the Cup like a really stout stayer. This made his- fifth win for the season, bis stake earnings up to that stage reaching £3969. On September 13 last year Sir J. Blundell Maple gave 1600{{8 for a colt by £ar*band out of Tue JBafc, and Lord Ilcheskr gave 250gs for a filly by Tristan out of Reprieve. The former wa3 named Palaverer, and the latter Queen liolde. (They met in the Fiudon Stakes at Goodwood, and the cheap one, who started an outsider, *corx*3 cleverly. Butterfly, who met with an acoident that might have proved serious upon her arrival at Goodwood, falling out of her box when being unloaded, showed that there was nothing much the matter wiih her when »he met Garter Queen in the Nassau Stakes. Odds of Bto 1 were laid on the latter, but Butterfly settled the King6clere filly for upetd inside the distance, and won an easy race by a length and a-haif.

* # * One of the pressoit n who waa in the party invited to tt»Be-inble at U»e Welbeck Stud writes: It would bo hard to conceive a greater contreat to St. Simon than Carbine, eitfaer in make and shape, or in temperament. St. Simon is all fire, aud Carbine like an old sheep. He takea ootioe of nothing or no one, but slouches along in his walk lazily, drowsily, stopping every now and then »s though to gather strength for & * fresh eiffort. Nevertheless, he has an awkward habit of striking out at odd moments in front, to tbe discomf orture of auyone not on the alert. A. povrt-rfully-built horse all over, he is undoubtedly better behind than in front, and from bo position is he seen to such advantage as when milking behind him. It is hard, so, to fiod a [ault, for his quarters, thighs, and hocks are tfmott perfection. He walks very wide, and no loubt would gallop so, as Eclipse did, and many another famous racer, but not at all in aa ungainly or clumsy way. He certainly looks like getting powerful, stout stock. As the " Special Commissiener " has frequently pointed out, he is tbe horse of all others to mate with St. Simon mares, and it ia with this view that the Duke bought him, hoping that the infusion of Muiket blood will couuteraot the high fire and nervous . courage of the Galopin, as carried through St. Siraou, which if not checked might have a isally rielcteiious effect on England's bloodstock in the not far distant future, for St. Simon's influence becomes more strongly markj3e\ery day.

*** So Dan O'Brien has won the Sydney Derby with Bob Ray. And it was won eatily, and in good time. A popular ktaa is that very fact records &ye made iv this race. That is a mistake. Trident won in 2min 38« ec, oertainly, but that performance stands quite by itself as a matter of time. Gibraltar's record, the next Faalest, was 2min 39sec ; then there was Abercorn's 2min 39i«ec. Bar these, nothing has cracked 2min 40-»cc, and we have seen as slow a raoe as 2um. 54sec only two years sinee 1 . Bob lt*y JBJ B time is much b'tlor than the aver»ge. JBlextt of the lute ydvuvh g-.ve Lim a r>ho\v, it being thought that hi. w:i-s mure ior^Aru thi i ■Nannlicher, but the " pot " ou the d«y was Form, the son of Cianbrook and La Mode. Somehow or other this does not look like Derby breeding, but the gallop which made Form fayonrifce was a good on*, and he started at 2 to 1. This left a payable price for O'Brien's gelding, and those who followed "Hori Poena" for this event got as good odds as a dividend of £5. A profitable customer has this came Bob Ray proved to Mr O'Brien. Bought at a ridioulously low price, ba has

already to his oredifc the two-year-old race at Tatternall's laafc ?epteuober, the Juvenile Stakes in March, the Champagne and the Bitnni*l in April, and i.o ft the Sydney Derby, while hi« chance of winning the V.R.C. Do by (in which he has a slb allowance for being a gelding) should be worth at least £500 in each, to say nothing of more remote pro«pecte, uuluas tLe laim-noss now reported should turn out serious. Well, we are all pleased that Rob Ray has won, not only btcau«e O'Brien is a New Zealander, but becauHO hi-* horse comes from our own ft >ck, his hire being the great Welcome Jack, son of Tnuhicer and Miss Flat. Tdis ia the secoud titu^ that the A.J.O. Derby has fallen to a Mftoriland owner, Mr Gollan having taken it last year with Bonnie Scotlmd. As to the other results ntthc meeting, comment 1 ? will bo of more value when all the facts are before us, but it i« noteworthy that St. Hippo has at last made another start on the public trucks. He was one of the boateu crowd in tbe Spring St«kt«, weight- for-ago, and from his starting price I should cay that few were surprised to see him defeated.

* # * On the pecond day of the A. J.C. meeting the Metropolitan waa won by Nobl<-m»n, with Woodford second and Ruenalf third. All started excepting /Eolus, Delaware, and Maheo. The winner's »tc«ting prioe was 14 to 1. WaterLury won the Steeplechase, and Vivian beat Maunlieher in bhe New SUker.

* # * Gillie, The Bug, and Freeborn were the leaders in tarn in the oponing Hurdle Raoe at Timaru, bub once in the straight Much Ado oame along, aud though she won by ouly half a length, she may not have been so near to " hll out" as tome imagined. Gillie was close up third. The raoe was a pretty fast one; anything inside of even time is g.>od for hurdling. V. M'Grath received a reprimaud for keeping going with Hero after that horse bad run off. Honesty fell. Molly Darling led in the Welter for about five and a-half furlong*, and then rescued to Freuchy, who in turn had to surrender to Chaos wh«« the lttt^r made his delayed but well-timed ruu. Mr Hobba won this race lest year with Arbiter. Chaos is a bit better class thau him. Certainly they were not a great lot that Chaos had to beat, but it is a fairish horse that comes promptly when wanted, as the »ou of Itavenswing did on this occasion. In the County Plats V*«dyke led from the itart tall reaching tho la»-t turn, where, shaving the poefc too fine, he actually actually hit it, aud tueu rau off the course, after which Toxa had no difficulty in winning. When the money wae all on the machine in the Cup it was seen that Vogengaug wan a firm favourite, with Marino next in demaud. Maremma was the outsider of the party, and would have paid a dividend of £14 10s. His 71b peualty may huve ohoked off a few backers, but the chief reesou of his being neglected, 1 think, was the formidable array of New Zealand Cup horses which came forth as competitors. Anyway, tue judgment proved to be so far correct. The Hon G. M 'Lean's horse had no say in the finish. The stake, however, did come to the Forbury, for after Silver Spec and Loveshot bad made the running Oatpoefc oame through without much effort and won easily. The following table shows the last half-dozen winners of this race, which was once called the President's Handicap, then the Spring Handicap, aud now the Cup : 1890-St. Malo syrs 8.7 2min 12sec 189l~CUnranald ... 3yrs 7.8 2min 13Jsec 18'.J2-Orack.«hot ... syrs 8 13 2mia 47sec 1893 -Liberator aged 8.2 2inin 49isec ]MH~S*<aoeu syrs 8 12 2min 12i«ec 18«5 Outpost syrs 8.1 2min 15* ec In 1892 and 1893, be it not- d, the distance was a mile awl a-half. Youug Berliu spoilt the Trot, making an exhibition of all the rest of the starters. He had two impediments thrown in his way afterwards, being protested against on the grounds— first, that he had mixed his gait, and secondly that he was in the forfeit list ; but tbe charge of galloping was at once dismissed, and on inquiry ib was found that the o'her ground of protttafc could not be sustained, for the reason that the name wae placed on the forfeit list by a club not affiliated to the Canterbury Asioeiation, lieeidea which it was not shown that the horse in the forfeit list and the one that trotted at Timaru were the same — the reverse of thin, indoed, wao afßrmatively and strongly argued. Cbao6 put up a hftlt-6toue penalty in the High-weight Handicap aud still managed to win, and if he bad nothing to spare it may be noted to bin credit that he ran the six furlongs in latin 16see. B*rmby had a very ea«y win in the Flying. For about four furlongs Lvly Spencer kept him company, and with difficulty bung on for a little further. In the straight, however, Baimby simply romped away, and as he ran put tbe poet the watches showed tiie swart record of Into 15iec, That in ft perfonnsißce worth remembering.

*** Duoedin eoored. in tke first event of the oeoemd day, not, however, with the one that waa mfld<! favourite, that honour being bestowed on Roth&roetead, but with tbe uncertain not to any ecoentf ie Poramu. It was not a runaway victory that he achieved, either. Molly Darling led till h*lf-w»y up the straight, where Speculator and Paramu drew out, and the latter fairly captured tho honours after a good struggle. Tom Buddtcomb was the rider who gammoned the p«acocky chestnut to that effort. Tke list of acceptors telegraphed south, did nob contain the name of Chaos in the lot for the Gladstone Handicap, hence there w«8 gome confusion and annoyance when his success was wired. I notice that the Timaru paper's list was also defective in the a*me respect, so evidently the omi»sion was a genuine mistake — aggravating all the same. The race itself oouaed no interest on the course, as only two started, and Chaos came away when he liked. Rags, the hunter that can boast of being brother to Ftxtou, having won the Bracelet in good style, the Rhodes Memorial Stakes came up for decision. Prime Warden h&ld a good position for half the distance, when apparently his condition gave out, and a rattling finish was witnessed by the two that came to the front — Gipsy Grand and Ma«"nnia. They rau home together all along the straight, and at lait Gip«y Grand, who galloped as true as steel under pressure, won by a head, hiving done the mile in the creditable time of liniu 42« ec, or 2Asec faster than Vogengang's race last year. Had Maremma got home he would have paid £14 Bb. Nomad and Lady Origlen were each more fancied for the Members' PUte than Miss Mac, the winner ; still she had a bit to spare at the iininh. Commotiou'b 3«iin 57s^c for the Mile and A-half Tr it is 'he record for the colony, being ;. s-'^ond i.-.rt -r t!j;m w-u'iiey OTluVrf iime mii.f'e s-t (x^raldini' £•- \e« -go. Yog- n^-.rig had to be kept going in the Consolation, but wai not eotely pressed. Tho rider of Lovcrfict (R. Wilson) was reprimanded for striking Vogeogang over the head with hia whip while this race was in progress.

* # * Quite a number of New Zealand Cup horses have raced already this season. ' St. Hippo bad ago in the weight-f or -age race over a mile and a-half at Sydney on Saturday, and, starting at an outside orice, finished nowhere.

We therefore have no line as to his abilities. Nor of Royal Hose's either. The pair are batter left alone altogether, in the meantime at anyrata. Prime Warden made uo show at Tuniru, but they say he looks freeh aud well, and he may be right by Oup day. If fo, he will take all the liokiug any of them can give him. Impulse finished last afc Auckland. It was nob, however, the 9.1 that stopped him so much aa an accident. Our correspondent expects him to run well in the Cup. Outpost hfu no penalty for winning at Tiinaru, and with 31b off his back and a bit more condition hi? chance seems fo be a fair one. It seems pretty certain lint he wo alii have >>pmi a hard one to b>at iv the K«!nMii b 'ton Ha.d cp if the stable hnd sent him for that event instead of relying on the three-year-old. Pegasus carrying 8.5, or 9lb above his Cup weight, finished second to Waiuka at Auckland, but I shall not be surprised to see the tables turned in the Cup, for Pegasus is only half lit, whereas W.uuku was nearly at hifi bfflt ; aud, moreover, the latter has incurr.-d a 3ll> penally. Muriuo, who ran Feooud at Timaru, made a very fine late run, exhibiting great galloping power, and some who Raw it say that when quite wound np he will beat all the lot seen out at the Timaru meeting. Gipsy Grand has to carry 71b le«s in the Cup than he had when he won the Rhodes Memorial, and as an improving colb I do not under estimate his chatted. Silver Spec will have, to improve wondei fully to have a show. She wa6 badly wanted at Tiuwvru, and with 7.7 could get only third pla<«e. Of the other Cup horses that hare run the only one I give any hhow is Chaos. This horse, by the way, hap, I think, ju»t o*csp»d a peualty ; but I doubt very much if h« is good enough for the Cup. Mr Hobbs's stable has in all probability better ones to tnut to.

* # * Stuart Wa'ldcll had a re»lly good sendoff cm Tuesday .in hoar before hu sii'el for Napier by the Tasmania. Several prominent members of the D.J.C , with lea-Hug ownei'o and officials and representatives of the uewgpaper preufi and the nng, helped to swell tke large attendance at the D J.C. offi'TS at 1 o'clock, the hour appointed for the prest.-i.ta-tion of a pur-se of sovereigns, while messages convoying goodwill were received from Christdmrch, Oamaru, and other quarters. The subscription cimc to £53 10s. Twice as much cjuld have beeu collected if the committee had bad more timu ; but the main thing was to show lespect to old Stuar. 1 , and he w.n fully assured ot ihi«, not only by th"ite'iiig speechM of the Hoi T. Fergus and M'^mm J. Hazlebt a, »d Sydney James, bub by the Bjmpfttbe,ti<j tone of the meeting ger,craUy. It is a high compliment to a traiuec to say of him that after 30 yearn of the g*me he has a character for " slraigbtneßS." Bat thai was the keynote of Mr Fergus's remark* ; while Mr Ebzlett added that Waddoll always enjoyed his entire confidence ; and our veteran secretary, who is not given to mere flummery, added his testimony to Ihe <>amo <-ff«ct. Stuart Waddell has not " featherbd bis nest" during bis long sojourn in Ofcago, but he has the satisfaction of knowing that, to quote the Hon. T. Fergus, he leaves not a single enemy behind him, and, holding the confidence of the public as well as his friends, hi* time here has not beeo wasted.

*#* An Adelaide-owned horse haa never been tiuccessful in a V.R.C. Derby (writes "Terlinga"), and Auraria is the o«ly blue riband candidate from over Ihe bordor which has be«n really fancied since Isonomy was so heavily backed in Nordenfeldir's year, Auraria won her public trial at M.r>rphetlvillc iv this j ear's S A. Dei by, but it was by uo means a h'jjh one Miraculum, the colt which ran senoud. it> very likely to prove use r ul, but the oth<-r colts Mr James'n filly beat are a long way below De.rby form. The time made by Auraria is tho fastest for tiie race with the fxcepliou of Guffs work's, and I think she is the fourth winner of the race cent to the poet by John Hdl . Au-aria is a beautiful mare, and prob'ibly ihe best fill} of her year overadistar.ee, butbw'nga filly is against her for the Dei by, which ha<i not beeu wou by one of the softer btoc tince 1876. That Auraria retains her two-year-old form seems very likely after her gallop in the Derby, but beating The Possible at weight-for-age so late 8b April and May is not a very high trial, aud I am afrmd the South Australians are rather too sanguine about their fitly. They foiyr t that Freda beat her in the South Australian Stakes. Perhaps this was a fluke — I think it was — but Mr Gollmi'b filly hardly proved herself any better than Merm«n or Balance, and these two are reckoned a good deal inferior to Challenger and Wallace. Mr White's filly Georgic did bigger things last season than Auraria. She beat Wallace fair and square at a mile. All the same, I would rathor have Auraria at a mile and a-half uudcr Derby weights, but as far as winning the blue ribsnd is concerned, I cannot go further than think that no filly has had a better chanco for some years past.

* # * Mr Alexander Gordon announces that his thoroughbred horse Epicure is to travel this seas in iv the Blacks «v.»d Hil's Creek and surrounding disbtiots. Thiii hors« w»» br«'d in 1880 by the Mesra Rouse, of New South Wale.", got by Yattendou out of Gbiva, by Velocity from Atalanta, by Reprieve — Langar Queen, by Langar. It would be merely painting the lily to say anything in praise of the sire from whom Epicure sprang. Ynttendon was quite at the head of the colonial stallions of his d»y, and bis value is still making itself felt in the pedigrees of some of our best performers. Giiivo, dam of Vortex, was bred by the Messrs Rouse. Velocity was an Eogli^h-bred horse, imported in 1860, said to be by Vortex from a mare by Defence cut of a daughter of the immortal Waxy. The Atalauta above referred to wai got by the imported horse Reprieve from a mare that traevs back to the itc ported Lady Emily. Epicure was a racer himself, and used to be owned by the one-time strong partnership of Mason and Vallance.

*,(* MrF. Dwyer returned to America from Eogland on August 13. He has only one of his English shipment left, and that is Harry Reed, which was beiDg shipped home with Hardy Campbell, his trainer. On being asked about hie European trip and his treatment there by Etiglibh racing men, he said he was perfectly eatibfied, having been treated fairly. " Other herses," he said, "were bid up daily as well as mine, and I was pleased with the arrangement." He claimed that the racing, the tracks, the Jockey Club's officials, tbe trainers and jockeys, were perfect in every wa3' in Euyl.wid. The howee there are first clais, and any ot.e will have to possess the very bes l^ hor d 'hut foul 1 I>< J got together hpre to win ovei there. Mi Dwjc ndrVl that himself aud Mr Croker had made the. mistake of taking hordes to England that were too old and not in a good enough class. These mistakes, he observed, would be avoided in the next strings of horgea which he and Mr Croker expect to take to BDgland.

V The following iB the amended V.R C. rale in connection with selling races > Ia fivetenths to the race fund of the meeting, threetenihs to the owner of the seooud horse, and

two-tsnths to the third horse, but if no third horse be placed, then six-tenths of iho surplus stall go to Ihe raco fund aud four-ten ths to the second horse. In the case of a dead heat for first place, and the owners agree to divide, both horses will be submitted to auction, the surplus to bo divided — five-tenths to the rare fund, tbre6-lenths between tho owners of the deadheaters, and two-tenths to the horse placed next in the race ; and if there be a dead heat for secoud place, five-tenths shall go to the race fund and five - tenths be divided between tho dead-heaters.

* # * During the past year the Southland Racing Club reduced the overdraft by £73, and al«o reduced other liabilities. Office-bearer for the ensuing year were elected as follows :—President, Mr G. M. Bell; vice-presidents, Messrs J. Tenuant and M. Instone ; treasurer, Mr A. B. S. .Carr ; auditors, Messrs W. Young and W. D. DilgHeßh. Messrs Roope, Ritchie, Cars well, Hawko, C. Stronach, Howells, and Bridge were elected to the vacancies on the committee.

* # * A very even average is kept up year by year with the nominations for the Tahuna Park Spring meeting. In 1893 there were 115 nominations for tbe right events, hwt year 108, and this ytar again the total stretchea back to 115. A nunib^r of g^d performers are included in the lmt, al#o some that we dou't know much about, while of the old ones returned Contractor is a prominent example.

* # * The stallion St. ' Louis, advertised to stand in tbe Kurow and Hakateri>m«>a districts, is by St. George (son of Yattendon and Lady Chester) out of Vogntigang's dam Ptiyche, who is by imported An tei os from Atalanta, by Towton ftoiu OreaocnS by Sir Hercules. This is * particularly stout pedigrte on both sides. St. George is full-brother to Chester.

* # * The Vincent Jockey Club has a credit b*lanco of £78 bo et^rt the year with. The first mrttiug is to be held on the Ist and 2nd of January next. Mr J Pitcliea has Wn appointed presidf-nt, Mefsrs J. L Flint aud W. Jack vioeprdtideiitw, Mr T. Duggan as eecrctarj; and Mr W. B. Haw^en as tre^^ur«r.

*x* ""Rata" tcl»graphs ou Tuesday night :— " Sheenan has receited £5 from the distressed jockeyn' fund of the Wellington Racing Club. — Tbc Ynldhurst hor-os were on tbe course this morning, and Bloodshot has <-virieatly done a Ijooil pivp.wAtton in vvew of tho Hawke'n Bay Guin«a?.— Bobkie Riy ?aya Silver SiMioiigoi- g to visit Lakei-ht-11.— Mr O'Brien will visit the colony about the beginning of tho year. He will be at Auckland for the yearling ealefa thare, and will afterwards ci>me on to Riccarton. — The rumour to the effect that B*rmby wan interfered with on the second day at Timaru ie, Mr fc'lwrwin says, net correct."