SPOUTING NOTES.

By late English papers I notice the death of Wild Oats,.by Wild Dayroll. Wild Oats was the sire of Mr Joseph Paul's handsome filly Poppy, whose dam, Sweet Cicely, ia now the property of the Auckland Stud Company. Wild Oats was sold for 2000 guineas at the break-up of the Cobham stud three years ago. One of his get, a yearling, was sold at the Duchess of Montrose'fl clearing sale for 1000 guineas lately, as bis stock have been performing well in England of late; >*o Mr Paul may congratulate himself on having a filly whose breeding is of the very purest and most successful strains of racing blood.

As the Auckland Cjup is set down for Friday next, I must have a shot at it, but I am afraid I shall not "spot" it, as the clever division are there in force, and the chances are an outsider will flop up and rake in the pool for the "books." Eleven have cried content, and the champion, Welcome Jack, heads the list with Oat lOlbs up, and I for one think htm quite capable of carrying it to victory, if he is wanted. Next comes Tor* quoi.se,' Bst 41b, a very tough nut to crack at the weight, if fit, which lam afraid be is not. Then we have Administrator, 7st 21b, who has been ■ backed for pounds, shillings, and pence, a thing that bodea little good to his ultimate success, as these heavily backed " morals " rarely oome off, and lorn afraid won't this timo ; besides, the company is a cut above any he has hitherto performed in. Minerva And Libeller 7st, are far better goods to my mind, aud if the little horse is fit and patiently ridden, I shall expect to see him placed, if not the winuer right out. Normanby 6st 121 bis not class enough with Necklace, and The Poet at the same weight. Necklace if she starts, ought to be one of the first three at the weight. Pipi, 6st 71b, and Alario,6st are in light enough, the latter especially, who might give the Aucklanders a treat by scoring another sensational victory, to add to his steeplechase laurels, as he is not at all slow on the flat. If Woodnymph is worth her high lineage, she ought to be about, with sst 121 b up. The full sister to Martini* Henry, should be equal to winning with only a feather to carry. However, to came to the meat of the matter, I think the result should be

Welcome Jack Lib<<ll>r Necklace. If Jack don't start, then I shall expect to see the other place filled by The Poet or Miverra. For the Steeplechase, Clarence heads the list at 12st 101 b, and if the Clarence of old, will win it from everything except The Lad, 12st, who is a tough 'un. Alaric, ' lOst 101 b, if in the humour he was here, when he gave KoBS Heaten such a breather and won the big Steeplechase by chains, ought to win ia a walk, but the Auckland course is different to the Wanganui, and a repetition of the break-neck pace Alaric indulged in here without an accident, would assuredly bring him down up there, Barbary, lOst 61b, if he don't break down, will be about the first to catch the judge's eye, or I am very much mistaken. New Year, lOst 51b, if sound and fit, will be a hard nut to crack, as will also Sunray, 9st 21b. But my choice, with a first- class cross-country artist in the saddle, would bo Wideawake, 9s t 71b, as he can jump and go like a deer. On the off chance of bis standing up and going straight, I will give him a place, and select the placed trio as follows:—

Barbary The Lad Wideawake

They are backing the Musket — Slander colt to win the next Melbourne Cup 1 The Aucklanders are a venturesome lot, and take a lot of choking off when they think they know anything. When in Wellington the other day I met Mr Goldsmith, the Seoretary of the Island Bay racecourse syndicate, and asked him was there any truth in " Bargo's " statement in Chronicle some time ago, thai; he~(Mr G) bad not paid the stakes won by Lyric at Island Bay during the Volunteer encamp, ment. Mr Goldsmith told me he bad written a letter to the Chronicle denying that he was responsible for the payment of the stake in question, but that the letter had never appeared. "Will the Chronicle explain ? Ab the matter stands, people here are under the impression that the Island Bay Club or Company, or whatever it is, is a defaulter for stakes, which Mr Goldsmith assured me was not true.

The ill-advised and vindictive threat of holding a two extra'daya' races at Island Bay next February to cover the both days of .the older Club's meeting at the Butt has been dropped, as every sporting paper and authority from one end of the colony to the other cried " shame " on such cut throat tactics.

Having washed his hands of the turf and volunteered for the expedition toKhartoum Willoughby, I hear, (says "Argas" ia the World) left London for Egypt recently. Little more than two years have elapsed since be appeared at the rinp-eide during the sale of Mr Chaplin's yearlings at Newmarket, and hy the simple uplifting of his umbrella successfully opposed the Australian sportsman, Mr Long, for the possession ot the filly by Hermit out of Adelaide, now known as Queen Adelaide, until she was knocked down to him at the unheard of price of 3600 guineas. Even Mr Tatersaii was «naco L uainoe.d with Sir John's petit figure and pale passionless faco ; and with that performance the latest accession to Captian Machell's stable may be said to have burst upon the turf world like a meteor. The young gaurdsman soon made his mark as a heavy bettor of the plunSing school, with chequered subces, and his next sensational "auction deal" was when he opposed Mr Matthew Dawson (on behalf of Barou de Hirach) and others for Harvester at Lord Falmouth s sale. For that horse he paid 8600 Guineas by the advice of his mentor, in preference to buying Busybooy, Har« vestor'a immediate defeat in the Two Thoasand Guineas, which he subsequently wiped out ;by turning the tables on Scot Free in the Payne Stakes, and his sensational dead heat with St Gatien for the Derby, which was afterwards divided, and his collapse in the St Leger after being so cruelly knocked about at Goodwood in the interim, are sufficiently well known to require no recapitulation, "Breaking tneßing," is easier said i ban done, as all the plunging sohool have found out to their cost since Lord Hastings •set the castor.' Nor is Sir John Willoughby the only owner of * Derby winner that retired from the turf the same year, as the career of the Baltazzis, who won the Derby with Kißber, will testify.

The following ion mot appears in an English sporting papers— A oertain jookey lately appeared on a racecourse with a handsome pin in bis scarf, formed of a horse's tooth, mounted in gold. "Nice pin you've got there ; very handsome 1" a brother jookey observed. " Yes, it i{( rather neat, ian't it. A horse's tooth, you see. Mr Blank gave it me." "Ha 1 1 shouldn't have thought yon pulled tyn quite as hard as that," was the reply. Although moßt* of my confreres use the scissors freely on my notes to help them fill their weekly budget of sporting news, few of them have the courtesy to acknowledge th c source of their information. " Masseppa " " Beacon," and " Sir Launeelot," however, are honorable exceptions io this rule, and I have to thank them for their courteous recognition of my humble efforts as a turf scribe. I wish them, and all my kind readers, a Metry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We learn that Mrs Ormabee is. 4o be the caterer for the public at the sports on Boxing Day, andlthiß fact is sufficient guarantee that ' the eatables and drinkables will be of the best, and that tfre wants of the public will be carefully attended to*