SPORTING NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 3556, 31 December 1881, Page 3

SPORTING NEWS.

(By-Akgl'S.) g*

~ ... *■ No Jnpitoro.ai"dcmotenlbusplacet." TOffi Becond and third days' tucihg bl tho A.R.C. will bo held on the Ellerslie coutse, ou Monday and Tuesday next, when, from ''- (W excellent sport afforded on Boxing Day, Jtho public may safely djaw the in&C&CO that thoy will not be disappointed In their expectations of seeing some exciting i*aces. The heavy rain which has fallen during the week, while it haa inter, f eyed with training operations considerably, wil fc-ve had the effect of putting the tsowrso in splendid condition. Tho first event on the programme on Motday will be the Derby Stakes, to start at one o'clock. Out of 14 subscribers there are only four on the programme, and of these The Squire and Walters's Hippo-Yatterina filly will most probably be non-starters. The race Will be left to Smike and Peeres3 colt, and the latter, if ho will gallop any, ought to be able to win. « j _ Next on tho programme comes the Publicans' purse, for which we have ten horses coloured on the card, and for V^hich Maid ot Honom\ Bst IMbs, teads best., though her penalty of 7 lbs for wirJMng the Railway Plate on Monday may prove too much for her, in which case Hilda ought to show first past the j vi ige's box.Hvhile Billfng^atc will, in all probabilitJt,)run a bettor horse than he did on Monday ; were 1« lit, one need look Boi ttrtller for the .Vrtnner; as things are the m* ought to lie between these three and Othello, te_t the latter will find his work tutottl in this company. . the Selling Knee, Katcatcher's weight 7st 10,lbs gives hima considerable say,while ifr Lira's lameness was only temporary, he ought to win easily. Billingsgate will probably not t tart. So as thiols are, Parawen* and Ratcatcher ought to race for the money.

I corao now to the race of the day, the Racing Club Handicap. Out of an acceptance tH fifteen, probably eleven will start. I ro- * Vtewed the chances of the horses on Thurs* €ay, so need not go over them, but repeat my pick of six to furnish the wiftner, viz : Tim Whilller, Maori, KonihVortli, Hilda, Matau, and Tho Poet. From these I select tho three following to furnish the placed horses, nnd expect them to run ia this wder: Tim Whilller, Hilda, Kenilworth; and I reserve Maori to boil tho pot over, if anything does.

For tho Grand Stand Handicap, Maid of Honour will carry most of tho public money, and should, on her last Monday's form, beat Billingsgate easily, as she iuects him on six pounds better terms than in tho Railway Plate, while, as I havo before started, I believo the extra distanco to be all in her favour. Hilda should be second, and, in fact, if she i? kept for this, as is very likely, she Will'giv. the Maid all sho ton do to beat her, while if Billingsgate goos he shofcld get third. The whole of tho j events arc, however, very open, and -ire's reputation as a tipster if, almsst certain to suffer, as many oi the ComK«ctitors in each nice aic well in, and might pop up at any minute and upset tho moral some people like to make of the eVetoc. This is especially so in the A.R.C. Handicap, which is by no mcftUs the certainty it has been made, as Tim has some very fit and some very hot cattle to meet, and may find the pace too warm for him in the Inst |-miltt, good animal as he undoubtedly U.

The third day's racing includes the Midsummer Stakes of iOOsovs, 6 furlongs ; the Anckfeud Hate of 150sovs, 2 miles; the Steward. Handicap of lOOsovs, one mile and a distance; tho Consolation Hnm'iCap of 50sovs, llmile, and last but W*t least, the Steeplochaae, for which there \vill almost .crtaioly be a held of 8, if not more. At present Clarence and King Don are equal favourite at 100 to 33, while Low Hand nnd Rawenata are next, at 100 to 30. Matati, Wto stands at 100 to 25, b.as his admiwrs, while Young Sled mere and HarkaWay have iirm friends. Indeed, nothing that starts in the race will be unsupported in tho betting, and from the number and ■quality.of the animals eligaged.thc Steeplechase of 1881 promises to be the best ever w on an Auckland or perhaps a New Kealand 'Connie. The Southern men say that Clarence has never, bar Agent, had to Wicct BUch opponents as* ho has on this occasion. If Lone Hand will jump and stand up, the race is a certainty for him, as* he can tire anything in it, but his failings are well known. Clarence rarely refuses, but unless I am much mistaken he is overdone in his work^ and looks tucked up and off colour. King Don will not twrn his tail to any jump,aud bo goes in his aollops like a regular glutton,'pulling at his bit and never seeming to tire. To bira I look, if the big grey baulks, to furnish the winner. Rawenata and Matau are both yew fast, and if they take to their fences kindly, will trouble tho best in it, but I am Ader the impression they, with Harkaway, will tire after they have mounted the hill the second time. Sportsman will go all round, but I fancy he will find he has,got into bad company this journey, as there will bo no loafing between the jumps. The

same applies to Young Sledmcrc, who, though a nice jumper and game enough, will bo out of his element here. Hiwthorn

trad Morning Star may not start, but if they did, they could Hot get a place. Always reserving to myself the saving clause, if he stand Up, I shall place Lone Hand 1, King Dou 2, Matau 3, with Clarenco dome up*