MISCELLANEOUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 101, 30 April 1898, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Since the A.E.C. Autumn Meeting was decided, St. Peter (tlie yearling brother to bt. Paul) has been removed from Stibbin°ton House, Three Kings, and placed in the hands of the veteran and well-liked Ellerslie trainer John Chaafe. The colt has already been broken and handled s and lias acquitted himself well in learning the first rudiments of his profession. Although the breeder has had some tempting offers for possession of the colt, they have failed to charm, and it is to be hoped that next season he will be seen sporting the "magenta jacket and white cap," so nobly carried on our racecourses by his relative St. Paul.

A Press Association cablegram from London states that Newhaven won the March Stakes at the Newmarket SprinoMeeting. .° Well, the last scene has been played in connection with the Levanter episode at the A.R.G. Autumn Meeting. The wording of Mr A. E. Byers' letter to the stewards considered on Monday, last was such that the EHersiie trainer would have been called on to prove a great deal for " conspiracy between the riders of Magpie and Levanter to prevent Miss Nelson winning" v/as alleged therein. Now, this is a big charge, and it would have required a very great deal of evidence to sustain it. The leal question as to whether Levanter was ridden out has never been decided by the stewards (that is so far as the public have been made aware), and why this question has been allo.ved to remain in the background is hard to conceive. In this 1 consider the stewards hare failed to do their duty. An ©pinion either one way or the other the racing public were entitled to. After Levanter was knocked down yesterday to Mr J. Beckett, the popular local penciller, he was at once handed over to Mr J. C. Booth, at whose stable he will in; futurfe tenant a toex: I suppose that during the winter period Levanter will find his way to Sydney along with Rex, Lady Marion, Fair Nell arid Co. Mr Henry Nolan was entrusted to bid up to 259gs for Levanter on behalf of Mr H. McGregor, a well-known Wanganui sportsman. Two doughty opponents on the racecourse during the past two seasons have been St. Paul and, Waiukn. Of course, the last named has been longest on the turf, for he has raced five seasons and St. Paul only three. Waiuku's record stands at 65 starts and 22 _ wins, wfiile the Aucklander has started in 42 races and won 18. Waiuku has won £3,933 in stakes and St. Paul £4,037.'

The Hon. H. Mossman leaves for Sydney on Monday next. He abandoned the idea of building new stables at Mangere, and yesterday afternoon I understand he closed for purchase of J. Rae's establishment at Green Lane.

One little item overlooked in connection with St. Paul's win in the A.E.C. St. George's Handicap is that he put up a fresh one mile record for New Zealand. He covered the one mile in lmin 41sec- Previously the best time fora mile in New Zealand was lmin 4Hsec, by Merganser in 1892 and by Warrington a year later, both performances being made at Christchurch. St. Paul has chipped the half-second oft". At the Patea races a boy named Kennedy was a little hero. This youthful jockey turns the beam at 4st 71b, and received ah ovation when he won the Catch Weights on Royal Guard.

Cairo, winner of the Hurdles at the Patea races, is a full brother to Gipsy Prince.