MISCELLANEOUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 184, 6 August 1898, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Victoria Racing Club Committee intend making a further effort to obtain legislation so that the totalisator can be used on Victorian racecourses. A cablegram to hand this week states the country clubs will be invited to join in conference with the V.R.C. on the matter. During the last 12 months a number of prominent Victorians have been won over to favour the introduction of the machine, and the newspapers are also unanimous in its favour. If the totalisator is ever legalised in Victoria we may expect to see the stakes on the programmes as richly en^ dowed as at Royal Ascot.

The Auckland Racing Club Committee meet on Tuesday next to elect officers and deal with, other matters, including totalisator tenders.

Mr Henry had the great field of 39 horses to handicap for the Winter Haridicap> run on • the opening day of the National Meeting. The Auckland gelding St. Kilda has been placed well up in the list with list 31b,and the Southern weight ad j uster might well have appointed him some tew pounds less. However, the. old fellow is a great weight carrier, and as lie looked really well in point of condition when he left here it will not do to leave him out of calculation.

The well-backed New Zetland Cup candidate Boreas is at Riccarton and will compete at the National Meeting. The Auckland Racing Club committee propose to. extend the Spring Meeting to three days and the Summer Meeting to four clays.

During the past season, according to "Pentagraph," the Metropolitan Clubs passed the following sums through the totalisators at their meetings :—Auckland Racing Club, £101,926 ; Canterbury Jockey Club, £86,457 ; Wellington Racing Club, £58,170; Dunedin Jockey Club, £46,979; Wanganui Jockey Club, £38,238 ; Hawke's Bay Jockey Club, £37,516; Greymouth Jeckey Cliib, £15,625; Tarauaki Jockey C1ub;"£10,945.

From Melbourne comes word that Lancaster, the Hotchkiss-^Frailty colt, for whom Isaac Foulsnam gcive a four-figured cheque at the Wellington Park sftle last January, has been taken in hand, and the breaking tackle was put on him tor the first time recently. In connection therewith a Melbourne writer says: Since I saAv Lancaster some three oi four months ago he has thickened and filled out splendidly, and the resemblance to his half-brother, Trenton, is more noticeable now. Tke colt has been running out in a nice^ wellsheltered paddock in the day time, and is stabled every night. If looks go for anything Lancaster should keep up the prestige of the celebrated Frailty family.

A pair of three-year-olds given out as likely to distinguish themselves in the spring at Randwick are Vigorous (by Abercorn—Lady Vivian) and Miss West (by Nordenfeldt—Miss Westbonrne). The list of Hawke's Bay totalisator permits recommended by the Conference does not include one for the Town, and Suburban Racing Club. Newhaven's running at Ascot has caused the value of " Australian form " in England to depreciate considerably. If Aurum is himself next season, he will'send Australian stocks up again. It is stated that Mr J. C. Booth is not over-pleased at the weights allotted his horses in Sydney. Through Mr M. Power he has sold the steeplechaser Levanter to go to England. Lady Marion and Eex are also for private sale. Southern writers state that Liberator's visit to Kiccarton has furnished old timers with a subject far admiring comment. The old fellow, it is stated, could scarcely look better, although his unsightly leg, now quite callous, somewhat detracts from his appearance. His trainer-and-owner are very sanpuine of the horse's future sucess. i The. Egmont Kacirig Club's profit and. loss account for the year shows a credit balance of £554 Is Id.

Desmond, the crack two-year-old in England of the present season, is by St. Simon from the . Oaks winner, L'Abbesse de Jouarre. Eleusinian has been taken out of the Caullield Cup, but he remains in the Melbourne Cup^ and this is the race for which the Adelaide people fancy Mr James' colt. ■' Colonel Fox, the newly-appointed judge of the Canterbury Jockey Club, was appointed in England a'few years since as commandant of the New Zealand forces, but he did not reign long after arrival. Colonel Fox married last year a daughter of Captain Russell, and is now farming in Canterbury. . • . , Eiridsdale(by Eirisford-Aorere), a fancied Cauliield and ■Melbourne Cnp candidate, won the Murrumbeena Handicap, one mile one furlong, at the V.A.T.C. races at Caullield recently. Eiridsdale is half brother to Messrs Nathan's brood mare Ellerslie. English papers to hand show there has been a rupture between the Duke of Portland (who purchased Carbine) and his trainer, G. Dawson. It appears the Duke notified Dawson of his intention of sending his yearlings to John Porter at Kingsclere. This naturally enough nettled Dawson, who asked the Duke to remove all his horses, and they will in future be trained by Porter. Among the yearlings are some of Carbine's progeny. At one time the Welbeck horses could not go wrong, but during the last two or three seasons they have done very little. At Sandown Park (Melbourne) races on July 27th tha ex - New Zealand 'chaser Donald M'Kinnon, who had' been in a quiet way heavily backed for the Steeplechase, failed when he was favourite. He struck two fences, badly gashing his stilie. Mr D. Scott's brood mare Corueha, dam of Alma, died -lately, at the age of twentyseven years, at Parewanui. George Barrett, the English horseman who died recently, left £85,822. Mr E. Shove, the owner of Booties and Conscript, intends selling the pair after the National Meeting previous to taking a trip to the. Old Country. His Grace (by the Australian PeerPenitent) is favourite for the V.A.i.U Grand National Hurdle Race run at Caulfield to-day (Saturday). _ The Victorian sportsman, Mr VV. 1* Jones, gave a dinner in London to Colonial visitors in honour of his victory in the Oaks with Airs and Graces. Major George and Mr S. H. Gollan were among the visitors present. The biggest totalisator of the past season was £S6 ss, paid by Dotterel, winner of the Maiden Plate at the Hawke's Bay Spring Meeting. Mayday (first Hack Flat winner at Egmont Summer), £82 12s, was next best. • . . Duke of Richmond has an admirer in Adelaide, who thinks he may win one or both Cups. One bettor .reports having laid £2,000 to £40 Duke of Richmond for the Caulfield Cup, £2,000 to £40 .for the Melbourne Cup, and £5,000 to £15 the two Duke of Richmonds. In. Melbourne the other day Merloolas was backed for the Melbourne Cup for all the money in the market at 100 to 5. The annual meeting of New Zealand Tattersall's Club was held last , night. There was a large attendance present. Mr R. H. Duder presided. The annual report and balance - sheet showed the affairs of the Club to be in a healthy condition, the assets showing £410 10s 6d, and liabilities nil. The Committee had the rooms re-fnrnished and renovated at a cost of over £100. ©a the motion of Mr L. L. Levy the report, and balance-sheet were adapted. The following Committee were elected :—Messrs Brimblecombe, R. H. Duder, W. Percival, J. W. Russell, H. T. Gorrie, H. H. Hayr, J. Davidson. Votes of thanks to outgoing officers closed the meeting.

It transpires that L'evahter was purchased by Mr M. Power on behalf of Capt. Scott, now of Cork, Ireland. Levanter, it is now stated, will be shipded to England by the first available boat. When last files left England O ; Madden was right at the head of the wiiining jockeys' list, his record between March 21st aiid Juiie 17th being 61 wins in 274 races. T. Loates has won 49 races out of 279, and M. Cannoa was third on the list, having had 196 mounts and 47 wins. C. Wood had been in the saddle on 253 occasions, of which he was first in 46, and F. Allsopp won 44 out of 285.