"HIPPONA'S" NOTE BOOK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 217, 13 September 1899, Page 3

"HIPPONA'S" NOTE BOOK.

Everything points to the Avondale Jockey Club scoring a great success with their opening day's meeting on Saturday next. Big fields will no doubt go to the post for the majority of the races, especially in the Avondale Stakes and Hack Race. The first event is timed to start at 12 noon. Special trains will run from Auckland to Avondale, calling at the various stations on the line. The trains leave Auckland at 11.20 a.m., 12.10 and 1.10 p.m.. Miss Delaval promises to start a warm favourite for the Avondale Cup, while the other most fancied candidate* are Bluejacket and St. Ursula.

The Hotchkiss-Frailty colt was seen out again under silk at the V.A.T.C. Meeting on September 2 iv the Warriston Welter, seven furlongs, _in which he had 9st to carry. Pacing scribes of the Melbourne "Sportsman" make the. foi lowing reference to the colt:—No horse at Caulfield was more admired than the Derby colt, Lancaster, who looked a regular picture. The half-brother to Trenton is growing shapelier every day, and promises to be very hard to beat in the V.E.C. Derby. I believe the stable invested a few pounds on Lancaster for the Warriston Welter, but in view of the colt's valuable engagements little Foulsham was instructed not to knock him about if there was no chance of winning. The boy carried out his orders to the letter, with the result that he was reprimanded by the stewards for not riding his mount out. No race should be put entirely beyond Lancaster. A colt of his formation and promise might easily develop into something really good. The material is there right enough, and when his trainer is satisfied with his condition it might be as well to be on Lancaster's"' side, no matter what sort of contract he tackles. One of these days Lancaster will probably prove worth every penny of tbe thousand guineas paid for him as a yearling.

English files to hand, and a Press Association cablegram to hand yesterday, confirm the cabled news of New-haven's breakdown, and the Australian retires to the stud. In this connection "Vigilant," of the London "Sportsman," says:—"l urn sorry to learn that Newhaven 11. has broken down in the near foreleg, and may never run again. I believe that the mishap occurred fully a mile from home in the Goodwood Cup, though he seemed to walk away soundly enough after the race, and the mischief was not discovered until the evening. The stoty now is that he overpowered Blaclcwell in that, curious o-allop on Wednesday morning, aijd his defeat by Merman is now fully explained, a defeat that was altogether unaccountable if the City and Suburban winner had been anything like himself. In some respects Merman has been a wonderfully lucky horse. Sharpies fairly outrode Wood in the Cesarewitch of 1897; The Hush had done no work when Merman defeated him in the Jockey Club Gup last backend; and now a break-down on the part of his only dangerous opponent has given him the Goodwood Cup.

Five Victorian Derby candidates were seen out at Caulfield recently. Merriwee (by Bill of Portland—Etra Weenie) being the only one of the number to get a place. The St. Alban's representative Revenue (by Trenton— Waterlily) started second favourite for the Heatherlie Handicap, but though he wis one of the first into the straight, he was badly beaten at the finish. Tremarden (by TrentonLady Marden), who was well backed at 100 to 12 and 15 for the Derby before going to the post for the Memsie Stakes, only ran moderately in the last-mentioned race, in which Diffidence's half-brother, Merriwee, filled third place. Merriwee is spoken oi as v very promising colt. Ihe Hotcliki ss colt Lancaster was fairly forward at the finish of the Y\arristou Welter Handicap and as the stewards censured A. E. Foulsham for not riding him out, the colt could no doubt have done a bit better.

From 189-1 up to 1899 the. vnlue of the English Derby has remained at £5450, as the subscriptions have not exceeded the guaranteed value in either year; the executive this season had to"add only 600 soys. in order to bring up the 'forfeits and subscriptions to the stipulated amount. Since the alteration was effected in 1890, in order to maintain the popularity of the race with owners, the variation has been due to a surplus of assets on-er liabilities. The values from 1875 inclusive are appended:—lß7s (Oalopiu), £4950; 1870 (Kisber), £5575; 1577 (Silvio), £0050; IS7B (Sefton), £5855; 1879 (Sir Bevys), £7025; 1880 (Bend Or), £6375; 1881 (Iriquo-is), £5925; 1882 (Shotover), £4775; 1883 (St. Blaise), £5150; 1884. inclusive of the 300 soys. to be awarded the second horse, £4900, which sum was equally divided between St. Gatien and Harvester who finished a dead heat for first place; ISSS (Melton), £4525; 1886 (Ormonde), £4700; 1887 (Merry Hampton), £4525; 1888 (Ayrshire), £3675; 1889 (Donovan), £4050; 1890 (Sainfoin), £5930; 1891 (Common), £5510; 1892 (Sir Hugo), £6960; 1893 (Isinglass), £5515; 1894 (Ladas), £5450;, 1895 (Sir Visto), £5450; 1896 (Persimmon) £5450; 1897 (Galtee More), £5450; 1898 (Jeddah), £5450; and 1899 (Flying Fox), £5450.

Two important two-year-old races were recently decided in England. For one of them, the Rous Memorial, worth £1100, odds of 3 to 1 were laid on Forfarshire, by Royal Hampton, and he won very easily. Tlie other event was the, Prince of Wales' Stakes, worth £2400. For this Diamond Jubilee was once more made favourite, it being said that the Prince of Wales' colt, who is own brother to Persimmon, had latterly displayed less temper, which, by causing fractiousness at the starting post, had entirely put him out of his previous races. In the present instance he behaved well enough at the post, but when apparently winning he "cut it," and declining to try a yard, was beaten by half a length by Lord Rosebery's Epsom Lad, who himself finished none too gamely.

I clip the following interesting paragraph from the editorial columns of the "Referee":—"The ailment from which one of the Yaldhurst New Zealand Cup candidates, St. Lucia, has been suffering has been briefly described as paralysis, a very uncommon affliction amongst our four-footed friends, but one to which mares and fillies would appear, judging from a colonial experience, to become victims more readily, perhaps, than horses or geldings. Owners are sometimes in a position to locate the cause, but more frequently are at a loss to account therefor. Injury or or abscess in the brain, getting cast in a box, or having a heavy fall and injuring the spinal column, produce paralysis, but there are' other agencies, sometimes constitutional —a diseased stomach and liver, kidneys, bladder and Avomb, more particularly, we are told, may be the cause, and then there is poisoning in various ways. Most of the cases in the experience of the writer have been attributed, or traceable, to ergot of rye poisoning, but a somewhat similar effect has been produced upon horses after eating the

white leaf of the maurangi, a tree that grows in the outskirts of the North Island forests. It is seldom that horses that have become afflicted through eating ergot properly recover. It seems to get into the system, into the spinal column, and though some horses so far recover that they may not always, or rarely, present indications of having been amiss, yet at times the effect upon them is apparent. What was really the cause of St. Lucia going wrong in the way she did is unknown to her trainer, but it is quite possible that iv her hay she got ergot, though, if so, why should other inmates of the stable have escaped. St. Lucia has been in slings over a week, and it is yet too soon to say whether there is any positive improvement in her condition." The veteran Auckland penciller, Mr Robt. Blaikie, as usual has issued his handy Sporting Guide. It contains the performances of tbe horses engaged in the N.Z. Cup and a lot ot other information of value to those who follow racing. Word from Napier says that Percy Martin is sending Major George's pair, Seahorse and Labourer, along. The former has created a very favourable impression among the Hastings track followers. A well bred lot are in active training for the Guineas on the tracks at Hawke's Pay. The Hon. J. D. Ormond is likely to be strongly represented in the classic race, seeing that he has ten entries, several of which are undergoing careful preparation by Stewart Waddel. Mr James Beckett proposed returning to Auckland this week, but at the eleventh hour he determined to see the A..J.C. Spring- Meeting through. I hear he has sold Lady Marion to Mr 0. Fultin, of Sydney. The Yictoran sportsman, Mr W. P. Wilson, has named his two-year-olds as follows: Fillies: by Wall nee—-Aura, Aurous; by Eiridspord—-Eleusis .imp.), Rumor. Colts: By Pill of Portland—Melodious, Parragundn: by Bill of Portland— Montnlto, Headland; by Eiridsr»>rd or AVallace—Water Lily, LVbcnlure; by Wallace—Ronnie Rosette (imp.), feinglike: by Light Artillery— Hortense, Bombard. The Mangcre-trained two-year-old colt Val Rosa (by Seaton Delaval— Vieux Pose) is reported to have acquitted himself well in a four furlong spurt he was treated to on Saturday morning last. Gold Medallist made his first appearance in England on July 25th, running for the important Stewards' Cup at Goodwood, but ran unplaced. From private information to hand at Cbrisl church it appears that Gold Medallist has become such a hard, puller as to be unmanageable by a light weight. Wait-a-Bit was brought down from Rallarat recently and given a run in ihe Memsie Stakes, one mile, run under weight for age conditions at Caulfield. Although not in the betting he showed a good turn of pace and finished fourth. The £10,000 won by Flying Fox, which, the cable recently informed us, the Duke of Westminster has presented to the Alexandra Hospital at Rhyl, of which his Grace is president, nil] enable the committee to proceed at once with the erection of the administrative block. The hospital is being built facing the sea, and the foundation stone was laid by the Princess of Wales, who is the patron- j ess of the institution.