"HIPPONA'S" NOTE BOOK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 62, 14 March 1900, Page 3

"HIPPONA'S" NOTE BOOK.

Honesty, the' winner of the South Auckland Cup, is a nice cut of a mare, md she can muster up a fair amount oi speed. This season she has won several races at country meetings. _n the Cu23 at Claudelands on Saturday Honesty led throughout, and at one period of the journey she was ten lengths ahead of the field, eventually winning by four lengths. The mile and a quarter were run in 2.12. In the Flying Handicap, the concluding race of the day, Honesty had to put up a 101b penalty, which brought her weight up to 8.10. However it appears at the start she stumbled badly, which lost her a lot of ground which she could not recover. Honesty is owned by Mr A. W. Edwards, of Te Aroha, a popular tradesman in the land of "baths and hot soda."

The Hawke's Bay Stakes comes up for decision on Monday next. Screw Gun is on the scene. With his penalty he has a substantial impost, and the Hawke's Bay team engaged may supply strong opposition. Nevertheless he reads the most likely one, for his form since his re-appearance this year has been high-class. The following are the weights with penalties and allowances: — st lb . st lb Screw Gun 9 4 Kissmary Gl3 Autaia 8 8 Paphos 6 9 Crown Prince. 712 Apollo G 9 Renown 712 Casabianea — 6 6 Heiress 7 2

The Rotorua Jockey Club from all accounts had a very tame annual meeting this year, the fields being very small. (146) Admiral Hawke, .55) Arapeta, and (20) Snider were the only starters for the Cup of 40sovs, 1J mile, the trio finishing in the order written. The winner paid--13/ dividend. In the Hurdle Race Clyde paid £1 17; Bufus, the Maiden Plate winner, £1 18/; and Geraldine, winner of the Pony Race, 15/. The District Handicap winner, Princess Agnes, returned 84 investors £1 each, and Admiral Hawke in the Tourist Plate paid 14/, 150 tickets being invested on his chance. The Hack Hurdles," won by Mr J. Callaghan's Jacinth, paid the best dividend of the day, viz., £3 1/. The Forced Handicap fell to Geraldine, who paid 12/. She was bracketed with ClydeMessrs H. H. Hayr and Co. worked the totalisator at the meeting, the investments reachb-g £68S in 10/ tickets.

The South Auckland Meeting passed off without a dispute of any kind occurring. I am indebted to a friend for some notes on the gathering. During the afternoon Mr C. F. Mark's staff passed the sum of £1374 through the totalisator. The starters for the Cup and totalisator investments are as follow:—(73) Honesty (J. Stewart), 1; (127) Castorline (Berry), 2; (113) Cadiz (W_.iteh.ouse), 3. Also started:—(los) St. Ursula (T. Hall), (23) Lieutenant (D. McKinnon), and (27) Pipiwharauroa (Tooman, jun.) The dividend paid was £2 12/. In the Handicap Steeplechase Voltigeur 11. with. Frank Burns in the saddle was installed favourite, but during the journey he refused twice. The winner (Stockman), ridden by his owner (M. Deeble) took the lead on the second 1-ound and won by half a dozen lengths from Woolman, an aged gelding by Wool broker, nominated by Mr' Norman Banks. The time recorded was 7.12 (distance about three miles). St. Ursula had a good impost in both the Cup and. Claudelands Handicap, but nevertheless she ran disappointingly. Cavalier stripped well in his only display at the meeting, and this was the Claudelands Handicap, one mile. He was taken to the front by Creamer at the entrance to the straight, and won by a couple of lengths. The Flying Handicap ended in a good finish between Telephone and Puhia, the former gaining a length verdict. Blue Cap started in this race, but ran unplaced. Leona, the winner of the Hurdle Race, led throughout and won by ten lengths. This daughter of Leolinus and Fishplate bad previously proved her worth over hurdles by winning in the Lilliputian class. Voltiguer 11. was sent to the post favourite, the winner paying £2 16/ dividend. The 1. mile was traversed iv 2.56_, Mr C. J. W. Barton discharged the duties of starter, and it is said that with the exception of the Pony Handicap he succeeded fairly well.

' —"— „ , I hear that Major George leaves | Melbourne for Auckland this week and that Seahorse will be brought over in the same steamer via the Bluff. _ It means a long passage for the colt, but there is no other way of escaping the quarantine regulations. The. chestnut fil^^hich Major gggi picked up at Messrs W. C. Xuilie s thoroughbred sale on^ March sth ™! foaled on 7th October, 1898. She claims a lovely pedigree.on the dam's side, Fragment, being sired by Glou--pr+p- f r nm Scrans by Lord of the StfSE?g P Tkery('sister to Syl-j tfa) by Fisherman from Juliet (darn of Chrysolite Charon, Benvolio, and m Sin^e^o^ coe and Onyx. Strathmore, sire of the'filly i^fNordenfeldt-Qnida, by lYattendon. The blood in the filly's

pedigree is a valuable addition to j Auckland's thoroughbreds.

j The Ohinemuri Jockey Club's an.l mial.meeting takes place on Saturday I next (St. Patrick's Day) and Monday. 'No doubt a good number of townsfolk j will journey to Paeroa to be present ;at the gathering, which promises to Ibe a great success. Seven are left in

I the Cup of lOOsovs., U mile, which ] may be won by Admiral Hawke. The j Hurdle Race may go to I.angipunehu, ; while Stockman reads web in the ' Steeplechase. Weights for ilie second I clays races are uue on Saturday uigni, ! and acceptances fail due at l'o p.m.

The race for the Dunedin Cup is j lixed to take place On Wednesday next, I '-Ist March. Eight remain in the j event, which is run over a mile and ; a-haif course. The issue looks open, tor among those left in are Tortulla, Advance, iSant ilario, and Djin-Djin. The hero of the Wanganui Cup meetI ing will have 8.7 to carry, and even ! with that weight he is sure to be a j strong fancy if he starts.

The penciller- doing business at Flemington on Saturday last, on the occasion of the concluding day of the V.X.C. Autumn Meeting, must have had well-tilled bags at the conclusion. The cabled account of the racing shows that favourite after favourite was defeated, outsiders triumphing in every race. Parthian had his record stained in the Loch Plate. Odds of 0 to 4 were laid on the V.X.C. St. Loger and Champion Stakes winner, but he could only gain third place behind the uncertain Wait-a-bit, who went to the post at the remunerative price of 15 to 1. in the All-Aged Stakes, Escutcheon's son Veneda showed his superiority over Stand Off and the two-year-old colt- Finland.

Mr Wm. Hutchison, the . respected "Hotspur" of the "Weekly Press," has forsaken the pen and joined the Fourth Contingent for the Transvaal. His fellow employeees presented him with a pair of field glasses. Mr Hut-chison-is a brother of Mr T. Hutchison, the local S.M.

Seahorse, the crack New Zealander (says the Sydney "Telegraph"), appears to be anything but himself, and after his poor showing in the Essendon Stakes at Fleming-ton is not likely to add to his reputation for some considerable time. To be beaten out of a place at weight-for-age by Eiridsdale, War God, and Wait-a-bit, is a long way from top form, and Seahorse, who is beyond question a high-class colt at his best, must be completely "off.'" It had to be found out in the race, however, for that colt was such a pronounced favourite that his supporters were compelled to bet' a shade, of odds on him. Still, it may be said that Seahorse has been under a cloud almost from the moment he landed in Sydney. Soon after being taken off the boat he was put into "fast" work, but though he occasionally showed signs of lameness, it was explained that he "always limped," and therefore no notice, was taken of it.

Mr R. Orr's two-year-old colt Malster, who distinguished himself at the V.R.C. Autumn Meetiug, by winning the Hopeful and Ascot Vale Stakes, is very highly spoken of by Victorian critics. He is said to be by far the most commanding of the numerous successful racehorses got by Bill of Portland thus early in his stud career. He is uncommonly powerful and looks more like a Derby„colt than a two-year-old who has just divested himself of the trammellings ot maidenship. Malster, who cost the Ballarat sportsman, Mr R. Orr, 810 guineas at last autumn sales, was bred by Mr M. O'Shannassy. He is from the imported Barealdine mare Barley, a daughter of the English Oaks winner Lonely. Barley is one of a draft of brood mares selected for Mr O'Shannassy by the late Matthew Dawson, England's most famous trainer. Two others of her sons in O'Trigger (winner of the Bagot Handicap) and Carbinier, have demonstrated their ability to gallop. Malster is likely to be an improvement on both of these, and in him the Dowling Forest trainer, James Scobie, possesses anything but a remote Derby possibility. The colt has size, power, bone and breeding enough to develop into a champion.

I would remind my readers of Mr N. Dickey's dispersal sale at Mount Pleasant, Paeroa, on Monday next at 10 a.m. The sale will be conducted by Mr J. S. Buckland, of firm of Messrs Alfred Buckland and Sons. Among the thoroughbreds to be offered are Swiftfoot, Lady Dash, the stallions Brookby and Reconstruction, and the brood mares.Swiftsure, Victress, Boadicea, and several yearlings and two-year-olds.

When the mail left England the best price on offer against the ex-New Zealand horse Levanter for the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase was 40 to 1, which had been taken. Ambush 11. was the nominal favourite at 100 to 8. The Australian, Oban, has been backed for the Lincolnshire Handicap,' at 25 to 1. The Liverpool Grand National is run March 30.