THE... Racing World.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 79, 3 April 1901, Page 3

THE... Racing World.

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RACING FIXTURES, 1901,

April 8, 9, 13—Auckland Racing Club June 8, 10, 12—A.R.C. North N.Z. Grand National Meetins

DATES OF COMING EVENTS,

NEW ZEALAND. April B—A.R.C. Easter Handicap April 8-Great Easter Handicap April 9-Great Autumn Handicap • April 9—A.R.C. Century Stakes April IS-tA.R.C. Autumn Handicap April 20, 27—Avondale R.C. April 25-North Island Challenge Stakes April 25—Thompson Handicap April 27-New Zealand St. Leger Stakes June B—Great Northern Steeplechase June 10-A.R.C. Grand National Hurdle

Race June 21—Hawke's Bay Steeplechase July 17-Wellington Hurdle Race July 20-Wellington Steeplechase

AUSTRALIA. April &-A.J.C. St. Leger Stakes April B—Sydney Cup

The Auckland Racing Club's new rule, which is intended and will no doubt have the desired effect of preIflenting jockeys from .speaking to persons when once they are mounted and on^lie course, is certainly in the right direction, but, I think, goes a little too far. An owner may give instructions to his jockey before he leaves the paddock, but it sometimes happens that a trainer may desire to give a jockey instructions to do a second preliminary, or a long or short one, as the case may be. The trainer cannot always give necessary instructions until he has seen how his charge is behaving on the course, and how he moves in his preliminary. A horse may require to be sent back for a second preliminary, or the trainer may not want him to do a warming up gallop at all. Then, a.gain, trainers must sometimes go out. with their horses if they are inclined to be unsettled in their behaviour. It looks most objectionable, and is so, to see hangers-on following horses and their riders in the straight or as they go to the post to get a final tip, and such hangers-on. should be sent to the right-about. In future those jockeys who have such followers, and who may desire to acquaint them of. j their best opinions at the eleventh hour, will have to adopt some method of telegraphy. This game is played for all it is worth on courses near Melbourne, where clever operators can by signal tell their confederates which to back, if they don't always manage to divine what .can do the trick. Capital entries have been received for ihe Tamaki races on Saturday, and the meeting will afford a good OTiting to those who can be present, | provided, of course, that the weather continues fine. A lot of genuine [ amusement can be got out of these country meetings.

That we shall not have the pleasure of seeing the Hawke's Bay colt Nobility at the Auckland Pacing Club's Autumn Meeting is certain. That colt did some hard racing at Egmont, Wanganui, and Hawke's Bay, and was under veterinary treatment last week.

■Mr J. C. Booth, the well-known Ellerslie trainer, is still carrying one of his arms in a sling.

J. Rae, Levanter's old pilot, invested a modest fw nt stnTtitifriJricp on that horse in the Liverpool Grand National.

New Zealanders are hoping that Advance may redeem his character at Kandwick. Few of them will go for a recovery over him there next week, however. As a.rule. New Zealand punters are staunch, but they have not had such a facer for a long time as Advance gave them at Flemington.

The late arrival of the New Plymouth horses Okoari. Battleaxe, and Dartmoor may not be prejudicial to their prospects, but it is rather risky leaving matters so late. They will not be at Ellerslie till Friday.

The Hawke's Bay representatives, Materoa, Eere, and Evening Wonder, arrive to-morrow from Napier, consequently do not have much time to recuperate after their trip. I < have known of horses after a long- trip being landed on the day of the races, and being put ashore and winning straight away. In these days such things are rarely heard of, all the same.

Ellerslie in the early mornings is seen at its best, that is, when the sun ig getting up, and there, is no fog to obscure the view, which is very seldom. I am not going into poetry just now, but really when I gaze on the pretty scene there I wonder why the bards have been silent so long. Ellerslie is a racing paradise.

' That unfortunate snowstorm. Admirers o*the good old Auckland >haser, Levanter, would read with referet of his misfortune in the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase, lor which he started favourite on Friday in a field on eighteen, and finished fourth. The cable is interpreted to mean that but for mistaking the course the New Zealander must have got there or thereabouts at the finisn. To f mistake the course in a blinding snowstorm is excusable. No wonder half the' horses either made tastaKes w came to grief. There will no doubt ibe a difference of opinion as to whether the stewards did right in ing the race to be proceeded witn un'^er the circumstances, but to asK Tiorses to face a stiff country in a 'snowstorm against the wishes 01 'some of the riders was taking a Dig risk. Fortunately none of the "aers •were hurt seriously, or some or tne stewards would now probably nave been ill at cape with themselves. Game men and generous horses to.gether form' a strong combination,, and can accomplish great things, me Wonder is" that so many lived tnrougn the four miles and a half of so -trying a country.

Advance is said to be running unkindly in his work at Randwick.

Wakeful and Clean Sweep is the favourite dodble for the Doncaster and Sydney Cup Handicaps.

The Australian Jockey Club's meeting commences on Saturday.

Paul Pry has received the big impost of 10.11 in the Adelaide Cup, to be run on May Ist. Clean Sweep has a stone less.

The Mousquetaire—Miss Dargon pony purchased by P. Martin in Hastings for H. Franks is a well made one.

Mr. Thomas Morrin, the Wellington Park studmastcr, on Sunday left Onehunga by the Ngapuhi for New Plymouth, and has gone on south as far as Christehurch, where he will remain till after the Canterbury Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting.

St. Paul was more pronouncedly lame after his gallop on Tuesday morning than usual. The little bay trotted back to his trainer's stables sore behind. The odds against St. Paul seeing the post are lengthening.

| The gallop done by Hohoro yesterj day ('l uesduy) morning at Ellerslie has had the. effect of shortening hia I price for the Easter Handicap to 4 to 1. On Monday he received some support at hundreds to eight.

Messrs Alfred Buckland and Sons will sell at the Haymarket on Thursday, April 11th, on account of the Messrs R. and R. Duder their horses Drum Major, Waterloo, Halberdier, Doctor, Volee and Takapuna, and in addition five thoroughbred yearlings and the brood mare Dolbsa.

There is some talk of a match for £50 a-side between the polo ponies Pukiori :and Flora over three furlongs. Pukiori'Si friends were not satisfied at the result of the President's Cup at the Auckland Polo Club's Meeting on Saturday last, and the three furlongs were' coy ered then in 37* sec. Flora is a good beginner. A contest between the pair at "Ellerslie would be worth witnessing.

The Avcmdale Racing Club have received sptondid nominations for their autumn meeting, to be held on the Ellerslie racecourse on the 20th and 27th of the present month. Most of the horses for which engagements have been made are owned in the province of Auckland, but there are a few from further afield.

It is thought that had Advance's half-brc.ther had an uninterrupted preparation he would have been a good t ,vs o-year-old this fall, as he started well in the spring. There is probably no more inbred one to Touchj itone in the land than Laureate, as any one who will take the trouble to run out his pedigree will see. Carbine i' 3 inbred to Touchstone, and it was his inbreeding to Touchstone and Camel that made the late Bruce Lowe fear that he would, not prove a stayer; but how great a stayer he was everyone knows. I have' seen it denied in & several papers that ever Bruce Lowe ex: pressed such an opinion, but that he did so is beyond question. The facV; that this great student made such a mistake only goes to show that there are exceptions to every rule

Writing from England on February Bth a friend has. sent me a most interesting letter, from which I have taken the following items:—The sprino- handicaps and acceptances are out. Australasia should play a strong hand this year if her horses only keep sound in wind and get acclimatised. Old Levanter is again in the National, but although he only has 9.10 I fear h* is a bit too slow, though there are none too many that can really get four and a half miles and jump the country. iAnvcme sending a horse to win a National should school him over brush fences instead of making him a timber lumper. Old Ebor took a lot of beathur up to two miles when at his bestj "Hickey, ns I dare sa.y you know, is training'at Epsom. He did very well Sst vSrr with The Grafter. Australian Star and Opae have not done much. Most &l the others that belonged to Mr'GoHan have disappeared. ™£t d'Eau is in work again, ana if ne keeps sound and they rive him a Stable right wekrhfT ftmerte. jg win a <*ood race. T am looking forward to" the advent of Sermffapatam Hate ficrmv Onn). T reckon aboxit the JStS ? the Yankee jockeys will be over again in force.

The nominations taken for the Wellington Kac-mg Club's leading event on their autumn programine-the Thompson Handicap-are, not so large as mAt have been expected, though by SVns small. Boreas represents the best form of those engaged, and Mr Evett should be able to bung the horses together within reasonable lS Of the njne left in the New Sand St. Leger only. four can be rented on as at all likely to see the counter on a Bedding ton, Cannie gSi Somerfed and Field Rose. The StHippo-Waitemata filly, as a matte; of fact, has been dead about a ortnT-ht! Romanoff has been turned ouV" ak^una is amiss, and the owner ofYfatamataharakiki has probably wt that filly in through inadvertenceof Eenof from. the list need not cause surprise. That colt was very sore after the Wanganufi I i rSI «?t Le "er would be an easy Meld Rose was thrown out of work -well to have a chance.

We are in measurabie distance of the Auckland Racing Club^s Autumn Meeting, and there is even proposed of a good time in store for lovers of highclass sport. Nearly all the races look fairly open, and the Easter Handicap especially bids fair to be a splendid contest, and it is anticipated that fifteen or more horses will go to the post. There is some uncertainty as to which will be the representatives from the Messrs Nathan's stable, but it is understood that two will start, and these may be Bedding-ton and Roselln. Gallagher is set down as likely to ride Okoari, but I fancy that he will have the mount, on one "of Messrs Nathan's representatives. Major George talks of starting Seahorse, who will be ridden by Skeats. Boreas will have the services of T. Taylor, and should Record Reign ' start, T. Clarke will ride the son of Castor. I' fear .that St. Paul will be missing, but Hohoro, who has been standing up to his work well, and who did a good gallop on Tuesday, will be hard to beat. Bluejacket may not start, an dthere is some doubt also about Battleaxe being of the field. Ideal is well, and will be ridden by Davis. Holmes will ride Materoa. who arrives to-morrow, and, ii" started, Ryan will ride La Gloria. The name of Chaafe is associated with St. Ursula, and Bird is set down to ride The Needle, and Abbott to ride Delia Rose. There is uncertainty about the others, who may not compete. At the time of writing I cannot recommend anything to beat Hohoro in this race, and Seahorse -will, I think, account for the Century Stakes. I shall deal with the meeting more fiilly in a future issue.

Time was when race meetings at Papakura were amongst the best patronised of country fixtures in Auckland, and properly managed the old familial' tryst would regain its popularity. There Was quite a large turnout of visitors from Auckland on Saturday, and the special train was well filled. The fields were fairly good, and the racing was of an entertaining character. Seventeen bookmakers were doing business. The track was in fair order, though not fast. The starting was good, and the management generally, left little to be desired, Mr W. Walters, who was assisting the secretary (Mr Cole) and officials, proving the right man in the right place. Miss Sly, who went out a rather better favourite than Corvette in the Maiden, got to the front before the home stretch was reached, and though Corvette came at the finish the daughter of Flintlock won cleverly. After a splendid finish Lady Dash suffered a head defeat by the Seaton Delaval —Lady Antrim gelding Belfast in the Flying Handicap, Belfast starting nt G to 4. Mamoa opened favourite for the Pony Handicap at G to 4, but before the flag fell Goitsir was at even money, and he caught Mamoa within the distance, and having her measure won by a length. Balbirnie was solidly supported for the Papakura Handicap at even money, biit when The Needle came into the market she eased to 6 to 4, The Needle at the finish running the daughter of St. Leger close for favouritism. In the race she was one of the first beaten, and finished outside a place, The Needle, the topweight, winning comfortably • from Jim Kean and Knight of .A v«^ol, who each started at 5 to 1, and filled second and third places respectively. The unexpected happened in the Hack Handicap. Valedictory opened favourite in a field of three at even money, y then Pandarus came into request, and 2 to 1, and in some cases as long as 3 to 1, was laid on the son of Hotchkiss. There was another Richmond in the field, however, a despised but wellshaped grey gelding named Pungarehu, a 10 to 1, write-your-own-odds chance. Valedictory never offered the least opposition to Pandarus, but Pungarehu was always in attendance on the three-year-old, had the pace, and finally wore him down, coming in at the business end of the contest a long neck to the good, and doing a good turn for the bookmakers, who tip "to this stage had been having a bad time of it. Pungarehu is a son of Eros and the Hippocampus mare Maritana. Jim Kean was well backed for the Railway Plate Handicap, in which there were eight runners, but the pair of penalised pi*evious winners Belfast and Sly Miss both had him in trouble, and the former under punishment finished with unflinching gameness three parts of a length to the good, thus being returned a double winner. Punctuality was observed in getting the races off, and visitors caught the return train and got back to their homes without loss of time, having spent a pleasant afternoon. The Papakura Racing Club will apply for a renewal of their totalizator permit, and hope to give bigger stakes next year. The bookmakers contributed £50 towards their funds this year in fees.

Next to actually handling the red stuff comes, perhaps, the- memory^ of having handled it, says the "Sporting •Times," and t'other night old Jack Percival was' recalling some of the skinners of the sweet by-and-bye— the old, old days, before the bulk of the swells were "either hoi-se-copers or wine merchants," and there was one pleasant memory of a Goodwood Stakes. It happened that Percival and Steel were betting together when the erratic Lord Dudley strolled up and asked: —' "I want ten thousand to five thousand Mortemer?" "Put it down, me lord," responded Steel, and booked the bet. Then did Henry Steel smile expressively at John Percival, and John Percival grinned back significantly at Henry Steel, for, to let the truth prevail, Mortemer had that morning fallen a trifle lamer than was Bartimeus, of blessed memory.

Ten minutes later Lord Dudley came all in a hurry from the Duke of Richmond's luncheon party, even with his serviette iv his hand. Naturally he had heard the worst. "I find I have made a slight mistake, Steel," he said, "and you will oblige me by cancelling that bet about Mortemer." Perceval nudged Steel's elbow, and whispered thrice, and earnestly, "Nit, 11 "I can't do that, me lord," thereupon responded Steel;."but I tell you what I will do; I'll lay ye an even five thousand Favonius to &et ye I'll take that," replied his lordship, cheerfully, and returned to his lunch, quite reassured. Then the horrible inevitable happened: the despised Shannon beat Favomus on the post, with Mortemer nowhere, and—Steel and Percival went and had a pint together.