ANSWERS To CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 126, 29 May 1901, Page 3

ANSWERS To CORRESPONDENTS.

B-H., Auckland.—(l) The renowned stud matron Pucahontaa has been dead over jO years; (2> Wild Dayrell, winner of the Derby and a fairly successful sire, died in 1870.

BDort Auckland.—CavaJiero had 12.12 in the'hurdle race on the tlrst day of the Avondale Meeting, was accepted for, bu t did not run.

Syerla finished ninth in the City and Suburban in a field of fifteen.

Tod Sloau arrived at Plymouth on April 24th from America, and went oil to Paris next clay.

Mr J. George lias engaged accommodation at the Harp of Erin stables for two | horses, Crusoe and St. Aida.

Nor'-west incurs a penalty of olbs for his Takapuna Steeplechase win in the Great Xortheru Steeplechase.

Cavaliero has slbs penalty in the North New Zealand Grand National Hurdle Eace for winning at Takapuna.

Halsey is the name of the horseman who had the winniugl mount on Australian Star in the City and Suburban.

A full week of torrid heat preceded the City and Suburban day, in which Australian Star won.—English Exchange.

Cavaliero and Honesty, who won races at the Takapuna J.C. Meeting, were the only two that won races there last year.

The Trifler appeared lame in the near fore-leg after completing the Steeplechase course at Takapuna on Saturday.

The Hawera horses Sundial, Haydn, and Vanquish are expected to be at ICllerslie this week. Boxes have been engaged for then;.

The Taranaki gelding Tukapa has visited Auckland three times and his victory on Saturday was his first on this side of Taranaki.

The sum of £14,056 was passed through the totalisators during the two days of the Takapuna Jockey Club' 3 Meeting, as against £13,914 last year.

The full sisters Lady Dash and Princess of Thule are very different sorts in make and shape, and Princess of Thule is the most accomplished feucer of the paii*.

Regalia If. was given schooling work over the hurdles on Tuesday morning alone. Plain Jack, Charcoal, Tuirne, Tolstoi, and The Needle were the others that were .-schooled.

Judging from the demonstration Nor'-west's win in the Takapuna Steeplechase was about the most popular at the meeting. The dividends he paid were the smallest.

Australian papers seem to have taken it for granted that the St. Simon horse purchased by Mr L. D. Nathan in England is Fitzsimon, from Brilliancy.

Rolf, the gelding- engag-ed in the North New Zealand Grand National Hurdle Race, is by Richmond, and comes from Opotiki. His owner, Mr Thompson, was in town during the week.

Rain Tell during Monday night and continued on well after daylight, and in consequence few horses were out on the track at Ellerslie on Tuesday mornning. when a heavy fog enveloped the track.

It was only at the eighth attempt that Mr Coventry started the field for the City and Suburban with the flag. Mr George Cutts would not cut time to waste like that with the barrier.

Hohoro has been very bad for some time with influenza, and Stenning has had an anxious time with the brilliant son of Tasman, who lias been absent from the track at Ellerslie for over a month.

The suicide of M. Lucien Champouillon, a prominent French owner, is announced. He was only thirty years old. He had lost 2,000,000fr., and not being able to pay blew his biains out.

On Tuesday afternoon Hairtrigger, Natation and' The Swimmer tbok a turn over the Ellerslie country, and all three jumped very well, The Swimmer if anything fencing too big. They finished ov«r the water jump in line.

Mr Leonard Marshall has received a cable.stating that the Goldsbrough mare Storm, purchased a short time back in Australia, died on Friday night. This is bad news, for Storm was a valuable mare and cost Mr Marshall 310 guineas.

Mr Spencer Gollan (says a London paper) was warmly congratulated by troops of friends on his great success with Australian Star in the City and Suburban Handicap, and there was not even a heavy loser who begrudged this good sportsman the honour.

Yesterday Mr J. O'Driscoll sent a telegram to the proprietor of the Harp j of Erin Hotel cancelling his order for ' boxes, and it is presumed does not intend sending Waiwera to Auckland to folfij his engagements at the coming meeting of the A.X.C.

Sylvanus pulled very hard on his second essay at the Takapuna Meeting and ran himself out by the time half the journey was covered. One of the boots he wore slipped down and im-

peded his progress before he was eased up.

Takapa has visited Auckland three times, and his victory on Saturday was his first in these parts. One follower, who has lost a lot of money ovtr the horse, stuck to him in both his races at Takapuna, and got some of his money back.

Small amounts were telegraphed to the secretary of the Takapuna Jockey Club from different parts of Tarunaki to put on Takapa in the Royal Stakes on the first clay of the meeting. On the second day no money was sent through for the son of Lebel.

Many of the races run for at the Takapuna Meeting were faster than have been run there before, allowing that the watch-holder made no mistakes. The course was certainly in capital condition, thanks to the caretaker and a favourable season.

The sporting contributor to the "London Express" says that two inferences from the form displayed in the City and Suburban is that Australian Star has been underrated, and that Kilmarnock If. 'should be looked after in the future.

On the day my notes appeared bearing on the history of Rocket, his former Hawera owner's (Mr Hornieman's) name appeared as having been one of a party to visit Kawhia, thus having from South Africa. The present owner has written Mr Hornieman for particulars.

The small hurdles, leaning as they did, were just the sort to make good time over at Takapuna each day. The regulation hurdle recommended at the Racing Conference will mean the putting up of new re'eords in the hurdle jumping line. The Takapuna hurdles were very much on the slant.

The Buffalo grass in the saddling paddock at the Takapuna course is to be recommended to clubs with sandy courses. On the opening day of the meeting it felt soft and spongy under foot when wet. On the second day it was more solid but still tine to the tread, and even- part of the ground is covered.

The victory of Hastings in the Victoria Handicap at the Takapuna Meeting was the fourth the Messrs Nathan have had at the North .Shore. Up to this season they had never won a race there during the twelve years G.Wright has been training for them. For several seasons they stood off racing at the marine suburb.

' Two well known trainers who have been out of luck lately when backing horses have made a bet of £5 between each other. The one who first makes a wager forfeits that sum to the other. It will be a pretty '-dry" thing that either come at before that wager is lost. T should like to be in the know when the risk is being undertaken.

The "London Daily Express" reporter when looking over the City and Suburban candidates in the paddock on the day said: ''Australian Star evoked much admiration, though his off knee appeared to be a sonrce of weakness." Speaking of . the American candidates Kilmarnock IT. and Parthian IT. he described them as "very fine .specimens of the thoroughbred."

Some unpleasantness occurred between a well-known starter and an owner of horses recently not a hundred miles from Auckland either. The owner complained about the starting, and told the barrier raiser that it was his fault bis horse got left. The starter -said something about putting a disc down 'the owner's throat if he talked like that. The war raged hot until the white flag1 was held up by the younger man. Really these differences should be settled in a different way.

VMr. Evett's handicaps for the minor but nevertheless substantial races to bo run for on the opening day of the North New Zealand Grand National Meeting appear in this issue. They were advertised to appear yesterday, but were not ready for publication The acceptances are due on Friday. I shall take an early opportunity of referring- to these handicaps again.

It was unfortunate that Rufus lost his rider in the Takapuna. Steeplechase. That gelding was going well when his saddle turned round. Rufus is a son of Muskapeer from the Feve mare Haricot, who won a good many races in Auckland in her time, and was. if I remember right, a full sister to Victory, and halfsistet to Fearnought, both of which were winners over fences; indeed Victory once ran away from a field^ of 'chasers over the Takapuna course. The late J. Kean trained him.

In these days of heavy speculation, and when rumours, and sometimes well founded rumours, of crooked running are in the air, the racing public is becoming more suspicious than ever of betting stewards. The hard things said about some of these officials would make their ears tingle if they could only listen to what is sometimes said of them. Betting stewards can never enjoy the confidence of a betting public, who want a monopoly of the business.

When we hear that the "perch" seat on a horse's withers, the jockey's legs being in front of the saddle flaps is the best, as affording- relief to a horse's heart, free expansion of the lungs, and that short legged riders can • accomplish most with horses on that account, we wonder why the present generation of racing men have been so slow to learn all these things. Thirty years ago, or a little long-er, only about 200 thoroughbreds were in training in America for galloping races, but ; now the Americans are teaching Britishers in race riding and training and racing methods generally a good many wrinkles.

As I surveyed, the scene at a recent meeting, at which "women, some of them with babes in arms, formed a conspicuous x)arT> clustering round the front of the totalisator to see the changing- odds, and to get the latest information, and backing- "their fancies,"' T thought of the old clays when we had no totalizators. The change is awfully significant—a complete tTnusinoovificai ion. Seme olio remarked iii .K-ssiiiL'1. "These women will >uo;i Lie abie t<; rim :■. iricei'iny1 nil tile.!!' own." 'it's. 1 thought, and si>nic of Them should be elected stewards, as judging from remarks iliac fell from "the lips of women patrons of the sport, a few jodjeys who where on presumed non-triers would have had a bail half-hour if They had had to come before some of these lady punters.

fu Nevada a woman jockey flourishes, and ha.s ridden finishes with the best of the profession. She is i went v-seven years: of age and married, and took (o the business to assist her husband, who was not doing well, in a lung interview with a reporter of the "New York licraJd/' who describes 'the lady as modest and iniussunihn*, she said she did not feel that slip would lose any selfrespect by engaging in the profession, ;md as a matter of fact 'tad been riding four veins and \l.iniii!ii: races too. 1

have seen a good many races 'irc.n in New Zealand by ladies, but then they did not enter into competition with mere men. Some of them would have liked nothing belter, and I have three Xevv Zealand lassies in mv miud's eve

at tlu1 moment, who would start lit once it our racing laws would permit of them (loins so. 1 wonder if we should ha\v straighter racing?

The riding of the long-time premier horseman of New Zealand, R. Derrett, has been called in question by the Dunedin Jockey. Club, and the stewards have under consideration what further punishment, if any, is to be meted out to him for has riding of Vanilla at their May meeting. They at first simply suspended him. Derrett has been riding for over a quarter of a century, and it is .a pity to sec such a capable man in a trouble of this kind. The stewards when they feel they have a case cannot make any distinction between riders, and putting men on probation who should know better is not wise policy. If Derrett pulled Vanilla in one race and won with her in the next the stewards let him oil' light in the iirst instance when they should have made an example of him. Without the facts* no more can be said. A light sentence sometimes means that the stewards have acted on strong suspicion without proof of actual guilt. Jockeys don't alw.ivs get' the benefit of the doubt. Since writing this the stewards have disqualified Derrett and Curran and Toomy, the owner* of Vanilla, together with that marc, for twelve months.

"Tn the multitude of counsel there is wisdom," runs tlu> old saying", but the oltl aphorism. "Too many cooks spoil the broth," in certain cases, is the more applicable, and it appears to me very much so in connection with racingl cases that come before the stewards of most meetings—stewards who are appointed more because of respectability and high standing, long connection with leading1 institutions, or some such reason, than because of any special knowledge, they possess '-'' racing or any real qualification they may have. Nowadays a raci.ua1 steward should know the rules of racing. How many are there who are capable of grasping the rules? Again, how many are there who do know the rules fairly well, who will refrain from betting,' arid go to their places .entirely disinterested? We not only want men who know something of the practical side of racing, but men who at meetings where they are the appointed judges will refrain from betting, or stand aside when they arc interested financially.

The day of nomination for the next New Zealand Cup draws near, but. Auckland racing folks dont' appear to be very much interested in the race this year. Nonette stands out so far ahead of local two-year-olds, and has been in turn beaten by southern two-year-olds that it is unlikely thnt there will be many of his age entered from here. Amongst the older horses there are few that have any pretentious to Cup form. Then, again, the stakes are so good in Auckland about the same time of the year that the inducement to go South is not the same as was once the case. The New Zealand Cup stake is certainly a good one, and can be augmented by betting, and that is a consideration with most owners nowadays, a fact that there 18 no disguising. The honour and glory at the same time counts for something, but then neither money nor renown can be won on the racecourse without good horses, and it is not often that a bad one wins the New Zealand Cup. The class of handicap horses in Auckland may be quite, up to the average of other parts of the colony outside the two-year-old division, but after a careful counting of possible entrants from this quarter I don't know one that I would care to bank largely on and take the chances of a run. A loss of form in the ease of Seahorse, who may never recover pi-operly from his influenza trouble, but who it is to be hoped may, Hohoro just-'Jiow suffering from a bad attack of that malady; Miss Delaval unlikely to be got well to race at lea3t for a very long time. La Gloria always more or less troubled with a bad foot, none of the Messrs Nathan's lot to be nominated. Auckland may have a poor show in the list. Seahorse, Zealous, Hohoro, Formula, St. Ursula, Nonette, Shellback, Ragabrash and a few others may be nominated.

Just how long the style of riding adopted by Sloan, and so often referred to as having been set by that rider in America, has been in vogue 1 cannot say, but a good many years ago I saw pictures of American riders in the crouching, monkey-on-a-stick-like attitude. A correspondent of the "Field" as long back as 1871, during a visit to Jerome Park, of a race that took place there wrote:—"A black boy, his two eyes looking like white rosettes on his ebony face is seen coming. He has got his sadlle on his horse's withers and his feet are apparently kicking at the horse's mouth; but no matter his horse is a good one, has plenty left in him to finish with, and wins by half a dozen lengths. It was a good race, for all the horses as they straggled in were ridden out." At that time it was said that competent English horsemen would make a fortune in America; indeed some of the leading racing men of the time" tried to get leading English horsemen to go to America to ride for them, offering them big retainers. One was offered £500 for three months and a commission on all stakes won and all expenses paid, by Mr Belmont, at hen leading owner; but would not accept. Now the ill-at-ease seated American horseman can command very much more than

this in England, and the probabilities are that the. Xrans-utluntiu rider does not ride one bit better now than he did thirty years ago. England may he learning new methods, races aro being run there from end to end, but this system has always pertained in America and the same thing is noticeable in race riding there now, and the whip and spur form a part of a jockey's equipment.

Tinl sforci.it v|wfi inti'TTiiii'iitiv'1, i ] '"Wbitt's ;i touil thing for the l.'it|>," :«1- \ ways follows the publication of the j weigbtsi for the New Zealand Cup or. any cup race of importance. The, question just now in Auckland is, J "What's a g-ood double?" and there isi no need to ask" what prompts the] question. Between three' and four' thousand pounds can be won over the; big jumping race double to be decided! at the Auckland liacing Club's North! New Zealand Grand National Meeting, and every other man one meets wants to try ami get a share or to contribute something1 towards the big pool the bookmakers are collectingl for distribution. horses will win the double is a question exercising' the minds of thousands of] people just now. The same question1 is being asked every day in the large j and indeed small centres of popula-i tion throughout New Zealand for the! meeting which commences at Eilers-'1 lie on Saturday week is one of more ■ than local interest. We are going" to.' have a big' time of it. and the big: double will take a lot of winning.* Speculation over the meeting- is increasing1 as the time draws near. Some wagers during the past few days recorded here may be quoted: —

1000 to 50 Nor'-west and Coeur de Lion, 1000 to 5 Nor'-west and Rufus, 100 to 8 Nor'-west and Cavaliero, (i3O to 13 Plain Bill and Regalia IL, 500 to 2 Plain Bill and Rufus, 300 to 0 Plain Bill and Plain Bill, 100 to 2 Plain Bill and Moifua, GOO to G Moifaa and Roer, 900 to 41 Tarragon and Regalia 11., 200 to 2 Cannongate and Princess of Thule; 500 to 12 Moifaa and Cavaliero, 100 to 5 Moifaa and Moifaa, Nor'-west and Cavaliero, Canuong-ate and Cavaliero. Nor'-west and Cannongate, and Moifa and Cavaliero are the favourite selections.

There are plenty of subjects just now for caustic perns, the in-and-out running here, the inconsistent running, which is the same thing, there, the fraudulent running somewhere else. Hardly a meeting goes past without racing that looks suspiciously wrong, and never a meeting passes without some unfortunate lackers, for no other reason than that they have lost their money, go home declaring they have been (robbed, 'that horses they have backed have not been sent to win. They suspect that every horse they back has been pulled. It was ever thus. New Zealand racing is no different from racing elsewhere. There may be less swindling done here than in other parts of the world, or we may be no better than our neighbours, but the day will never come when racing will be free from suspicion. Racing is so full of in'■onsistencies; horses are seldom more than a few days the same: they are ridden differently, trained too much or too little. If a dozen were well of a class, and were raced over the same distance every day of the week with the same riders up, would the horse win every time? It would be unreasonable to expect so. We hear of horses being trained to the hour. A dozen horses could not be landed at the post all thoroughly at their best on one particular day. Many horses cannot, be got absolutely lit by training them. They only become so by the training they receive and the racing they get combined. A horse that wins to-day by the narrowest possible margin alter v true run race, to-morrow may carry additional weight, meet all the same horse.*, and romp in the easiest of winners. The gallop of the previous day may have made all the beneficial difference to him. Again, a horse may have succeeded in winning by a head or neck, or even with ridiculous ease by several lengths, and next, day be feeling the effects of the race so much that the same horses will beat him easily. The stewards of meetings have much to consider—the starting, the riding, the different distances, the character and condition of horses, and the class of owners they have to deal with, the weight, the. courses; in fact, there are so many things to ponder over that the position of a steward —a racing judge, as it were—is no sinecure. The one. great thing is to try and discover if these inconsistencies are the result of a conspiracy to defraud; that is, by concealing the form of horses one day purposely 'to profit by an advantage in weight- that may be conceded by the handicap and an advantage in betting through gulling the public, otherwise causing them to under-estimate the form and to invest their money on something else.