RACING NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 128, 31 May 1901, Page 2

RACING NEWS.

(By Whalebone.)

. By the Ngapuhi this morning from New Plymouth the following horses arrived: MdPfaa, Kniraatc, Hinau, Cannonade, Sundial, Vanquish, Forward Guard, and Employer.

The I'akuranga Hounds will meet 10-morrow (Saturday) at One Tree Hill.

C'oeur de I.inn is expected from Napier on Sunday at Ellerslie, where accommodation has been secured for him.

Yesterday Moifaa nnd Sundial and [Main Bill and Sundial were bucked for all the money in the market for the Great Northern. and Grand National Hurdle double, from hundreds to one to hundreds to two. Cannongato and Dartmoor, the two Cannongates, Nor'-west and Regalia IT, were others that were also well supported.

An interesting letter from Ihe London correspondent of this journal appears in this issue, dealing mainly with Australian Star's City and Suburban victory. Another item of interest to New Zealand readers is contained in the following paragraph extracted from the same budget:—One of the handsomest horses seen out at Epsom this week was Sir Edward Vincent s importation, Seringapatam, late ScrewGun. This compact golden brown son of Hotchkiss was a competitor in the Nork Park Plate, a race of £187 over the mile of the Derby course, on Tuesday last The Xew Zealander had to carry 10.7, and under that burden ran very' well indeed, finishing a goo<l fourth, after a fast run race, to the five-year-old Boyal George, which earned 8.2 and was a most appropriate, winner, seeing that it was St. Georges Day.

The handicaps for the minor races on the first day of the North .New Zealand Grand National Meeting cannot by any stretch of the imagination be considered good; indeed they are so full of faults that followers of form can have no two opinions on this head. Mr Eveti cannot complain if they are made the subject of fair criticism. That gentleman has certainly (riven owners much to be displeased'with. Take the first event on the list. Maiden Steeplechase. Iti this race. Sylvnnus was very properly handicapped at top weight, but having regard to the class of horses lie beat at Takapuna in the Maiden Steeplechase, his performances, looking at the way he ran in the chief race, have been made the most of. Some of those entered, however, are of such poor class thht they would require all the allowances made (hem. Miss Drury has received more, than her full share, and Sudden can have no chance on Takapuna form, receiving only 21bs for the most substantial beating he. received when he finished second to the Napier geld-j ing. Kowhai, a still worse third, only receives Bibs. Rufus, in receipt of 12lbs in the Takapuna Steeplechase, had the measure of Sylvanus taken before two miles had been traversed,! so that in receipt of 17lbs now he is not unkindly treated. Haitftrigg-er on his public form is well treated in! this race, for hero he meets horses of his own class, but what of the treat-j ment of the Wangnnui gelding Hinau? Here is a decided blot in Mr Evett'a work. Hinau is a well-known1 performer over hurdles. During the! present, month he won the First Hack Hurdle Race at' Mauawatu, carrying 10.8, and beating seven others, his performance earning him 11.10 in his next engagement. A week later he was third at Egmont, carrying 11.4 to Haydn 11.50 (who has since won the Century Hurdles and another race at Wanganui), and next day carried 11.6 and won the. Second Hack Hurdle Race at Egmont. ninau may not be. a capable gelding over country, but Mr Evett has a right to take something on trust, and Hinau has no right to be in at the 0.7 minimum. It is clear that Hinau's performances have not received the least thought, for we find him In at the minimum of 9.0 in the Maiden Hurdle Race, which is still more absurd. He and Pungarehu, who has not yet won a jumping race, are treated to 9.7 each in the. Maiden Steeplechase, but in the Maiden Hurdle Race Pungarehu is actually asked to give him 71bs, while five others, with no form to recommend them, are placed on the same mark. Then Hairtrigger, who has won over country, and who is asked, to concede him 41bs in the Steeplechase, has been set to give him mo less than 241bs over the hurdles. Is this handicapping? Sundial, Dartmoor, and Haeata are horses that may make useful hurdlers, but they are maidens, and it is not encouraging to owners to find a horse with performances like Hinau, and recent performances that should not have escaped the handicapper, thrown in in this way. Lieutenant has received too much on his best public showing. As the handicap stands Hinau has received fully a stone and a half less than might in all fairness have been awarded him. The other Maiden Handicap, a welter flat race, is such a poor production that if it had emanated from a handicapper making his maiden effort no excuse could be offered on his behalf. Wellstock, a three-year-old, who Mr Evett saw win on Saturday in a hack race over five furlongs, canying Bst, and hard ridden at that, has had 11.7 placed opposite his name in a field of thirty-three. He has been treated very badly indeed, to say the least. Rocket, who won the Hack Race at Ellerslie, carrying 6.10, has also been badly used, and has been set to meet Progee, whom he beat, on 321bs worse terms. Progee has too much. Sft Aida has probably shown better form than any of those above her, but has quite her full complement. Mount Zeehan has. in the light of bis two performances at Taka puna, been badly treated too; indeed Belfast, Sly Miss and Merry Kate each heat him in the Maiden Plate there, and he is a-slced to meet them on 91bs, 14Ibs and Olbs respectively worse terms. The two races are. the. same distance. Wellstoek beat him when in receipt of 21bs in the Hack Race, and it is only right that Mount Zeehan should receive something for the beating he got then. Alicia also beat Mm when receiving 141bs. Now Alicia receives 23Ibs. The distances are different certainly, but all tie same Mount Zeehan on these showings has not been properly handicapped. We Jiave no means of gauging the form of

Woodthorpe. Donnybrook lias won a race, and has certainly received quite his share of weight, Balbirnie, too, has plenty. Jemima lias won recently, and is evidently useful, and probably none of those above her can give her an ounce. Certainly none have any right to do so. Tresuam', an improving gelding of the same »< Te as Wellstock, each with a \vm to their credit, are treated in a widely diflVrrnl manner. Belfast, a year older, and a winner of a number of races, (-rapes very well, and is especially well treated through MeVry Kate, whom he gave *>lbs and a beating last Friday over the same distance, and now is set to meet at a difference of 31bs. In the First Welter Handicap there are many surprising differences between horses. I may mention a few. Crusoe has won several races during the past two months, and is at the top of the handicap with 11.0. Rosella beat .Mm when they jnet at the same distance, each carrying 8.7, live weeks since. Rosella now" receives 12lbs. This mare might possibly have won every race that Crusoe has won since, carrying the same weight as that horse has done. On no public showing should The Needle be above that mare. Formula has certainly not earned more weight than the Raster Handicap winner, and St. Ursula by comparison has been kindly treated. On the other hand. Firefly, who ran a dead heat with her for second place in the mile race at Takapuua, receiving 201bs from her, is surely badly used at being placed within Olbs of her. Then Tilkapa's running on Saturday has been magnified in a most astonishing way. To be placed alongside of Rosella, St. Ursula ;md Ostiak is to class him high all at once. He has a. deal too much. Sundial is not fairly treated through Crusoe, if Hawera and Wanganui form is looked at for a moment. When Honesty beat St. Ursula in the Birthday Handicap at Takapuna there was a difference of 231bs between, the pair. Now there is 71bs, and lOlbs is surely a big difference' to make in St. Ursula's favour, that mare probably being the most likely to be favoured by the higher scale of weights. Mr Evett's Tlemuera Handicap Hurdle production is his best