ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 147, 22 June 1901, Page 3

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"Otahuhu," Auckland.— T-ne registered colours of Mrs A. Ellinßham are whit; body, navy blue sleeves and cap, ana Moii'ua ran in those colours.

Natation was the only horse that won a double at the A.X.C. meeting.

P, ColVey took Vanquish home to Hawera on Friday. This little mare Is all out of sorts.

Cavaliero will not be taken to Victoria to compete at the V.R.C. Grand National Meeting.

J. Kao may take The Needle and Natation youth for the New Zealand Grand National meeting.

Firefly is to be tried at hurdle racing. She jumped the pony hurdles at Ellerslie well during the week.

Mr J. It. Corrigan's horses Sundial, Forward Guard, and Employer will remain at Ellerslie for another week.

A. Eobertson, who is leaving Auckland, has; disposed of Firefly, who will remain in H. Franks hands at Green-

lane

Mr W. Mitchell and W. Searle were the only riders who each won two races at the recent meeting of the A.R.C.

Seaton Delaval had in Beddington Rosella and Paul Seaton three winning representatives at the A.R.C. National Meeting.

Sly Miss got one of her hind legs injured through being galloped^ on while running in the Maiden Welter on Wednesday.

Mr. Lawry, M.H.R., intends re-in-troducing his Bill for the legalisation of consultations in the coming session of Parliament.

Fitzsimmons, the St. Simon horse for the Sylvia Park Stud, is expected to arrive from England by the Pakeha about July 25th.

Mr T. B. Bell, who has been racing for about 16 years in Auckland, is retiring on account of ill health, hence the disposal of his horses on Friday.

Fulmen is being schooled over Inirdles down South, and another New ZesJand Cup candidate in Strathnairn has; been given some jumping lessons.

W. Clarke' to-day went South by the Moura. He will ride Social Pest and Venture in their engagements at the Hawke's Bay J.C. Winter Meeting.

Mr W. Lyons leaves for Sydney on Monday with Kaimate, his recently purchased 'chaser, who, if not too highly classed, should win a race or two at Randwick.

A local penciller has laid 100 to 10 against Advance, 100 to 6 San Remo, and 100 to 3 Kahuwai for the New Zealand Cup. This race has not been the cause of, much speculation so far.

P. Chaafe got Blue Jacket up on Friday to show him to a would-be purchaser. The son of St. Leger, who lias not been boxed since the autumn, is looking well. There are more unlikely things than winning another big race with him, say the Auckland Cup for the third time.

On the morning of the concluding day of the North N.Z. Grand National Meeting, a report was in circulation that Beddington had been sold, but this was not correct. The Winter Handicap winner was placed under offer to a Southern owner at 500 guineas, but no business resulted.

The sum of £28,443 was passed through the totalisators during the three days of the A.R.C. North New Zealand Grand National Meeting, the respective days showing £10,235, £8900, and £9308. The largest amount handled in any one race was £2314 in the Great Northern Steeplechase,

H. Moore, who rode Coeur de Lion to victory in the North New Zealand Grand National Hurdles, goes to Sydney on Monday under engagement to ride Record Eeign at the V.R.C. Grand National Meeting and winter meetings in New South Wales. Geo. Price, the well-known light weight, goes by the same steamer.

The reason why Nor'west did not start in the Winter Steeplechase at Ellerslie on Wednesday last was because he had slightly injured one of his legs while galloping about, m the paddock on the previous day, or had given it a twist in some unaccountable manner. Nor'west has been a good friend to Peter Chaafe, and he did the right thing in keeping tne old fellow in his box.

Voltigeur 11. was too sore to walk to the Devonport ferry boat after running in the Great Northern Steeplechase, and had to be left at Ellerslie for a couple of days. Fortunately for his owner the postponement of the last day of the races gave Voltigeur a chance to get over the effects of the big- race, and the going being to his liking, and the weight only 41bs above the minimum, the old grey was in his element. What a good friend he has been to his present owner, F. Ross.

A doubt is expressed whether Mr. J. Leed's V.X.C. Grand National candidate Lowland Chief will come through the ordeal of a searching preparation.

The want of a trough near the boxes on Ellerslie racecourse a I which to give horses a refresher haw been noticed by visiting trainers as well as local ones.

The. Auckland pencillers have not had a good season, taking it all through, and several of them had a particularly Dad finishing up day on Wednesday at Ellerslic.

Natation, llinau, Moil'aa and Sundial, four sons of the defunct Traducer horse Natator, won five of the twenty-one races at the North New Zealand National meeting".

Dartmoor was not started on the concluding day of the A.11.C. meeting, owing to the heavy condition of the course. P. Johnstone returned to New Plymouth with the sou of Hotehkiss the same day.

Plain Bill has a lot of staunch friends, and a lot of money was iuvested on him by wire in the Winter Steeplechase, and he started at a

false price, considering that he was not nearly at his best.

It is not often that twenty different horses are returne.il winners at a three days' race meeting at which twenty-one races constitute the programme. Such was the ease at the recent meeting of the A.11.C.

Forward Guard was not started ut the recerit meeting of the A.R.C., being out of form. Evidently Southerners fancied the son of Vanguard, as a lot of money was sent from "down the coast" to be invested on him in the Farewell Handicap.

Hairtrigger and Sylvanus returned to Hawke's Bay to-day. All Williams, who rode the son of Craekshot in Ins engagement here, will go on to the meeting at Hawke's Hay with him. He may run on Saturday next, but it is possible he may not be started on Wednesday.

Natation was driven from Greenlane to the Ellerslie station in a trap with portmanteaux and baggage belonging to visitors who were leaving for the South the same afternoon. MiMitchell, who rode the son of Natator and won the Hunters' Steeplechase on him, is one who can speak as to Natation's all-round usefulness.

The Avondale Racing Club had the protest against Rocket under consideration on Friday, and adjourned the further hearing for a fortnight. Information from one of the first owners of the gelding was received from Hawera, from which it appears that Rocket did not race before coming North.

A number of horse-owners who are generally allowed to be well up In their racing catechism have neglected to register partnerships in horses, and sticklers for the fulfilment of racing law urge that the fact should be disclosed, and that tho law-breakers should be called to account in some way.

The Taranaki gelding Crusoe was taken straight from Ellerslie, after running fourth in the Winter Welter Handicap, and shipped back to New Plymouth. Crusoe never looked better, and probably never ran bettor either. He might possibly have been short of a gallop, but all the same he could not give Beddington lllbs over a mile.

The winning payments in connection with the Auckland Racing Club's National Meeting are as follows: — Mrs A. Ellingham .£SOO, Captain Russell £400, L. D. and N. A. Nathan £400, G. B. Oman £235, F. Eoss £215, J. R. Corrigan £200, L. Harris £190, M. Deeble £160, J. Chaafe, sen., £145, J. Rae £140, J. Jacks and H. Tooman £100 each, Warrington and Howell, J. Currie, G. Anderson, L. Arthur, T. McLennan £90 each, S. McGuiness £75, F. 11. Lambert £55, S. Bradley £40, H. Moody £35, J. Livingstone £30, P. Chaafe £25, J. Warner £20, J. G. Ralph £15, J. B. Williamson, T. Scott, F. Watson, H. Hannon, J. Marshall, E. Ellett, F. W. Arnold £10 each.

Lady Zulu was one of the unsold lots at the Haymarket yesterday. This little mare'is very fit just now, and ran well in her first engagements at the A.R.C. Meeting. For two years past she has been raced at country meetings, and during last summer started nine times, winning six, and the previous season scored fourteen times. Lady Zulu is by Brigadier from Avaunt by Handover from Brunette. Avaunt came from Australia some years ago and raced in the ownership of Mr Dalton. Lady Zulu is a capital harness mare. When a yearling she got one of her knees injured through falling on some scoria, and it was thought she would not stand training. She appears very sound now.

Mr George Cutts has never started a field of horses in such a heavy ram as that experienced when the horses were lined up for the A.R.C Winter Handicap on Wednesday. I cannot remember witnessing such a downpour, and it was an experience that the jockeys will not forget. The horses could not be properly seen when the rain was descending at its worst. When the .Jockeys returned to scale they were in a maid-bespat-tered condition, and weighed from 311b to 41b each heavier than when they went out. It is time the Auckland Racing Club added further to the conveniences of their up-to-date course. A good bathroom in which jockeys could get a shower would be a great acquisition in summer and winter. The want of such a convem-

enee was demonstrated after the race under notice. What with the choco-late-coloured dirt aud the sand the. riders were bespattered with, they presented a deplorable sight. The want of water to wash themselves, and towels, was never brought home to the powers that be so forcibly. In Hawke's Bay there is a fine showerbath provided for the boys, and is available to them either in the dirty weather of winter or the dusty and sweltering heat of summer. At Takapuna tho wants of the horsemen are catered for, and in many other parts of New Zealand. When the A.X.C. have completed their water-raising plant the requirements of (lie jockeys will no doubt receive consideration.