RACING FIXTURES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 110, 10 May 1902, Page 6

RACING FIXTURES.

May 15, IC—Ashburton County Racing Club May 21, 24—Dunedin Jockey Club May Meeting May 24, 2S—Takapuna J.C. June 3, 4, 7—Auckland Racing Club June 3, 4, 7—Auckland Racing Club's North New Zealand Grand National Meeting

Skobeloff is said to be jumping very well.

Goetzer will leave for Suva in about a fortnight's time.

Clanranald's full brother St. Andrew. sire of Jabber and other fast horses, is dead.

Geologist has been purchased by a patron of J. Thorpe's, and goes into that trainer's stable.

J. Chaafe, sen., has recovered from his illness of a fortnight since, and is, I am pleased to say, out and about again.

J. Rae has been confined to his bed for several days past with congestion of the right lung, but is now doing all right.

Old Nelson, who was made a present of to his old trainer, E. Cutts, by Major George, is reported to have put on a lot of flesh in his home at Chokebore.

The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club have decided to alter the first day of their winter meeting from June 25 to June 26, the latter date being the holiday to be observed for Coronation Day.

"Pentagraph," in a note in the Referee," mentions that owing to a typographical error Orloff was returned at the head of the list of winning two-year-olds instead of Porirua. • The value of the Northern Champagne Stakes was taken as £400 instead of £500. Porirua leads Orloff by £15.

In noticing the breeding of Sir Edgar Vincent's' colt Pistol, by Carbine, who ran second in the Two Thousand Guineas, I mentioned that he had the pedigree of a stayer, and at the moment I was under the impression that he was in the Derby; but "Ruff's" says not. Pistol, however, claims some valuable engagements this season.

McClusky has withdrawn his appeal to the Wellington Racing Club against their sentence 'of disqualification at the suggestion of his employer, Sir George Clilford, who has written the club on the lad's behalf. Sir George, in doing so, mentioned that as the nominator of the Appeal Court he was placed in a position of some delicacy, as any action of his might be liable to misconstruction.

Prompted by the feeling that it was his duty, a well-known bishop once remonstrated with one of his clergy for attending the meet of a local hunt.'- "Well, your lordship," replied the offender, I really do not see that there is any moreharm in hunting than "going to a ball." 'I presume," answered his lordship, that you refer to having seen my name down among those who attended Lady As—ball- but I assure you, throughout the whole evening I was never once n the same room as the dancers.' That, my lord, is exactly how I stand-I was never once in the same field as the hounds.

Nominations are due on Friday next for the following events of the Auckland Racing Club's Grand National Meetmg:Maiden Steeplechase, Maiden Welter, Maiden Hurdles, Cornwall and Remuera Hurdles, Second Maiden Hurdles, Second Maiden Welter, Tally-ho Steep echase, York Steeplechase, Selling Steeplechase, Ladies' Bracelet, Second Maiden Steeplechase, Winter Welter Hurdles, Third Maiden Welter, Hunters' Steeplechase, and Farewell Handicaps; also for xne Ladies' Bracelet. At the same time acceptances will be due for the Grand National Hurdle Race and Great. Northern Steeplechase. t

Dr Bree, of Colchester, in 1865 sent the following instance of horse sagacity to the "Field":—Mr Higgs, Mayor of Sunbury, was the owner of the animal, and he told the story to Dr. Bree. This horse, he said, used to pump his own water, taking the handle of the pump in Ins mouth and working it like a human being The other horses w Tould take advantage of his skill, and when thirsty would bite and tease him to go and pump for them and were generally successful in inducing'him to do so. He would walk gravely up to the pump, take hold of tne handle, and work away at it till water flowed; directly water appeared, however, he would let go the handle and drink himself. Mr Higgs had seen him do this.

On the second day of tne Wellington Racing Club's Autumn Meeting last month Mr Evett weighted Cruciform at 10.4 in' the Pacific Handicap, run over a distance of 6 -furlongs. In the same race, he gave Acliilles 9.7.- and Porirua 8.12. Cruciform was thus handicapped at 241b over her weight for age; Achilles was nssessed at 311b over his. and Porirua 221b In other words, Achilles was estimated 71b better than Cruciform on the weight for age computation, and Porirua 21b inferior to that filly, thus making Achilles out a top sawyer indeed. This is, of course, all a matter of opinion. Achilles is generally believed to be a very good colt, but can it. be said that he had really earned the distinction of being classed so high as to have _een equal to the task that was set him. Neither Cruciform nor Achilles rans so that it was not possible to say how a race between the pair over six furlongs at the weights would have ended. I fancy, however, that, most people would take Cruciform, at such a handicap, even allowing that the weights were high, for Cruciform is regarded by our best judges as the best' filly we have seen in this colony at her age- When we come to look back to the corresponding meeting last year, we find that in this race the then two year olds Nonette and San Patricia were handicapped at 7.6 and 7.2 respectively. Nonette had only been twice beaten at the time, and only a couple of weeks before had beaten twelve 2 year olds with 10.5 on his back. San Patricia and Nonette ran first and second. Mr Evett must have -.had this performance in his recollection, as he went to the other extreme.

Weights for the two big jumping races to be decided on the 3rd and 4th June at Ellerslie were issued on Friday. In the Great Northern Steeplechase Mr Evett had twenty-eight horses to adjust the weights for, and in the Grand National Hurdle Race no fewer than forty-four, a

record number for this particular event. In the Steeplechase he has had to deal with quite a number of practically unknown quantities so far as cross country work is concerned, but they have nearly all been seen over hurdles, and the fact that they are entered for the Steeplechase suggests that their owners are satisfied that they possess the necessary qualification to ascend and descend the hill, and there is a good deal in this, and negotiate the not difficult fences on the Ellerslie course. Eleven of the horses engaged have been over the course before, some of them a good many times. In the North New Zealand Grand National Hurdle Race there are a dozen or more engaged that are beginners, and a few that have had but little experience in public. There are two previous winners of the _r_eat Northern Steeplechase engaged in Moifaa and Voltigeur IL, and two previous winners of the Hurdle Race in Shylock and Cavaliero, while we have one winner of the New Zealand Grand National Hurdles in Haydn, and two winners of the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase in The Guard and Gobo amongst those engaged. There are many well-performed and decidedly useful horses engaged in both events, and the new aspirants for cross-country or Grand National Hurdle honours comprise very many promising horses, and I am inclined to assume that the fields in both cases are, upon the whole, really the strongest that have been known since these races were introduced. At the same time I believe that we have had a few steeplechasers superior, so far as has yet been shown, to Moifaa, if they were not so at his age. and at least one horse superior to Cavaliero over hurdles.

In placing Mdifaa at the top of the list in the Steeplechase, I am in accord with Mr Evebt, and I consider that every ounce Mr Ellingham's horse has earned iias been given him, notwithstanding that he received and carried more weight successful on the flat country steeplechase course in Hawke's Bay. Though Cavaliero has not been over country, and it would not have surprised me to see a lb. or two conceded by Moifaa, there is little cause for complaint on the part of Cavaliero's owner seeing him on the same mark. It, however, has to be remembered that 12.1 is the biggest weight yet carried to victory in this race. Remembering the size and quality of the field, the fact that Cavaliero failed last year carrying 13.1, which included a 71bs penalty, and not overlooking the fact that he won the Remuera Hurdle race with 13.13 up, I am still of opinion that 13.6 is too great a weight to start an important event like the one under notice with, and it is to me positively absurd to call upon Cavaliero, good horse though he is, to give just on 3st. to such horses as Highlander and Mars, to say nothing of much greater allowances to so many horses that have been racing with success on the flat. Coeur de Lion, a fair flat performer, possibly no better than Highlander, and one that was not a good jumper, whose fencing caused him much effort, was equal to beating Cavaliero at a difference of 211bs on heavy ground, and it is rarely any other way at this season of the year. Highlander with 141bs less on his back, and Mars with 151bs less than Coeur de Lion, should hold Cavaliero safe enough, especially as that horse has 51bs more than he carried into third place. Cavaliero would require to be very lucky indeed to have any sort of chance in a representative field with 13.6 on his back. He was lucky about this time last year in meeting a number of horses a great deal below the form they j have since been showing.

It is not my intention to go into an exhaustive analysis of the weights in this issue, as I propose returning to the subject next week, but there are some points that may be touched upon. A comparison of the respective imposts of horses engaged in both events shows that Cavaliero and Waiwera hav.e each received lOlbs. less fti the Great Northern Steeplechase than in the Hurdle race; Tim, who is a maiden over country, also has 91bs less, and Frost-61bs less. Rufus, Princess of Thule, Bellman, and Evening Wonder and others have each received less weight in the Steeplechase than in the Hurdle event. Plain-Bill and Dr. Bill, by a coincidence, have the same weight in both races, but we find Shylock, who has already a'Grand Hurdle Race to his credit, in with less in the Hurdle Race than in the Steeplechase, being treated as a light of other days and Tawara and Sudden, in contradistinction to those already mentioned, have more weight in the cross country race than in the Hurdle Race. Th<jse things ma. be capable of explanation, but some people •might wonder at such striking differences, which will be more readily seen by setting out the figures thus:-

Hurdle Steeple- -, .. race. cha .c Cavaliero .. .. _ 3 . 6 .. _ cn*s^ Waiwera .. ..112 in'p sudden 9 r 9 ;; ;■ {™ Tawara .. .. .. 9-0 _ __ lu£_ Mr Evett .recently handicapped Evening Wonder at 11.12 for the Avondale SteenTe? chase and Rufus at ..,10, a difference of 161bs. Evening Wonder started favourite and ran oft at the third fence, and Rutus did not compete. Now we find the pair set to meet at a difference of 9lbs budclen, who did not run. was there set to give Rufus 41bs. and is n .vv set to receive Slbs. Neither horsesyhave started since they were handicapped. Princess of Thule was asked to give the same horse 41bs. They did not meet; neither has run since. Now Princess of Thule is receiving 41bs. These are little matters that people who own horses cannot understand. Then, agin, if we look a few weeks back to the handicapping of Haydn and Waiwera in the hurdle races at Ellerslie

Nad the running of these horses and the weights, -.no" the running between Waiwera and Royal Conqueror at Wanganui, it must be seen how very inconsitent Mr Evett has been. The same remark apply to some of the adjustments for the Wanganui and the Auckland hurdle events—handicaps, too. that must have been made about the same time. As I have said before, I intend returning to the subject, but I may here mention that I regard Waiwera as about the best handicapped horse in both races, though I do not recommend him to backers, as he was sore when here last. In the Steeplechase the three top weights, Moifaa. Cavaliero, The Guard; Princess of Thule. Evening Wonder, and Rufus are the half-dozen that may furnish the winner: but Frost, X Jam,and Oracle are three likely horses that have come under my notice, and some of the others, it is quite on the cards, may turn out well. Of those in the Hurdle Race I am not partial to the chances of the top weights. Mars should beat anything above him. unless Highlander has taken kindly to the game. These horses, with Frost, Oracle, Strathnairn, Reclaimer, and some of the others hitherto only known on the flat, may furnish the winner.