THE RACING WORLD

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 272, 15 November 1902, Page 6

THE RACING WORLD

(By Whalebone.)

Mr Geo. Raynes' Rapid Bey has foaled a ftl'y to ISton.

Owing to bis accident Price will not be able to ride at Wellington.

Mr H. Piper has accepted the position of starter toy the Forbury Park Kacing Club.

A patron of Taggart's stable has purchased the Stepniak yearling colt, full brother to Tsaritsa and Petrovna.

It is confidently believed that a good many Southern trotting horses will be nominated for the Auckland Trotting Club's Summer Meeting.

It is thought in Dunedin that Pampero ■would nearly have won the New Zealand Cup if he had started. No doubt the slow run ra<_e would have favoured him.

It is expected that the Canterbury Jockey Club will find at the conclusion of their meeting to-day (Saturday) that a record totalisator turnover for a fourdays' meeting has been established.

Three horses—Andorra, .First Thought, and Merton Steel—were killed at Flemington on Saturday and Tuesday week, and two—Oakwood and, Prospero — badly hurt through falling. The course was as slippery as glass.

At the Canterbury Agricultural Show, Casta shore, by Castor from Zip, was awarded first prLze; Royal Artillery, by Hotchkiss—Rose of Wellington, was placed second. Sant Ilario, Waterloo, Goodwood,and a number of others -were shown.

The sale of Elderslie, Canowie, and other yearlings at Christchurch Tattersail's was a success, and it is evident that there are still plenty of buyers for b'ood stock. Some of the lots were very choice, and were sent intc< the ring lookins: well.

Lovers of trotting were delighted with exhibitions witnessed at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's .^rounds. Wbbonwood, a four-year-old son of the imported Wildwood, covered a mile in the Free-for-all Race in 1.15 -1-5, but he packed the last mile of his two miles race in 2.131.

Canterbury owners favour the plan adopted in some parts of clubs allowing horses that come out and win in stated time being re-handicapped, and allowed to start in the faster classes. A rule of that kin-d would materially assist the Auckland Club in getting entries ror ti-.-f leading meetings. "They are taking 6 to 4 about Sir Kupert Clarke's colt," observed a man at Monee Valley on Saturday, "but I tell you this race is the best of good things for another!" "Pshaw!" rejoined his friend, contemptuously. "If you'd said p-Shah," replied the first speaker, "you'd have guessed it in once—The Persian!" Not a bad judge that fellow! —"Javelin."

This morning, while out shooting rabbits, Mr C. Berkett, trainer o!f Halberdier, the Cup winner, received part of a charge of shot in the legs as he was getting through a fence, through the lad who looks after Halberdier accidentally letting his gun go off. Berkett was taken to the Christchurch hospital, and will be all risrht in a few days.

The Derby victory of Orloff and the form shown by King Log, Vladimir, Scylla, Step Dancer, Whirlwind, and other of the progeny of the Nordenfeldt horse Stepniak, was so very pronounced, and the result was that anything offering by that sire was a marketable commodity, and a good average price was received. It is only a few years since the young Stepniaks were a drug in the market.

An interesting item of news:—Just now there are three prominent light-weight horsemen in Christhurch. They are C. Jenkins, H. Hewitt, and G. Price. Last year Jenkins rode C 3 winners and had upwards of 200 me/lints; Hewitt had 50 winning rides out of 157 mounts, and was only out Of a place a few times; while George Price had no fewer than 254 rides, and won 38 times. No other horseman was so often in the saddle as the Wanganui horseman, whose services are in great rennest.

Ths petition's in favour of the totalisator being retained as at present are being signed largely at the Canterbury Jockey Club's and Auckland Trotting Club's meetings. Petitions were placed* upon tfbles in handy places, and friends of the present system of speculation were actively engaged in making known the ideality at the petitions, and interested themselves to getting signatures. Several members of Parliament who were present at the carnival will. support a continuation of the totalisator regime. Mr C. Lewis, who is standing for Ashley, is a strong advocate of the automaton. Owing to the Wellington meeting following so close on that of the Canterbury Jockey Club, and so many horses requiring a rest, it is certain that a good many will not be taken North from Christehurch: However, a lot of accommodation has been taken for horses at "the Hutt, and this is a sign there will be a <*oodly number of owners who contemplate having horses at the meeting. The weights are due on Monday morning. It U likely that in arranging the dates of iixtures for next season the powers that b. will see that there is a longer interval betwer. the two meetings. There has been some speculation as to the probable" result of the Jubilee Cup, to be run between Cruciform and Achilles in Christchurch. and locally yesterday /Friday) a lot of opening bets were made. The impending contest was evidently regarded as likely to be a very clCse thing between the crack Taldhurst filly and the ■Wellington flyer. Whatever the result, the filly, who has been trained for a distance has the best of the weights, her penalty being a 71bs one above the weight for age scale, under which the colt has a 101b penalty. The colt's friends rely on his having been trained over short courses, and believe him capable of beating anything at weight for age in the colony. Crucifcfrm's admirers are sanguine that the daughter of St. Leger will make the son of Medallion put his best leg forward.