RACING FIXTURES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 179, 29 July 1903, Page 8

RACING FIXTURES.

'August 11, 13, 15— Canterbury J.C. August 27—Amberley Steeplechase September 23—Marton J.C. September 23—South Canterbury J.C. September 19, 23, 26—Avondale J.C. September 23, 24—Rangitikei it.C. September 24, 25—Geraldine B.C. October I—Kurow J.C. October 1, 2—Wanganui J.C. October I—Ohoko and Eyreton J.C. October 7, B—Hawke's8 —Hawke's Bay J.C. October 13, 14 —Napier Park J.C. October 14, 17—Otaki Maori R.C. October 14, 15—Dunedin J.C. October 15—North Canterbury J.C. October 21, 24—Wellington R.C. October 22, 23—Ashburton County R.C. October 27, 28—Daunevirke J.C. October 2S, 29—Gore R.C. October 29, 30—Poverty Bay T.C. October 29, 30—Masterton R.C. November 7—C.J.C. Metropolitan (New Zealand Cup) The profits over the Victoria Grand National Meeting are very small.

The "Wanganui Hunt Club's annual meetIng will be held next month.

Tresham will not be taken to Canterbury to fulfil his Grand National Hurdles engagement.

Irish, by the Cambria Park Stud. Company's horse Eton, is shaping satisfactorily as a hurdler.

Grafnell, the V.R.C. Steeplechase winner, was sold by his breeder as a yearling for 55 guineas.

A lad named Savage was killed recently at Randwick from a fall off a horse he was schooling over the low fences there.

"Westerly has recovered his accident met with in the Grand National Hurdle Race., and is in work again.

The Carbine colt, Fowling Piece, finished third in the Hardwicke Stakes won by Sceptre at Ascot in June.

Emir is a strong fancy in Victoria for coming season classic engagements in which htree-year-olds meet.

Sceptre -won the Hardwicke Stakes, of 2000 soTS, at Ascot, just before the mail left.' There were seven runners.

In France, since 1897, M. Leinart has won about £100,000 in stakes with his horses in hurdle races and steeplechases.

Emir is reported to be the only Melbourne Cup horse in constant demand, both straight out and to finish doubles .with.

Mars and Hipstone were shipped South on Monday by the Takapnna for Cantorbury, via Wellington, where they will be transhipped.

Kunstler, winner of the Royal Hunt Cup, at Ascot, is a grandson of Deadlock, a mare Captain Machel bought out ol a spring cart for £19.

The report that P. Nolan received £«» from the bookmakers as an inducement to start Grafnell in the V.R.C. Grand National is contradicted. _ -_• .

Bassoon, a Trenton colt, ran second to William Rtifus in the »«<*««<* grk Plate, of 979 soys. 1£ mile, at Hurst .raiK iEng.) on June 13th.

Siege Gun is amongst a number of other horses that have found support for the Melbourne Cup. Wakeful, the top weight, also backed for that race.

Nance O'Neill, Zealous, Catherine Gordon and Evening are the only mares left in the Grand National Hurdle Race, which has not yet been won by one of the sex.

Dolores, who injured herself In the Maiden Hurdle Race at Takapuna in May, which she won, appears to have quite recovered, and is doing steady work at headquarters.

The Tasmanian Racing Club to still goj can be obtained.

21, 32, and 52sovs.

chase. He was scratched yesterday.

The death of Mr Albert Levy, long and Sβ sister, Mrs Possenniskie, Auckland.

Seeing that Nor'-west had 11.10, in the New Zealand Grand National, whatjwilj have been apportioned to Cannon£ate on form shown at the North New Zealand Grand National Meeting? some Auclrtanders are asklnc.

The Trenton mnre Cinderellen, a well known performer at Sydney galloway meetIngs, from Cinderella, once well known in Auckland, has foaled a colt to Bill of lortland in England, and has a three year old son in Ireland.

Titokowaru, by Dilke—Flora McDonald who .7. Rao took to Anstralia with his half-brother Donald, Orangeman, and Guy Fawkes about twelve years ago, is still alive, and in use as a hack on one of -nglis' stations near Melbourne.

■Mr Hugh R. Dixson, chairman of the Owners' and Trainers' Association of South Australia, in a letter to the "Australasian.' , advocates the appointment of delegates of the various racing clubs to control the sport, as is done in New Zealand.

The drawback to making courses easier everr year is that the thoroughbred flat racers w<ll gradually elbow. ™t eenuine steeplechasers like Freedom. And the Freedoms are the sort of horses .one wants to see encouraged.—"Australasian. ,

At the Deniliquin races a horse railed Even-time, by Audacity, son of Randwick «nd the Traducer mnre Elsa, grand dam of Prfncess of Thule. Hautapu (late Meteor, won a 21 mile hurdle race on July 14. Audacity was a capital performer on the flat and over hurdles himself.

Count Lebndorf, who purchased.Ard Panrick for tlu> Russian Government, is allowed to be one of the best judges of a racehorse in the world, both as to conformation and pedigree. Indeed, he is a great student on breeding, and his book on that subject is that of a thoroughly practical man.

In a letter in the "AustralasUin" of a recent date, a correspondent alleges that proprietary racing costs owners and trainers in Victoria between £5000 and £7000 a year. What it costs the public, says tho writer, Heaven knows, and it is said to have reduced the ring to a mere skeleton.

Many of P. Nolan's friends would have liked to have seen his name returned as the owner and rider of a Grand National winner, but next to the accomplishment of such a performance -traininfc the winner for someone else is much to be proud of. In Grafnell Nolan has a clever young horse in his hands.

Mr Tom Wilson, the Dowling Forest (Victoria) trainer, who wa» "'iwessful alilv? with cup candidates and jumping horses, died recently at the age of, 75. Amonsst the winners trained by him during liis career were Oakleigh (Caulfield Cup), Sir Peter (V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race), and four V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase winners, viz.. Great Western, Wyinlet,' Game and May Be.

Mr W. H. Keith has had bad luck in his attempts to win the V.R.C. Grand Nationals. When he ran second for the Grand National Steeplechase with Dart to Daimio. many thought wouJd have won had nor Hie Into For:- r-'V.,. w ,, 0r1 ro n-Ivori o ~ fall early in the day, which dazed him so that he failed to realised that they were elos* homo v'h-r {->-■■• ..,. ..„„... , >ud (lf tkf , contest was being entered upon.

The Abercorn horse Newry. who was sent to South Africa by Mr W. N. , s, from Sydney, won the Johannesburg- "Winter Handicap, of 1500 soys. one mile, at the .Tune Meeting. He carried 8.4, and, starting at G to 1, beat eleven others. Kilmarnock, in ,T. Thorpe's tntra, nt Ellerslie, and owned by Mr H. Friedlander, is a half brother to Newry. and their dam luxuriates at Cambria Park.

In noticing , the presence of Mr E. D. O'Rorke at the meet of the Melbourne Hunt Club, the chronicler of thitt erent for the "Leader," refers to the New Zealander -as the master of the Fuekaranga Chr'stehurch hounds, fearlessly lepping wire on his N.Z. hunter Gothic, in which he was quickly imitated by Mr E. Browne. Gothic was purchased by Mr O'Rorke for Mr Alister Clarke, of the Oakland Hunt Club, Melbourne.

The report that money and jewellery had been saved in the safe when the Harp of Erin Hotel was destroyed is incorrect. When the safe was opened it was found that jewellery, gold and silver (including a largo number of ancient crown pieces and Kruger coins) had been melted and a bundle of notes burnt, the contents of the safe being about a fortnight's takings. Much sympathy is .felt for Mr and Mrs L,ennar<l and their family, who have lost much that money cannot replace.

You want a seasoned horse to win a Grand National as a general thing, with plenty of good blood. Considering that .he is only a four year old, lOst 41b was not a very light weight for Grafnell in the big steeplechase, says Terlinga, but it is not likely that any thoroughbred, with a little flat race form, will get into a Grand Nation? «£eeplechase on such easy terrui sgain. The genuine 'chaser of the Freedom type has no chance against a flat racer when the latter stands up, and the handicapper is supposed to assume that all horses entered for a steeplechase can jump. ••• ■

It is a pity that the dates seiected by the South Auckland Racing Club and Thames Jockey Clubs for their March meetings are so close together. It is possible, but wouM be most unlikely, that owners would race horses at South Auckland on Saturday and then attempt to get them to the Thames to race on Monday, as they would get no rest, as the interval would be taken up in travelling It is a wonder that this matter was not , noticed and dealt with at the Racing Conference in Wellington. Clearly, the Question of suitable dates in this instance was overlooked by those *who could have afforded the conference information on the subject.

It is expected that Cruciform and Orlotf will leave Canterbury on Friday for Sydnoy. A meeting between Cruciform ami Wakeful in ,the weiglit-for-ago races at Randwick would be fraught with interest, and, being a young and probably an improving mare, the daughter of St. Leger and Forme may be found good enough to measure strides with the Victorian mare, whom one and aU proclaim the best of her sex in our siste*r colonies. There is just a possibility that Wakeful may not again be able to reproduce her best form, and Cruciform would only.want to be right at her best In any case to give Trentou's daughter a race.

Racing at Johannesburg is expensive to witness from the enclosures, and the promoters are making a big harvest out of the business. Owners of horses have to pay dearly for everything, and '-hi game is clearly one of business in every department. Talking to Mr R. E. Mcßae, wno was present at the Wellington K.C. Meeting, and who saw something of racing iv South Africa he informed me that were lacing run on the same lines as in New Zealand, where the bulk of the profits goes back to owners in stakes Instead of the prizes given-now, and there is a 150'0sov stake at each meeting at Johannesburg, they could be increased enormously, probably to four times their present value.

The opinion was freely offered by several leading writers in Australia that had Westerly had a race or two in public as Marmorit had just piior to the Grand National, It might have made the difference between losing and winning, though after running showed that Marmout had probably a much easier win than was at first supposed. Races in public, as most men know, will often do horses a world of good, especially horses that are indolent in their work. W'> have seen this the case quite recently, ami one of this class that I have noticed particularly is the ex-hack hurdler ■ Rags. A veritable tough rag he is, for he has had more racing over hurdles- in a few months and travelling than any other horse that 1 can think of at the moment.

A big favourite with the crowd for the Grand Steeplechase at Auteuil was Kecord Reign 11. (writes the Paris correspondent of "The Sketch.") It belongs to the Indian Kour Sahib of Patlala, and he brought it to France under the guard of a oody of Sikhs, who always watch it at training and sleep round it in the stable. On the eve of the big race, the fakirs decided on a great religious festival. Amulets were placed round its neck, it was anointed with perfumed drugs and was made to drink from strange phials. Then there were weird Incantations, and the fakir dropped into a mystic sleep and dreamed for a "tip." And it came. There was a tableau where Record Reign rolled home: Fate wsvs ciuel. Not only did Record Reign swerve and fail, but the' Sahib's horse brought flown the other English candidates. So much for "tipping" up-to-date.

One of the most useful and consistent racehorses ever seen in Australia had to be destroyed about a fortnight ago in Victoria, but he was also unfortunate. I refer to Progress, who was during hid racing career owned by Mr William Branch, and had the bad luck to be inferior to a flyer of the same age in Grand Flaneur, whom he followed home each time he met him and in two such important races as the V R C Derby nnd Melbourne Cup, though when 'Grand Flaneur was out of the way he was good enough to win the St. Leffflr, Sydney Cup, Cumberland Stakes, A.J.C. Plate? and South Australian J.C. St. Leger, and other races, the Birthday Cup at Adelaide, won by New Zealand's,good old getting Mata, being one of the few races hu

ran second in. Progress was 26 years old, but during the whole time he was at the stud failed to get anything nearly so good as himself—indeed, was a failure as a sire.

The Walkatb" Hunt Club meeting has been fixed for September 2nd. It was in-tsnrt-I-] to hold the meeting on September 23rd. but that date was found to clash with Avondale, and at a meeting held last week it was thought that members could not be expected to keep horses in training till September 30th for the small stakes Kiven nt the meeting, and so September 2nd was agreed upon. The club had hoped to join in with the Country Racing Club's Conference, but as they had not yet got repl'cs from all the clubs, nad no handi"capper appointed. The secretary reported having both written and telegraphed to Mr H- Wynyard, asking him to do the Hunt Club's hiindieappimj, but up to date had received no reply, so after a little discussion Messrs Wynn-Brown, H. S. \\yatt, and Boston S. Couper were appointed o handicapping committee. The following oroaraniuie was arranged: — 1. Hunt Liuu Hurdles Handicap of 12sovs, £2 10/ to second horse, 1h miles; 2. Maiden Welter Handicap of lOsovs, for all horses who have never wou a race, 1 mile; 3. Hunt Club Steeplechase Handicap of 20SOYS,' about 8 miles; 4. Hack iuice Handicap oi lOsovs for a/11 horses who have never starting, about 2i miles.