SPORTING NOTES.

Press, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5704, 31 December 1883, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES.

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[rsox thi wx_it ra_s.] The programme of the Eg—ont Autumn Meeting is to hand, to be held on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. The added money amounts to upwards of —400, divided amongst nine events, the principal of which are the Hurdle Handicap, of 50 soys; Flying, 30 soys; Egmont Handicap, two mfles, 130 soys; Maiden Plate, 40; District Handicap, 50; Nursery Stakes, for two-year-01d5,30 soys; and Consolation. SO. Entries for the handicaps close on February Slat. The Makikibi races came off last week, and were attended by some 400 visitors, the weather militating against a large attendance. The Handicap Hurdle race was won rather easily by Black Doctor, lOst 71b, beating Karearea, list, Our Pony, 9at 101b, and two others. The MakUdhi Cup, two _dies, feU an easy prey to Prospero Bst 51b, Steel Dust Bst 81b second, and Mermaid 9st, who ran unkindly from start to finish, a bad third. Mr Bichard's Fortyfives won the Maiden Plate, showisg a clean pair of heels to Little NeU and two others. The mUe and a half handicap produced the best race of the meeting, seven horses competing, and was won by Catalonia Bst, after an exciting finish up the straight with Hinerua Bst 71b, and i Steel Dust 9st ; Prospero Bst 71b, Karearea 7st 31b, Spo-orth 7st 101b, and Faust 7st 51b, finishing in the ruck. The Farmers* Plate was won by Mr Jones* Coryphee, and the Consolation by Fawn. ' At a committee meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club held last week the circular was considered from Messrs Whetham and Walker," re the publication of a turf register, and it was agreed that the Club would be responsible for the purchase of a copy of the Eecord for each one of its members. This is not exactly in the terms of suggestions made in the circular, but seeing that there are upwards of 100 members in the Club the line adopted should prove more advantageous to the compHera

than the proposed subsidy of £10. At the same meeting the use of the racecourse was granted to the Grand National Club for their annual steeplechase meeting on May 24th.

We are in receipt per telegraph of the first day's racing at Auckland, and thus far our Southern horses have upheld their prestige by winning four out of the six events. Mr PUbrow has repeated two of his last year's victories by appropriating the Hurdle Race and Railway Plate, and Salvage has placed the Cup and Free Handicap to Mr VaJlance's credit, and thus avenged the ffl-luck that befell the Yaldhurst stable last year by the breaking down of Turquoise just alter his landing in Auckland. From private advices I gather that these four races were won very simply, so we must expect to see the winners pretty heavily handicapped for the second and third days' races, but this wffl not greatly affect Mr Pilbrow, seeing that Welcome Jack holds aU the weight for age races at his mercy, and Clarence's easy win in the Hurdle Handicap points to him as a good thing for the Steeplechase. The weights for the A. R,.C. and Grand Stand Handicaps will be looked forward to with interest. It is with much pleasure we notice that Musket's sons Musketeer and Trenton were successful in the two opening events of the day, and we hope it will be no long time before some of these half brothers of the mighty Martini Henry put in an appearance on some of our southern racecourses.

The Committee of the Dunedin Jockey .Club passed the following resolution on Saturday evening:—" The Committee, fully recognising the necessity for such a work as the ' Turf Record,' and believing that in the hands of Messrs Whetham and Walker it wUI be ably carried out, have pleasure in subscribing the sum of —10 towards same, and will assist by any information in their power." The following interesting information is from " Mazeppa's " sporting notes:—To give some idea of the increasing popularity of the totalisator, I have jotted down the foUowing figures as representing the comparative amounts invested at some of the spring race meetings during last season and the present one. Some of the figures are only approximate, but they are not far out:—

1882 1883 Otago Hunt Club ... _1,582 ->2,789 Geraldine 800 2,515 Alexandra 230 303 CromweU ... ... 400 634 North Canterbury... 1,800 1,400 Auckland 1,720 2,117 Ashburton 2,500 4,244 C.J.C. Spring ... 19,855 28,236 Waverley-Waitotara 1,736 1,140 Taranaki 1,150 786 Wellington 1,653 1,760 D.J.C. Spring ... 6,415 6,928

-39,841 _*54,970 Thus it will be seen that, although in three out of the dozen meetings above-men-tioned the figures this year are below those of last year, the present season's total gain is -615,129. Many small meetings held since the opening of the season also exhibit a considerable increase in the totalisator investments, and but for the drenchingrain that feU during the Auckland meeting, and on the second day of the Dunedin meeting, there is every reason to suppose that the money put through the machines so far this season would have topped last season's total for the same period by —20,000. What wiU the total be by the end of next July?

There was no more noticeable feature at the Lower Heathcote meeting than the exceUent starts which were effected by Mr Calvert, and seeing how our suburban and up-country meetings have suffered on this score it is satisfactory to know that we have a man amongst us whose services can be engaged by racing clubs, and on whom the public can rely to get a fair start for their money. The weights for the New Year Welter and Craven Handicaps were published on ThuiEday, and they strike us as being particularly weU apportioned, and for the first of these, which is the opening event of the day, there wUI probably be a good field. For the Craven Stakes, however, we cannot expect so much, for the first five on the list in that race are aU engaged in the Dunedin Cup, and as the stake is worth —160, the winning of it will entail a 51b. penalty for that race.

"Phaeton " writes.—The day after the conclusion of the Auckland Summer Meeting, Messrs Hunter and Nolan will offer the annual batch of yearlings, the produce of mares the property of Mr William Walters. They are four in number, viz.— Brown colt, by Musket—Slander; brown colt, by Musket—Yatterina; bay fiUy, by Musket—Bosarina.;.. and brown filly, by Maribyrnong—Peeress. Judging by the inquiries that have been, made about him from time to time, there should be some very spirited competition for the firstnamed, and whoever gets him wiU, I think, get a racehorse, for a more compact yearling I have not seen for many a day, and when we come to consider that it was his dam, Slander, who gave us the gallant old BUUngsgate, he should not be long in handing back some of his purchase money.

Mr Patrick Campbell arrived at WeUington by the British King last Sunday with the thoroughbred entire Ingomar and the mare Corcyra, by King Tom—Cerintha, by. Newminster.''

The thoroughbred colt Ike arrived on Thursday morning by the s.s. Manapouri, from Melbourne, consigned to Mr G. G. Stead. Ike is a bay colt, four years old, by Piscator out of Lady.