RACING IN AUCKLAND.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9305, 4 January 1896, Page 4

RACING IN AUCKLAND.

" Weekly Press ahd Referee." Accklakd, Dec. 28. Ellerslie looked at its best on Boxing Day, when the Summer Meeting of the Auckland R.C. commenced. A great crowd assembled on all parts of tho course, and it was generally a.arecd that the attendance was a record one. The weather was simply delightful, but the sun had baked the track, which was very hard. The sum of £9719 was passed through tho machines during the day, but it would have been larger had the pencillers from outside Auckland been prevented from laying the odds. As it was, they carried oiit tho practice in a most glaring minnor. In the paddock I noticed Messrs J. B. Rcid, G. G. Stead, R. Allen, Victor Hams, and Heaton Rhodes from the South. The west coast of the North Island, Hawke's Bay, and Gisborne were represented by a sprinkling, but I hardly think tho number of outside visitors was so great as in some former years. Throughout the racing proved interesting, but the" Cap was an unsatisfactory race from all points of view, and I think it would have fallen to The Possible had he stood up and his rider made more use of him in the early part of the race. He had a lot of bad luck. Derrett was also blamed for the way he reefed St. Hippo about, instead of letting him sail alone. The pace was miseraoly slow, and had it been a fast-run race, I don't think St. Hippo would have been in second place. The Possible was twice interferal with, viz., at the seven furlongs post, and six furlongs from home, and at this point Mr Gollan's horse was nearly on his nose. The slow time the race was run in, and the light weight no doubt greatly assisted Anita to victory. . . Ton of the twelve coloured on the card lor the Trial Hondicap, the opening event of the programme, wont to the post. On the strength of the brilliant form shown by Doris? she wns installed a better favourite than Mr Stead's colt Musketry, the rest of the field only meeting with half-hearted support. Danluce was responsible for making the running, but once in the straight Musketry asserted himself, and coming on, he beat "Doris in a decisive manner, while Acone, who caino fast on the outside, gained third position. Great interest was created in the Great Northern Stakes, seven feeing the barrier. There was something of an interprovincial character about the contest. Canterbury was represented by Mr Stead's pair of colts, Epaulet and Uniform, and Hawke's Bay had Defiance to do battle on its behalf. The various candidates were eagerly inspected as they underwent their toilets preparatory to starting. Armilla was cool and collected, trained to thchour, while St Paul, if not as bhs in stature as some of the field, was a much improved colt. Added to this it was well known that ho had acquitted himself in a trial. A fine big racing colt is Nestor, but it was thought he was outclassed. However, he shaped very well in the race. Epaulet, a brown in colour, with grey hairs prominently ticked in his coat, and Uniform were really backward. However, the way the pair handled themselves in the paddock and m thoir preliminaries gained them many friends, and when it was seen that Derrett had boon entrusted with the mount on Uniform he was more warmly supported than his companion. Defiance looked really well and, as he had come through a J reparation on the local tracks with credit, c was made second favourite to Armilla. Before the barrier was raised the field behaved themselves like old horses, but when the tapes flew up unfortunately both Epaulet and Dofiance swerved and were consequently left standing. This was no fault of the starter, Mr G. Cutts, who, by the way, despatched la's fields admirably during the day. The race is easily described. St. Paul, with great smartness, jumped off in front, and there he remained to the finish. In the straight the rider cf the colt eased him a bit, and for a moment it looked as if Armilla would catch him, but he drew away, and, finishing in great style, won by a length and a half. The win proved an extremely popular one, and there was great cheering as St. Paul returned to scale. The winner is a son of St. Leger and Satanella, and was bred by Mr William Pereival, Secretary A.R.C. The official time of the race was lmin 18secs, but several expert timeists, made it lmin 17isecs. St. Paul may neverbe a great weight carrier, but he is a rare stayer and finisher. Armilla might have been made a bit more use of after the first furlong had been covered, otherwise there is no excuse to urge for her' defeat. The following are the winners of the Foal Stakes: —

Next came up for decision the Auckland Sup, a field of eight coming out to dispute Sossession of the 60050v9 added money. Three tar was struck out on Christmas Eve, and First Nelson and Yammerschooner at the post. The starters were paraded round the paddock, and it is unnecessary to say each oame in for a minute inspection at the hands of the paddock habitues. I thought St. Hippo bore rather an aldermanic appearance, while The Possible looked healthy and well. Pegasus, as usual, sweated profusely, but little fault could be found with the look or condition of Dreamland, who bore evidenoo of having come through a searching preparation. Qmltiri looked well enough to the eye, and so did Impulse and Folly. Little attention was paid to Anita by the public, it being generally thought aho was outclassed. This was not the case with her owners, who a few weeks Back had supported her in doubles with her stable companion, Bombardier, for the Steeplechase, albeit they only trusted her with a ten pound note on Boxing Day. The first to leave the paddock and reach the course proper was Impulse, then followed The Possible, Quiltiri and St. Hippo. A great crowd lined up at the starting post, hiding the horßes from view, and it was only with difficulty that the colours of the riders aould be picked out from the stand. As far M could be seen, Anita held the position next to tho rails and St. Hippo was on the extreme outside. Little time was lost by Mr Cutts in getting the horses away, and a capital start it was. After the first furlong Quiltiri made the running for a mile, when i ho was joined by Dreamland, who was at the head of affairs for about a furlong and a half. Four furlongs from home, Anita, who had been in the rear throughout, dashed to the front and led into the I home turn, hotly pursued by Quiltiri, St. Hippo, and The Possible, in the order named. At this stage, excitement ran high, and a great finish was being looked for, when The Possible was seen to fall. Then the colours of the riders of Pegasus, Folly, and Impulse could be seen on mother earth. It was feared that a serious accident had occurred, but such fortunately proved not to be the case. Meanwhile the leader (Anita) was making tho best of her premier position, and, although St Hippo endeavoured to close on her in the run home, she struggled gamely on and won by two or three lengths. There was great cheering when Anita returned to scale, and it was renewed when ** all right" was declared. This is the first Auckland Cup that has fallen to the brothers who race under the name of "R. Burke," and naturally the North Shore sportsmen came in for hand shaking all round. The win was certainly amongst the most popular in the annals of the race, despite that the winner was an outsider. Neither Anita nor St Hippo was interfered with by the mishap at the home turn, both having a clear run home. Quiltiri ran a better race than the majority expected, but failed to finish out the two miles. Anita was bred by her owners, and the Cup is the first race of importance that she has credited Mr Burke with. She carried 21bs overweight. She was got by the defunct King Quail from Anna, by Musket—Florin. Mr Bnrke owns Anna, whom he purchased when a yearling at one of the New Zealand Stud Company's sales.

The Hurdle Race proved simply a contest between Ladybird and Dante, after the first mile of the journey. It was fought out with great determination by the pair, bnt the local mare had a length advantage over Dante as the judge's box was passed. For five furlongs of the journey the West Coast owned horse Dante was under the whip, and

he proved himself a very game horse indeed, but the difference in his weight and that of Ladybird told its tale at the finish. Ladybird ran in the colours of Mr R. H. Skip worth, a recent addition to the ranks of local horse owners.

Forma left the paddock a scorching hot favourite for the Flying Handicap, her stable companion, Doris, being withdrawn. After a good finish in the straight with Miss Nelson, Mr Morrin's colours gained the verdict by a length, while Anniversary, who stood when the tapes flew up and ran wide at the home turn, gained third place. A field of fifteen went to the post for the Nursery Handicap, St. Paul being the only withdrawal. The finish proved a desperate one. The Dunedin-owned filly, St. Ouida, who had made the running from the start, was joined by the lightly-weighted Lady Anna in the straight and, after a very severe set to under punishment, the visitor succeeded in beating Lady Anna by a nose. The Dove caused delay in the Pony Race through bolting. The winner turned up in the Gisborne-bred gelding Talisman, who got home a length and a half in front of the top M'cight, Mavourneen. The last race of the programme was the Christmas Handicap, and interest ran high as to the result on account of the presence of three Great Northern Derby winners among the starters. Mauser, who carried the livery of Mr G. G. Stead, was made a better favourite than the local pair St. Regel and Fabulist. The last named Mas in the van round the top stretch and into the straight, where •St. Regal joined issue, then a most exciting finish ensued. St. Regcl made some vigorous efforts to draw level with Fabulist, but tho latter was not to be denied, and lie won like a racehorse by a neck from St. Rejjel, with Mauser an indifferent third.

The finish in this race was a fitting termination to a splendid day's racing, and, in this connection Mr Evctt deserves a word of praise for his handicapping. The Possible got much knocked about by his fall in the Auckland Cup. He was cut on the elbow and stifle, and an examination on Friday shows that from a mark Mr Gollan's horse lias on his hock, there is reason to think lie was galloped on before he fell. The mishap has caused The Possible to be disabled for the meeting, and on Friday P. Martin told mc lie would probably leave for Napier on Monday next, taking the horse and Bonnie Scotland with him. The sum of £2072 was invested on the eight starters for the Auckland Cup on the inside and outside totalisators. The mishap to The Possible, Pegasus, Impulse and Folly in tho Cup occurred at the same spot where Manton dislodged his rider and Nelson came on to his knees in the Cup of 1883, won by Lochiel. December 30. " Would the result of the Auckland Cup have been different had four horses not fallen at the home turn ? " is a question that has been freely discussed since the decision of the race. It is likely that, had The Possible been allowed to go to the front, Anita would not have been in the place she was when the turn for homo was reached. I attribute the result to the muddling way the race was run.

Dawe3 says Tho Possible was almost down on his nose seven furlongs from home, and also that he was interfered with in the next furlong, which, of course, lost him a lot of ground, and he had to ride his mount all along the back stretch. Before reaching the spotwhere The Possible fell he had passed three beaten horse.3, and he was going in great style preparatory to a final run in the straight home. Anita covered the last four furlongs in quite a racehorse style, and she proved two things most decisively— that sho can stay, besides being a game and rare finisher. Quiltiri completely faded out of it as the field approached the home turn, and if this form is true, he cannot he classed a stayer. lam satisfied that, if the pace had been sound, St. Hippo would not have been runner up. Pegasus shaped well, and when he came down he was by no means dono with, for the pace suited him to a nicety. Summing tho Cup up, the two presumed best riders, Dawes and Derrett, rode the worst races, and this is the general opinion held here. So far as Dawes is concerned, he says that if The Possible had not fallen he would have been first or second.

Anita's only winning performances of note previous to the Cup are the Takapuna Birthday Handicap and Welter Handicap at the A.R.C. Winter Meeting at Ellerslie. She started ten times as a two-year-old without scoring a winning bracket, but she got into a place in some of the events, and was third to Doris and Stepfeldt in the A.R.C. Welcome Stakes. There are few who support the pastime of racing with more liberality than the two genial gentlemen who race under the name of R. Burke, and the Cup stake this year has gone into good hands. D. Morrigan deserves a word of praise for bringing Anita to the post in such good trim, and G. Hammond rode the mare with good judgment. Chatting to-day with one of the brothers, R. Burke, over the result of the Auckland Cup, ho told mc Anita is a very bad feeder, and she had eaten little since her Boxing Day win. She is a delicate mare to train, and will not stand much work, so much so that she did not receive a strong gallop since she raced at the Takapuna J.C.s Spring Meeting in the early part of the present month. The marc had never been tried over two miles, but she was simply kept in the Cup because she always stayed in the races she ran, and her owners looked upon those in the race as more or less infirm. To put the matter in a nutshell, Anita won the race simply through being a stayer, and being treated to light exercise, instead of being galloped at top morning after morning. That is Mr Burkes version of the matter.

It transpires that Impulse got cut on the stifle and side during the race for tho Cup. According to his rider's statement, this occurred seven furlongs from home. Quinton at this point pulled his mount back to get a better position than where he was running, with the result that he got in a bad place instead. Impulse was nearly put on the rails in this sharp scrimmage, for both his foot and leg were cut. On Saturday Geo. Cutts told mc Impulse was suffering from the scrimmage, and that the gelding was lame. Doris is voted ajade after her running in the Trial Stakes. This daughter of St Leger cost her present connections something like £400 last Autumn. She must have cost them a pretty sum since. The amount passed through the totalisator on Auckland Cup day totals £545 more than the sum handled on the corresponding day last year.

ear. rner. .orse. ire. .une. 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 P. Buxton J. Chaafe J. Marshall 0. Berestord ' J. Harris O. O. Stead Ricochet Niagara Pearl Shell Corunna Pygmalion Lebel Musket Anteros Musket Musket Apremont Nordenfeldt Apremont 1 19 1 18} 1 193 1 20 1 20 1 15} 1891 T. W. Hungerford j Q. G. Stead U D. Nathan 0. G. Stead I J. Chaafe Wakawatea Reflector Three Star Bloodshot St. Paul 1 16 1893 1893 1694 1895 jLochiel Castor Maxim 1st, Legcr 1 19 1 19i 1 17 1 18