"Weekly Press and Refere."

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9515, 7 September 1896, Page 2

"Weekly Press and Refere."

NOTES AND COMMENTS By Hotspur.

"What scrag is that?" was the salutation with which I greeted the first appearance of Dummy on the Riccarton course. I had not previously seen the washy little chestnut, and in verity he looked verj'jnean and wasted at tho time. " Don't hold him too cheap, for lie is a relative of your favourite Mutiny," said the trainer of the Nation?.! winner, to whom I was chatting. And Dummy, though he faikd to please the eye at first, certainly vastly improved on acquaintance. In motion, one could hardly help taking to him, for ho lias smooth machine-like action, and even without the knowledge of his good deeds, an opinion could be formed that he had the gift of going fast. What a natural jumper is Dummy, too? His trainer was the first jumping tutor Mutiny had, and Johnson tells mc that although he only gave Dummy the most superficial schooling before he left Taranaki, he felt perfectly satisfied that the son of Mute would jump hurdles in the same proficient way his distinguished relation had done. Dummy's fhvit " go : " over hurdles in company was with Magazine, and he then showed that Johnson's prediction was quite correct —he fenced without the least apparent effort, went as straight as an arrow, and. pricking his ears some h'fty yards or so from the fences, was intent on the business on hand. After seeing this performance I was quite won over to the little Taranaki hor.se. I was prepared to see him icore in the Grand National Hurdle Race, f et hardly so simply as he did. Dummy never gave his opponents the slightest show, and might be said to have at no stage of the two miles been at top. Although not up to weight, at' a light scale he must ba deemed exceptionally smart. It will be interesting to know that his present owner secured Dummy from Mr Dougia.3 for under £30. At the time ho had a cub on the fetlock received in a barb .wire fence, and it was a stipulation that if the horse went lame from the injury the purchase price should be returned. Notwithstanding unfavourable weather accompaniments, the gathering of the Amberley Steeplechase Club on Thursday last was a complete sraicess. A wet morning, it cleared up in the Northern District before midday, and rain did not fall again until the last race was being run ; it was, however, a bleak day, and as yet dependence for shelter on the course.has to be placed on tents. Still, though the; surroundings were somewhat dreary, Nortlr Canterbury hospitality is proverbial, and the climatic influences had no effect in damping the good cheer. Had the morning been promising, there is little doubt but that tha attendance would have been much greater, but as it was the gate was a satisfactory one, the special train from Christchurch being wonderfully well patronised. The going was in capital order, the rain not being at all detrimental to it. The withdrawal of Undesirable Bill from the Maiden Steeplechase left the coast seemingly clear for Dundonald and, always being close to the front in a slow run race, he easily landed the odds laid on him. The support accorded Te Kooti in the Hurdle Race on the strength of his running second to War Dance at Riccarton, hardly seemed justified, and it appeared much better business to again stand the latter, even although the difference in weight between them was much greater than before. Besides these two, Rainbow, who fell in both his essays at the National Meeting, was well backed. An exceptionally fine jumper ie Rainbow, and on this occasion he got the journey in perfect safety; half a mile from home he seemed to have a good chance of scoring, but soon after was beaten, the finish resting between I Sultan and War Dance. The latter came very fast the last couple of furlongs, and had it not been that he had to come up on the outBide of the field would have beaten Clarence's half brother. As it was, Sultan, who was raced to the front at flagfall, was not headed, but, hard ridden at the end, had a very narrow margin crossing the . line. Sultan took any amount of liberty with the hurdles, which,,fortunately for him, were of a more yielding nature than those at Riccarton. Te Kooti was never prominent and Armstrong acte&as whipper in the whole way. In the Brackenfield Plate, Undesirable Bill bore oat«the character which h» gained when being prepared at headquarters of being thoroughly honest and reliable. He fencedin fine style and when asked to come away very soon settled the opposition. Young Mr Rutherford (son of Mr R. Rutherford) who was sporting silk for the; first time, rotie a-really capital race en his uncle's horse. The*victory of horse rider was very popular. Undesirable Bill added- te his good name by later in the afternoon chasing Dundonald home in the Tally-ho Handicap. The latter had incurredia penalty forchis success.earlier -in the day, and this was no doubt partly accountable for the lack of support he received as compared with Victor, most people not lookingoutsitle the; pair to supply tfawwinner. Mr Buckley's big-hunter looked quite as welU&s he did at National time, and his owner quite expected that he would add toAislaurefe. Mr Pitt was very confident about his mount, and, determining to utilise •baa staying power to the utmost, set a ,<strong pace from flag-fall. Dundonald, when Rainbow quitted the scene, was oat by himself nearly the whole of the inst circuit, and although tho field had closed up passing alone the straight the second drew away again going round the'turn. I& unlooked for that frequently happens; the opposition of the labourite, as well as that of Walrus, had disappeared before *the back was reached, the two going down at the same fence. IhindonakV however, hadn't matters all bis owa way thereafter, for coming to the last iience both Undesirable Bill and Vagabond were -on- terms. But the latter fell, and ■Dundonald coming away from the other in ifcerunhom&hadisoxnethmg in hand at the Jtfiish. It will be interesting to note that JDtmdooaid was the hero of a sensational dividend in his first race. That was efcthe WaikonaitiiMeetiugwi January, 1892, \rheifthe-TO*n the District Plate, returning £122 8s from the> totalisator. Dundenald's ptesentjstabJe companion, Armstrong, took pact in the race. The Final Steeplechase oalyidrew three entries, and Victor, aaked to concede 121b to Vagabond, was withdrawn. Mr Grigg*s horse only had to canter round swing to the other, Rainbow, going off early in the race-and again repeating the operation. Aswfor the flatxaee events, Rosy Morn met with no Hinepu iv the Ladies , Bracelet, and had a very soft thing. The flat race for hunters brought ont a field of a dozen, Capuchin, who hailed from Ashburton, carrying by far the most money. Breeze, who also had had temporary quarters up the plains township way, vras quietly supported by a few, and it afterwards transpired she had been backed pretty heavHy at several big centres of speculation. While the favourite was never at any time prominent; Breeze ran second, "her light being blown out" by Armstrong, why in reality won very easily. The distance was given as " about one mile and a quarter," and judging by the weight the winner carried and the time returned, it may b« inferred k> is fiomfijj&ftt. ahorfc

measure. All the same the performance of Armstrong—who ran very generously and in marked contrast to his essay in the. Hurdle Race when he tailed off from the start—was a. distinctly good one. Armstrong assisted Mr H. G. Pitt to his fourth winning mount. The riding of the Timaru amateur was quite one of the features of the gathering, and he was heartily congratulated on his successes. The programme for the Wanganui Jockey Club's Spring Meeting will be found in the Calendar this week. The order of events is the same as was the case last season and, save that the stakes for a couple of the hack races have been increased by £5, the prize oiierin-r, aiv likev.-isa similar." A full £1000 is now the sum to be distributed, of which £200 is devoted to tke Derby and £150 io th-3 chief handicap, which is run for on the second day. The first cf the nominations close on September 15th. Both in numbers and quality is the Oeraldino Club to bs complimented on ihe nominations for the Spring meeting. It is frequently fov.r.cl tha'. the chief events at minor m?etin?s do not fill so well a.=s the small:: , ones, but it. is otherwise at Geraldine. Fifteen is a first rule nomination for the Cup. and the leaning i\ic2 on the second day has but one short of that number. It is some years since so satisfactory an entry lias been marie. Tho handicaps will not be issued until after tho South Canterbury gathering. The nominations for tho four events at tho Dunsdin J.C.s Spring Meeting that closed last week must bs deemed entirely satisfactory. There are fewer in the shortdistance race than was the ca;e last ye.ir, but the other three have filled better, and j the total'of ninety-eight is eight more than taken a year back. St. Ciemenis is the only entrant from the North Island, hut all those that could l>3 expected to be entered from the southern training centres find places in the lists. And though only nominated for the Cup, it is pleasing to find Gips/ Grand taking his place the others, and it will bs good news if the colt can ha found to train on. We are bound to sea more or less of the other best-known performers engaged before foregathering at tha Forburj-; sofns of them most assuredly in the New Zealand Cup. The entries for the Canterbury Uup 'fall short of the number nominated for several years. The figures showing the total of nominations for this and the previous half dozen seasons are : — '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '35 '95 20 16 19 18 21 21 16 It would not 1)2 hard, however, for the sixteen engaged to produce a stronger field than has been brought to the post of late, but it is much too soon to speculate on the probabilities of the situation. Last year's winner naturally finds a place in the list, while, from the fact that his old .rival Gipsy Grand has not been entered, it may be inferred that there is no present prospect of preparing the great Australian-bred colt for, a long distance race. The stable to which Gipsy Grand belongs is represented by the three-year-old Plotter, so that no doubt this colt has some pretensions to class. Besides Euroclydon, the only other in the lot thab has previously taken part in the encounter is Lady Zetland, whose great effort in the race last spring will be loni; remembered. The Auckland crack Fabulist, as one would expect—seeing the confident manner in which he is being backed for the New Zealand Cup—is- engaged, the only other named from the far North being the well-bred three-year-old Day Star. The Hon. J. D. Ormond's couple of representatives are of like age, but it will surprise some to find Sabreur included and not the Challenge Stakes winner, Dauntless. ' Mr Stead is the largest subscriber to the race with three, his New Zealand Cup pair and the runner up for the Champagne Stakes, Uniform. From humble beginnings, it will bo seen that Culverin is being flown at high game in entering for the weight-for-age championship, Waterston, in Mr Douglas's name, is a celt by Waterfall from iEgyptilla. With three-year-olds entering into competition with their elders for the first time, and no recent form to go on, it has to be admitted that the work of framing a handicap for other than the jumping events at the opening meetings of the season, must be of a haphazard kind. As regards the adjustments for the Ofcago Hunt Club's gathering, I should suppose Hippomenes has only to be rejuvenated to hold safe those opposed to him in the mile-and-a-distanee Kensington Handicap. Over such a course, on past form, Casket and Captive could not be regarded as elements of danger to him, and selling platers like Lady Somnus and Victim are surely not entitled to respect in the company of the light-fleshed chestnut. I would take, therefore, the two three-year-olds at the end of the handicap as those with the best ehanee of successfully coping with the top weight, and if Hippomenes is to be beaten Lord Rosslyn may be the one to effect his overthrow. The Shorts Handicap has only a range of 171b, which may be all sufficient, fer Jane Eyre, in the post of honour, is but a second rater. Van Buren and St. Onida are the ones I have most respect for, favouring the chance of the latter. For the Welter Handicap Captive reads to mc to have all the best of it. The handicapper could hardly have had the Amberle}' running before him when he issued the weights for the Hunt Cup. I will not seek to examine the merits of the different candidates engaged, having confidence that Dun- ( donald will be able to add the race to his score. The top weight is the one that might be troublesome if himself, but there is reason to believe the Southland 'chaser is by no j means-at his best, and he would require to be so- to stay out the two miles and a half j with the Thnani hunter. Should Armstrong ; take it into his head to try, his chance in the Hunters' Hurdles would be second to none; Walrus, however, is more to be trusted, and he and Silverstream are two likely to dispute for honours. Ilex will almost assuredly make a good lrardler ; at the same time he seems really harshly treated in being asked to concede everything weight in the Open Hurdle Race. His onlj , essay with fences in the way was in the Grand National Hurdle Race and, though his display therein was creditable enough, it hardly entitled him to be so highly appraised all at once. Rebel is kindly treated, and he, Belmont and Silverstream are most to my fancy. A sister to Cynisca is the latest product that that fine old matron, Nautilus, has given us. The little stranger, unlike her distinguished sister, is chestnut in colour, and is marked very similarily to her two-year-old half siafcer (sister to Bombshell) now in training. The foal is very strong and healthy, as one would expect from the dam, who is looking remarkably well and not half her years. The latest is Nautilus's twelfth foal. The yearling son of the old marc is a wenderfully fine individual; he already stands some 15 hands, and a really shapely, very powerful colt he is. He is regularly handled, and a nicer-mannered, good-tempered youngster it would be hard to find. Nautilus will again be mated with Aprcmont. Hope is wont to describe his last ride on Mutiny as one of the pleasantest trips over fences he has had in his career. There will be a consensus of opinion that the little chestnut, who has triumphed in such unmififrajkable fashion in the last twe Grand.

Nationals, is one of the finest jumpers that ever earned a saddle. He gets over fences without any apparent effort, and his honesty is so well established that he cm confidently be sent right at the wing ot a jump without ths fear of his attempting to get off. Mutiny is "going the shortest way all the time," says Hope, and there id littl-3 doubt he covered less ground than anything c , •-; when capturing the last crosscountry b!.;e riband. And while the son of Mute can be depanded on to take his part at either end of a race, he had no occasion to put forth any great effort on his last essay. Mutiny is now enjoying a spell at Tβ .Mahanga, but although Mr Douglas spoke of not asking Jiim to again carry silk, methinks when the battles between the flags are being fought J next year the little champion will lie brought Olli. Th? worjjhts for the South Canterbury J.C.s ! Soring Meeting, which opens the flat race j season in southern New Zealand, is generI ally looked forward to with more than ordinary interest. It is such a very long time since Prime Wai'den has won a race, or run at all nearly iup to his form, that I fully expected him to have got oft* very considerably lighter I than hehas done in the TimaruCnp. Heseems Ito mc very harshly treated. Hippomenes, I 81b below him, reads ever so much better, ' and were it not for the fact that the Dunedin gelding is a bad traveller, I would esteem his chance a really good one. Quiltiri has certainly «ot as much weight as he has earned, but may be classed as an improving horse, and I take him as superior to his immediate followers in the list. Maximua 13 certainly overburdened, and Bisley is another who has had to pay dearly for his solitary success in a welter handicap. How it is the handicapper has made him concede Captive 61b I cannot understand. Captive sesms to mc to be well in, also Jane Eyre, while the two-year-olds Plotter and Pitch and Toss have most certainly been leniently considered. One of the Dnnedin horses should win. In the Flying Handicap Young Cheviot and Maxim-.is are, I should think, left without a show, and it is hard to see why Bisley should ba invited to concede 'Warrington 411)3 over a six-furlong course—or at a graatc: , distance, for that matter. Of those in the Welter Handicap, Cannon Shot, in the post of honour, seems to mc to bs as worthy of respect as anything that follows. Salvo Shot, or one of the three-year-olds, should show up in the Maiden Plate. War Dance and Ilex are those I like in the Hurdle Race, and Silver King, Armstrong and Walrus are a trio in the Hunters' Hurdle Race that commend themselves to mc. The entries for the Canterbury Jockey Club's classic events that closed last week are in every way satis Factory, inasmuch as the number of nominations have bsen well maintained and nearly every portion of the colony is fully represented in the lists. The following is a comparative table of entries received for the last four years :— "93 'S4 '95 '96 Derby StViM ..80 3* 63 62 O.Vits" Stake.3.. ..48 40 53 55 Welcome Stakes ..90 87 88 S3 Champagne Stakes .. 52 82 83 76 As regards the Seventh Challenge Stakes for the reduced stake of £500, and now open to all ages, the first entry ha 3 drawn no less than ninety-three nominations, a response no doubt influenced by the fact that the engagement can be kept alive until the first Friday in August 1898 for the same payment of one sovereign. The lists will bo found in the Calendar.