"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK,

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9604, 19 December 1896, Page 4

"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK,

T. Clarke, whose return to Now Zealand from England after a seven months absence was announced last week, was the greater part of that time at Captain Fife's, Langton Hall, in North Allerton, Yorkshire. There ho had charge of Chainshot. Captain Fife is a brother-in-law to Mr Alex Boyle, and on his stud farm were some nice thoroughbreds, two stallions and a number of brood mares. Chainshot was highly thought of there, and just before Clarke parted company with his aristocratic charge, the son of Musket and Locket, who it was expected would take up stud duties in the Emperor of Russia's stud at an early date, was photographed with his attendant, and in a late number of Racing Illustrated half a page is devoted to the handsome New Zealander, who it is needless to say makes as attractive a picture as most of the foremost of the crack sires that have been honoured with a place in the journal mentioned. Clarke spent six weeks killing time in a pleasant way. He ran down to Lewes, and put in a few days with Mr Gollan's crosscountry horseman, Hickey, who was in great form and thoroughly taken up with the Old Country. He is so satisfied with his lot that he contemplates making it his home for some time to come, though it is possible that he may pay New Zealand a visit about Grand National time, as there is no race riding between the flags in the English summer months, and at that season 'chasers with which Hickey has most to do are being summered. The ground being hard the English clubs do not think of steeplechasing as do some of the colonial ones in summer time. Hickey rides a lot of work, and Escott, who trains for Mr Gollan, has nothing but jumpers in his stables, and a good deal of schooling work goes on every week, nearly every 1 other morning in fact. Escott has no light-weight horsemen or boys in his stable as is the practice in New Zealand —that is to say light weights are not employed in looking after jumpers. Men do most of the exercise riding and strapping work amongst' the jumpers. A jockey's life in England is an entirely different thing to what it is in the colonies, and so is that of the trainers. They have to be men of known qualifications and with the best of recommendations before they have any chance of being licensed; in snort, a man out of a livery stable, or one who had served but a short apprenticeship in a trainer's stable, would have no chance "of obtaining the necessary authority. The system of training is very different to what is observed in the colonies. Horses are worked a good deal in clothing, and cantered for miles, being stretched occasionally for strong work, but nothing like such hard tasks as are set in New Zealand or Australia. They race oftener though during the busy season, and some appear to run bigger than most of our horses—though, generally speaking, not nearly so wound up— and they last longer, this probably because of the excellence of English courses. These, so far as Clarke saw and could learn, were notas a rule so hard as ours, being more springy and grassy, and to their softness is due to some extent the slowness of the time made, though Clarke considers that they begin their races at a much easier pace. No races he saw beyond six furlongs were run solidly from end to end, and though he timed a number of mile races on straightaway courses, they were all dreadfully slow. Races up to a mile are run on straight courses, beyond that on circular or oval-shaped ones. The Kemptbn Park steeplechase country, which Hickey says is very 'similar to most of the cross-country courses in England, is small. There is really nothing to jump—three feet stiff, and from a foot to eighteen inches of brush. Norton, with his big jumping—he used to clear brush and all where his opponents jumped through and not over the obstacles—was at a disadvantage. Such a country as Riccarton would puzzle the majority of English chasers, and it would require the"" best Irish" to top the walls. Hickey says that he would prefer the Liverpool Grand National country, if he had his choice, to Riccarton, and gives as a reason for the number of horsesfinishing in jumping races in England, and the good fields, that there is nothing tbat an educated horse cannot negotiate with ease and when going fast, especially thoroughbred ones, beside which Norton is out of place. A Liberator amongst the English chasers would, over such a country as Kempton Park, be the sort to make the best of them " sit up." His speed and staying, and the untiring style he had of jumping, would have brought him home. It was the difference in the country that caused Ebor to be, as he undoubtedly was, a better horse in England than Norton, and in the Great Sefton Steeplechase, for which he and Norton were being prepared, Ebor was called upon to give Norton 121bs, Norton being weighted at' lOst 71b; and, though evidently quite as good a horse as he was in New Zealand, he looked somewhat lighter. It would appear that they go a good pace over their smaller steeplechase countries from all accounts. Norton's full brother, who went home unbroken, it.will be satisfactory news te his breeder and the friends of Mr Gollan to know, is doing well. Having got over his nervousness, he is jumping well in schooling work, and Hickey is hopeful of him turning out a good one, which he looks, having shaped out into what in New Zealand would be deemed the beau ideal of a Grand National horse.

Clarke's opinion of Persimmon is that he is not a smasher. Horses like Maxim, St. Hippo, and Manton or, of more recent date, Stepniak, Euroolydon, and Gipsy Grand were all superior three-year-olds. They put good flat horses to hurdle racing, and the average hurdle horse is thoroughbred and ahead of the New Zealand average small stick horse: Clarke experienced much difficulty in finding out names of the different horses, and mentions that the absence of numbered saddle cloths would not be appreciated by up-to-date New Zealand racegoers; and the correct cards, a sample of which he brought with him, were years behind the times. They seem to be published with regard to economy rather than convenience, whioh is surprising considering the large number that must be sold, the crowds at meetings being very large compared to those seen at New Zealand gatherings. In betting straight-oat odds on the course, a large business is done over even the minor events, and long prices are offered against many of the starters, after the first two or three have been supported, but the well backed horses generally get home. Shop betting in the towns goes on also, and backers can get as much on as wanted either on the day or prior thereto. As to the markets, yearlings sell for bigger prices than in the colonies, and there seems to be an impression that most of the horses racing are good, though many would have no chance on colonial courses amongst our second-raters. Good of a type in limited

numbers in the colony, and polo ponies of hardly so racy a kind as some we have m New Zealand, are worth money. Oar best horsemen are quite as-good as the best at Homo, where there are some good and plenty bad. The English horsemen should be proficient, as most of them do nothing else but ride trials and go from meeting to meeting race-riding, so tbat it is not for the want of practice that they are not all up to the mark. Cannon and Watts, the crack horsemen, both appeared to have loose.seats, a noticeable feature in the English rider. The roar of the bookmakers, alter the quiet of New; Zealand courses, was in marked contrast. It would require many totalisators to accom. modate the betting public of England-

" Won by the sixteenth part oi a nose," or "won by a breath" have been words used in American papers to express the closeness of a finish. We live and loam. The latest is " won by a tooth." The people of Auckland would appear to have unlimited faith in Day Star judging from the fact that they were taking what must be considered a short price, viz., sto 1, about him last week for the Auckland Cap. Considering that he has been " lame behind," and "lame in front," and lame all round in turns, and that the Auckland course may be of admautine hardness on the day the big event is decided, it would seem bad business, indeed, to be backing the son of Castor and Cissy now. However, the persistency with which punters stick to their opinion about this colt goes to show that he must be regarded as something out of the ordinary, and were he thoroughly sound he would no doubt see a very short price ; albeit, I may say that a number of the Hawke's Bay visitors to the Canterbury Jockey Club's Spring Meeting think him overrated, but a prejudice against the Castors may have had something to do with the judgments pronounced in some instances. * Leda, another Castor bred on somewhat similar lines, keeps on winning, and has already well paid her way by annexing three events since starting to race this season. Sho is said to be now of medium size, having filled out somewhat since last year, and to have improved still more in the matter of good looks, if that were possible, for she has always displayed rare quality. Gameness is another of her characteristics, and whatever may be said of the Castors, she is undoubtedly superior to anything we have seen from the same mare by other sires, notwithstanding that Welcome Katie's consorts were The Dauphin, St. Leger and Sword Dance. The last-named left Tulloch and St. Leger sired Ben Godfrey. The capital general entries received on Friday last for the Auckland Racing Club's Summer Meeting augur well for its success, thus showing that the minor events, as well as the chief handicaps and classic races, have filled very well. As was anticipated by mc last week, some of the juveniles and tliree-yeav-olds whose names appeared in after forfeits had been declared for some of the classic races, were so soon after withdrawn that it was manifest that some owners had overlooked the closing-out day. The fact that the ground up Auckland way is hard is gathered from reports to hand, and this augurs rather badly for some of the unsound horses now at Ellerslie, and will be all against those not blessed with the best of understandings should the weather remain fine, to the day. It has on several occasions happened that rain has fallen just before Cup time and made tho going soft, but the odds are generally the other way. Just prior to Nelson's year, when he up the then record for two and a quarter miles, the course : was lightly top-dressed with fine earth, and brushed over. This took away the jar from What would otherwise have been very hard going, and owners generally appreciated the work done in the way indicated. Old tan, rendered fine by constant work thereon, makes a capital dressing for grass tracks that become hard in the dry seasons. I have often thought that water carts, such as are used in some of the large cities, oould be utilised to advantage in improving the condition of some of the tracks in different parts of New Zealand in summer time. We should certainly have fewer lame and sore horses every season if this were done, and greater care bestowed upon the training grounds throughout the colony, some of which are not at all well kept. There are advantages up Auckland v&j -that some trainers can enjoy, that are not obtainable by others. These are found in the number of convenient places where they can swim their horses. Swimming, however, if not very judiciously tried, at first has a weakening effect, - and horses lighten up very quickly, if given anything like strong work at the first going off. They have to be brought on gradually. After a time some of the swimmers will get very gross, and they must be sweated occasionally on the tracks to keep them from becoming too big. So after all Lady Zetland has been withdrawn from all engagements and gone back to the stud farm upon which she was bred, there to become a brood matron, it is said to be mated with Phaethon. What a pity to send her so late in the season to that sire, for it would not Ire giving the first of her progeny the best chance of earning distinction. : ; in these days of 'early classic races must be: exceptionally good to have any show of against early ones," that is, wheji the range in ages extends to several months. .The August foal 'would, have .all the best of one foaled in December, allowing that the best attention were' given to both: Lady Zetland herself "diet: not , run as a 'two-year-old ; indeed the Zetland family do not appear to be early runners, so that in her case especially breeding a foal late in the season would not be considered by students of breeding good business. Should the game little mare be allowed to run out at grass to next spring and get a winter seasoning, she might be much the better therefor. In glancing over the final payments for the Taranaki Hack Derby, the names of some well bred ones appear. Meadow Sweet, for instance, is a filly by Newmaster from Toxicum. Newmaster is by Newminster from Primrole, a daughter of Goldsborough and Corisande, and Toxicum is by Angler from an old New Zealand flyer in Calumny, who was by Traducer from Gitana; not a badly bred "hack." Papakura is another with a pedigree traceable further back still. St. Leger, his sire, Muskerina, his dam, is by Musket from Hipporina, by Hippocampus from Yatterina. Guardfish is by Vanguard from Flying Fish, who was by Foul Shot from Fish Lass, who was by Leolinus or Cap-a-pie from. Fish woman, by Yattendon, &c. Then ELahoi is by Natator from Confidante, who was by Day Dawn from Fides by St. Aubyn, dam Chance by Sir Hercules. Foudroyant is by Nelson from Florence; by Papapa from Marchioness by Herald, ke Most of the other mares are well bred if not so full of blood, and all are closely related; to or are the dams of winners. It remains to be seen whether blue blood will tell against the bone of the short-pedigreed ones or not. It 13 not to be wondered at that good horses come out' of hack ranks every year when we find so many food bred ones nominated in the so-called ack races.