OUR SPECIALS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10061, 13 June 1898, Page 2

OUR SPECIALS.

AUCKLAND. June 4. I hear from Mr Evett that Plain Bill was not accepted for at the North New Zealand Grand National Meeting because his owner could not make it convenient to come to Auckland at the time of the meeiing. It is understood that Mr R. H. Skipwith paid £300 for The Sinner. Mr J. G. Ralph tells mc he was not to be blamed for Doneraile's name appearing in the Unpaid Forfeit List, and that it is on other shoulders. Last. November Mr Ralph paid forfeit for Doneraile in the race for which he figured in the list, but in order to make the matter doubly sure, he paid £10 into the A.R.C. office on the day previous to the Takapuna J.C. Meeting . The stakes have been paid over by the Takapuna J.C. to the owner of Doneraile.

The Friar struck himself while galloping, which necessitated his absence from our National Meeting. It is thought a rest will enable him to be trained again. Among the juveniles in training at Ellerslie, none are shaping better than the rising two-year-old filly oy St. Leger—Hazel, owned by Hon. H. Mossman. She promises to come to hand early. H. Franks has her under his care-

The Hauraki Whit Monday Race Meeting was held at Coromandel. and most successfully carried out. The attendance was good. Mr H. Homibrook was judge. Mr Wm. Campbell proved a most efficient secretary, and Mr Thos. Campbell was starter. Results:—County Handicap, of 15sovs, second 2sovß from stakee; six furlongs—Mr J. Lynch's b f Castoria, by Castor—Victoria, oyrs, 7st7lb (Owner) 1; Mr J. McGuire's b g Maori Boy, aged, 9st 51b (Owner) 2; Mr Dunster'a Xxnas, Bst 71b, 3. Maiden Plate, of lOsovs, second 2 soys from stakes: one mile—Mr Hanlon's b m Manola, by Cuirassier—Bianca, aged, Bst 12lb, l;Mr Lynch's Castoria, 7st 31b, 2; Mr Brophy's Donegal, 7st lOst, 3. Hauraki Cup, of 25sovs, second ssovs from stake; one mile and a half— Mr Phillips's gr c Knight of Athol, 3vrs, list, 1; Mr Patterson's Retaliation, 9st 71b, 2; Mr McGuire's Cornish Boy, Bst 121b, 3. Pony Race, of lOsovs, second 2sovs from stakes—Mr J. Ryan's Maori Girl, by Muskapeer, 6st 71b, 1. Hurdle Race, of 20sovs, second 10 nova from stakes; twice round— Mr Brophy's Donegal, 9st 71b, 1; Mr Munro's Kalo, lOst, 2; Mr Bell's Plato, lOst 21b, 3. Publicans' Purse, of 12sovs, second 2 soys from stakes; one mile—Mr Phillips's Knight of Athol, list, 1; Mr Loram's Cleopatra, 9st, 2; Mr McGuire's Maori Boy, Bst 51b, 3. In the Hauraki Cup Cleopatra slipped and fell. The rider was not injured, and the mare recovered and kept on the course, coming in second without her rider.

June 6. i had a long chat with Mr J. R. McDonald, the owner of Opai, and gathered a lot of particulars from him about the breeding of his now famous gelding. Mr McDonald is delighted with the manner in which racing is carried out at EUerslie, and the great crowd present ou Saturday surprised him. He gare it out that the day's racing was the most enjoyable he had ever been at in this colony, while he thought the sociability of the great cro ~w ae ™7 marked. Jt may not be generally known that Mr McDonald ie fannil *& * «»g area on the famous Horowhenua. *3r rt *** on a clearing on the block named where the National winner was foaled. The correct way to spell the name of the gelding " ?pae- T PoUy, the dam of Opai. is stated «> be by Kakajpo, who won the Canterbury Jockey Club Handicap for Mr H. Redwood io. tip yw. &c McDonald bou^ht

Polly from Mx S. M. Baker, of Foxton, for I £20, the latter buying her from Mr Goggins, a contractor on the Horowhenua Downs. Mr Goggins, it appears, bought the mare from Mr Buckeridge, of Wairarapa, wliicb. district she originally came from. Mr McDonald describes her as a small, com-mon-looking mare, and says that on looks "you would not give a pipe of tobacco for her." However, she had a very fine head. Opai is Polly's fifth foal. She died about two years ago. Her other progeny includes Uranus, the winner of the A.R.C Summer Steeplecliase of 1888; Repose, who won a race at Woodville; Strephon, a jumper wellknown on the West Coast; and Mairua, who has won hack events. Mr McDonald, of course, takes the honour of not only winning the North New Zealand Grand National Hurdle Race, but also of breeding the winner, and he is worthy of the honour, for he is just the stamp "of sportsman that should have his name inscribed as a winner of a big leaping race. He is not only a straight goer, but a good rider himscJf, and a thorough judge of a horse. Opai is a horsu of i,Teat substance, stands about 16 hands, and he is one who can tnustei' up great pace. Hβ was the best looking one of the field that started. This season he lias won eight races out of ten starts, six being out of hack company, in which he won his first races. It may be mentioned that, when Opai was three-years-okl, Mr McDonald sold him for £40 to Mr G. McCarty, but he bought him back from him at the time of the Woodville Meeting for £155. Opai was engaged in no other event but the National Hurdle Race, so that it will be his only appearance at Elierslie this winter. His owner tells mc he owns a relative to Opai in the shape of a four-year-old mare sired by a half-brother to Plafn Bill. Mr McDonald's colours are very pretty, cardinal and amber hoops, v1'""li ran be f*wn distinctly.

Mr McDonald tells mc Toriki did not start for the Wanganui Steeplechase because he hurt himself, some days previously, at Prosser's training establishment in negotiating a big jump. He thinks the fall has since made the gelding timid. It was the old -water jump on the EllersHe racecourse that Toriki allowed his dislike for'"When being schooled. Detective Herbert, well known in the South, was to the fore at Ellerslie on Saturday in detecting undesirable characters who found their way into the saddling enclosure. The Gisborne gelding Charcoal, winner of the Selling Race at Ellerslie on Saturday, was bought in by his owner for £25. So far the committee of the A.R.C. have not met to discuss the conditions of the proposed. Century Stakes, but from what I can gather the distance of a mile and a half is favoured. I hear there is some opposition to the race being established at all, but whether it will come to anything remains to be seen. There is an agitation aboard that the club should put the Auckland Plate on the Summer Meeting programme again.

A cablegram received here to-day states th«t Ditto has again won a Steeplechase at a Sydney meeting. This was at Randwick on Saturday last. It transpires that one of Miss Nelson's legs filled and that she was none too sound when she won the Takapuna J.C. Steeplechase. That accounted for her withdrawal from the Great Northern Steeplechase. Had she started the vet. said she would only have broken down, so her owner would not take the risk.

This morning Doris and the two-year-old filly, by St. Leger—Ophelia, were put up for sale to close a partnership. Doris was knocked down at 60gs to Mr J. Elliott, and it is understood she goes back to S. McGuinness. The two-year-old was nought by Mr C. F. Reid for 35gs, and stop 3in Auckland. Coronet was passed, 250gs being wanted.

The injured jockey, Alf. Collins, left the hospital to-day, and is progressing well. Olive is also able to get about. .At Mercury Bay Races on Saturday Knight of Athol won the Cup and Forced Handicap. This horse seems invincible at unregistered country meetings this season. The local ring aie heavy losets over our National double. One member laid £1300 against the winning combination, and a publican at Opunake struck him for £500.