Sporting.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 112, 13 May 1889, Page 4

Sporting.

Notwith'tanding that flic Wfllir.'/t'." Racing Club had magnifi-rat v.TiiH.i'r ai -1 tho oxcnptional attraction of n nf-w Governcr at thoir AuitiMin Meeting, tho att.-ndonco waa bo wrotchodly email on bolh days that the recoipts will barely pay expense. ? 0 iault could be found with tho inanaKemcnt, und tho Bport was fairly good ; bill, n]in Iho mooting did not draw. Tho stewards need not T«mlo tlioir brains to discover thn o\planution. Until 1 roper acc(mimof!:uion for visitors is provided tho niuelinva will only bo patronised by tliosn v/bo aro attraotod by tho gambling fiicilitio". This e!ar-Bof viciLora aru not particular to Ion? as thny get tho opportunity for indulging tUoir favourite umu-amoiit. They would conlinuo to como ovn if the grand stand wore tumbling about thoir ears, if tho lawn and saddling paddock woro pools of mud, and tho course a stony, grassleßS track. At present-thore ifl no (fotting away fiom the faot— onr raco meetings »r« Bimply and purely totalizator scrambloa. Wo hoh a very different state of tilings at tho other largo towns. At Auckland, Chribtchurcli, Dunodin, Napior, and oven at Wanjfanui, thoy have commodious and w«Uarrangod standH, with rooms for ladies, luncheon aaloona, and manifold otlicr eonvoniohoes ; Bloping lawns, from win- a ovory part of the races can bo soon by th 1 0 who do not earn to go on to tho stand , ooiuhoh and training tracka in applo-p v order, nnd good accommodation lor tl-." stowurda, /ncmborKof tho prem, joekoyo.uncl trainors Thuir meutinga arc conHcqitontly well attendnd by all Hodions of tho pujlid, aud tlio vißitora, v/h«thor sporting or not, are mado oomfortablo and onjoy thomHulves. Ladies in tasteful co^tumoß parade the lawr.s and graco tlie ataudH, carriagsa lino tbo rails and pionio parties dot tho hills. 'J'h<so mooting!) aro something more than mere racing gatherings j i.hoy are pnblio _ functions which play an impoitanf-. part in tho social history of each place. It will bo a dißgraco to Wellington if tho disroputc which attaches to our meetings is not at onoo romovod. lam aware that a schema of roform is on foot, but I havo deemed it opportune to enlargo as 1 havo done upon oar proßont shortcomings rk compared with tho othor oontros of population m tho colony, with a viow to awakening tho stowardß to tho noooaaity of immediate and dooided action, and the public to tho iinportanco of cordially supporting tl*- m in thoir offorts to secure a bettor Btate of thinftH. I understand that tho necossary funds for re-building tho grand stand and making tho other proposed improvements are to bo raised by subscription. No debentures will bo issuoil, but each aubsoribcr of .£lO or more will be mado a lifo member of tho club, and bo entifcUxl to all pi i \ ilepes for himsalf and a certain nambor of ladies. Tho vi«it of His Excellency was regretted by many ou tho scoru that it could not but havo tho rffiiof. of civinir him a vnry nnfavonrabU opinion of Wellington rach g, as compared with that of Auckland. No doubt it had this offoct, but it it nlfo rosnltu iti Onslow sympalhi .infr nith tho club in its (liffioultios and contribntinK hisadvicoand ,i«siK^ancoiii tho work of ruform, then will tho visit bo prod\ictivo of tnut.h (tood, for no ono can doubt that undor tho clovating iufluonco of Hitch a patron our raco mcotinga will spoodily boooiru', what thoy should bo from tho central position of Wellington, tho bent in Now Zoalund. Tho Auckland correspondent of tho Ohristeharoh Press souds tho following under dato of Bth May :— Clifford arrivod hero from Sydney this morning cii route for Christohuroh. 1 had a conversation with tho crack jockoy, and ho told m» that Mason waa to loavo Sydney yesterday with Loehiol, Roao Argent, an(l the yearling pnrchased at tho reoonfc Bale. Ho Bayß that Rose Argent hurt ono of her knees, and that that was tho cause of her not being able tt> start. Loehiol was very soro after each race ho ran at Rundwiak. Ho say^ that New Zealand horsomon have a lot to contend against in Sydnoy in tho way of prejudice, but bo far as Melbourne is concorncd it is entirely different. In Sydii'-y, nowxpapors, starters, jookeya._ and everybody else, seom to work against anyone hailing from Maoriland. Clifford fnrtlipr informed mo tbat Manton had baon put in J. Monaghan's hands by Mr. P. Butlor to bo trained for noxt. pprinif. He has ulso got Poarl Shell. 'Iho two colt.s that tho Hon. J. Whito is to run in England next year arrivod nt Ranflwtuk tho day Clifford loft. Ho was groatly onamourod with them, and Bays thoy look liko two fine carriage hordes in sixo. He hoars that D. Booho*, tho wollknown Australian horßoman, is going to ride the colts, and he accompanies thorn Homo. Mr. J. Marshall also came down from Sydney this morning, and S. Fergus, who went over with Potor Osbeok. In tho Egmont Steoploohaso thoro i.s a groat disparity in tho relative weights of Orangeman and Oddfollow aaoomparod with their treatmont in the Wanganui Steeplechase. At Wanganui Orangomau has 10- 1 121b and Oddfollow 9st 121b, wherona at Egmont the weights aro 10at 111b and 10.»t 91b respeotivoly. It ib generally ooiioerled that Oddfollow is about the pio'c of tho Wanganui ovent, and should ho bo in tho form ho showed at Napior it will take a good ono to boat him at tho weigh to Tbo Wanganui acceptances and general, entr^s aro duo ou Tuesday, tho 14th ustu nt There is no raoe-inooting of any im ;>'» tiuoo this weok, and ray anticipations of Wniuiinut and Dunedin can be deferred for the presont. Tho Australian papers to hand avo fu'l of the praißes of Carbine, whose apeo 1 an 1 staying powers appear to be equally wondnrfnl. His Sydney Cup win was accomplished undor extraordinary disadvantages Lo-<s than halE a mile from home he was so inc.rfered with that O'Brien had to pull bi-u baok last to get dear. He then sot linn going, and the way he cut down tho wlio'o Hold aud beat Molos ou tho post was tho thomo of general admiration aud wpiukr. He made another phonomonal run in tho Cumberland Stakos. The first mile and a half of this race was done at a canter, aud just as tho last half mile was being ontored on, Clifford, on F.ooluol, seeing hie opponents woreasloop, suddenly sat down on his mount, and before Halos ana O'Brien, on Abercorn and Carbine, could sot off in purpnit, tho speedy son of Princo Charlie had ton lengths to tho good. To catch him in such a short distauao seemod impossible, but although Aborcorn was unoqual to tho effort, Carbine made up bis ground in a wonderful manner, and, as in the Cup, got up in tho last stririo and woo by a abort head. It is aiid that this last lialf-mTo was done by Carbine in 47isoas, whioh, if truo, is tho world's record for tho distance. Of tho sires whoso progeny took part in the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting, Musket hearts tho winning liet with four victories — tho Sydney Cup, All-Aged Stake 9, Cumberland Stakes, and A.J.C. Plato, won by tho rodoubtabloCarbiuo—and three hecouds—Carbine in the Autumn btakea, Volley in tho St. Leger, and Bonna Vista in the Kotis Handicap. Martini-Honry cornea next with four wins— Rudolph in tho Siros' Produce Stakes and Chainpagno Stakes, Sineonro iv the First Foal Stakes and Second Nuraory Handiuup ; and two soconds— Rudolph in the All-Aged Stakes, and Sineouro in the Champagne Stakes. Cheator ia third on tho Hut with two wins — Aboroorn in the Autumn Stakes and Dreadnought in the Maidtn Stakes ; three Boconds— Spioo in the Sires' Produae Stakes, Plutarch in tho Donoaster Handicap and Place Handioup ; and three thirds -Abordoon in the Mutual Soiling Raoo, Abercorn in tho Sydnoy Cup and Cumberland Stakos. Goldsbrough's progeny follow with two wins— Melos in the St. Legor and Koith in the City Handioap; two aeoonds — Molos in the Sydney Cup and Honoydow in the Final Handicap ; and three thirds— Second Thought in tho Maiden Stakes, Ellersteno in the Sooond Nursery Handicap, and Melos in tho A.J.C. Plate, j It will be seen from tho above that tho Ion;?fought and well- contested battlo of tho Muskets and Cheaters has been settled most decisively in favour of the Now Zealand siro, who has on this oaoasion not only bcuton Chestor himself, but has produced a son who alao heads him in tho list. Stud hor.so.s very seldom get thoir bost progeny in their ftrit year, and it is a groat feather in tho oap of Martini-Henry that hi» two first repro3ontativoa should bo such tiptoppors as Rudolph and Sinoouro. It also augurs well for tho success of Nordenfeldt as a siro. Altogether, New Zealand was well to the fore in the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting.