Sporting. [TURF NOTES BY "VIGILANT."]

Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 129, 1 June 1889, Page 4

Sporting. [TURF NOTES BY "VIGILANT."]

Tho Auckland Racing Club'H Winter Mooting takes placo on Saturday next. Oddfellow has beon selected by tho talent »h ifavotinlo for the Hurdles and Steeplechase, sand 8 to 1 was accepted about his winning fclio double. Whether hia fall in the Egmont StiH'plechißO haR driven him back in thr> bettinsr, 1 cannot say, but in any caso I rlioulU not caro to truwt him over tho I>sk country at Ellerslio, and although ho may win Oio Hurdlo-i, 1 nhonld tako Guy Fiuvkcs or < >iM.iigi.'/iiari iv proi'eronco tor tho btcojilc»jlv.-, N'>miivif ; niii' for Iho Melbourne Cup nnrl oHicr ov<'!it^ nt thn Victoria Itiicin^ Club f>|irm,f M«.-«un h ' mo nun on Monday lifrt As u-«il, Mitrii-8 ran bo lotted v/\\,\i the •SucrotAVy of thn O.J.C! , tho timft tt'f olosinc SV)in£ noon. Tho Cap has S(WO bovh. addi d "this your, and eoveral of our buit hordes are Hkoly to bo nominated for it. Tho Exhibition Mooting in Dunedin will, however, act as n ntrong «*ountor attraction, and it may bo nHHumed that anything goin? ovor will have more than an ordinary chanoo. Speaking of the Exhibition Meeting reminds me that the official programme in now published, and it in the most liberal one that lias «ver been issued in New Zoaland. Thn oommitteo have increased tho total of tho stakes to £5340, have reduood tho distanco of the Exhibition Cup from tho awkward distance of 1 mila and 7 furjungH to a mile and throo-quarters, and have introduced what is likely to bo a highly popular ovont, a woight«for-age raco> en> titlod tho Outflow Plato, which ia to bo fun over a distanco of a milo and ft quarter, and to bo subsidised to tho extent of .£250. lb ih a curious ooinoidonco that two homos with vory similar names, both of thorn senRational animals in thoir day, should have died about tho name time. I allude to ijavornake, by Stookwell — Bribery, who ran Hoauud to Lord Lyon in tho English Derby and St. Logcr of 18GG, beaten a head in each cohr, and Savanaka, by Kingston— Sappho, who ran Bocond to tho mighty Chostor in tho fllelbonrno Cup of 1877. "Robin Hood," rho London correspondent of tho Australasian, gives the following obituary notico of tho formor: — I notice hy a lottor from Couul Oorsowald that old Savornako, by Stockwoll out of Bribory, died at BrunnWick iuiit week. How woll I romembor his ¦dosporato finihh with Lord Lyou for tho Dorby of 18C6. I had backed him during tho wintor, as the Bribery 0011, at '") to 1, and old Alec Taylor nearly nulled it off, an the horso was only beaton a boad by Lord Lyon, and tho Bamo fata awaited him in tho St. Logor — nmnely, a hoad defeat by thrs namo animal. Ho was named Snvernako after hia owner's plaro near Marlhorough. Hia ownor was a lato Marquis ot Ailchbnry— l think great-unulo to tha present nobleman. Savornako was Hunt to (Jurmany in his prime, and has been v gm.it huccpbh there. Hi* progeny havo altogether won in Germany no loss than JB7a,oi)O. Ho had boon 17 years at tho stud, j and wan covering up to the time of his doath, tho oaiißO of which was tho rupturo of a blood vassal. Lord Lyon's Derby was the crowning ¦noint of tjtockwell's famo an a stallion. In that raco three of his progeny ran first, «uootid, and third, vi«. — Lord Lyon, by Stockwoll —Paradigm ; Savornake, by Stonkwoll—Bribory ; and Rustic, by Stookwell— Villago Lass. Hormit has com« very near accomplishing tho samo Feat, but it still romitiiu unequalled. Stockwoll'H feo wont up from 100 guineas to 200 nuinoaß at a bound in conscquonco of this splondid advortisemonk Of SaTanaksi'a career, " Angur " BUpplios tho following interesting particulars: — "Savanaka, the hero of many v. hitrd-fought battle on the greon sward, han «onu tho way of all horse flesh. A fow days ago ho wai grazing on Mr. Whyto's Baronpurook ostnte, in tho neighbourhood of Colao, and while disporting himself in ono of tho paddocks he fell and broko his nock. Savanaka was a groy horse, foaled in 1874, got by Kingston from Sapph >. by Sir Horoulos from Sappho, by Marquis (son of Dover) from a mare by Zohrab, and was bred by Mr. Georgn Loo, in New South Waloa. As a two-year-old ho won tho Flying Stakes at tho V.X.C. Spring Mooting but porhaps tho most Houaational raco ho ever took part in was tho Molbourno Cup of 1877, in whioh, starting favourite at i to 1, he was hoatcn b vlf a head by Choster. At the Midsummer Mooting of tho V. R.C. he won the Midsummer .Handicap, and that was the only victory he aohiovocl as a threo-yoar-old ; but in tho following season ho carriod off the Australian Cup, and wound up his four-year- aid caroor liy turning tho tables upon Chester in the Sydney Cup. Ho then ran two or three seasonn unsuccessfully, and it was in tho New Yoar'« Gift at tho Adelaide Racing Club Summor Mooting of 1883 that ho gainod hi« last winning braokot, nltllou!?h ho oirriod silk goyoral timoß afterwards. In the eirly uart of his career Savanaka canied tho brown jackotand whito cap of Mr. H. Powor, but in tutor years he was owned by Mr. John Crozisr, and it was in that gontleman's oolours that ho won the New Yoar's Gift in Adolaido. For some years Mr. Crozior used the bcothor to Kingsborough for stud pnrpoHUß, but ho was not very successful as a sire, the host of his get, so far, being Heetaloo, Juno, and The Lawyer. Only a ..aw wooks ago SavanaVa was put up for public salo at Nowmarkot, but the old hnrsr, who had grown almost white with advancing yoars, failed to elicit a bid." English files to hand contain the account of tho running for the Prince of Waloa Stikos of 12,000 aovs, and it is gathered that 17 started. So good a thing, however, was it voted for tho champion Donovan that odds of 13 to 8 were laid " on " and F. Barrett piloted him homo the easiest of easy winners by two lengths from Pioneor. Mintho was plaoed third and Enthusiast fourth. Another important event was tho Crawford Plato, TOO soys, and Love in Idlenoss, 7st 131b, by Mask from Lnoetta, by Tibthorpe, won by a nook from Aintroe, 7st 111b. The Leicestershire Spring Handicap run at the same moeting ended in an easy win lor True Bluo 11. by Cfflruleus— lios' u oratiye, 6yrs, 7st 101b. A quqalion ofton under disoa«sioa in turf nirnlKi is the largo totalisator dividends that havo boon paid when the pot has boiled over on various occasions. So far as Now Zealand ia ooncorned, 4J30() paid over Crnmmy, tho winner of the Firo Brigado Handicap at Taradale, is tho largest ; but fc'outh Anatralia still holds tho record in this mattor with J6850, Avhioh amount was paid ovor a horse named D. O'D., whioh won a race at Adelaide about five yeurs ago. D. O'D., which was chrißtunotl after his ownor, Dan O' Daly, or a similarly alliterative cognomen, had only one solitary pound invested on him. the backer being a farm labonror, who had never previously backed a horso. '1 ho fortunate farmer was too frightened to take such a large sum of monoy home with him, and he left it in tho hands of the seoretary till tho banks openod. In the notioo of the first appearance in public of tho Australian horse Ringmnster, in the Old Country, tho London Sportsman remarked:— "Tho Australian bred Ringmnstor ran for tbo first time on an English raoooour^e in the Trial Stakes at Lincoln. Ho cut a vory poor figure, and was last throughout. Our southern relatives will have to send something much better to hold thoir own in tho Old Country," and adds : " his tail Hoemed to cause some of the little stablo lads no small amusement." If the stablo lads were in suoh a stato of hilarity at the sight of Ringmastor's tail, wittily sayu an Australian exchange what joy it must havo afforded tho riders in the Billesdon and Great Northern Handicaps, for they must have had an excellont view of it as the little brown Australian sailed home in front.