SPORT AM PASTIME

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 119, 15 November 1902, Page 5 (Supplement)

SPORT AM PASTIME

Xhe Turf. [By Cbackshot.] RACING FIXTURES. 1902-3. November 21 and 22— Wellington R.C. Spring. December 1 and 2 — Feilidng J.C. Spring. December 10 and 11— Woodville J.C. Summer. December 26 and 27— ilanawatu R.C. Summer. December 26, 29, and January 1 and 2 —Auckland R.C. Summer. December 29— Askhurst-Pohangina R.C. Annual. ; January 1 and 2— Wairarapa, R.C. Summer. I Halberdier, who has crowned ail his i previous efforts by winning the New Zealand Cup, has rather a unique history. In the first instance he was bred by the Messrs. R. and R. Duder, of Auckland, and his first success in public was attended by a little sensation. It was in j the Hobson Handicap at Takapuna in 1899, when there was some blunder about the start, and the race was run twice. The first contest (the starter declaring it a start) was won by Blue Cap, with Bacchus second. The stewards, however, declared it no start, and the race was run over again, when there were only two starters, Halberdier and Blue Paul, and the former won. Halberdier was not a success when in* his breeders' stable, and, the horse going wrong, they were glad t.o get rid of him to Mr. J. Burnett, a Wanganui boniface, for £27. It was thought at the time that it was a good sale on the Messrs. Duder's part, but it has turned out otherwise. Mr. Burnett, recognising he had bought a cripple, treated the hoise to a spell and then placed him in C. Birkett's .charge, the latter having just previously had his trainer's license renewed. Birkett adopted different methods in preparing the horse ta what the majority of trainers would have done, for he kept him out in the paddock night and day instead of having him caged in a loo&e-box all day long. This treatment suited the Cuirassier gelding splendidly, and he won for his party on the first time of asking. He has since done them a splendid turn, as the bookmakers in the colony knoAv to their sorrow. Whenever ho has been backed seriously he Has been there or thereabouts at the finish, although at the last Autumn Meeting at the liutt the horse let his people down badly. He was heavily backed for the Thompson Handicap, but he had a very bad passage, and was galloping on so well at the end that his connections rallied round his again in the Autumii Handicap on the second day. In that event, • however, he was ridden to the front against his trainer's wishes, and when the 1 straight was reached he was done, and finished out of a, place. His subsequent running, however, goes to show that the horse was overdone in his preparation for the Hutt Meeting. When the horse was nominated for the New Zealand Cup many experienced racing men pooh-poohed the idea of his legs seeing him through a preparation for a two-mile race, and their appeal ance certainly was not of a reassuring character to backeis even at the Wanganui Meeting. As the day of the race drew nearer and the hor.=e stood up to all that was required of him on the tracks many came round to the opinion that the horse would have to be reckoned with, and amongst that number was myself — in fact, I selected him at the eleventh hour to win right out. The gelding's victory has been a great triumph for 0. Birkett, who was confident from the first that the horse would stand his preparation all right, and, furthermore, that he would win. This is the second really good horse* that Birkett has had in his charge, the other being Vedette, who was taken to Australia and sold to go to India after winning a good race ax, Randwick. The bookmakers have been struck heavily by Halberdier's success. Between three and four thousand pounds was laid by local pencillers, most of the money going to West -Coast backei-3, but I a few. hundreds remained in Wellington. Each of the local layers missed writing the winning , combination in the Cup and Stewards double. The principal topic in sporting circles lids been Siege Gun's lunning. In the Cup the bearar of the yellow jacket appsars to have never besn in the hunt, yefc in the Metropolitan Handicap he apj pears to have won with something to £.pare. .{There is no accounting at times for the inconsistency of horses, ond I suppose Siege Gun's performance in ttie Cup will have to bo written down as another instance of the glorious uncsrtainty of the game. Those who backed Siege Gun in the Cup and neglected to follow him up in the Metropolitan were very wroth at the improved form of the Frailly cold, ond made a demonstration. , I 'suppose that if the New Zealand Cup was run over again Siej,e Gun would in view of his Met. form, a^ala bs a hot favourite. There is no mistaking the fact that he is a good one, and his Metropolitan running proves that his Cup form was all wrong. It has always been contended that staying was his game, and therefore if such is the oase he should have been nerrer up at the end of two miles. He showed his ability to get to the end of a mile and a ha'f, 2min 37isec, and allowing him .54sec to run the last half mile, that would have shown omin 31>isrc for the two miles. The Cup took 3uim 33?^ec, and he could only get into fifth plaoe., In the Metropolitan he was treated nicely, for he met Halberdier on 161l> better terms and Canteen at au aduir.t'ge of Sib. Weight brings the bc^G of "them together, i>nd peihaps that helped io account for Siege Gun's revcual of foim. Canteen ran consistently through the three days of the Ricc.irion llc<_tin«. In the Cup he was always prominent, and finished third. With* an extra Sib he was beaten in the last bit of the Metropolitan by Siege Gun. And iv the Jocks}- Club Handicap, with another 3 b he impioved ins position by winning. Hf richly fie-cved a v. in, aiul'Mr. ilav, the Dunedin bookmaker, who owns The gruy sou ol C.iMor, u>'i point Lo the consiblency and honesty of ]m representative. Canteen, although a useful animal, has been badly placed in ihe past, and I think that if he had been kept at shorter courses instead of flying at high game, his owner would have clone a long way better than he has with him. < Propser's stable has not fared any too well at Riccarton, Achilles being the only stake-earner of the half-dozen that wertf South. The two events that Achilles was shipped for — 'the Juvenile and Electric Plates — were practically walk-overs for the Medallion cok, who doubticsJ frightened out all strong opposition. The meeting of Achilles and Cruciform to-day is bsing anxiously looked forv .ird to, and Wellington people bViear by the Poriiua youngster. The much-boomed Ghoorka had no chnnce in the Stewards' Handicap, for which he hid been coupled in doubles at extraoidmaiy prices. Perhaps the colt went off after he arrived at Eiccerton, but all the same there was no reason for the public tv ;;o mad ovsi him. What about ;:l! 11-e tales one heard at strec 1 -corners about Ghoorka cleaning out Achilles and the other Porirua sprinters? Thofce who listened to those fairy tales and supported them by golden sovereigns

are doubtless sadder but wiser men. Porirua ran a very good race in the Cup, but all the same he disappointed luft [ party, who expected better things of liiai. There was little between him and Wclbeck in the Derby, the Pcrkin Warhcck colt just beating him for the 100 m>vs second money by a neck. In the Canterbury Cup Welbeck again beat him, the pair both going down before Cruciform. Exmoor was looked upon as a "moral" for the Maiden, but he could | only get second place. The weight stopped Tortulla in her two engagements. \ Welbeck proved himself a good colt, and was very unlucky to fill second place in three important events like the New Zealand Cup, Derby, and Canterbury CHp. How Orloff came to beat him in ! the Derby seems unaccountable. Orloff has always been regarded as a sprinter more than a stayer, and yet he comes out and runs a mile and a half in 2min 37 l-ssec, establishing a record for the race. This is the same colt that failed to win, the Hawkes Bay Guineas and Napier Park Stakes a few weeks back. He must have come on a lot in the interval, for his form at Hawkes Bay and Riccarton cannot be compared. This is the eleventh occasion that Mr. Stead's representative has been successful in the C.J.C. Blue Ribbon. The two-year-olds that competed at Riccarton appear a very even lot, but the times recorded in the juvenile races do not make them out a good lot. Sir G. Clifford's Bill of Portland— Elusive filly To-moirow rather unexpectedly won the Welcome Stakes. Her ability to gallop had been demonstrated at Riccarton, but she was attacked by influenza just previous to the meeting, and therefore her victoiy was all the more creditable. It was thought that the filly would ojipose Achilles in the Electric Plate, but doubtless Cutts considered one race enough for her at the meeting, considering her condition. On subsequent running Sychem appears to have been rather lucky to beat King Log- and Starshoot in the Welcome. The latter had bad luck in the race, and on the Monday accounted for Sychem nicely at an advantage of 61b. Then on Wednesday King Log, at a pound difference, beat Starshoot. This would point to King Log, who is by Stepniak — Fairy Maid, being, the next best to To-morrow. Backers had a good time over the hurI die race at Christchurch, picking the three winners — Evening Wonder and Bellman twice — for money with the local layers. Bellman is considered a champion hurdler by Aucklanders, but he is subject to a chronic lameness, and this affects his preparation. Still, he appears to have thrown it off at Riccarton, and had no difficulty in winning on Monday and Wednesday, paying £2 7s 6d on the last occasion. Evening Wonder has been sold by Mr. Dugald Thomson for £350: A local sportsman purchased Frost at ihe Clareville meeting for £100, and he will in future be trained by J. M'Laughlin. Sir James, who was a pronounced favourite for the Hack Hurdles at Taratahi on Monday, pulled up ver,y sore, to which his defeat must be attributed. Purkana was also very sore. One of the biggest hauls that has been made jiroin the local layers for a long time was landed on Tuesday by those behind Waikakaho. The money that was forthcoming for the son of West mere — Wai in the half-mile flutter aU Carterton, and also the source proved that he had shown his people a speedy half-mile be- ' fore leaving the Hutt, and that he would be hard to beat. Although he had the outside berth in a field of fifteen, the Maori-named gelding won comfortably from Koiugo. ilio dividend he paid (£lO 19s) was a staggerer to tl^e layers, and it is estimated that between .32000 a«d £3000 changed hands over the race. In addition to I. James, the owner, having a good will, three local punters' even fared better than the owner, and their winnings run into hundreds. No one would begrudge James's success, for it is about thi-ee years since he had a decent win. He has nursed Waikakaho for a big win, and it has come his way, at the up me time keeping up his reputation for big prices. Waikakaho showed he was endowed with pacj at the Hutt last July, to whicli I at the time drew attention. Jntneo's success was wt-ll received, especially on the course, the stewards inviting him in amongst them lo drink Ms health.