SPORT AND PASTIME.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1904, Page 14

SPORT AND PASTIME.

[By Lochiel.]

Tlie Turf.

BACING'FIXTURES. December 7 and 8. — Woodville Summer Meeting. December lO.and 16— Christchurch R.C. Summer Meeting. December 26 and 27— Reefton J.C. Mddlummer Meeting. December 26, 29, January 2 and 33 — ■ Auckland R.C. Summer Meeting. December 26 and 27 — Taranaki J.C. Christmas Meeting. December 26 and 27— Lower Valley J.C. Annual Meeting. i December 26 and 27 — Manawata R.C. Bummer Meeting. j December 26 and 27— Dunedin ' J.C. Bummer Meeting. December 31 and January 2—Grey-2 — GreyBioutb. J.C. Summer Meeting December 28 — Ashliurst-Pohangina R.O. Animal Meeting. January 2 and &— Rangitikei R.C. Summer Meeting. January 2 and 3 — Hawkes Bay J.C. Smnmor Meeting. January 2 and 3 — Wairarapa R.C. Summer Meeting. " One of the surprises of the Feilding Meeting was the double win registered by Joe Chamberlain. The disappointing display made by the Bonnie Scotland gelding lately, and his withdrawal from the New Zealand Cup, had ma>d© the public wary of his chances, with the result that in the St. Andrew's Handicap he was ■weH down, on" the betting list. In the absence of Lass-o'-Govrie, public fancy •was pretty evenly divided between Cannie Cbiel, Asteroid, and Armistice. Cannie Chiel, looking well, was first on his feet when the tapes were released, but his stay in front was of short duration, ho giving place to Heroism and Armistice before the stand was passed. The Grafton colt was on bis best behaviour and put in a good race for a bit over a mile, when ihe refcwed just after Armistice had cried enough. Asteroid got badly away, but made up her ground at a great pace, and after a raSe had been travelled was with •&c leadens. Joe Chamberlain was in a handy position throughout, and he won comparatively easy. Hinetaura finished jwst in front of the ruck,, dying away in &6 ran home from the bottom of the jsfcraigfcib, where she appeared to have a cbance. Fleka did not reproduce recent southern running, and was beaten all the ■way. On the second day tho speculating pobfic, profiting by experience, t planked their moaey down fairly solidly on Mr. Quirk's representative, and as the going •was eofit, the gelding succeeded in repeatH^g Wednesday's performance, though Convey made a resolute bid for first money, being beaten by threequarters of a length. A bookmaker, a member of Sydney Tattes-saH's Club, was fined £100 last vreek for making bets on the steps of that dub. It was his first offence, and having pleaded guilty, he was rather surprised at the extent of the fine. Solution's ' withdrawal from the Feilding engagements, after malcing the acceptance fee', was on account of that filly developing signs of influenza. The ~Aiiekland-own«d steeplechaser Tite PullaclC, has been shipped to Sydney, and will go into P. Nolan's steble. With thepoor class of jumpers afr present in Sydney, The Pullack ought to pay his way. Six boxes have been engaged for Mr. Stead's horses at the Harp of Erin Hotel, Auckland. The team will leave Christchurch on 10th December. It is said that the same gentleman intends invading Australia in the autumn with another powerful string. The Victoria Horseowners' Association proposes to assist in suppressing shop and 6treet betting in Melbourne. For the financial year 1903-4 the public invested on the totalisator in New Zealand the sum of £1,357,263. St. Simon's subscription for next season (in England) is full, at the fee of 500 soys. Quarryman, To-morrow, and Signalman we being specially prepared by E. Cutts fit Riccaarton with a view to fulfilling Auckland engagements* The Hntt-tramed mere Jeanne d'Aibret, who won the Spring Hurdles at Peilding, made a faulty jump at the last hurdles, which nearly spoilt her chance. Mr. W. Corlett, Parkvale, has just sold c Mauser I—Foreshore1 — Foreshore colt to Mr. Dorset, Gladstone, for £50. There is no doubt about the good quality of the stock by the 'son of Maxim. The Australian colt Trephine was made a warm favourite for the Maiden Hack Flat race at Feilding, presumably on his breeding, as it was,his first appearance in public. He apparently had a bad passage, and finished an the ruck, Seagull ■winning the event fairly comfortably. Sea Lion and Shrapnel did not start in the St. Andrew's Handicap, run at Feilding on Wednesday. From- California, comes the news of the death of Darebin, who was bred in Victosia., and had a good Australian record to his credit. As a two-year-old he won the Two-year-old Handicap at the Adelaide Autumn Meeting under 8.10. The following year he won the V.R.C. Derby from Banta Claus, Commotion, and nine others ; the VJR.C. Mares' Produce Stakes, the B.A.J.C. SC. Leger, and the Adelaide Queen's Birthday Cup of 1000 soys, If mile, in 3min B£6ec, while he ran unplaced in the Melbourne Cup. The following season with 9.9 he ran unplaced in the Caulfield Cvp, won by Little Jack, then journeyed to Flemington, where at fi»e V.R.O. Spring Meeting he annexed the .Melbourne Stakes, finished fourth nnder 9.9 in the Melbourne Cup won by The Assyrian ; won the Royal Park Stakes, w.f.a., two miles, for which Tie started at 5 to 1 on, beating Lord Burghley, Liberator, and others. In the Canterbury Plate, 2J miles, at" the same meeting Darebin had to play second fiddle to Commotion, >nd afterwards was purchased by the Sydney sportsman, Mr. E. K. Cox, under whose colours the son of The Peer ran third to The Assyrian arid Plunger in the A.J.C Autumn Stakes, w.f.a., 1£ mile, but finished in front of his previous conqueror. Darebm wound up his racing career by securing the Sydney Cup under the steadying burden of 9.8, and was followed home ir the two miles race by Mistoken, Willeroo, and a dozen others. On his retirement from the turf Darebin was purchased by Mr. A. Gordon, of the firange stud, Queensland, for 1500 guineas, and the best of his get in the northern State was The Australian Peer, who on the track and at the stud has proved his worth. He also sired in Queensland Grand Chester, who credited Mr. J. M'Gill with the Q.T.O. Hopeful Stakes, 1888. After a, short term at the 6tud in Queensland, Darebin was purchased by the Calif ornian stud-master, Mr. J. B. Haggin, for 1500 guineas, and at the Rancho del Paso, in that State, the son of The Peer got a large number of highclass performers. Foaled in 1878, he was in his twenty-seventh year at the time of his death. Gallinule tops the list of winning sires in England this season, Sainfoilt acting as, runner-up, while St. Simon just pips Bt. Frusquin for third pla<re — at least that was the state of the poll when last mail left. Gallimrie's stock are all the rage, fancy prices being paid for yearlings. Last September, 3600 guineas was paid for a filly,, while another realised 5100 guineas. The Stake, who won the- York Stakes Vt Feilding on Thursday^, and paid £36<

Is, is by The Officer, out of Martyrdom, and is owned by the Hon. J. D. Ormond. Black Reynard was made a strong favourite for the race. The Avell-known show jumper Rattier recently cleared 6ft 9£in at Moree, New South Wales. He knocked at 7ft lin, but it is believed that he could have cleared it had it been pegged. Rattler's record is 6ft lOfin, put up at Singleton a couple of years ago, but that is below that of Moral, Strathmore, and Newhaven, registered at Bendigo last year, and which stands as the Australian record for a high jump by a horse. Tho wonderful success of Flying Fox at the stud must cause much regret among wealthy English breeders who allowed M. Blanc to outbid them at the sale of the late Duke of Westminster's stud. Some months back the winnings of his stock totalled nearly £50,000. . The last mail contains particulars of the Newmarket October Meeting, at which his French-bred son Jardy won the muchprized Middle Park Plate in good style, and added £2770 to the winnings of his owner and breeder, M. Blanc. Jardy, who is the first French-bred one to win the Plate in fourteen years, is out of the English Oaks winner Airs and Graces, a half-sister to the Combadello stallion, St. Alwyne. The Wellington Racing Club has just issued a very handy programme for the J. 904-05 season, including the Summer, Autumn, and Winter Meetings. The prize moneys offered' at the three meetings total £8065, making with the Spring Meeting, held in October last, £10,185. The programme contains the list of nominations for the Wellesley, Wellington, North Island Challenge, and New Zealand St. Leger Stakes, and past winners of important events decided at the Hutt. The Summer Meeting will commence on" Saturday, 21-st January, and will be continued on the following Monday. Mr. Stead has a remarkable record as a racing man (remarks a Melbourne writer). Even admitting that he does not encounter the opposition in New Zealand which Mr. James -White met with in Australia, his record is remarkable. Mr. White was only racing about fifteen years. Mr. Stead owned Le Loup, who was backed for the Melbourne Cup of 1879 to win £80,000, 'and he was racing as "Mr. G. Fraser" before then. For at least a quarter of a century he has been a successful owner. There was a time when Mr . ! , Stead ( lost pretty heavily 'on important handicaps, and tTie ring have cause to remember Lochjel's victories in the New Zealand Cup and Newmarket Handicap. He found betting unsatisfactory,' however, and for a good many years has run for the stakes only. About five years ago Mr. Stead told the writer that he allowed himself £1500 a year for racing expenses, "but of late," he added, "racing has not cost, me anything, because my horses have been' pretty good." At . that time Mr. Stead was not breeding. He boughi most of his yearlings at Wellington Park. Now he is breeding again,' but^e still buys a few yearlings, and £1500 a -year would not go far towards paying the expenses of his big establishment if the horses did not keep winning. The Feilding Jockey Club must be congratulated on the success which attended this week's meeting. The fields throughout were Targe, the racing interesting, and speculation brisk — a fact which is confirmed by the totalisator investments, which exceeded those of last year by £3670. The officials of the club are to be commended for the excellence ■of til© general -aJ-raTig^meirfes. Kremlin's win in the Flying Stakes at Feilding made a number of local speculators feel pleased with, their judgment. Tessera was another strong order, but the Clanranald filly did not get 'a situation. Commenting on recent racing in this colony, a writer in the Australasian says :— "ln New Zealand political influence comes in, but the meetings are more spread about than they are -with us. Here it is the country clubs who want protection. In New Zealand the country clubs all seem prosperous. The only trouble is that there are too many of them. It is strange that at the very time the best meeting of the year was going forward at Christchurch, the next most important club in the colony — the Auckland Racing Clvb — was running a three days' spring meeting. Getting from Auckland is no such a simple thing as travelling from Sydney or Adelaide to Melbourne by rail, but still a fixture such as the A.R.C. must keep a good many horses and men away from the Canterbury Spring Meeting. The clash this year was no new thing. It occurs, every year, and the two clubs clash again at Easter." At a recent race meeting, a well-known trainer backed his charge on the first day to the extent of a "fiver," but the horse finished in the rear. On the second day a friend persuaded him to again back the horse, which he did to the amount of a modest half-share in one ticket. The horse won, and paid the biggest dividend at the meeting, but when the time arrived for collecting the "div." it was discovered that the wrong number had been issued, and instead of having a ticket on the winner, the one held (much' to the disgust of trainer and friend) represented a competitor who finished absolutely last m the race! The locally-owned Ghoorka, engaged in the Auckland Cup at 7.9, was the medium of some speculation during the week for that event, and was also well backed in doubles with Savoury for the Railway Stakes. Since R. J. Mason took charge of Mr. Stead's horses some seventeen years ago, the stable has garnered nearly £100,000 in stakes. Just before the Cesarewitch was run last month, Mr. Joe Thompson laid £10,000 to £35 Wargrave and Hackler's Pride for that race and the Cambridgeshire Stakes, and mat proved to be the winning double.