SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 8768, 8 March 1892, Page 2

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

TURF CHIT-CHAT. At a sale of yearlings in Melbourne Mr D O'Brien purchased a colt by Dunlop from Result for 120 guineas, and a filly by Richmond from Bia Bis for 100 guineas. Owing to a pernicious practice indulged in, Steadfast, the half-brother to Lochiel, is to be added to the Hat.

The start for the Newmarket Handicap is said to have been a wretched one. Strombolt and Whimbrel were the last to get under weigh. The English Jockey Club have declined to license r.cy racecourse whoee officials— i.e , handicapper, judge, starter, clerk of scales, or clerk of course—bet in any way ; and as the new rule will apply to all meetings at which the officials specified are not engaged, as well as to those at which they are, e> flatter of excitement has been caused in English sporting circles. A " place " totalisator at the recent Tasmanian race meeting gave great satisfaction, and largely increased the jockey club's earning. Isn't the experiment worthy of a trial here ?

Tommy Lamond, the well-known Sydney trainer, has beeneleoted mayor of the suburb of Waterloo.

Mr G. Davis, M.L.C., one of the most prominent patrons of the turf in Victoria, has threatened to lease all his horses and retire from active participation in the sport of racing. He is disgusted at being so often beaten by horees which are very rarely " playing for keeps " when they do not win. Ringmaster has not yet lost bis form, which he well proved on New Year's Day at Calcutta by winning the Darbungah Cup in the hands of the English jockey Peake. "John" manages to be about when a good dividend is going. At the Hawera races the other day L 74 3? was paid and, aa usual, a Chinaman from the West Coast had sent a pound to a countryman telling; him to put it on any horse he liked, which the latter did with the result stated.

The Wellington Racing Club hare donated LlO towards sending a New Zealand athletic team to England. Will the D. J.C. follow suit?

Under the heading "Race Club Secre- [ taries," the ' Sportsman' of the Ist inst. contains a capital photograph of the popular secretary of the Danedia Jockey Club, and a short, interesting sketch of his life. From the letter-press I take the following:—"Mr Sydney James is, we believe, the senior secretary in the Australasian colonies, having held his present office for more than a quarter of a century. Mr James commenced his career as secretary prior to the discovery of gold in Otago, and in the early gold diggings acted as such at the Champion Raoe ran ob the old Silverstream coarse. That event was won by Ladybird, owned by Mr Henry Redwood (the father of the tnrf in Australia), and ridden by his Bon Joseph. We notice from a synopsis for twenty-one years, attached to the book programme of the D. JO., that in the season 1870-71 the added money wss 780 sovs, and that this has been steadily increasing year by year until, under the auspices of the totalisator, the stakes for the present season amount to 10,590 sovs. Mr James was one of tbe original members of the Melbourne Hunt, and a regular follower of tbe Melbourne, hounds from 1852 to 1859. What is now tbe city of Prahun and town of Windsor was all bash at that time, and the ride in the dark, with fallen timber and rugged unformed water-courses in the way, wai rather 'interesting.' . . . Referring to racing matters, we may state that Mr James has a complete record of all races for which he has acted as secretary from 1866 to the present date, compiled from all books and papers. This is one book, and is now, and will be hereafter* very valuable as a work of reference. Mr Sydney James's ion Harry has been brought np in tbe office with his father, and he virtually fills tbe onerous position of secretary at times, and thereby takes a deal of work off bis pater's shoulders." The Admibal,

AQUATIC NOTE 3. [By Sthoks.] The Dunedin regatta baa been postponed until the 26th inat. It ia to be hoped that what I have heard concerning the regatta ia not true—i.e., that the whole show is hanging fire on account of the funds not being plentiful. Surely the aquatic-loving people of the City will come to the resoue and Bapply the needful, and let ua have our regatta as well as our neighbor*. Training is in full Bwing at the different sheds at present. I would advise the senior crew of the D.A.B.C. to attend to practice more regularly. The 0.R.0. maiden and senior crews had a long spin on Saturday afternoon-Grey Russell's and back. I had a look at the O.R. GluVa new racer I have spoken of lately. She is a fine specimen of cedar-leaf arohiteoture, and the samelength as theD.A.B.C.'sTeramea; afew inches more beam, but not quite so round in her midship section ; is fitted with the ordinary roller-sliding seats, her soulla having a patent button arrangement. Altogether she is a valuable addition to the already well-stocked shed of the O.R.C. I draw the attention of a few members of the D.A.8.0. to the following little fact : That they are making a grave error by persisting to bathe off the club's staging when already requested not to do so. Remember that the watermen's landing stages ixre very adjacent, and that ladies cannot poasibiy approach these stages whilst the bathing is going on. Saturday afternoon saw, I am sure, eve sailing craft in the Upper Harbor under sail. The Dream waa there, making her way through the fleet. The Ripple with her new boom and racing sails looked very trim. She sailed well indeed, and towards evening fairly ran, or rather sailed, rings round the Muretai, which yacht, by the way, was anchored at the mouth of the basin all the afternoon. She did not get underweigh until about five o'clock in the evening, and so lost a good afternoon s sail. . ... . Tho old Dunedia yacht Spray is still in the land of the living at Auckland. She finished second for the Champion Yacht Race hold there recently, but was displaced by other smaller yachts on their time allowance, as was the winning yacht. Rowing men in general will be sorry to hear that Mr W. J. MaoLaughlin has had a severe illness in Melbourne. He was attaoked with low fever, but hj now getting better. His case is the old Btory over again that Australia ia by no means the climate for Maorilanders. SWIMMING. Tho secretary of the N.Z.A.S.A. has recently been officially informed that the extension of the New Zealanl Cross to swimming rescues would bo considered at the next full meeting of the Cabinet. Ladies' swimming clubs are successful | institutions in more than one part of the North Island. Why not at St. Clair? In a letter to Mr St. Clair, of Auckland, Mr Maloney, director of the Sydney Enter- j prise SwimmiDg Club, thus describes the ] stroke of Gormley, the amateur champion of New South Wales:—" fie lays very full in the water, making great use of his lengthy arms; but tho principal feature is hl3 left leg, which comes clean out of the water, drawn back to a direct right angle, and returning with immense force, giving an onlooker tho idea of a atarn-wheel paddle steamer, and the Blight splash is the only detriment from giving a clean effect." Referring to the same subject, the Sydney 'Referee' says: matter of conjecture as to how Gormley obtains his wondrous Bpeed, swimming as ho does with one leg out of the water at the precise moment when one would think he would need its power most : He swims with a long and graceful over-arm stroke, which he never varie3, is very quick in getting away, and on his turn cleaves the water like a fish, shooting off tbe bath wall on an average twenty feet each time. Gormley n twenty-one years of age. He waa born at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. His height is sft 7in ; weight.lOst 71b ; cheat measurement, SSin. He is an inveterate smoker.

At a well-attended meeting of the Central Taieri Jockey Club, held on Saturday evening, the President explained that water was still lying on the course at Henley. Mr C. larke, Greytown, had generously offered the club the use of a good grass paddock adjacent to the Greytown railway station free of charge, and overtures had also been made to the Taieri Amateur Turf Club for the use of their ground at Mosgiel, which they had agreed to grant for a consideration of L2O, on the understanding that the members of their club were admitted free of charge, also that the lessee of their course be compensated for any snm he might demand. Alter a lengthy discussion it waa resolved —" That owing to the short time at disposal to prepare a new course, it would be advisable, in. the interests of horse owners and the peneral public, to hold the St. Patrick's D >y meeting at Mosgiel, as a new course formed in so short a time would not have tho confidence of the hcreeowners.' The secretary was instructed to write to the Danedin Jockey Club for sanction, and then to the Taieri Amateur Turf Club accepting their offer; also to Messrs Mason and Roberts re working totalisator, and to the traffic manager re special excursion train. Acceptances f orthe handicaps close on Friday evening. Reports from Monto Video state that a forty mile race took place there recently. The object was to test the relative endurance of the native horse and the thoroughbred. Eighteen horses started, but as the weights were Hht it waß not surprising that only four —all thoroughbreds—fiuished.