NOTES BY "FETLOCK."

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7550, 25 September 1886, Page 3

NOTES BY "FETLOCK."

I havo received from the .secretary of „-1 tlie Wellington Racing; Club aneathttlo book programme containing particulars of ;. the meetings to be held under the club's auspices during the present season. The spring meeting will extend over two days, ' and will be held on the 27th and 30th j_ , November, the events being as follows :— v First day : Flying Stakes Handjcap; of 50 boys ;' 8 furlongs. Hurdle Handicap, of 60 soys; 2 miles. Selling^ Hurdle Race, of 15 soys; 1J mile. HuttPark Spring Handicap, of 150 soys; limilo. Selling Race, of 10sovs;6furiongs. Grand Stand Handicap, J ' ■ of 60 soys ; 1 mile. Second day : ■ Railway Stakes Handicap, of 50 soya ; 0 furlongs. Hurdle Handicap, of 60 soys ; 1$ mile. Local Handicap, of 55 soys ; 1 mile. St. . Andrew's Handicap, of 130 soys, 1J mile. ' Selling Race,' of 15 soys ; 1 mile. Consoiation Handioap, of 30 soys j 1 mile. Tito " dates fixed for the summer meeting are / the 3rd and sth of February, ISB7, and the ...programme will bo:— First day: ' ' '•.■TbleTapli Stakes, of 75 soys; 6 furlongs. Wellington Two-year-old Stakes, of 200 . :•. gova added' money.; 0 furlongs (closed with 54 subscribers). Hurdle Handicap, of 100 soys j2£ miles. ' Wellington Cup, of 500 soys; 2 miles. Selling Race, of 2Q soys : 6 furlongs. Stewards' Handi,- ■' pap, of 100 soys ; li mile. Second day : ' . Hiitfc Park Handicap, of 100 soys ; 6 furlongs. Hurdlo Handicap, of 8Q soys; 2 miles. Local Handicap, of 55 soys; li hiiie. Wellington Racing. Club HamU- . pap, qf 200 boys; 1J mile. Soiling Race, of 20 soys ; 1 mile. Consolation Handicap, of 50 soys : 1 mile. I paid a visit to Hastings last week, and foiind the racecourse looking in capi- . 'ia\ order.. The ploughed gallop is being yejry'much widened, sq there will be no fear biit that trainers will be able tq give their charges a thorough preparation' for \ ■< " any events they may be engaged in. '■''■■ ' The Hawkca Bay Jockey Club and ,flicir handicapper, Mr J. O. Evctt; are to "■ : '-'- be cbngfatulftted on the exceedingly good accepta/icea an(| general ; entries -which ' ' iiave beel'i received for the Spring meeting. This meeting comes more and more into fa'vbr With horse6wners every year, and as •; • , ft'spring meeting itstands next in importance to the Metropolitan mc.cling at Christchurch. Tlie acceptances for the Spring Handicap are tw.enty'in number, arid tlie pick' of tile horses, with one or .Mo eSceptions/sUll i'e'|!|a}h in." ]Fdi the FlyingHaiulicap", sixteen have orieil.con/ tent, and eleven have been accepted for in the Handicap Hurdle Race. .. For the Guineas there are nine, acceptances, and """ w |t certainly seems as if this year's contest

for our classic race would far surpass all previous years. The entries for the other events are also good, aiid' should the weather prove fine the public will no doubt enjoy some excellent sport.. ' tn my last notes tliero appeared a paragraph which should have read :— " The Prince of Wales' Stakes for two-year-olds at the Goodwood meeting was won by Mr 'Manton's Timothy, by Hermit— Lady Masham, brother to', the notoriously speedy and bad-tempered : horse Peter, who won tho Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot after having stopped during the race to kick." The word in italics was omitted by the intelligent " comp," and this omission of course made the paragraph read very stupidly. My attention was called to the mistake by. a writer in a contemporary, who, when pointing it out, also paid me a graceful, compliment for my excellent sporting articles: It is a pleasure, to have to.record this, and also to return the compliment to my brother scribe, as it shows tho. feeling, of good fellowship which exists among sporting writers in •Napier, and long may it be before the petty spirit which delights in picking holes in another person's cont finds its way into the sporting columns of the local Press.

It is expected that Alec Sutherland, tho well-known jockey, will arrive here to-day to take part in our spring meetings. Apart from any outside wagers or special agreement, Cannon's bare percentage for steering Bendigo to victoiy in the Eclipse Stakes came to n thousand pounds. It is said that together with presents he received £5000, and although tliis may be exaggerated, as is often the case, it cannot be doubted that Cannon would receive a very considerable amount for riding the big son of Ben Battle I—Hasty1 — Hasty Girl. Whatever may bo the aims of tho Victorian Legislature with regard to crushing gambling by means of sweeps, consultations, &c.,- they are' evidently inclined to foster the love of horseracing. Our cablegrams some day's ago informed us that the Victorian Postmaster - General had made arrangements by which any person paying sixpence could have the result of the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups sent to him on the morning of the race. Does this mean that the Postmaster - General has the prophetic spirit of a "Golder," and can foretell the winners of races with such accuracy as to send his prophecies out as results, or is it simply the ordinary "straight tip" of a sporting man? or, if not, 1 how is the Postmaster - General to know and communicate the result of each race several hours before it is run ? -. -.

The Hon. J. White has again started the racing season auspiciously, his colt Trident having won the A.J.C. Derby and Craven Plate ; while Volcano won the Second Foal Stakes, and Tamarisk divided the Oaks with Crossfire. Besides which, Acme and Tamarisk have each run a second at the same meeting, and the two-year-old Sumatra got third in the Richmond Stakes. As the two.:year-old Lara is said to be considerably superior to Sumatra, there is a great probability of the blue and white jacket being to tlie fore again in this year's Maribyrnong Plate.

"Warrior" is of the opinion that Monte Christo will take a lot of beating in both the Metropolitan : Stakes and Melbourne Cup. Apparently he took " a lot of heating ' in tlie Metropolitan, and then wouldn't try a yard. Bargo, by Maribyrnong — Guelder Rose, who will be remembered as a very strong favorite for the V.R.C. Derby of 1884, in which he only got third, has been sold to go to the stud. , In view of the wonderful advance in "record-breaking" which our Australian cousins have made of late years,' and to prevent this colony from being left behind m the "timing" race, I would suggest either that our timekeepers acquire the careless -method of calculating seconds which some Australian timekeepers appeav to possess,- or that each timekeeper in the colony be supplied with tlie world's record for each distance from six furlongs to (lived miles, so that at a race meeting, when any particular record is wanted to be broken, that record can accordingly be " broken."

_An Australian sporting scribo some time ago, in writing of Trident, said that lie was undoubtedly a good colt, and Avould most assuredly lie the best three-year-old of the year, hut that he was an inferior horse to his brother Navigator; and yet how many of Navigator's most ardent admirers would' credit him -with, being able to carry Derby weight over a mile and a half course in two minutes thirty-eight seconds, and win easily by six lengths ? The breakdown of Trenton will' lie a sad blow to those New Zealanders who supported him warmly for the Melbourne Cup. ' The Napier Park Racing Club have received exceedingly good acceptances for their meeting, ami it is now only : . left to Jupiter Fltivius to provide good weather for a. monstor meeting on the Ist of October. Of the 27 entered for the Park Stakes 13 horses have accepted,' l4 are still left in the Tramway Stakes of the 25 entered, while for the Hurdles- 11 of the 10 entered have paid, up. • The Maiden Plate has 8 entries, the Inauguration Stakes 4, and the Disposal Stakes 7.