SPORTING NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 9043, 4 March 1890, Page 2

SPORTING NOTES.

Acolyte has been disqualified by the Danevirke Stewards, and the stakes for the Maiden Plate and Flying Handicap at the recent meeting of the Club awarded to Lilliput and Strephon respectively. The programme for the Autumn Meeting of the Westland Racing Club has been passed by the Greymouth Jockey Club. It has been decided to hold the Amberley Flat Race Meeting on May 22. The well-known trotter Cavalier was shipped for Sydney by the Jubilee on Monday week. Mr A. L. Popham, the owner of Alcinous, was married in London on Jan 2. The Westland Racing Club has adopted a programme providing £4OO in stakes for its Easter Meeting. J. Eae, the well-known Auckland trainer and jockey, has determined to try his fortune in Australia, and will leave with the steeplechasers Orangeman and Titokowaru for Sydney next week. “Gipsy King” announces that Escut-, cheon will, unless previously sold, shortly take his departure for Australia. Mr A. Drake still retains his liking for trotting, and early in the month won a match of £SO a side at Randwick with his grey pony against another belonging to Mr G. D. Woods. A rather novel condition is attached to one of the principal handicaps run in America. It is that horses handicapped at 9st or over shall be exempt from all penalties. At the Wyndham races on Feb. 8 the Werribee Handicap of 70 sovs was won by Pretender, by Yasco di Gama from Sweetbriar, and five days later another New Zealander, Squire, by Papapa, appropriated the Disposal Stakes at Mentone. Ixion, who ran third in the Dunedin Cup, has joined H. Lunn’s string, and is to he relegated to the jumping business. The disappointing Lorraine has now taken what is probably his final leave of the turf, and been purchased by Mr H. A. Knight for stud purposes. On Feb. 18 Surefoot was a firm favourite for the Epsom Derby at 4 to 1. It is reported that Mr S. Gardiner, the Victorian breeder, intends to send a number of thoroughbred yearlings to San Francisco. The cost is estimated to amount to about £34 a head.

Investigator’s weight in the Publican’s Handicap at Dunedin was 6st 71b, not Bst 71b, as published in our report last week. The error arose in telegraphing. The following are the winners of the principal events at the Wairarspa Meeting :—Hurdle Race, Speculator; Moroa Handicap, Frolic; Wairarapa Cup, Minnie Palmer; Jubilee Handicap, Minnie Palmer ; Grand Stand Handicap, Comet. Peter, a gelding, by Mufti from a Peter Plat mare, broke his leg in the race for the Cup and was destroyed. At the annual race meeting of the Motueka Jockey Club the Hurdle Race was won by Dangerous, the Motueka Cup by York Rose, and the Consolation Handicap by Victory. The other events were hack and trotting races. Sultan was shipped to Melbourne by the Tekapo last week, but Pygmalion, Mr W. R. Wilson’s other purchase from the master of Chokehore Lodge, will probably fulfil his engagements at the C.J.C. Autumn Meeting before leaving for his now home. Referring to the departure of the son of Apremont and Miss Kate, “Mazeppa” says he will prove to Australians that the Apremont stock are worth buying, aud this may perchance lead to more eager inquiries for the progeny of the Middlepark sire, a horse that has so far been undervalued, in that we ourselves have not fully appreciated the great benefit he has conferred on the turf in giving us sound aud good-legged stock. It is rumoured that Merrie England will shortly leave for Australia, but on inquiry in the beet informed quarters we can learn nothing definite concerning the colt’s future movements.

Deeds, the brother to RusMey, made his dehut over hurdles, at the Manchester Meeting, on New Year’s Day, but owing to his slovenly jumping could only get second to Proteus, another highly bred animal by Thurio from Canonical. Our London correspondent, writing on Jan. 10, says Ready-money bookmaking does not always pay. Andy Anderson, whose turn - over per season touches £IOO,OOO, complains that he lost £4OOO last year. On the other hand, Mr Fry netted £40,000. This shrewd old gentleman is trying just at present to lay all he can against the four favourites for the Derby. His theory is that the contest will be a very open one, and that even longer prices than are now on offer against Surefoot Haume, Le Nord and Riviera will be forthcoming on the day of the race. The two-year-old whole sisters to Semolina and Riviera are said to be even smarter than their elder relatives. They will not, however, make their debuts till Ascot. Mr Manton has in addition to Valauns (too sister to Riviera) a highly promising colt, by Macheath out of Come Roy, called Crevasse, and another Harmence (by

Tsonomy out of Thebais). If there is anything m breeding these two should be flyers. The ring are jubilant auenttho engagement of Lord Carrington’s popular, but prodigal youngest brother Rupert to the great heiress of Goldsborough’s, Miss Horsfall. Not only will there now bo a settlement of any old scores outstanding, but the Hon Rupert is pretty sure to return to the turf, and with freshly-lined pockets resume the good old game of tilting at the ring. The trial of the Australian thoroughbreds last week does not appear to have impressed the Newmarket touts particularly, and the price on offer against the winner Narellan, for the Derby, remains the same.

We are quite sura the signal success of the Autumn Meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club will be gratifying to sportsmen in all parts of the Colony. It is unnecessary to again review the circumstances which prevented a number of horse owners taking part in the racing at Forbury last week, but we may safely say that popular sympathy is entirely with the Club. The racing public have evidently made up their minds that the leaders of the disaffected party shall not succeed, and if these leaders have the good souse for which we give them credit they will, to borrow a very suggestive phrase from a familiar source, cease to kick against the pricks. The whole business was badly conceived and wretchedly executed, and the attempt to coerce the Club has failed, as it deserved to fail, at every point. “ What will they do now ? ” was the question bandied abent the paddock during the progress of the racing; and we wish we could answer with some authority that the difficulties which grew out of the Exhibition Meeting will be removed and forgotten. It is the cause of sport, and not the Dunedin Jockey Club, that is suffering by this ridiculous quarrel. The Club has shown, in the most conclusive manner possible, that it is able to do without the support of the principal northern owners; but anything that reduces the quality of our racing is very much to be deplored. It is not sufficient that the public are ready to pay for inferior sport—that is not altogether a matter for congratulation—but the higher object of racing is to improve our breed of horses, and no one will contend that this is advanced by the owners of superior animals standing aloof. It is very doubtful if the Club suffered one penny in pocket by the wholesale withdrawal of horses from its Autumn Meeting. Public sympathy was aroused, and the friends of the Club in all parts of the Colony felt it their duty to exert themselves to avert the impending disaster. They made the effort and attained an amount of success which must bo exceedingly satisfactory to all concerned. It would be a pity, however, if this result should enlarge the breach between the Club and the malcontents, and we sincerely hope efforts will be made on both sides to bring about a reconciliation. As we have pointed out before, it _ is impossible for the Club to take the initiative in the matter, but we believe a certain number of the disaffected owners are prepared to terminate the strife. The Club has taken up a conciliatory position from the first—the ridiculous proposal to disqualify the promoters of the movement was made by an irresponsible member — and has done everything to pave the way to a better understanding. The owners naturally feel some reluctance to admit their mistake, but this is the only manly and reasonable course left, and it will become no easier by delay. As it happens, the principal movers in the business, Messrs Clifford and Stead, have not suffered auy inconvenience from their action. Neither of these gentlemen had horses ready for the recent meeting, or are likely to have them ready for the meetings tobo held in March and May ; aud while we do not wish to imply that this fact had anything to do with their readiness to boycott Mr Dowse, it is clear that other owners, some of whom can ill afford to make the sacrifice, have suffered considerable loss by the undertaking not to race horses at Forbury. Under these cireamsbanhea, Messrs Clifford and Stead should not hesitate to release their associates from their part of the contract. After all that has been said and written on this subject, it must have been very pleasant for Mr Dowse and his friends to find the handicaps for the recent meeting turning out so well. Big dividends, of which there were more than enough at Forbury during the throe days, are nearly always evidence of the clever adjustment of the weights; but the best evidence of all is supplied by four or five horses being well backed in the same race, and this occurred over and over again last week. In fact, very little doubt can remain of Mr Dowse’s ability—that is admitted even by his opponents—and those who question his integrity should, as we have urged before,adoptthestraightforward course of laying their charges before the Stewards of the Club. The acceptance for the Consolation on Saturday was the crowning success of the veteran haudicapper’s efforts during the meeting, and we hope it may be the forerunner of many similar successes.

There is another official of the Dunedin Jockey Club to whom we cannot refer in quite the same terms. On the first two days of the meeting Mr Driver’s efforts with the flag were attended by remarkable good fortune; punctuality was well observed, and the fields somehow got off on capital terms. The local people began to congratulate themselves upon the complete discomfiture of the critics, and a generous-hearted public were quite prepared to forget the ills they had suffered at the starter’s hands. But it was simply luck, and directly the real difficulties began Mr Driver was as much at sea as ever. His successes and failures are impartially chronicled in another column, and when we come to critically examine the result, we find that the Dunedin starter is a good deal more lucky but just as incapable as ever. There is no need to mince matters—Mr Driver is not made of particularly sensitive material —and we may as well express our firm conviction that the present starting arrangements are doing more than anything else to injure the popularity of the Club. Of the other arrangements at Forbury it is nleasant to write in unqualified praise. Mr Sydney-James, whose term of service is longer than most of us care to recollect, seemed as energetic and capable as ever, and with his admirable staff of assistants had the business of tbe meeting well under control. The new totalisators, which are now 'better understood by visitors, worked satisfactorily, and one or two complaints which were circulated appear to have been without the slightest foundation. It was explained at the time these machines were introduced that the totals could not keep pace with all tbe investing machines, and it would be a waste of time to explain tbe system again; but all things considered, it is really surprising the_ innovation has not produced more serious mistakes. Altogether the Dunedin Jockey Club has scored a success of which its Committee and officers may be fairly proud. Many of the horses engaged were not of tbe highest class, but this was expected, aud it may be safely said that better contests have never been witnessed at Forbury. Class, too, was not altogether unrepresented, as one or two of the animals seen out during the meeting were of the very highest quality, and perhaps the smartest three-year-old now in New Zealand appropriated the weight-for-age events, while the overthrow of Pygmalion shows that some of the two-year-olds were of more than ordinary excellence. ... Beginning with tbe younger division, it would he unfair to dethrone Pygmalion from, the two-year-old championship at once. The colt was not quite at his best, and never had any liking for a confined course, but ho fairly extended Merrie England in tbe Railway Plate, and this will some day be counted as an uncommonly pood performance. Thackeray won the Champagne like a racehorse, making a great exhibition of the highly tried Freedom and the rest of his opponents, and if some pains had been taken with his early education he would now be regarded as the best of his year. The colt has an extraordinary turn of speed and pan

carry any amount of -weight, but bia manners are not of tb© best, anti be must receive a lot of careiul handling before he can be backed with any confidence. Freedom went down with a groat reputation, which he fully sustained. Banning up to Thackeray in the Champagne was in itself a creditable performance —better than winning the City Stakes —but his second to Merrie England in the Marshall Memorial was certainly his beat effort. He was turned out in capital condition, but did not, we thought, finish quite so determinedly as some of the others. Town Moor ran disappointingly, particularly on the third day, and we fancy he began to feel the rattling on the hard ground. Ho was not ridden very vigorously m the Hopeful Stakes, but there is no ground tor the suggestion that he was out in the interests of the ultimate winner. Tempest ran pretty well in the City Stakes Handicap on the second day, and would nearly have won the Hopeful Stakes on Saturday if she had got away with the front division, but she was “off,” and behaved very badly at the post. Emmason has not improved, and by his two failures lost the few friends he made at the Exhibition Meeting. Mariner, of whom great things were expected a little time ago, galloped in very slovenly fashion, and gives little promise of improvement. Of the other youngsters there is not much to be said, although we think Mr Dooley paid little enough for Moth, the winner of the Selling Two-year-old Face, who may develop into a very useful mare. ■ Merrie England stood head and shoulders above the other three-year-olds engaged at the meeting, and thoroughly confirmed the high opinion formed of hia ability justbefore the last New Zealand Cup. His preparation must have been more interrupted then we supposed, as he stripped very big and was evidently capable of a good deal of improvement. But a more beautiful mover or a gamer finisher never carried a saddle. The Cup was entirely at his mercy—he could have won by the length of a street—but perhaps his owners, considering his condition, were wise in reserving him for the shorter races. The colt’s victory in the Publicans’ Handicap was more meritorious than it appears on paper, as Derrett, probably riding to instructions, let hia field get almost away from him in the first half of the journey and had a tremendous lot of ground to make up from the top turn. There is no other horse in New Zealand at the present moment that could give Blizzard and Apres Moi such a start over three furlongs, and the experiment must have cost the colt a few pounds with the handicapper. He might, we think, have got ■ nearer Blizzard in the Jookey Club Handicap, possibly have won, but Derrett again seemed anxious to keep right away from his field during the first mile. The same afternoon the son of St George and Eupee managed to put down Pygmalion in the Bailway Plate, at weight-forl age, a feat which very nearly earned the Bjt 121 b he was asked to carry in the Forbury Handicap on the concluding day. He did not accept for the latter race, and so cleared the way for Occident, to whom he was to concede 21b, to win very easily, but if he had gone to the post he would certainly have started favourite. His success in the Marshall Memorial set the seal on hia fame, and it will be some time, we fear, before his owners again have a big handicap placed so entirely at their mercy. Blizzard is -scarcely within measurable distance of Merrie England, but condition and a light weight enabled him to secure the Jockey Club Handicap, and so take a high place among the winners at the meeting. He is at beat a very moderate animal, and with 15ib more on his back made a poor display in the Forbury. Handicap. Don Caesar is another animal that can only earn distinction in second-rate company, and Mr Alexander’s pair. Golden Hope and Investigator, are nothing very extraordinary. Bed Cross is a smart, useful filly by 6t George from Fair Nell (by Python from Alice Grey) that will win a good race for her owner before the season is over. Lady Bell and Miss Ann ran very consistently, and are worth remembering for future events. Among the older horses the pride of place most be assigned to the Cnp winner, although it by no means follows that St James was the best of a bad lot. Indeed wo have no hesitation in pronouncing St James one of the worst horses that ever won an important handicap in New Zealand. He was trained to the hour, and had the assistance of the most accomplished jockey the Colony has ever seen, and yet he only managed to squeeze home by a bare half head from a second rate horse giving Mm 211 b. There was very little merit in the performance, and we must esteem the Son George M'Lean remarkably lucky to have won his second Dunedin Cup with such an Inferior animal. Occident ran very disappointingly, until he got into the Forbury Handicap with a nice weight, and ran right away from a poor field. He certainly should have won the Cup, and much of the blame for hia failure in that event is thrown on M'Donald’s shoulders, but we begin to suspect that he is a horse that cannot stand pinching, and must either win easily or will not win at all. Lady Florin went to pieces after winning the Stewards’ Welter, and got worse every time she started. The mare is suffering like so many of the Muskets from bad feet, and the hard going was all against her being seen at her best.

Ixioa showed the way for rather more than a mile and a half in the Cup, but the pace for that part of the race was wretchedly slow, and we fancy the gelding will bo seen to much greater advantage over the hurdles, to which be is now being schooled. Wolverine has never recovered his three-year-old form, and ia at best a much over-rated horse, but M!iss George, who won the Flying Handieap, is a really nice mare, capable of better things. La Eose and Apres Moi were unfortunate, but Gipsy Prince proved that be can gallop when so inclined by winning the Suburban Welter and paying one of the big dividends that distinguished the meeting. There is nothing else among the flatracers that requires particular notice and a line or two about the jumpers must suffice. Waitangi reminded us all that be was able to go fast for a mile and a half by winning the first hurdle race, and when , the big dividend was announced it was really wonderful to learn the number of people that had intended to back Poole’s gelding. Torrent was only half prepared buj; ran consistently and well, and every lover of a good horse was delighted when he got home on the third day. Trimolite failed to sustain the good reputation he brought down from the country, but Cathedral at last managed to score for his plucky owner. Garabaldi did nob look so well as accounts of his work had led us to expect, and Eoyalty was outclassed. Of the sires represented at the meeting St George was the most successful, but Gorton, Leolinus and Apremont were all close up, and the following table will show the positions of the lot: —

Derrett, with four winning mounts, was the most fortunate jockey; Campbell came next with three successful rides, while White, Seccombe and Lardner each steered a couple of winners during the meeting, and Poole, Holmes, Huxtable, Walls, Burns, Kearney, Wisby, J. Kingan and T. Baddicombe wore each first past the post on one occasion. Our Ashburton correspondent writes: — Mr L. Markey, whose lease of Ketherby Farm expires has decided upon returning to Australia, and his stud will be sold off during the forthcoming Ashburton Autumn race meeting- Some highly

brectmares, witkfoals by Johnny Faulkner, and several yearlings aud two-year-olds by the same sire, besides a few horses m training, will be included in the cata--16 Beferring to an inquiry into the running of the New Zealander Audacity at CanPf field recently, " Augur” says : —“ It is generally believed that some of the recent arrivals from New Zealand are not the best the southern Colony could have sent us, and no doubt they require the most careful watching, but it is strange, indeed, that the visitors from the land of the Maori should be so often singled out, while some of our own perform even more daring deeds with impunity;” This is just what we pointed out a week or'two ago. Betrayed, by Betrayer—Nancy, won a Selling Baco of 50 sovs at the Tasmanian Kaciag Club’s Meeting on Feb. 12. The New Zealander was ridden by Leeson. The Newmarket correspondent of the London Sportsman, writing on Dec. 30 of the gallop between Mr White’s horse* Eirkham, Narellan, aud Plutarch, which was alluded to in a cable message some time ago, says;—"The usual humdrum state of affairs, so far as training i* concerned, received a pleasant check on Saturday, when news came to hand that Matthew Dawson had, in the presence of Mr Stevens, the fidus Achates of the Hon James White, stripped the Australian colts engaged in the Derby, and put them through their facings with the older horse from the Antipodes. Merely noticing ibaa a fast gallop, and ignorant of the allotted imposts, it is only necessary to chronicle the fact that the eldest of those tried (Plutarch) gained the best of the spin, and that Narellan, who had the services of the Australian jockey Bowes, finished in front of. Ms similarly-marked stable-companion Eirkham. The veteran trainer, who ha*, kept the colts moving in nice and uninterrupted work, would . doubtless ask them to do something smart in view of their exalted position in the turf market, but, in ignorance of the weights at which they were tried—and wMch is no business of mine—l need only record the fact that those who witnessed the gallop were favourably impressed with the resolute style in which the youngsters moved, although it was, to use a racing phrase, "Only a jump-off for speed,"the distance traversed being about sir furlongs up the snugly-sheltered Ditch trial grounds.” One of the most remarkable performers at the Dunedin Meeting remarkable, unfortunately, in more senses than one—was Thackeray, the winner of the Champagne Stakes. This colt was thrown out of work early in the spring, owing to a split hoof, and was only taken up some five or six weeks before going down to Forbury and showing a clean pair of heels to the' pick of our two-year-olds. This was truly a wonderful performance, and one backers will not easily forget. Odds had been laid on Pygmalion, and a short price taken about Freedom, but no one imagined the handsome son of Apremont and Becky Sharp would literally canter away from the pair, and there was more surprise than satisfaction when he did. WitfaPygmalion } in the field it is a bold thing to say that Thackeray is the best of Ms year, but if the latter, fit and well, could be got away on good terms with hia formidable rival,; our own support would be given to' Thackeray, and the struggle would he something to remember. Thackeray and Pygmalion are bred almost precisely on the same lines. They are both by Apremont from Traducer mares, and. while Nautilus, the dam of Pygmalion, has a' strong infusion of Pocohontas* blood through Mermaid and Eing Tom, Becky Sharp, the dam of Thackeray, has a similar strain from Peter Plat, who waa out of Glenara, a full sister to Glencoe,the sire of the famous stud matron. The remarkable part of Thackeray, which is unfortunate, is an excitable temperament,; He threw away at least one race at Dunedin by his vagaries at the post, and ninty-nine people out of a hundred put this down to temper. As a matter of fact he is just as good-tempered as most other nervous horses, and if a little more' rational care had been taken with hia.eariy education, he would now be standing ia the very front rank of winners of the sear. Considering that the present Lord Falmouth ia fond of the tnrf, and that he intends racing on a small scale, it is, say* Truth, a surprise to most peoplctlMrt he should have sold the MereworthStnd. . Hi* Lordship, though, is a business man. He recognises that when the foreigner* are coming over in scores to join in the contest for the possession of this grand selection of brood maresyit would, after all, be straining a point, perhaps, in the wrong direction, when withholding them from public competition. The excellence of Ms LordsMp’s judgment will he seen when Hie total of the sale realised 83,640 guineas.! The eight yearlings averaged79B| guineas the twenty brood mares, 998 guineas, and the dozen foals 445|- guineas. Lord Falmouth’s three blood stock saleek have: been some of the most sensational events in the history of the turf. Since writing in an earlier part of this issue of Mr Driver’s starting at the Forbury last week, we leam that the Dunedin Jockey Club has suspended Derrett, Sharp and Wisby, and fined several other jockeys for disobedience to the starter in the Consolation Handicap on Saturday. Derrett ia singled out for the-severestpenalty, suspension until May 1, and we are sure every one who saw the whole performance must agree with us that the Canterbury jockey has been most harshly treated. Derrett'waa riding La Bose in this particular race, and drew the inside position, bjit the mare seemed to be on her very best behaviour, and Derrett, so far as we could; see from a position close to the rails, never attempted to take any unfair ad vantage*)? the lads by whom he was opposed. the veteran jockey, when he found the whole field disorganised by Mr Driver’* feeble efforts to get them away, gave valuJ able assistance, both by precept and; example, in controlling the less experienced; riders. Of .coarse he did not stick length*' behind everything else—he probably knows! Mr Driver too wellforthat—but he was never over the mark, except when the chance* were in favour of the starter dropping hi* flag. In short, Derrett was always on the' alert, but did nothing to wMch a com-' petent starter could take exception,, and ft is shameful that a well-behaved man should, be singled out as a butt for the spleen or;* 1 weak and obstinate official. The suspen-', sion will have to be endorsed by other Metropolitan Clubs, which means a very serious loss to Derrett; but no one ao-j quainted with the circumstances will believe the punishment deserved. : Old Steel Grey, the best trotter England ever produced, died early in January at the residence of her owner, Mr Bichard Gold, Beech Lanes, near Birmingham, her record of 27mih 56£sec for ten miles still standing good.

Sire. Races Won. Stakes "Won St George 4 £ s. d. 688 10 0 Gorton... 3 633 IS 0 Beelines 1 494 0 0 Apremont ..., ... 3 411 15 0 Lapidisc 1 361 0 0 lie Loup 1 245 2 0 Cadogan 2 228 19 0 Captivator i 209 0 0 Musket. „ . M i 114 0 0 of Day Dawn ... X 90 5 0 Tataia 1 SO 5 0 Hotspur 2 76 0 0 1 St leger 4<5 15 U Burlington Perkin Warbeck — 28 10 0 — New Holland — 9 10 0 Bead Heat — 4 15 0