SPORTING NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 9430, 3 June 1891, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES.

[Br Castoe.]

Gipsy Prince is said to be hopelessly infirm.

When at the Egmont Steeplechase Meeting, Mr Harry Hayr purchased the jumper Karewa. The Spring Meeting of the Wellington Racing Club has been fixed for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21. Kapo, who ran in the last Wanganui Derby, has been nominated for the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase.

Dreadnought, who has resumed work, has been backed for the Melbourne Cup. Mr W. B. Wilson has purchased, from T. Hales, the brood mare. Gymkhana, who is in foal to Abercorn.

Gibraltar, who broke down in the Australian Cup, has returned to Neotsfield, where he will be used for stud purposes. The Calcutta Turf Club, for the season 1891-92, proposes to give 26,000 rupees to pony racing solely. Prince* Regent (1885) and Thomas Jefferson (1863), two American trotting sires of note, died last month.

A gelding by Sir Modred, named Discount, won a race at Guttenberg on April 1. Mr George Watson has just completed his thirty-ninth year as Master of the Melbourne Hounds.

Carbine and Megaphone are again in work, but are only doing gentle exercise at present. Mr H. Mace is having extensive stabling erected at New Brighton. The buildings will be completed in about a month, when all his trotters will be taken to the seaside.

It is reported that the mysterious Marvel, who enjoys the distinction of having beaten Carbine at weight-for-age over a mile, will be sent to England. Rewi ran third in the Selling Race at Epsom, on May 14, and two days later occupied a similar position in a like race at Wyndham. R. Ray, the veteran trainer, is a till in very indifferent health, and is confining hia professional attention to the trotting pony Parnell. The Irish division arc said to have won .£150,000 over Come Away’s victory in the Grand National,

At uie sale of racehorses in Melbourne, on May 11, Moss Hose realised 125 gs. Ben Bolt, the winner of the Caulfield Cup in 18S6, brought only 55gs. The Auckland hurdle-racer Yardman has changed hands, a patron of Williamson’s stable being the new owner. The price is said to have Deen 76gs. A Trotting Club is being formed at Green Island, Dunedin. Forty-five gentlemen have given in their names as members, and fifteen others have promised to subscribe should the Club take practical shape. .. The winner of the first premium offered by the Victoria Eacing Club for the best design for a Melbourne Cup trophy is Mr Thomas F. D. Carrington, the artist of the Australasian. By last mail news came of the death of Downpatrick, a horse that had gained renown as a steeplechase sire. In his day Downpatrick distinguished himself between the flags. Saraband, who had the misfortune to appear ia. fcbo-Baai.ee' year aoOKaoador,aas,

Minting, is regarded in England as oueo the coming sires. His youngsters have been particularly successful this season. Saraband’s list for 1892 is full at 150 gs. The well-known Traducer horse, Natator, who has been performing stud duties in the Waikato, has been purchased by Mr Eobert Boss, and will return to Wanganui. “ Trumpator ” remarks that Lady Eose, who was beaten a head for a two-year-old event in Adelaide the other day, and who is by Musk Eose from The West (dam of Occident), is a charming piece of horseflesh, with plenty of size. Titan is again in training at Quoenscliff. It is said he never looked better, and is as clean in the legs as could be desired.

No fewer than forty races have fallen to The Assyrian’s stock this season in Tasmania, and there can be no doubt tbo sensational Melbourne Cup winner will be at the head of the list of successful sires in that colony.

It turns out that Orator has been running as a five-year-old in Australia, and as the son of Premier nsd Gossip was foaled in 1884, he will probably have to run the gauntlet of a series of objections. At the Madras Sky Meeting one of the events was officially described as the Stiff ’uns Plate, a name which might, the Australasian suggests, be utilisedjin other racing centres. The Sporting Standard says Endings has been in great form lately, scoring a win at almost every attempt. Good Hope has got home five times out of seven during the past few weeks; and, again. Caesarean, who is a very disappointing horse, carried his colours to victory in the May Handicap at Elsternwiok Park. Flyaway, whose victory in the Portland Stakes at Leicester points to her being about as good as anything of her year on tho English turf, has few engagements as a two-year-old, but her liabilities next year include Derby, Oaks and Legerj The dispute between the backers of Patchwork, winner of the hurdle race at the Mandeville Meeting on St Patrick’s Day, and the Mandeville Jockey Club, has not yet been settled. The racing body proposed to submit the question to the Dunedin Jockey Club, and agreed to accept the decision when given with equanimity. The disappointed backers, however, while expressing themselves as anxious to obtain tbo Metropolitan Club’s opinion on the matter, were not prepared to accept the decision as final. The revival of sport in Invercargill has induced the Southland Eacing Club to cast about for a more suitable course than the one now used at Myross Bush, and negotiations have been entered into for the purchase of a block of land close to the town, and alongside the railway line to the Bluff.

Why Not made some amends for his display at Aintree by winning on Easter Monday the Lancashire Steeplechase, of 1000 bovs. Although carrying top weight (12at 71b) he went oat a hot favourite, jumped in faultless style, and won with ridiculous ease.

Writing of the Liverpool National " Cosmopolitan,” in the Melbourne Leader, says: Roquefort, full of racing, larked up the course a good fourth, apparently as fresh as when he started. Roquefort, who ought to he called Roguefort, won a steeplechase at Windsor a week earlier. He ran out and lost lots of ground and then won. He could have won this National by a furlong if he had liked to try. The two well-known horsemen, Hickey and Fell, are qualifying horses with the Rangitikei hounds, to enable them to run at Hunt Club gatherings. The horses are Ival and Owhowako.

“ Augur,” who seems to be on a fair way to complete recovery from his recent illness, writing to the Australasian in reference to the annual race meeting of the Melbourne Hunt Club, says The chief reason I am sorry that I could not attend is that the meeting was, in the matter of palpable roping and reversal of form, the most unique ever held in Australia. And not a sign mads nor a word said by the stewards. Bah! No wonder some people are so anxious to dispense with the stipendiary steward. It doesn't suit their book to have tho doings of their horses too closely watched. If the office of stipendiary steward is abolished some member of the Y.E.C., at the next general meeting, should ask for the names of the members of Committee who voted for ts abolition. We take this from the London Sportsman t —Mr “ Joe ” Thompson, of Australia, the bookmaker, who went over to San Francisco from England a few months ago to build a race track, has at last found a spot. He is, however, willing to confess that speculating with the simple California folk for land is perhaps the toughest book he ever essayed to make. In his own quaint way he says“ Wherever I wanted land the prices climbed up mountain high without a moment’s notice. Wherever I did not want it it was to be given away. Now take my Colma experience for instance. I selected one hundred and seventy acres down there to boild the track on. Land was cheap until I did that. It was a transverse section owned by several people. One man wanted 1200dol an acre, another wanted 1150dol, and so I split the difference and offered them lOOOdol an acre. They agreed on this, but just as I was going to clinch the bargain, as you people say, an old lady, who owned about ten or twenty acres in the centre, suddenly sprang up and refused to take lees than 2000dol an acre. This nearly ran me wild, and I was about to give up in despair. But you can rest assured of one thing, I came here prepared to build a track, and I am not going away until Ido it.” The Spring Valley Company have offered to give Mr Thompson a seventeen years’ lease on as much of their property as he might require, with the provision that the Southern Pacific Company would agree to build a railroad track to the proposed site, for the purpose of conveying passengers. The terms of the land lease were made nominal in the face of the large sum of money agreed by Mr Thompson to be spent on improvements.