THE CANTERBURY CHAMPION RACE.

New Zealander, Volume XXI, Issue 2265, 3 November 1864, Page 4

THE CANTERBURY CHAMPION RACE.

[From our Special Reporter.] The last mail from the Southward brings us a portion of the entrances for this event, fixed to take place on the 7th January next. At the time the mail left there had been no entrances received either from Melbourne, Nelson, or Auckland, and I know that from Nelson there may be at least two expected, whilst the Province of Marlborough will most assuredly furnish one, and a right good one too in '"Otto," the property of Mr. C. Redwood. Judging frcm what " Tomboy" says in his town talk, published in HeWs Life in Victoria of the 17th ultimo, it is very improbable,that that colony will furnish any representatives, Tomboy giving as his reason for this statement the fact of their being other and good stakes to run for at home, to say nothing of the Launceston Champion Race of 500 sovs. to take place on the 14th of February next. The distance, he also remarks, is somewhat far for Australian horses to travel unless under particular circumstances, such as there being nothing for them to do at home, an opinion in which I thoroughly coincide. The Lyttelton Times thinks otherwise and remarks that they have heard from no mean authority that it is in contemplation to send down "Mormon" to have a shye for this stake. This I think to be most unlikely. "Mormon" has already paid us one visit for the Otago Champion Race and without success, and from what 1 happen to know of his owner and stable, thorough sportsman as they are, they possess far too much knowledge of the turf to put in an appearance a second time without every reasonable prospect of success. It must be remembered that on the occasiou of the Otago Champion Race " Lady Bird " was at that time comparatively an unknown mare as regards public perfomances, for although when in condition she had done all that the sporting owner had asked her to do yet the company she had met and defeated, had been exclusively confined to New Zealand, out of which colon}' she had never travelled, whilst the class of horses she had met at home could hardly, in most instances, be considered as belonging to the A 1 division. Therefore, in paying us a visit, " Mormon's" stable had some reason for doing so, whilst the fact of their favorite not happening to be successful in pulling off the stake, showed no error of judgment on their part. On this occasion, however, matters present a very different appearance. "Lady Bird" is known, as likewise is " Otto," her victor on several occasions last year. Fourteen embrace the number of entrances that have at present come to hand, the only stranger among which appears in Mr. Tower'* b. g. " Tarragon," hailing from New South Wales. " Tarragon "by " New Warrior " out of" Ludia," holds the proud position of being the generally admitted three-mile champion of that colony, and I well remember once hearing Johnny Higgerson emphatically remark on alighting from his saddle in the weighing yard of the Randwick Race Course after having most successfully defeated a good field for a three-mile event that he was undeniably the best three-mile horse in the colony, if not the best that he had ever crossed in his life. This was some two years ago, when " Tarragon." was only a four-j'ear-old, and, judging from his performances since that time, he appears not to have lost much of his old form of running. Should " Tarragon " arrive in this colony, as he probably will do, in good time, under charge of Johnny Higgerson, and come fit to the starting post, depend upon it that those who may be fortunate enough to be present will witness one of the best contested races for the Canterbury champion- race that have ever taken place in New Zealand. If any one but her old owner can get "Lady Bird" fit, depend upon it her new owners are the men to do it, as exemplified in the way they brought out the " Golden Cloud" last year. The same little mare, lam somewhat afraid, got rather an overdose of running last year; or else, good as " Otto" undoubtedly is, he would not have had it quite so much his own way at the Nelson meeting. The rest; however, that she. has --bad will, it is to be hoped, get her well round again, so as to enable her shipping on the eventful day quite as good a mare as she did on the occasion of the Otago Champion Race. In additition to the little mare, Mr. Lance, we ptrceive nominates "Golden Cloud " and two others, so that he evidently intends to do his full share towards endeavouring to keep the stake in the Province. Mr. C. Redwood's nomination " Otto," which had not yet come to hand when Jthe mail left, will certainly form one of the chief attractions among the entrances, his principal fame being, as I before mentioned derived from the fact of his having defeated " Lady Bird " at the Nelson meeting last year, on every occasion that he met her, and also from the fact of his having repeated that performance the previous year likewise on every occasion but one for the Forced Handicap, when she certainly had a considerable pull of weight in her favour. To the casual observer or to those unacquainted with the circumstances under which the mare was defeated, it would at once appear feasible to suppose that " Otto " must be undeniably the better horse of the two. I think, however, lamin a position from personal observation to throw of some a light on this subject. To commence with last year, I account for the easj r defeat of the mare, in the following manner. She was then being actively prepared by her owner, Mr. Redwood, for the Otago Champion Race meeting to take place some two months subsequent to the Nelson meeting, and, therefore, she could not be supposed to be in any condition at that time to show any very practical indication of her quality. In fact, the events the mare contested were nothing more than trial gallops to her, and the more she ran'the better she got, as any horse in good health and short of work naturally would do. "Otto," I may remark, was in splendid condition, and never ran better in his life, notwithstanding which, however, although he unquestionably defeated the mare whenever he met her at equal weights did not do so without having to gallop for it, the mare running better every time she met him. From Nelson, the mare proceeded to Canterbury where she put in an appearance for several events at that meeting, being bowled over once for a two-mile event by "Golden Cloud." When the Champion Race day, however, came on, she was found just as she should be, and practically exemplified the oft-repeated fact that her owner is emphatically the best trainer in New Zealand, and always knows what he is about. During the early part of the present year, Lady Bird not only went through an immense amount of running, but also a great deal of shifting about. First of all, she came up to Auckland and defeated everything before her, thence she went to Canterbury, where she again got defeated by her old opponent " Golden Cloud " for the two mile event after a slashing race ; a victory, however, that he was in no way able to repeat the following day when the mare just did as she liked with him. She was again travelled by water up to Nelson, and being naturally very stale and considerably knocked about by her repeated sea trips was unable to shew forward with a fresh horse, and a right good one, such as " Otto " presented. This I believe to be the main reason of the easy defeat of the mare, but whether or not, " Otto" will still prove herself to be the better horse, will, I think, be pretty plainly exemplified, always supposing them both to come to the post tit at the Canterbury Champion Race.

What may be his owner's intention relative to starting "Golden Cloud" for this event, it is of coarse at present quite a matter of supposition. There is nothing like haying two strings to a bow. Something might go amiss with, either of them, and in either instance there would be a thorough good substitute left in the other. Then, again, the way " Golden Cloud" can race for two miles is something to ba remembered and he may be meant to make the running for the mare which, should he do, will very speedily make a Spread Eagle of some of the field, whereas, if they once let him away, there will bs a reasonable prospect of another " Flying Buck" hunt, and never being able to get on turns with him again. Of the other entrances there is little or nothing known most of them belong to the juvenile division, on« or two of them have, I believe, run before, but without constituting for themselves any very great celebrity. Outsider.