SPORTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5394, 1 March 1879, Page 6

SPORTING.

| HENDERSON'S MILL RACES. The rain spoilt the pleasure at the Henderb son's Mill races, otherwise it would have r been a very pleasant meeting. The arrangements may be improved upon another year, as they were not quite up to the mark, .kjlsa, who appears to have regaiued some of ' her old form, won the Cup easily, and she will be worth watching lor future engagements, as wheu tit auil well she is a good 1 mare. The Don, who for once took it into 5 hia head to jump straight, had no difficulty I in landing the Hurdle Race. Now that he has once taken to jumping, he will mobt likely place several more hurdle races to his owner's credit, if properly managed, aa he is just the cut of a jumper. AUSTRALIAN RACING SUMMARY. The depression of the times in Australia, and the chances of obtainiug good tboroughr bred stock for little 'money, is again illusr traced by the sale of Mr. Wilson's yearlings i at St. Alban's. Last year ths average for t tive yearliugs was lUUO guiueas. Ac the b late sale the five jearliugs averaged only 3315 I guinea*, though they are said to be egual, if t not superior, to auy former ones. It will be j seen by the following list that they were . some of the best-bred ones in Australia, and i come from running families : —Bay filly (own 0 sister to South Hamilton) by King of the 1 Ring, out of Musidora (Mr. Branch), 420 r guineas ; bay fidy by King of the Riug, out v ot Sea Spray (Mr. Wiggins-), 425 guiueas ; c bay filly, by Kiug of the Riug, out of Miss f Jessie (Mr. McEvoy), 400 guineas ; chesnut . filly by King of the Riug, out of Eleanor e (Mr. Howie), 210 guineas; bay fiily by King - of the Kiug, out of Rescue (Mr. Howie), 210 i guineas ; brown colt by King of the Ring, a out ot Repartee (Mr. Branch), 350 guineas : e total, 2015 guineas. e The Geelong aunual meeting was held on d January 30tn and February Ist. It was a s successful meetiug, though the attendance d Was not as as usual. Lord Harry, who d has proved himself a first-class horse over hurdles, astonished everyone by winning the Gold Cup and Geelong Handicap, thus again proving th*t hurdle-racing does not impair a horse's speed for the tilt. Some years ago people thought that jumping spoilt a horse for ilat-raeing, but Coamopolite aud Hesper dispelled that idea iu the ' old country, and Lord Harry and Sussex r have done the same iu Australia. While there are comparatively so few horses in training in this colony, it is a pity not to a see more of them, start for hurdle-races, aa it is always an attractive feature in tbe proI gramme for the public. His Grace, who is ' own brother to His Lordship, won the n hires' Produce Stakes by a head, after a p alashiug race with Petrea. His Grace is described by " "as built ou a different scale from Mr. De Mestre's • waster,' beiug j more compact, with great d<-pth of girth, j and shorter on the leg; moreover, he ran like a real game one, and answered Yeoq uian's desperate calls at every stride." The following is a summary of the principal e races : — 0 Geelong Gold Cur, value 100 guineas, wiih 2oosovs. aud a sweepstake of lusovs, each added. 2 miles. Mr. M. Loughlin's b g Lord Harry, by Angler 1 out of Fair Nell, 7st. Olba 1 1 Mr. C. James's br g Tom Kirk, aged, Tsfc. r 91bs 2 , Mr. A. Sacnui's b h Aconite, syrd., 7st. f 131bs 3 0 Columbus (Sit.), Savanaka (7at. lllbs.), ■ Aldinga (7st. 101b j .), Covi-ntry (Gsl, 21bs.), 1 and Sussex (7st. Stbs.) also ran. Betting: 5 s to 2 against Aconite, 5 to 1 each against 1 Lord Harry and Tom Kirk, 6 to 1 against k Savaualca. The fljg fell to a good start. » After going a hundred yards, Columbus B went to the front and made the running till withiu five furlongs of home, when they I were all in a bunch. On rouuding the turn t T for home Lord Harry rushed to the front, - aud couiing away, won in a common canter • by two lengths ; a head between second and 3 third. Time, 3miu. 3Ssec. " r Sires' Produce Stakes, of lOiovs. each, 3 h. ft., wilh 410aovs. added; for 2-year-olds. Colts, Sst. lOlbs; fillies, Sat. 71bs. > 7 lurlongß. I Mr. CoweU's b c His Grace, Sat. lOlbs. ... 1 Mr. Power's b f Petrea, Sst. 71b3. ... ... 2 j Mr. Chirnside's b f Queen Bee, Sst. 71bs. ... 3 ; Hooton (Sst. lOlbs.) and Microscope (Sst. 71bs.) also ran. Hettin# : Even against r fetrea, 5 to 2 against Queen Bee, 4 to 1 ■ against His Grace. Microscope was quickest • on her h'gs, but Queen Bee was rushed ; through her horses, and led into the straight, • where His Grace and Petrea joined her, and, ) after a slashing race, His Grace wun by a short head, three lengths between second and third. Time, lmin. 35sec. Mares' Produce Stakes of lOsovs. each, 1 with 150suvs. added; for three-year-olds. Cults, Sat. lOlbs. ; fillie3, Sst. 71bs. H miles. , Mr. Drewitt's b f Nerissa, Sst. 71bs 1 Mr. Paterson's ch c Warloch, Sst. lOlbs. ... 2 Batting : 2 to 1 on Warloch. Nerissa made the running at a alow pace for three furlongs, when Warloch weut to the front, and led to the end ofthe rails, when Nerissa challenged, and, aft f ir a rattling set-to, won by a short half-head. Time, 3min. Geelong Handicap of lOsovs. eacb, with * loOsovs. added. H miles. Mr. ftr. Loughlin's b gLord Harry, aged, 7st. 71bs x Mr. Chirnside's b c Zambesi, 3yrs., 91b?. 2 Mr. Johnson-Boe's ch h Columbus, Ovrs., Sst. 41bs ... 3 Sussex (Tat. lOlba.), Glengarry (Gst. Slbs.), aud Prattle (icst. 7H>a.) also rail. Betting : 0 to 4 on Lord Harry, 5 to 1 against Columbus, 10 to 1 each Zambesi aud Uleugarry. Zambesi made the mailing, with Lord Harry seeoud, till enteriug the straight, whea the latter drew to the front and won iu a canter by a length and a-half, six lengths between second aud third. Time, 2min. 40^seca. Lord Harry has proved himself an undeniably good and that his winning the two rac.a at Geelong was uo fluke, as with 7at. LSlbs. he won the Hobart Town Gap, by four lengths, from Torn Kirk, S'.viveller, aud five others, in 3min. lOJiecs. He also won the Alexandra Plate by half-a-head from Swiveller, carrying Sat. (ilb3., in the fast time of 2min. 43aeea. AMERICAN TRAINING NOTES. The following excracts from Mr. Littlefield's letier to the New York Sjiirit of the. Times may be useful to some of the trainers m this colony. Mr. Littletield was three yearg trainer to Mr. San ford in England, and was fairly successful on the English turf. Mr. Sanford has now decided to put his horaes under the care of W. Arntill, the English trainer, so Mr. Littlefield has returned to America, and started public training on his own account. "The system of training in the two countries is much the same. There is l'*B3 scraping done in England than in America. They train under very light clothing, and sweat the horses as little as possible. The exercise will generate perspiration ; but it is rately scraped off, as it is done in America. Mr. Mathew Dawson had only one horse that he worked under heavy clothing—Skylark, a gross animal, and he could not l e brought to form without sweating freely. Mr. Hayhoc uses more clothing thau any trainer I saw in England, but sciapera, such as used in America, are seldom seen on the training-grounds iu England j nor do they carry out buckets of water to cool their horses after exercise. I found this a useless habit, and decidedly troublesome, particularly in England, where the training-grounrta are uot circular." He also says, "It is my intention to plough up all my gallops and lay them down in grass, and fallow the English pUn of training on turf ■ aud there they seldom, if ever, use a tan or plough gallop unless with a badlegged horse, aud from my experience I am now satisfied that it makes them slow." He then adds with regard to jockeys, " There is no comparison; men rido in England, and they cau manage their horses, and, when a doubtful case arises, generally they have the judgment to meet the crisis, and if any advantages are to bo had, they avail themselves of it. We have much to accomplish in ; America in this particular before we will be equal to the English. Training in England i is much more pleasant to the horse than in 1 America. You select your ground to day, aud exercise your horse over it. When you take him out again you carry him to a new place, and breeze him over a new territory, and the scenery never becomes monotonous " and patieuce-tryiug, as our tracks must be to <: a horse, who runs over them day after day, with the same scencry before him, not a thing to break the continued monotony through a long course of hard labour and J severe training." Brown Prince, he sayp, was s a good colt, but unfortunate. After running second to Cliamant for the Two Thousand,and beating Sdvio, he thouglithehadagreat chance for the Derby, aa Chamant had gone amiss and Brown Prince had trained on ; but when he stripped him iu the saddling paddock at 1 Epsom all hope was gone, as his hair shewed C

that he was amiss, it seemed that hia j whole coat was turned towards hJB head. On returning to his stable he coughed the ; whole way and was amiss for a long time afterwards, and therefore it was impossible „ to get him fit for the St. Leger. This was the best horse that Mr. San ford took over, as his others were either inferior or turned roarers from the change of climate. Many trainers in this colony may take a hint from Mr. Littlefield's experience in Englaod, ad I am quite sure thas less sweating and not so much work on the ploughed gallops would be highly beneficial to many of the horses John Scott, after many years' experience gave up his p?oughed gallops at Pigburn, be found it made his horses slow. Bob Ray the clevere&t trainer in this colony, never* works his horses on the plough if he can possibly avoid it. ENGLISH NOTES. Lord Falmouth again heads the list of winners with the magnificent total of £37,569, which is an average of over £1000 for each race in which the bearers of black, i white, and red have been successful. Mr. * W. S. Crawfurd is second, with less than . half the amount. It is a great satisfaction ; to see a man like Lord Falmouth head the ► list for the second year in succession with ; such a large sum. Me breeds all bis °^ n » horses, and runs them for the honour of the I thing, as he never bets. It will be seen by l the following list that the seven largest » winners are geutlemen who bet very little, j The following are the ten principal winb ners :— No. of Amount > Races won. w-n. 3 LorJ FalmOatb .. .. 36 £37 519 t Mr. \V. S. Crawford .. 27 17.217* p Lord Lonsdale .. .. 21 14.520 Duke of Hamilton .. 31 1«\647 3 Count F. de Lagrange .. ts4 10.072 Mr. F. Gretton .. .. 37 U,S4t Mr. J. H. Houldaworth 5 8.0 7 \ Mr. R. .. .. IS Duke of Westminster .. 15 5,524 Captain Macbell.. .. S3 5,451 1 The following list shews the amounts won * by the three tirdt horses of different ages, and e it will be seen that Lord Falmouth heads 3 the list as usual in the two and three-year-olds :— * AGED HOKSES. 3 Won. Lost. Amount, t Pageant, by E«land .. ..3 2 £2,003 e Ec-issais, by Blair Atliol .. ..7 35 1,309 y Templar, by Adventurer.. ». 5 15 S9O ! SIX-YEAtt-OLDS. e Trappisfc. by Hermit .. ..6 5 2,56* Telescope, by Speculum .. .. 9 11 l,t>S9 s Hampton, by Lord Clifden ..4 5 1,5ti0 6 FIVE-YEAR-OLDS, u Kaleidoscope, by Speculum .. 8 4 . 4,025 o Lollypop. by Souvenir .. .. 5 6 U,542 Julius Ccusir, by St Albans .. S 12 2,(552 FOUR-YEAR-OLDS. VerneuU, by Mortimer* .. .. 3 7 2,630 9 Bclphccba, by Toxophoiite .. 4 C 2,427 e Avontc3 f by Disfc'a .. ..3 3 2,231 a THREE YEAR-OLDS. Jaanette, by Lord Clifden .. 8 2 16.236 '* Pilgrimage, by Karl or Palmer.. 2 1 9.150; Seftou, by Speculum .. ..3 4 7,510 g TWO-YEAR-OLDS. i, Wheel of Fortune, by A<lvenu tarer 0 0 7.6G5J Peter, by Hermit .. .. ..3 1 s.lt>« Kupurra. by Adventurer.. ..2 2 2 933 e -Gold Vase, at Ascot. In answer to several persons who have asked me, the following are the wiuaers of £200 aud over, got by Musket: — Muscatel, i, 4yrs.; Rifle, 4yra.; Son3ie Queen, 3yrs.; and Ringleader 11. The other four have only won stakes uuder £200, and arc, therefore, not quoted. Lord Liscelles has leased the best of the 2 yearlings from the Chamant stud, and they will be trained by Mathsw Dawson at Now--3 market, much to Tom Jennings's dis4ust, who has generally had them, M. Lefevre \ also intends running a good many horses 5 this year in his so Count F, t De Lagrauge's stable wilt not be so strong t as usual. Old Turfite.