SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5490, 21 June 1879, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES.

The Cbristchurch committee have issued their programme for tho Metropolitan meeting, to be hold in November next. It must be considered a most liberal one, and tho alterations made from last year cannot fail to be beneficial. The wordings of some of the conditions might have been made a little more explicit for the benefit of the uninitiated, but a racing man ought to be cognisant of all the ins and outs connected with the turf. Instituting a race for two-year.olds at the commencement of the season is a step in the right direction, as it will bring forward a number of young one's, and save the. repetition of seeing the same horses running over and over again, which generally was the case at meeting* in New Zealand. The committee have also acted wisely in having a secoHd race open for two-year-olds, so they have two chances of paying their expenses. It is to be hoped that now the Chnstchurch Jockey Club have introduced two-year-old races into their programme, that other clubs will follow it up, and enable owners to their yenng ones in training all the season, as from the number at present in work, good fields may be expected, and provide bttter sport for the public. j The first day's racing commences with the Free Handicap, of lOOsovs. Then comes the Derby, which this year has 25030V3. added for the first time. The C.J.C. Handicap is as usual, with oOOsovs. added. Then comes the Welcome Stakes, a sweepstake of ISsovs., with 200sovs. added, for two-year olds; colt 3, Sit. 51bs ; fillies, Bst., 4 forlorn*. Toe Railway Plate, of lOOsovs., weight for age, for two-year-olds and upwards, 4 furlongs, is put the first race for the second dny. The Maideu Plate is done away with. The Canterbury Cup, of oOOsovs., added to a sweepstake of 20sova , remains as last year. The Spring Handicap Steeplechase is reduced to IGOsovs. ; taking into consideration thM; the course is none of tho best, and tho fields generally small, this is not to be regretted. The Tradesman's Handicap, of lOOsovs .added to a sweepstake of oOOsovs., and a Selling Hack Race, complete tho second day's racing. The Christchurch Plate, of ISOsovs., commences tho third day's sport; then comes tho Publican's Steeplechase Handicap, of 75aovs. ; the Metropolitan Handicap, of lOOsovs. ; a Selling Race, of SOsovs.; and the Consolation Handicap of SOsovs.. comphtes the programme. The Flyinjj Handicap, which was instituted for the first time last year, has been done away with altogether. The Canterbury Derby, ISSI. A sweepstakes of 20iovs. each, with 250sovs. added, for three-year-olds. Colts, Sst. lOlbs., and fillies, Sst. 51bs. One mile and a-half. The Welcome Stakes, 18S0 A sweepstakes of ISaovs. each, with 200sovs. added, for two-year-olds. Colts, Sst. 51bs ; fillies, Sst. ; four furlongs. Close on Monday, 17th November, 1579.

The committee of the Christohuroh Jockey Club would do well to consider the advisability of not closing these stakes before the Autumn Meeting, &% by so doing, they would give purchasers of s'earlings a chance of entering, which now they are debarred froin doing, as the stakes close before the annual sales of yearlings in different parts of the Australian colonies; therefore, breeders are the only ones who can enter. Looking back at the late yearling sale in Sydney, no less than a dozen yearlings were bought and imported to New Zealand. A moiety, at least, of them would have entered for the Christchurch Derby if it had not been closed, and the same may occur again next year. In England, the Jockey Clnb are considering the advisability of altering the date of entry for the Derby, Oaks, and St. Leger, from the second Tuesday in July to the first Tuesday after the Houghton meeting at Newmarket, bo as to come after the sales, thusrelieving breeders from the responsibility of the forfeits. There are many breeders in New Zealand who do not race themselves that would either not care about entering their yearlings, not knowing at that early stason of the year how they would turn out, or else, taking no interest in racing, overlook the date of entry. It would, therefore, be much more preferable to let the purchasers have the option of entering them for their different engagements. Mousetrap, who made such a name for himself down South, does not appear to have been doing much since he went to Tasmania. He must have either fallen all to pieces, or they do not understand how to train him, as Tallyrand, who was not only giving him lOlbs., but fell during the race, beat him easily. In referring to the Australasian, it appears that the mysterious horse Lone Hand never left Victoria, some hitch having occurred with regard to his purchase. Mr. Clebborn, of Sydney, announces some first-class stallions for sale, including Agamemnon, by Young Melbourne, out of Ariadne by Newminster, whose blood caunot be excelled ; the Drummer, by Uataplan out of My Niece by Cowl (Drummer was a good performer in the old country, and i 8 the sire of Baroness and The Pontiff); Wilberford by Oxford (son of Irißh Birdcatcher) out of Corsica by Newminster; Cap-a-pie, a magnificent son of Maribyrnong out of Miss Magus, and Phosphorus by Kelpie out of Calliope, a well-bred horse. Either of these horses would be an acquisition to this Golony, so intending purchasers would do well to keep them in mind. The Town and Country says the crucial test of the legality of the totalisator, and a queer decision arrived at by the Bench of Magistrates, before whom the question as to its being a common nuisance under Terry's Act for the suppression of betting houses, has been argued, and they decided to commit Franck to take his trial for being the keeper of a common nuisance under the Act Messrs. H. H. Brown and Jeanneret were the magistrates, the former being for an acquittal, and the latter for a commital. The totalisator has now become a matter for the legal profession to deal with, and no doubt it will cause a considerable outlay for cuati, for if Mr. Franck is found guilty by a jury of keeping a common nuisance, be assuredly will appeal, aud moat probably the Privy Council will have to decide the matter. The Melbourne Cup closed with 122 entries, made up as follows : —Victoria, 68 ; New South Wales, 39 ; Adelaide, 12 ; and New Zealand, 3. They include most of the well-known horses—First King, Roodce, His Lordship, Vulcan and Calamia (last year's winner), being the most prominent names missing. First King's name appears in the list of entries for the Champion Race and the Metropolitan, so it appears that Mr. Wilson has some hopes of bringing him to the post again, so it may be that he does not like running the risk of his favourite being beaten in a big handicap like the Melbourne Cup, that his name is omitted. Koodee, Vulcan, and His Lordship are missing from all the stakes that closed on June 2, so it must be supposed they have gone wrong. Calamia has only been entered for the Metropolitan. Of the elder horses entered in the Cup, Chester is, without doubt, the premier, and will head the list when the weights appear. Savanaka, Newminster, Le Loup, Swiveller, Richmond, and the two New Zealand horses —Templeton and Fishhook—are about the best of the remainder. The four-year-old division contains the names of most of the cracks, including Wellington, Warlock and Bosworth. The three-year-olds predominate, .and nearly all the best two-year-olds of last season are entered, including Petrea, His Grace, Averus, South Hamilton, Nellie, and The Czar. ; The be anxiously looked forward until they appear little will be done "on (Su^race.

The Champion Race closed with 45 entries, of which three-year-olds predominate, —the old horses being represented by First King, Chester, Savanaka, and Le Loup, and Wellington being the boßt of the four-year-olds.

The Metropolitan, at the A.J.C., Spring Meeting, has the splendid entry of 80, against 58 of last year. This is, no doubt, caused by tho committee reducing the first forfeit from 2sovs. to lsov. The following are the entries : —Lord Burleigh, Maccaroni (br m, by Barbarian, out of Wild Wave), Gamester, Blantyre, Hubert, Satirist, Chorister, Queensland, Moonbeam, Adventurer, Mabel, Calamia, Sunbau, Saunterer, Norman, Whalebone, Whisktr, Valetta, Black Swan, Woolstone, Jasper, The Dean, Ginger, Falmouth, Baronet, Colima, Gipsy Cooper, Lightning, Royal Oak, Secundum, Falcon, Woodlands, Sunßet, Sydney Gillard, Middlesex, Jack-o'-Lantern, Andover, Sweetmeat, Free Lance, Ito, Sunshine, Judex, Bedouin, Roseberry, Araluen, Braidwood, Victory, K.C.8., Strathcarn, Tho Arab, Oourtenoy, Chester, Democrat, Martindale, Soothsayer, Drum Major, Nellie, Caller-ou, Burwood, Kinsman, Belladrum, Haricot, Nerissa, Riverton, South Hamilton, Tocal, Emerald, Tom Kirk, Wellington, Faublaß, His Grace, Avernus, Pioneer, Mercury, Diomed, Columbus, Waxy, First King Caspian, and Sunnyside. ' The Hawkesbury Grand Handicap oloaed with 60 entries, including Templeton and Fishhook, who are omitted from the Metropolitan.

The following account of the totalisator written by *'Match'em," in Queensland'

and its success at the late meetings, may be interesting ; as, if it is legal, it will be a great benefit to many who Oi.ly invest small sums, as they obtain much better odds than they could from the betting men, and no fear of making bad debts:—"The totalißator, at the late meeting, must have done a lucrative business. I would suggeet to racing clubs that they should either sell by anction the right of having a • betting machine' in the paddock, or else work it themselves ; in which case, I feel confident, that they would find it a good source of revenue. The latter method is extensively adopted at Chantilly, Paris and other race meetings on the Continent, where the commission charged is 3£ per cent. The advantage of a totaliaator is to a man who bets in a small way, and the odds ho gets are greater than those obtained elsewhere ; but the man who wishes to plunge must do it in the ring, for the sake of country readers that may not understand the bete noir of the book-makers, I may as wall ex plain the operation. The totalisatoris a large black-board, with sufficient numbers printed on it that there may be one for each horse in every race. A man wishing to back a horse buys" one or more tickets (the price in Brisbane was 10s a-piece) bearing a number corresponding with the number on the card of the. horse fancied. The numbers of tickets taken on each horse is notified underneath the numbers of each horse. When the race is over the whole pool is divided amongst the tickets bearing the winning number, less 10 per cent, commission. The oilds obtained are often tremendous ; for instance, suppose there to be £100 in the pool and one horse has not been backed at all, by an outlay of 10j the pool is cleared at the odds of 180 to 1. It will be seen by this no further advantage would be gained by putting £10 instead of 10s on the fancied outsider. WONDERFUL lUFLR SHOOTING BST THE AMERICAN CHAMPION. Doctor Carver, the celebrated American rifle-shot, has been creatly distinguishing himself before the Prince of Wales at Sand ringham, and other places in England. Dr. <'arver'a performances consist of breaking glass balls thrown into the air, with a rifle, also hitting sin ill coins, &c. With the exception of the running-deer at Wimbledon, the shooting at a moving object arith a rifle is a thiug unknown. A few crack gameshots, by dint of enormous practice, have succeeded in so educating the hand to obey the eye that, with a shot-gun which gives a killing circle of 30 injhes, they will hit a moving object nineteen times out of twenty. What, then, will be thought of a man, using a rifle a* a shot-yun, and consequently reducing his killing circle to the size of a bullet, who, without adjusting the sight*, but simply by marvellous obedience of the hand to the eye, hitting a moving object eighteen out of twenty times ! Dr. Carver was born at Saratoga Springs, New York, in the year 1840. Knur years later his parents removed to the far Western States. Shortly after, the settlement was attacked by ludians, who murdered Mrs. Carver and her daughter, and carried into captivity the boy. He remained some twelve years with his captors, living the free, wild life of the plains. The boy developed into a man of exceptional physique, stauding about G feet 2 inches, but his proportions are so admirable that he docs not look his height. His education as a shot began with the bow and arrow, with which weapon he attained great skill. When he became possessed of a rifle, his extraordinary "gifts" began to develope, and having escaped from the Indians, he, for many years, led the life of a trapper, lie shoots with the left arm fully extended, and with both eyes open ; he uses a Winchester repeating rifle of the 1873 model—calibre, 44; weight, 9Jlbs.; octagon barrel ; length, 2S inches ; opeu clover-leaf sights; loading sixteen central-fire cartridges; charged with 40 graius of powder and 200 grains of lead, 'lhe length of the stock is llg iuches from the trigger to the bottom of tho heel-plate, and 13£ inchea from the hammer to the top of the heel-plate ; and the bend of tho stock is equal to 2| inches from the top of the heel-plate to an imaginary Hue projected from the barrel. The heel-plate itself is much hollowed out, so as to give the shoulder a firm grip of the rifle. To those who have not seen a Winchester rifle, the following discription may be useful: —The Winchester is a "magazine rifle," the magazine consisting of a false barrel underneath the true barrel. The cartridges are inserted through a slit at the side of tho breach, and shoved up the false barrel, which holds 16 cartridges. After being fired the trigger-guard acts as a lever, and when thrown forward ejects the empty cartridge-case, cock 3 the gun, and places another cartridge in position. On Easter Monday, Dr. Carver gave a performance at the Crystal Palace. His Bret performance was firing 10 shots in 20secs , the whole of the 10 bullets being in a four-inch circle ; (2) he broke with a single bullet, a glass ball swinging at the of a Btring ; (3) placing his rifle upside down on the top of his head, he smashed a glass ball on the ground; (4) another glass ball ho smashed holding his rifle sideway ; (5) he broke a glass ball with his back towards it, sighting his rifle by means of a looking glass; (6) holding his rifle on the hip, he broke another ball placed on the ground; (7) at balls thrown across him ho smashed half of them, also those thrown at his head, his negro servant throwing the balls. He also performed many other wonderful feats.

On Eastor Tuesday, Dr. Carver went to Sandringham, and gave a performance before the Prince of Wales, and a numerous assembly of distinguished personages. The Prince of Wales kept the scores, and most extraordinary results were obtained. For instance, when trying to break with rifle bullets 75 out of a 100 balls thrown into the air, he made a complete score of 100 consecutive balls without a miss. This was the first time he had ever dono it in a public exhibition, though in private be has broken SBS balls without a miss. Ho was equally successful in most of his other attempts. Dr. Carver is also exceedingly clevor with a shotgun on horseback, breaking glass balls thrown into the air when going at a full gallop ; ho is also a great expert with the larryat, throwing it from the back of a mustang that he has brought over with him. Old Tokfite.