SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5634, 6 December 1879, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES.

The acceptances for the Auckland Cup, that were declared on Wednesday, are better than could have been expected. If a moiety of them come to the poat, it will be an exceedingly interesting race, and should all the Southern horses that have accepted, arrive in Auckland, the meeting promises to be one of the best ever held here. Kay has declared content with the two top weights, Tompletou, 9st. 71bs., and Maritana, Sst. 121bs. The old horse meets the mare on Gib. better terms than he did in the C.J.C. Handicap, and, as the course will suit him be'.ter than Christchurch, he ought to hold her safe. Ariel, Sst. lOlbs., is decidedly well in, if lie retaius his form. Laifc year, he pulled up very lame, and has since been fired. If he should stand a preparation, he should prove a dangerous horse, but, at the present time, there are rumor going ab iut, that he will not do for the Auckland Cup. He would, therefore, be better left alone, till nearer the time. Vallance has accepted with four, namely, Piufire, Sst. ; Sinking Fund, 7*t. 51bs. ; Lara, Gst lOlbs., and Vampire, Gst. Pinfire is a good, homst horse, that can stay, but 1 think, from the running in Christchurch, he is held safe by the top weights. Sinking Fund, from his running last year, has nothing to complain of, but he is an in-and-out performer, and one not to be trusted. Lara, from his lato running down South, appears to be returning to his old form, and is getting litter every day. Should he be the selected oue of the stable, he will take a lot of beating, ai he will gallop all the way. Mr. Walters has two left in, Hippocampus, 7st. 71bs., and Libeller, Gst. If the former was the horse ho was as a three year-old, one need not look further for the winner, but I am afraid he will never stand sound, and tbat the popular colors will have to be carried by Libeller, a compact little horse that we have not seen the best of as yet. Mr. McDonald has Merlin, Gst. 71bs., and Repo, Gst. 41bs. These are in the same stable as Ariel ; the former, though fancied by his party, will never stay the course, and the latter I have no fancy for. Mr. Farmer has Lady Elizabeth, Gst. 71b?.; though the mare is said to be greatly improved, I do not think from her running last year that she will do. Rata, Gst. 71bs., I know nothing about, and should like to see him arrive before I express an opinion. Mr. Lennard's Malvern, Gst. s!bs., has been backed at outside prices by the knowing ones. He ran fairly last year in poor company, but is said to have wintered well and greatly improved ; but I expect he will find the company too good for him. Laertes, Gst., is turned loose, but he will never get the course, and that appears to be Mr. Lance's opinion, who has had plenty of opportunities of seeing him ruo, or he would never have put that weight ou. Gillie Calluin, Gst., and I a!la Rookh, Gst., will find the company too gcod for them. Mclvorhas Balmoral, Gst., aud Loch Louiond, oat. 12Ibs. From their late running neither have any chance, aud Locli Lomond will be more at home over sticks or a county. Yatapa, Sst. 121b5., will find the company very different to what he met last autumn ; and Harold, Sst. lOlbs., though he won a race in the Wa'kato last week, is out of place here. At the present time those that are most worthy of notice are Templeton, Maritana, Ariel, Libeller, and Vallance's selected one, but as the pencil fever is very likely to break out, backers had better be careful aud watch the market before they make their investments.

The Steeplechase has a capital acceptance, and should che Southern horses all start it will be a good race. Tiie Australian Lone Hand and Agent art honoured with the top weight, 13st. each. The former was said to have been amis 3 at the late Christcliurch meeting, and I do not think will like this course. Agent we have seen negoci'.ta it last year and win easily, with 12at. 71bs , and as he is a powerful horse, weight may not interfere with him. Of Mclvor's two, Grey .Momua, list. 41bs., and Loch Lomond, list., I should prefer the latter, as he showed some form la9t year. Klsa, 10st. lOlbs., has speed euough, if she can do the country, but, clever as Mr. McGee is at this game, I do not think she will do, as last year she had a very suspicious leg. Wliitefoot, lGst. 71bs., is too uncertain to be trusted. Malvern, 10st. 71bs., is just the stamp of horse to run well over this course, but 1 know nothing of l.is capabilities of negociating stone walls. Harry Mount, 10st., 1 have 110 fancy for in this company. Sportsman, 10st., is a tine jumper, and will go the course, though he is rather delioient in spesd. I think the winnsr will tunx out either Agent, Loch Lomond, or Sportsman, tlis latter for choice, as there is no fear of his catching the epidemic. At a future time 1 hope to be able to give fuller particulars willi regard to the horses, and I may see reason to change my opinion. The Waikato Turf Club held their spring meeting after the review oil the 2Sth ultimo. The races wore, with two exceptions, competed for by local horses. The Railway Plate was won by

Harold, 7s t 1 Magician 2 Orakau 3 Artful Joe started, but did not show iu the race, and, I think, to say the least of it, must be deemed moderate. Harold is brother to Malvern who won a couple of races at the Waik.ito Summer Meeting and also the Autumn and Sports Handicap at the Auckland Autumn Me.ting, he is a useful-looking horse ; and will most likely pay his way if he does not fly at too high a game. The Hurdle Race was a gift to Mr. Rutherford's stab'e, aud having declared to win with Tommy Dodd he did so, Sportsman being second ; uo:hiug else near the trio.

A nice little two days' meeting was held at Aehbnrtou on the li)th and 20th ultimo. The rac-S for the moat part were confined t> district hoia-s. Messrs. Mason and Vallance won the principal race with Lara, and the Hurdle Kace and tlie Racing Handicap feil to Mr. Butler by the aid of Te Whetu and Numa. 'L'be following are the principal races :—

Handidap Hurdle Race of 40sovs. 2 miles. Butler's oil sTe Whetu, aged, 10st., 71b. ... 1 Jitm's b g Kobin Hood, aged, lOat. ... ... 2 Won easily by four lengths. Asubuiiton Cop ofsosovs. added to a sweep of ssovb., for acceptors. 2 miles. Vallauce's b h Lara, aged, 9st. 1 Kobiuiou'a b g Xuma, aged, 7st. Sib. ... 2 Lara staying the longest ran by a short half length. Racing Clue Handicap of 40sovb. added to a sneepof 3sovs., for acceptors. 1$ miles. Butler's b g Nutna, aged, 7st. 111b 1 ValKnce's b U Lara, aged, Oat. 2 Won by two lengths. The Cauterbury Derby aud Welcome Stakes, have pretty fair entries of 46 for the former, and 32 for the latter. The Middle Park Company have 13 in each; the majority of them being by Traducer, and eight out of English mares. Mr. Nosworthy has four, includiug a chestnut filly by Albany, out of the celebrated Mermaid, the dam ot Liirline aud Lo Loup. It is a pity that the C.J.C. do not make the entries for these races to close after the Autumn Meeting, so as to allow persons purchasing yearlings in Australia to enter them. As it is now, no one except breeders have a chance of entering, thus spoiling the interest in the races by confining the horses to few owners ; a 9, from the heavy reserves placed on .New Zealand yearlings by their breeders, few of them change hands. The Wanganui Jockey Club have published their pi ogramme, including a handicap, with 900sovs. for the firat horse, 200sovs. for the second, and lOOsovs. for the third. It is doubtful i! this is a move in the right direction, and will attract a large field, as it is not an easy place to get at, and few Southern horses will be there. In the opinion of many it would have been preferable to have made the stakes more equal, as that would have given horses a better I chance of paying their way. The C.J. C. committeo made a great . mistake when publishing the conditions of i ' their Selling Race, in not raising the scale J for weigbt-for-age, so as to allow two-year-olds to carry tho proper woight; a two-year-old, claiming all allowances, would have had to have carried 2st. lOlbs. Mr. Prince's two, though entered to be sold for 400sovs., had to carry 131b. and 191b. over-weight, owing to the difficulty of getting sst. 71b. boys that can ride. Selling races generally are looked upon a3 the medium for owners to get rid of moderate animals at better prices than they otherwise would auction, but the absurd scale of the present time defeats this. In England tho scale is always raised, to enable tho lowest weight to be over sst. 71bs. AUSTRALIAN NOTES. In reviewing the late V.R.C. meetiu"3, " Pegasus " makes the following remarlcs : "In the first place, he strongly objects to the way that Mr. Barnard handicaps horses for

the hurdle races and steeple cW ~~ malting the weights as low aa g-t 71V 80 practically excludes a good horse for thp'' of weeds and screws, and that if , s *k# cannot ca.ry 10it he had better be u,f 0r5 e of the race Mr. Joyder has decided t ° at that grand horao Sussex to the «tn,l "! nd yet m his prime and sound a, 1, ' wtlil « no chance in a handicap. It j 8 , ni ; ca t n get such a grand animal as Sus-ex • SCo turf, not so much on account"of tl,?*" 1 ? tte put on him, as because of the " rl Tu fihta that arc sent to oppose and cut I, , Dead beat as he was when h e f ? do *»- through the last hurdle, of which' X, roU «i bar was broken, it was a treat in,l C(d this game piece of horseflesh strua'i , Eee op the distance, and such a olne could not fail to carry with it tK» • ir , tnanc « ID out of 20 speclators, ev!c if es of them had backed the other and Itl ■ E i" lle one who saw the jumping race this will agree with me, that the engaged 111 this business, are tak * whole, much inferior to those w e ~l 1 see, some years ago and that most of tt would make sorry hunters for a IoV Q The Maribryuong Plate brought out- tta "V field of two-year-olds; the tilli e3 n-n g - a , t } li being very fine. Palymra is o-e'Jf J grandest two-year-olds ever seen » e tiaha, and, with her amount of s i 7. •' looks, good blood, and pace, she mus'A great career as she grows older a ( ;'*n 54 thirteen started for the Derhv t i" 0l on record. As little as 3to 2 l )ei ® a /^ Bt about Caspian. The horses were fci ? an-hour at the post, owiue to t1,,. . 1 Flemington, that it must 2? Neither of the favorites w L . r ,. , race. Caspian did not appear at hi,"Y 1 and Nellie is short of muscle an i >», • ' The greatest wonder of the Suwarrow, as he is gifted wit. t' ® , 3 ous turn of speed in combii equal commanding power t» sav j" though only a pony, weight wi;,V-\ ~°i.' little or no difference to him. 11..1.1,, u cutting his field down for t'i,> 1).,)° " , did the same for the (Ju,. f which howouW probably have won, bul for INverton 1 tinually racing at him, as lu s chance hal been settled 011 the Saturday, and ho fore did all he could to spoil tint «f c, lw '®" row ; but his great perfonnaiue wasMtho last day of the meeting, when tho little or»r after running a mile race, urtler thn 5v in 2min. Usees., with 9<t lib , which madp it the best three-year-old perf-ruun.-e in the colony, came out again and tl f-atnlFirt King for the Canterbury Plate, after making all his own running. Wilson's suhl, wou! S not have bad the crack beaten for <000 The close finish with Petrea was envinc to the girth giving way, and Walk, r was afraid to move on the colt. Suwarrow was bred by Messrs. Churuside, who iinportei her dam, Phizjig, ami then leasjl her to Mr. \ K. Finlay, of Glenmcriston, when Sir.varioip was a foal, fc'ecundus looked vtry m ,, an 15l over done as he trotted down t-.i the post, and was never in the race fur the Cup atinj stage of the proceedings. Darriw 1! anil Sweetmeat were very fit. Gloat s'res was laid on the performance of Le Loan j n tjj 0 V.K.C. Handicap, as showing that Mr. Dakin had made no mistake with the ches'nut, but it must be borne in mind that Lc Loup unmistakably refused to perforin in his three previous races, which were all run from end to end in fast time, and he always stopped when he found it was too warm for him. In ths V.li. C. he met a very mnderata field, and for more than a mile they only cantered ; thiß suited Le Loup, as he travelled at his own pace, and woe a3 he liked. The fact was Mr. Dakin w: S deceived owing to Darriwell ln-in- a lazy horse in private. First King did iwt; appear to be thoroughly wound u;. and will be better ou the champion ' day. Mr. W. " Kawlinson" (Mr. Cu.sdVn) has sold Darriwell to Mr. W. C. IJnkhi, for £500 ; and, as he is perfectly sound, it must be deemed a gocd bargain. Le Loup ?nd Trump Car.l have returned to thi3 colony in the Claud Hamilton. Le Loup will most likely be entered for Home of the races that have to close at D inelin, and the C. J. C. Autumn Meeting. Trump Card has broken down, and will be put to the Eiud. Hooks have been opened on the Champion Race, the tield_is not expected to exceed half-a-dozen. First King has been hacked at 2 to 1, and sto 1 has been taker, about Wellington. Chester and Democrat have returned home to Sydney, but the two-year olds, l'ahnyra and Cinnamon, will remain ill Melbourne for the races on N<;w dear's Day. C isi i.m, the whilom Derby favourite, was pi iced ia 3lr. Turtle's hands for sale, and tha p.'ic.-a=ted was only 300 guineas, reasonable c'n.uj;h ior a good colt like him, as his running in the Maideu Plate proved him a good terond* class animal, but 250 guineas was the highest price offered for liim. Like Tocal, who won several selling races, ana never changed hands, he may come and win some good races for Mr. Finlay. Old Tuhfite,