NOTES BY PHAETON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6249, 26 November 1881, Page 6

NOTES BY PHAETON.

The weights for the Auckland Cup and Steeplechase were declared ou Tuesday last, and I think it is generally admitted that the committee have succeeded in framing a very fair handicap. Of course, there arc one or two horses that might have been awarded a few pounds more, and others who could have with safety had a few pounds less, but 1 think on tiie whole it may safely be said that there is no horse thrown in or crushed out. As several owners have two and three engaged, I shall wait until after the acceptances before attempting to analyse the chances of the various horses. The following appear to be the best in on paper for the Cup : — Libeller, Foul Play, Grip, Badswortii, Peeress colt, and Lara. The Steeplechase is a very open race. Agent heads the list with 12st. 71bs. to his credit; Clarence, another grand performer over country, being weighted at 12st. Matau, with list. 2!bs., is decidedly well treated, and if this speedy son of Dainty Ariel can be brought to the post fit, he should take some beating. The other horses are all fairly treated, and if a moiety of them come to the post, we may expect to witness a really grand race. Acceptances for the Auckland Cup and Steeplechase are due on Friday next, December 2. The weights for the Wellington Cup were issued on Tuesday last, and, looking at it as i whole, it appears a very fair handicap. As many of the horses will be kept for other races, it is not my intention to analyse them till after the acceptances. At the present time, the following appear to me to be the best in: — Piscatorius, Libeller, Lady Emma, Louis D'Or, and Badswortii. Messrs. Dowse, Jobberns, and Taggart have issued the weights for the Dunedin Cup, and a most remarkable production it is. The handicappsrs do not appear to have taken very great trouble in looking up statistics, or they would I think, have issued a better handicap. Foul Play, with ' Sst. 1 libs., is thrown in, while Virginia Water and the majority of the three-year-olds are most cruelly treated. Why Mataku and The Dauphin should be called on to give weight to such horses as Libeller, Lady Emma, Randwiek, and Badswortii, is more than I can understand. I strongly advise my readers to leave the race alone until after the acceptances appear, though, if some of them are determined to go in for a long shot, an investment on some of the following horses may prove remunerative: —Foul Play, Lady Emma, Libeller, Piscatoriits, Randwick, or Badswortii. The W'aikato Turf Club's spring meeting takes place on Wednesday next. Very little interest is being taken in the races on this occasion in Auckland, which is no doubt owing to our own meeting coming ofl'next month. " An Early Bird " sends me the following : —"The work on the course during the past week has not been of a very interesting character, trainers chiefly confining their teams to slow work. On Tuesday morning Day gave Maori about two miles on the turf gallop, the old horse moving very nicely. King Quail was treated to a gentle breather, as was also Tim Whit Her. Lone Hand was sent two miles slow, the gallant old grey moving- very free. Foul Play, Badswortii, and others only did walking exercise. On Wednesday morning Foul Play went two miles and a half slow, moving beautifully ; but his stable companions—Badswortii and The Squire—are, I believe, on the sick list. Day gave Moonstone about two miles at half pace, coming home fast. The colt moves very well, and his trainer should have him very fit by the day, Tenambra was sent a mile, the filly pulling all tho way. Florence did two miles in her old style. King Quail did a three mile sweat, moving short. Thornton had Maid of Honour, Tim Whiftler, and Lady at slow work, the Maid going very strong. Paramena did a mile slow, as did also Ids stable companion, Maoriland, the colt moving very nicely. The weather, ou Thursday and Friday, was so bad that no work could be done." The New Zealand horses, Sir Modred, Somnus, Hilarious, and Idalium, who were taken over to Australia by Mr. 11. Prince, were shipped back by the s.s. Te Anau, which sailed from Melbourne on Tuesday last for New Zealand. Sir Modred and Somnus have become the property of Mr. Craig, who is a passenger by the Te Anau. Darebin has been scratched for the Champion Race, to be run at Flemiiigton, on New Year's Day. The reason given is, that he might break down under the severe preparation which he would have to undergo. I extract the following items from Beacon's notes : — The Crip party landed £5000 in wagers over the J.C. Handicap and Cup, and .€1441 in stakes—in all upwards of £7000. This is a very good haul in these days of the totalisator, which machine has so paralysed betting that bookmakers can now only make comparatively small books. Mr. Weston laid £500 against Grip straight out for each race ; Mr. Roper did the same; and Mr. Harris, in addition to this, got struck for the Derby and Handicap double, Handicap and Cup double, and Derby, Handicap, and Cup treble. Grip's victories, singularly enough, did not benefit either bookmakers or public ; scarcely any of the former made money, while only two or three of the public had backed the black horse, the stable having taken all the money about him down to a short price. Long shots about several horses for the Dunedin Cup had been taken for mouths past, and on Saturday, the day after the conclusion of the Christchurch meeting, a good many wagers were laid. The Dauphin seemed most in favour, his owner setting the example by taking the short price of 1000 to 120 about tho colt, and several of the public following suit. Matakau was backed several times at 500 to 40, while Gorton, The Governor, Lady Emma, Volunteer, Peerless colt, and Chancellor received support at prices varying from 1000 t-> CO to 1000 to 30. Virginia Water, who had been backed at an absurdly short price, became almost friendless when Mr. Murray, of Napier, bought her. Tho mare, however, may not leave Mr. Webb's hands till after our meeting, in which case she may put in an appearance in the Cup race if her injured back does not trouble her any more. Much sympathy was felt with Messrs. Mason and Vallance for their cruel luck in Amulet's break-down on the very day beforo the Derby. Tho colt had been going splendidly over hiiiuo they had him—had, as tboy Hay, never boon " sick or sorry"— and then, when thoy folt that they had a good chance of winning tho Derby and Cup, their hopes wore shattered at the last moment. Thoy were giving Amulet a final lesson in jumping oil', in company with three other horses, when he swerved oil' the turf gallop, and ran for a hundred yards or so on the rougher ground. He then got on the turf again, and finished a mile spin apparently all right, but on reaching his box his near fore leg began to swell, and it was found that the back tendon had suffered a blow or a strain. If only the former, a short spell will bring him round ; but if the latter, the matter is more serious. The question whether Grip would be allowed to run at the approaching races formed a topic of conversation at Christchurch last week, Mr. Lance's trainer (R. Ray) having b?»n disqualified along with Mata by the Auckland Racing Club. Some of the bookmakers who travel round the North Island expressed the opinion that from what they heard, there was a probability of tho horse being debarred from taking part in the meeting, and to show that this was not idle talk they offered 100 to 5 against him for the Auckland Cup,

The sum of £9954 was put through the totalisator at the Canterbury meeting. Day takes Maori up to Waikato, on Monday. King Quail went up on Thursday. Maid of Honour will, I hear, race after all this season. She is at present doing alow work, and moves well and strong. Paramena, who has been sold to Mr. Bobbett, of the Thames, for £180, has again gone into Bob Thorpe's hands, to be trained. Mr. Fred. Digby having resigned the secretaryship of the' Canterbury Jockey Club, applications are invited for the post. The salary is £150 a year. Mr. Walters returned from the South on Sunday last. He leaves again to-day, for the purpose of attending the Wellington meeting. A cablegram announces that the English jockey McDonald was killed while riding in the Liverpool Cup. He was one of the best middle weights in the Old Country, and rode the American colt Foxhall in his victories in the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire Stakes. Mr. James Poole, well-known in Auckland betting circles, returned from Melbourne by the Hero yesterday. I extract the following from "Sinbad's" notes:—"The following is a list of horses purchased in England by Mr. George G. Stead, and shipped by the Marlborough : — Yearling colt, by New Holland—Albania, 115 guineas, purchased at Doncaster at Mr. Eyke's. The mares : Most of them fetched very high prices, as will be seen below:— Deviation (1579), by Flageolet, out of Eva, dam of Evasion, by Bredalbane, covered by Cadet; Florence McCarthy (IS7S), by Macaroni—Lady Morgan, dam of Tredegar Rnperra, and by Tbormanby, covered by Blair Athol. 145 guineas ; Fairy Land, dam of Huntingdon, by Orlando, her dam El Dorado, by Harkaway, 100 guineas; Lady Raveusworth, dam Holyrood, by Voltigeur, out of Lady Hawthorn, by Windbound, covered by Craig Millar, 100 guineas; Love Bird, by Macaroni, out of Better Half, clam of Beddington, &e., by Marionette, covered by Wild Oats and Blair Athol, 100 guineas; Leila, by Buccaneer — Vestalin, by Lozenge, covered by Craig Millar, 200 guineas; Nellie Moore, by Voltigeur—Fickle, by Dundee, covered by Frince Charlie—Steppe, dam of Puyegrass, Leeds, &c, dam of Seclusion, dam of Hermit, and by Tadmor, covered by Doncaster, 760 guineas ; Sweet Cicily, dam of Cantrip —Cicilia, by Blair Athol, covered by Wild Oats, C7O guineas.