SPORTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6565, 1 December 1882, Page 5

SPORTING.

DUNEDIN RACES. [liY Ti.LKGJtA?iI. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Donedin, Thursday. Thf.sk races came off to-day, the weather being fine. There was a large number of spectators. St Andrew's Ha:- dicap, a sweep of 3sovb., with 2Cosovs. added. Two miles. Messrs. Mason and V allance's Turquoise, 3yrs., 7st. Slbs. ... ... 1 Sir M. Robinsou's Lady -huiina, oyrd., Sst. Slbs. ... ••• ••• " Mr. D. Kii-by s Adaniaut, Gyrs., Oat. 3 Bettius was Uto 4on Lady "Emma. Turquoise won by a length and a half in 3muw. 40secs. The Trottin<; Hanuicap was won by Maori with 05 seconds start. Selling Kacf. o£ SOsovs. Mr. McKay's Aurora, -iyrs 1 Mr, Stephenson's Eugenie Sprints Handicap Sweep of 7C';OVS. One mile and a distance. Mr L. O'Brieu's Tasmnn, Sst. ulbs, ... a Hon. 0. McLean's Gitaua, list. 'Jibs, ... £ Hurdle Race of (io3Ovs. Butler's Aj/eut, 1-st. <" o Shenvin's Mokarakara. 10=t. ( los. — - Jones'Gangawa, 9st. 71bs. — *>* «•"»« easily at the jiuisii. _ _ Maii kn Plate oi oOsovs. Goodman's Violin, 4yrs. .... — — o McKay's Aurora, 4yrs. "" - Somna^(Bst. 3 21bs!jr (7st. lOlbs.), Time : 2min. 3.}secs.

TAKAPUIvA JOCKEY CLUB SPRING. MEETING.

The Spring Meeting of the Takapuna j Jockey Club was held yesterday, under ex- ; ceptionally favourable circumstances, and resulted in a very enjoyable day s racing. The committee and stewards have for months past been engaged in the laudable task of improving the course and its surroundings, and they now possess a tairly good course three-quarters of a mile in length, well fenced, a suitable grandstand, saddling paddock, and stabling, together with otlrjr nccessary offices ; committee, jockey, and other rooms have been provided. Indeed, the club has manifested an amount of energy which might well be copied by other more pretentious ones. Rain threatened in the forenoon, but the dispiriting aigns cleared off about noon, and the day continued clear and warm, with a strong northerly breeze blowing which cleared the atmosphere, although it raised the dust. The Ferry Company had not only laid on extra steamers to meetthe requirements, but had erected ticket offices and barricades on the wharf to prevent overcrowding the steamers. The arrangements were admirably carried out by Mr. Baker, and not a single hit'-h occurred in this department. The attendance on the course was the largest that has yet assembled at a Takapuna -Meeting. The Artillery Band, under Bandmaster Hunter, played during the day cn the lawn in front of the grandstand. The detachment of police, under Sergeant Gamble, rendered great assistance in the maintenance of order, although their active services were not often required. Besides the grandstand liquor booth, there were two others outside the enclosure, aud although all seemed to do a large trade there was very little manifestation of drunkenness. Mounted-constable Hutchinson assisted the clerk of the course when required. The totalisator was erected in an octagonal building outside the enclosure, but the latter wa3 not complete. However, the idea seems to be a very good one, and the machine was well prtronised during the day. Traps were in waiting at the wharf for the arrival of the steamer during the day to convey visitors to the course, aud tiiey were well patronised. So far as the conduct of the races was concerned it must be considered fairly satisfactory, making due allowance for the fact that the club i 3 new, aud the ollicers new to their positions. The stewards audofficers were, however, most attentive in the discharge of their duties, and we may here designate the principal officer. Mr. YV. H. Fenton officiated as judge; Mr. A. Alison, starter; M-. S. Vosper, treasurer ; Mr. 11. Pitts, clerk of the scales ; Mr. J. Mays, clerk of the course ; Mr. W. Percival, haudicapper; and Mr. C. C. Dacre, the secretary, was engaged in all departments, and greatly assisted in the general success. The racing, as will be seen hereunder, was very .successful, although the first event, the .Residents' Place, was rather a disappointment, only two coming to the post. The Hurdle Race was a very fine one, although we should suggest to the committee that the hurdles should be less flimsy in future. This was won by Lone hand, alter a very good race. The Settlers' Race was won by Marquis easily. The St. Andrew's Handicap was the great event of the day. and was won by Dev.-drop from Lone Hand by a bare head, the latter running a grand liorse at the finish, and the favourite, Yuba Bill, was only able to run into third place. The Novel Race was won by Ivatipo, which was sold for £11, and then came the Steeplechase, one of the most gamely contested races that lias ever taken place in the province. It was gallantly won by Harkawiy, who beat St. Swithin at the finish. Mr. Percival may well accept the crcdit which was generally accorded to him yesterday for his success in the handicaps fo>- the St. Andrew's Handicap and the Steeplechase. The Consolation Race, at the close, was a match between Yuba Bill, with 9st. up, and Nigger, with 7st., and it resulted in a win for the light weight. There were several protests. Mr. Shakespear lodged a protest against Loue Hand in the Hurdle Rac o on the ground of a jostle, but he subsequently withdrew it. In the Handicap Race Mr. Wheeler protested against Dewdrop, on the score of crossing, but after hearing the evidence the protest was disallowed. The following are the details of the races:— c Residents' Plate, of 25sovs.; for two-year-olds and upwards. Weight for age. Distance, six furlongs. Mr. R. Wheeler's ch g Merlin, aged, 9st. lib. (Farrell) ... ... ... ... 1 Mr. Orlando's gr g Chanticleer, aged, 9st. lib. (Laing) 2 There were three horses posted, Marquis being a, starter, to the extent that his jockey was weighed out, the horse saddled and on the course, but the owners, R. and E. Duder, eventually withdrew him. This was an eminently unsatisfactory commencement, and the reason why and wherefore was demanded. There was no satisfactory explanation such as should have been demanded and obtained, and the stewards met and contented themselves with imposing a fine (the amount of which has not transpired) on the owners for not having scratched their horse in the prescribed time. In this instance, the scratching of the Marquis really made little difference in the betting, for while the three were on the board, Merlin's price was 10 to 1, and, of course, it did not slacken when the third horse was withdrawn. The fourth entry, Duder's Nigger, had been scratched early, and was not taken into account in the chances. The race was a hollow one. Chanticleer took the lead at first, but Merlin, the favourite, won hard held by a length. Time, lmin. 27jsecs. The total number of 10s stakes taken on the totalisator was 43, of which 23 were on the winner, and the dividend was 14s. The withdrawal of Marquis, and the surroundings, created a very uneasy feeling, and the club will have to see to it that in future effervescence of feeling must not interfere with public racing engagements. The imposition of a fine on the owner of Marquis is not held to meet a case of this peculiar description, aud a stringent inquiry was necessary, so that racing men might have confidence in tlic integrity of the new club. Handicap Hurdle Race, of 40sovs., with a sweepstakes of lsov. each, amount accruing from sweepstakes to go to second horse. Distance, two miles, over eight flights of hurdles. Mr. R. Wheeler's gr g Lone Hand, aged, list. lSlbs. (Goodman) ... ... ... 1 Mr. R. H. Shakespear's ch g Chandler, aged, list. 411)3. (Rowlands) 2 Mr. T. Halstead's b g Tricotin, Oyrs., list ulbs. (Croft)... ... ... ... 3 Mr. R. Blaikie's b g Angler (aged, list. 71bs., Dug. Taylor), Mr. Graham's Whitefoot (aged, 10st., Laing) also ran. Harkaway and Ellerslie were scratched. The betting was even on Lone Hand, :i to 1 against Chandler and Tricotriu, 4 to I against Angler, and G to 1 against Wbitefoot. There was a get away on the part of Whitefoot aud Tricotriu, but they were soon pulled up, and the lot was let away in a splendid bunch, with Chandler, a well-formed chestput, showing in front, followed by the rest in close order, Lone Hand lying well back, and Whitefoot last of all. Whitefoot, how'ever, from this point made the pace, and forged into first position from the back of the course to the turn, and running a splendid horse for nearly a mile and a-half, he held the premier position, but then he had to five place to better stayers. During the time Whitefoot led, Chandler was a good second, Tricotriu third, and Angleramoderate fourth'. This order was maintained to the back of the course, all jumping well when there was anything to jump for, the hurdles disappearing like matchwood when touched. Loue Hand put on pace and came up amongst the leaders, and on the third time passing the stand he came to terms with .Ciicotriii and \\ hitefoot. From this point the old grey was never collared, although Chandler was a dangerous opponent during the whole of the last round. The latter ran p. grand horse, but it was Lone Hand's day out, and he made the best use of his pace. The race was only won by a length Tricotrin being a very moderate third. The number of investors on the totalisator was ?u 2 ',-" f ., wh ! cll 191 wcre on the winner, and the divuleud was 24s Settlers' Race, of 20sovs. For all horses tne property of settlers in the County of \ aiteinata three months previous to meet- >?£.'. '- 1 that have never won an advertised prize of 20sovs. Weight for age. Distance, two and a half miles? Messrs. R. and R. Duder's Marquis, 4-yrs,., 9at. (Byers) ... .. . 1 Mr. R. H. Shakespear's b g Bathurst' aged, 9st. 71bs. (X>. Hughes) ... ... 2 Mr. Joseph O'Neil's g f Olivia, syrs., 9st. Gibs. (Wylett) ... 3 Mr. Thompson's Kakino was scratched. t i ls - r , aco M , ar iuis had been entered on the official cards as a 4-year-old, but his

' owner denied that that was his age, and rode ' him as a 3-year old with 7st. 91bs. up instead of 9st., electing to take the consequences. There was no betting on the race, ; the result being looked upon as a moral for the Marquis. The race, however, brought out a feature of sharp practice in jockeying which should be prevented. Byers, riding Marquis, had second running, but never got sufficiently ahead of Bathurst to claim inside running. In spite of this he crushed Bathurst's rider against the rails at the turn. It was generally expected that a protest would have been lodged, but this was not done. There was some talk of protesting against Marquis' weight, but this was not urged. It was the duty of the ' stewards, however, to have taken cognizance of afact which must have come within \ their own knowledge, as well as that of the ; general pablic. The race was won by G ! lengths, Batluirst being a poor second, and 1 Olivia nowhere from the start. ; St. Andrew's Handicap, of lOOsovs., with [ a sweepstakes of 3sovs. each, amount accruing from sweepstakes to go to second s horse. Distance, 1A miles. Mr. John Lennard's bile in Dewdrop, 5 aged, 7st. 21b. (J. Laing) ... ... 1 Mr. R. Wheeler's g g Lone Hand, aged, 7st. 71bs. (:>1 bs. extra) (Farrell) ... 2 , Mr. K. H. Shakespear's b g Yuba Bill, [ aged, Sst., (4Albs. extra) (Clark) ... 3 Mr. W. Adams'br Ii Lara, aged, 7st. 41bs. (T. Taylor) ; Messrs. R. and Pi. Duder's blk h Nigger, 4yrs., Gst. 12lbs. (Byers) ; Mr. J. Balmain's br f Katipo, 3yrs., Gst. 71bs. (Fergus), also ran. Fitz Hercules, who had been entered for this race, had been scratched early, and his name did not appear 011 the curd. The only other scratching was that of Lyric. This 1 wa3 looked forward to as the greatest event ■ of the meeting, and there was a very con- ' siderable amount of speculation. The betting, as the horses went on the course, was I even against Yuba Bill, 2 to 1 against Di-w- - drop, 4to 1 Loue Hind, sto 1 Nisgc-r. 6to I Lara, and 7 to 1 Katipo. Old Lira, al- ' though in bandages, came on the course very [ fit, and gained favour considerably. Dew- ; drop looked sleek, well, and (it, and Lone ' Hand had some friends, including his owner, who had strong hopes of carrying olf the handicap. There was some little difficulty at the start, but finally they were sent from the back of the course on pretty even terms. Loue Hand hart slightly the best of the jump, but Katipo remained in r,he rear, the others all in a cluster. Passing the stand the first time, the sight was a very pretty one, Lara, Dewdrop, Lone Hand, aud Yuba Bill being in a line, and the others well up. This was on the second turn, and at the back the grey (Lone Hand), took a slight lead. Dewdrop improved her position, and cut down the intervening horses in rapid succession, racing for the front. 011 the la-it turn before the finish, the grey kept his head in front, and at the back of the course, Lara was running well up, and appeared dangerous, but Lone Hand ran a very game horse. The final round was grandly contested between Lone Hand and Dewdrop. The former lost ground in theturn into the straight, but he came up at the finish with gnat strides, and almost collared the mare on the post. To most onlookers from the stand, it looked like a dead heat, but the judge decided in favour of Dewdrop by a head. The favourite only made a moderate third. Time, 2mius. 50sees. The number of subscribers on the totalisator was 530, of whom 152 were 011 the winner, and the dividend was 30s. Novel R*ce of 20sovs. Entrance, lsov., to go to the funds. Distance, one mile. Winner to be sold by auction immediately after the race, and the whole of the proceeds to go to the funds. Mr. B. Thompson's Ivakino (Byers) ... 1 Mr. R. H. Shakespear's bg Day Dawn (D. Hughes) ... ... ... ... ... 2 Mr. S. Willet's c g Stray Shot (T. Clarke) 3 Mr. J. May's Dainty (Crowe) also ran. Olivia was scratched. There was no betting. Stray Shot took the lead, but Ivakino made the running at the close. Stray Shot made a desperate effort on the post, but was unable to pass Kakino. There were 220 subscribers in the totalisator, 107 on the winner, dividend ISs. The winner was put up to auction, and sold by Mr. A. E. Isaacs for £11 to Mr. T. Burnett. Handicap Steeplechase of 50sovs,, with a sweepstakes of lsov. each, amount accruing from sweepstakes to go to second horse. Distance, about three miles. Mr. R. H. Shakespear's ch g Harkaway, aged, list. 121bs. (Rowlands)... ... 1 Mr. H. N. Smith's chg St. Swithin, aged, list. lOlbs. (Goodman)... ... ... 2 Mr. R. Blaikie's b g Angler, aged, list. 41bs. (D. Taylor)... ... ... ... 3 Mr. T. Halstead's b h Tricotrin, Oyrs., 12st. lib. (Ivraft) ; Mr. J. Balmain's ch g Ellerslie, aged, 10st. 7lbs. (T. Williams), and Mr. Orlando's gr g Chanticleer, aged, lOst. 71bs. (J. Laing) also ran. Chandler, list. 101b3 ; Tempest, 10st., and Miss Walton, 10st., were stratched, leaving Cto meet the starter. The betting was Gto 4 against Harkaway, 3 to 1 against Tricotrin, Ellerslie, and Chanticleer, 5 to 1 against St. Swithen. T/iis was not only the best race of the day, but one of the best steeplechases that has ever taken placc 1 in the province. It was gamely contested by good horses with good • jockeys up, and the excitement was very great from start to finish. The course unfortunately does not admit of a full view ! of the race, there being one or two jumps ' which cannot be observed, but the interval of time from the disappearance of the horses until their reappearance is so brief that it 1 adds ta the excitemcnt. Craft with 1 Tricotrin took the lead over the first ! hurdle, and held the premier position 1 goiug up the hill, closely followed by I Ellerslie. St. Swithin held fourth posi- - tion, and Harkaway was last but one. ; Tricotrin came to grief at the top of the bill, ! and rolled over Craft. Neither was mate- ' riaily hurt, but they did not subsequently ' appear in the race. On coming into view ' ajain on the flat after crossing the second ! water jump, St. Swithin had the lean, and 1 Harkaway hail come into fourth position. ' Angler had also become dangerous at this ' juncture, and was running very strou". 1 Positions were changed frequently 011 the ! second round, St. Swithin, however, main- 1 taining the lead, but Harkaway came up in 1 a surprising manner in the Hat, and collaring ( the leader in the straight, won by three ' lengths in the gamest manner possible. ' Angler was a good third. The winner was ' loudly cheered on weighing iu, and all present were enthusiastic in declaring the race 1 the best and most honestly contested they * had seen in Auckland. There were -ISi) - chances on the totalisator, of which IS7 were c on the winner. The dividend was £1 3s. j Consolation Handkmp of lOsovs. En- 1 trance, lsov. Distance, one mile.—There were \ only two entries Zulu Bill, 9st.; Nigger, list. The race was won pretty easily by 'the 0 latter at the finish. There were 4(i chances 1 on the totalisator, 23 011 the winner. The r dividend was 13s. s This brought to a conclusion a very sue- 1 cessfnl meeting, which was carried out very i 1 satisfactorily, and the visitors dispersed, the 1 greater number, of course, returning to the ! city by tiic ferry steamers. } 1

t WELLINGTON RACKS. t

[BY TELKBRAPIT. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.J Wki.li ni ;to n , Th u rsd ay. The Spring Meeting of the Racing Club proved a better day's sport than was anticipated, the field being fairly tood, and •several of the finishes exciting. The weather was splendid, and the course in capital order. The attendance was only moderate, partly owing to the high adirission charges,' and partly to the diliieulty of reaching the course. There was uo betting worth mention, but the totalisators did good business, that outside taking most money. Altogether about £1100 passed through, the best dividend being paid over the Hack R.ace, the backers of the winner getting nine pounds for oik; invested. In the Railway Stakes four faced the starter, tlie absentees being Welcome .lack Irishwoman, ami llippodamia. I'oet, who was iu grand fettle, was made a hot favourite, but had to succumb to the li"htlv weighted Diosma, after a close fmiah Wattle, who rode Mr. Bates' horse, protested against the winner, alleging that the rider struck Poet with his whip when close to the finish. The protest was considered after the nice, but was disallowed. The Hurdle Race was little more than a canter for Canard, whoseemed little worse for knocking about on shipboard. A novelty was introduced in the 1 rotting Race, but the class ot horses was very inferior. Tommy a Wanganui horse, started at scratch, and was backed against the field, but Deception whose style was much the best, beat him by more I than her handicap. The Spring Handicap

brought out all five. Hippodamia notwithstanding she was suffering from a sexual ailment, looked well and received most support, Poet and Diosma being next in demand. The last-named made the running but failed to stay, and the Poet having the most dash at the finish easily stalled off the favourite after a fast run race. The arrangements were satisfactory including the starting. The following are the details ; — Railway Stakes. Mr. Owen's Diosma (W. Holmes) ... 1 Mr. Bates' Poet (Wattie) ... ... ... 2 Mr. Ray's Kakapo (T. Rav) ••• 3 Mr. Dillon's Rore ... ". 0 Diosma made the running from the jump, Poet and Kakapo lying handy. At the turn into the straight, Owen's inare had a lead of nearly two lengths, but here Poet challenged, andasplendid raceensued, butthetop weight could never get quite up, and suffered a defeat by a short neck; Kakapo three lengths away, third. Time, 2min. 26secs. The inside totalisator paid a dividend of £3, aud outside £3 ISs. Htrdle Handicap. Mr. Lunn's Canard (owner) ... ... 1 Mr. Dillon's Nikau (Herd) ... ... 2 Hon. Mr. Robinson's Liability (Freeth) 3 All got well away, and the only mistake was made by Liability, who refused the second hurdle, but got over at the second attempt, rejoining his horses directly after. Canard had the pace of his antagonists all through, and won at the finish hard held, by half a length. Time, smins. 43tsecs. Inside totalisator dividend, £1 14s; outside, £1 IS?. In the Hack Hurdles, Dillon's Hercules beat three others. Seliini: Hack. Mr. Ray's Tara'ahi ... ... .. 1 Handicap Trot. Mr. Best's Deception, ISsecs. ... ... 1 Mr. Chavanue's Tommy, scratch ... 2 Mr. Armstrong's Borack, losecs. ... 3 Ponsonby, lOsecs. ; Will-if-I-can, 20secs.; Jack Tar. 20.-:ecs. also started. Deception went to the front soon after starting, and trotting fairly throughout won by 200 yards ; Borack two lengths fro*l] Tommy, the rest nowhere. All the horses exccpt the winner repeatedly broke. Inside totalisator, dividend, £2 4s ; outside, £2 Ss. Spuing Handicap. Mr. Bates' The Poet (Wattie) ... ... 1 Mr. Pollock's Hippodamia (Laing) ... 2 Mr. Owen's Diosma (W. Holmes) ... 3 Kakapo and Rore also ran. When the flag fell, Dioaina's jockey, making the most of his light weight, sent his mare to the front cutting out the running at a good pace, Rore lying second, and Hippodamia last. After passing the stand the lot took closer order, Diosma leading The Poet by a length into the back stretch, all the rest in a cluster. 011 reaching the road The Poet dispossessed Diosma of the lead, and simultaneously Hippodamia passed Rore and Kakapo and drew up to Diosma, who was beaten at the turn into the straight. Laing challenged at the distance, but the filly had more than was possible to reach The Poet, who after a little shaking up won cleverly by two lengths, Diosma three' lengths away, the rest beaten off. Time, 3imus. 13secs. Inside totalisator dividend, £3. Hack R -,ck. Mr. Dillon's Hercules beat eight others. Consolation. Hippodamia, Sst. 91 s. (Laing) ... ... 1 Kakapo, 7st. (T. Ray) ... ... ... 2 Nikau, Gst. 71bs. ... ... ... ... 3 [ Won, bard held, by half a length. Out of 50 in the totalisator 3S were on the winner.