NOTES BY PEÆTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6566, 2 December 1882, Page 6

NOTES BY PEÆTON.

Ski.iiom has a ir.ore enjoyable afternoon's sport been furnished by any of our country clubs thau tliat liy the Takapuna Jockey Club on Thursday last. The meeting was in many ways enjoyable. First of all there was a total absence of " stifTuLs" from the meeting ; secondly, backers had a good time of it, by the favourites winning; and, thirdly, the splendid finishes in the three principal events of the meeting. Nothwith" standing the many times Lone Hand has disgraced himself at Auckland meetings, the public went for him in the Hurdle Race, and the old grey justified the confidence placed in him by winning. Chandler ran a wonderful good horse in this event, considering that he had only been up about three weeks, and, I think, with a bit more time he will show himself a real good 'un. The St. Andrew's Handicap was a spleucid race f houghout. Quarter of a mile from home everything was in it, and it wis a great race down the straight between Dewdrop, Lone Hand, and Yulia Bill. The little mare ran ns she always does—as game as a pebble—and scored a neek victory fer Mr. Lennard. Two more strides and I think the victory would have gone to the gallant old grey, and considering th.it ke already had a two mile race into him, he ran a great horse. I.one Hand lost at two lengths coming into the straight by running wide, and getting knocked out of his stride, Farrell never got the old fellow properly going again until thirty yards from the post. Harkaway proved what a useful little horse he is "oy wini.ing the Steeplechase for Mr. Shakespear. The victory, however, was in uo small degree due to the excellent manner in which lie was ridden by George Rowland?. The stewards of the Takapuna Jockey Club are to be complimented on the manner in which they conducted the meeting throughout, and in awarding praise the secretary, Mr. Dacre, must not be forgotten. There is one little matter that I think should receive the attention of the committee of the Takapuna Jockey Club before the next meeting, and that is the enclosing or lowering of the judge's box. As it is at present there is nothing to prevent a lot of interesting persons congregating right alongside the box, and yelling out their opinions. This was especially noticeable when the finish was being decided between Dewdrop and Lone Hand in the St. Andrew's Handicap. Greater confidence will, I am sure, be given to the decisions of the judge if something is done in this matter. On the strength of a good gallop accomplished last week by Vortex, he came into the market, and 1000 to 30 was accepted that he wins the Auckland Cup. He was also backed in conjunction with Tricoirin to win another 1500. Vortex is one of the batch of yearlings that was imported to Auckland by Mr. E. Perkins in 1579. He is very well bred, being by Reprieve, his dam by Luna by Velocity—Atalanta by Reprieve—Langar Queen, by Langar—Queen Victoria, by Gratis —Lady Emily. Vortex has only Gst. ]01bs. allotted to him in the Auckland Cup, not a crushing impost certainly for a five-year-old. Ths metallicians had a bad time of it throughout at the Takapuna Meeting— favourite after favourite coming off against them. With faces beaming all over with smiles, it was not hard to discover that it was the backers' day out. Ii Lone Hand had won the Handicap, instead of Dewdrop, it would have proved a skinner for the public. One of the books alone stood to win £500 on the old grey. This gentleman, watch in hand, and with a face that was a study, as the pair flashed past the post under the whip, might have been heard to exclaim at the top of his voice, "Dead heat! Dead heat!" But it wasn't to be, and the metallieian freely acknowledged that his "mozzle" was out that day. The field for the Champion Stakes this year does not promise to he. a veiy large one, though the company will be very select. Darebin was backed for a great deal of money for this event, until his defeat by Commotion in the Canterbury Plate. The Derby winner has received good support, and £1000 was accepted about him at the short odds of 2 to 1. By latest advices the betting was :—IOO to j against Commotion (taken), 100 to 40 against Navigator (taken), 100 to 15 against Darebin, 100 to 10 against Segenhoe and Calma. The St. Albans candidate for the Melbourne Cup was all to piecss after the race, and appeared to have severely strained himself when he made his run near the abattoirs. Little Jack is, it is said, also in queerstreet, suffering from an affection of the kcee joint. Although it is the intention of the Hon. E. K. Cox to put Darebin to the stud this season, it is suid to be extremely likely that the gallant son of old Lurline and Commotion will again meet to fight their battles over again. "Nemo," writing on the defeat of Uarebin in the Canterbury Plate at the late V.R.c. Meeting, said : —"The pace the two leaders travelled can bu understood, when >wcet William, who was third, was beaten by ahout 40 lengths, and the Cup winner, Assyrian, was about the same distance behind Sweet William. Mr. G. G. Stead has given a silver cup valued at 100 guineas to the Great Autumn Handicap, to be run lor at Christchurch in April; and Mr. P. Cunningham has signified his intention of doing the same at the fcllowinc Autumn Meeting. The victory of Mr. DeMestre's horse Guilarz in the V.R.C. Handicap wan net without its dark side. Writing on the race " Asmodeus " says:—" Beuefitted to the extent of Olhs. by the airing to which he was treated in the Spring Handicap on the third day Gudarz made no mistake when the stable money was piled on him for the V.R.C. Handicap, albeit it took him all his time to get home in advance of the honest (iipsey Cooper, who all but upset the carefully preserved Terrara pickle jar. Such is racing, dear boys; 'they all do it,' from the highest to the lowest, and here we have a similar illustration to tie Mata and Crcswick coups in the same identical race for the two proceeding years. If I remember rightly Mata and his trainer were disqualified forever for doing a similar trick to that performed by Gudarz last Saturday. Judging of Gudarz's behavicur in the Spring Stakes, when he ran eleventh, the present case is equally as flagrant as that of the Maorilander, and the powers that be are evidcnMy more lethargic than of yore, otheiwise they would not have so unmercifully basted the goose and thus spared their sauce for the gander. The least the stewards could have done was to call for an explanation of Gudarz's wretched behaviour in the Spring Handicap." Mr. James Toole, well-known in Auckland betting circles as "a layer of the odds," returned by the Wairarapa. The first wager Jumes laid after landing was the winning double—Dewdrop and Lone Hand—for the Takapuna Meeting, and having seen so many favourites done on the other side, the little penciller never stopped laying the old grey, but for once the good thing came off in favour of the backers. While standing at the post prior to the start for the Spring Handicap at the late V.R.C. Meeting, Master Avcnel lkshed out, and a little jockey who was ri'ling Brunette had his leg broken by the force of the kick. "Asmodeus" narrates a notable incident associated herewith, namely, the little fellow's desire to ride out the race with his shattered limb. "1 have only to sit still and sho'll win" said he. Another incident equally significant of the boy's pluck occurred subI sequently at the hospital, when the doctors

■vrho attended him found the break so bad as to suggest placing their patient under chloroform whist the shin bone, which was broken in two places, was being set. " I don'twant any chloroform, sirs ; I om not afraid of the pain, it won't hurt me, I won't cry," remarked the prostrate little fellow ; and sure enougnhe bore the painful operation with nothing more than a passing whimper. A natural little horseman, whose bodily weight i 3 below Opie is destined to become the Kenyon of Australia, and the future career of this lion-hearted little horseman will be watched with interest. Mr. Adams passed the large sum of £1100 through the totalisator at the Takapuna Meeting. Although in an unfinished state, the "octagon" acted extremely well, and prevented that great crushing and scrambling noticeable on former occasions. Mr. .Adams intend 3 to alter the house at Ellerslie to the same shape, which will, I am suie, be a great improvement. Notwithstanding that the Canterbury Jockey Club hold a meeting on New \ ear's Day, I understand we shall be favoured with the presence of most all the Southern metallicians at our Summer Meeting. Tha handicap for the Auckland Cup is considered the best of the season in Christchurch, and "Sir LauHcelot," in a letter to I me, says "it is the best handicap he has seen for years." By Dewdrop'ss win at the North Shore, Mr. Lennard pot a leg in for £GOO, he having backed the little mare to win the double— St. Andrew's Handicap and Auckland Cup at 600 to 12. The many friends of Mr. E. T>. Halstead, the well-known " vet," will be clad to hear that he has almost recovered from his recent severe illness. Mr. Halstead, while tending to his charges at Sylvia Park, contracted a severe cold, which culminated in an attack of rheumatic fever. "Beacon" writes:—"A few weeks ago an astute backer offered to take 2 to 1 that he named the breeding of the horse that would win the Cup. An unwary sport who was present, thinking only of the theu favourite, Cheviot, laid the odds ; but the taker had all the best of it, for he named Traducer—ldalia, and therefore had the three ; brothers Cheviot, Sir Modred, and Betrayer 1 on his side, and won on Sir Modred." • The stakes won at the late Victoria Racing Club meeting were tolerably well ! divided, namely, New South Wales, as usual, takes the lion's share of the spoil, £5369; Victoria, £4159; South Australia, £2550; and Tasmania £420. Mr. De Mestre was the largest winner with £1579, the Hon. E. K. Cox coming second with £1755, and Mr. J. E. Saville being third with £1715. The total value of stakes paid away over the meeting was £12,539. "Warrior," writing on the result of the V.R C. Handicap, said:—"The Champion winner Coriolanus, the Australian Cup win- ' ner Pollio, and the Ciulfield Cup winuei Little Jack disgraced themselves, and if tbcj ' don't perform better before or at the Autumi Meeting, they should be put in wiggonettes or made butchers'hacks." 1 "Augur" writes:—"lf Morrison had i knowu that he possessed so great an anima' • he would have started him for vhe Melbourne ' Cup, and probtilily have won it, for he is ! quite olbs. better than Darebin over twe miles, and as he had Gibs, less he must hav< ■ been up alongside The Assyrian. Up to £ ■ mile and three-quarters I think Dareliin i; ' the best horse perhaps Australia ever saw : ; but, beyond that distance Commotion is his - master." r Racing isn't much iu n,y line (say: ■ "Rambler," in the S.A. L.V. Gazette), buj ■ I have seen a little of it in my time, and ■ Mr. Rounsevell'shnrel luck with the Hebrew • reminds me of a horse well-known some - twenty-five or thirty years ago ou the Eui;lisl ) turf, named Yellow Jack, belonging to Mr • Pa'mer, the notorious poisoner. Nc ' matter what quality of horse Tras ii • front of him, this hero was bound to finis) second. He would have followed Eclipse ■ closely home, and spoilt O'Kelly's famous ' bete—"Eclipse first, the rest rowhere;" orh( I would have waited on a Norword tram-horse 3 to the winning post! but he would have i ' horse in front of him. To back him for 3 ■ place was a certainly. It looks n.s though Mr, > Rounsevell had dropped upon one of Yellow 5 Jack's kidney in the Hebrew. 5 The Melbourne Bulletin has the follow--7 ing:—"Everybody has heard of the vener 1 able Church of England clergyman who useci : to own racehorses, and run them at Epsom, '■ Doncaster, and Ascot. Now we le.irn that Stockwell, who ran second for the Melbourne Cup, is the property of the gertleman t formerly known iu Holy Orders as Arch- ■ deacon Reibey, who has since been Premier ; of Tasmania. The Rev. Walter Fe"o\vs 1 occasionally patronises the Flemington lawn, t and probably be would have been there ovs 1 Tuesday, for the Cup, but that his fnnctioL > enabled him to get the coirect tip of the ■ weather from the clerk. The rev. gentleniar 1 would doubtless preach next Sunday morn- > ing at St. John's, Toorak, from the text l - 'The Assyrian came like a wolf on the fo'd, r but that he would be afraid of having tin 1 prayer books hurled at him. Whoever in 1 tends to preach from that text on Sunda\ " will please send us word. We will be there.' An eK-jockey named Jones committee suicide last week at Stawell through becoir. 3 ing involved in a betting transaction over . the Cup. The Adelaide Parliament have decided t< f restrict the use of the totalisator to eish ' days per annum on any one racecourse, nne 2 to allow jockey clubs using it not more thai > 5 per cent, commissior. : "Sir Launcelot" says that the stnrtinj - was so liorrib'.e at the latp C. J.C. Mettic; 1 that several of the owners presented i "round robin" to the stewards, praying : that another starter might be appointed We have had some bad starting in Aucklnnc ■ at times, but never so bad as to bring fortl i a " round robin." A day's races is to be held at T.iupe ■ (Napier), on the 18th of January, under th< " auspices of the Taupo Jockey Club, whei : £123 will be given away in added money. Prometheus, by Tubal Cain—Lurline, has • been sold to the well-known Victorian sports. > man, Mr. J. Whittingham. ; Mr. Allison, the part owner of the 1 Assyrian, laid Hutchens, the rider of tin ; Cup winner, £100 to nothing against hi: ; mount. The Sydney Evening News says : —" It i: 1 f'aiel the most expensively—if not the best— dressed woman on the Melbourne racecourse 1 on Cup Bay was Lady Vogel, the ' duty , on whose dress alone was, it is stated, £50." THE BETTING MARKET. 1 The Tiikapupa Meeting absorbed most of the attention of the betting fraternity during the past iveek. so that business on the Auckland Cup and Steeplechase has not boon very ' brisk, but now that the North Shores Meeting is a thing of the past, ami the acceptances ; for the two big events of our Summer ilect- : ing are before us, a very great improvement 1 may be looked forward to during the coming week. For the Cup Welcome J:ick still retains his position as first favourite, and has advanced to 100 to IS, and Turquoise, on the strength of his victory at Duneeliis, has gone up into second place at 100 to 12. Dew-drop has been backed a good deal since her win in the St. Andrew's Handicap. 300 to IS was accepted that the little mare win the Cup, and in conjunction with Haikaway for the Steeple, 2000 to 50 was got on thnt the double comes off. r>oo to 2-5 was accepted about Kingask, and IOO'.-s to 5 about old Soukar have been accepted freely. 200 to 12 was yestereay taken about Vertex.