NOTES BY PHAETON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7002, 26 April 1884, Page 6

NOTES BY PHAETON.

The Cambridge Jockey Club hold their Autumn Meeting on Wednesday and Thursday next. The varioos events hare filled well, and some excellent sport may with certainty be looked forward to. The following weights have been declared by Mr. i P«rcival for thd four priuoipal events of _the meeting:— . '..,.. iv ■■■ '■•;.• CAMißmas Cor. ' .'.. St. lb. at. lb. Administrator .. 810 Maori - ..7 6 Carnal „ _ 8 4 Libeller .. .. 7 4 Nereanby .. _ 8 O Kalo _ _ 7 0 Badames _ „ 710 Larry _ ..7 0 Witiora .. „ 710 Smike .. _ 6 8 Rewi «. — 7 8 Oil eroy _ _ 6 7 Fishwoman „. — 7 8 Victoria .. — 6 0 Woodpecker - 7 8 Victory ... ..6 0 Sborts. ' at.'lb. St. lb. Consul .. .. 8 10 Sham ~ .. 7 0 Witiora .. .. 712 Viotoria .. -. '610 Kewi ~ ..7 10 Victory .. _ 6 8 Mitrailleuse .. '7 7 6ras»hopper _ 6 7 Smlke ..7 2 Rancipo _ 6 7 Snake _ 7 0 2-year-old Colt - 5 7 Hurdles. st lb. st lb. Woodpecker .11 6 Whalebone — 810 Billy-go-by-'em *, ..11 0 Fair Play _ 810 Chandler " .. 10 10 Native _' _ 810 Quilp .. ..... 810 . . Sctcephchase. St. lb. st lb. Chandler .. 12 7 Native ;7 '..-10 0 Bllly-go-by-'em ..11 0 Quilp .. —'10.0 Fair Play ... 10 0 Waalebone .. 10 0 Old Ireland .. 10 O

Writing bsfore the acceptances, it is of coarse rather hazardous to venture a " tip " on the above. In the Gap, Administrator to my mind reads as well as anything engaged, but it would, I think, bejusbasweU for backers to follow the stable in his case rather than anticipate. Badames won the Papakura very gamely, but I hardly think him up to carrying 7st lOlbs homo in front in a two-mile race—at any rate <vhen the company is at all good. Fiihwoman and Woodpecker are each nicely weighted at 7st 81bs, and in the absence of Administrator being supported by hia party, I should stand the pair against the field. If Consul starts for the ' Shorts he should be hard to beat, bat in his absence Wiriora and Mitrailleuse" should prove .the most worthy of support. . ;. i . • A Press.. Association , telegram .from Napier. , contains :, the following :—" Local sports are:, much, puzzled: rat Necklace, described as .by Musket — Locket, winning the' Mares' Produce "Stakes, seeing that' the official programme of the Auoklahd Club, containing all. entries up to August, 1883, mentions no 'such, filly." Prior' to' the receipt of the abovejVl had myself noticed the omission of Necklace's name, and .on inquiring of Mr. Percival, I was informed ( that her bmisMoh r 'the official -programme from" the list of horses engaged was* earned'by' a' misprint, .the' name of Lyra being printed instead of that of Locket. It appears that'both mares were, nominated by Mr. 'Fergusson' for the stake. The former proved empty, but from a perusal of the entry-book I found that the produce of Locket was duly described as a brown Ally, by Musket. Some Canterbury sportsmen are evidently intent upon securing Krupp if they possibly can. Since the Autumn Meeting his owner has received some very tempting offers, and yesterday I understand 800 guineas was offered for the son of Musket, hot as yet his owner has proved deaf to entreaty to part with him. I nheuld much'regret to see so fine an animal leave Auckland, for with him and one or two others in such good hands as Chaafe's, we' could rest assured that our Southern friends would have some very rough cattle to meet, and would need to have something almost as good as Welcome Jack to enable them to be very, dangerous in the big events at ournext summer meeting.

The programme for the Wangahni Steeplechase meeting is now bofore me, and from it I gather that the - 24th of May has 'been selected as the day upon which the 'Meeting has been fixed to take place. There are six events set-down far -decision,' the added money to which i» £450, exclusive of a ladies' brabelet value £20. The big event of the meeting-is' the Wanganui Handicap Steeplechase: of :22550v5.; distance, about three miles.. Nominations close'on the Ist of May. -•; > ; :

Details of the running for theA.J.C. St. Leger are now. to hand, and as I expected, the victory of Le Grand over Martini-Henry proved, a thorough surprise. The son of Mnsket had the confidence iDf tha stable and the publio, and he went. to the post with odds of 7 t» 4on him. At the fall of the flag, he, was immediately taken to the front, and entering the straight with a lead of two lengths, looked all over a winner, but at the rails O'Brien asked Le Grand the question, and he immediately dashed past the favourite, as if he was standing, and ran home the easiest possible winner in the'fastest Leger yet run over Randwiok. That the best horse won-(says " Martendale ") there can be no doubt, though I must say MartiniHenry has not the same taking appearance that he had when he acorad his Melbourne Derby and Cup viotoriea. Huxley had the mount, and right well did he manage his horse, who ran a straight honest race all the way, notwithstanding that he came in for a great amount of punishment." -

The victoryof >Favo in 'the Sydney Cup was even a greater -"-fiz-up""' than that whloh took place"in either of ; the preceding years when Gunnamulla and Darebia were returned as winners. Commenting on the result of the race, "Nemo" says:—"A few days before the late Hawkesbury meeting he carried Gat, arid " Sardonyx something like 9at 21b., and the pair ran a teat trial, and Sardonyx ran rings ronnd him; so that hie owner deoided to scratch him for the Hawkesbury Handicap. That in itielf should be sufficient to show the "glorious uncertainty of the tnrf;" but when to the faot recorded is added that his owner sold him a few days ago to Mr. W. A. Long for something like £200, and the seller laid the purchaser 100 to 3 against him for the Sydney Cup, little more need he said to show the great uncertainty which surrounds honeracing. He was trained by Monaghan. who also trained Lb Grand and Sardonyx, and as he started at 100 to 5, it will be seen that owner and traioer, as well as the early risers and cognoscenti, were alike deceived as to his merits, and his victory completely staggered those who have spent months in watching the work done at Randwiok in the mornings. - A few mornings since he did a good gallop with, Lo Grand, and one wellknown racing man, impressed by it, took 1000 to 50 at the post, and well deserved to land it for his pluck.": . . No sensational prices were realised at the recent yearling tales held at Bandwick. The high»st prioe realised for any one lot was 1120 guineas, which price that sterling sportsman the Hon. James White paid for a grand-looking colt by Maribyrnong out of Lady Kingston — a rare bred-'un. The youngsters got by Sylvia's Bon, Goldsborougb, all sold well, the highest price realised being for a colt got by him out of Powder, who was secured by the Hon. W. Pearson for 625 guineas. At the sale of the Duckenfield yearlings, a filly by Maribyrnong out of Chrysolite was pasted in at 800 guineas. ~ The Canterbury Times of a recent date has a very spirited article on "Raoeconrae Officials," from which I extract the following: —"But there are other affioiala connected with the Racine Clubs, and it is melancholy to see the square, pegs in round holes who are found assuming the positions of judges, starters, or clerk of the soales.. The starter's difficulty is a great one, and very rarely have we seen a competent _ man in the position. Now two-year-old racing isso .aucq in vogue, it is more than ever.important that a determined man should wield the flag. We aredeoidedly of opinion that both th» starter'* authority and his responsibility shoa ' be increased. With extra powara as to fining and suspension of refractory jockeys, he should* be compelled to keep the horses at the post until could get a satisfactory

atart, and if that we have seen, have leant to the «*».«£. leniency f towards, many- jockeys^ «ho are notoriousfor their bad behaviour at thei post It; is well kno«n that thera «e hardened offenders in this Hne, and a severe example has been needed for some time to get tne youngsters in order. This, many « *he starters would make of them.if properly backed tip, but at present they are. in many 'cases, almost afraid of the boys over, whom they ought to be oflicers instead of servants. : From a Queensland paper, the Charleville Times, I glean the.following extraordinary, item of turf news:—"A novel/event is _to diversify the Charleville annual race meeting in Jane next, and one that is sure to attract considerable attention. It is well known that nearly all races are ridden- by lightweights—generally hoys of eight or nine stone. The new race.will be in striking contrast"to this, each horse having to carry list; distance, one mile/ No horses are to be named, and the rider can briog any steed he fancies best. The stakes will foot up to a tidy sum, there being twenty-six subscribers of £10 each." - ■■ .