SPORTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue XXI, 7 June 1884, Page 6

SPORTING.

■I RACING FIXTURES NEW ZEALAND. Jane i2—Oamara Bteeplechue Healing. - - June 28—Haifkes' Bay J. C. Steeplechase. j ANS"WTERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. ' ; Zeai>an*>ia. — Aga foar-yeai-old, Traducer was sold In EngUad ; forßsffolfleai. . . . 'I ~ Spori^man.—The Hon. James Whit© p» ld exactlr the same' price fer the Mnalret-Onyx colt ai he did for Martini-Henry, viz., 1250 guineas*' -Alarm.—Panic won the Champion in 1865. : His sons Strop, Wellington, and Commotion hare won four Champion Kacesbetween them..-, 2. Yatwndon has sired only one winner. __ . . Query.—Lord Falmouth's horses were sold under Lord Exeter's conditions, which;are " To be sold .without eagagoments, but,should the purchaser of any animal wish to* run'for any engagemeat, ho is to pay half the amount of,.the stake to the stakeholder,' and If ho wins, one»ihird of the stake to the vendor."

NOTES BY PHAETON.

With commendable punctuality the committee of the Canterbury Jookey Club issued i the handicap for the New Zealand Cup. To .say that it is faultless in construction, would be to say that which would be taken very ( great exception, to in many quarters ; but, I thinkj taking it all through, the committee ( have succeeded as well aa could be expected. With the weights allotted to Welcome Jack (9st 1 libs), Tasman (9at' 81bs), Grip (9st 61bs), Cheviot (9st 31bs), Lady Emma (9st 1 lib), and Mischief (9st); little fault can be 1 fouud'jrbut Ottdeia (9it) has received 1 quite, as much as he js entitled fo,'. though' there can be no' doubt hd is' a' colt of great brilliancy. ■ Nonsense (Bat lOlbs) is 'one J of the blots of the handicap, and she should, I think, have had at least 51bs less. Vanguard (Bst 91bs), if that is his oorreot weight, has been very leniently treated; but I fancy there is some mistake about the matter. July (Sst Slbs) has fully got his deserts, and'the same remark will apply to Johnny Faulkner (Bst olbs). Nelson (7st lOlbs) I consider one of the best treated horses in the race, and should his owner have the good fortune to have him cherry ripe on the day the raoe is run, the chestnut son of My Idea will, I think, take a power of beating. Trenton (7st 81bs) has got fully as muoh as he was . entitled to, and the same remark will apply to Liverpool (7st 51ba). 'Neoklace (7st Slbs) is not very badly treated, but Krupp (7«t Slbs) is more to my fancy. Captain Webster (7st) should have a good chance, and if Fusileer (6st 121ba) improves as he should do, he should certainly have a good loek in. Below the son of Musket there may be a dark 'un , concealed, but at the present time I fail to distinguish it. Of course, the race being fire mouths off yet, it is far too early to talk about winners, but if I was asked at the present time to piek it in six I should take —* Tasm4.it, Obbeis, Nelson, July, Kbupp, and FtrsiLEMs to beat the field. When the result of the Two Thousand Guineas came to hand last month, it was generally concluded, from the faot that the winner up to last advices had not been quoted in the betting, that a surprise had come off, but snch turns out to be very far from the .case. Prior to the " classic" raoe, the colt won'a'good race in brilliant style at. the Newmarket Craven Meeting, which caused him to come into great request, and his party were so sanguine of his chance that they never once wavered in their support, and the colt went to the post a firm favourite at 3to 1. He appears to have had little.difficulty in disposing of his field, and cantered, home five lengths in front, pf St. Medard, the, latter being only a head in front of Harvester:! : Seven others started. ' Scot Free was ridden' by. 'St, "Medard by F. Archer," arid Harvestpr by.F.' W.ebb. Scot Free was purchased'aa'a yearling for. 250 guineas. He' waaj unfortunately for hia party, not nominated',for.the'Derby, but I, notice that^his.name.appears .amongst those engaged in "the St. Leger, .to bo run at Doncaster in September.' . . The nominations for "the- Melbourne Cup came to hand-on Tuesday last, and- totting them up, I find the total number engaged in the race is 134. This is a falling off oompared with the two preceding years, when the entries footed up to. 148 and 150 respectively. Messrs. Lance and Robinson have nominated three of their horses—Oudeis, Liverpool, and Escatos—and I also hear (though it like a joke), that Auckland is represented'(!) by Badames. The weights, which are' due on the 20th inst., .will be anxiously looked for in order to see how the New Zealandersare treated. : The. committee ef the Auckland Racing Club had* yesterday under consideration the proposal of holding a steeplechase meeting at Ellerslie somewhere about 'the middle of next month. After considerable disoussion on the point,- the; committee came to the conolusion-that.the present season was now too far advanced'to ensure the success of the meeting, and that .it ,;would therefore be inadviaable. to - hold ; one-this _■ year. It is, however, to be' hoped tiiat provision will be made for a. steeplechase meeting in next season's programme, for ' almost . all the principal clubs in the colony, have a meeting of the sort. a'nd why not Auckland 2 I have to' acknowledge the'receipt of on 9 of the first copies of the New Zealand Referee, a journal devoted to'sport, music, and the drama. It is published in Christohurch, under the proprietary of Messrs. Selig and Bird, who are both well known in .New Zealand circles. The number before me contains a mass of interesting matter, and many will again be glad to notice the nom de plume of our old friend " Sir Launcelot" in a New Zealand print. The sporting department being under that' gentleman's supreme control is sufficient guarantee that readers will derive much pleasure, aa well as instruction, from a perusal of its columns. The proprietors intend to spare no pains to make the new journal a suocess, and I wish them every success in their pluoky

venture. - The committee of the Auckland Racing Club met yesterday, for the purpose of considering the variouu designs for the new grand stand which it is proposed to erect at Ellerslie. After .going through the various ! designs very carefully, the committee decided to award the premium of £50 to the designer of the plan bearing the nom. deplume of " Musket." This design was, I believe, the work of Mr. White. Frem English papers to hand I notice that' the colt Splendor, who is the property of the well known Canterbury sportsman, Mr. G. G. Stead, has scored another win. This was in the Bretby Plate Handicap, in whioh event he carried Bst'l2lbs home in front of five opponents. A couple of days later the colt was palled out for another handicap, in whioh he was weighted at 9st, but after a great race he suffered' a head defeat from a filly called Lovely, who finished Second to him in the first named event. "Senex." in the Weekly Press has some remarks on the Canterbury Cup, the principal weight-for-age race at the C.J.C. Spring Meeting. The writer laments the poor contests that have taken place for the race of ;' late years, and, though regretting the necessity of shortening the di&tance of the race, suggests that it be made a mile and a quarter. In the course ,of his remarks my confrere says We can't, expect, and we don't wish.:horses to,.remain out of the two first days' - races fa.otter. to: start fresh, for the ) Cup, bat ,we know, that after two hard days' ; racmg' no three-year-olds are fit to ran a i two-and-a-quarter mile race with any. chance ' of success,- and" very - few horses of ages for that matter, -but' they might -manage to s. cover one mile and a quarter with advantage to themselves. . .. .. ' The only other

course 1 that suggests itself to us for reviving the interest in the old race is to hold a one day's meeting in the early spring, say the first week in October, making the Cup the-prinoipal item, hr whioh oase the old two • and • a - quarter mile distance could be adhered to without prejudicing the horses' chances in other raoes." It appears to me that the reason of snoh poor contests for the Cup is not altogether the fanlt of the race being run on the third day of the Spring Meeting, but rather to the great disparity of good-weight-forage horses. Looking back at the last four years, we find that during that time our most brilliant weight-for-age horseß have been Sir Modred, Betrayer, Grip, The Dauphin, Welcome Jaol, Cheviot, and Oudeis—a mere handful. What we' want -is to- breed more than one or two good weight-for-age houses in each year, and not till then will we witness brilliant contests for races of that description. It has occurred to me, however, that instead of having their principal weight-for-age' race in the early' spring, the C. J. C. might transfer it to their' Autumn Meeting, as the Victoria Raoing Club re'intly did. ' One thing s is certain, that, in so doing, the fiilies would' have a far better ohanoe, and they would not, I think,' as at present, be so conspicuous by their absenoe from tho race. , • Mr . MarMn Cobbef, who oame to Aub* tralia as the; of the London Sportsman,when. th<. - . Ivo Bligh's team ■ orioketers "ir'ted the; Antipodes last i sesOo, been giving his Nrtona of

Flemington and other Australian racecourses in the April number of the Sporting Mirror. Mr. Corbett in quite ecstatic over the arrangements. at. Flemington, and . from thfi following "remarks it will be seen that he pays a high compliment to the conduct of an Australian ' crowd. ■' " Xho contrast," ho says, "between the summhdings at homfe, and in the 'Antipodes' is very great.- '-The promenade at Lord's, on an Eton or Harrow day, or 'at' Canterbury, ;on the Ladies' Thuriday, could not bo quoted as more decoroas than at - Flemington at the off meeting, at which I assisted, and the comfort of rational respectability makes one think with something of a shudder of the gauntlet of ruffianism one has to ran, and the fringe of .all that is disreputable existing at nearly all onr raoe meetings." MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. • Melbourne Cup "sweep" season arrived. . Paper-chase at Harp of Erin to-day at three p.m. Fryingpan pulled .up lame after the race for the Adelaide Cup. Legaoy, a full sister to Le Grand, won th<3 Brisbane Cup in a walk. ; The Daoheas of Montrose races her horaes under the name of " Mr. Man tor." The stallion Casaivelaunaa has taken his departure from Dunedin for Melbourne. : The hurdle racer Woodpecker was" on Monday last fired by the Messrs. Halstead. The hurdle racer Minuet has had the j " honour" paid him of having his portrait taken. ; Mr. Morris Jacobs is said- to have given 650' guineas for Dutchman and Ned o'The Hill*. — v-..- ■ • . . > " ' £5000 was booked, in one wager against Ironmaster for the next Melbourne Cap, at 50 to 1. - The total amount put through the totalisator at the recent S.A.J.C. Meeting was £32,899. Mr.-P. Butler has purchased the steeplechaser Mustard (late Bugler) from Mr. Holmes for £100. French has taken up the Musket-Slander colt, with a view to giving him the rudiments of his education. " Actseon" states that there will be no hunting in Dunedin this year, as a pack of hounds cannot be obtained. Mr. G. G. Stead has disposed of his stallion Cadogan to Dr. Prins, of Christchnrch. The price paid was 700 guineas. The two Garfields and the two Brokers have each been supported in Melbourne for the Derby and Cap to win about £10,000. The Sydney Turf Club's meeting, whioh .was fixed for Queen's Birthday, had to be postponed for a week on account of onpropitious weather. I Lord Bradford's colt Quicklime, who won | the City and Suburban Handicap this year, [ Btarted at 20 to 1. His party won a big stake by his victory. From a private letter I have seen, the Hon. Jas. White appears well satisfied with the Musket—Yatterina colt, who is described aB going on well. The weekly meet of the Pakuranga Hounds to-day will be at Otahuhn. The hounds will be thrown off about eleven a.m. in the vicinity of the Scotch Church. The largest dividend paid by the totalizator at the . South Australian Jockey Club meeting was in the Flying Handicap, which Dutchman won, paying £64 17s. As yet, I understand the owner of Grey Momus has taken no action with a view to recovering the stakes awarded to Angler in the Takapuna Selling Steeplechase. The South Australian Jockey Club paid away over the late meeting the sum of £5506. The largest winners were Mr. J. O. Inglis, £2000, and Sir Thomas Elder, £710. At the recant Grand National Steeplechase Meeting held at Christohurch the sum of £3704 was passed through the totalisators. At the Dunedin meeting the sum put through was £13,165. In Bell's Life of the 19 th April last a backer is recorded as having laid the big wager of 6000' to 4000 on the winner of the Two Thousand Guineas coming from either Scot Free, Harvester, or Royal Fern, which he won. Malua has altogether won about £3600 during the present season, which, with Tasman's grand -performances in New Zealand, should place St, Albaius well np in the list of winning sires. " . .. . '. Hercules-was winning the Tally-ho Handicap hands dowa. when he met with the accident which, caused; his destruction.. It appearathatin taking the third fence from home he atruok it with such force as to break .his,near hind leg. Dan Butler, the. onoe well-known English light-weight.'jockey, died in utter poverty recently at Bnt for intemperate habits, Butler mast have risen to the highest summit of his profession, for his ability in the pigskin was always unquestioned. Mr. Simeon Barnard, Secretary to- the South Australian .Jockey Club, made a bet of one shilling on .the .Morpsthville course with the Hon. B, O. Barker, in the presence of a.detective, in order to afford the police a test case.' He was fined £2 and costs.

At the sale of Sir* Thomas Elder's stud, a five-year-old stallion,' Crawford Priory, was purchased by a Mr. Hale for New Zealand. Crawford Priory was get by Gang Forward out of Peradventure, and is thuß a foil brother to Guesswork and Conjecture. £500 was refused for The Agent when he won the Hurdle Kace on the third day of the South Australian Jockey Club Meeting. This' offer came from the Hon. W. Pearson, but Mr. C. Hart has since purchased him, with Governor and Country Boy, for £1200. Lord Falmouth's racehorses were aold on April 27. Sir John Willoughby bought the three-year-old brown colt. Harvester, for £8600. The three-year-old bay filly Busybody was parohased by Lord Alington for £8800....The total amount realised by the sale was £58,228. Ned o'. the. Hills, ,who r won the .Queen's Birthday Cup at Adelaide on the 26th alt., has proved a aheap"pnrchase to' his owner, Mr. M. Jacobs, that gentlemsnonly a short; time back having given .650 gnineaa for him and another colt named' Dutchman. Ned. o' the Hills -was got by Pride ot the bills out of Euterpe, : and was trained ty J. Wilson. During the put twelve months (says the Sportsman)- a'Clique of sporting, gentlemen are reported, to have won, £40,000 from the Victorian ring ; the double-event -victory of in the Spring, and the wins of Morpeth 'tod Malua in the Autumn, being two of the biggest items in.that total. -.The metallicians have been heavily hit of late. Old A'gent's leg filled badly after the race in the ..GrancJKational, and will require careful .nursing to bring him to the post again -this season. He has been scratched for his engagements at Lower Heathcote, but hopes'are still entertained that he may stand patohing up for the Napier Handicap, in whioh race he has been very kindly treated by the handicapper.—" Senex." - "Sir Lauhcelot," in an article on "Impressions of Sport in Australia," in' the Referee, says that Mr. M. Fennelly's words to him on his leaving Sydney were;— " Tell the New Zealanders that I've not lost faith in Martini-Henry, .but he had,the bad luck to meet in JLe Grand a better horse than himself, though I don't despair of seeing him retrieve his lost laurels at an early date. , There is a charming little township upcountry In Victoria (says the Melbourne Bulletin) where they have races on New Yer-r's Day, whioh invariably go off well, but amongst the varionß events annually contested is a selling race, which differs altogether from other races ot the same class by being won every year by. an ugly old bush stock horse called Mickey Free, who has carried off this prize for twenty years in suooesßion. This race has been a regular source of revenne to the knowing portion of the residents, who invariably skin the lamb with strangers, whose judgment , leads them to baok more showy-, looking animals.. We don't mention the name of the place, becanse w« are forming a party to go up there at the next meeting to baok this celebrated winner if he don't die of old see beforehand.