SPORTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9160, 15 September 1888, Page 6

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES, New Zealand. September 27, 28—floraldine Racing Club. September 29—Onohunga. Racing Club. October 1, 2—Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. October 10—Napier Park Racing Club. November 0, 7, B—Canterbury Jockey Clab November 9.—Wanganui Jockey Club. November 9,lo—Auckland Racing Club. December 26, January. 1, 2—Auckland Racing Club. December 2e and 27—Thames Jockey Club. December 26—Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. M *• rch 18,19—Hawko's Bay Jockey Club. Ju n e 26—Hawke's Bay Jockey Club.

AUSTRALIAN. September 15—Hawkesbury Spring. Sentember 22, 26, 27, 20—Australian Jockey Club. October 13, 20.—Victoria Amateur Turf Club. November 3, 6, B,lo—Victoria Racing Club.

DATES OP COMING EVENTS. September 15—Hawkesbury Handicap. September 22—A.J.C. Derby, September 25—Great Metropolitan Stakes October f>—Cesare witch Stakes. October 13— Caulfleld Guineas. October 20—Caultield Cup. October 22—Cambridgeshire Stakes. November B—V.R.C. Derby. November 6—Melbourne Cup. November 6—New Zealand Cup. November 7—Canterbury Derby. December 20—Auckland Cup.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. K.—Cap-a-pie was cot by Maribyrnong. Waihoa. — Matau tell and broke his leg while competing iu the Auckland Autumn Steeplechase. T. J. F.—They flnishod in the following order :— Libellqr, Templeton, Ariel. Templei;on was the favourite.

Wager.— Ni.icara finished fourth in the last Melbourne Cup. Abercorn ran fifth. Australian Peer did not compete in the Champion Race. Britisher.—Tho Cesarowitch and Cambridgeshire have been won by ono horse in the same season on three occasions : Rosebery accomplished the dual victory in 1870, the American horse Foxha.ll in 1881, and the French mare Plaisanterie iu 1885. You are mistaken respecting Robert the Devil; he won the Cesarewiteh in 18S0, but the Cambridgeshire was won in that year by Lucetta.

NOTES BY PHAETON. The weights for the principal events of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club's meeting made their appearance on Tuesday last. In the Spring Handicap, Carbine (Bst 21b), Balieta (7st 41b), Leopold (7st), and Man Friday (6st 101b) appear to me to stand out the most prominent, and I fancy that opinion will be pretty generally coincided with. On performances Man Friday should certainly have been awarded a few pounds more, and iti asking Leopold to concede him weight Mr. Evitt must have forgotten that sterling performance of the son of Robinson Crusoe at the A.R.C. Summer Meeting in January last, when he conceded him no less than 311b, and finished close up. Batista is decidedly well treated svith 7et 4lb, and if she stays as well as I anticipate she will, her chance of success will bear the appearance of being a very rosy one. Carbine is by all accounts such an out-and-out good one that even with Bst '21b opposite his name, he will strike terror into tho hearts of those opposed to him should Mr. O'Brien elect to send him to the post. The same quartette stand out very dangerous in the Flying Handicap, and I fancy that the winner of the double will be found amongst them.

A rather interesting point will, I understand, shortly come before tho Supreme Court to decide, having reference to the power of the nominator to use the scratching pen. It appears that when Mr. Marshall purchased the Musket-Locket filly at the Sylvia Park sale in January last, that she was engaged in the First and Second Foal Stakes, to be run at the A. J.C. Meeting, for which races she had of course been nominated by the New Zealand Stud Company. On the first forfeit becoming due, some three months later, Mr. Marshall having omitted to have the filly transferred to his name, she was, along with the rest of the company's nominations, withdrawn, in order that the company should not incur the liability of forfeits. Mr. Marshall expected that she would be left in, and I understand that on the day she was being scratched by the company she was being nominated by her owner for other races to be run at the same meeting. Mr. Marshall demurs to the company's right to scratch, even though he had not procured a transfer, and as the company contend that they acted within their powers, there is every prospect of the cass going into Court. The interpretation to be put on clause 4 of the conditions of sale under which the filly was sold will probably decide the question. It reads : "All horses are sold with their engagements, and purchasers will be required to sign the necessary transfer of ownership to their own names; if demanded, forfeits must be paid when the horse purchased is being paid for : but no errors of description, either as to quality, pedigree, engagements, or otherwise, of any stock offered, shall vitiate the sale, nor entitle the purchaser to any rebate or allowance."

We have this week had a visit from a prominent Victorian sport in the person of Mr. J. J. Miller, who came down by the Zealandia for the purpose of meeting a valuable collection of trotting stock, which he is importing to Australia by the incoming mail steamer. In the raising of the trotter in its highest excellence and promoting the sport Mr. Miller has always taken a very prominent part, and his breeding establishment at Bayswater, some twenty miles from Melbourne, consists of no less than 1000 acres, replete with all the appliances for education, training, &c. In 1881 Mr. Miller imported from America a sterling horse in Contractor, and though he had the misfortune last year to lose him by death, the horse has left a large progeny behind, with which Mr. Miller has won all the best races, including a Champion against all comers. Mr. Miller has fully recognised that to stand still in breeding matters is to court defeat, and he therefore decided on expending something like £3000 in replenishing his stock from some of the most famous strains to be found in "the land of the trotter." The present collection consists of the stallion Red Wind (by Red Wilks), and the two brood mares Red Rose (by Red Wilks) and Lucrettia (by Mambrino Boy Junior). Red Wind (4yrs) was sired by Red Wilks, who is also the sire of Prince Wilks (2'16), Phil Thompson (216 i), Wayne Wilks (2-18). Carrie Norman (his dam) was got bv Alexander's Norman, the sire of Norman Medium (2-20), Fanny Robinson (2-20|), and others. Red Wind was selected for Mr. Miller by some of the best judges in America, and is spoken of as being " all quality, and one that cannot fail to make a name for himself in any company." The Victorian sportsman certainly deserves any success that may attend him in his plucky enterprise, for to him is due in a large measure the credit of popularising trotting in the Antipodes. In order that the horses may stretch their legs in New Zealand territory, Mr. Miller has obtained permission to land them for a few hours, during the stay of the steamer in Auckland.

During Mr. Miller's stay he has been taker; in hand by Mr. M. Gallagher, who is one of the best of chapcroncs, and invariably gives up his time in the most unstinted manner in order that visitors may recognise the prominent part Maoriland is playing in the raising of the thoroughbred. The New Zealand Stud Company's establishment at Sylvia Park was visited on Wednesday, and the Victorian was extremely pleased with all that he saw there, especially so with the yearlings and foals sired by St. Leger, while altogether he pronounces a high eulogium on the young stock. On Thursday I made one of a party to show Mr. Miller around Ellerslie. Rarely has the beautiful suburb been seen to greater advantage, clad in its rich green coat, than at the present time, and the Victorian sportsman lingered long and seemed never to tire of gazing at the beautiful surroundings from the grandstand, while he pronounced the steeplechase course the best he had seen in the whole of the colonies. At George Hope's the Musket — Lady Ravensworth colt Puschka and old Peter Osbeck were interviewed ; but it was reserved for George Wright's stable to show the Victorian something above the common. Fusillade, Hotchkise, Balista, Hilda, Teksum, Cissy, Bustle, and Albert followed in turn, and the eulogium he passed on Trenton's sister was of the most flattering character, remarking that her proper place was Australia endeavouring to win the Maribyrnong , Plate, which found a ready response "and so say all of us " from the company. The Hawkesbury Meeting opened on Thursday last, and by cable we have the resulb of the Guineas, the first three-year-id race of the season, which fell to Melos (a son of Goldsbrough and Melody), who beat Latnond, Bonnie Spec, and two others in capital time. The winner is a fullbrother to The Broker, and is a stable companion of Australian Peer and Arsenal, so

that with such tackle to try him with, a pretty good line should be obtaiued as to ni.'i prospects of success in the Derbies, in both of which he is engaged. His defeat of Ls,mond is undoubtedly a good performance, for the son of Newminster was voted one of the best colts in training at Randv.'ick. The Grand Handicap is to be run to-day, for which race, at last advices, the lightly-weighted Eyre (late Osprey) was favourite.

The 108 th St. Leger was run at Doncaster on Wednesday last, and by cable we are told that the winner turned up in Lord Calthorpe's filly Seabreeze, who was followed home by Lord Bradford's Chillington and Mr. Manton's Zanzibar. The winner, who has been a rattling performer during her two and three-year-old career, is a daughter of Isonomy and St. Marguerite, and has throughout held a prominent place in the betting. The Derby winner Ayrshire was favourite at last advices, but he was under suspicion, and he may therefore have been amongst those who passed out.

The New Zealand Cup winner Fusillade has again joined George Wright's team, after a twelve months' spell, and an effort is to bo made to get another race out of him. The son of Musket and Wai-i-ti went slightly amiss last year, but the ailment, it is said, was only due to bad feet, and his trainer appears very sanguine of being able to get him to the post. After such a lon" , thened spell the horse is very much on tho C big side, and he will have to undertake a lot of galloping to get into racing form.

The erstwhile Aucklander, Cinderella, made her initial victory on Australian territory on Saturday last at the Rosehill meeting. This was in the Sprinters' Handicap of lOOsovs, six furlongs, in which she was awarded Bst 101b. A private telegram states that the mare started at even money, so that she would no doubt be a warm favourite. At the Hawkesbury meeting on Thursday the daughter of Javelin was again in the winning vein, getting home first in the County Purse of 250sovs, in which race she carried Bsfc, and beat Plutarch (7st 81b) and nine others. That there was no loitering on the road may be gathered from the fact that the_ mare carved out the mile in the clipping time of lmin 42sec. Nelson has been down to the course on one or two occasions during the week, but I regret to say that his off fore-leg shows unmistakable signs of unsoundness, and his standing a strong preparation appears very doubtful. The old horse, however, at present, shows no symptoms of lameness.

Tho following foalinga were announced during the present week at Sylvia Park: — Sweet Cicely, colt to Nordenfeidt; Florence McCarthy, filly to Nordenfeidt ; Pearl Ash, filly "to Nordenfeidt ; L'Orient, filly to Leolinus. At Mount Wellington, Welcome Katie has produced a colt to Sword Dance ; while at Major George's Memphis has dropped a colt to First King. The last-named will this season be served by Nelson.

Looking over the various lots held by Auckland trainers this season the team presided over by Jas. Kean, at Kohimarama, stands out far and away the strongest, so far as numbers are concerned, the veteran having close upon twenty horses under his care, of which five are three-year-olds, and six two-year-olds. George Wright, is also very strong in both these divisions, four of each ago being in his hands. Looked at from a racing point of view it would certainly have been much more satisfactory had the two and three-year-olds been distributed over a wider area, for, with such povyerf ul strings in but two hands, the contests do not give such prospects of drawing big fields as would otherwise have been the caae. The following list shows the strength of the various stables : —

J. Kean.—Escutcheon, 4yrs : Cuirassier, 3yrs; Leopold, 3yrs; Braemar, 3yrs ; Satyr, 3yrs; Hippocampus—Grand Duchess colt, 3yrs ; Corunna, 2yrs ; 2yrs ; Nosepay, 2yrs ; Leolinus — Lure filly, 2yrs ; La Dauphine, 2yrs; Leolinus —Atlantis colt, 2yrs; Magnesia, Huntsman, Taiaroa, Waihena. G. Wright.—Fusillade, 6vrs; Balista, 4yrs; Hilda, 3yrs; Teksum, 3yrs; Hotchkiss, 3yrs; Musket—Madcap colt, 3yrs; Cissy, Zyrs ; Albert,'2yrs; The Bean, 2yrs ; Bustle, 2yrs; Leolinus—Venus Transit hlly, 2yrs. J. ClUAFE.—Bangle, 4yrs : Rataplan, 3yrs ; Tartar, 3yrs; On Guard, aged. H. French. —Leorina, oyrs ; Lady Alice, 4yre ; Eruption, 4yrs ; Miss Alice, 4yrs ; The Baron, 2yra ; Torpedo —Yatterina colt, 2yrs. H. Harrison.— Catesby, (jyrs ; Antelope, syrs; Capella, aged ; lugomar— Fanny Fisher colt, 2vrs ; Don, 6yra. G. HOPE. —Lady Norah, oyrs ; Patchwork, 3yrs; Puschka, 3yrs; Quadrant, 2yrs ; Peter Osbeck, aged. T. HODSON (private trainer). —Nelson, aged; Raglan, 3yrs; Clive, 3yrs; Fiesole, 2yrs. J. Rae.—Orangeman, aged: Promotion, syr 3 ; Holly, syrs ; Fragrance, 3yrs. Mk. Ross. —Leofric, 2yrs ; Montrose; 2yrs.

The committee of the Onehunga Racing Club held a meeting on Thursday last, when the following numerous committee was appointed to frame haddicaps : — Messrs. J. Wattie, O'Kelly, R. Webb, J. Rowe, G. James, and J. (VLeary. if there is anything in the old saying, " Too many cooks spoil the broth," we may anticipate anything but favourable work from this extensive committee.

The Sydney mail, this week, again brought us further evidence of the great respect in which. Volley is hold for the V.R.C. Derby, and, at the time of writing, there seems every prospect of the daughter of Musket starting even a warmer favourite than did Abercorn last year for the same I race. The iilly has been doing capital j work at Randwick, and from an account of I her training, I take the following concerning her form :—''Then came the gallop of the morning, between Volley and Ensign. j They broke away from the half-mile post, and all the way the pace was a clinker, the filly registering the once round in 2min ISsec, the gelding being many lengths away." After this performance the market was cleared of all 3's to 1 and an olfer to take 1000 to 500 that she wins the blue ribbon remained unanswered, and 7 to 4 became the best offer. From the following, which, I take from the notes of " Asmodeus " in the Melbourne Leader, there does not appear much prospect of the Victorian contingent f urnishinganything good enough to successfully oppose the favourite. lie says : —" I have very little hope of the three-year-olds now being prepared at Fleinington furnishing the winner of the V.R.C. Derby. Undoubtedly the bestlooking colt of the lot is Rcdbourne, by St. Albans from Royal Maid, for whom Mr. j W. Pearson gave 1325 guineas when a yearling. He has yet to make his debut in public, Mr. Dokin deeming it expedient to give him plenty of time to develop any latent galloping power he may possess. Recently he has been shaping in promising style. Mr. Dakin has other blue ribbon candidates in hand in Whitworth, Waterman, Firelock, Forest Queen, and Beryl, not one of which, however, is up to Derby form. Neither are any of the other Flemington trained horses, viz., Henry VII., Toastmaster, Snowfoot, True, and Impetus, in j possession of the necessary credentials to i warrant the expectation of a surprise."

A Christchurch friend sends me a chatty letter, from which I extract the following :

—" The horses under the charge of R. Mason, at Yaldhurst, are not so well as they were this time last year. Russley is used up, Gipsy King is amiss, and Maxim is occasioning some serious alarm, and Sextant is coming back to shape, and will, I fancy, be better goods than either Lochiel or Beresford for the Cup. The young ones have not yet shown anything very j wonderful. Carbine is far and away the best horse at Riccarton. Artillery will not, I fancy, stand a preparation, and I do not think Springston and Ruby are class enough. St. Clair is a better horse on a worse course—i.e., he does not like our long stretches of straight and easy turns, and if he has a weak spot, as Turnbull alleged, Cutts will find it out. British Lion has not a 1000 to 1 show, nor half of it. Of Chain Shot, Mr. Robinson swears he is the best colt he ever owned, but, I fancy, he is a stone below Exchange. St. Malo is not a bad-looking colt; but he is really untried, and I fancy he will never be a good one. Manton has not furnished just as I should like, and he is a very slovenly mover, but he will, undoubtedly,, beat Artillery. Engagement is lame as often as not, leggy and short, but she is a great deal better than most people suppose. Son-of-a-Gun is a very decent colt, and will improve every week. There are worse wagers than 100 to 3 about this young gentleman. Ravenswing is the prettiest filly and sweetest mover ever bred in the colony, but a mere pony. Exchange just now looks like cracking up, his hocks have always occasioned some alarm, but given a thorough preparation, he would run a great race with Carbine at the weights, and this means bein" somewhere near the front."

I think (says " Hermit") it is an indisputable point that the Musket stock do not " wear." Barring Trenton and Mitrailleuse it would be hard, I think, to find one that had gone through a third season's training. Brilliant, no doubt, they were, and good as gold when wanted, but not lasters. It is curious that of the three greatest sires ever standing in New Zealand the family peculiarities should be so strongly brought out in their offspring. The Sir Hercules young ones almost invariably sutFered in the feet; the Traducer stock in their hocks, and the Muskets in their forelegs. Now, Traducer never gave any observer the idea of being a good forelegged animal, and his shoulders were decidedly bad. Yet we find him the best of the three stallions we have mentioned in getting horses that would last through long racing campaigns. Sir Hercules was one of the best shouldered horses in the world, and could use his forelegs like James Mace could his hands, but the feet below those forelegs were transmitted to his offspring. Musket was a heavytopped horse, and came from a bad legged family, and in most instances of his stock it was the top that broke down the sinews below. It makes one wonder what the attributes of breeding are. Musket and Traducer were neither of them fashion-ably-bred animals, if we look on the sire's side alone, while Sir Hercules, who no doubt was a good bred one, came of what in the old country was thought soft stock. Yet a combination of these three bloods would probably produce a great racehorse, say a colfc by Musket from a Traducer mare out of a daughter of Sir Hercules. All the sires mentioned being now dead, such a combination would be impossible, but I should have liked to see a Musket colt from Calumny, who, though hitherto a failure as a brood mare, will yet, I think, if properly mated, produce a racehorse of the highest class. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

At Chicago bookmakers have to pay a license fee of £19 per day. The Middle Park Stud Company have reduced Apremont's fee to 10 guineas. The Australian Jockey Club's Meeting commences on Saturday next at Randwick, when the A. J.C. Derby will come up for decision.

■ T. Sanders, who rode Dunlop in the last Melbourne Cup, and has since been for a trip to England, returned by the Orient steamer Oroya. Cuirassier was sent a mile gallop on the course proper on Thursday, in company with On Guard, when he had all tha best of the battle in 1.50.

George Hope, having undertaken the post of private tminer to Mr. Bobbett, Puschka will next week leave his establishment for that of George Wright's. Of the 27 Melbourne Cups, no less than seven have been won by three-year-olds, five by four-year-olds, eight by five, four by six, and threo by aged norses. The three-year-old colt Venture, who was thought a good deal of in connection with the V.R.C. Derby, has been sent to Mr. Day's hospital for treatment. Miss Flat (dam of Welcome Jack) has this year foaled a chestnut filly to St. George, while Rupee (dam of Spade Guinea) has produced a colt to the same sire. J. Huxtable, who last year steered Lochiel, Maxim, and Gipsy King to victory in their various races, is now travelling with a minstrel troupe in Tasmania. According to !-he London Sportsman, the Hon. James White has got the credit of being married to Miss Myra Kemble, who is the wife of " Glasseye" White, the bookmaker.

Both Exchange and Artillery are thus early causing their admirers some uneasiness. The former is said to have sprung a curb, but the exact nature of Artillery's ailment is not stated.

I have this week to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of Mr. J. J. Miller's Sporting Guide. As usual, the little volume is brimful of information, compiled in the most accurate manner.

The Marquis of Ailesbury has made an attempt to get tho ban of "warned off' removed, but the Jockey Club refused to entertain tho request, and the "sprig of nobility" will therefore have to still view the races from the roadway. Thf> Austro-Hungarian Government has made a g-rant of £11,000 to the Perth Jockey Club, for the purpose of buying Englishbrod racehorses. In addition, half-a-dozen brood mares are to be purchased for the Government stud at Kisber.

The total receipts of the " Pari-Mutuel" at Longchamps, Chantilly, and Fontainebleau during the spring and summer racing , amount to twenty millions of francs (£800,008), of which two per cent, is supposed to go to the race fund of the Jockey Club in Paris.

A reporb comes from Melbourne to the effect that an offer of £1000 cash and £2000 if he won either the Caulticld or Melbourne Cups, was a few days ago refused for the racehor3e Dick Swiveller. The owners are said to have asked double the former sum without contingencies. Captain Machell has the reputation of being the best seller of racehorses in England. As an instance, he bought a yearling by Petrarch — Sacrilege lately for 1250 guineas, and passed him to Mr. "Warren" a fortnight later for 4000 guineas, a trifling profit of 2750 guineas ! A trainer of repute can apparently command any figuie at home for his services, an instance in point being Morton's engagement with Mr. Abington. He is to receive £1000 per annum and £'2 per week for every horse in his charge, which probably means from 40 to 50 horses.

Discussing the Melbourne Cup, Warrior says -. —" To sum up the long list of candidates, I intend going straight for Cardigan, Bravo, Silver Prince, Aristocrat, Matador, Bohemian, Lonsdale, Dick Swiveller, Lord Allen, Meteor, Chicago, Recall, or Tradition to furnish the winner."

The Australasian is responsible for the following:—'"Deducting their own sweepstakes, and not reckoning second moneys. Trident won £5741 ; Malua, £8408 ; Grand Flaneur, £7939; and Commotion, £7700 in stakes." Considering that Trident retired from the turf on his rising four year old, his winnings beat any previous racehorse.

" Vigilant,'' of the Melbourne Sportsman, has ascertained that 305 favourites won, and 389 favourites lost races in Victoria last season, and that " following the favourite " with a £5 investment in each of

these races would have yielded a profit of £222. The adoption of a similar course during the previous year would have given a credit balance of £149. Good judges in Melbourne, who are well posted in what goes on at the Flemington training tracks, aver that Mr. W. E. Dakin's representative Tranter, though apparently recovered from his accident of last spring, is not being hurried in his preparation, and will probably not be wound up before the autumn. He has, however, already been nibbled at for the Melbourne Cup.

There were only thirteen starters for the ' Sundown Park Eclipse Stakes, though the j prize money was £10,000 for the winner, \ The Duke of Westminster's Orbit, Sst 121b, jby Bend Or—Fair Alice, was made favourite, 0 to 4 being laid on his ability to win, which he accomplished rather easily by a length from his stable companion Ossory, 9st 111b (100 to 6), Martley with 9st lOlb running third. Dealings in land, more than tho preparation of racehorses, have served to found the fortunes of more than one of the Victorian I trainers. Both I. T. Carslake (better known ! as Tommy Jones) and Joe Morrison may be cited as instances in point; and now J. Leek, the Cauifield trainer, bus just completed a profitable deal, whereby his five acres of land in the vicinity of the racecourse return him a clear profit of £6000, after a two years' occupancy. Good business—very. ONEHUNGA RACING CLUB. Entries for the principal events of the Spring Meeting of the Onehunga Racing Club to be held on the Epsom Racecourse on Saturday, 29th instant, were received at Mr. VV. Adams'a office, Durham-street, last night, as follows : — Spring Handicap of SOsovs., one mile and a quarter. — Balista, Pretender, Lioness, Clive. Man J Ula, Catesby, Landseer, Leorina, Canella. Flying Stakes of SOsovs., five furlongs.— Mayflower, On Guard, Puschka, Pretender, Lionos3, Squire, Cushla, Catesby, Leorina, Capella. Handicap Hurdles of 4030v5., one mile and threequarters.—Ma Petite Fille, Wideawake, Alfred, Shillelagh, Orangeman, Don, I Kangaroo. Ladies' Bracelet of 25sovs., one mile. — ! Ma Petite Fille, Lioness, Mantilla, Fisherman, Landseer, Shillelagh. Entries were also received at Onehunga, but these have not yet come to hand.