SPORTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8580, 30 May 1891, Page 6

SPORTING.

TO RACING CLUBS. The Accrued Weekly NEWSbas been appointed the Official Calendar for the publication of all programmes in tbe Provincial District of : Auckland, In terms of the new rules of racing. In order to ensure advertisements being inserted in the page allotted to "The Sportsman" it is necessary that.they be sent to by Wednesday afternoon, • [EXTRACT.! ■"?■'■ Rule 17.—The ■ programme of; each meeting ;in which the added ; money is £100 or upwards, must be advertised in full once at least in the Official Calendar. Tha advertisement shall show that the programme has been approved by the "Jockey Club, shall state the days on which the meeting is to begin and end, • and the [ names of :• the : stewards, • judge, starter, clerk of the scales, and handicapper. ■-

RACING FIXTURES. .Tune Auckland Eacing Club. June 25—Hawke's Bay Jockey Club.

DATES OF COMING EVENTS. August 13—New Zealand Grand National Steeple- ..'■• chase. -'*■ ".'■ July 11—V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race. July 18—V.K.C. Grand National Steeplechase.. September 9—Doncaster St. l*ger. ~

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. ' ' Sydneyite.—! know of no instance when Turquoise started in a race at Onehunga. S.R., Otahuhu.—George Williams steered both Salvago and The Poet in the Melbourne Cup. K Query, Gisborne.—l. The Flemington racecourse is lj miles 16 chains 5 links. 2. Martini Henry started three times at the V.K.C. Spring Meeting, of 1883, viz., in the Derby, Melbourne Cup, aud Mares' Produce Stakes.Wager.—Locket (dam of >Medallion) was imported to New Zealand by Mr. K. 11. D. Ferffusson, of Gorton, Waikato. She subsequently passed into the hands of the New Zealand Stud Company. ■'

' THE" AUCKLAND RACING CLUB'S WINTER MEETING. ■■:.'.", ; ; [by phaeton.]! • Of course the fact of the gates being thrown open free at Ellerslie on the occasion of the winter meeting at Ellerslie on Wednesday next, will no doubt act ;as a powerful lever in attracting an attendance; but lam very much afraid.that the . committee will find they have made a blunder in selecting a day in the 'middle /of the week for the holding ; of ; the; gathering. Saturday afternoon is now so universally regarded as a holiday that the action of the committee in adopting Wednesday in preference to the former is most difficult to understand, for experience has many times shown that a good attendance at, Auckland race meetings cannot be obtained on any other than Saturday afternoons or public holidays. : However, the programme of- seven events; 'will be brought up for decision 'gives' jbvery -promise of furnishing some capital racing", and .'with fine weather a' most enjoyable afternoon's sport should result. '' .■',!' ! "5 '•'■''■'*-'"■ The weights issued by Mr. Evitt for the two principal events of the meetingthe Hurdle Race and Great • Northern Steeple-' chase—have been somewhat adversely criticised ; ' and it is very evident that had the handicapper : been as well' posted; up on the running at Egmont, Wanganui; 1 and Takapuna, as he might have been, he would have produced a more satisfactory piece of work.

:In the Hurdle Race, Theorem (10st) reads to me extremely well in. 'I With 81b more than he is now asked to carry, he could, I think, have ; won '■< at Takapuna on Monday last, had his jockey come a little sooner, and; the .'big gap he made up in the last furlong and 1 a-half, and the strong manner in which he i finished, leads me to the conclusion that; the son of Hippocampus will take no end of beating in'the race under., review;- and at present I do not care to search any further for the winner.

■ Mr. Evitt had no choice but to give Sentinel top weight (12st) in the Great Northern. Steeplechase, for though, he lias not recorded any very noteworthy victories" over country his .form over the smalt sticks has been extremely good ; and notwithstanding his 1 severe impost, he will "beat more than beat him. ; Ingorangi .t (list 71b)' ; is very harshly treated,-; for by all , accounts his victory at Wauganui was altogether;iduefto several of his opponents going the y wrong ; course. Takapii is generally held to be the blot of the handicap. : -When his jockey made the unfortunate mistake by taking him the wrong course at Wanganui, the son of Izaak Walton is said to have been in the van, and as theblunder was committed short distance from home, the chestnut must have a big say, in the settlement of this question under lOst.j At Egmont, Takapu showed himself \ equal to,;, getting over big t country, and though some are * inclined ;to think ■ that there, was "a particle 'of fluke '• about his* victory there, I ani informed that' he really won with a lot in hand; and putting all the facts together, l IJ think : Mr. Evitt j would have been well warranted in f putting another 71b on him. A3; to what chance Ival (93t 101b) possesses T'\ am unable to say, as he has not yet arrived from Napier; but afcer' well-weighing the matter I have been unable to unearth anything that would cause me to advise my readers to desert the popular pick for the double—Theorem and Takapct. KiThe following are the acceptances and entries, which I may state show: aa increase of nineteen over those of last ye^r: — Hurdle Race of lOOsovs. : Two miles. " - •■■■■;. st lb st lb Sentinel .. ..1112 Cloth of Gold .. 910 Nap 10 5 Try Fluke .. .. 9 9 Bryan O'Lynn J .. 10 0 Good Day .. -.. 9 7 Criminal ;.. ;, .. 10 0 Salute : ... .. 9 5 Theorem .... .. 10 0 Great Northern Steeplechase ■;':' of 300sovs, about three miles and a-half. - • st lb .- - - st lb Sentinel .. ' :.. 12 0 Ival.. >. . -„. 910 Ingorangi .. .. 11 7 Bit-o'-Blue.. , >■.;.."- 9 10 Nap .. .. .. 10 7 Yum Yum.. " ..9 9 Omata .. .. 10 3 Duadine .. ..9 9 Takapu -.. ' "V. 10 : 0 N«clc-or-Nothing.. 9 7 Pamell: .. -.9 11 Kate..: ... ■ ..9 7 Maiden Steeplechase. About two miles and, Mistletoe, Hichland Laddie, Bryan O'Lynn, Justice, Neck or Nothing Ival, Karewa, Yaidarm Chance, Kate, Yum Yum, Dan. ;,■:,,.■■..,:. "Welter Handicap. One mile.—Shaughraun, Te Kooti, Bon Voyage, Leorlna, Loch • Ness, Snake,' Capelli*, Maccaroni. Ingorina, ';.., Priscilla, lima. Lonely, Dolosa, Criminal, Warrior,'Orakei. Selling Steeplechase. About three miles.— Kapai (nil), Relation (£2O), Justice (£2O), Off Chance (nil), Jim (nil), Karewa (£so),\Begorrah (nil). ~. V j :■( Ladies Bracelet. One,, Mile.— Leorina, Ladd,: .Theorem/ Chance, Ingorina,-Priscilla, Dolosa.-' ' -

. NOTES, BY PHAETON. , ,- THE ENGLISH "DERBY..' Lord Alington would appear to possess a great colt in Common, as in the Derby run on Wednesday last the son of Isonomy and Thistle followed up his victory in the Two Thousand Guineas by ' annexing the blue riband'. The cablegram, announcing 4 the result states that 5 the race was run during pouring rain; but Common is, evidently, "a demon in mud," as he is said to have Avon in a canter. Up to the time of the mail leaving London very little was known regarding Common's capabilities; and his name had not, up to that time, been introduced into the quotations; but he must subsequently have been I made the medium of some staunch supEort; < for, from the time he distinguished imself at Newmarket, lie has been a red-hot favourite for the Derby. The French sportsman, M. E. Blauc, furnished the runner-up in Gouverneur, a son of Energy and Gladia, who last season won the Middle Park Plate, and was one of the winter favourites. The defeat of such heavily-backed ones as The Deemster, Gouverneur, Orion, and Cuttlestone will make the Derby contest of 1891 anything but a pleasant topic to the great bulk of home turfites ; but the wagering on the blue riband ; nowadays is nothing like it used to be, even a decade back, when :it : was no i uncommon thing to find many horses backed to win sums ranging from £50,000 upwards. Both Common and Gouverneur are engaged in the Grand Prix de Paris, to be run on ; the 7th proximo, and they will no doubt meet to measure strides again in the great French race. * . LORD ALINGTON. ■ The victory of Common in the Derby, is. a fitting occasion on which to furnish a biographical sketch of; his owner, and the fol- , lowing account from the pen of one of the most chatty •of English writers will no doubt be perused with interest:—

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when ho is old lie will not depart from it." This sage aphorism J of Solomon's might be well applied to the gentlemau whose portrait wo herewith add to our gallery—at all events, from a sporting point of view, for when young Gerard Sturt was a boy of 13 in an; Eton jacket, his father, during the vacation, which the lad always ; spent at Crit;chill, in order to make -him a finished and fearless rider would mount him upon a good bit of blood 10'' hands high, and send him off with the hounds. Of course, Master* Gerard revelled in the sport, and, with all the dash: and ■ enthusiasm of youth, distanced many an experienced hand. Indeed, on more than one occasion he actually led the hunt from start to finish. Lord Alington is the first of the ti Lie. His father, the late ; Mr. Henry Sturc, of Ghritchill, Dorset, was one of the untitled gentlemen of England, and owned very large estates in his county, of which he was one of the Parliamentary representatives for many years, in:: the days when Ctlio man who had the largest stake in a shire was considered to be the most proper man ; to j guard its s interj ests. For a rich young man, whether lord or commoner, unions: he were destined for the [Army or the OJmrch, '' the Honae" is the

sine qua non of his < career, and; while the father i represented the county, the 'Son, as soon as he was of age, was elected for Dorchester, which he quitted only when the death ~of Mr. Henry Sturt; left the more; < important / seat > vacant. Born -in "\ 1825/ Mr. ? Sturt commenced '" his racing ■;-' career nearly-the third . of a century ago, and "he is therefore ? ; one of the /few links left which , connect the ' sportsmen of the past,; such men as Admiral Rous, Lord Falmouth, the Marquis; of Hastings, George Payne, etc., 7 with the sportsmen of the present. Hpw many famous; Turfites have risen and passed away; how many sensational careers brilliant land; evanescent as a shooting star on an August night, have astonished the world for a day and then fallen into darkness and oblivion, from which their memories are now and again brought back to the light of dav only "to point a moral and adorn a 'tale,"" since Mr. Gerard Sturt won the' Champagne Stakes at the Bibttry Club Meeting in 1849 with Humphrey, by Ootherston! And still the veteran sportsman, who so 'thoroughly enjoys the pleasures of the turf without ever abusing; them, without wrecking fortune or constitution, flourishes in the midst of us. - Probably the most ; sensational race in which Mr. Sturt has figured was the sensational Cambridgeshire of 1883, which many a veteran sportsman will remember as a famous : turf rtcandal, involving : a mystery that has never been cleared up, at least to the outside world. In 1862 a certain number of three-year-olds; was? cleared out .of the stable at Woodyeates, as not worth keeping, and sent to Bath at i race time to be sold. Mr. Sturt and Sir William Codrington happening to be there in looking over the lot, liked the look of one named Catch 'Em Alive, which nobody else would notice, 1 and purchased him between them for a comparatively small sum. Catch 'Em Alive had only run in One race as a two-year-old, the Champagne Stakes at the Bibury, and starting without a penny on him, failed to get even a place. As a three-year-old ;he was equally a failure, running in the Cesarewitch under his new owners' colours at 6st 71b, and was beaten ; by Hartington. Next year he ran in the City and Suburban, carrying the light impost of 6st 121b, and in spite of his bad record stood second favourite at 4 to 1, but with no better luck; after contesting the Longleat Stakes at Salisbury getting a place, he did not again run until the Cambridgeshire. The favourite was a much-bepuffed filly named Limosina.'who had got the position not on her merits or on public form, but on ', the clever manipulation of a shrewd sportsman. Yet again, notwithstanding his all blanks and no prize, there was a goodly number of backers who put their faith upon Catch-'Em-Alive, and he stood at 9 to 2, though there was -a' field of forty runners,' among which .was Carnival, the stable companion of Macaroni, the Two Thousand and Derby winner, and esteemed by many to be the better of the two; Carnival, however, did not rise in the market above 12 to 1. Probably there was never a more ; exciting Cambridgeshire run, but before the end', With the rest left far behind, it became merely a duel between Lord Westmoreland's Merry Heart, steered by John Morris, and Mr. Sturt's horse;- ridden by Sam Adams. Now came the tug of war, and both jockeys, amidst the frantic cheers of their supporters, strained every nerve; within a few«yards of the whining post they were neck to neck, then by a tremendous effort Sam got in advance, bat won only just by a head. It was a race such as you often hear about but very seldom see. Howover, this was but the first act of the drama; there was ; a denouement to come yet more sensational, the account of which we will quote from The Calendar :— " When the jockeys returned to weigh after the race, , Mr. Manning, the clerk of the scales, found that the rider of Catch 'Em Alive did not draw the proper weight. He was first weighed without a whip, and a whip was afterwards given to * him, which was stated to be the whip he rode with. This barely made him weight, and the owner of j the second horse (Lord Westmoreland) objected to him being weighed with anything given to him after he got into the scales. Mr. Manning then requested the stewards to come into the weighing room, and they decided that a jockey not having brought his whip ; into the scales with him could not afterwards .weigh with it, and it plainly, appeared that the jockey could not draw his proper weight. The rider of Merry Heart had previously been weighed ': and passed by the clerk of the scales. The stewards were on the point, of giving the race in his favour 5 when the; rider of Summerside, who was third; came to scale, and he also was found short of ; weight. On this the stewards ordered the scales to be examined, when it was 'found they were not correct, and that some; lead had been fastened on to the bottom of the weight scale. When this was removed and the scales were adjusted, the stewards expressed themselves satisfied that the rider of Catch 'Em Alive would have .drawn the'prope.r.vWeight if the balance had "been.adjusted; befbre he was weighed. The <clerli'of, the scales'assured them that he had no doubt on the subject, and the stewards then declared that Catch/Em Alive was the winner "' of the Cambridgeshire." At the first-whisper that passed round the course that there was a hitch about the winner, there was a rush for the weighing room : the suspense of the multitude without, who with beating hearts; awaited the decision, which would mean so much to many, may be imagined; 'most anxious of all were the bookies, for Merry Heart had started at 40 to 1, and very little money was on him at that price. Who the culprit was has never been revealed to the public. The rider of Merry Heart, who had so _ strangely turned the scale at his proper weight, while his two companions failed, was pronounced to be a man above suspicion. : The stewards offered a large reward for the discovery of the culprit, but nothing came of it—at least, nothing was made known. Lord Alington's partnership with Sir F. Johnstone began about 1868, and has lasted ever since. /They moved their stud from Woodyeats to King3clere in 1881, where they have trained ever since. The two most famous horses owned by : the confederacy # were St. Blaise, who was privately bred at 'Critchill, and who won the Derby in 1883 in the name of the latter nobleman, and Friar's Balsam.; ■ ;//-//' ■■•'/"-■ . /. • ; "

Mr. Gerard Sturfc was raised to the peerage under the title of: Baron Alington in ,1879. = A man of unblemished honour in all his dealings, and a most excellent landlord. Lord Alington is one of the great London ground landlords, and has a large area of property in the north-east of the metropolis, where his name - can ,be • daily seen in the Start Arms' in the New North Road.'■ Lord Alington is as popular in the field as he is on the racecourse, and there is no finer representative of a class that is rapidly- passing away— the old English gentleman— Gerard Sturt (Lord Alington). ■■:'■' THE ENGLISH JOCKEY KING. J The last English ¥ brings some further details of \ the inquiry * prosecuted by the stewards of the Jockey Club into the doings of certain jockeys last season, who were under suspicion of having formed a ring among themselves. Some most extraordinary and scarcely credible stories are being circulated about the facts which the Jockey Club are said to have collected in their investigation. One young jockey was, it is stated, found to have upwards of £30,000 at his bankers. A professional backer -was Uisdiscovered to have had* sixteen winning weeks in succession, during which time many thousands ,of , pounds were paid him, and another is stated to have lent £70,000 to a municipality. One or two of the Jockeys who have been had up before. the Jockey Club have utterly refused, so it is stated, to be sat upon or overawed by that august assembly. One in particular, whose bunk book revealed the fact that ho could draw a cheque for £30,000,. bearded the lions in their den with the most complete i-nsoucianca. When asked to explain how it;was he had contrived to accumulate so much money during the few years he had held a license, he refused point blank to comply with the request of his inquisitors. He went on to say that he didn't care a fig for the Joockey Club, or care a tinker's cuss whether he was allowed to go on riding or not. He had made his pile, he said, aud it was a matter of entire indifference to him whether he ever bestrode a racing saddle again or not. He wound up by saying that he was quite ready to lend one or two of the members of the club a thousand or so, a sum he believed " a few of them could do with." ; '• CARBINE V. MARVEL.

Though Carbine decisively dressed down Marvel in the two mile battle in the Cumberland : Stakes, it would seem that another tussle over a mile : at" weight-forage, must take place before Carbine will be regarded in many quarters as Marvel's superior over that particular journey. Mr. James Monaghan, the trainer of Marvel, was recently interviewed by,a representative of the Melbourne Standard, and he is reported to have thus discoursed :-" I think," said Monaglian in reply to a question, "the best horse won the All-aged Stokes ; and I am of opinion that if the race were to be rim over j again, Marvel would again finish in front of Carbine." "Then you don't think that running without plates made much difference to Carbine?' "No; I do not. Randwick is a sandy, not a boggy course, and Carbine cannot have floundered much. By the way, it was stated at the time that Mr. Hill was on the point of running Marvel ■; without' tips, , hut at the last moment, on the advice of Forrester, ho put tips on. As a matter of fact, I advised him all alcng to put tips on:" > " Well, Marvel is appropriately named, and there is, of course, nothing fthat could beat him over a mile." ' I den't ; know : about i that," responded Monagnair " It is my opinion that Bungebah i would i beat him.over acile." ./: Aivd then* the v.rainec fell into re'J.e'.fcions* and

murmured with the enthusiasm of i a true' lover of horses, "What: a; crowd they would draw—Carbine, Marvel, and Bungebah over a mile." i .. "Olympus," the chatty contributor to Melbourne Punch, has, on the other hand, been having a chat with the trainer of Carbine, and from his account of the same I take the following : —" The wish dearest to Walter Hickenbotham's heart is for Carbine to meet his whilom conqueror—Marvel—again; ' any distance,' he remarked to me the other > evening, ' half-a-mile, if they like. ' Walter evidently felt the All-aged Stakes defeat very keenly, albeit he took the matter pretty philosophically. ;; ' Mind you,' says Walter, ..* I; don't want to detract from Marvel's performance; he lis a■■; terribly i good horse for a mile. But he "can't beat: Carbine like that unless there's something to account for It. I fancy Ramage made the pace a bit too hot at the * startthey ran the first furlong in 12 seconds ; and then he had a cut at Eur okas after half-a-mile had been traversed, whilst all the while Mat Harris was lying dark on the weather bow for the final brush. Now in the two mile event it was only a six furlong tussle between the pair; but then Ramage kept *>. Carbine alongside Marvel, and when it came to a case of a struggle between the pair, 'pid Jack' knocked him completely out—in fact, beat him much easier than he had beaten Carbine in the All Aged Stakes.' And then it was that Hickenbotham expressed himself as being desirous *of ; meeting him again, : over any distanceeven half-a-mile. And as he so expressed himself you could see the fire of enthusiasm gleam in his eyes, and I had sitting before me in the railway carriage a living exponent of

The stern joy that warriors feel In foenien worthy of their steel.'

' It will thus be seen that both trainers of these two great horses are eagerly waiting for the time to arrive for another trial over a mile, but unless a match should in the meantime be arrauged we shall have to; wait till next autumn tor such a contest, as it is, not., until the All-aged Stakes of 1892 that a mile race at weight for age will come up for decision. However, the pair, may meet in the Flying Stakes at the forthcoming V.R.C. Spring Meeting, the distance of which event is only a furlong short of a mile, and both fit and well there will probably be some very heavy wagering as to the result. THE TAKAPUNA MEETING. • The Takapuna Jockey Club's Meeting on Monday last may in every respect be regarded as one of the most successful that has been brought off at the marine suburb. The large attendance was no doubt in some measure due to the fact of the volunteer display being held on the morning; but the',' throughticket at one shilling "is, I think, the true cause of the great popularity of the T.J.C. gatherings ; and if the Railway Commissioners could only be prevailed upon to reduce the fare .to Ellershe to the same amount, I am quite sure that there would be a very noticeable increase in passengers in that direction. Though the running track was in a terribly heavy condition from recent rains, the racing throughout was of a capital 'description. \ Large fields were • the ' order ; of the day, but the greasy state of the ground upset calculations in many cases. In the Hurdle Race the favourite, Bryan O'Lynn, managed to squeeze home, but he must be accounted extremely lucky in that respect, for had Try Fluke not bungled at one of the fences a short distance from home, and had ; Theorem been brought from the ruck sooner, both would, in my opinion, have finished in j front of the winner. In the Birthday Handicap old Tamora (7sfc 81b) was once more seen in form, and she scored a two lengths victory over Loch Ness (Bst 4lb). Possibly through being locally trained Tamora got along better in the heavy ground than her opponents, for it is a well-known fact that Loch Ness likes the going firm. The general impression seemed to be that the bulk of the totalisator money invested on this race was taken by " Mr. B. Thompson," but that gentleman states he only won a small stake. The Steeplechase, as; usual, was the event of the afternoon, and Jim, who was one of the most neglected' of : the contestants, got home a couple of lengths in front of Nap. The winner, who I may remark was; sold last year for '£9, fenced; throughout in capital style, and the manner in which he won his race, will cause him to be better thought of on any future occasion. Old Nap ran a really good horse, and had the going been hard he might have altered the verdict. In the Welter Handicap Leorina once again demonstrated what a really good mare she is, for to carry 12st 41b and win on such a course against a good field was unquestionably a splendid performance.

~ MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. • - Since we were told a few weeks back that several thoroughbred breeders and sportsmen in the South Island were likely to merge their separate interests into one establishment, in'; order to form one powerful 5 stud company, nothing has been heard of the project, and from the very marked silence of the whole of the Christchurch; journals on the matter, it certainly looks as if the formation of a " powerful company," having its head quarters at Canterbury, is to end in a fizzle. Rom last week's Canterbury Times I learn that the Middle Park estate, consisting of 95 acres at Upper Riccarton, was submitted to auction. £2500 was the first offer, and from that bids of £100 ran the , amount up to £3000, at which figure it was withdrawn.;

At Takapuna, on Monday, I had a short chat with one of the owners of Cuirassier, from whom I learned that the son of Musket was, at last advices, striding along in good style. I understand that a communication was recently received from Sydney asking for a price to be put upon the son of Musket; but an answer was returned that the horse is not for sale. : Evidently "" Mr. Burke" is determined that if there is a race in the horse he shall win his laurels on Australian territory in the popular amber and black.

!While riding Bendigo in the Birthday Handicap at Flemington on Monday last, R. Ramage had the misfortune to break one of his legs. „ If the fracture is a cles.n one the brilliant horseman should be sound again by the time Carbine is wanted in the spring. It is to be hoped that Ramage will be able to steer Carbine, for it is admitted on all hands that the great horse will do more for him than for anv other jockey that has bestridden him. .■';.

Mr. Stead appeals to _have got hold of a very unfortunate horse in Palliser, the three-year-old sou of Nordenfeldt and Radiance, and from the number of times he has acted as runner-up he should be re-christened Secundus. . In the Autumn Handicap he finished second to Hazel. 'At the. Dunedin meeting this week, Palliser : figured in both the Birthday .Handicap of, 350sovs, and the Provincial Handicap of .SOOsovs. In: the first named race he finished second to Retina, and he also occupied a like position to Blizzard in the last named event. Messrs. Buckland and Son offered several thoroughbreds by auction yesterday at the Haymarkct. A gelding by Patriarch, from Valerie (dam of Orlando), was knocked down to Mr. 1. M. Jackson, at £18; and two-year-old colt by King Cole from Rosalie (dam of Bryan O'Lynn). was taken by Mr. 11. B. ; Kavanagh at 55 guineas; and the trotter, MaudS., was purchased by Mr E. U. Sandall for £15 us. , ... *

It is not unlikely that Cissy's name will be found amongst those nominated for the Caulfield Cup and Toorak Handicap, to be run at the Victoria Amateur Turf Club's meeting; in October next. ;'" .. ; . : i-'*t '. '■"-. • ■[..- '^~i Owing to' the: death of Mrs. McLean,, of Ho wick, the meet of the l'akuranga Hunt Club at Panmure Bridge has been abandoned. The hounds will meet at \ the monument, Otahuhu, at twelve o'clock, to hunt'in the district round Otahuhu. ' • • ",

It transpires that the owner of Disappointment, the horse on which a dividend of £137 10s was paid at Potter's Paddock on Saturday, did not have the solitary ticket that was taken. The lucky holders were " Mr. B. Thompson" and a well-known Auckland shipbuilder. ■; ■ ' .

W. Hickinbotham has once again in hand Carbine and Megaphone, the pair having returned from ; Qneensoliff last week. Megaphono is said to have thickened out; considerably, and old Carbine looks as well as his best friends could desire. At Canterbury Park (Sydney) recently, the stewards had some of the smart gentry before them for. suspicious' conduct. It appears that when the betting opened oil the May Handicap, Leichhardt' was quickly installed first favourite, and "saw the short price of 2'to 1. At this price he remained Borne time, but tho horse did hot go well in the market, and Gradually receded: to. 10 to 1. When the horses left the paddock Leichhardt was observed to have his shoes on, and in the race ran so peculiarly that the stewards called . upon his owner, Mr. 11. Roberts, and the jockey, Parker, for an explanation, which being given, Was deemed to be unsatisfactory, and the result was a sentence of 12 months' disqualification upon Leichhardt and his owner, H. Roberts, whilst the jockoy, Parker, was suspended for six months.

The Tasmanian authorities arc at present engaged in a crusade against gambling in the shops in the cities of ltoburfcandLaunceston, and at a meeting in Launcston a few days ago, it was decided to petition the AttorneyGeneral to bring a Bill into Parliament to put down the evil. : The -Mayor/ who occupied the chair,''.pointed out that they did not want to run the totalisator off the racecourse, where he thought it was to a certain » extent the means of preventing swindles. Though Mr. Bond has gone on a trip to England " on leave of absence," it is {stated that ho will not resume his.: position as secretary of the V.A.T.C, but will be placed on the pension list. Mr. Harric Smith has, itis. .understood, been permanently appointed to the post, - - . ■ ,?

" A sad accident occurred at- Canterbury Park (Sydney) races last week -by/which. a : iockey named 1 George Manning lost? his life. In the Flying Handicap, which was the opening event of the day, Manning was riding Empress, and '.; as they rounded the bend Empress a was running about; sixth, when she slipped and fell, and 'her \ rider, ■who came in contact with a post, was picked up in an unconscious condition. He was promptly conveyed to the casualty-room, and" an examination proved that life was extinct. 5As soon as the result of the accident became known the owuers and trainers held a meeting, and unanimously decided to request a postponement of the races, and, in accordance with their wishes, the management closed the day's proceedings. ; The Lincoln Corporation threaten to take over the races and work them on their own account at; the expiration ; of ] ; the present lease unless the members of the ; Race Committee are prepared to pay a much higher rental, v? The '■;" Corporation have (says an English writer) ridden the "high horse" to a considerable extent with the present Race Committee. They would not grant mission for the new stand to be erected until a promise was given that they should have a room and a box in it for themselves (the key of which his mightiness the Mayor carries) and this was done. i A novel way of instilling honesty into jockeys is reported from America. A prize was given to the rider of the, longest-priced winner at a recent Gloucester meeting, and was won by a jockey named Hollis, who got home on a thirty to one chance. , The amount of the prize was £25. ' -/ The hurdle racer Sentinel won the Maiden Plate at Te Awamutu on Monday last, but in the Kihikihi Plate he could only get third •to Snake and Scot Free. • ,;.," Augur" of the Australasian, who for some time has been in very delicate health, is making a good recovery, and it is anticipated that the popular scribe will shortly take up his duties again. m T. Taylor made his debut as a steeplechase 'riderat Takapuiia on Monday last, but with Neck or Nothing he did not have a very promising « character,;-^ to carry him over > the

So far we have not heard whether the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club have selected a man from the seven applicants to fulfil the post of handicapped-s> '•■'■■ Mr. Wanklyn, secretary of the Canterbury Jockey Gab, is in great hopes of making the Spring Meeting at Riccartou next season "the biggest thing on record," so far as New Zealand racing is concerned. , .• „ ■ v A lot of New Zealand money has (says the Canterbury Times) been sent to Australia for investment on Carbine for the Melbourne Cup, and the champion is now at a ridiculously shore price. ■- ; ■■'■■' Yesterday Messrs. D. Tonka and Co. sold the privileges in connection -with the ; Auckland Racing Club's Winter Meeting. The; following were the prices realised Grandstand bar,.£l7 10s, Mr. Purcell; sole right: outside bars, £25, Mr. Curtis ; cards, £14 10s, Mr. Adams; refreshment stalls, £2, Mrs. Mcintosh ; stabling, £2, Parker. Another record has been lowered iin America, va. horse s called Hotspur being credited with having run a mile and threequarters in 3m. ; ?s. Race riding, like wooden legs, appears to run in the family. Three of the sons of the late Tom Chaioner had mounts in the Lin- i colnshire Handicap this year. * Mr. William King, managing; director ' at' Leightou Buzzard for a large firm of carriage" builders, while hunting with Lord Roths-' child's Staghounds, in the Vale of Aylesbury in March last, fell from his horse in a fit, and was picked up dead. That bad tempered brute, Thackeray (by Apremotit— - Sharp) figured in the Hurry Scurry at Springston this week, and ', could not gain a place. ■ It is stated that a Tasmanian sporting writer has very good prospects of being Air. Barnard's successor _to the post of handi- i capper to the Victoria Racing Club. : ( The V.R.C. Derby favourite Stromboli is said to be striding along in good style at Randwick.

in the Hurdle Race run at the Sydney Turf Club's meeting on Monday last, the Auckland horse Satyr was weighted at 9st 111b. '

Nominations for the Melbourne Cup are due on Monday next. Only nine horses started for the Two Thousand Guineas this year. It is stated that no less than three parties hold an interest in the jumper Takapu. :■

BOWLED OUT.:-; [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS association.] .■'■"■ ' Napier, Friday. . At the Town and Suburban races this week, a " dark" horse, entered in the name of Carmo, won two events.".'The horse, it is : understood, came from somewhere in the South, and -was nominated by the Reputed owner, a 'man named. Ferris. v. After the second race was won, and before the ' totalisator paid out, a protest was: entered, oh the ground that Carmo was the horse Problem, or Warepa, disqualified for ever in Dunedin in 18S6. The stewards at once impounded the stakes and the totalisator money,' pending inquiry. They now announced that the protest has been sustained, < and disqualified Carmo and Ferris. They will take further evidence as to participation in the swindle by others. • ■- ■ ■- ; - -