SPORTING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11402, 20 April 1899, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES.

By " M.AZHi'i'A " in Tim Witness.

— Blazer is having a spell.

— Mountebank has been taken up again. — Black and Red's near foreleg has filled. — Mauser has been sold for stud purposes. — Wai-iti won tho Easter Handicap at Pa-

— Resolute lias wintered very badly in England.

— Jas. Allan is now training the trotter Cottage Boy. — Ulizzard was bought in at £8 after winning at Beaumont. — The two-year-old sister to Scorn has been named " Scornful." —F. Harrison, a Palmcrston North trainer, died there recently. — Uusli Hoso in now trained by G. Penman at Palmerslon North. — A good crowd of high-class hoses ale entered for Ashburton. '— Mr J. M'Kewen has bought Lord Zetland. The price at auction was JEC. — The Victorian colt George Frederick is said to be touched in the wind. — The Napier Park Club made a profit of £101 over its Autumn meeting. — Vigorous, tlio Doncaster Handicap winner, has boon sold for export to India. —Mr Noake paid 320gs for Johansen, the gelding that {hiked the A.J.C. Leger. —Mr Stead, evidently tired of his English colt Benzoin, lias sold him for litOga. — Bogan, one of tho Australian dogs in the "Waterloo Cup, is by Clement's Tonic. — The Lancaster Park Club talks of enlarging its trotting'track-to half a mile. — The storting at Wairarapa is said to have been hardly as good as could be wished. -Some of the running at Fielding has an in-and-out appearance to the outsider's eye. — The death is announced of Shotover, v.:nncr of the Two Thousand Guineas and Duoy, ISS2.

— Jumbo, a winner at Waiiarapa, is by York, who in past years used to race for Mr Goodman.

r —A special meeting is to be held by the » Tnieri Club to consider the question of erecting a grandstand. — The sum of £6230 passed through the tote 1 at tho Wairarapa meeting is £591* ahead of last year's total. —Mangere, winner of the Steeplechase at Sydney last Saturday, was bred in Auckland, got ' by Billingegate. '— The nominations for the Clutha Hack ' llncihg Club arc very good—ls for the Cup and 18 for the Plying. -It is said that the Kentucky Futurity ' in '9d, which was ,31,G30d01, was the biggest ' purse ever trotted for. — The best finish at the Ettrick races was ' in tho Flying Handicap, won by Saturn by a head from The Gleaner. ' ~r The importance of disinfecting racecouvce ; stables properly and effectually is attracting attention just now in England. ; — When the last mail left Melbourne, Do- ' mino, tho winner, was favourite for the Great Eastern Steeplechase at 3 to 1. — Top price at the sale of Mr Gates's horses : was brought by Lady Zetland, this New Zealand Cup winner bringing 2Gogs. i —Mr :M. Kaiwhata has sold Jadoo and' En . Avant to Mr Robertson, of Moteo, and Hinepara to Mi' G. Walker, of Wairoa. — Tukapa, winner of the Flying at Patea, is by Lobe!— Jenny, therefore full brother to one I of the Hon. H. Mossman's yearlings. — Sprig o' Myrtle, by Trenton, won a*selling hurdle race at Eothorham (Eng.) on the 21st February, and was bought in at 05gs. — Harry Jackson is now looking after "Mr Solomon's yearling colt by St. Clair—Yaultress' \ and will shortly break in the youngster. — The Harness Trot at Auckland was fo have been raced over again yesterday, owing to Bob E.T! getting awpy before his time. — Ebor 12.1 finished 'third in the February Steenlechasc, of 253sovs, two miles, decided at the Hurst Park meeting on. February 18.' — It does not say much for Sydney form that Merloolas. an aged gelding, should wipe out all opposition in the long weight-for-age race. — The Taieri Club made a decent profit over its Easter meeting, and would have done better if the privileges.had fetched a fair price. — American-bred horses advertised for stud service in England, are Kamapo, 24gs; Dobbins, 18gs, and Americus, late Rey del Careree, 18gi. — Star of Honour, the scratch horse in the chief event on the Upper Wairau Club's first / programme, broke badly, and thus lost his — Mr J. L. M'llroy, who won the Trial Handicap at Waipukurau with Cossack, is, I believe, brother to Hugh M'llroy, who has gone up there. — Murray Hobbs ought to like tho Lady Zetland family, and I am glad to note that ho has bought the old mare's yearling filly by. Phaethon. — The Hon. H. Mosman has not only taken away his horses from Otago, but Iqft New Zealand altogether, his horses having been shipped to Queensland. — Altair, S^arshot, and Maremnm seem to be as well in as anything in the Thompson Handicap, but. I have not had time to go carefully into the weights. — Conqueror was let go at Mr 'Stead's sale last week at tup low price of 55gs. Mr Grigty, tho buyer, presumably intends using the colt for breeding purposes. — A regulation permitting the donation of £100 to the widow of any jockey of good repute I from the Distressed Jockeys' Fund has been adopted by the A.J.C. — A new thing in starting machines has been constructed by a lady in Hampshire (England). It works by compressed air, and is in tho form of a screen. — The Referee reports that the Greymouth Jockey Club is, at the request of the "starter, inquiring into an allegation against that official of improper motives. —S. Callinan, who won the Melbourne Cup on The Grafter, was much in evidence at the I Hawkcsbury Autumn races, where he steered j April Fool and Fireman to victory. j — Feilding Star thus opens its mind on a subject that wants, writing up all over the colony: "The luncheon was decidedly secondrate, and the attendance very bad.'' — The Now Zealand 'chaser Levanter was in February backed aft 66 to 1 for the Grand National. He ie trained in Ireland by M'Guire. A'i will be remembered, he did not start. — Scotch Wisdom, who was picked out of 100 classically-bred ones by a leading trainer for Colonel North, who gave 2500gs for him as a yearling, was sold in England recently for — \V. Carr is appointed to take to F.n'lfi.irt Tirant d'Eau, Freda, Tiraillerie, and Bessie Miicarthy. The Referee says that N. Noble, the jockey, goes Home by the same boat on his own account. : — Balance, b/ Trenton from See Saw, and bred by Mr W. R. Wilson, was recently sold in Sydney to Mr F. J. Martell. of Dundalone station. Her new owner intends reserving her for stud purposes. — One of the idols of the American turf is Sir Walter, by Midlothian (imp.) from La Seal*. During the six years lie has been racing, Sir Walter started in S5 races. He won 35, ran second in 17, third in the saijfe number. — The Easter Handicap "at Patea was a splendid race, won by a head after a desperate finish. Dr Paget rode a really good race, and came in for an ovation from the crowd, which was renewed when weight was declared. I — Two bookmakers named William Hill and j George Lynch were fined £20, with 2s 6d costs, jby the F'eminprton Bench recently for using a> " point of vantage " —to wit. a kerosene case— t for the purpose of betting at Flemincrton course. — The only man who made racing pay in England for a series of years during the latter half of the century was the late Lord Falmouth. The sport, it is said, costs the Duke of Westminster ,-£30,000 a year over and above his winnings. — The stud owned by the Prince of Wales is, perhaps, the best " spec that H.R.H. ever entered into. It is only a small one, and the brothers Persimmon and Florizel II earn between them no loss a sum than .-£16,000 a year • in stud fees. — Gold Medallist, now in England, is nominated by Mr E. Colion. London Sportsman's editor remarks of thil* horse: "There is no , means of gauging the value of New Zealand i form, thousrh I should not be disposed to rate it very highly." ' :

—At the Dublin Club's meeting on March 30 Fritz attempted to lower his record of 2min 13sec for the mile. The horse moved off in rare style, but tired towards the finish in tb« heavy going on the grass track, and finished in 2min 17sec.

— The s.p. bookmakers, being at loggerheads with the London Council over.the hitter's bylaw which prohibits any person from " using or frequenting any public place for bookniaking. betting, or agreeing to bet," have collected .-£446 as a. fighting fund.

— The sport'of horse racing is at such a low ebb at Madras that there is a proposal that the general public should assist the local race club out of its difficulties. The recent meeting, nt which Messmate won the Governor's Cup, was a big finanial loaa. — There was a curious coincidence in the draw for the Waterloo Cup, Wild Night and Bogan, winners respectively of the English and Australian Waterloo Cuds last your, coming together in the first round. Odds of 2to 1 were laid on Wild Night winning the course. , — Some sensation was caused in sporting circles in Melbourne when J. B. Cullen and J. Wren were committed for trial for attempting to suborn a. witness .who had been subpoenaed to give evidence in the recent Collingwood " Tote " prosecution. The trial was fixed for April 17.

— Two sports, lamenting the slackness ot betting on Otago courses:—"Why," said one,

"they bet more at the oats meetings up north." "Yes," replied the other, "in this Scotch place I don't believe you'd get anybody to bet that the sun would rise, to-

— With the' view of enabling spectators to witness more fully the running in the mile and seven furlong races, Mr Prank Madden has made a proposal to the V.R.C. that a new course be formed, starting from between the judge's box and the mile and a-quartcr post on the inside of the course.

—At the Tasmanian Turf Club's meeting a totalisator paying first and second horses was given a trial. Dividends were declared at the rate of 75 per cent, to the first horse and 25 per cent, to the second. The innovation did not find favour with backers, and there was very little speculation.

— The report that the English Jockey Club has passed a rule excluding American thoroughbreds from registration in the English Stud

Book has a tendency lo create some uneasiness on the part of American breeders and owners, bill the publication of llio rule had not, up to tlio date of last advices, been made.

—At Waugarutta (Vie), in the Town Plate. for which there were three competitors, the atarl.iaj< t;titc failed to open when; the cord whs pulled and the starter cried " Go!" Cenci remained at the post, but Ouden and Qualify roclo through the gale and the latter won. The owner of Cenci protested, but the stewards disallowed the protest. — Tho • Australian-bred horses Ilehestcr (Abcroom—lolanthe) and Cinder Ellen (Trenton— Cinderella) have found their way to England from India, and are advertised for sale. They are described as "great" racehorses. A Sndyey paper corrects this by staling truly that the mare was a. fair performer, but Ilchcster was an indifferent one.

— There was a Tatters-all's sweep on the Ballaral Cup, but none of the owners were laid tho coveted "bit to nothing." For once in a way says Melbourne Sportsman, the secret regarding drawers of horses was well kept, though rt has since transpired that the lucky holder of the ticket which represented the Missin- Link was Sir Huport Clarke. — Tho day is not very far distant, says Woirarapa Leader, when a winter steeplechase meting will be held at Tanherenikau. Everything "at present points that way and whether or not the Racing Conference sees fit to grant an additional permit, the V/airarapa Club will makn such disposition of its affairs as will enable it to hold its own Grand National.

— A history of the turf for tho last 3D years has been written by Mr Sydenhani Dixou—

■■Vigilant" of the Sportsman—and Mr Grant Richards will publish it in the early spring under tlio title " Prom 0 lndiateur to Persimmon." The volume will contain many hitherto unpublished facts supplied to the author by owners and trailers, and will be illustrated with numerous portraits.

— "The Squire," of Napier, reports that Fred Stone is looking well and strong again, and.has started work .at his profession. lie is at present educating a, couple of rising four-year-old fillies- by -Naf.ilor—Kio Kie and Jet d'Eau—Florin. W. Stone, who has charge of

' Mr Kathbone's establishment at Waipawa, is handling a brace of Gold -Reef's offspring, • from Mc-!?an3cr and Thyra. ■ -On tlie opening cl.iy of the Tunmt (N.S.W.) meeting, the jockeys f.»" '■.ivgricved at a regis--1 tration feo being iiunos.-'l in their case, which had the immediate effect of putting them on strike. As the racing could not procert without then-., they became masters of the situation, and the club, being driven iuto a corner, was obliged to give way by reducing the objectionable registration charge by one-half. — The cause of the change of tho Ballarat date from November or December to March was the sweep. Tattersall could only give the club a sweep in March. As it happened, observes " Terliiiga," tho sweep was no help._ The result of the drawing was not known* at the time the race was run, bo there was no money for owners. ;By being so avaricious owners have robbed '"themselves of any chance of get- — The well-known Dubkenfielcl Park stallion The Australian Peer has been sold to Mr E. K. Editing, of Thompson River, Queensland. The 'Australian Peer, who was-long the property of Messrs Bales Bros., and latterly the property of Mr John Bales, was a great performer in'his day, and at the stud he has sired several good horses, among them Nobler-inn (Metropolitan Stakes). Fadladecu (Tiittersall's Cup), and Lelamine (New Stakes). — Says one of the Wairarapa reports: The starting was successful in the majority of instances, but the breaking of the line of the machine was responsible for a very long delay in one case, and, the conduct of the jockeys for others. Mr S. Cundy will have to , " come down " on some of these riders, or they will continue to mess about at the starling place with increasing disregard for any but their own convenience. — The Australian dogs, Bogan and Tnrana's Pride, were both beaten in tho first round of the Waterloo Cup, but, says' the Sportsman, it was a 'most unsatisfactory- course- in which Bogan was beaten by Wild Night, the former having no opportunity of averting defeat. A very weak hare favoured Wild Night, and there was not sufficient of. the course for a big clog liko Bogan to show any ability. Wild Night was beaten next time bvi George Tinclo.r. — One of the features of the Ballarat meeting was 'the riding of D. Gillies, a ■ lad ' fonnorly in J. H. Davis's employ. Ho won three races the first day "on Reola, Tho Missing Link, and Oriel, and in each-case the result was due to superior horsemanship. I believe, writes the Sportsman's special, James Scobie recognised Giliies's ability some time ago, and ■ offered him an engagement, but the lad preferred to remain a freelance. ' — Wairarapa Leader, speaking of the local Easter meeting, says': Mr V. Armstrong may fairly be congratulated.on his work as handicapper. There- is no gainsaying the fact that the handicapping of the horses "on paper" oy j a, handicapper at a distance cannot be the sue- [ cess it undoubtedly, is when a man who not | only knows the performers but witnesses their | performances fixes the imposts. Our opinion | is that handicapping as a whole for the Valley j should be entrusted to Mr Armstrong. I —A. writer in London Truth says: I men- ] tioned recently that the Duke of Portland's two-year-olds by Carbine, at ICingsclerc, do not compare favourably with the Duke of Westminster's team in tho same/stable. I am told., however, that there is-a- remarkably promising and racing-like son of the Australian horse at Nowmarket in Mr Rose's Durbar, and he is a solemlid galloper. This colt^ is by Carbine out of the fii.ino.us Distant Shore, and nearly everything produced by this mare can race. -An English authority, Mr Richard Johnson, was asked how much weight did he-allow when handicapping? His reply wag: Well, generally 21b'for a head, but if the race was ! very severe, or the weights very high, per- j haps only lib; lib to 2lb would be about right; slb would go to a length for, say, a mile, or a mile',,«nd n-half. Undoubtedly you must tako into consideration if the pace was pood all-the,-way and. if the horses were carrying nearly as heavy weights as they could race under. ■ -.'..- ---— The Victorian writer " Javelin " remarks as follows:—Old turfites will remember how F. C. Goyder, in (;he days that have been, frequently won a good race after violently attacking the handicapriers in print. Following such an excellent example, Mr I). O'Brien, the Western district owner, immediately after writ- j ing to the Warrnanibool Club bitterly complain- / ing .gt the weights which had been awarded to Sis horses, came up to tho metropolis and won tho Gordon Steeplechase at Caulfield with Butler. ■ — The Reeftpn Jockey Club contrived to save j what looked like a certain loss'on one race at j tho .recent meeting. For the Jockey Club Handicap only one horse — Speculator — was I left in. The" starter went to his place, the horse did not arrive, the advertised, time for starting had passed, and the starter dropped his flag and sent an. imaginary field galloping down the course. The consequence, was the club saved the stakes, owing to the jockey, after tho manner of his kind, not coming up to time. — General Peace, who won the Lincolnshire Handicap, was bred in Ireland, and is by Gallinule (son of-Isonomy and Moorhen) from Moira, by Victor from Lady Jacob, by Uncas from Princess of. Prussia. He made his.first appearance an a two-year-eld under colours at the Cuvragh- September meeting, at which he ran unplaced in the Nursery Plate, for whic.lv I ClonVlalkin arid Sheeroe dead-heated, but tho following day ho '.yon the Railway Stakes with ' 5..10 ill the saddle. He was then bought for England. — There were some coutemntible thieves present at the recent race meeting at Newcastle (N.S.W.). Tho whips of Trncey and Wilson were stolen after the lads had fallen in different races and before their friends came on tho scene of the accidents. The bridle, too, was taken off Cromwell after the horse had fallen in the Cup, and tho writer soys ho has no doubt that if the thief could have got Cromwell into--his pocket before Mr James Mayo reached the spot, the veteran would now be deploring the loss of the gelding as well as the bridle.

— The London writer "Vigilant" said o[ Levar/tor i;; February: I understand that, nnlike others from the Antipodes, ho jmnns smoothly and witliout unnecessary effort. Moreover, he is said to be doing well in his work, but after what wo, have seen of Baimio and others I think most speculators will be prepared to let Levanter run looae. Fin colonial record id no doubt A very respectable one, but experience has proved that wo hare nothing to dread from colonial 'chascrs-at any rate, until they'have unlearned pretty nearly all that they know in regard to jumping. — The V.R.C. Committee have decided to give distinctive names to the- steeple and hurdleraces run at Fleminrrton. The Hurdle liace at the Queen's Birthday meeting in future is to he known as the "Victorian Hurdle Race,"' the Steeplechase as the "Imperial Steeplechase," the Two-year-old Handicap as the - Queen's Handicap," "-"d the Welter Handicap as the " Empress Handicap." It is also decided to reduce the sweepstakes and increase the prize money. The added money to the I Grand National Hurdle Race will now bo lOOOsovs instead of 600sovs. — A disturbance look place at the Richmond pony course, Victoria, the other day. In the ]3.1 Handicap Mrs Barlow's pony Cherry was made a strong favourite, and won pretty easily, to the joy of the punters. When the jockey Bnrbour came to weigh, Thomas Barlow, Mrs Barlow'e husband, drafted him from the pony's back, and beat him, while a man named Jones ripped the saddle off Cherry and threw it into the crowd. It fell at the feet of a constable, who took it into the scale, and Cherry, weighing in. was carried out. Barlow and Jones were arrested on a charge of insulting be- — Says an English writer: Coronation 11, a great, leathering, Queensland four-year-old, will make a fine chaser some day if he fails on the flat, and it should not bo forgotten that though he is nominally four years old here he is really only three until next August. I read from time to time that handicappers are unduly lenient to Australian horses, but no one ever seems to pay any attention to the fact that they have half a year the worst of it with "European or American bred ones in the matter of age. The socalled four-year-old Coronation 11. for example, is really on a nar with what an English three-year-old is in May or June. — The American writer "Hidalgo" says that of the sires now in California lie prefers the English horse Goldfinch, sire of the English filly Chclamlry, who won the One. Thousand Guineas of 1897 and ran second to Galt.ee More in the St. Leger Slakes. The.only horse in America that niicht, in his opinion, win a '

Melbourne Cup, with, say, list in the saddle, is Tien Holladay, a son of Hanover, who for on years in succession has headed the list of winning sires in the United States. Ho is a bi" brown horse, resembling Tirailleur, who met with fatal injuries when'he came down in the mud at Flemingloi! in Glenloth'a Cup. Writing in February, the London sportsman's special said: The continued backing of Uniform for tho Licolnshirc Handicap is beyond any power of mine to explain, for I have no inner knowledge on the -subject, save what I know of the horse himself. It will be better anyway for the public to wait. Should Uniform be the genuine stable candidate it will be right enough to back him when this is known, but tho-o" who rush blindly in at present might find themselves throwing away their money. One thing is clear, that if Uniform is good enough for the Lincolnshire Handicap, he is better handicapped for tho City find Suburban. — Sjayß "Milroy":When tho first stock of a young stallion show great speed and a liking for short courses it'is » good sign for Ins future as a getter of stayers. The first of the Clusters and the Lochiols all went fast, but ■did not stay well. "A son of his mother and n. daughter of her sire" is an old and well-tned •ixioin of the horseman that has worked oirt well with Carbine, Grand Flaneur, and Chester. ]t is a fact, particularly noticeable, that tlie best brood mares Gfoldsbrough got were hka himself; consequently I suppose it was from him they got their wonder/ul vitality, lhcse Goldsbvough mares have been a great power in our land. ) — A remarkably large number of costly fiilures wore entered for the Annesley Maiden Hurdle Knee, of :MO, run for recently at Nottingham. Sweet Adare cost 2500° s. as a two-vear-old, and has since won nothing. Miss Primrose who won the Spencer Plate at Northampton in 1807 for the late Mr Barnato, has won nothing for hfir present owner, who paid 1350"S for her. Scotch Wisdom sold as a two-year-old for Qsoogs, has won a paltry hurdle i-oce value £40 in two seasons. Sir Michael has won nothing since he was bought for MOOgs, after having run second for the Wokingham Handicap at Ascot. Kumasi cost 1500gs as a two-year-old, and has won nothing in three seasons.