SPORTING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1323, 7 April 1877, Page 17

SPORTING NOTES.

The meeting just past has been one of the moat pleasant and successful ever held at Dunedin, and I thine: that the events were won by the best horses in each — that is to cay, that as rule the running was straight. Of course, there is the exception of the Maiden Plato, but now that the affair ia over, it is best to Bay nothing about it ; it is one of those nasty things that do not bear stirring ap. The Cap has been won by Fishhook, whoso running this meeting has shown him to be one of the best horses we have on the turf at present, my own belief being that when fit he is better than Tambouriaiwas ; but as he is a deli-iate horse and a difficult one to train, I do not think lie will be quite so successful as the wear and tear son of Towton proved^ i< ishhook is by

Traducer from Laurel, and is the mate's first j foal, I believe. He is a fine-looking lengthy j bay horse, standing little under sixteen j hands, but like most geldings looks a little ' light and narrow. He is just a trifle on the j leg, and I think he will always be found rather better on courses under than over two miles. His subsequent running shows that had the ground been ever so hard on Cup ' day nothing could have upset him, but I think Hippocampus would have made the pace a little faster. His win of the Forbury Handicap was a magnificent one, as he did the mile and a-half in 2.44, carrying two pounds over his weight for age, and won J pretty easily. A most unfair attack on his owner and our handicapper has been made in the Lyttelton Times, in which it is stated that O'Brien had sue ceeded in hoodwinking the handicappers by running his horse badly for a long time previously, and that as soon as the weights came out the race was looked upon as a moral for the Hook, but that people didn't think he would run straight. In answer to this, I may point out that no one ever heard thia till after the Cup was run, and that Fishhook was supposed to be unable to stay the distance. He started at a long price, and the night before ten to one was offered against him; besides which, the Sporting reporter, who wrote this in the Times in his previous notes, scarcely over mentioned Fishhook, and only three days before the Cap, wrote that he could not see Fishhook in the front rank at all ! Truly, it's marvellous how knowing we all become after a race has been run. Templeton's running showed that good little horse as he is, he can't carry over 9st in good company. True, he beat Puriri in the Queen's Plate, but the letter's condition was bad or he would had a very different tale to tell. Guy Fawkes showed himself a grand horse by his two wins under heavy weights, but I liked nothing so much as Puriri. He was all out et condition, and his win in the Derby was a very creditable one, though, had not Hippocampus sprained himself, I dan't see bow he could have lost this race. He is afcil} very bad, I hear, and I don't suppose he will face a starter again this season. Maroro, though a strong looking colt, ia not a taking horse to the eye, he was very lame when he pulled up after the Cup. Dead Heat showed that I was correct in the estimate I formed of him. He has grown into a short cobbylooking horse — rather narrow and coarse about the neck. Under a light weight he can go pretty fast for a short distance, and will probably pay his way at up country meetings. King Phillip looked very poor when stripped, his loins and quarters being very much wasted. It is almost a pity to see a horse asked to race in such a condition, and though he galloped as gamely as possible, he was completely outpaced. He should be put to the stud, where I have no doubt lie will be successful, foi he is splendidly bred, and ia a good-looking horse, his forehead being particularly good ; and as to his gamemss, there can only be one opinion about that— viz., that he is as game a horse as ever looked through, a briile. Danebury was much, admired, and is without doubt a handsome colt. He seemed far from fit, and under the circumstances ran a good colt. Excepting Fishhook and Guy, and perhaps ! Templeton, nothing appeared in tip-top con* | dition, though. Punga was not bad in this • respect. She seemed out getting weight off to me, aqd in the .Consolation she certainly \ never went a yar<L Traducer stands a\the head of winning sires by a long way, as will be seen by the following :—: — . ___„___ ... Sires. Winners. Races. Amount. Traducer • 2 4 £067 Ravenswortb » 2 3 323 lowton 1 1 264 Diomedca 111 1 100 Boiardo 1 1 100 Jlaltoti 1 1 80 Architect 1 l 60 Scud 1 1 60 Leotard 1 1 50 Old Traducer is certainly the best sire we J have ever had in the Colony, not even ex- j cepting Sir Hercules, and I feel certain that | some 50 or 60 years hence it- will be as diifi- ] cult to find in the New Zealand Stud Book j a thoroughbred horse of any merit without a \ strain of hus blood as it is in Great Britain to find one without Godolphin'a name in his pedigree. In all ptobability, in proportion hs this name appears repeated in a pedigree, so will the horse be valued. Merlin.