NOTES BY BEACON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1581, 11 March 1882, Page 19

NOTES BY BEACON.

I had intended writing a long review of the recent Dunedin meeting; but Bpace is limited, and after all the races were so fully reported •in these columns -'^thatT one. has little left to comment on. , ; The ( gathering was the most brillian that we have , had for some tune, the weather being perfect, the attendance large (considerably over 20,000 during the three days), the fields of. . noraes averaging six throughout, and the racing of a very interesting nature. A large portion of the spectators would .certainly have been better pleased had they been allowed to indulge in the. timehonoured and harmless half-crown sweeps ; but as a paternal and thoughtful Government has stopped all that, and compelled race-goers to go in for heavy ,gambling,,it is but just to say that the new law was eagerly obeyed, the 1 result being' that close 1 on £20,000 passed through tjhe 'totalisators. Of course the i actual sum invested,', was riot near ' that' amount, the dividends paid out being quickly reinvested ; , still it, is indisputable, ' that fpr more money changed hands under the present absurd law than would have done under; the, old system. lam in hopes that the selfinflicted martyrdom ' of some of our leading citizens will not be without good effect in 'the way of calling forth a popular outcry for a return to the former state of 'things. Theopening race, the Hurdle Handicap, was interesting through the appearance in it of our two best cross-country horses— The Agent and Clarence. The former's victqry seemed highly popular, though the general opinion— borne out by the long odds offered against the winner— Was that The Agent would scarcely have come as he did if Trovatore had not pushed Clarence so closely. This Trovatore shaped extremely well over the sticks for so younga horse, and though there is not enough of him to make a treat weight-carrier, he jumps well, and has a ne turn of speed. The Champagne Stakes produced a fine field of nine, including four Tubal Cain youngsters. These were, however, alia bit backward, and Mr Horsford's grand filly Nonsense had the whole field safe from the start. The next best to her was, of course, Mr Robinson's colt Vanguard, but he received quite a 101b beating. Of the Cup almost enough has already been said. It was very satisfactory to see the capital field of 11 horses go out, and the return of the Otagomare Lady Emma in the van was also satisfactory to local sportsmen ; but scarcely a single individual thought she had any show after her Wellington running, and it was amusing to see the bewildered expression on 1 the spectators' faces as she shot ahead coming home. When the Cup weights came out I wrote " Chancellor, Volunteer, Libeller, and Lady Emma appear about the beat treated," and the three that ran actually filled the places, though in inverse order. This was after the Christchurch meeting, when Lady Emma was ridden in a most unsatisfactory manner; but when she shaped so poorly in the Wellington Cup I would have no more of her for our big race. Strange to say, her owner and trainer were equally in the dark with the general public, and a paltry £300 was all that the stable landed. Mr Walters is to sympathised with in his hard luck, Libeller having so often filled a situation in a big race ; but the little horse ran as true as steel, and fully up to his trials. Chancellor, Adamant, King Quail, and The Dauphin also ran well ; but Hilda broke down, as Mr Bate feared she would, while The Poet could not get a place. Tasnian ran respectably, but Nonpareil was quite out of it. Malaku, like many more of Mr Redwood's breeding, came down with a great repuUtion, which ho utterly failed to sustain ; but ho showed groat speed for a mile and a-quarter, and might have been closer up at the finish but for lverny's mistake. This Victorian jockey was riding The Dauphin, and he was told on going out that he had pa»B the stand twice. Not knowing the j distance of the course, he understood that the finish was at the second time of reaching the j stand, instead of the third. Accordingly, when three-quarters of a mile had been covered he rushed The Dauphin up through his horses and, collaring Mataku, who was leading, tore away round at a great pace ; and, approaching

the stand, thought he had won the rac& However^ he quickly discovered his error ; but by the time he had set ,hifl horse going again the latter was.'pretty well run out, and Mataku had also been run clean off his legs. In the Selling Race Laertes showed a bit of his old pace, covoriug the mile and a distance in 2 mm, 5 Bee. ; but Nautilus won the Publicans' Handicap in very slow time, neither Luna nor Titania extending her. The Maiden Plate proved littlo more than a match between Mr Lee's, Tubal Cain— Ape. of Hearts colt and Holdemeßs, for the pair cleared away from the five others, and a slashing race resulted in the youngster winning in the good time of 2 mm. 47 sec. On the second day Rocket proved > in the Tally-ho Handicap that he had not been badly treated by the handicappers, and Nonsense showed her superior quality in the City Stakes Handicap by giving away lumps of weight to Turquoise and the other competitors, and yet winning comfortably. In, the Novel Race Mr Kirby scored a yery popular win with Groai, a son of that good horse King Philip, and that the race was no fluke was proved by! its having to, be 'run twice. A. capital field of eight weighed out, for the J.C. Handicap, arid though Lady Enpaa hod Bst 41b on' her, she had just a shade of a ,call in ,the betting, and justified the support acporded her by winning a fine race cleverly in extra good time. The' handicap was a capital one, four horses being in , a, bunchclose at the winner's heels. In the Tramway Plate Mr Horsford gave Sießta her first race of the meeting, and that she is a worthy stable-companion to Nonsense, and has lost none of her foot since Christchurch races, was shown by the manner in which she cut down , the speedy Billingsgate. On, the third day Mr .Foster's , Sailor Boy secured the < Steeplechase Handicap for' the grumbling Mount Ida folk, and Lady Emma then set the Seal on her performances by winning the Forbury Handicap in 2 mm. 44 sec. with Bst 121b, up. This proves that the mare can carry a bit ' more weight than she is generally given credit for. She was giving Libeller 91b, besides the year between them, and the supporters of Mr Walters'- horse put the money down with' a will, thoroughly believing that they had a good thing on. The Queen's Plate saw the Cup "crack" Mataku finishing behind Tasman and Legerdemain, though the former conceded him 51b and the latter 31b. Tasman nearly got nicked on the post, for Legerdemain, who got blocked at the turn, came with a surprising rush, and finished close at his girths. Had ho" won, I think it would have been the greatest, surprise of the meeting. The Flying Handicap ib a favourite race with Chancellor, arid he secured it again with' great ease. In the Consolation Stakes Luna was put about as a very , good thing, and was heavily backed accord-,' ingly ; but though she got a great advantage in the start, the pot bailed over, and King Quail scored a very popular win for Mr Hor'sfall. Mr M. Cohen, who, in partnership with Mr, E. Lyons, has for many years past occupied a leading place in the ranks of the bookmakers ,of this Colony, proceeds this week to Melbourne, where he intends settling, down. ' Ha purposes continuing, in the same, line of, business over there,, and any of his, numerous, clients, iin New, Zealand ,jwho. 'are given r>to' speculating on the Melbourne,. Qup,i,pr other' Australian events can.get theirjwish' es'atteridetf' to b.y communicating ; with, Mr,lCohen,at ihe Victorian Club, Melbourne." , »• , ... Several race meetings will' be ,'h eld, next week.' including Ettriok, Oamaru,, Wallace., and ' Man* deville, ,m ,this ( province ,; Oxford, .Rangiora, and others, >in, Canterbury; preymou'th.and Reef ton, ,on the West, Coast : jWayerley-Wai. totara, , in , Wellington ; ', Napier, ' i)a< Hawke's Bay ; and Henderson's Mill, in Xucklarid. The /entries for most , of .these have; already appeared, and further particulars infeonriection with some | of the, gatherings' will be found, in this issue

That truthful rag the Auckland ,Observer has -the fpllowing:— ''The action brought by Mr Weaton, bookmaker, against Mr A. S. Rathbone is settled. .Mr, Rathbone, having to leave the Colony on account of ill health, was advised by his .solicitor to settle, the matter rather than leave it, to the uncertainties of law during his absence. After conference between the parties, the above compromise was therefore .arrived at." ,The, faotß are, on the contrary, that Rathbone had for weeks' „pasfc being trying to, crawl out of the, afijair, and at last offered Mr Wesion £75 down, and an ample .apology, if he, would withdraw, tha action. , These were declined until Mr "Weston heard that Rathbone intended . leaving New Zealand for an indefinite period) when the former decided to accept, the terms, and an abject andi absolute retractation of the Observer's remarks was speedily forthcoming, „Rathbone acknowledging that they were .entirely unwarranted. A pretty opinion Rathbone's solicitor must have had of his client's case when ha advised him not to " leave it to the uncertainties of the law." Messrs' Watt and Co.^ of Stuart street, have recently completed to the order of the ,Dunedin Jockey Club one of the largest and most handsomely-built totalisators in the Colony. The instrument is made for 20 horses, and each horse registers up to 099, the grand total being 9999. The case is of polished cedar, with white mouldings, and the outward design is similar to that of those already in possession of the Club, and made also by Watt and Co. The mechanism is on an improved principle, the number of each horse being worked by apresshandle. This handle contains two pawls, which work into ratchet wheels, one on the spindle of the unit rollers, and the other on the longitudinal shaft. The shaft is connected by means of mitre and plain wheels with tho grand total arrangement, and the automatic check levers are worked ;by check handles atj tached to each. On these handles being pressed in, motion is given to the unit rollers, and also to their automatic check, while the units are simultaneously moved on the grand total, and the automatic check on the grand by the action of each and every press knob or handle. The horses number from 1 up to 20, in two rows of 10 each. Above each row of press-handles are sheets of plate-glasa extending over the entire length of the machine, and painted in black and gold, with small oblong openings, through which to exhibit the figures. To each number there are also attached two spring clips for holding the tickets representing the names of there horses. Above the two rows of numbers is the grand total register, over which is a piece of plateglass painted in black and gold, with small openings to display the figures of the total. Immediately over the grand total are fixtures, in which are placed the cards showing the name of the race, the winner, and tho dividend. The height of the instrument is 7ft Gin, and the width Ism, while the length is Bft. Steps have been taken to patent the improved mechanism u.sud in working it, the check action of which, wo are assured, prevents any possibility whatever of unfair practice in connection with it.

Fov Oamaru races tho following weights have boon declared :— J.C. HANDICAP. St. lb. sfc. IU Chancellor .. 8 12 Coldatream ..7 4 King Quail ..8 2 Legerdemain ..0 0 OuWt ,. „ 7Vi Rocket., „ 010 Adiumnt .. 710 Gitana., ..OS XftSWftD m 7 1 °Otvl M >■ \

, LAIfpQN HANDICAP. .. , Coldstream ".. 9 4 .Mokarakara „. 7 4 2fi£L :: 1 1 BSta- » Lit*|j ? h n ..;» B& :: II HURDLE HANDICAP. Levant ..' W W Ttiorntop ..8 9 Little Jehu ..'9 6'Naumai.. -87 Trovatore . *« *» " ST PATRICK'S • HANDICAP. - B t.ib. ■ ' sy b -. SP ;;UK* -Ml §=* ■::jSBSW :: j Coldßtream .. 7 7 Goai .. ,••P 1W Legerdemain ..7 4 wifh Oftambv and Mr Foster's' selected liß^kioSfcßoy). The Handicap dsnends'too much on the resuttof SSj.O. Handicap for me & attempt any fpreCa in aVibther column will be found 'an account of Camballo's performances at the Calcutta races. This old servant of Messrs Mason and Vafance is" now owned by L6rd William Beresford," and' appears to have earned all before him'at the meeting in question. The' yearling colt by Yattendon out of Mr Walters' 'mire Peeress has been, purchased by a Rockhampton gentleman for 500 guineas. For Waikouaiti races, to be held' on March 23rd, the following weights have been declared :— • 1 HURDLE RACE. St. lb. Mrß."lrw!n'schfClinkerina,4yrs .. W0 Mr-M. Templeton'sch g Banjo, aged " n 1 o Mr R.,TempJeton'abm Modesty, aged .. 9 8 'Mr J. Duncan's bg Foresail, 4,yrs.. •• » » WAIKOUAITI COUNTY OUP. 1 ' st. lb i iit'3. Cockerill's eh m May Morn, aged .. , 0 0 Mr 1 M. Templafcon's g g Noah (late Swagsman), g ? Mr^'Esthor'achg-Bryan'O'Lynn, aged ' -.. 8 7 MrA.iMunro > B.bmßella,6yrs< .. "on Mrß.ftwin'B ? hf,Clia|ierma,4yrs , .. 8 0 MrJ. OrbeU's cb. g Horatjo: 4'Vra .. , ;..* 7 0 Mr B Bray'/ch g%ever:mind-him, 0 yrs .. 7 0 Mr W. Henderson's b 4 yrs . . 610 At Hurtuiui races lasfweek the Hurdle Race was won', fey, Mr ,T., Sheehan's Kosciusko, beating six others: Mr F. Lance won the District Hurdle Race and the District Flat Race with Noßby, and, another District Race with Peibdckf '.'The Cup of 20 soys was secured by JfifEmn'^ Canard. Mi ;&. 'EW'Maid of Honbtirtobkth^Wa^hiPlate'aiid'the'Ladies' Pursed while Mi; Bryb^'s Lady ' Helen won' the Coiis'pkttoti 'Race. ■ ' ' ; • • l lhe brograttlme for Nelson' races on the 29th m aoth'iris^ls'^'cap^ame, dnd ajpeakd'volUine's for the 1 . eWrgy'itf 'thogfe who. have'bee'n eiidea^ouHng to restate racing 1 itf M districts which ty 'one time took the lead in'lnis^lbnyfiri'raijirig ' 'matters. 'In qjl£W6 tWII >I W J irivSi& ' in ' the' 'pnncxpal; HtateFbera^iiiS^J.Gi'Hariaicap of 'Wo.' s'6vrf.; BoLnaic¥p*6f ■SWpVft eachiand'one of'2o]»Bvs ; B^McFl^dibap 7 of '80.'sdvB;^d Railway Plite of '2s BOVB.. It is' a pity .that nominations' drß'not mts tiUl 16th; inst 'aid th'eWhts nbt'to^ lie Jpublisliedtill'the '23rd, 'for'owners have'thu's lfttle opportunity of making up theii; tmttdß' I ' l ri " L ' *"' '"' ' ''' ' '■ v "Holtai Aufcumn raced 'are 'fixed 'fotf April lOtb^nd 11 llth; and al 'pWgj^mme of £250 has SSedJficludintfth^stlatia^andie^ of 65 bovb ; r Hokitika Handicap of 60 soys ; and' '"TJirakini ra6es appear ttf -Kave'^en Wary Bucce^sfu%- thrire being pWntrof.'gdod^elds aHd^ldie'racing. ■ The 1 Hurdle-Race' of '4o'sovs had tSb -ijSLjm Mr^/'Hig^tMonW won'b^ a'Aeng^h, 1 Watog'Skylark,' Totara, and Sunray. 1 '"Seven 'ran 'for 'the* Maiden Plate^'of 40 'soys; atid' the 'winner tpiifed up 'in Mbhe 1 fav6urite:' Mr" J; - Pdwd^lPs, Tally-ho: iThe Turafcma J Handicap '.of 100 soys attracted six #unhers,"of whom' all were 'more or less supSorted in'th'evtotalisatdf.' 'A fine 'race resulted i a ! lehgth's'Vidjfcory for Mr G; Brewer's' Venture (7^t'Blb);'beafing D^n (Bst), Banshee (7st 121b) 6amellia"(7s r t7lby, Skyloafk (Gstlllb), and Bluegown'(7st ; 7lb). 'The time was 3 mm 40 sec for the hvro miles'. ' The Dunedinjockey, Rudingsi'had the mount on Dan, and he is aeecribed as having . ridden a splendid finish, " coming with a Fordham rush?' Nine youngsters started'for the- Sapling Stakes of 25' soys, for which Mt Walters' black filly by Yattendon —Fanny Fisher was made a hot favourite. She could not, hdwever, get- nearer than" third to Mr J. Durie's Rally, by The Painter, who won only by a head from Mr R. Higgie's The Gem, toy The Painters-Fides. • Rudings rode another j fine race on The Gem. The. District Race of 40- sovs fell to MrJ. Bowen's St. Clair, beating six others ; and the same horse won the Forced Handicap of 15 soys out of a field of "'Soukar " gave some wonderful tips in the Weekly Chronicle for the Turakina races, Sotting the four winners for the .Hurdle andicap, Maiden Plate, Sapling Stakes, and -Turakina Handicap, but one's admiration at ,this feat is considerably lessened at finding in! the same paper of the very same date a full, • report of the races themselves. The following handicaps have been declared 1 for the 'forthcoming Wanganui trotting CVentS: - HANDICAP. , Three mileß in saddle. (Our Pony . • ' scr • Touch and Go . . 70aeci KedLead .. 25sec Speculation .. 808ecJ Darkie (Kiikwood's) 25sec Erema . . . . SOaec Millie .. .. 25sec Brenda .. .. 80-cc Sir Roger Tichborno 35sec Fraud .. .., 80sec Little Nell .. 60sec Blank .. .. fcOsec, •Warkio (Richards') 65»ec Jack .. .. 80scc ' . ■ HANDICAP, ; In harness. One mile heats. - Our Pony . . scr Shinfano . . 2Csec Sir flogcr Tichborne 12sec Blank .. .. 2Csec Touch and Go . . lCsec Jack . . . . 266ec The privileges in connection with the Wanganui meeting were bought in by the Jockey Club. Tho Wanganui Herald has the following veracious and grammatical paragraph:— J Some Wanganui residents who recently paid a visit to the late Dunedin races do not speak in '. high terms of the general management. The courso was in poor condition, bad time was kept, and although the racing was good, the , day's proceedings was dullness itself. Tho ' totalisators wore rushed, and the scene in front of them resembled pandemonium itself." The only grain of truth in the foregoing is that the racing was good. The general nianageaient ws s perfection, the course was in first-rate condi tiou, the time was kept perfectly, and the day's proceedings " was " lively in the extreme. If the scene in front of the totalisators resembled pandempmium how can anyone say that the , proceedings " was " dull? The principal winners at the late Autumn 1 meeting of the Wairarapa Jockey Club were Mr T.TRay, £204; Mr J. O. Hayward, £100; M.v P, F, Tancred, £80. Financially the meet.

ifig ,was a success. The Standard says the funds in hand will enable the Club .to start on a bettor footing than ever before, and that there are a large number of nominations of fresh members in the secretary's hands. ' At a recent meeting of the Lgmont Racing Club it was resolved to endorse the action of the Taranaki and Wanganui Jockey Clubs disqualifying J. Byrne, who rode Sunray without paving entrance fee, and entered the horse in the name of Mr Higgie without the latter's " Sir ' Launcelot " has the following : — Mr Lee has given the' name of Emir Bey to his colt by Tubal Cain— Ace of Hearts, winner of the Maiden Plate at- the Dunedin meeting.— On Dit has become tho property of Mr S. Powell. „ . | The same writer says:— "By her Dunedin victories LadyiEmma has incurred a 171b penalty for the Napier Handicap, bringing her weight yp to Bst 81b. " There is a palpable error in this, for the conditions of the race state " the winner of any handicap of the value of 300 soys after the declaration of the weights to carry 101b extra ; of the, value of 200 soys 71b extra ; 6f the valve of 100 soys 51b extra ; penalties not accwimlative. " Lady Emma therefore has only a penalty of 101b, bringing her weight up to Bst lib. But the Hawke's! Bay Club appear to have a rule 'that 'if the top weight accepting For any Handicap is under 9st it must be risen \o that weight, and the rest in proportion. Virginia Water with Bst 81b was the highest acceptor, and all have therefore to be raised 61b. The correct weights are therefore as under :— NAPIER HANDICAP, j Of 500 soys. st lb st 1b Virginia Water ..9 0 Slander filly ..7 7 The Dauphin ..8 8 Luna .. .. 7 6 LadyKnima ..8 7 Mavis .. ..7 4 Libeller .. ..8 0 ,Ki»gcraig .. .. 7 0 Mischief .. ..8 5My Dream.. .. Oil Sir George .. ..8 2 Dan 010 Grand Duchess .. 711 Envy filly .. .. 69| Boukar .. ..7 8 Louis .. ..6 8 At present I fancy Lady Emma can carry her penalty to victory in this race, but some of the candidates that are engaged at Wanganui races this week may show extra good form and upset j 'her. The little mare is, however, in such great form that I shall vote for her outright. The privileges at the Hawke's Bay Racing Club's meeting, telegraphic particulars of which appear in this issue, realised £160, of which the gates sold for £100. > At Hampden (Hawke's Bay) races on the ;23rd ult., Mr Ward's Tui had a walk-over for ithe Hurdle Handicap; Mr Ingram's Lady s Dolly secured the Maiden Plate and District fßace ; and Mr Drummond's Lucifer had a jwalk-over for the Hampden Plate. t Te Aroha races are to be held on the 20th f inst., and something over £100 will be given in ; stakes. ''

Libeller Mischief

'stakes. About the same amount will be given at Panmure races on the 25th inst. The following are the acceptances for the, Greymouth jockey Club Handicap:— st. lb. ' Mr Osborne's Talent .. ..9 5 Mr J. Cameron's Y6rk .. ..9 2 i Mr Friths Greyhound .. ..8 12 ; Mr DUlon'aßore „ ..7 12 Mr ßobinsoW Satellite ■-'.. '- .. 712 1 ; jMrßrimble's Whatebone .. > ... 6 8 1 i,, Mr. Blower's Donoaster .. „ ..,6 9