NOTES BY BEACON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1652, 21 July 1883, Page 20

NOTES BY BEACON.

The annual meeting of members of the Dunedin Jockey Club will be held on Saturday evening at the Royal Exchange Hotel, when the usual business will be put through, including the election of officers for the ensuing year. la connection with that meeting I need scarcely say how sadly the absence of the Club's late president, Mr James Marshall, will be felt. He was for many years a most active and energetic member and officer, and indeed in its most trying times he was nothing more or less than its backbone, being always ready with pocket and good counsel to help it through its difficulties. A detailed memoir of tha deceased gentleman will be found in this issue. ( - Mr G. Dowse has accepted the position of handicapper to the Oamaru Jockey Club, and will frame the weights for the October Spring meeting. As this latter will come only six days after the Geraldine races, the handicapper will be placed at a considerable disadvantage, for he will be compelled to issue his handicaps before the Geraldine meeting — which is the first important one of the season — and his calculations being necessarily based on last season's form, they may be entirely upset by the running at Geraldine. I fancy it would have been better for the Oamaru Club to have held their races about a fortnight later, say on October IS and 19, which would have given three weeks' time for the issue of their handicaps and reception of acceptances. The local jockey clubs are (says the Dunstan Times) giving evidences of their vitality. Alexandra (though not announced) has fixed upon the sth ot October for their S^. .ng meeting, and Lowburn has selected the 19th of the same month— thus giving time for Clyde and Cromwell in the interval. The annual meeting of members of Cromwell Jockey Club was held last week. The attendance was very good, and a more than usually strong roll of members for the current year waß made. After appointment of new Committee, a lot of business was dealt with. Applicants for secretaryship to the Club were four in number, of whom Mr Marshall was appointed. The principal feature of the betting market during the week has been a bit of a run upon Emir Bey, who ia reported to have done a very good "trial" and has therefore been backed for a good lot of money at shortening prices. I never before heard of a trial being given a horse four months before the race is to come off.

The annual meeting of the Lowburn Sport ing Club was held at the Lowburn on the 2nd inst., there being about a dozen members present. Mr H. Partridge (president) occupied the chair. A vote of thanks to te retiring officers was recorded, and a Committee for the ensuing year then elected, comprising the following genfclempu :— J. Bethune, J. Chapman, T. Wood, G. Partridge, jun., A. C. Deneen, N. Thompson, H. M'Lean, H. Partridge, A. J. Robertson, W. Tillman, M. Heaney, and J. Miller. Mr H. Partridge was re-elected president, and Mr T. Wood, vice-president. Oa Ms A. J. Robertson being proposed as .secretary^ .he explained that the duties were rather inconvenient on account of him living so

far from Lowburn and that he could not do justice to the Club. It was theu proposed and carried that Mr W. Tillman be appointed secretary. Mr Heaney was elected treasurer. It was resolved to hold a Spring meeting on October 19. The finances of the Club were thin dealt with, and some discussion ensued about making the programme more attractive then the previous one, but it was finally decided that it should not exceed £80.

I have received a copy of " Centaur's Index" from the publisher, Mr R. P. Ilurren, of Postoffico place East, Melbourne, and have to acknowledge the same with thanks. The work is simply invaluable to anyone taking an interest in Australian racing, containing as it does the full performances of all the horses entered in the great spring handicax^s, entries for future events, and full tables of previous winners.

Society says that Hippodamia has been backed for at least £10,000 for the New Zealand Cup. Just so ; somebody has evidently £20 cr £30 about hnr that he wants to hedge. Mr Pilbrow has given the name of Envious to his recent purchase, the well-known racing mare by Cassivelaunus — Envy. Of the recent Tasmanian arrivals " Senex " writes : — The two chestnut sons of St. Albans have taken up their quarters at Riccarton, with the intention of being put into work. Gold Coast is a strongly-built, lengthy colt, with wide-spread hips, and particularly well let down in the hocks, but short in his quarters. He does not show much quality, and is a bit slack in the girth, but has a splendid rein and well-placed shoulders. He is very low in condition, having been at grass for several months previous to shipping. Albion is in rather better condition, and shows more quality, and, although not possessing so good a rein as his half-brother, stands better on his legs, and has a strong muscular loin that any horse might be proud of. Mr Davidson informs me they are for sale, and if not shortly disposed of privately, they will be submitted to auction.

Jessie is reported in Sydney to have gone lame, and is therefore not likely to come to New Zealand.

Mr E. W. Roper, the well-known merchant and sporting gentleman, arrived at Christchurch (says Society) on Tuesday last, after ! a very pleasant sojourn in Australia of two months. He saw the Adelaide Birthday Cup run, and he also backed the winner (for a i n.onkey), Little Jack. In Melbourne he saw Frofessor Miller set to with Jack Thompson. " brother to Joe." In Sydney he was shown all over the beautiful harbour. So, taking everything' on the whole, E. W. R. has enjoyed his pleasure trip immensely. The programme for Kowai Pass races on October 11 is not an imposing document, still the £127 provided in stakes may furnish sport of interest to residents in the vicinity. The only decent stake is the Springfield Handicap, of 40 soys ; and the nominations and acceptance for that cost £4 ; while for the Publicans' Cup, of 5 soys, the outrageous nomination fee of £1 is demanded — independent of which a qualification fee of £1 Is i« required. The "lucky" winner must be inevitably out of pockec when all expenses are paid. Nominations for the principal events at the Canterbury Hunt Club SteeDlechases have been sent in as under : — HUNT CUP HANDICAP. Mr A M'Alpine'B br g Rattler, aged Mr D O'Brien's br g Melbourne, aged Mr U Piper's br g tUvunswood 6 yrs Mr H Piper's b g Larry, aged Mr C Richards' eh g Supplejack, aged Mr H Allan's b g Tommy, agtd Mr W S Armitage's b g Rona aged Mr W Rutherford's blk g Mogb, aged. STEEPLECHASE HANDICAP. Mr A W Dillon's b h Hcrculen, 0 yrs Mr T Sheenan's br h Kosciu9ko, 6 yra Mr H Lunn's fch g Cansrrf, fi yrs XI r D O'Brien's br g Melbourne. a?ed Mr D O'Brien's b g Dateman (late Kafcerfelto), aged Mr P Butler's br h Quarnby, 6 yra Mr H Piper's br g Ravenswood, 6 j rs Mr H Piper's b g Larry, age I Mr H Ca'sidy'a blk m Levant, ap'Pd Mr J Pilbrow's b g Clarence, aqcd * I lut J PHbiow's b g Barbary, aged. The Timaru correspondent of a contemporary writes aa follows : — "There ia a mild commotion in sporting circles here. We have among our institutions a Jockey Club— and a remarkably well-managed one it is, possessing a course second to none in the Colony, and I able always to secure the presence of the most famous horses at its meutings. But there are sporting men as ardent outside the more aristocratic Jockey Club who don't &oe why they, too, shouldn't have an occasional meeting with local horses. Several of these recently formed themselves into a Tradesmen's Racing Club, and asked the Jockey Club to grant them the use of their ground, which request was politely refused. Whereat the tradesmen, much grieved but not dauntod, decided to obtain the use of other ground near the course and hold a meeting at the end of the year. A good deal of ill-feeling has been engendered under the surface by the refusal of the Jockey Club to place their course _at the disposal of the new Association ; and it is laughable to an onlooker to observe the politely contemptuous air of the older Club towards this interloper, and the angry bitterness of the said interloper towards the Club."

Mr J'.«hnKerr,of Nelson, has been (says a contemporary) a well-known horse dealer in New Zealand for a number of years. Last winter he brought from America twelve thoroughbred trotting horses, which he tried to dispose of in Christchurch, but the prices were too high to meet purchasers' views. Consequently, Mr Kerr had to dispose of them somehow to save further expense. He lent most of them to liis friends to prove they were the genuine article (thoroughbred American trotters) represented. Two of the best were sent to Wanganui to enable a couple of sporting doctors to cut a dash around that town. These two sporting doctors did make a great dash, also a splash, with Mr Kerr's horses for over six months, until the quadrupeds wanted shoeing. The horses were duly shod, and the bill for shoeing was sent in to Mr John Kerr. Now, "how is this for high" in meanness ?

At a large meeting of the Wairarapa Jockey Club on Saturday, the date of the Spring meeting was altered from the 9th to the 2nd November, in order to follow the Pastoral Show day. A committee was appointed to ascertain if it was practicable to connect Tauherenikau racecourse with Featherston by tramway, and to report on other eligible sites for a course nearer the railway-line. The stewards decided that the Spring programme should consist of six events, the stakes amounting to £300, and including two steeplechases. The disqualification of Daniel Mullins and the horse Pathfinder (late Joker) by the Dunstan and Dunrdin Jockey Clubs was endorsed by the Wairarapa Jockey Club.

The programme of the Hawko's Bay Spring meetiug is to hand, showing that £580 will he given in stakes, of which the most valuable are the Spring Handicap of 200 soys, Flying Handicap of 100 soys, Hurdle Handicap of 75 soys, and the Guineas of 105 sqvs (closed with 31 nominations). Nominations for the handicaps close on Augnst 14th. At a meeting of the Jockey Club at Napier,

held on Thursday, it was Btated that the recent Steeplechase meeting resulted in a profit of £207, making the cash in hand nearly £1000. Mr C. B. Winter laid the following motion before the meeting, it being referred to a subcommittee :— " That with the object of providing for the more uniform conduct of horseracing in New Zealand, it is desirable that the undernained Clubs shall form themselves into an association, to be called " The New Zealand Racing Association " — viz., Auckland Racing Club, Canterbury Tockey Club, Dunedin J ockey Club, Hawke's Bay Jockey Club, Taranaki Jockey Club, Wanganui Jockey Club, and Wellington Jockey Club. The chief objects of the Association shall be : (1) The preparation of a comprehensive set of rules for the proper guidance and general conduct of horse-racing throughout, such rules to include the necessary regulations for the guidance of hiirdle-racing and steeplechasing, as well as racing on the flat. (2) To undertake as soon as it may bo deemed advisable the monthly publication of a racing calendar, in which all programmes must be advertised. (3) Such other matters as may be deemed necessary — for instance, a register of colours, jockeys, &c. for the Colony ; also, the annual publication of a turf register."