OUR CANTERBURY SPORTING LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 8 July 1887, Page 24

OUR CANTERBURY SPORTING LETTER.

(By Otra, Special Sporting Cobeespondent ■ "St.,Geoegb.") , ■ Chbistchuech, Juiy 4. RACING. The weights for the 1 New Zealand Cup were issued late on .Thursday night. , It is almost ! needless to say, that the handicap met .W'.th a great deal of 'adverse' criticism; indeed I have only found one individual bold 'enough to. describeit as a good handicap. I will not trespass ypon my ,frjend *• Beacon's ",,jpround, by going into, an exhaustive analysis.of,-the,handi-cap, which is riot on; the whole a bad one, but will point but wHat I consider the strong arid ,^eak points of it!, Nelsoix.is justly treated with 98fcJL0]b,and if he starts arid is as fit, and fast as he was last New Zealand Cup Day, I do not see what can beat him. Stonyhurst will not train; Spade Guinea, Pasha, Silver Prince, and Disowned — all of whom have~ their full share of weight, though-' not" absolutely' crushed — will go I to Australia;^ Fusillade f \vill not; stabd preparation, by what I hear ; and if Thunderbolt, is found to stand strong work, he Vill prpbably^ be included in. his owner's ' Australian team.' Artillery is treated more on what he might be than on' wh'at^ he has ; been.;' for his defeat of Nelson Jin the, | C.anterbury" Cup was Nelson's' fault, not^ Aritil-, lery's merit. Silence is treated consideratejy ; his' Wanganui Cup performance shows him* tq have la.yery fair chance., Tetford 'is, always meeting some disaster, and is unlikely to stand training. TJgredia brpke down, and I have not heard of her having ,b§en sound enough, for work again. The ; handicappers have apparently attached no importance, to Lochiel's Newmaket Handicap victory, and he is handicapped, on his running in the last Cup,when'he wasnob'riddenlike a nonstayer, and at, Auckland! .He is of questionable soundness, but if got:. back to his best form, he must have a nice chance at the weight, despite the^distance being .beyond 'him. Forester abd Lady Norah should have had a little less, abd i Fair Nell.is too heavily penalised for her Easter, /Handicap win ; besides which ,her soundness a ! d? mits of question. Administrator is nicely weighted if he were sound. ..Turquoise has seen his day. ' Galatea has never quite recovered from, her trip, to. Napier; "and Torrent, who I: thought would prove, about the best of last , season's three-year-olds, ',, is a, mystery. He, has[ a, ,dangerous ', weight ,for. a" good, four-yearrpjd,,.whjch,^e may turn piit 1 ; tq y be.. Hermitage migh'fi have had a pound or, two less, but may improve enough to. have a good', chance on j<he;qay.,. Qaptain tViebster is reported to be going on^well^.^ut I don't, like him, over the <distan.ee. ,. ltepo.made many friends last spring,, but has not,increased in favour since.,- Maxim, Sextant, and {Niagara, "are ; rightjy put .on' [the same mark.. The last is, already in Australia,, and there is a possibility of Sextant going also. I 1 do not think any of the three could, win here. Moana will be lost at the end qfa mile. ; Titbit, is,turned out. < Torori and . Fardingale are not. .likely to, come here. . (^.apVaiu Coolf, : Gipsy King, and, ftivul'rt. are, f airly '.treated, but I don't care for either of >, them. 'Marion is, turnedout, and is, to,, bo sent 'to Australiay-rto, ■MartinirHenry— it is said. Bangle has a pharice ;[ and. Ruby, is wel}! in r and lt domg' wellj f( 'an^ may v recompense,, his, friends f ',, 7 'f or (( preyiquß .disappointments by carrying oflc,this'prize, N Of all the others under 7st, Too Soon, and Queenie have gone to Australia, and.Enfilade pro-.; bably go. Silvermark strikes me "as being well in on his .Welcome Stakes form. Derwenter has a light weight, if he can be kept sound. Captain Wheeler, and, Wakatipu are fine, cplts.^as also! is gultan^butwe have yet toseejWhatjbhey can do,. Berasford is g again in at 6s.t, and though he is ! in a measure, a dark, horse he is sound >nd has, greatly improved, and, is the best-treated horse in the handicap. .Of course we, aria liable to jail , sorts; of .developments t\,nd breakdowns during the next, 'four months,, but Tat, present I thin^ the, .winner c will coipqe ■ from; Nelspnu, Silence^ Lochiel, Administrator,''. Tbrren^^Hermiifage,' r Ruby, i Silyermarkj , and Beresfprd, f x l , Include, Lochiel, Administrator, and^rorr^nt on the preBumption that they, will stand preparation ;',arid" ■to pickj.the wmner s in- bnce^i,, would, certainly choose Nelflon.*-i)"/,r.' X ' ' ( „/:,". "'.V ..*.>.',- '- I- ; i The Melbourne, Cup, has been, the medium of more] business than the New. Zealand. Cvp v ' and mqstjjQf the New Zealand horses 'and. a good •many of the Australian ones* have been backed for small ,'anioqnts. , Tbe,"New,Z,ealaridars are considered , f airly ; . handicapped, , but Disowned might have had a few i; ROunds less and, §ilver Prince %^few pqunds^more.jSilver Prince was backed .before the weights" appeared, and I can see nbihing better. in the Handicap, Mr Mitchel■Bon's_ youngsters are well treated,; and as, Tranter is looked upon as having a great Derby chance,' i he, must be well handicapped , for the > Cup, /tboughjof counfe winrimg' ( the Derby will enteil "a penalty. > . ; v_. ,- f '...-, '"-.c,'- -i, '„; Handicaps for the Grand National Steeplechase v and jHunter^ J3urdj[9 ]|ace,toVbe ran! on. l,"l ,'.!« 5«,> (U' L V lift* f,/,..?' 1",.*' r .»r..~. .". t !

HJsTyl2Brwereißs¥ed v 'Sr.night byMrR. Richard--;S6ni given t the benefit ,of her , Nap|er]djuspwv, and. looks.the.best .^landejfsja|iidvto. her and' Moody I look for the j winner.,,vThe ,Hurdles are' not a very t brilliant lot,' and Matftgowrie should be able to hold his own; among j them.., It must be said that .both look fvery, open ratJejs. -,'?, .''7;, t ... '.. accept, the (Weights given fpr v t^e Wellington (Steeplechases on .Saturday. V^aywood .should the Trial Steeplieohaaß ; .'Kingask or if amnioc in the Hurdles (nnfess the former "Jw r,eserjsed r -for a^djhe, latter! for JhejSjieeEleJDfliaaej in .which caa^ Denbigh' should about wjn)j^ Kangaip^,, Ijhey say, isa .coming' sch^mpjon a^rosgcpuntry.'andmay show it in the k «ft? 4 .^aifina and King'ask look iweu tor. .the Flying^ and Welter' Handicaps re[,^eotiT?elyr rl f \,*v/^.l, '.!,"., [„' "',■ ■I The. break-up of, the frost has, left,, the tracks at ih^.fery had'state, ahd,it will take thre§ br.fpiw'very.jfine days "to make "them passable... Some,. improvements.. are being made on ithetap gallop, .which i%"is lipped, J wUt keep it freer^roDcTmud. " . - '.- • , \ ■'),,''' { [" /. ' . . ri^i^thifOjJ.G. Committee meeting yesterday' (the question t of fixing the days of racing at the , Metropoliten meeting was considered. '. It is left anopen'qu|stion with the Agricultural and Pas-. tqral Association, but, the C.J.C will not race" on Monday or Saturday. '. ' , r , . f .The Melbourne/ and Zealand Cups are , again} the favourite' mediums'; <for speculation. ,^ilver/Princei Abn'er, Trident, Trenton,' Abericorn,, and. Ben, Bolt for, the , Melbourne Cup, with Lochieli'Nelsin, Beresford, and Silence for .theiNew Zealand, Cup have been backed freely, at 500 to 3 t0j.500 t0,5. "' .' ', " ':, , '7 "' ;' , t .Theimembdr^ of Tattersall's CluV to-night' , decided , to , hold a race meeting, on December 16— Anniversary Day. Last year the ?lumpton ftnd New Brighton clubs held .meetings on this day to their mutual loss. .The former may be considered de.f unct.and it remains to be seen how the latter, which is a legitimate racing club, will take the fresh opposition. ' , ' .: At^his'meetmgi.Mr B. W. Roper, hon. treasurer ofjTatte^sall's Club, was presented by the memberswjith., a handsome silver .centre piece, m recognition of his services to the club. The presentation, was made by Mr Stead, who recounted Mr Roper's exertions in founding ,the 1 club,' and raising it to its present standing. Mr Roper suitably replied,<and after his .health had beeridruuk the proceedings endedi " . j' - i BETTING ON NEW ZEALAND CUP. ' 100 to 8 agst Lochiel -' ' ><. ' > 100 — 8 — '• Beresford, Maxim, Silence 100 — 6 Nelson, Sextant , 100 — 5 tJ — Vpir Nell," Artillery, Hermitage, '• ' L " Gipsy 1 King • ' - , 100 — 3 —■ — St. OlaiW- Derwenfcer ' - 100 — 2 Bubv, Titbit, Arohduke. i ' . .(AH taken and offered.) Derby : No betting.