AUIUMN MEETING (FEBRUARY).

Otago Witness, Issue 1866, 26 August 1887, Page 23

AUIUMN MEETING (FEBRUARY).

l'utsr Day.

Hurdle Handicap, of luOsovs. Champiigne Stakes, ol 25050\ s. Uum iliii Cup, of TOOsovs. b'elliug Race, ot tjOoOvs. Publicans' Handicap, of SOOsovs. Ma'den Plate, of 80so'- s. Selling Two-year-old Eace, of lOOaovs. Stewards' Purse Welter Handicap, of lOOsovs. Skcond Day, Thibd Day. Tally-Ho Hep, of lOOsovs Hurdle Hep. of lOOsovs City Stakes Handicap, of Hopeful Stakes Handi150sovs cap, of 120sovs J.C. Handicap, of 350sovs Forbury Hep, of 250bovs Novel Hep, of 80sov8 Marshall Memorial Railway Plate, of lOOsovs Stakeis, of 150sovs Suburban Welter Handi- Flying Hop, of lOOsovs cap, of 120sovs Scurry Stakes, of 20sovs Post Stakeß, of 20sovs. Consolation Handicap, of 808OVB. ANNIVERSARY MEETING (MARCH). Hurdle H'c'p, of OOsovs Cliffs Hop, of 763^8 nniver'yHc'p, of lOOsovs Novel H'c'p, of OOsovs Selling Race, of 40sovs Trotting H'c'p, of -losovs Trotting H'c'p, of 55sovs Post Stakes, of 15sovs. WINTER MEETING (MAY). First Day. Second Day Hurdle Handicap, of Selling Hurdle Race, of 7SSOVB 70SOV8 Maiden Plate, of 50sovs Birthday Handicap, of Provincial Hep, of 170sova 130sov8 Trotting Hep, of 65sovs Novel Hep, of 70sovs Trotting Hep, of GOsovs St. Clair Welter HandiSelling Race, of 40sovs cap, of 85sovs Tradesmen's Handicap, of Scurry Stakes, of 15sovs 85sovs Consolation Handicap, of

Post Stakes, of 15sovs 50sovs. The total amount of the stakes is £6125, or only £725 less than last year, and seeing the reduction is so small I must reiterate my feeling of regret that the Dunedin Cup money has been cut down by £300. More especially is it annoying to fiud that the committee have tried to make our big race a third-rate affair, inasmuch as for the sake of £50 they have made it rank below the Auckland Cup, which was last week cut down from £1000 to £750. Our people might just as well have followed suit; there was certainly no need for them to go a paltry £50 below Auckland. As to the absurdity of reducing the Cup money by nearly one-third while the J. O. Handicap suffers to the extent of only one-eighth I. shall have something to say next week, when I shall deal with the programmes as a whole.

An Auckland telegram states that at a meeting of the Auckland Racing Club there the programme for the ensuing season was drawn up. The total amount proposed to be given away in stakes during the season is £7240, apportioned as follows :— Spring meeting, £1020; Summer, £3840; Autumn, £1670; Winter, £700. It, was further resolved to reduce the added money of the Cup to £750, the distance of the race still remaining at two miles aud a-quarter. After a good deal of deliberation the club decided to place the Derby on the first day's programme of the Summer meeting, the Cup race to be run on the second day, New Year's Day. This step has provoked some adverse comment. Besides the Derby, the other principal race on the first daj r of the Summer meeting will be the, A.R.C. Handicap, one mile and a-quarter. At a meeting ef the Greymouth Jockey Club it was resolved to endorse the disqualification of Mr Bradley and Mr Card by the Hokitika (Westland) Club from running their horses for two years. A new club has been brought into existence intheWaikato district, and is to be known as the South Auckland Racing Club. The club have fixed their first race meeting to be held on the 29th December, when £300 will be given in added money;

Mr W. Lyons, who for so many years wielded the book and pencil in Auckland, has been admitted a member of Sydney TattersaUs. Mr James Poole, whom many in Auckland retain most pleasant recollections of by reason of his plucky fielding when pursuing his .calling here (says " Phaeton "), worked hard in getting his old friend inside the mystic circle, and he had

the pleasurable satisfaction of seeing him win his election hands down. The membership' of the Sydney room is kept most select, the entrance fee being fixed at £50.

The Heathoote Racing Club at very short notice produce a programme for a race meetlna to be held on September 6. The money given amounts to £160, and the principal stakes are the Whiter Handicap (a singular nattie, by-the-bye, >hen the meeting is called the Spring "' one), of 45sovs; Flying Handicap, of 25sovs: Trotting Handicap 1 , . of 30sovs ; and Hunters' Handicap (flat), of 25sovs; The racehorses Bangle dnd Turquoise will in all probability (says "Orlando") go neSt week to Christchurch, where they will undergo their preparation for the New Zealand Cup. Chaafe will accompany the pair, and is bringing them down thus early on account of the bad state of the Auckland course, which, I am told, is simply a quagmire. My informant tells me that Bangle* who is full sister to Necklace, is more likely to find her plade amongst the shorter distances, and he does not consider her likely to stay as well as her sister. Old Turquoise is well enough, but there will be considerable trouble to bring him to the post in the New Zealand Cup fit and well. Even if he does sport silk I can't stand him against others in the race, and do not for one moment expect him to start.

Victor, the steeplechaser, is for sale, and although the grey has been unfortunate lately, there is no doubt that he ia a good fencer, and in proper aompany should annex a few crumbs for any enterprising speculator. It has been rumoured that the Island Bay Park racing ground was under offer of lease to the Wellington Racing Club. Whether such is the Case or not 1 (•'Orlando' 5 ) Will not Venture to say, but the W.R.C. will be holding their annual general meeting shortly, and then probably more will be heard of the matter. There is one thing very certain, the Island Bay ground has not been improved by lying idle, and the course is in bad repair. The following not ;s have been supplied by "Senex":— l hear tt at Mr Dan O'Brien has bought land adjoining the railway gates at the racecourse and intends building thereon a private house and stabling, ihis means that the Racecourse Hotel will requ;re a new landlord, or there may be a direct owner in as landlord, as an advertisement appears in this issue that the hotel and grounds are to be let or sold cheap, and it is a cheap property too, if the price quoted to me— namely, £4000, be correct. This, I am told, includes that nice little paddock of six acres lying between Cutts' and Bowman's. Though there is not a fortune yet to be made in the hotel, the excellent range of brick boxes and stabling will go far towards paying the interest on the outlay t and the growing improvements on the property will, each year, add to its value. P. Murtagh, having disposed of Romeo, determined to take away a horse from the South Island, and in consequence has purchased Itepo from Mr D. O'Brien.

The Lowburn Sporting Club will hold their annual races on October 21. Stakes amounting to close on £100 will be provided, the best prizes being the Lowburn Cup (of 30sovs) and Sporting Club Handicap (of 20sova). I have received from Mr Luckie a book containing the full programme for the four race gatherings to be held by the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club during the present season. The Spring meeting will be held on October 3 and 4, when £1160 will be given in stakes. The leading items are: The Hawke's Bay Guineas (closed with 76 nominations) ; Spring Handicap, of 250sovs ; Free Handicap, of lOOsovs ; Flying Handicap, of lOJsovs; and Hurdle Handicap, of lOOsovs. The Summer meeting comes off on Boxing Day, with £520 in stakes, of which the principal are: The Hastings Handicap, of 200sovs ; Christmas Handicap, of 80sovs ; and Hurdle Handicap, of 80sovs. The Autumn gathering is cut down from three days to two, and will be held on March 16 and 17. The added money amounts to £1970, of which the Hawke's Bay Cup takes 500sovs ; St. Leger (closed with 65 nominations), 300sovs ; Burke Memorial Stakes Handicap, 250sovs; Railway Handicap, 125sovs; Grandstand Handicap, 125sovs; aud Hurdle Handicap, 125sovs. At the Steeplechase meeting on June 21 there will be £830 given in stakes, of which the Steeplechase Handicap takes 500sovs ; Ladies' Bracelet Race, lOOsovs; and Maiden Steeplechase, lOOsovs.

The parable in connection with the vexed question of the conditions of the Winton Derby is taken up by "Old Sport," who writes as follows :— " Mr Smerdon tries to hoodwink the public by his assertions. :He says that former Derbies were open to horses bred within a radius of 20 miles of Winton. By looking up advertisement of last year I see the following : • Open to all horses bred within the old province of Southland,' and I think it out of Mr Smerdon's power (clever as he thinks himself) to squeeze that into a radius of 20 miles. < Mr Smerdon Bpeaks of drawing the line in the interests of the racing public; well, if making a rule in' favour of crocks ia doing so the Winton Jockey Club may consider themselves highly saccessful. I know of no confederacy but one, which is by some of the Winton Jockey Club to debar what are generally thought to be three of the best district-bred horses. Was it the annual meeting of the club at which this new rule was made ? I think not, aud I have it on good authority that this rule was proposed to the meeting (need I surmise by whom). After some discussion several members left the room, when the rule was put and carried, as I maintain, by interested parties. Mr Smerdon says he was the only one interested. Well, I know other.s who were there who have an interest in horses said by them to be for the Derby. By bringing in the name of Le Loup, Mr Smerdon tries to put 'winkers ' on the public by inferring that the mare Streamlet was bred at the Taieri. This mare is certainly by Le Loup and Lady of the Lake, of Invercargill, where she was born and bred, and is now owned in Invercargill, where she was bought at a public auction. If this is an enigma to Mr Smerdon, it is only what he and his horses have been to many. There is an old saying that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. By Mr Smerdon's silence about the last question in my former letter I take it the answer I gave was correct. I emphatically maintain that this rule 'that breeders and owners must be resident in the district' was made for the sole purpose of excluding Streamlet and those two now in Dunedin, as it was well known that the breeder of two of them had left the colony." Everything in the racing line is supposed to be perfect at Christchurch, yet this is what one of the local sporting "authorities" has 1o say of the training ground :— " On Saturday and Sunday heavy rain rendered the tan track at Riccarton unworkable again. Monday was fine, but the track had not dried, and what little pottering work was got through was performed in the centre of the course. The plough track has been re-ploughed, and the harrows will be put over it shortly. On Tuesday the tracks were again unworkable on, and there was a good deal of grumbling about the condition of the tracks all through. The mixture of sand administered to the old tan track does not seem to have improved its condition much when wet weather sets in, and the plough having been practically re-made up, is not fit to go on. One little sola-

tium was afforded to trainers on Wednesday, when the trial gallop 1 (so called) — the grass gallop, iaside the course proper — was mainly used for the morning's work, but it is a track that I have argued frequently, is, for all practical purposes, uaeless, except upon rare occasions, and Why the C. J.O. should allow it to be the only track the trainers using their course tan take advantage of in wet weather, is a ttnag tHdt psteses my comprehension." ' ' Tenders for working 1 'two totalisators at the Wanganui Jockey Club's race meetings for the present season are advertised for. A general meeting of the Timaru Ka6ing Club was held on Friday last, Mr Ebenezer Smith presiding. The business was to take into consideration tile rescinding of the motion re amalgamation with the B.C. J.C., passed at last meeting.— Mr P. W. Eiby rOWed the rescinding of the decision not to amalgamate. He thought a committee should be formed to meet the S.C.J.C. and hear their views. —Mr Gunn seconded it, thinking that the club should with courtesy disenss the. proposals of the S.C.J.C, and report to a future general meeting, at which the proposal might be considered, — Mr Mahoney opposed the motion very strongly. This negotiation had the effect of stopping the pro' ceedings of the club. The' cattle show was at hand, and no programme had been prepared. Let them do that, and then consider the ques-. of amalgamation. — Mr Howey supported the motion, on the ground of expediency as well as oourfcesy. He thought the refusal to amalgamate Would be prejudicial to the interests of this club. Mr Kerr, he believed, had had a down upon the club, but no other members of the S.O.J.C. had. —Mr Mahoney again rose as the exponent of many members who had paid up, not of unpaid-up rriembers. *= The Secretary said all in the room were paid-up metnbefs.— A warm discussion was then stopped by tile chairman. — The Secretary (Mr Collins) was in fatfouf of the motion, as Mr Rhodes had taken a great deal of trouble about it. — Mr Scannell observed that it was only three weeks ago that the secretary said he would oppose the amalgamation. — The Secretary said he was not now proposing amalgamation, but merely negotiation. — Mr Eiby thought the references to Mr Kerr were uncalled for. He felt sure that some good reason could be shown for his delay in replying to the letter.— Mr Melton was surprised at the discourtesy shown to the S.C.J.C. He did not think the negotiation would retard the October meeting. — The motion to rescind the previous resolution was put. For the motion, 9 ; against 7.' — The Chairman declared the motion carried. — After some discussion, Messrs Melton, Scannell, and Collins were appointed a deputation to meet and confer with the deputation from the S,C.J.C.

Our Hunt Club nominations this season are almost exactly the same in .number as this time last year, and the quality is quite as good. In the flat races we have siich good horses as La Rose, Mokoia, Snapshot, Silvermark, Fairy Maid, Captain Webster, and Captain Cook"} while among the entries for the jumping contests are the Grand National winner, Faugh-a-ballagh, Orient, Moody, Garibaldi, and other good ones. The programme for the Cromwell Spring meeting is to hand, showing that £105 will be given in stakes. The best prizes are the Cromwell Handicap, of 25sovs ; Trotting Handicap, of 20sovs; Spring Handicap, of 20sovs; and Hurdle Handicap, of 20sovs.

This is the way in which an English writer discourses concerning an old acquaintance of ours j — •• The gentlemanof the long cuffs, otherwise Mr Benzon, is said to have caught the bookies to the tune of £11,000 over the Northumberland Plate, but there is a good deal of the story of the three black crows over his wins — One person gains fame through a title and quids, Another through being a sponger ; But Mr Benzon for celebrity bids By taking front rank as a plunger."

I notice that a Victorian owner has given the name Benzon to a full brother to the wellknown horse The Plunger. An American journal gives currency to the report that a fine blooded brood mare broke her fore leg ; that Dr Huidekoper, of the veterinary department of the University of Pennsylvania, was called in, and amputated the broken limb ; and that, as soon as the stump was healed, the surgeon fitted an artificial leg to the mare. The paper added that the mare was instructed in the use of her timber toe, and that the leg was taken off at night so that she could -lie down, and it was kept on for a few hours each day. The Geraldine nominations compare very favourably with those for last year, as will be seen by the following comparative figures : — 1886. 1887. Geraldine Oup ... 13 17 R. C. Handicap ... 16 18 Hurdle Baoe ... ... 9 18 Flying Handicap ... 11 9 * Welter Handicap ... — 19 Totals ... ... 49 81 There are some good performers among the horses engaged in the flat races, the most notable winners being Quibble, Derwenter, Patrician, and Jack ; while in the Hurdle Race are to be found the names of Border man, Mammoc,Mainboom, Kingask,and other successful jumpers. The annual meeting of the Dunstan Racing Club was held at the Vincent County Hotel on the 11th inst., when about 20 members put in an appearance. — Mr J. Bell was voted to the chair. The hon. secretary (Mr Jeffery) read the balance sheet, which showed a credit of £17. This was considered very satisfactory, especially as the club had been put to the expense of making a new course for its last annual meeting and that several members' fees which were good assets had to be collected. — The balance sheet was adopted. — The following gentleman were elected a committee of management for the ensuing year, viz. : — Messrs Wm. Fraser (president), Charles Shaw (rice-president), B. Naylor (treasurer), ,C. Attfield, C. Holden, J. Bell, J. Muir, J. Holt, S. Welsford, F. Jeffery, Dr Hyde, A. M. Swan, and A. Joss.— The committee subsequently met, and Mr Jeffery was re-elected secretary. — A letter from Messrs Solomon and Murrell and a telegram from Messrs Mason and Roberts relative to the working of the totalisator at the club's future meetings were received.— lt was resolved that the club's aunual race meeting for thisyear beheld on the two days in December as near last year's date as practicable. — Considerable discussion ensued as to what course the races should be held upon, the extension of the Hospital Reserve having included so much of the one used last year as to prevent its use for that purpose in the future. — Eventually a sub-committee was appointed to examine the ground on and about the endowment below the schoolhonse, with the view to an arrangement being made with the Clyde Trust to form a permanent racecourse there, and fencing in same, together with the endowment; the sub-committee to report thereon at its earliest convenience.

A meeting of the Oamara Jockey Club was held in the Royal Hotel on Monday, when there were present: Messrs Lintott (in the chair), Manning, Humphrey, Dooley, Atkinson, Hamilton, Waters, Shalders/Borton, and Johnston. Mr Lintott sent in his resignation as vice-presi-dent, and explained that his reason for so doing was that he could not afford the time. The meeting accepted Mr Lintott's resignation with

muctt regret, and their regret was ordered 1 to b,e recorded in the minute book. Mr Atkinson reported thai the Ground Cortttwitee had visited the course, and recommended that, a quantity of grass seed* fee sown, &c, at a cost of £5. The recommendation was approved of. Messrs Mason and Roberts Wrote offering 'to work the totalisator on the same terms as last, year. It was generally agreed that the- machine) ha« beea weH managed previously, and it was resolved that the offer fee accepted. The - election of secretary resulted in»the appointment' of MrG. Greenfield Mr Humphrey waselected vicepresident in place of Mr Lintott, resigned. Mr Lintott's name was uflffoimously added to the lists of stewards. The date of the Spring meeting wasfixed tot Thursday and Friday, November 3 and 4. The programme was submitted, and the prizes for the various svents totalled £400. Messrs Johnston, Manning/ sad 1 Dooley guaranteed to collect 15sovs to add to the Grandstand Handicap of the second day, £50 having been added to the Oamaru Clip of the first day. Messrs V. C. Plato, W. Ward, and James Breen were elected members of the club.