AUSTRALIAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1880, 2 December 1887, Page 23

AUSTRALIAN.

In the Handicap for the Summer Oup, of 500sovs, at tho A.J.O. meeting, Trenton heads the list with 9st J.2lb, Algerian coming next with 9st 71b, Silvermine with 9st 51b, Honeydew 9st 31b, Spade Guinea 9st, Pasha and Arsenal Bst 121b. Niagara is weighted at Bst 71b, and Thunderbolt at Bst. For the Carington Stakes, of lOOOsovs, at the Tattersal's Club meeting, Trenton heads the list with lOst, Spade Guinea being allotted 9st 3lb and Pasha 9st. At the Murrumbidgee Turf Club's second day's racing the Wagga Gold Cup, valued lOOsovs, and handicap of lOsovs each for starters, with3oosoirfl added, one mile and a-half, was wou by Pasha, carrying 9st (including 71b penalty). White piloted Pasha, who started at 5 to 2 on him, and won easily by a length. Time, 2min 40see. The other starters were Thakambau, Geude, Impulse, and Elsie. The following is a clipping from an article in the Sportsman ;— " At the present moment there are 286 metallicians registered by the V.B.C. One huudred and fifty-five bet exclusively in the paddock, and 131 outside. These gentlemen contribute to the premier racing club the handsome sum of £5250 anuually for the privilege of betting in the enclosures and on the hill. As there are many Sydney men not registered by the V.R.C., and a number of other fielders who bet at Caulfield, Elsternwick, Moonee Valley, and other courses, who are not down on the V.R.C. books, I shall probably be near the mark if I set down the grand total of Australian bookmakers at 400, rather more than a third being paddock men, while the balance— a big majority, of course— bet "outside." The Town and Country Journal says:— "lf all the race stewards acted in the same manner as those at Rosehill, the starters would have much less trouble with the riders. On both days at Eosshill Mr Kean had no end of trouble. He reported some of them, and they were treated pretty severely. Longford, Skehan, and Steeper were each suspended for a month ; virile Skehan, who, it appeare, gave trouble upon

both days, will stand down until the end of the year. Of course if you will listen to the tale each of these boys tells, they will make you believe that they never once moved. But as there are other people at the start who uphold the starter's statement, it is quite right that they should be punished. To my thinking racing folk would do well if they copy the footrunning idea. I remember the time when the pedestrians used to dance about on their marks like cats on hot bricks. The penalties imposed, however, have steadied them ; and the same would happen with the jockeys if properly carried out. Suppose that a line was drawn across the course, and the rule made that the first time a horse crossed that mark his rider was fined £5, the second time £10, and the third time disqualified. Of course people will argue that this could not be done, that the horses could not be kept back. Now, it is a very strange thing that when one horse breaks away and gallops a furlong or so you will see the others all draw up like a regiment of cavalry, and stand as quiet as possible. If they can stand at one time, they can at another. Of course there may be a cranky brute occasionally in a field. But the starter can invariably tell when the fault lies with the horse and not the rider. The fact of the matter is that we have a lot of boys riding who are not taught their business, and know nothing of how to get their horses away in a proper manner at the start. We hardly ever see i Martin Gallagher, or men of his stamp, breaking away, yet the horse he rides is invariably one of the first away." The Bathurst oracle says : — " Dainty, the late Melbourne Oaks winner, was bred by Mr A. Town, and purchased by Mr H. Lord at the Hobartville annual yearling sale for something over 600gs. She was placed in Joe Burton's hands to be trained, and, we are informed, was pronounced as not up to expectations, and was forwarded to Sydney for sale, when she was purchased by her present owner, Mr W. Long, the purchase money being between 200gs and 300gs. It only shows that owners ought to stand more than one licking before giving up a good bred | 'un." In view of the outcry which has been raised in connection with the V.R.C.'s spring carnival, a | Toorak clergyman determined to see the Cup and judge for himself. The Melbourne Herald sa y s ;__" He tells us that in all his peregrinations he heard nothing that could shock the most delicate ears, or offend the vision of the most sensitive. The people, he said, seemed to be bent on a day's enjoyment, and they were I doing it without in any way compromising the national character for good behaviour in all public places. A more orderly crowd of spectators could rarely be found. The gambling spirit that one might look for did not prevail. Speaking- as a clergyman of the Church of England, he saw nothing that called for severe condemnation, and he had been agreeably surprised at the state of things. • If,' he continued, *it is the argument against betting that is to keep people away, I may say that, with the exception of the English Derby and the Melbourne Cup, I imagine there is no race run in the whole year on which bo much money is placed as the Oxford and Cambridge boat race, and half the clergymen of England are present on that occasion, many of them in their younger days having taken part in the contest.' Of course he would not deny that people might become morally worse by a&tending the race ; but that depended largely upon their own inclinations and desires. A man who could not resist the temptation to hazard his hard-earned money on an event had better stay at home. If they gave way to such a passion it was their own fault, and they were more to blame if they again yielded after the disappointment of a first speculation. In the second case it was wantonly running into danger. It could not be denied that the temptation to place money on a horse did exist ; but temptation abounded everywhere. The best proof against it was the morality of the people, and in this colony he was pleased to think a high standard of morality had been reached. He believed that, speaking generally, the spectators at the Cup were none the worse for their mode of relaxation, and had, in fact, profited by the holiday. He coincided with the views expressed by a brother clergyman in the Herald, where he said that the vast majority of the people assembled on Flemington Flat would return to their homes with just the same feelings of pleasure and satisfaction, and no more contamination than those whom the omnibuses, lorries, and boats would bring back from the scores of picnics and country excursions held on that day." In Town and Country " Tristan" writes : — Major Walmsley, the manager of the New Zealand Stud Co., who recently returned from a trip to the Old Country, has been giving his thoughts and opinions on various matters ot sporting interest. The old racing clubs, Major Walmsley says, appear to have gone back ; and the new clubs, which are going ahead, have still something to learn from a colonial point of view. One thing in which they are behind us is in supplying information as to the colours and ages of the horses running, their breeding and weights, and the colours of the riders ; nothing like the same care being bestowed on the " c'rect cards" as there is in the colonies. Most of the races are only run at a strong pace over the last few hundred yards. During his visit the major saw Ormonde, Minting, and Bendigo. He describes them as superior horses to the best in New Zealand, unless we judge them by the time test, which he does aot believe in. The seats of the jockeys struck him as [ remarkably altered from the style of 30 years ago ; the crack horsemen sitting straight up and down, with their toes pointed to the ground. All appeared to be trying to emulate the " fork seat " of Archer. The Grand National Steeplechase course is much stiffer than anything he has ever seen before. Though highly bred, they race their horses lighter over fences than they should. At Punchtown, in Ireland, the horses seemed after the class of our best steeplechasers, but possessed more substance. The manner in which they scrambled and jumped through big banks surprised him. Major Walmsley has brought paintings of all the old school of racehorses, and of Ormonde, and some of the celebrities of the day, with sketches of the leading English jockeys taken in groups, with Lord Bcresford acting as starter. The major has had Musket's hoofs beautifully mounted in silver, and they will be kept in memory, of the great son of Toropholite. The major has purchased the blood stalliou Sword Dance, with whiph he is well satisfied. On being interviewed Major Walmsley said that, there was hardly any chance for a colonial going Home to buy blood stock, He found his advent and mission cabled Home in advance of him, and from 50 to 100 per cent, was immediately put upon likely horses. Quicklime, a half-brother to Sword Dance, jumped at once from £4000 to £8000. As soon as it was known that a colonial buyer was in the market with a commission, £10,000 was asked for Barcaldine, £7000 for Retreat, £5000 for Zealot, and £3000 for Friar Rush. Musket mares are not to be got in England for love or money ; and the major thinks the Stud Company will be greatly to blame if it ever disposes of another mare, by the famous Fyfield horse. "Augur" says: — "On the second day of the Queensland Turf Club meeting the authorities must have had a high old time, The. starting

has always been a weak point in Queensland, as, indeed, it has been in many other countries. Even England has nobody worthy to fill the shoes of Mr M'George. Lord Marcus Beresford has been appointed his successor, but although he commenced well, many of his last efforts have been miserable failures. The climax was reached in Queensland on Saturday last, when after six false starts for the Sandgate Handicap the starter dropped the red flag, but the man who held the white flag in front did not. The result was a muddle, for while several obeyed the red flag, others stuck to the white, and while a portion ran the coursp, the remainder stopped at the post. Honest 0 Ned, Fishwife, and Touchstone were first, second, and third, but the judge, believing it was no start, refused to place them. The stewards took the matter in band, aud declared it a race. Then the trouble commenced, for the crowd being incensed at the whole affair, broke down the fence which divided them from the enclosure, and they declared that no more racing should take place that day. They attemped to block the course with hurdles, and it was not until the police were reinforced that the stewards were able to continue the racing. All "this is very deplorable. In future the Q.T.C. authorities will do well to confine the starting to one man. I believe that Mr Justice Mem has resigned his position as president of the club, and that the racing judge has also resigned. lam not surprised at this." Surprise has often been expressed at the fast time made in races run in New Zealand. I (" Augur ") must confess that I have often been sceptical respecting the records of our Southern neighbours. There is an explanation in the objection lodged against Lochiel receiving the stakes for the New Zealand Cup run at the late Canterbury Jockey Club meeting. It appears that some time after the race somebody—who was, no doubt, interested in Lochiel not receiving the stakes — measured the course and found it was 68yds short of two miles. Hence the protest. Now this satisfactorily accounts for the fast time often made on the Christchurch course. Probably the surveyor of the C.J.C. adopted the English plan, and measured the course from the centre, and not 3ft from the rails, as we do. This would account for the difference, and the club, if it had no other defence, could avail itself of this. I don't know what rule of the C.J.C. governs the case ; but if it is the same as ours, the objectors have not leg to stand upon, for the V.R.C. rule runs thus .— " An objection to a horse on the ground of a cross or jostle, or of his not having run the proper courße, or of any other matter occurring in the race, must be made in writing, stating the grounds thereof, and signed by the objector, within a quarter of an hour after the finish." Now, this does not appear to have been done, and therefore, if the O. J.C. rule is similar to ours, Mr Stead is certain to receive the stakes. The bill having for its object the reintroduction of the totalisator in South Australia, was thrown out by the Legislative Council on Tuesday by a majority of 12 to 9. Mr R. C. Baker made a vigorous speech in its favour, but the goody-goody people were too strong for him and won by three votes. I hope the supporters of the instrument will be in no way dismayed, but gird up their loins for next session, and introduce it every year until it does pass, The resuscitation of racing in Adelaide is, of course, out of the question until the totalisator is allowed again, and perhaps it is as well that the business people of the city, as well as the farmers and others, should be allowed to find out the loss they have sustained by the decline of the sport. There will be a reaction some day, even among the electors of the Legislative Council. " Asmodeus" writes: — "The numbered saddle cloths introduced by Mr Bond have so favourably impressed the Marquis of Drogheda that he has expressed his intention of bringing the innovation before the English Jockey Club, of which he is a member, with a view of its adoption on the racecourses of the United Kingdom. He has instructed Messrs White and Allamby (late Clapham and Co.) to make him a sample cloth of the customary pattern for the purpose of ehowing the same to the racing authorities in the Old Country."