MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1912, 13 July 1888, Page 23

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

(Sydney Referee.)

A good yarn is spun about young Kaiser Myers, oue of the cleverest of the jockey lads in Auckland, and who is attached to Jimmy Kean's stable. It was at a country meeting, and Kaiser would persist in keeping three or four. longthß of daylight between his horse and the others. The starter stormed and sworel and threatened to fine him £10 every time he; came to the post. Kaiser whispered to one of the boys to tell the starter that he was rather bad of hearing. Leaning over, the lad put his hand to his mouth and yelled, " Say, boss ! he can't hear you I " The starter uttered maledictions loud and deep on the head of Kean for sending a boy like that to the post, and then let Kaiser off nearly fiv© lengths to the good. Needless to say, he won as he liked. The same starter waa standing behind Kaiser in the saddling paddock after the race, when someone called out from the other side, " Hey, say, Kaiser." The jock turned sharply round aud faced the starter, who gave utterance to his feelings with a hearty " Curse you, for a young rascal ; the next time I start you I'll fine you £20." Were I asked to narrow down my particular weakness for the Melbourne Cup to half a dozen I should select Niagara, Cardigan, Silver Prince, Aristocrat, The Yeoman, and Lamond, with a special penchanfc^for The Yeoman.

(" Martindale," Town and Country.)

In the Melbourne Cup Abercorn and The Australian Peer are down to meat on equal terms, which will perhaps be more acceptable to the former. I think Arsenal holds all safe above him. If Mr Day's opinion that Niagara will stand a preparation is correct, he will take no end of beating with 8.13 up. The next one I come to which appears to be well in is Cardigan at 8.7. Though many think that this horse has been a lucky one, still they must admit that he has always been winning, and in the best of company. Silver Prince has got quite enough, though he is not out of it, but Aristocrat at 8.0 reads like the pick of the basket, as everyone will think who saw him get home at Rosehill with 9.0 on his back in a mile and three furlongs race in 2min 22Jsee. The next which takes my attention is Matador, which is also the property of Mr T. Sampson. He has 7.10. Always well-grown, a few months in the paddock has done him no end of good ; and in him Mr Sampson has a second striug to his bow very little inferior to the first. The three-year-olds Volley, Lonsdale, and Lady Betty have all been very harshly treated, as also Bowmont on public form. Frisco is well master of the 7.5 allotted to him, as also Pendragon, 7.2, judging by appearances ; and, strange to say, this last pair are also Mr Sampson's property. Mr Mayo will hardly be satisfied with the weight allotted, 7.2, when such public performers as Meteor has 6.13, aud Vespasia 6.11. Lamond is well in at 69, and Ensign reads well at the same weight. Below these there appear to be very few likely to be troublesome; though Fine Lady, Maggie, Briar, Marinea, and Bluenose may develop into good ones. To pick out six to provide the placed horses I should select Aristocrat, Cardigan, Vespasia, Lamond, Matador, Niagara, and Arsenal.

("Aurgur" Australasian.)

The 16 horses from whom the winner of the Melbourne Cup may come consist of Cardigan, Aristocrat, Abercorn, The Australian Peer, Arsenal, Niagara, Cyclops, Matador, Bohemian, Dick Swiveller, Whakawai, Pakeha, Meteor, The Yeoman, Ensign, and Tabard.

(" Asmodens " Leader.)

I have at first sight selected a dozen horses, all weighted above 7,0 which strike me as being the "picks of the basket in the Melbourne Cup." They are Cranbrook, Bravo, Oardi* gan, Silver Prince, Pasha, Oakleigh, Spade Guinea, Aristocrat, Whakawai, Dick The Yeoman, and Touchstone. I don't mean to assert that each and all the foregoing are better handicapped than the majority of tho other candidates. Cranbrook, for instance, is badly treated by comparison with a number of horses who have displayed superior staying ability to the Newmarket Handicap winner, and many will wonder why he is called upon to concede weight to such a pair of long-distance performers as Carlyon and Arsenal. In awarding Cranbrook 9.8 Mr Barnard evidently had in mind the position he occupied in close attendance on the placed horses in the last Melbourne Cup, and, harshly used though he may appear to be, I think Mr Barnard has taken the big fellow's measure with tolerable accuracy. The best handicapped horse of the whole fleet I take to be Pasha, 7 13. This is a pound more than the impost allotted him in the last Melbourne Cup, which contest hfi declined, bub at the same meeting he rendered a taste of his quality by carrying 8.5 to victory in the Van Yean Stakes, of one mile, aud running second to Silvermine over a mile and a-half of ground in the Veteran Stakes with 8.7 in the saddle. Afterwards Pasha journeyed to Wagga, where he won the Gold Cup, carrying 0.0 {At this weight Mr Scarr subsequently handicapped him for the Carrington Stakes, while he awarded him 8.12 in tho Summer Cup, and 8.10 in Tattersall's Club Cup. The drop to 7.13 is therefore very striking, and I cannot help thinking that Mr Barnard has been caught napping in this particular instance, and that he will in a measure acknowledge the same in rieah'Dg with the Caulfield Cup weights on Monday next.

(Truth.)

Lord Alington and Sir Frederick Johnston's (joint owners of The Balsam) must feel that their wits are mouldering when their formerly well-deserved reputation for almost supernatural sagacity in racing affairs has become so painfully eclipsed. There are always plenty of indiscriminate apologist's for fashionable trainers and jockey:, as they can generally rely on the qunnd meme services of a gang of sycophants and paraM^s, co that Porter have never been mentioncrt in prinfc during the last week except, as usual, to be magnified, and there havefbeen plenty of maudlin vapidities about the sympathy that is frit for him. Porter has always been a thoroughly honest man, but he is not a quarter so clever ns people think, ami there was a reremark Sir Joseph Hawley once made about him. which certainly was not flattering to his intelligence as a trainer. His well-deserved reputation for anstere rectitude remains unstained, but really, so far as one can judge from what one has heard and read, he seems to have been desperately stupid in the matter of Friar's Balsam, almost to tho extent of invincible impenetrability.