CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1915, 3 August 1888, Page 24

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By " RATA." With the Grand National meeting held on Friday and the Hunt Club Steeplechases on Saturday there was no lack of sport at Riccarton last week, but the weather was very inclement on both afternoons. The racecourse arrangements at Riccarton are very perfect, and the steeplechase track is one of the best artificial countries I have seen ; the obstacles are quite stiff enough to test the jumping capacity of chasers, and they are singularly free from anything "trappy" in the manner of their construction. The sod wall at the beginning of the straight is the only fence that any objection whatever can be taken to, and even it is one very unlikely to " floor " a properly-schooled steeplechaser. It is considerably less in itself than the wall immediately behind it, but it has a tolerably wide ditch on the taking-off side, and in consequence of its situation horses approach it at a kind of angle; yet perhaps one that cannot negotiate it successfully wants practice. On the whole I do not think the Riccarton track can be much improved upon for present requirements, but on the other hand steeplechase horses are considerably below an attainable standard of quality. The Grand National was the chief event of Friday afternoon, and Mangaohane had a slight call of Chemist on the totalisator. The former is a muscular, low set, lengthy horse, and be was served by a nice weight, while Chemist had brilliant credentials to recommend him. Faugh-a-ballagh stripped all right in point of looks ; and, fit and well, I fancy he is the best chaser that competed last week, though he is considerably removed from a tip.-topper, and doubtless he has seen his best day, too. In the actual contest, however, the effects of his leg ailment were very apparent, and he refused at au early stage of the race. Isaac has been going uncommonly well since his arrival at Riccarton, and perhaps ho is better now than he has been for some time back, yet he started the outsider of the party ; and Haka's Plumpton performance evidently sufficed to stall off the majority of his Grand National admirers. Daddy Louglegs had a fair following, presumably on the strength of his well-known jumping ability, and Waitangi was similarly backed — 118 tickets on each — doubtless by reason of the existence of a belief that Bst was adequate to counterbalance his capacity and Chemist's reputation. Altogether nine starters went to the post, and at flng-fall Waitangi jumped off with a very perceptible lead, and jumping his fences beautifully he rapidly drew away from his field, and on passing the stand the first time round he led by something like a dozen lengths. Haka and Faugh-a-ballagh refused at the third and fourth fences; and in jumping the latter's soreness was very apparent, though imperceptible on the flat, while Haka evidently wants a bit more schooling ere he becomes a clean fencer; and besides, a four-year-old requires to be a remarkably good one to win such a race in even moderately good company. Every ounce tells over four miles of country, and a 'chaser wants to be a pretty old hand at the game — old in experience,— however accomplished, before he becomes thoroughly proficient in the art of negotiating fences with little exertion. " I told you ' Fog ' wouldn't win," said Butler after the race, and so he did ; but i had never seen the horse jumping. Chemist refused the gorse fence opposite Cutts' the first time round, and on passing the . stand the second time Waitangi still maintained a commanding lead; but on jumping the obstacles beyond the straight, Mangaohane, who had been running second for a couple of miles, closed, and fencing beautifully to the end of the journey, won in a hand canter, with Daddy Longlegs second, and Isaac third. Waitangi was never in the hunt in the last halfmile, and from the way Isaac passed him in the straight, it is probable that he tires beyond a certain point. Mangaohane is a genuine stayer, and he was admirably ridden: but the tactics adopted with Isaac were suggestive of unbelief in his staying capacity. The Hunters' Hurdle Race wassrailarto

| tbe Grand National in point of numerical j strength, and Torrent, the disappointing fiat races, was top weight with 12st 7lb in the saddle. When brought to the hammer, immediately after the Autumn meeting, he was greatly fancied by a Southern trainer of jumpers. "He has capital legs, and he is sure to jump well," said that mentor, and apparently his judgment was practically sound. He was unlucky not to win last week, and but for a spill and a refusal on the second day he would in all probability have done so ; yet his jumping was wonderfully good for a beginner, and as he is a much better class horse than the majority of those now at the game his performances over obstacles are likely to prove more remunerate than did his running on the fiat. Premier is also a competitor in this race, 'and though his trainer recently told me that he intended sending him home, he is evidently no "duffer" in representative company as representative company exists in the neighbourhood of Canterbury. In the Hunter's Hurdle Race he carried list 111b to Faro's lOst 21b over two miles and eight flights of hurdles, and only just got beaten ; Faro won by two lenghts after a hard ridden race from the last hurdle, and Sockburn, also carrying lOst 21b, was beaten twice as far by Premier. That kind of performance does not argue great inferiority by comparison, and Premier ought to pay for training yet. Faro is a strong, lengthy, level made horse, that in point of conformation looks a good stamp of hunter, but he has a bad foreleg that has given his trainer some trouble. He is not a nag that will ever show to great advantage in more than moderate company, but if he be good enough to pay his way, Premier ought to do ditto if fairly treated. The Ladies' Bracelet was the third race run on Friday afternoon, and singularly enough it also brought' out nine competitors. The conditions were weight-for-age imposts on a welter scale, and gentle' men riders, and apparently amateur horsemen are somewhat inferior to professional jockeys on the flat, though some of the latter are considerably below a standard that ought to obtain generally, and the disparity of good and indifferent horsemanship here is very marked indeed. Mr Boyle, however, rode a good race on Shillelagh, who ultimately won by a couple of lengths from Reuben, and obviously the winner is not a bad little horse. He is a good jumper, too, and in the following race, the Maiden Steeplechase, he ran a good second with an average second rate field behind him. Icenian was a competitor in the Ladies' Bracelet, and his recent performances have not been on a par with his looks ; bat I fancy he is one we have not seen at his .'best yet, he has hardly been in Mr Lunn's hands sufficiently long to have attained his best attainable form, I fancy.

The Maiden Steeplechase produced a very fine race, Landsborough just getting home by a neck from Shillelagh, with Playboy but half a length behind the second, and this is the kind of finish that commonly engenders dissatisfaction with the judge's verdict, that dissatisfaction being subordinate to pecuniary interests of course. From where I stood, the judge's placing of Landsborough and Shillelagh seemed distinctly inaccurate. Shillelagh looked a decided winner, but that standpoint was at an angle, and had the horses passed the post separated by half a length in point of winning and losing, and twice that distance in point of course placement it would be impossible to say from where I stood which had actually won, and in close finishes with the competitors near the extremes of inside and outside running it is hardly possible for anyone to separate them but the judge. At Riccarton, a close finish between two horses passing the post locked together could easily be decided accurately from the stand or the front of the stand, but provided these horses passed the post one on either side of the course — i.e., one at the far side of the running track and the other immediately below the judge, it would be well nigh impossible to separate them to a short head but from the judge's box. Doubtless judges have made mistakes — that is, perhaps beyond doubt,— but in the majority of instances the decision of a judge is more reliable under any circumstances, beyond palpable interest, than are the opinions of dissatisfied backers. Onlookers, too, sometimes draw their deductions from the relative positions of the jockey 6as distinct from the heads of the horses, and in very close finishes that is no criterion of accuracy whatsoever in many cases. Haka again ran in the Maiden Plate, and he finished! better than he did in the Grand National, but he evidently wants to improve ere he shines at the game.

The Tally-ho Handicap only brought out five runners, and of these Irish King wasinstalleda warm favourite. He had been withdrawn from the Grand National — perhaps with the view of a maintenance of freshness for this event — and on paper he certainly looked a good thing. He won, too, easily enough, but his victory was a direct result of a casuality to Isaac, who slipped up and unshipped his jockey on landing over the first obstacle in the straight. M'Guinness, who rode Isaac, was very sharp over that spill, and he had hardly got fairly down until he was in the saddle again, but pursuit of Irish King was then hopeless, though he finished second, a dozen lengths behind the winner. Isaac was the outsider of the party, and was very little fancied, yet but for the mishap he would undoubtedly have won just as easily as did Irish King, and I fancy Mr Lunn was a bit lucky in scoring two wins during the afternoon. Kangaroo and Artist were both backed for this race, but both made mistakes ; yet it is very doubtful whether either could have" beaten Isaac in the absence of any mistake in the field. Isaac is evidently a better horfee than is generally supposed. The afternoon's sport wound up, after comparative darkness had set in, with a Selling Steeplechase. For this event three candidates started, but Master Guy, who is a very excellent fencer, and would be a capital chaser were other qualities equal to his jumping ability, finished absolutely alone.

The Hunt Club Steeplechases on Saturday even surpassed the Grand National meeting in point of sport, a most singular circumstance in my experience, and whatever exception might be taken to some of the riding in the Ladies' Bracelet on Friday, there is no getting awaj from the fapt that Zealand can boast some first flight men over a country beyond professionalism. I have never attended a better amateur meeting, though I have seen better horses at many. The worst riding I have ever witnessed has been at the Aldershot Military Steeplechases and the meetings held under the auspices of the Household Brigade, and at these you see' the acme of army and naval excellence and the most prominent men in the English hunting field. On Saturday the riding was on a par with professional horsemanship in most instances, and though the horses were not up to a high standard of quality they were mostly identical with those who contested the majority of events on the Grand National day. Sport was inaugurated with the Hunters' Hurdle Race, and for this event Squib, a grey mare that has been performing fairly well recently,. was .made favourite. The winner, however, turned npin Reuben, who finished second for the Ladies' Bracelet on Friday, and he was run to half a length by Premier, who was' unfortunate Jta gaining, that position, for a second time during the' week. Squib obtained third place, but Faro,

ridden T>y Mr Lunn, was unable to show to as great advantage as he did on the Grand National afternoon. Mexico was made a hot favourite for the Hunt Club Cup Steeplechase, and he succeeded in getting home by a neck from Romeo. Torrent, however, was a runner in this race, and but for coming down at the sod wall at the beginning of the straight he would have won anyhow. Bar accident he had the race fairly in hand at that point, and it was a bit unfortunate for his connections that he came down there ; he jumped the other obstacles admirably, and he looks like developing into a first-class steeplechaser. Daddy Longlegs was a good favourite for the Open Steeplechase, but notwithstanding a nice weight he had to put up with third place to Kangaroo and Irish King. The winner is a good horse, but he is evidently not a sure fencer, and I should be inclined to doubt his staying ability, though he successfully compassed three mile 3in this race. He has the appearance of a more than ordinarily speedy chaser, and horses of that kind frequently win slow run races over long courses. It is pace that really stops a nonstayer. Provided a notorious non-stayer that could not possibly get beyond six furlongs in his own class was good enough to last a sterling stayer of inferior speed by several lengths over that distance it would want quite a mile and. a-half to bring them together, it would want that distance to exert the non-stayer sufficiently. Isaac also ran in this race and finished no nearer than fourth, and he was certainly a bit unlucky during the two afternoons. Piccanini won the Tally-Ho Plate, and Pancake the Ladies' Bracelet. The Yaldhurst training establishment has sustained a loss in tbe death of Bar Sinister, but that loss, I fancy, is wholly confined to his pecuniary value. He was by no means a goodlooking horse, and it is doubtful whether he would have shown winning form beyond very ordinary company. The following are the Christchurch betting returns on the New Zealand Cup : — 100 to 15 Artillery (fck) 100 — 12 Loohiel (tk) 100 — 12 Springston (tk) KJO — 12 St. Olair (tk) 100 — 10, Carbine (tk) 100 — 10 Engagement (tk) 100 — 8 Nelson (tk) 100 — 8 Sextant (tk) 100 — 8 Ruby (tk) 100 — 7 Escutcheon (t\O 100 — 5 Marlborough (tk) 100 — 5 Kimberley (tk) 100 — 4 Waitiri (tk). These bets have all been booked, and the prices are yet offered.