SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1951, 11 April 1889, Page 25

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

(By Oub Austealian Sporting Correspondent •• Wabbiob.") ! Melbourne, April 2. MONOPOLY OF HORSE-RACING OVER OTHER OUT-DOOR SPORTS IN VICTORIA. Racing in Melbourne being at present of very little importance to my readers, I think it a very opportune time to make a few remarks on a matter which deeply interests cricketers, rowing men, footballers, baseballers, pedestrians, and others who participate in out-door sports outside horse-racicg. I wish to point out that the Victoria Racing Club, in publishing a list of 209 race meetings to take place on 141 days within 50 miles of Melbourne, has endeavoured, and I hope unsue- ■ cessfully— judging by the number of racing j men, "Warrior " among the number, who have attended the match between Melbourne and South Melbourne — to knock cricket and other sports on the head. % In order that Melbourne sporting men may be induced to attend race meetings, the Victoria Racing Club recognise and encourage as many as eight race meetings to take place in one day. If you don't care about going to Blsternwick Park you can be accommodated at Moonee Ponds. When you have had too much of the latter you can go to Mentone or Oakleigh. It doesn't matter who sinks as long as the V.R C. can float with their head out of water. Racing clubs have already appropriated .every holiday in the year, and so far, from the Ist of January to the 20th of April— lo Saturdays— l 2 of them have been t&ken up by the V.R.C., V.A.T.0., Elsternwiok Park, and Moonee Valley. Eleven years ago our leading club was satisfied

with Spring, Midsummer, and Autumn, but they must now have Winter, April, and > Queen's Birthday. Intercolonial cricket matches were enjoyed on Boxing Day in those days, bat the Victoria Amateur Turf Club stepped in and robbed cricketers. Of late years, should an important cricket or football match or an intercolonial eight-oared race be arranged for a certain Saturday when no other sport is advertised to come off, it's a thousand pounds to a gooseberry that either the V.A.T.C. or some other racing club will offer strong opposition in the way of rich prizes. I think the time has arrived when a conference should be held between representatives of out-door sports and Melbourne racing clubs to devise some means of- preventing first-class entertainments clashing with one another. At present scores of cricket enthusiasts are prevented from attending in consequence of their business compelling them to pnt in an appearance at Caulfield, Flemington, and Elstemwick Park. MOONEE VALLEY v. OAKLEIGH PARK. Unfortunately race-goers couldn't be at two places at the one time, so that neither Moonee Valley nor Oakleigh drew large audiences on Saturday last. Neither place interested your correspondent, so he spent his afternoon on the South Melbourne cricket ground, witnessing the match for the Metropolitan Challenge Cup between Melbourne and South Melbourne. The Moonee Valley programme comprised six races. Shamrock (9.12) beat the 3to 1 against favourites— Studley (12.0), Mineral and Hector (10.12)— in the Handicap Steeplechase. Saxon (12.12) was second, and Peter Osbeck (11.7) ! third. Twilight (6.7) won the Special Request Handicap ; The Victim (12.0) the Corinthian Handicap; and Coronation (7.10) the Blackwood Handicap, six furlpnge, by half a' length from Abrupt (8.2), in lmin 18see. At Oakleigh Park, ;St. John, by Conrad—' Euphrosyne, carried off the double—Goodwill Handicap (five furlongs) and the Oakleigh Park Handicap (one mile). On the whole this horse has been a regular fraud. He started' seven times as a five-year-old, and failed to run into a place. His best performance was at the j V.R.C. Autumn of March 5, 1885, when he won ' the Bourke Handicap (seven furlongs) in lmin 27|sec, beating the Hon. James White's grey filly Mascotte, St. Lawrence, Hurricane, Meteor, Lord Wilton, Topaz, Bohemian, and 17 others. RACING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. The Hawkesbury Race Club open their ninth Autumn meeting on the 11th April with the Rowley Mile, concluding on the 13fch with the Hawkesbury Handicap, for which event 29 horses have accepted. Manton (8.12) heads the list, with Plutarch (8.10) next. At present there is no betting, but judging from the morning gallops at Randwiek I see nothing in the Hawkesbury Handicap but Yabba (8.2), by Melbourne— Yellina, winner of the Queensland Turf Club St. Leger of 1886. Should Yabba fail to catch the judge's eye, Plutarch (8.10), Honeydew (8.4), Ernani or Aberdeen (7.8), may do the trick. Following are the horses doing good work at Randwiek engaged in the Hawkesbury Handi* cap, A.J.C. St. Leger, and Sydney Cup :— Plutarch, Yabba, Keith, Aberdeen, Colenso, Industry, Willeroo, Paddy, Volley, Melcs, j Wycombe, Abercorn, Australian Peer, Carlyon, j Centaur, Pearl Shell, and Volcano. The New Zealand Pasha is again in work. NEWS IN BRIEF. j Plutarch has been installed first favourite'for the Hawkesbury Handicap, 100's to 20 having been accepted. For the Sydney Cup the four-year-old Abercorn is in most demand at 6 to 1, the New Zealand Manton having friends at 7 tol. Yarraman, the well-known hurdle-racer, has changed hands, Mr J. Munro being his purchaser at lOOgs. South Melbourne beat Melbourne by seven wickets for the Metropolitan Challenge Cup. The attendance was good. Corrigan and Scobie, the cross-country jocks, lam glad to say, are sworn friends again. Since the Kangaroo and Ruby fiasco these gentlemen have been at daggers drawn. Messrs O'Shanassy and Loughlin intend visiting the Old Country shortly, and their wellknown faces for a time will be missed at Flemington and Caulfield. New Zealand racing men having good jumpers fit enough to run in a Grand National Steeplechase might do worse than send one of them over to Tommy Corrigan, who has commenced training at Flemington on his own account. The Australasian has it that Dan O'Brien intends settling down in his native land, Victoria, and that he has been on the lookout for a training spot somewhere near Caulfield. If Dan took my advice he would stay in Christchurch, and continue making excellent bargains with us in the way of another Trenton or Carbine. Two Maorilanders— Niagara and Enfiladehave been a great loss to their owners, who should never race them again,' but relegate them to the stud. Niagara has gone into Veterinarysurgeon Day's establishment at Sydney, and Enfilade has been turned out for six months. Charlie Rudings, who came over here, with Spade Guinea and Pasha, won the Mordialloo Handicap with Wairarapa, on Wednesday last. Rudings has had very bad luck since he started private training, but his Christchurch friends will be glad to hear that he is pulling himself together again. Julian Gray, by Julian Avenel— Mary Gladstane, a four-year-old bay gelding, started at 5 to 1 against for the Oakleigh Park Handicap, and won easily, beating Wairarapa, Umbra, Abrupt, and six others. On Monday, 15th inst., the V.R.C. will consider Rule 9 :~" No meeting shall be advertised in the Racing Calendar unless the club proposing to hold such meeting shall be advertised in the aforesaid register of clubs. Nor if the added money be less than £400." It's almost time the •V.R.C. woke up, and excommunicated the tinpot race meetings held within 50 miles of Melbourne. i _________