CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 953, 25 April 1889, Page 24

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By RATA.

There was a trotting meeting at Lancaster Park on Saturday afternoon, and trotting is undoubtedly improving : in the neighbourhood — doubtless a consequence of the formation of a trotting association. The most pleasing feature of the effects of the new association is centred in the protests ; 2sovs must be paid on the lodgment of a protest, and that money is invariably forfeited if the protest be considered frivolous, and protests dismissed are invariably considered frivolous. The only objection sustained at Lancaster Park on Saturday afternoon was that ; lodged by Harry Piper against Maid of Orleans. Harry drove Violet, a very good mare that he trains. I do not know where got her from, but she is a real good one, and undoubtedly, ia, the race that Maid of Orleans won : Violet i was ' greatly interfered < with, hdo not think that Maid of Orleansi trotted properly or was driven properly. , The most glaring instance of a "besting" protest, however, was that lodged against Annie in a > two-mile saddle trot.' Ifc was said that the, mare, had run in a different name at Ashburfcon, but the owner's statement , seemed perfectly genuine. He bought the mare some time ago, and he has run her under the name of Annie .in Canterbury: for the last .12 months. The objection was certainly frivolous, and the, objector deserved to lose his -£2, which he did.' There were* two good races i during the af ternoon-~viz>, a pony harness trot . and aL three-mile harness trot. The . pony affair : was, won by Betsy, a very smart mare, with perhaps a. bit too muoh knee aotion, and > the other event -produced a good race -between Gnat and Fernandez, but half a length separated them when , they passed the post. The Pony Race was the- best, however; Betsy started from iioratoh; and trottiog grandly throughout .eventually;: won by a couple of lengths from "Brown Joe (45seo), and Brown Joe is not a bad performed by. any means in her— what a name for.a' mare !— particular class. I fancy trotting will improve here presently, immaterial of the proposed Totalisator Bill. , Capital weather was vouchsafed the opening day of tbe C.J.C Autumn meeting. The attendance was fairly good, I fancy—quite equal to that of last year, though not so good perhaps •as that 'seen at the Metropolitan meeting. That was the: best meeting I haye I'seen1 'seen in New Zealand, though I fancy the* forthcoming Exhibition meeting at Dunedin ought to prove even better. I like the races the Programme' Committee have instituted, there. ,A mile and a-half and a mile and a-quarter are'the best- distances an executive can i select, arid though a mile and' seven , furlongs looks -a^ peculiar distance, it is better than •a r * two mile or a two mile and a distance race. Where I on the committee I should have gone for- a mile and three-quarters, but there is no doubt th"afc a -mile and seven furlongs is preferable to two miles. The first race to-day was a walk over, Soekbiirn going over the hurdles alone, and receiving half the stakes. .The' second event was the Temple-; ton Stakes, for which the unreliable Adulation was made favourite, but as usual disappointed her supporters. Sir Julias, who was not greatly fancied, iwon by something like half a length from Chudleigh. ;. Wisby rode Sir Julius, and he appears to ride very well, though M'Grrath, who had the leg up on Cbudleigb, is perhaps quite as jrood a horseman. The plater Erin-go-Bragh finished third, close up, and his position shows that the field- was very indifferent. Sir Julius is not trained at Riccarton, but I have seen him previously at Dunedin, and he is a very bad horse'; hd met Chudleigh at 2st, and Chadleigh is by ho means>a gcod one, consequently the field must ' have been very bad. Red Ensign finished fourth, and she*.is a very unreliable mare. She ran very badly at Rangiora,, and I believe i she was then backed by her connections,, and I fancy ahe was spun out to-day, though she only finished fourth. - Sir Julius , was a comparative outsider, but I suspect he was fancied by those who knew him. He paid a dividend of £12 7s 6d inside, and £14 ds 6d outside, and no doubt his connections had most of the money. The 1 Great Autumn Handicap 1 was a good race in point of appearance— ocular demonstration—but the field must have been very indifferent. . Ruby was my fanoy throughout the piece, and he finished absolutely last. I cannot; understand his running, 'but no doubt he has gone off a bit. Mr Webb put up his son, and I hardly think he would have done that had he thought his horse had a show. Fit and well ' I believe Ruby was the best racer in that field. Fancy Ravenswing winning such a race— a mile mare, too— a filly three or four months' in foal ! Had Ravenswing been at a different stage after being covered I should not have wondered at her .victory. She is a good mare over her particular distance, and though that distance perhaps does not exceed a mile, she is a fast filly. The field must have beeu very bad though if Ravenswing won on her merits. Beyond anything a watch can tell the pace was slow throughout, and I certainly cannot understand Ruby's form, though it may be a result of ailment of some kind; ho, was bleeding at the nose for two or three mornings lately, and that might have affected

him. Vandal ran agopd race, and b,\a, running 'shows that 'the field mast have been bad. Vandal is a bad horse, and** thoroughly fit and uncovered/Ravenswirig' could ; lose him over; a mile. St; Olair finished second, and the positions of the first and > second ''confirmed the reliability of a recent gallop, but undoubtedly the form was considerably behind good handicap form. The Great Autumn field was bad all over, and I hardly, think all the competitors were run right out '

1 The Ghampagne'Stafces produced a remarkably good race. ; H. Thomson had the mount ob Merrie-England, and he won easily by a couple of lengths from Scots Grey, Dunkeld finishing third. Mr Lunn' has made' very great improvement in Merrie England since he took him in hand, and he was 'never better than he is now; I think, too,' that he will be one of the best threeiyear-olds of next" season, jbhoagh Scots' Grey will improve a lot, and Corunna is a magnificent' colt. The trio will prove as good cattle, I fancy,' as any we have seen daring the past season of the same 1 age- lam sure that Merrie England will run a better three-year-old than he has yet done as a youngster, and though Dankeld appeared to have a better show to-day I always fancied that Merrie England would prove the better horse of the two, and no doubt he will do so, but Dunkeld will always be a good sprinter nevertheless. Cynisca's running was very disappointing to her ■ backers, but I never fancied she could beat Dunkeld; Merrie England until very recently was not anything like the horse Dunkeld was, and apparently Scots Grey is 'coming on very rapidly too. I am sure that both are better than Cynisoa over a mile and a half, and they will be better three-year*olds. Merrie' England is £3 best youngster trained at Riccarton. He will make the best racehorse, but I faney 1 Corunna will prove his superior; and Scots Grey will also be a clinking good horse next season. I am certain he is not quite fit now, and -I am' also certain that Harry Lunn has not had- sufficient time to w|nd up MerrieEngland thoroughly. It is all very well for a writer to say that So-and-So will be a good horse, but if he gives undue—supposed to be undue — publicity to his opinion, though it may be fact, he may have to wait some time ere he' sees the horse exhibit his best form. ' No doubt Corunna, Scots' Grey, and Merrie England 'trill be the best three-year-olds next season over a distance of ground, but Dunkeld will be a smasher over sprint courses. What if he wins the Newmarket Handicap ! I should not be surprised t3 see him do 'so. He is a clinking good horse, and were I an owner of racehorses I would not take £1000 for that colt. He may. be sold at less in a few days, but I hardly think so.' ■ . . The Welter Handicap produced a fairly good race. Sir Julius cut out' the running and went well until they came into the straight, when Erin-go'-Bragh looked all over a winner. Rainbow, howev'erj came up and won very easily ultimately. Rainbow ran a very good, race, and she seems to be in- good fettle now ; she is of a better class than' Erin-go-Bragh, and though by no means a first-class filly, she seems to have a bit of foot

The Russley Stakes brought out nine runners, and produced a fairly good race. Mask Deer got off well and maintained her, advantage to the end, winning by a couple of lengths firpm Retina. I hear that Mr Stead' sold Mask De,er to Dr Prins some, time ago; and nodoHbt'her destination will be the stud eventually. She is certainly well bred; and evidently Dr Prins has had a couple of good .bargains of Mr Stead in Musk Deer and Lochiel. . Don Osesar ran a good race and finished third, but he is not the class of the winner, and I do not believe that Cadogan can really get a good racehorse. """

The Post Stakes resulted in an easy win for Eate Hayes, a grey mare, ridden by White. On the whole the first day's racing was fairly good, bub the field for the Great Autumn must have been very bad; Ravenswing could never have won in fair second-class company ; I am sure of that. No doubt the field was as good as that for the Dunedin Cup, and Vandal's, position in both races proves it; but Vandal is only., a commoner, • Manton, fit and well— and I do not believe Manton is as good as Carbine — could con-! cede him 2st easily and walk over him, Then St. ! Clair cannot be tip-top in point of condition in consideration of his hoof, and St. Clair is d long way from a good one.- <My opinion is thai? Ruby was the best horse in that field, but per-; haps Ruby is not quite well ; Ido not think he is so— bleeding at the nose is not a particularly! good augury of fitness. Perhaps Cynisca's defeat, was - the greatest take down "of the meeting, but I do not believe she has ever been' the mare she -was supposed to be, < Merrie England is undoubtedly a good one, and -he t has always appeared, to-.hesp;, but X fancy, we-will hear of Dunkeld to greater advantage next seaeon over sprint courses,.

Glorious weather was again associated with the second day of the C.J.G. meeting, and the racing was uncommonly good. : Satan, Cutts* new hurdle racer, won the jumping event* easily, and then Cynisoa walked away with the Nursery Handicap; paying £2> 6s > dividend. She won very easily, bat she had really nothing to beatiri comparison to what she opposed yesterday! Musk Deer and Helmsman alongside of Cynisoa would be nearly like Mon Loup alongside of! Carbine. Doubtless Musk Deer is a good mare — I think she is' to a certain extetfty but she lacks the quality of Cynisca in herself, immaterial' of her breeding. She is perhaps better bred — I believe she is so, and she will -make a very good brood mare. Were I her owner I should put her to the stud immediately. Mares are lost for a year or two as a rule when they are raced long. I wonder why a judge like Mis 'Goodman should buy cattle like Don Csesar; and he is not the only second-rater his owner has hadi Blizzard was a duffer ■ ' in himself too, and neither Gorton nor Cadogan will ever get a really good one. No doubt Mr Goodman knows that, and their keep is just as much as that of a reall d h Of

y goo coarse there is the chance of netting a big handicap with a second or third rater, bub what is there in winning a big race m a country like this? The stakes constitute its value.. A good aecond-rater is profitable property in a good betting country; but here' such a one is^not of maoh value. You cannot sell hTmlprofitably!, and that appears to be the principal feature of successful ownership here. >

Merrie England was made a hot favourite for the Challenge Stakes, and Apropos was second in demand. Apropos, too, looked- & real good thing, fit and well/, but I did not think she wad really fit and well. Moreover, two-year-olds have all the best' of older horses in the back end. Scots Grey won all out by about a neck, Merrie Bngf land finishing second and Dunkeld third. These are a trio of real good youngsters, and the first pair will be stayers too. The Selling Race produced a good race— a very good race in fact. Old Rewi, who was a bit refractory at the post, came up in the straight and won by some- j thing like three parts of a length, Moss Rose and Red Ensign running a dead heat for second place. The race was unimportant, but nevertheless it proved an. interesting one. The Easter Handicap produced a wonderfully good event. Coming up the straight it looked anybody's race, and after they passed the box it was impossible to say from the press stand what ' had Won." Vandal in the' middle led by a length

60 yards from home; but Wakatipti, Who had the inside going, was coming up rapidly, as was also Mon. Loup on 1 the outside. ' I fancied Mon Lonp had won, bat the verdict was Vandal, 1; Wakatipu, 2 ; and Mon Loup, 3 ; a neck separating each of tlie trio/ Suby again ran very badly, and I fancy he will be seen to greater advantage in the future ; lam certain he is a good horse — better over any distance up to a mile and a-half than Vandal. Mon Loup has improved greatly daring the last year, but he is not more than a commoner in reality now. The Consolation was won by Escapade, who just succeeded | in beating Moss Rose. Apropos was well in in the matter of weight in that race, but she ran badly, and evidently she is a bit off at present. The Duriedin horses too were very unfortunate at the meeting.