IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 972, 5 September 1889, Page 24

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Meloß is well, — Kelso is training Too Soon at Randwiok. —Bernardo is being baoked for the Hawkesbury Handicap. —Lord Falmouth was dangerously ill when the last mail left.

—It turns oat that Mara was scratched for the Caulfield Cup,

—Chaldean is said to be a sure starter for the Melbourne Cup. — I understand that Alpine Rose has left Harry Thompson's stable. —"Nemo" says that Glen Elgin is one of the fastest horses in the land.

— Isonomy's subscription for 1890 is full, and his fee for 1891 is to be 250gs.

—They say that £30,000 to £5000 has been booked about Surefoot for the next Derby. — Aristocrat has been withdrawn from the Melbourne Cup, having developed a dicky leg. — A oorapany has been farmed to run meetings after the Australian fashion at Portsmouth.

— I shall say something about the South Canterbury weightß when the acceptances appear. —Forester, who claims a five-furlongs record of lmin lses, has been sold to go to Mcl bourne.

— The first of Taiaroa's foals have been seen in Dunedin. They are, I believe, out of hackney mares. — Ringmaster ran second to King Monmouth for the Great Ebor Handicap. Weights not known just yet. — Opawa, by Ravensworth— Fairy, has died at Hawke's Bay. He was sire to Defamer, Allegro, and others. —Tho A.J 0., Rosehill, and Warwick Farm Clubs have appointed Mr A. L. Burton specially to Bpot the welshers. —Mr P. Butler has gone to Sydney to take charge of Manton. I Bbould like of draw Manton in a sweep on the Metrop. -—The Adelaide Racing Club's Grand National Steeplechase was won by Mr J. Fox's Dingo, by Aldingo. Dividend, ±>12 16s. — The American prack, Hanover, made all his own running in the Coney Island Cup, and ran the mile and a-half in 2min 35 3 saec.

— A Sydney paper Bays that 112 bookmakers have been registered to ply the pencil in the paddock, and 81 on the hillatFlemington. — The Gore Racing Club is progressing with considerable rapidity in having the course which has been secured put in proper form. — I have received a copy of tha Auckland Club's book of programmes for the season. Dates of meetings appear in the usual place. —Mr W. A. Smith has bestowed the name of " Langley " on his gelding by Gorton out of Dione. I hope that he will be "up to Dick," — The first of Trenton's stock has made its appearance at Mr A, Town's Hobartville stud, in the shape of a filly from Roßedale, the dam of Kingsd&le. — It was a slip of the pen when I last week spoke of Envy as 18 years old. She was foaled ia 1867, and would therefore have been 22 this foaling. —The Sydney Driving Park Company have established a two-year-old trotting stake, one mile, which was won by Lord Exeter, by Honesty (imp.). — Mr Sounes-j, late of Gore, waa in Dunedin a fow days ago making arrangements for his final settling in the North. His young racera are left in Poole's hands.

—Nominations for the Geraldine Cop!:— Lorraine, Wakatipu, Little Shamrock, Erin-go-Bragh, Quibble, Sir Julius, Ruby, Lisbon, St. James, Mikado,

— Sportsmen throughout all the colonies will bo glad to learn that the Hon. J. White, who has lately been suffering from severe indisposition, is gradually improving in health.

—It is not the legs and stamina of the horse, it is the betting-book of his jockey, his trainer, or owner which will tell you whether a race ia to be won or lost* — St. James 1 Garotte.

— A Rivarina paper says that the training stables of Mr R, Hoystead, Wagga, were destroyed by fire. The horse Bobby Rand was roasted alive, as he could not be got out.

— A Tasmanian paper says that Goodwood has been sold to Mr Turnbull of New Zealand for lSOgs. " I don't know what Mr Turnbull this can be. It is not the owner of Wolverine.

—Six to one is offered on the field for the V.R.C. Derby, Dreadnought and Singapore being favorites, while 10 to 1 is offered bar these two. Merry Roland has been introduced into the betting, — In one race at Chicago the judges pladed first a horse that finished sixth, and the matter was not adjusted till a day or so after the race. Many bookmakers paid out over the erroneous decision.

— It was while riding Chester in Calamia's Cup that Morrison received his injury. He went recently into Mr Fitzgerald's private hospital to undergo the operation of having a hole drilled in the bone of the leg. — Walter Hickenbotbam evidently intends reserving Carbine and Mentor for Borne of the rich prizes nearer home, as neither of these cracks has been nominated for any of the A. J.O. spring weight forage races. — The prices given for some sorts of horses in England in the last century were nearly as high as now. In 1793 three huntera brought in the aggreate £1050, three more £1200, and £1000 was refused by Whitbread, the brewer, for another.

— The celebrated Eolipße sired 334 winners, who won £160,000 besides cups and plates galore. This big sum was out Heroded by King Herod's offspring, 497 all told, who won over £200,000, Eclipse earned as Bire over £25,000 in 10 years. — The health of Sir George Chetwynd, which has been bad for some months past, has now, doubtless owing to the annoyance and anxiety consequent on the famous law- suit, become so seriously impaired as to inspire his friends with grave apprehensions. • — The American Derby was run on June 22, and Spokane proved that his victory over Proctor Knott in the Kentucky Darby was no fluke, for Spokane was again triumphant, and Proctor Knott failed to gain a place. The mile and a half was run in 2min 41|sec. — The Queensland hurdle horse Sydney Carton died recently fro:n the effects of an injury caused by his rearing up and falling backwards over a fence. Eleven inches of one of the panels penetrated his chest, and the horse died in great agony whilst the wound was being sewed up. — The new racing rules will put a bit of a stopper on the gentleman rider farce. The qualifications are now distinctly defined. We have seen riders at the Taieri who could only by a wide stretch of the imagination be clashed among gentleman riders, yet the club bad to recognise them as such. — Advocate.

— Prior to riding Upstart to victory at Alexandra Park, F. Barrett had steered 22 losers, which would have entailed a loss of £41,955,730 to anyone who commenced with a "tenner" and went on the double or quits system. George Barrett also rode 24 successive losers, which represented £293,689,110.

— The Morphettvillo racecourse, Adelaide, was disposed of at auction, and purchased by Mr Sylvester Brown, a gentleman greatly interested in the silver mines. The property realised £9400. Mr Brown is also a horseowner, and it is thought that he purchased the property for private training purposes. — With respect to the jockey's ring, of which so much has been heard, an English writer mentions one very significant fact in connection with White, " Wood's second jockey " as be is called. In 1887, when Wood was in the zenith,of his success, White rode 296 times and won only 33 times ; whereas this year, out of 79 mounts he has had 22 wins.

— At the Calcutta Monsoon races the Open Hurdle Race was won by the Australian gelding Sir Greville, Harvester being second, and Rover third. The Trial Hurdle Race was won by another Australian named Shamrock, and the Golightly Stakes resulted in a dead heat between Ringlet and Unknown. Can this Unknown be the Taieri-bred horse ?

— The New York Spirit of the Times states that during the paßt six months a trotting stallion was sold for 51,000d01, or over £10,000 j another, with a fast record, fetched 50,000 dp i; another, with no record, sold on his breeding and good points for 40,000dol ; a two-year-old oolt brought 26,000d0l at auction ; and his yearling full brother, at the same sale, realised 8500dol.

— We are sorry to have to record the death, from inflammation, of Turie Portnick, which took place at Oolao Bay on Saturday last, The deceased, who was a jockey of some promise, was in the employment of the late Mr James Steel for several years. He was a most civil and well-behaved lad, and many will read with regret of the early demise of the young native. — Western Star.

— Daring the great trial, Sir G. Ohetwyod's evidence showed that he had certainly gone into racing with the object of making it pay. There was no nonsense about improving the breed of horses, or encouraging the national sport. And make it pay be did, for he won in 1883, £3400 ; in 1884, £9400 ; in 1886, £8000 j and in 1887, £6100;— a total of £33,000, an average of £6600.

—The ex-Queen of Naples bet heavily on Clover for the French Derby, and thus cleared thousands enough to put her straight iuthe world for some years to come. M. Blanc, also, who is one of the biggest plungers in France, is said to have won over £20,000 by Clover's victory. It is not a little curioua that the French Oaks and Darby have both been won by English-trained horses, ridden by English jockeyß. — While playing whist on the trip Home Joe Thompson asked a fellow- passenger, hailing from Glasgie, to take his hand for 10 minutes or so. On his return he found his substitute had won 17 points, and Joe promptly handed him 17sovs ; that sonsie Gla3gie bodie pouched the glittering gold without a quiver, but when he ioined a pal he remarked, ' Heoh, mon, what an escape I had. I thought they were playing saxpennie points." — A traveller in New England saw the following sign on a board that was nailed to a fence near a village :— " Horses taken into grass. Long tails, Idol 50c, short tails, Idol." The traveller halted and asked the owner of the land why there was such a difference in the price of board for horses. " Well, you sea," said the man, " the long taxis can brush away the flies, but the short one 3 are so tormented with them that they can hardly eat at all."

—Mr J. B. Haggin won a big race at tho Sheepshead Bay (America) meeting. It was the Realisation Stakes for three-year-old.?, of 10,000dol each, with sweepstakes and forfeits which would bring the priza up to a very handsome Bum, there having been 217 subscribera. The winner was a colt named Salvator, by the celebrated English crack Prince Charlie from Salina, by Lexington, The distance was a

mile and five furlongs, and the winner ran it in 2min 51seo.

— The mares purchased in England by Sit Thomas Elder, of South Australia, are — Tangle, chestnut mare, by Springfield— -Lilian, served by Merry Hampton ; Miss Mostyn, chestnut mare, by TTncas — Lady Mostyn, by Lord Clifden, served by Clairvaux ; Fairy Voice, by See Saw— Fair Vestal, served by Silver; Sunningdale, by Hampton — Tally* port ; and Arrowfligbt, by Retreat — Bowstring, by Toxophilite. Ail these mares are four years old.

—•The Bruce Herald on spielers ;—" Horse racing is solely responsible for the existence and for the flourishing of a race of vagabonds who if they had their deserts would never be absent from the prison gang. And it would pay the country better to support them thus than to allow them to be at large. Nothing draws together all the rascaldom within a very wide radius like horse racing, and such a thing as a race meeting without a large proportion of it has not been known, at any rate in the memory of the oldest living man."

—Among the orders issued by the Brooklyn (America^ Jockey Club on their opening day was the following :—": — " If any person give or offer to any trainer, jockey, or employee, or if any trainer, jockey, or employe,- accept or offer to accept any gratuity, whether in the form of money, share in a bet, or any other benefit without the previous specific and written consent of the owner whose horse gives occasion to the gratnity, and by whom the trainer, jockey, ov employe is engaged, the person so offending shall be ruled off the course."