CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1973, 12 September 1889, Page 24

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By RATA.

The Hon. W. Robinson died on Monday, and was buried to-day in the family vault in the Biccarton cemetery.

A heavy rainfall prohibited training operations to-day (Wednesday), and it will require a day or two to put the tracks in good working order again.

Veno has thrown a bay colt foal to Burlington at Bush Inn. Her last year's foal was by July.

Both Mr Westmacott's mares sent to Le Loup last Beason missed. Mr Westmacotfc has a very good yearling by July, however. Since leaving Cutts' employ, Harry Thomson has been fairly successful for a young trainer, and he deserves success ; he can train well and ride well. He recently built a new stable immediately behind his house on the Yaldhurst road, and almost within a stone's throw of the racecourse ; but a couple of paddocks separate his stable from Chokebore Lodge. The stable contains seven boxes— it is built on the open principle, and built in a way thai it can be extended at will— and five of the boxes are now tenanted, and tenanted by horses * the property of good owners, owners who pay for the training of their cattle, and do nob go on the half-and-half theory; and it is well within the pale of possibility that H. Thomson will succeed in his profession as well as it can be made to succeed here. He is an uncommonly good man with youngsters, and even with refractory and unsound horses, and he can ride a nice racing weight and an excellent race ; he is a jockey, too, that a backer can put his " bottom dollar" ou'if the nag he is riding be good enough, and that is a feature thoroughly appreciated by the most prominent owners, even in New Zealand, where the influences of a betting ring are comparatively nil. During the winter he had a couple of jumpers in work, but these were turned out after the Grand National and Hunt Club meetings, and the horses now in his charge are Lorraine, St. Malo, Burlesque, and a pair of two-year-olds from Middle Park. Lorraine was the first of the team I saw, and he looks better now than ever I have seen him previously, but his actual standing is a bit doubtful, mayhap. He receives every attention a trainer can give a racehorse, and the most improved veterinary treatment has been applied to his infirmity, bufc there is no getting away f rorti the fact that his front feec are not good. I examined them critically on Saturday, and though the open sore 3 have disappeared, by reason of a cutting out process, the hoofs are undoubtedly very sore. The near fore pastern does mt seem to affect him greatly— he does not object to have that handled, - Out he does not care to have his foot lifted and pressed even slightly. It is bad, or it has been bad — there is no outward appearance of badness now— between the frog and the outside near the heel. A real good horse is Lorraine if his trainer can get him fie to the post ; and if he cannot be got fit with the attention he is having now, he may never be fit. He is far enough forward for the season, and ho exhibits no symptoms of unBoundneos on the training track, and no doubt he will run well at Timaru should he ba sent there, and I believe that journey is highly probable. Should that race not crack him either, and should he train on afterwards for six weeks, he will have a very big show in the New Zealand Cup. From a backer's point of view horses like Lorraine are better left alone until they see the post for the event they are intended to be backed for; but on the other hand, there is no doubt Lorraine will run 3 great horse in November, provided be stands. I should like to see him stand. I believe ha is one of the best all-round horses of Apremont's get, and I know for a fact that he has been tried to stay well.

St. Malo was the next I saw, and he is in capital tettle, but he has not confirmed his two-year-old promise, and he U by no means a good horse by comparison. Yet his trainer has done very well with him so far. Like Lorraine, be was a bad cripple when H. Thomson took him in hand, and shortly previous to becoming atenant of his present box he was on the eve of being destroyed. In Mr Clifford's ownership be is the properly of one of the most prominent sportsmen in New Zealand, and he ban been well entered for the various events Rt the For* bury, and it is beyond douSfc that he will cany ailfc on two or three occasions before bis return to XUq*

carton, however he may perform. He went down to-day (Monday), and I fancy he will have something of a pull in the matter of condition. But St. Malo could not possibly win with anything really good and nicely weighted alongside of him, but, per sontra, it is very obvious in some of the events at Dunedip he will have nothing very phenomenal in opposition. The chestnut filly Burlesque is by Cadogan — Nonsense, and was purchased for 70gs at the last sale of Russley yearlings. When knocked down at that figure I thought she was the best of the bunch, though the Albany— No Name filly had previously fetched llOgs, and it is beyond doubt that she is well put together, levelly balanced with an equitable proportion of power throughout. She is very small, however, and the No Name filly in the Yaldhurst team will have a considerable advantage over her in a longer stride. Nonsense, dam of Burlesque, is own sister to the bay filly by Albany— No Name. Nonsense's performances as a two and a four-year-old were apparently good--two Champagne Stakes and a second in the New Zealand Cup— and these performances, together with the form of Oudeie and Disowned, doubtless influenced a disparity of price between her own progeny and the No Name filly. Albany has got better racers than Cadogan, too, even though Nonseuse be the equal of No Name as a brood mare.

• Both the Middle Park youngsters are by St. George, from Red Rose and Charm respectively, and I referred to them after looking or«r the Middle Park horaes a few weeks since. The Red Rose colt is a big chestnut, and some people imagine he will be the better of the pair, but I think he is too narrow, and I fancy the bay colt from Charm will be his superior. The bay'B hocks are not made on the moat improved of patterns in point of formation perhaps, but that will not interfere with his raoing if he can gallop fast enough, and he is considerably more muscular than the chestnut. They have been sent to H. Thomson's stable to be broken in, and they are for sale at a moderate price, I hear.

I am writing on Monday, and this afternoon the Hon. W. Robinson is very dangerously ill. I called at his residence on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning for an order to look over his stud, nnd on Saturday morning I should think he was very unwell from the little I heard at the door. He is an old man, however, one who has lived to a good old age, principally through the natural advantages of a glorious constitution. ' o look at the Hon. W. Bobinson nobody would take him to be anything like his age ; he must have been very careful of himself, but beyond that he must have b«pu a very strong man. Whether he survives this illness, however, may be immaterial ; he must go sooner pr later in consideration of his age, and late indisposition ia strong men who have led aotive lives and have never known serious illness tells very palpably occasionally Whenever the Hon. W. Kobinson ceases to exist, however, New Zealand will have lost one of her best known sportsmen, and an owner who has spent no end of money on the turf. In '64 or '65—1 forget which ; it was when I was a boy— Gratitude ran a rattling second in the Geaaiewitch ; and if old racegoers and ringmen have their memories in proper working order she would have taken as much coin out of the ring as any winner has since done, not barring Foxhall or Plaisanterie, who each won a doublo— Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire. I do not think from authentic information that the Hon. W. Robinson won any money in England, though he certainly netted something like £20,000 over Gratitude's success in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot, and from what I know of his various trainers here I am sure he has lost a lot of money on the Australian and New Zealand turfs. He has ever been a most excellent owner to pay, and he has always run his horses as straight as a rule, and he has backed them too when opportunity offered. Besides St. Malo, Mexico, Daddy Longlegs, and Garry Owen will go to Dunedin ; Cox does not intend taking down his pony. Daddy Longlega is not a good horse, and he also begins to look a bit stale. Mexico is in good nick, and he is a good jumper, and he may win at Dunedin, but the company must be bad if he does so, and my own impression is that the quartette going or gone from Eiccarton have been sent South on the "off chance" of meeting inferior opposition, though St. Malo's and Mexico's trainers and owners mayrely upon superior condition to bring their nags home ; both horses are in fine fettle. Garry Owen is not of much account if pitted against anything in the shape of a hurdle racer, chaser, or racer— he only cost £8, and no racer, chaser, or hurdle racer of any value in ordinary company can be had for that money, even in New Zealand. Should the Riccarton four be anything like succesoful at the Forbury the Otago horses have little to boast of in the way of quality.

Au early start was made by Cutts this (Monday) morning, and I suppose all the teams will be out before breakfast presently. Cutts' first lot comprises — I "was early enough to see them — Satan, Alsace, Dudu, British Lion, Golden Crest, and Cynisca, and in his second lot I saw Pygmalion, Egalite, and Eed Ensign. Bed Ensign was given a ' spell lately, and she looks considerably better than she did last year ; she looks very much more muscular, and Bhe is a mare that can travel over five or cix furlongs very fast. Harris, her owner, maintains that she won from Sultan at New Brighton last year. He was standing alongside the judge's box, and it is a matter of fact that a backer standing on the opposite side of the course offered to sell three tickets on Sultan for £l ; but from the stand Sultan certainly looked like a winner. When the pair passed the stand Red Hnsign led by about a neck, and Sultan was certainly going the faster of the pair considerably. Standing at an angle my own impression is that he got up, notwithstanding Red Ensign's owner and trainer's opinion. She is looking well now, however, and no doubt she will wipe out her New Brighton defeat if properly placed during the spring, and she will be properly placed undoubtedly. Of the two-year-olds in the Chokebore second lot Pygmalion is going grandly, and he will be a clinking two-year-old, and his trainer thinks he will be a good three-year-old. •' I'll bet you a 'quart' that I lick Medaljion as a three-year-old," said his owner to the writer this morning, " and I usually get a bit the better of you in these ' quart ' bets." That is good enongh for his early promise at any rate, and he is undoubtedly a fine made colt. Egalite is not a bad kind of moke either, though considerably removed from the Pygmalion standard ; he is a stoutly built youngster, and I should think he would develop into a stayer whatever his speed may be up to.

Helmsman and Vandal are both going well, and no doubt they will be raced here in the spring. Helmsman has improved a lot recently, and he is now looking uncommonly well, and moving in hiß work similarly. He is not the colt that Dunkeld ia, bub I suspect that he will be a better stayer, though his pace is considerably inferior. In the first contingent from Lonsdale Lodge, now under chajge of IT Guinness in Mr O'Brien's absence, are the two-year-olds Freedom, Town Moor, and Hazel. Freedom and Hazel are both good, and the latter will be an excellent sprinter I should think. Town Moor appears to have a bit too much temper, and M'Guinness has recently been riding him in consequence. I fancy that is a characteristic of the St. Legers too. Son-of-a«Gun and Wakatipu are progressing very favourably, and the owner of the roan exercised very wise judgment in turning him out for six months last season. He looks and gallops as well now as ever he did.

A pair of good ones — though neither is a Carbine nor a Maxim— are Chain Shot and Merrie England, and' both are quite far enough forward tor the season, and it is beyond doubt that both can be in excellent condition by November. Catamount is a three-year-old that will be heard of during the season ; he is a wiry customer like his own brother, Sultan, and he is a nice mover when extended. White is putting a lot of work into both Catamount and Sultan, and his own horse, Belief, is looking very well too, though he is hardly the class of the latter pair perhaps. He is well enough bred, however, and he is well made, and no doubt he will race a bit.

An excellent two-year-old, is Thackeray, and one that will come early in the spring, but I fancy Cutts can take his measure with Pygmalion, and Pygmalion will be seen at Hangiora a la Cynisca and Co., I hear. Notwithstanding his bad front points, Leinster is going very nicely in his work now, and he looks better than he did at any time during his two-year-old season.

Mr Webb is a bit busy of a morning now. He has Euby, Springston, Enchanter, Peerswick, and Enohautreßß in work in his first lot. Ruby has nob accepted for Timaru, and no doubt 9st was a orusher, though Ruby's performances might have merited it ; he ia looking as well in himself now as I have ever seen him do, Springtton is also going well, but thero is no getting at the real condition of his forelegs ; they are always bandaged from the coronet to half way up the cannon. Peerswick still continues to be somewhat lame when walking, but he shows no sypmtome of lameness galloping ; and Enchanter Is a real good faorse. Enchantress has furnished somewhat since

she won the Oaks, but she falls to show the proportionate muscular development of Enchanter. I am afraid that Squib's accident at Amberley has "coopered " her somewhat. Her near fore leg is now always bandaged, and her work has been partially restricted recently. That leg wae very bad when she came down here 12 months ago. I met R. Mason riding Gipsy King down to town en route for Lyttelton on '.Thursday morning, ana that Dunedin Cup winner has been sold to a WaDganui owner for stud purposes ; the price paid for him is 500gs, and he ought to be cheap enough at that. There is no doubt that the Traducer blood is valuable ; Mr Nosworthy, who bred LeLoup, says that it would fetch any price in reason in England, and I believe he is right.