SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1935, 26 March 1891, Page 26

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

(Bt.Hobi Poene,)

Melbourne, March 17.

THE TURF.

In honour of the natal day of Ireland's patron saint I suppose it would be the orthodox thing to open this screed with " Brln-go-Bragh 1 " "Cead mille failthe t " or snob like Celtic greeting ; because, donteherknow, we keep the day right loyally in Melbourne and all over the colony of Victoria, in fact, as witness the 37 racing fixtures that have to be deoided to-day. Epsom is the nearest metropolitan tryst; and albeit the holiday is far from being * general one, the sonß of Erin dearly love a race meeting, and bo there is bound to be a rattling good attendance. On the Melbourne Cricket ground there is a counter attraction in the shape of a cricket match between men with .only one arm and others with only a solitary pedal extremity, but I don't think it will be a pronounced sucoets, although my memory carries me back to the time when one of Victoria's leading orioketers (Bruce by name) was minus the left pin. Last Thursday the racing class foregathered at Caulfteld to do honour to a brother pressman, Mr B. S. Chapman, better known as " Augur," of the Australasian. He has been seriously ill for some time now, and at the time of writing his ultimate recovery is extremely doubtful. I am pleased to be able to state that, mainly owing to the assiduity dls played in the good cause by Mr Arohie Yuille (of W. C. Yuille and Co.) the meeting was a pronounced success, and that Mr Chapman's family will be benefited thereby to the extent of over £2000. There was a goodly gathering of all the leading members of the sporting community foregathered, and over a glass of wine Mr William Leonard proposed the speedy return to convalescence of Mr Chapman, on whose behalf Mr Josh Piekereglll feelingly responded. The prinoipal item on the programme was as follows :—

AUGUB HANDICAP, Of 200eovi ; second, 25sovs, One mile and three furlongs. Mr J A Lang's b I Opera, by St. Alban«— Norms, 3yrs, 7.0 '... ... ... (Gulnane) 1 Mr D O'Brlen'e b o Whimbrel, 3yrs, 8.4 (Sanders) 2 Mr J Bedfearn'a bin Benzon, syrs, 8.8 (Q Bedfearn) 3 Mr O Collln's eh h John S, 6yra, 9.4 (Collins) 0 Mr F Tozer's b m Lottie, cged. 8.7... (Tomlln) 0 Mr C Elliott's bh Wycombe, 6yre, 8.12, including 71b penalty ... ... ... (B Fonntaln) 0 Mr W B Wilson's br h King William. 3yrs, 7.11 (Wisby) 0 Mr S Browne's b g GarriDgton, 4yrs, 7.10 (Whltty) 0 Mr H Halnei' b h Haoul, aged, 7.8 (Carson) 0 Mr B Q- Talbot's br h The Promised Land, syrs 7.7 (Power) 0 Mr J Cripps' b m Mistletoe, 6yrs, 7.6 (H Orlpps) 0 Mr T Lewis' b o Lapstone. 4yrs, 7.4 (Bobson) 0 Mr W H Dutton'sob c Seacombe, 4yrs, 7.0 carried 7.3 ... ... ... (Lewis) 0 Betting : 3 (at first 10) to 1 agst Opera, sto 1 The Promised Land. 7to 1 each lottie and King William, Bto 1 Oarrington, 10 to 1 any other. The favourite lay to the rear ot the field for the greater part of the distance, but came through like a shot out of a gun, approaching the turn for home, and despite a magnificent effort by T. Sanders on Whimbrel, the speedy half sister to Darriwell, got jast past the post by half a-length; Whimbrel defeating Benzon (who was, not tupportedby bis party) by the same distance. The Promised Land fourth, Wy combe fifth, Carrington sixth, and King William seventh, lime, 2min 25§sea. The following day (Friday) there was a race meeting at Oakleigh Park, which claims attention owing to the fact that two well-known jockeys got into trouble there. There were seven items on the programme, one of them being the usual Selling Bace, of 125SOVS. For this four started, Mr J. Vookler's brown mare I Shouldn't Wonder winning easily from Mr J. Crulckshank's bay gelding Coronation, whilst Mr G. Parker's chestnut gelding Belvldere (your whiiom identity) finished third, the six furlongs being run in lmin 18seo. The betting at the ' start wast 5 to 4 each against Coronation and 1 Shouldn't Wonder, 3 to 1 Belvidere. On being submitted to auction, tha Coronation " push "- wild at being beeten— ran the winner up to £330, at whioh price she was knooked down to Mr J. Cruicksbank (father-in-law to James King, who bid for him). Then Vookler claimed Coronation, and got him for £300, whilst Belvidere was also called up for sale and knooked down to Mr P. H. Beynolds for £130 ; the funds of the Oakleigh Park proprietary being augmented by £310 over tne transaction. I Shouldn't Wonder started for the last event of the day— the Oremorne Handicap, of 50aov§, five furlongs and a-quarter— for which Investigator was Bade a strong favourite at 6to 4 on. The Cadogan oolt looked like a winner at the distance, but Colleen Bawn caught up to and patsed him, whereupon I Bhoulda't Wonder, who was ridden by T. Sanders, joined in, and apparently interfered with the Colleen (some spectators even going so far as to msert that Sanders actually caught hold of the bridle and pulled the mare right back. All this, mind you, occurred within the distance, in full sight of the V.B.C. stipendiary (Mr Harrie Smith) and the Oakleigh Park stewards. I Shouldn't Wonder came so fast that it looked a moral she must win ; bnt B. Fountain set vigorously to work on Investigator, and an exciting finlih resulted, Fountain's whip being seen to drop across I Shouldn't Wonder's head more than onoe; whilst j just at the critical moment the mare seemed to falter, up went her head, and Investigator won by half a length ; Colleen being third, another half length away, with old Bewi fourth. Time, lmln 9seo. An inquiry was immediately held into the the curious gyrations of I Shouldn't Wonder, the result being that the mare, her rider (T. Sanders), her owner (J. Oruickshank). and her tralnor (James K ! ng) were each disqualified fcr two years. And then ensued a disgraceful scene, a noisy demonstration resulting in five or six free fights, in whioh our old friend of the Bed House, Elizabeth street, and a celebrated sporting caterer were very much in evidence. Sanders took bts gruel pretty quietly ; but King was extremely indignant, and there is every probability that his ill-tempered language will eventuate in his being rusticated for even a longer term than that allotted by the stewards when the matter comes before the V.8.0. He himself is very confident that the committee of our leading racing corporation will refute to endorse the verdict; but, although Kicg has doubtless got an influential body of followers at his back, I feel convinced that he will "fallintothe soup" this time. Personally lam really sorry for the little dare-devil, who, with all his faults of omission and commieslou, is at generous-hearted &

man as breathes the breath of life. I know of numberless instances where he bas spared neither time nor money to alleviate dlstreis ; and although there is no denying the fact that he hat for some time been sailing very close to the wind, Prince Hal's" valedictory over Fautaff is brought vividly to my mind, " We could have better spared a better man," I have just returned from the Flemington Police Court, where a oase was adjudicated on, the parties connected therewith being perhaps within your ken. A person named Edward Barham Bell, who I have been informed was once the secretary of a racing club Hnpier way, but who is now engaged as a turf adviser, under the norn de plume of "Ormonde" (and, par parenthese, doing remarkably well at the game), was charged with stealing a horse named King from a John Beid, a stout, elderly man, who is < credited with being comparatively wealthy In Hew Zealand. It was a mixed up sort of a oase, out of whioh Bell came, in Beid's own words, without a stain on his character." A brother-in-law of Bell's named Goodison bas bad the manipulation of the horse named King, who Beid claims is worth £500, although when he ran and won at iLancefleld on Boxing Day (entered by "Mr G. Livingstone " and trained by George Davis, of Newmarket) he was described as "pedigree unknown-" I heard some curious rumours as to his identity at the time, one of them being that the so-called King was a New Zealand bred animal brought over here on the quiet ; and so I questioned his then trainer, George Davis, about him. He told me that he thought he was by " Bobby Burns " ; and here the matter dropped until the recent polioe court proceedings. Mr Bold appears to be a leetle too fond of looking upon the wine when it is red, and in a maudlin state sought to obtain possession of his horse, which Goodison had in his oharge. When he did so Goodison was up at Malmsbury races, and had left the King with Bell to look after; and on Beid applying to Mr Nicolson, the police magistrate, a warrant was Immediately issued and Bell was arrested for theft. On being brought up at the City Court at Melbourne, Beid failed to put in an appearance ("the same old game"), and the case was remanded to Flemington, Bell being admitted to bail (£SO) in his own recognisances. This morning Beid withdrew the charge against Bell, stating that he intended to take a civil action against Goodison for the recovery of the horse. It strikes me that Mr Beid stands an excellent chance of not only losing the horse, but some coin of the realm beside, if he is not extremely careful. Goodison poses as part proprietor and trainer of the animal, and states that Beid is indebted to him money for training expenses, Ac. Some 14 months ago I knew Goodison as an advertisement canvasser, when he was located at the Carlton Olub Hotel, Cardigan street, Oarlton— an hotel you may remember having heard of in connection with an attempt having been made to get £100 sent to from Sew Zealand on the strength of a bogus cablegram, purporting to come from one of your aporfclng gentlemen (then on a visit to Melbourne) to his wife. Luokily she got a bona fide telegram from htm at the Bluff before she cabled the £100, and so the "confidence trlok " did not come off on that ooeasion.

There is a terrible howl of indignation about the late withdrawal of Carbine from the Sydney Cup, in which he was accorded the steadier of list. As soon as ever the weights appeared the puntersstrong believers in the Invulnerability of the champion with anything short of a water oarfc behind him— plunged on him until as little as 5 to 1 was acoopted about bis chance. However, on Walter Hickenbotham arriving at Bandwiok with Oarbine, Megaphone, and Oo , the odds lengthened against; the top weight, B's and 10's being on offer. The tail broke yesterday when both Carbine and Megaphone were amongst " the missing," and as a matter of course, the before-mentioned punters are loud in their wail. I fanoy that Mr D. S. Wallace is at present on a visit to some of his Queensland properties, and if so this will aocount for the supposed dilatoriness in putting the pen through his horses' names for the Sydney event. If they mean business with Marvel he should win the Doncaster Handicap comfortably ; but otherwise [commend me to Kusslky, Matador, Fernando, and Uttkr. Highborn looks best in the Sydney Gup, but still I fancy Jebusite will turn up trumps, whilst Gbbygown, Vain Hopb, Fbbnahdo, and Crown Jewel must etch be labelled dangerous.

Greygown was submitted to auction on Monday, but passed in at 1900gs. Mr W. T. Jones has purchased Penance, the price stated being £3000. On the morning of the third day of the V.8.0. Autumn meeting, the oolt's trainer, James Monaghan, informed me that he was under offer for £2500,

The presence of Carbine and Megaphone promises to rob the weight-for-age events at Bandwlok of all interest. But then, perhaps, the Marvel crowd may have a cut at the big gun. And then, again, perhaps they may not. Bluenose (by Somnus out of the Giggler) and Greygown are at present equal favourites for the Sydney Cup, 7 to 1 being the offer against each. Andy Ferguson is rapidly recovering the effeots of his accident at Flemington whilst riding Tyro. That gay deceiver, the Promised Land, has been parted with by the Ballarat people, and Tom Ferguson has now got him at work at Flemington, he having purchased him for 170gs. It is something more than mere rumour that a number of trainers and jockeys will lose the number of their mess when next they come before the committee of the V.8.0. for approval. The Messrs Miller have been well nigh invinolble in the various cross-country events of late. In this connection Nooroo and Redcap are likely to prove extremely dangerous for the Grand National Hurdle Race and Grand National Steeplechase next July. And don't you forget it.