CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1994, 12 May 1892, Page 28

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Br BATA.

Ever since I have been in New Zealand there has been an eternal, outcry against the conduct) of trotting, and apparently the management of the New Zealand Trotting Association is not altogether pleasing its own members. That, however, is not astonishing. Though first in the field, the New -Zealand Trotting Association is not comprised of men likely to "row in " with each other wholly from any standpoint beyond a commercial one, and trotting may not be sufficiently developed, or mayhap the spare coin of the public is insufficient to ensure the smooth working of such a self-con-stifcuted body. That the association was formed on good lin4s there can be no doubt, and that some of the best trotting owners are members of it is beyond dispute, but when one member of such an association is in a position to make a bit more than another he is certain to be a subject .of jealousy, though hia money be made legitimately, unless, indeed, the weakness of such a body comparatively with public talent be sufficient to cement amicable relations between members and conduce to secrecy, but in regard to the New Zealand Trotting Association, perhaps there is too little to be made out of it to necessitate either amicable relations or secrecy in regard to its conduct.- Very little is heard about disagreements in the management of proprietary trottingclubs — I have only heard of one — but with the present population of New Zealand, and the - present extension of the colony's resources, and the present financial prosperity of the sport of trotting, an absolute governing body, with every minor executive having a ll finger in the pie," cannot be a very profitable commercial venture. That is how I look at the matter of disagreement amongst the members of the New Zealand Trotting Association. There is no doubt the association 'has done good for trotting, and I doubt whether an, entirely new one formed by a similar class of men would be even as good as the present. Such an association, to be of value, cannot be made ' up of men disinterested in trotting ; you might just as well say that a good New Zealand Parliament could be made up of men disinterested in the financial position of the colony or the prestige of the British Empire. Parliament, however, are publicly elected periodically, and oppositions are consequently requisite to them, but disagreement is not required in selfconstituted bodies governing national sporta. Disagreement in the councils of any bpdy governing a popular sport augurs incapacity of government and' provides, a powerful weapon for the opponents, of that sport. There is no doubt whatever that trotting is the crooked game it is represented to be, but the New Zealand Trotting Association cannot .help that as a body, and did all the money won on the "crooked" go jnto the 1 association's coffers there might he less disagreement. In regard to " crooked" running afr trotting meetings in this neighbourhood a great deal of the evil lies in one man training for half a dozen others equally poor as himself, and when jt comes to trotting the horses it is -a matter of you win today and I win to-morrow, and so on — you have the stake to-day and I to-morrow, or I will cut them up with you, and we will go whacks in the dividend according to the amounts deDosited '

Since their erection very great dissatisfaction has been expressed regarding the new totalisators at Riccarton, and some of those who went up to Wellington maintain that the machines there are worked with far greater accuracy, and afford greater facilities to the public than those at Riccarton. I -understand, too, that Mr Goodwin,'who is a very inventive man, never favoured the present plan. I believe that the idea of throwing inside and outside dividends into one is an excellent .one, but the present plan of house and machines at Riccarton is a very bad "one, and the C.J.C. will discover that they will require, to -make alterations in the public interest. Beyond what racing men say the matifer has elicited' a lot of public correspondence, and it is 'beyond doubt that alterations are badly wanted; • . Butler has got into "his new quarters in the place Mr Nosworthy onc§ occupied, and he tells me he is perfectly satisfied with the house and stables. He has got all his horses, bar a yearling, home, anil when the youngster comes he wiU have six nags. 'Of the half dozen Christmas, Crown Jewel, andVMissile have only run publicly, i He has a good yearling by Lochiel — Miss Russley, and an untried filly by General Thornton — Phoebe. 111 1 do not know how the other is bred, but I will have a look over the stable presently. » - Sheenan bought a good sort .of horse by Holderness — Bribery in the yards recently. He is busy working him .now, and it is a "moral " he will be put to the jumping game. He is a well made, powerful horse. " What do you think of him for a trotter ? " said Sheenan the other morning. I replied that I thought he would be a more brilliant jumper than some of the cripples now located in his stable. There is some uncertainty about Mr O'Brien's return from Australia, but Mr Porter, Mr O'Brien's father-in-law, told me the other day that he expected he would be back by the end of the month, and no doubt the information is pretty authentic. Unless Mr O'Brien has been lucky enough to make a haul over some other owners' horses, this trip cannot have paid him as well as Australian trips sometimes do, Springston i? in active work, but this (Monday) morning he impressed me as one not likely to stand long. At any rate, he will be a lot of trauble to Kingan, and I am certain he will never get him really lit. A lot of Riccarton people attended the Ashburton meeting, and the racing was apparently good, but it is said the people did not turn out particularly strong. Magpie won tbo opening event for Mr Russell, and that sportsman gets hold of a lot of useful oattle without going to big prices for them. Hia judgment is undoubtedly good. Before ho went to 'Ashburton Charlie Stratford was afraid of Saracen in the Ashburton Stakes, and he just got done with Tom Field. It is said, by some that Tom Field was in front when the pair passed the winning post, but in a close finish like that nobody but the judge is in a position to place the horses accurately. In the Ashburton Autumn Handicap Liberator met more than his match at the weights in Don Pedro, and it strikes me that the Otago horse was a great "moral" for the event. Those who knew him planked down their " stuff " anyhow, lam told. In regard to Liberator, however, he has done very well since coming to Riccarton. - - Like Young Cheviot, Pennine, who won the Novel Race, is by Cheviot, and that stallion seems to have been a good one. He only stood one season, in New Zealand I believe, and Young Cheviot, Pennine, and Kilmarnock, three of his stock out of not the best ofanares, are all able to gallop. The Yankees^ may give him a

better show at the stud than he had here, however. ; Frank Healy appears to be doing Very well with Mr Alexander's 'Howes'. - Y.ouug Cheviot has recently won a fair amount of stake money by comparison with" other horses of supposed similar class, and apparently the Valdhurst cast off, Beau Nash' is in good fettle at present, and next season he may be a most useful horse iri certain company. Like Mr Russell, Mr Alexander does not pay big prices for horses, but with good judgment and good training the stable seems to pay all right. Both Ilium and Inez must be out of form. Ilium looks all right and goes all right, but in her races she cannot get to the fore somehow, and there is no doubt about her pace when well. She may not have been greatly fancied at Ashburton, but before her departure from home it was thought she had a fair outside Bhow.

Carronade is one of Mr Russell's good purchases. She looks like proving a very cheap mare before he has finished with her.

Lady Zetland is evidently a rattling good mare, but she has won a good bit now, and when the spring comes round it may be advisable to let her run "loose" for a short time, Weight will "cooper" any racer, and Lady Zetland has run a bit of weight on recently. She may yet be worth backing during the present season, however. Mr Webb took May up to Ashburtou, but she did no good, and she has hitherto failed to fulfil her early promise. Still there is a good race in her yet, and she may romp home one fine afternoon when the public is tired of her, and mayhap her owner tired of backing her heavily too. I fancy she has lost Mr Webb a good bit from time to time. I asked Piper this morning whether he intended going to Dunedin, and he said he did not think so, but I imagine from some of his work that Flinders will be seen out at the D, J.C. Birthday meeting. Now he has done some work, the grey brother to Peter Osbeck impresses me very favourably, and he is not one likely to go through the winter without netting a fair cheque at the jumping game. The entries for the Heathcote flat races on the Queen's Birthday are not good, and they may be affected by the • Dunedin meeting. They cannot be affected much in regard to horses going South, but it may be a good many racing men will go to the Forbury, and some of these do not often run a certain class of horses when they go abroad. Crackshot has been entered for a LSO race at Heathcote, and he has come down very considerably in all conscience. I shall not be surprised to see him run and lose at Heathcote, however.

It is generally thought here that the hurdles at Dunedin will be a one-horse race, Waitangi having been "chucked in," but I have seen Mr Dowse come out better than a majority of his critics before to-day. , ■ , I do not know whether Eulnine be intended for Dunedin, but he is doing a lot of work, and so is Merrie England, yet I think the latter will never be brilliant any more. -■ Norton and Ahua are being steadily pushed along, and the former of that pair will have to be reckoned with in July whatever he may do in the interim.

I believe were we in a good bookmaking country that Crown Jewel would now be backed by a lot of people for the New Zealand Cup. She is fancied greatly about Riccarton, but it is usually bad policy to badk horses for big races before the weights appear. Tommy Stewart is pegging away with Torch. He appears a fair stamp of hunter, but I do not think he will prove a good one at hurdle racing or steeplechasing. The bay filly from Bis Bis sent from Australia by Mr O'Brien, has been easily broken in, and she is greatly liked at Riccarton. I fancy that there will be one or two good racers amongst the Lonsdale Lodge youngsters. There are four real good-looking yearlings in the stable, and perhaps it would be a difficult matter to pick the best, but I hardly think any of them will defeat the colt by Dunlop when it comes to racing. The international tug-of-war has left its effects at Riccarton. One evening last week one of Mr'Hanson's paddocks presented a lively scene when 18 Riccartonians essayed to discover whether the married or single men of the parish were the stronger. For nearly half an hour the two teams — nine a side — pulled against each other without impressing tha onlookers with the superiority of either, but eventually the single men got their opponents moved, and fairly pulled them over the line. The match was considered so close, however, that another has been arranged.