IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2008, 18 August 1892, Page 28

IN A NUTSHELL.

— English budget held over. — Marvel electrifying Sydney touts. — Musket is being trained at Waitotara. — Seabreeze is again in training at the Taieri. — Meteorite scratched for A.J.C. Metropolitan. — Dr Leahy is appointed starter at Ashburton. — Derringer is to be stationed in the Wairarapa iistrict.

— Correzo is doing remarkably good work at Flemingtou. — They say that Boulangcr is to be reserved for he N.Z. Cup. — Cocksfoot is now being trained in Victoria by Jim Cotton. — Corrigan is now training Otago-bred Butcher Soy at Caulfield. — Stromboli and Targetara is knocked out of the Caulfield Cup. — The veteran Henry Redwood went down to :ee the Grand National —The Hawke's Bay Trotting Club has obtained a new course close to Napiet. — The Stockbridge Cup this year was won by the come-to-life Peter Flower.

— Mr K. Fraser's Lady Ellen has given birth to a filly foal begotten by Seaward. — Mon Loup has been bought by Mr J. Laffey, of Waitahuna, for stud purposes. — The Australian mare Slaid of All Work was sold in India recently for ssovs. — Iroquois is among tha nominations for the South Canterbury Hunt meeting. — Dreadnought, the sire bought for New Zeaand, has won eight races, worth L 5216.

— Information reaches me that Tirailleur is a real good investment for Melbourne Cup. — It is reported that Mr Douglas asks lOOOgs sach for his stallions Waterfall and Hiko.

— Fairish entries for Otago Hunt Club meeting, but a falling off in the number for the Trot. — The death is announced of the Marquis of Drogheda, one of the props of the turf in Ireland. — Redleap, " the leviathan leaper," scored again in the Caulfield Grand Natiouol. He is a wonder

— Several of Mr Gollan's horses, including Capt.iin Webb, have been shipped to Melbourne per Te Anau.

— Daydream is already in training in England. She has been placed in the hands of T Leader at Newmarket. — I hear that Wakawatea recently fell on his knees and "broke them" as it is termed — like Occident did.

— The late Lord Falmouth used to say, "If you want to abolish batting, legalise pulling, and uhe thing is done." — The Oamaru Racecourse Trustees Empowering Bill has passed through all its stages in the House of Representatives. — Robert S. Sevior, well known iv Australia, is in the bankruptcy court in England. Liabilities, 1/31(54 ; assets, estimated at LSOO. — A rthur Smith and Mr Hungerford have parted company, and I have not heard who is to succeed as trainer of British Lion and Co.

— The Forbury-trained horses are mostly doing well. The other morning Tempest and Mariner had a spin once round and the mare was first Lome.

— In South Australia recently a jockey named Lyell rode six winners in one afternoon, thus clearing the programme. Are you reading, l'onimy ? — A recent visitor to Chri^church tells me that the finest-looking youngster he saw there was Mr Stead's colt by Trenton from Sapphire. — The Auckland Trotting Club proposes to give in stakes LI3OO at the Summer meeting, of which 1/iOO is to be devoted to the Auckland Trotting Club Cup. ,

— " Verax thinks it is by no mcins p.n improbable contingency that Malvulio will btart for the Cauliicld Cup, in which race 113 has a great hance with Ost lib.

— Nancy Hanks failed to lower her recoid of 2m'n i)oec at Philadelphia la=t month. She trotted a mile in 2min llisec, which ii> very fast for the time of year.

— Captain Abram has been again beaten in Victoria, and "Ribbledcn" says that the New Zealander is not as good as he looks. Loac a never do look nice, do they ? — The bill to legalise the totalisator in Victoria has been read a second time. The movement is stepping ahead faster than I expected. It may Le warranted as a stayer. — Penance is being quietly backed for Melbourne Cup, and Honor Bright id also receiving

attention, but the transactions are not sufficiently large to affect the market much.

— It is stated that Mr D O'Bri"n does not intend to return to New Zealand until after the decision of the Caulfield Cup, in which he has Florrie well handicapped at Bst 41b.

— Lady Mersey, by Musket — Mersey, and dam of Thanie, died at Hawera last week. She was the property of Mr Goodson, who purchased her at the break-up of the Sylvia Park stud for Gsgs.

— The following horses have dropped out of the A.J.C. Metropolitan Stakes : — Stromboli, Donizetti, Talkative, Argos, Insigna, Wandsworth, Honor Bright, Cannon, Knight, Everista, Lancer.

—At a sale of thoroughbreds at Christchurch on Monday only two quitted. Catamount was purchased by Mr F. D. M'Kay for 50gs, and Charm realised 40gs, the purchaser being Mr Albert White.

— Taieri Advocate understands that it is Mr J. O'Donnell's intention to put Knockhaspie (Galtee's sister) to a good stallion. Mr O'Donnell thinks that the daughter of Le Loup— Jessica will make a good brood mare, and that her progeny will turn out racers.

— Sainfoin will next season be relegated to the stud. His fee will be lOOgs, and owners of brood mares of the Stockwell, Rataplan, or Birdcatcher strain will no doubt patronise him, as the blood will undoubtedly hit with that of the Derby winner of 1890. — Rule 45 of the English rules of racing now reads as follows :—" At every meeting advertised in the Racing Calender one half at least of the total amount guaranteed for prizes shall be apportioned to races of a mile or over for three-year-olds or upwards." — " Asmqdeus " says that since his dual Grand National victory Mr W. S. Cox--jun.'s better half has presented him .with a son and heir, and by way of commemorating the twin triumph over the Flemington jumps the little stranger has been named William Redleap Cox. — The New Orleans Picayune says : " A man who wantonly cuts a horse's tail should be compelled to stand on a sugar dock in hot weather with his hands tied bohij^d his back. He would then know tho agony.and torture a poor horse suffers with nothing but a stump of a tail." — Sporting Review has it that Leonardo, who sported silk a few times in New Zealand, including two occasions when he ran second— once to Renata in the Hastings Bracelet and behind Tirailleur in the Wanganui Derby— is now being ridden about on a station out of Melbourne.

— Tranter, by Musket from Pungawerewere, was recently sold in Melbourne to Mr A. M'Leod for 310ss, and Tradition to Mr S. W. Cook for 22()gs, while Wellington's brother Wellesley was knocked down at 120gs and Musketoon (by Musk Rose from Mariner's dam) fetched only logs.

— A really genuine novelty, says a Melbourne paper, is promised by the Bacchus Maf 3 h Racing Club for an early meeting, and one that should attract a large attendance from the metropolis. It is that of a regular cross country race over their steeplechase course, with the hounds in full cry and view throughout. — In his "Mirror of the Turf," Mr Curzon states that in all probability 10,000 people are emplpyed in various capacities in direct connection with racing, in stablo3, or stud farms, &c, while he estimates the number of bookmakers at 5000, and that of backers at 50,000. He is presumably speaking of England alone.

— It may not be generally known, says " Spectator," that Mr John Cameron, who was elected for the presidency of the Wanganui Jockey Club this year, rode in the first hurdle race run there in the year 1818 Mr Cameron was an excellent starter too, and has occupied also postions of steward, judge, and vice-president. — "All Fours" in the Western Star says :—: — "MrF. M'Kay had an offer of L r o for Tally-ho while hunting at Gore, but refused it, and he informs me that it would take lOOgs to purchase the son of Golden Butterfly. Tally-ho is to be put into training for the forthcoming jumping events at the Southland Amateur meeting. — The Gcelong Winter Handicap, a mile and a-nuarter, run on the (ith, was won by Airlie, an j

aged gelding by Newminstcr. Meg (by Ncckers- | gat) won the Two-year-old Stakes— the first appearance of the new two-year-olds in tho colonies— with Nada (by Trenton) second ; and Yarmon secured tho Railway Handicap.

— Spider Isaac O'Neal Weir, the featherweight champion, performed a jockey feat worthy of note at Sunnyside Park, Natick, Mass., May 30. He rode Dictum in a running race, three heats, and landed him first each time, while the horse's previous jockey could do no better in the first neat than send him under the wire second.

— Congratulations to the Hon. G. M'Lean and his enthusiastic stud-farm manager, Mr J. Dobbin, on the fact that Lady Evelyn has foaled a'colt to Maxim. It is a strong little rascal that has come to light, the same colour and with the same markings as his sire. There should be some bidding for him in February if he goes up to auction. — In half-crown sweeps, got up among friends, a Sydney barber drew Redleap three times running, out of a hat. Then he concluded he had the "straight griffin" from some benign angel. He backed Redleap heavily, and made a pile. This same barber did a similar thing when Assyrian won the Melbourne Cup, and so obtained the needful to set him up in his present business. —Bulletin.

— Si dney Referee tells us that the 2j-mile trotting race for LSO aside duly came off on the Rosehill racecourse on the 29th ult. between Mr Fagan's Darkey and Mr Souter's brown gelding. The latter held the lead until L.-ss than three miles from home, where the grey passed him and won by a quarter of a mile ia lhr 33min 31jsec. Close on 800 persons assembled. Odds of 2 to 1 were laid on the winner.

— In moving the second reading of his Totalisator Bill in the Victorian House Mr Murray said that the bill only applied to those institutions which published regular balance sheets, and applied the money received to stakes and the improvement of the course. Proprietary clubs would not be permitted to use the totalisator, nor could they obtain the sanction of the V.11.0. without also obtaining that of the Government.

— Taieri Advocate remarks that the other day Mr G. Ruthyen ga\c Tas«y, Swcetbriar, and Dunedin a go. Sweetbriar and Tassy were in pretty f-iir condition, and it was thought that the son of Taiman would make the pace warm for the grey mare. Swe tbriar, however, buried her field, and showed that she has lost none of her speed. Tassy would not gallop a yard, and although two riders attempted to draw him out, it was of no avail ; he cantered, but would not gallop.

— Mr Alf. Joseph, the Victorian bookmaker, being interviewed as to his ideas about legalising the totalizator, said : " Oh, ye«, have the machine, and another new class of backers will spring up who will bet with the bookies. I want the machine to aid the bookmakers, and if it is introduced here it will do so, for there will be L2O invested by 20 backers with the members of the ring where only one backer invests at present LI."

— The July Stakes this year produced a contest well worthy its reputation, ami the battle between those two smart two-year-olds, Milford and Bill of Port'and, was the chief feature of the after- ) oon's sport on the Newmarket Heath. Regarded a< a match between the pair, a long price was o'Tered against Encounter, their only opponent, syid with the betting in favour of Mr Jersey's representative he_ justified the odds by a neck victory, though it was only achieved after an exciting tus=le

— "iheOldUn," in Sydney Referee, thinks that the Maribyrnong Plate will be won by either Garcon, Wanganella, the best of Mir Wilson's, Mr S. Cook's, or the Newmarket stable, and if he had to hazard a winter selection it would be to split his vote between Mr Bailey's colt Currawart; (by Tjident — Nellie) who cost llOO.^s and is now in I'ej ton's bonds, and another one in the Fame stible called Malabar— the colt by Marvellous from La V alette, also bought as a yeailing for 1100g r .

— I do not believe in slow driving, f-ays paison Talinage. There is no more virtue in dining slow than in driving fast, any more than a freight train going 10 liiil^s an hour is better than an express train going 50. There is a delusion abroad in th- 1 world thata thing must bo nece^->ai ily good and Christian if it is <-lo\v and dull and plodding. There are very good people who seem to imagine it is humbly pious to drive a spavined, galled, glandered, string-halted, blind, staggered jade. There is not so much virtue in a Rosenante as there is in a Bucephalus. At the pace some people drive, Elijah, with his hor.-es of fire, would have taken three weeks to get into heaven.

— The following true bill will show how low down the sweep game is carried on by our "best" stables. One ofour crack horses won a big race, and it was not till next day the stable heard that a party of Chinamen held the moke in Tatt.'s sweep. The trainer and "first mount" of the stable thought they would do a bit of " bluff " on the off chance of the Chinkies not knowing the race had been run, so waited on the holder of the ticket and asked for half of the sweep or they would "scratch." "John" merely smiled and no-saveed, but offered the fashionable jockey a pound for " the welly good way he had ridden the horse." In the end they got a tenner out of the Chinkies. — Bulletin.