CANTERBURY DOINGS.

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

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By RATA.

from the outset I thought that the Sockbum Plumpton would be a success, and I feel sure of it now. It is a really good ground, under capital management, and, unlike some country clubs, it requires no better totalisator terms than the C.J.C. does. Of course it will never approach anything like the excellence of the C.J.C, but it will speedily hold its own with any of the bigger Canterbury country clubs, should it not even be in a position to do so now. I really like the formation of the running ground better than I do that of the Forbury course ; there is more straightaway going in it, and from the manner it is being looked after there i 3 no doubt the track will improve materially with time.

Thursday — National day — was of course the best day of last week, and some excellent racing was provided at Riccarton. The Grand National of course was the big event, and a real good field contested it— the best field of chasers I have seen at Riccarton yet. Ahua was the winner, and consequently the hero of the afternoon, but I fancy his stable companion Norton, who ran second, will be a better steeplechaser than ever he knew how to be. A great many people say he ought to have won easily on Thursday, but it must be recollected that Norton is only a novice at the game, and his jumping over such a country may have tired him somewhat in his first essay. Ahua won, and Ahua was favourite, and most backers must have benefited by his victory, I should think. My own objections to him were his conformation and his previous running over the country, and I fancy the alteration of the course this season aided him. 'Without insinuating for one moment that Norton did not run up to his best present form as a novice over three miles and a-half of stiff country, I will yet maintain my opinion that he is a better steeplechaser than Ahua, and should he last as long I fancy it is odds on his running up a more brilliant record than Ahua over country. He is well made for steeplechasing, and he is fast, and he will be a beautiful and safe jumper with time — he jumps well now. Magpie failed where his owner thought he would, he did not have pace enough for Lunn's pair, but in most of seasons he would be good enough. Ahua and Norton have a bit more foot than a majority of what would be called good cross-country horses are endowed with. Whalebone was greatly fancied, and he led his field a merry dance for a short time, but half a mile from home he seemed te "shut up," and though he got fourth he may lack stamina. He was sore for a morning or two before the race, and that may have affected him, but on Saturday he defeated Ahua over two miles and a-half in the Beaufort Steeplechase, and it appeared to me at the time that had the race been a mile further Ahua would have beaten him.

• Morok was also fancied, but like Whalebone, he was in distress when it came to racing home, and though Whalebone, Magpie, and Morok were all good enough to win some Nationals, Lunn's pair had too much pace for, I should think, a majority of National candidates generally. Aliua finished behind Freeman last year, but I am of opinion that Freeman was not the horse Norton will be as a steeplechaser. In the first hurdle race on Thuisday Black Hawk won easily, and paid a fair dividend, beating Mr Knott, Silver Grey, and five more, but subsequent running proved that the field was not up to much. Though Silver Grey did run a fair second to Marangai, I think Mr Gollan had a bit up his sleeve in that victory. Though Cajolery only won by about a length in the Maiden Hurdle Race, he won with any amount to spare, and it is very evident that he will develop into a more profitable hurdle horse than he has ever been a flat racer. All the Apremonts can jump too, and I shall not be surprised to see Some of Apremont's stock proving admirable hurdle racers and steeplechasers. There were two or three fair jumpers behind Cajolery on Thursday. Kilmarnock, Mrs Mullancy, aad Smuggler are not a trio to be despised greatly, and had Smuggler not made a mistake on Thursday he might have made Cajolery gallop a bit faster. On Saturday Smuggler won the Final Handicap Hurdle Race from Magpie at a difference of 2.3 pretty easily, and Magpie is ahorse who can carry weight, and he has done some sharp time over sticks.

Spurned, who ran in the Maiden Hurdle Race, has r.ot yet distinguishedhimselrgreatly in private or in public, but Sheenan seems to think there are a few races in him when he gets him into good order. He has a nasty sprawling kind of front action though, and he is not a horse much admired at Riccarton, though ho may prove a cheap enough bargain at the L 25 Sheenan paid for him. He was named Spurned because nobody but Sheenan would have him for racing purposes. The Tally-ho Plate Steeplechase was won cleverly by Marangai, who was equally cleverly ridden by his owner, and it is now beyond doubt that Mr Gollan is a most excellent horseman, though I was very much discredited for saying so on that sportsman's first appearance in the saddle at Riccarton.

Justice ran second to Marangai in the Tally-ho, and she is not a bad stamp of hunter, though the North Island horse by Ascot, trained by Jinx Goodger, is a better, and one likely to be heard of when properly wound up. Torch started favourite for the Tally-ho, and he seemed to have an excellent chance of winning until he rame down at the top of the straight. In his schooling exercise he has always jumped well, and his owner may be able to ride him bettor than any other horseman. At any rate, with another gentleman rider up on Saturday he came on to his knees in the Christchurch Hunt Club Cup, and his rider dismounting could not icmount quickly enough again in time to catch the vanguard of the field. Launcelot is another horse that ran very badly both on Thursday and Saturday. He came down in the Tally- Ho on Thursday, but on Saturday he was fairly beaten by Marangai and Silver Grey. The Ladies' Bracelet 'on National day was nothing short of a "moral" for Captain Webb, who fairly spreadeagled his field, and there is no doubt he is a good horse, though in truth he had very little of consequence behind him in the Bracelet. Gillie Ido not know very much about, but he cannot be up to much, and such as Catamount, Chatfield, and Calm are not up to much. In the Maiden Steeplechase Norton cantered home from R°galiaand Iroquoip, and there is no comparison between the quality of the winner anil the pair behind him. The Winter Handicap produced a good field and a good finish. Crackshot went out a strong favourite, but he has evidently lost his brilliancy badly ; and M'-rrie England, who was second in demand on the machines, i-3 a hor?e that ha', I think, always been over-rated ; and in the Winter Handicap Mr "Russell" had a pair in Bay King and The Id'er who had apparently been well tried. At anyrate they finished iir^t and third, Erin-go-Br .gli .splitting the pair. Retina, Waterbury, and Galtee ran disappointingly in the Winter Handicap. Aquarius did not '•how to cjreafcarlvnnfageeitlicr, but lie was fancied by his connections for the August Handicap, the opening event ot Saturday aftuiiioon, in face of ths. support aceur.loil Sa'no;>, Wanganui, Ciafkshot, and Galtee,^and the .st.ible nude no very gioat mistake either, as he yon l.ilher easily from Wangdnni, though the finidi might have been a bit tighter had not Mr Markey's horse got oif the niaik very sharply and tlioicby obtained a £,ood lead early in tl^e contest.

The Grand National Hurdle Race, decided on Saturday, v.a-> ;'ii interesting e\cnt in point of speculation, though a majority cf backers seemed to fancy the race w.is a two horse one in the competition of Kulnhie and Captain Wcb'b, and The Idler was fancied by his pmty and other people from the Leeoton neighbourhood.

The race ended in Kulnine winning easily, though Captain Webb ' ridden clean out could not get second, Erin-go-Bragh separating him from the winner. I fancied from something I heard and saw ere the horses were given their preliminary canter and jump, that Sheenan was a bit sanguine, and there is no doubt the grey had something of a show, though Kulnine won easily, and in respect of Mr Rutherford's horse he is certainly fast enough to make a good rlat racer. When cantering over the hurdles, before starting, in front of the stand, "Fiee" Holmes was badly hurt by The Idler coming down and falling on him, and though there were several accidents during the day " Free's" was the worst of the lot. Perhaps his fall took something out of The Idler before he started. At all events in the hands of an accomplished jockey like Tommy Stewart he could not get placed. Kaiinanawa did not run well in the big hurdle race, and it may be that a shorter race will suit him better. He does not look like a stayer. The trotting at the show grounds was mainly conspicuous for big dividends, and on the following day I heard a man remark that he won L2OO at the meeting. I should think very few of the public not in the know came home with anything to spare. t Blue Gown was not fancied greatly for the Stallion Race, and it might have been better in the interests of such a contest had a short priced one have won. Stallion races are events to be encouraged. Lo'2, L 33, and L 29 dividends in one afternoon's trotting do not as a rule pay tho public well. The Plumpton Executive was not favoured with pleasant weather conditions for their fixture on Tuesday, rain coming down in bucketsfull during the latter part of the afternoon, and the racing was hardly as good as the programme indicated. At the same time the meeting was fairly successful, I should think, from a financial point of view, the attendance being good. The Dunedin horses were not very successful at the National and Hunt Club meeting, but Galtee succeeded in winning the Welter Handicap at Plurapton, beating Young Cheviot, at a difference of 21b, by about a couple of lengths, and apparently Galtee is not a bad sort of horse. Waitangi was fancied for tho Plumpton Park Steeplechase, but ho could get no nearer than a bad third to Sir Garnet and Chance, and it is very evident he has lost much of his dash. He has been a cheap horse to Jack Poole, however, and I should like to see that mentor get another such bargain. Erin-go-Bragh did not run as well at Plumpton as he did at the Hunt Club meeting on Saturday, Smuggler and Kaimanawa beating him[in the Open Hurdle Race. Regalia won the Hunters' Steeplechase rather easily from Morok, and the latter is not so good as people seem to imagine. Young Cheviot, who is in fine fettle, succeeded in annexing the Flying, and Roy easily disposed of his opponents in the Trotting Race. Messrs Pyne and Co.'s sale of thoroughbred stock on Monday was like many of its predecessors—it hung fire from a lack of buyers.