CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2027, 29 December 1892, Page 29

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By RATA. ' December 20. At the Labour fete at Riccarton the cabmen had a mile and a-half trot on the tan, but good though the Christchurch cab horse 3 undoubtedly are, they are hardly as good by comparison with horses of a similar kind used privately as they were before trotting became such a prominent sport. The Christchurch cab horses have certainly not degenerated during the last few years, but they have not made the same ratio of improvement as horses used for private work have apparently done. On the Riccarton road, for instance, you frequently drop across a 3min lOsec horse, and that is not a bad class of animal f o>- trap work From all accounts the Rangiora meeting was a fairly successful fixture, and though the public was not forthcoming with the amount of patronage the sport me cited, I hear there was a fair " push "of gamblers present. I have heard Mr Delamain'n action in fining the jockeys in the Disposal Stakes rather harshly criticised, and it is beyond doubt that practical racing men have come to the conclusion that wholesale fining by a starter is an indication of that starter's incapacity. Mr Delaroain, however, seem 3to have succeeded with the flag as well as any of his predecessors in Canterbury prior to the advent of Mr Powell, and that starter's proficiency tends to engender extraordinarily nice criticism on the art of starting. Retina unmistakably showed a bit of her old form in the North Canterbury Cup, and now she has commenced to win ehe may continue in a winning vein for a time. There is no doubt that | she is an exceptionally fast mare when well. I do not place much reliance in the positions of the horses behind Retina i« tho North Canterbury Cup, as Retina won co easily, and had the race in hand a long way from home. 1 heard a visiting owner at Riccarton once say in regard to a jockey that he liked his riding because he always pulled a horse off when he was fairly beaten, and one of the best points in a good jockey is certainly an accurate knowledge of tho time when his mount is beaten, A good many of the less experienced horsemen have little idea of how any horse bejrond that which they are riding is actually going in a race, and I have heard trainers say that in many instances boys who have been in racing stable 3 for years even have little idea of how their own horses are going until they get hooks and whip at them. The Winchman apparently i-an well in the North Canterbury Cup, and ho is certainly a good little horse. I have heard it remarked that he cannot stay, but I hardly think that is correct. When Harry Fuller was trainiug him he thought that he would be a real good stayer, but it is very difficult to gauge the stamina of two-year-olds, and the Winchman was a two-year-old when I^arry Fuller trained him. I understand, howeyer, that >The Winchman, was ridden out and.

finished game enough at Rangiora, and t fancy Harry Fuller's opinion of his staying capacity is not far wrong. Captive ran disappointingly at Rangiora, but his owner still has a good opinion of him evidently. He refused 300gs for him a few days since, ho tells me. As a matter of fact Captive has been an unlucky horse ; he has always been going off a bit just before he has been wanted for racing. Just before the New Zealand Cvp t for instance, he got a bad attack of influenza, and was unable to "show his true form at the metropolitan meeting, and I do not believe he is altogether himself even now. On his running it is evident that Wy vern in not up to much, and some .of his victories this season may have been a bit flukey. Roden has him in good enough fettle. Heather Bell and Wakawatea in tho same stable are going on all right in their woi'k, but I think it will be some time ere Heather Bell be sold if the rumoured price wanted for her be correct. lam told that Mr Hungerford wants 500ga for her. There are Very few untried brood mares in the market that fetch that now.

The subject of riding over hurdles and fences cropped up In a conversation I had lately with a well-known trainer and rider of jumpers, and he says' that plenty of hurdle-race riders and crosscountry horsemen always have a "nip" or two before getting into the saddle in order to strengthen their nerves, but he rema'ked that he would rather put up a man though he were a little nervous without a " nip " than he would one with) for the reason that liquor magnifies the obstacles. I have never heard the matter put that way before, and I do not know whether the argument be right or wrong, but I have certainly seen some excellent races over obstacles ridden by men with a good drop of spirits aboard. I hear that Piper is likely to have Corn Rose presently. Piper says she is a "pretty beauty," but I shall not be surprised to see him win a race or two with her should he take her for training. Aquarius was at'Riccarton before he performed at Rangiora, and he looked well enough, but he does not like the Riccarton course at all, and on the morning before he went to Rangiora he bolted off the course on to the road with the boy who was riding him. On the subject of breeding a well-known trainer says that he believes in the theory that covering a" thoroughbred mare with a mongrel-bred stallion will leave mongrel traces in that mare's after progeny, even should she be mated with the moot fashionable racing sires procurable ; and he also supports the theory that a thoroughbred stallion ( covering hack and roadster mares impairs his capacity for getting first-class thoroughbred stock. A good many breeders support these theories, but I have an opinion that there is something about them that would prove rotten were they subjected to stringent practical tast. [The abovo was jammed out of last week's i3sue.-E)>. O.W.J December 27. Last wcok was a very dull one here, aud I Blip* pose likewise elsewhere in regard to racing. On the exercise grounds at Riccarton liorEcs are certainly being kept going in workmanlike fashion, but regarding racing there has been little discussion heard until to-day (Monday) for the past ge pen days.* The Heathcote meeting to-day was a successful gathering, though I certainly expected to see a better attendance. There was a big crowd there of course, but I fancy the trams goiDg past tho. gates took more people to Simmer than they did to the Heathcote racecourse. Nearly £20J0 was put through the totalisators, however, and there was some excellent racing. The first event, the Hurdle Race, was anticipated to bo a walk-over for Magpie, but Justice started, and it took Magpie all his time to lick her, and from her runniDg and what Mr Murray-Aynsley tells me she is area! good marc. The race for the Hurdle Race at Hoathcoto was a rattling good one, and was a fair index, as it happened, of the quality of the sport that was going to follow. "Piper, who has adopted Mr Powell's style of starting, was just as successful at Heathcote as he was at Muinpton, and in the absence of the originator of the system he ought to have all the starting in these parts. Piper seems to be a man that can turn his hands to anything. One of the greatest upsets at Heathcote was the victory of Spumed in the Welter. I hardly think Sheenan thought he would win somehow, but he looked very happy after the event nevertheless. I was in the " snout " whioh followed the victory, and I fancy there were reasons beyond £.s.d. in Sheenan's pleasure of his horse's success. Spurned was" called Spurned because every buyer in the market spurned him as a winner of any kind of race. For the Cup at Heatbcote Inez and Kate Greenaway were about equally fancied on the course, and so were they at Riccarton in the morning, and.they finishedfirst and second, Charlie Stratford having to put up with second honours. Inez afterwards won the Summer Handicap, however, and she is certainly in rare fettle at present. Though Adieu could not get home in the FlyiDg, Mr JJuich won the Maiden with Forsight, who paid a very fair dividend. Carronade won the Flying. Free Holmes was down with her, but Clark rode her, and " Free " must be getting very heavy or he must be indisposed in gome way. I did not question him on the- subject, but I know it cannot be a case of laziness in wasting. The Idler also won the Beaten Stakes Handicap with Clark up, and altogether the Leeston stable had a fairly good day. Beyond the Maiden Plate Forsight won the AVoolsfcon Handicap,' and in her Mr Busch must have a good filly for country racing at anyrate. Mr Evett has come out of the Auckland Cup handicap properly. I fancy some Riccarton people have made money over St. Hippo— he was a strong tip heTe, and I recollect when the weights came out and were criticised that a trainer remarked: "I know what Evett would say were he questioned regarding Merganser's weight." " What would he say queried another? He would say that he never saw anyone of the family that could stay." I have invariably supported a handicapper's ability against adverse criticum, and from experience I will give a real good tip to bookmakers, and that is : " "Whenever the market is played out by tho chucking in of a horse in a handicap 'pepper' that horse. You will come off right." '