CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 31

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By Kata.

The Dunedin Cup is now the chief event exercising the judgment of backers here, but so far as I can hear bookmakers do not have big sums on their volumes. Independent of that, however, you hear the Dunedin Cup talked about here, there, and everywhere, and small though the field is comparatively the race is not apparently considered a one-horse one. On the contrary, every candidate seems to have friends. About Christchurch, though, an impression seems to be abroad that the Yaldhurst stable has a very great show of carrying the big southern prize to th ; s province, and Stepniak seems to be a better public favourite than Ich Dien— l do not mean from a betting point of view, but from a standpoint of ihe public's opinion of reUtive chanceg.Amongst professiqnal racing people here Clanrariald is supposed to have a very great chance of winning, and Clahranald and Persuasion for the Cup and Publicans' is thought to be a good double by some very shrewd people. It may be a good double, too, but I doubt Clanranald's capacity pver the distance. He may get two miles and a distance all right, but I dqubt it. Regarding the Publicans' Handicap, however, I think Persuasion is a real good thing ; she is certainly a mare that no liberties ought to be taken with. Prime Warden I hear far less about than such as Stepniak, Ich Dien, and Clanranald, but he is one that I have a very strong fancy for, He can stay, and he runs better on the Forbury course than he does anywhere else. Old Liberator may journey south, but Butler tells me he has not quite made up his mind on the subject. Should he be started for the Dunedin Cup, however, I do not think he can win. Should tne raca come to Riccarton, I am stroDgly

of opinion that the better of the Yaldhurst pair will do the trick.

Cajolery, Clarence, and Justice are the Riccarton candidates for the Hurdle Race on the opening day at Dunedin, and all three are in excellent health and prime condition. I have heard no grumbling regarding the weights, and I think it very likely that the three Riccarton horses will be competitors. Justice has been trained specially for the race, and if she be within a stone of the quality »he is supposed to have exhibited, she can hardly fail to run well with no more than 9.12 to carry. She has 2st the better of the weights with Cajolery and Clarence, who are each set to carry 11.12, and if she cannot beat these horses at that concession she is not as good as she is supposed to be. When galloping Cajolery makes a very suspicious noise, but he can get over a mile and a-half over sticks with most of them, and should he be started at Dunedin he will have a lot of friends, though Clarence is a favourite horse in this neighbourhood. The Riccarton horses engaged in the Stewards' Welter are not a very brilliant lot, and from his weight adjustment it is very evident Mr Dowse is aware of the fact. Persuasion is certainly a filly above medium quality, and she is going uncommonly well at present, and she is likely to win a good Btake at Dunedin, but I do not know what her owner's intentions are. I hear, however, that a big effort will be made to win the Publicans' Handicap with Persuasion. Black Cloud, Busybody, and Awarua Rose, engaged in the Stewards' Welter, are all inmates of Chokebore Lodge, and as they are in different interests I should think a pair of them may see the starting post.

Awarua Rose may have a fair show of winning the Welter at Dunedin under 8.2. He is fit enough, and I have heard Cutts say that a boy cannot ride him anything like as well as a man can, and 8.2 will admit of George Matthews being up. It is about time now that Awarua Rose did get to the front.

The Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps, to_ be run at the C.J.C. Autumn meeting, have received good entries, including most of the best horses about, and should Mr Henry's handicapping be up to its usual high standard a couple of excellent contests will be witnessed, Indeed, I fancy the C.J.C. Autumn meeting will be an uncommonly good fixture this season. Both the Champagne Stakes and the Second Challenge Stakes will produce good fields from present appearances, and I shall not be at all surprised to see aa much interest evinced in the Second Challenge Stakes as was in the First. Mr Stead has three horses left in the Champagne Stakes, and of these I hear great accounts of Searchlight, and I have also heard it whispered that that filly is worth keeping an eye on for Dunedin. Loveshot, by Chainshot — Myrtle, is baing trained privately up country somewhere ; but he has been trained for some time specially in view of the Champagne, and if he fulfils the promise he showed when at Riccarton in the spring he should run well next month.

Philson, who is engaged in both Champagne and Challenge Stakes, is being worked strongly for these races, and Topham may spring as great a surprise on owners at the Autumn meeting as he did at the Spring fixture. Artilleur will, I think, be seen out at Dunedin, but though he has been reserved until now for some of the big back end juvenile events, I have an idea that running him for smaller prizes would pay better. Doubtless he is a fairish kind of colt, but he is too short in the middlepiece, and he shows too much daylight underneath. Ido not think he is in the first flight of this season's two-year qlds. Strath Braan has come on rapidly during the last few weeks, and he may run well during the autumn, but I am of opinion that Philson is about the best youngster we have at Riccurton. He is good-looking, and ho can move himself to some purpose when he likes. A youngster that seems to be in excellent health is Wedlock, but I am afraid he is not very brilliant. At any rate I have not seen him show any real brilliancy on the trapks. " Kulnine is being given a lot qf work, and I should think he will be wanted befpre National time. His spell at Leslie Hills was not particularly long, and he has never been really put of condition during the season, and were he not wanted before National time I should think steady work would be sufficient exercise for him at present. War Dance will be trained now wholly in view of the National n^eeting, and if he takes at all kindly to the " lep'ping" game, he is one that will show to greater advantage over obstacles than he was ever able to do on the flat. He is a big, upstanding horse tl)at wi}l be a good weightcarrier. We have had some remarkably sudden changes in the weather at Riccarton during the week, but the tracks are kept in such excellent ord,er that galloping has not been interfered with greatly. I have never seen things at Riccarton at this season as tame as they are at present, and it iB beyond doubt that the curtailment of minor meetings is impairing horse-racing here. The following are the quotations here for the Dunedin Cup :— 4 to 1 Clanranald 5 — 1 Stepniak 6 — 1 Prime Warden, Hippomenes, Tbame, and Ich Dien 8 — 1 Tempest 10 — 1 Liberator, Johnny Faa, and Pegasus. From 100 to 5 to 100 to 2 can be had about doubles for Dunedin Cup and Publicans' Handicap. A strong tip for the double is Lunn's stable.