IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 31

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Conjurer is under a cloud. — Ulva is turned out at the Kaik. — Glenloth is to be put into work again. — The N S.W. horse Pharamond is in work again. — The Canterbury Trotting Club lost £55 odd over its last meeting. — Paramu is temporarily on the shelf after his exertionsiat Lawrence. — Krina may have a say in the Manawatu Racing Club Handicap. — T. Clarke has been engaged as trainer by Mr Geisking, of Grey mouth. — For the Newmarket Handicap Parramatta shows a disposition to firm. — Dick Langley paid £101 for the right to sell race books at the Cup meeting. — " Asmodeus " speaks of the inevitable advent of the totalisator at Flemington." — A Southland visitor tells me that Mokoia is now the dandy cab horse at Invercargill. — Strathmore's three-year-old sister Moth has been put into work again at St. Albans. — A gentleman .in Sydney has adopted as an assumed racing name "Mr T. Simpleton." — It is rumoured that the Sydney hurdle racers Barzan and Anarrow are likely to go to India. — I hear that the bookmakers fined for trespassing on the Forbury have decided not to appeal. — TheWarrington yearlings to be sold on Friday are on view until Friday at Messrs Bacon's stables. — M. Abeille, a prominent French breeder, has offered Mr Vyner 20,000gs for Marcion, but it was refused. — Mr James Bennet, jun., kindly forwards a neatly-got-up card of invitation to the Ettrick meeting. — The Sydney horse Newman has been under a cloud lately, owing to inflammation near one of its fetlocks. —Mr Gordon P. Wood forwards the South Canterbury programme for April 5 and 6. The stakes total £535. — A Melbourne cable states that Walwa and The Dauphino have been scratched for the Newmarket Handicap. —Mr J. E. Bonham, who took Daydream Home, is taking a couplo of ponies to Ire'aud, and may return again. — The A. J.C. has removed the disqualification imposed on Jimmy Cotton, jun., for having ridden at pony race meetings. — In 1890 the V.R.C. Autumn general entries totalled.sl7 ; iv 1891, 006 ; in 1892, 716 ; last year, 001 ; and this year, SIJO. — Mr W. Tonka succeeds Mr H. F. Recce as president of the Canterbury Trotting Club. Mr lleece is eoine for a trip. — At the Yerqng(Vic) races Ginger, by Apremont from Aglaia, won the Selling Race. He was formerly known as Aglaos — Venus, a son of Sir Modred's brother Idalium, won the Moorefield (N.S.W.) Handicap at the meeting on the 3rd inst. — Efforts are being made to move the Queensland Parliament to take action for the suppression of consultations in that colony. — Mr Stead writes to the Wellington Racing Club, complaining of the unfair manner in which his horses have been handicapped by Mr Evett. — Minstrel Boy, a thoroughbred horse that once cost Mr W. Kelso 400gs, is said to be drawing a buggy in the neighbourhood of Taree, N S.W. • — Whhnbrel, by St. Albans from Curlew, who failed to run up to expectations on numerous occasions in Calcutta, has been sold to go to Ceylon. — New Zealand-bred Pauline, winner of the last Hobart Cup, was recently being led from the course at Elswick when she got loose and fell, hurting herself. — Mr W. Baird informs " Sir Modred " that his two-year-old trotting colt, by Talisman — Minnie, met with an accident, and has had to be turned out for a spell. — Mystery, who holds the two miles pacing record, and Honour, who recently put up a record for trotting over the same distance, were to meet in a match a week ago. — Thomas Mullen, a well-known English jockey, died on New Year's Day from the effects of a fall received six days previously when following the Newmarket drag hounds. — Harry Jackson is now training the Commotion—Quality colt, named Beau Brummell, and his mate by David, known as Dunbar, The latter, by the way, has got rid of that lump on the leg which troubled him a month ago. — Dormeur 6.9 made the pace for awhile in the Stewards' Purse at Geelong, but could not hang out the six furlongs, and finished last. Gaillardia 8.10 won. She is one of Trenton's get. — It is reported in India that there is a chance of Good Hope and Highborn being sent to England shortly, the former to be mated with a fashionable horse, and the black gelding to be raced. — Longford broke his leg at the meeting of the Sydney Turf Club through Cardigan II falling, and it was at first feared that amputation would be necessary, but the doctors are now hopeful of saving the limb. — Theßailway Commissioners have promised to alter the much-complained'Of train arrangements in Tegard to the Tuapeka race 3. Excursion tickets will next year be available for return on the day after the meeting. — It is said, but I fear that there is some mistake about the figures that tb>re has been a standing commission in Yuille's office, in Melbourne, for a year to purchase Abarcorn for England for £20,000, b t Mrs White will not accept the money. — Lord Randolph, the highest-priced yearling ever sold in Australasia, is entered for several races at the V.1t.0. Autumn meeting, Lord Randolph was sold to Mr A. Chirnside ii> 18R1 for 2300gp. He has never sported silk. —Mr W S. Cox, proprietor of the Moonee Valley course, has commenced proceedings against the Essendon Council, claiming £20,000 as recompense for injury alleged to have been done to his course by certain diainage works carried out by the council. — A Chic \go paper says;— " The turf bids Nancy Hanks a relucant farewell. Take her for all in all, she was a mare whose like had not been looked upon before. No other trotter, except perhaps Goldsmith Maid, was the idol of ao many hearts. — A couple of Sydney bookmakers are seeking civic and parliamentary honours. They are Mr J. D. Woods, who is announced to contest a ward in the borough of the Glebe, and Mr ML Kinane, ■ who, it is said, will put up for Randwick at the next parliamentary election. — Mr F. W. Intler, secretary of the Maniototo Jockey Club, writes to say that there never was ia cxi te cc a stamped agreement, signed by the stewards, binding each of their number to pay back to the club the stakes in the bogus races should he start a horse and win either. — It seems strange to hear of Yankees buying trotters in England to take over to the home of trotting, but Mr W Harris, of Smithfield, has just sold his mare Silver Queen to an American gentleman for lOOOss, and she is to take part in the great race at Chicago in February. — " Hidalgo," the American correspondent of the Australasian, reports that the Austrajianbred Stromboli won a bix-furloug *aoe on January 10. He carried 7.10, and r.m tbe distance in linin 13Jsec. Previous to this Stromboli had wop at seven furloDgs, but was beaten over a mile. — The man Rosenwax, alias Cohen, who welshed at Terang (Vie.) and made a futile attempt to escape by blackening his face, was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for uttering a valueless cheque, it beingjproved that the cheque he lodged with the secretary as a guarantee of solvency was a bogus one. — "Hotspur" explains that the weights assessed to be carried by the two-year- olds in the Challenge Stakes table last week were lib out, a misprint in the weight for-age scale in the Canterbury Jockey Club's book programme being responsible for the error. Maiden two-year-old fillies carry 6.4 and not 6 5. — At the Adelaide race meeting held recently— the fir3t since the betting prosecution— the book, makers made no attempt to defy the law. Ihey looked on. And though the attendance was very moderate, about £700 more than on the corresponding day of last year passed through the totalisator. The facts are eloquent. — St. Albert, who broke both his forelegs at the Bendigo meeting this month, has been racing off and on since 1884. He was a few years pack a successful selling plater, and has at one time or another carried the colours of a doaen different

owners. He was bred in Tasmania, his sire being St. Albans and his dam a Bay Middleton mare.

— The late Sir John Don Wauchope was identical with the Mr Wauchopa of Ednionstonc, who won the Oaks of 1853 with Catherine Hayes, a mare that again became famous as the dam of Bolladrum 15 years later, when she was owned by Mr James Merry. Catherine Hayes was prepared for her engagements by Matthew Dawson, who is still in harness.

— Plebeian, winner of the Middlepark Plate of 1874, is dead. He was by Joskin out of Queen Elizabeth, by Autocrat, and ran in but the one race mentioned. It was contested by 24 runners, and Plebeian just got home by a head from Per Se, with that grand horse Galopin (winner of the next Derby) third. Among the unplaced division were Holy Friar, Chaplet, and Balfe.

— The Wairio stewards have disqualified the trotting mare Emily and her owner, J. Looney, for 12 months, on the grounds that she ran under another name previous to the Wairio meeting. They also decided to caution C. Meredith, the rider of Masterpiece in the Maiden Hurdles, on the ground that he did not persevere with the horse when he ran round the first hurdle. _ — It is stated that Philadelphia possesses the fastest trotting horse in the world, one which is declared capable of stepping a mile certainly better than 2min 43ec, and very near the twominute mark. The animal's name is Lightning, by Stranger, by General Washington, dam Viola, by Pretender, by Dictator. He is a splendid blood bay of 151hdB high, and seven years old.

— A bill ha 3 been introduced in the New South Wales Legislative Council making it a penal offence to incite infants to bet or borrow. The bill is drawn on similar lines to Lord Herschell's measure, which passed the House of Lords in 1892, with the exception that the local bill provides * against verbal incitement, while Lord Herschell's measure limited incitement by document. — The pacer Mystery gave a splendid exhibition on the Richmond track on January 31, when iv the Trot, two miles, she started .with a handicap of 60aec behind scr, and won by 20yds in smin 57Jsec, or deducting the handicap, in more than the time occupied over the same track by Honour in the match with Statesman, and only :}sec more than her record over the distance with Ostcrley. — Californian journals report that John Green, who is the owner of Directum, believes that he has a better horse than Directum in Electrical, bay colt, foaled 1592, by Elector (son of Electioneer), out of Stemwinder, by Venture He is a colt of fine size, and has trotted a quarter in 37sec. His sister, Electrina, has a record of 2min 20sec, aud may be seen on eastern tracks next season.

— Recent and continual rumours and almost positive evidence as to the identity of certain horses in the trotting line hereabouts with animals known to fame in other parts of New Zealand, under different names to those that they now bear, convince me that nothing short of earmarking every horse that wins a trot linger racing rules will stop in some measure this sort of thing. — " Sir Modred."

— At Rissington races there was no totalisator and cash fielders abounded. Pescador, half brother to the defunct Van Dieman, won the Cup, also the Handicap, and ran third in the Hurdles, which was won by Stiletto, a son of Archer Pescador belongs to Mr H. Russell, son of Captain Russell, who also scored with Sabrina, by Vasco di Gama— Nellie. She ran a dead heat with Poheke in the Patoki Handicap.

— The entries for the spring events in England are less numerous than those received 12 months previously. The Lincolnshire Handicap has exactly the same number as last year (71), the Grand National Steeplechase shows a falling off of eight, the City and Suburban of 10, Great Metropolitan five, and Kempton Jubilee Stakes seven. Although the Chester Cup has been greatly increased in value, the entries received were only 44, against 50 for 1893. — Islington, the five-year-old brother to Isinglass, arrived safely at New York, and was taken to Hanford, California, where Mr II M'Calmont, the owner of Isinglass, has purchased a ranch in partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr J. S. Robinson, who will be resident manager. Consignments of mares from Mr M'Calmont's stud will be sent to England in the spring. The intention is to breed on a large soa^ and to race the produce both in America and England. — The Newmarket sales of blood stock in December may. on the whole, be considered a success. Mr Noel Fenwick's filly Dartaway, by Galopin— Dart, was sold for 830gs, to go to Austria, and that was the highest figure reached that day, though several lots were passed in at higher offers. Marvel, for instance, was withdrawn at a reserve of 2000gs ; Child of the Mist — who has been at the stud in America for three years— at 2500gs ; and Dornroschen at 1500gs. — Ever since Torpedo came to Adelaide, says the Australasian's correspondent, he has been expected to do something good. Great secrecy has been observed in his preparation, the NewZealander never being allowed to get under full sail when anyone was about. Judging by the way he shaped? at the A.R.C.'s meeting the reports concerning Torpedolhave not been exaggerated, for he simply made hacks of his field in the Welter, and fairly extended The Arab in the Flying Handicap. — An exciting scene was witnessed at the Manchester meeting on January 2 after the National Hunt Flat Race. Of the three runners Red Rube started an even-money chance, but Pampero won by half a length. Mr Teague, the rider of Red Rubo, had a very hostile reception, and was called befoie the acting stewards, who not only suspended him from riding during the rest of the afternoon, but expressed their intention of laying the matter before tho National Hunt Committee.

— A statement of the doing 3of the professional and amateur English riders under National Hunt Rule 3 during 1893 shows that of the gentlemen Mr Q S. Davies has the best record with 42 wins, followed by Mr R. Woodjand 35 wins, Mr 11. M. Ripley 32, Mr G. B. Milne 26, Lord Molyneux 23, and Captain Bewicke 22. Arthur Nightingall is a good first among the professionals, with a total of 42 suocesses, second place being filled by F, Lawton with 31, and third by G. Williamson with 28.

— The Duchess of Moqtrose has finally decided to retire from the turf, and to sell off not only her raciqg stud, but her breeding one also. Nobody has been fonder of the sport than the Duchess, who has had three husbands — y\z., the late Duke of Montrose. the late Mr Stirling Crawfurd, and last (when she could not have been much less than 70 and he about 24) the present Mr Milner. It is said this December and May business does not work very smoothly, and hence the decision arrived at. — At Deniliquin (N.S.W.) meeting last month there were five protests during the day. One of these concerned a Maoriland horse. The Anniversary Handicap, one mile and a quarter, attracted fjve competitors, and Mr Rundle's Alcinous, by Ingomar from Corcyra, with 10.0 up, spcured the judge's verdict, with Milk Boy 7 0 second ; but a protest was lodged by the owner of the second horre. on the gr und that Alcinous bad been placed under the ban by tha Mathoura stewards on New Year's Day, and the matter was referred to tlm A J.C.

— Some amusement wa3 caused at Pungarehu, writes the Budget, when a Maori-owned pony named Tauranga was being saddled up for the Cup. Greater interest was, however, centred iv Tauranga's jockey, a boy of about 4st weight, who was got up'in a pair of i iding pants that would fit a heavy-weight steeplechase rider. The pants were hitched up round the lad's back, and the buttons were tied round his ankles. The jacket, which showed a great deal of wear and tear, fitted where it touched, while the cap would have fitted the head of a full-grown man.

— A London paper says that more horses ran in races last year than in any previous season. In 1797 48 two-year-olds, 161 three-year-olds, 122 four-year-olds, and 262 of five years and upwards — total, 593— ran, as compared with 1103, 727, 399, 384-total, 2618— in 1893. The total value of stakes won during 1893 (by first winners only), exclusive of matches and private sweepstake 3, was £428,391 in England, £11.107 in Scotland, and £18,441 in Ireland, or £70,789 more than nine years ago. More races were run last year also than in any previous 12 months.

— The failure is announced of the once notorious "Plunger" Walton. Mr Walton will be remembered in England noldy on account of the extraordinary run of lock which he enjoyed in connection with hor6e-raoing, more especially during

1881, when the American owner, Mr P. Lorillard, won the Derby and St. Leger with Iroquois. The "Plunger" was generally credited with having returned to America with fully £100,000 to the good, and not long afterwards he acquired the ownership of the Grand Hotel in New York, a house patronised by the moat representative and monied sportsmen.