IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 30

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Outpost is in easy work. — Lottie is said to show signs of lameness. — The V.R.C. talks of abolishing selling races. — The trotter Caberfeidh in now in Mercer's stable. — It will probably be found that J. Watts rode Ladas. — Jimmy Kean has bought Nile, by Nelson — Florence. — After settling up for the reason the Taranaki Jockey Club has £461 to the good. — Mr S. Miller, of Melbourne, has bought the steeplechaser Royal Oak for 130gs. — Baron Hirsch and the Duke of Westminster are the two richest men on the turf. — Spokesman, by Argus Scandal— Declamation, sold in Wellington for 50gs to Mr Dell. — A woman has lately been seen schooling a horse over the Flemington steeplechase course. — The Victorian jockey R. Bence has gone to India, having been engaged to ride for Mr Uphill. — Mr Joseph Poole, late partner with Mr Frank Hill, of Wanganui, is recovering from hia illness. — Second prize in Tattersall's sweep on the Birthday Cup went to Mr F. S. George, of Auckland. — Ted Hankins is still out of collar, but I don't suppose a steady man like he is will be idle for long. — Mr Brabazon!s filly Bizarra entered for the Dunedin Champagne Stakes is by Apremont out of Whim. / — Walter Buddicombe is fairly settled in Hawke's Bay and has a fair prospect in Mr Douglas's service. — The Adelaide Racing Club has passed a new by-law to the effect that all due track fees will bo collected at scale. — The V.R.C. committee has reduced the fee charged for entering the "birdcage" at Flemington from 5s to 2a 6d. — Strayshot, by Foulshot — Kaikatea, is being schooled over the small sticks with a view to the Grand National Hurdle. — One Sydney club intends to enforce & law by which bookmakers would deposit a guarantee before being allowed to bet. — Dr. Tripe, hon. surgeon to the Wanganui J.C, has been presented with a pair of field glasses in recognition of his services. — Those who have backed Bluefire for the New Zealand Cup are put out of their misery in one act. The filly is not entered. — During the season the St. Albans stud has produced 59 winners, who have won 111 races of the aggregate value of £23,882. — Two well-known Auckland jockeys, George Hope and Sam Fergus, have accompanied Mr W. Douglas' team of jumpers to Sydney. —Mr D. O'Brien had £1000 laid him about Loyalty's chance in the Birthday Cup by the drawer of the horse in Tattersall's sweep. — The correct number of entries for the New Zealand Cup is 70, or one fewer than last year and 11 short of the largest Hat, that namely of 1886 — Port Admiral has been placed under offer to a Sydney racing man. Should a sale be effected the Adelaide Cup winner is to be sent to India. — Penance, by Grand Flaneur— Penitent, has been sold again, this time for-70gs, to Mr H. Ricketson, who will put the horse to the stud. — Acting on the advice of Mr Oxenham, the disabled Sydney jockey Longford has very wisely placed the £268 subscribed at interest as a fixed deposit. — Three Star, the Auckland colt, was handicapped at 8.9 for the two-year-old race at Randwick last Saturday, Nobleman being top weight with 9.9. — Sir Claude de Crespigny walked 4i miles in April between breakfast and dinner time just to reduce his weight by 21b, and for a side wager of half-a-crown. — Tommy Corrigan landed the leaping double at Sandown Park on the 30th ult. He rode Brownie in the Hurdles and Larrikin in the Steeplechase. — Hippomenes, Skirmisher, and Beadonwell inquired about for New Zealand Cup, but the latter is the only one locally backed for any sum worth mentioning. — Amiable was bred and nominated for her two-year-old engagements by the Duke of Portland, who sold her to Lord Lurgan after the Goodwood meeting last July. — An active agitation is being got up by Birmingham religious bodies against the establishment of a new racecourse on the outskirts of the city at Castle Bromwich. — Cook, the jockey, who was hurt in the Egmont Steeplechase, has a clot of blood on the brain, and will be brought from Hawera to New Plymouth for treatment.— Sporting Review. — The latest report concerning Captain Machell is that he is not making very satisfactory progress just now, and that it will be some time before he will be able to appear on a racecourse. — Mr Wanklyn has received a cablegram to the effect that for the Victorian Grand National Hurdle Race Kulnine has 12.7 and Norton 12.4, while for the Steeplechase Norton has 12.12. — In 1891 Common won the Two Thousand and Derby, and Mimi the One Thousand and Oaks. This combination of successes is rare, but accomplished this year by Ladas and Amiable. — An English paper gives an account of a remarkable run with the Meynell fox-hounds. They went over a rough stonewall country, *11 the jumps being stiff, and ran 40 miles in four hours. — The time recorded for the two-mile trot won by Nimblefoot at Sandown Park (yic.)on the 3oth May is 4min 28sec. If true, this is a colonial record. But I fancy there is some mistake about it. — Messrs W. B. Denshire, M. Stitt, E. G. Crisp, C. W. Purnell, and Hugo Friedlander were unanimously elected life members of the Ashburton Racing Club for valuable services rendered in the past. — The English gelding Friday, who bad not l^een seen on a racecourse since running for the Lincolnshire Handicap of 1892, having been found useless for racing purposes, was shot at Middleham in April. — Twenty-five guineas a year is what it costs a man to race under an assumed name in England. No one can register more than one assumed name, nor can anyone use his real name if he have an assumed name. . — Good reports come from Flemmgton of Verax, a colt by Splendour out of Souvenir, consequently own brother to Jeweller. Verax is very like his distinguished relative in appearance and style of going. — Tinstream, who won the City Handicap at Adelaide, is from the celebrated Tinfinder, who died while being sent over to Melbourne in the steamer Rodondo in 1891. Tinfinder was also the dam of The Assyrian. The V.R.C. recently refused to endorse a country disqualification. The local stewards ruled a horse and jockey off for six months, and just afterwards they allowed the pair to take part in another race. —The double of One Thousand and Oaks has this year been won by Amiable, who thus follows the example of La Fleche, Mimi, Reve dOr, Miss Jammy, Busybody, and others whose records are fading in the memory. . . — Reminder, the outsider who ran third in tne Derby, raced only once last season, and won. His performance in the Derby was followed up by winning the Grand Prize at Epsom, in which he beat Sempronius and Farndale. Xhe greatest number of starters for the Derby was in 1862, when 34 went to the post, and Caractacus, a4oto 1 chance, won. The smallest field was in 1794, when Dtcdalus won for Lord Grosvenor, beating three other competitors. R ev Fitchett, at Adelaide Wesleyan Conference, pointed out that £10,000 was " poured down the mouth of the totalisator " at a recent local meeting. Much more is poured down the throats of parsons and yet returns no visible div.—Bulle- — It is quite out of the common for a boy to leave a racing stable for shipboard, but that is what young Smith, who was with Loughlin, has done The lad is now on the articles of the barque Mataura. He rode Comrade at Palmerston this — Brisk, the winner of the French Oaks, who is by Galopin— Brie, had a very limited and uneventful two-year-old career, as she only appeared in public upon one occasion, running second to Matchbox for the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket.

— Six horses credited with tho double of Two ihousand and Derby have also won the Leger— viz., West Australian, Gladiateur, Lord Lyon, Ormonde, Common, and Isinglass, and ba* accidents Ladas has a good show of being the seventh. a; 7 Th . e B N ,°' ma^ b y (Taranaki) Trotting Club has disqualified LeCorbeau and his ridor, Keith, for two years, and fined MrR. Lucena.the nominator ™ia*f™° a- 6*6 * & f £ r the horse joining in the ConstlrteTb/the'stSo?. the hh ° rSeS *****""

— A proposal is made by a Goulburn (N.S.W.) owner of trotters to prepare and publish a stud book. Mr E. R. Deane has approached persons interested by circular, and proposes to carry out the work by means of subscriptions to be obtained from supporters of the movement.

— Matchbox is apparently going to be to Ladaa what Ravensbury was to Isinglass last year ; but for all that he is very highly valued, for after his defeat in the Derby the son of Match Girl changed hands at £15,000, the buyer being Baron Hirsch. What, then, is Ladas's " value ? " - Two pars, possibly related, cut from the Australasian : (1) The totalisator percentages at the late A.R.C. meeting amounted to £233 more the club gave in stakes. (2) Mr Murray, M.L. A., has already given notice of his intention to introduce a bill to legalise the use of the totalisator in Victoria.

— Thus a London writer: At whatever pace Ladas coes his action is superb, and he retains it in full perfection, while he is himself showinu the brightest bloom of health and maturing condition. I never saw ahorse with action quite like his— a daisy cutter and yet covering so much ground in his stride. „ ,T At the Johann esburg races in April, Yarran, 8.10, ran second to Forest King for the Johannesburg Autumn Handicap of 1500sovs. There were 12 starters, including Arquebus, 7.4, and the English horse Stuart, carrying 10. 12, was favourite. On the second day Yarran was second to Stuart in the Goldfields Handicap of oOOaovs. — Peter Price, the oldest trainer at Newmarket, died m April ; aged 77. He began training at headquarters in 1830, as private trainer to Captain Meynell. One of the best horses Price ever had, though he did not have him long, was Mr Mitchell-Innes's Glen Arthur, who ran Silvio to half a length in the Derby of 1877, starting at 50 tol.

— New Zealand-bred Pennant, whose success at Williamstown was referred to last week, fell while hurdle-racing at Moonee Valley on the 2nd inßt. and was in a bad way when the mail left. He has been examined by two veterinary surgeons, one of whom thinks that a bone between the elbow and the knee has been fractured, while the other is of opinion that no bone has been broken.

— Scots Grey, by Musket— Maid of Athol, is to the fore again, so that Francotte is not absolutely the last of the Muskets. Mr Stead's cast-off was racing in the Shorts at Newcastle (N.S.W. ), and showed a g^reat dash of speed up to the home turn, when he died away. Well do I remember that dash of speed of his. It euchred me out of a dividend in the Jubilee Plate, for which. I took a Bmall shot about Recluse. — In response to a request from the Wellington Racing Club that further inquiry should be held by tho United Hunt Club into the running of the horse Timothy in the United Hunt Steeplechase last month, and also as to the fact of his weighing short of wieght, the latter body has carried a resolution doubting whether it is entitled to hold the suggested inquiry, but if so, it is desirous of referring the inquiries to the metropolitan club. — The Papapa gelding Strephon would most undoubtedly have placed the Wanganui Steeplechase to his credit had he not run off at the turn into the centre of the course. He was ridden by W. Higgins, who rode Empire to victory in 1892, and with ordinary luck should have won this race three times, as in 1871 he was on the back of Jupiter, who also wont the wrong course when the race was just as good as won.— Sporting, Review.

— Victor, whose death was brought about at Randwick racecourse on the 26th ult., says the Telegraph, was one of the best long-jumpers known to Australia. He had a record of 33ft sin, which is the odd inches better than the leap credited to Shylock at Caulfield ; but it is claimed for the latter that he cleared 36ft Bin at Moonee Valley. Lizatte's big jump at Flemington measured 36ft 6in, but all these were beaten recently by Village Maid, who is said to have jumped 38ft over a hurdle in Victoria.

— In regard to the disqualification of Mr Towton and Carbine by the West Australian Turf Club, it appears, Bays the Australasian, that the whole of the stakes will revert to the club. The third horse, European, was not placed, and his owner has made no claim for the stakes. Florrie, the winner of the Flying Handicap in which Car* bine was beaten a head (he was disqualified on account of this race), also belonged to Mr Towtqn; hence the retention of the whole of the prize money by the W.A.T.C. — From Brisbane comes word that the Colonial Secretary is about to take steps to carry out the spirit of the Totalisator Act by reducing the number of permits for the use of the machine. The use of the totalisator by leading clubs in the centres of population will be permitted, but smaller and subsidiary clubs will not be allowed to use the machines. The permits also will be cancelled where the totalisators are found to lead to the creation of gambling institutions under the guise of sporting meetings. — The Ashburton Racing Club has elected the following officers for the year —President, M. E. G. Wright ; vice-president, Mr Hugo Friedlander; judge, Mr M. Stitt ; clerk of the scales, Mr R. Friedlander ; • treasurer, Mr S. H. Graves ; stewards— Messrs G. A. M'Lean-Buckley, J. C. N. Grigg, B. G. Crisp, E. Gates, C. W. Purnell, W. W. Lyttelton. and Dr Leahy; committee— Messrs B. Gates, H. Zander, B. A. Hanmer, J. Davidson, G. A. M. Buckley, E. J. Paul, S. H. Graves, B. G. Crisp, J. C. N. Grigg, D. Thomas, W. B. Denshire, Drs Tweed and Leahy. —At the annual meeting of the Ashburton Racing Club the committee reported that they began the year with a credit balance of £655 Is9d. The total receipts during the year amounted to £1453 12s, and the total expenditure, including improvements, to £1791 6s 9d. Thus, the season's operations had reduced the club's capital by £337 14s 9d, leaving a balance in hand at the present time of £317 7s. The committee had, during the year, expended £250 in fencing, topdressing, and improving the old tracks, and erecting permanent jumps fora steeplechase course. — The victory of Ladas in the Derby increases to 15 the number of horses that have carried off theTwoThousand Guineas and the "Blue Ribbon." The 14 others credited with the double event are Sir C. Bunbury's Smolensko (1813), Duke of Rutland's Oadland (1828),- Lord Jersey's Bay Middleton (1836), Mr Bowes's Cotberstone (1843), Mr Bowea'B West Australian (1853), Mr Naylor"s Macaroni (1863), Count Lagrange's Gladiateur (1865), Mr Sutton's Lord Lyon (1866), Mr John&tone's Pretender (1869), the Duke of Westminster's Shotover (1882), the same owner's Ormonde (1886), the Duke of Portland's Ayrshire (1888), Sir F. Johnstone's Common (1891), and Mr M'Calmont's Isinglass (1893). — Two of the starter.* in the Maiden Steeplechase at Moonee Valley on the 2nd inst stopping early, the race was reduced to a duel between Mercury and Stornoway, who travelled in company for the remainder of the journey. Mercury had apparently taken the measure of his rival half a mile from home ; but after clearing the last fence, in taking which Stornoway all but " fainted," Mercury, on whom it seemed 100 to 1, suddenly stopped, and Stornoway, who had but few friends, won by ten lengths. Such a collapse as Mercury's, says the Argus, has not been seen on a racecourse for many a day ; but want of condition, or something else, may have accounted for it. Stornoway is by Sardius, who in 1883 won the Caulfield Guineas.