CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 31

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Uy Rata. Undoubtedly Bob Derrett is the possessor of one of the prettiest places in the vicinity of the Riccarton racecourse. His dwelling house is situated amidst a small forest of trees, and his garden, mostly laid out on the lawn and ornamental flower-bed style, is most beautifully kept. His main stable, immediately behind his residence, is one of the best, perhaps the best wooden stable, in the neighbourhood, and his paddocks are more extensive than those attached to neighbouring stables. Besides following the occupation of jockey, Derrett is now going in for training in earnest, and perhaps we will see some winners of real good stakes turned out from his stables in the near future. The chief stable on Derrett's place was only erected some 18 months ago, and it is an enclosed structure containing eight boxes, with harness room, feed room, and hay loft. The stable is quite "up to date," and the only one of the kind likely to be in front of it in these parts in the near future is the one now being erected for Butler at Masham. The plan of that stable is a duplicate of Derrett's, with a few improvements. Bsyon 1 his main stable Derrett has got seven or eight boxes erected in open .fashion, on a triangular principle, and these boxes are quite as good as those to be found in many stables with boxes opening on to a yard. Altogether therefore Derrett .has room enough for a big team, so far as teams go at Riccarton, and I shall not be surprised should he have one of the longest strings of horses here presently. During the racing season Derrett is away from home a good deal, but he always has a good man in charge of his horses while he is absent, and there is no reason why he Bhould not shine as a trainer just as brilliantly as he does as a jockey. A trainer-jockey is no new innovation — Tom Cannon, to wit— and why should not Bob Derrett succeed in a dual capacity ? People will say a man ought to stick to one thing or the other, either riding or training, but that is merely an emana tion of socialism — social handicapping — if it be not an outcome of jealousy. Derrett has not many horses in his stable at present, but those he has are not bad. He has only four in training, and. that is a small team, even at Riccarton. Perhaps it is quite big enough for the winter, however. Strath Braan was the first of the lot I saw on looking over the stable on Saturday morning, and he is looking well enough. In fact he is in good winter trim, and he appears to be sound enough. Hitherto he has been a very disappointing horse, however, and he may never fulfil his early promisfe, though I fancy he will run better as a three-year-old than he did as a two-year-old. He is a somewhat light-fleshed horse, and in his work he is a tearaway customer that gives one the impression of a non-stayer. When these tearaway horses give up pulling they very frequently give up galloping. Strath Braan may be more than a sprinter, but if he should ever be put over sticks I fancy he will stay better at that game than he will ever do on the flat.

In Loveshot Derrett has a most beautiful horse in point of conformation, and should he train on through the winter he will make some of them gallop in the spring. He got very sore somehow in the autumn, but he appears to be all right now again. Of late he has been doing cantering exercise, and he has shown no soreness, and should he go on throughout the winter as he is doing now he will be got lit enough by the spring. My opinion of Loyeshot is that he is a rattling good one, and provided he trains on and remains sound I fancy he will be in the first flight of three-year-olds next season. He is a black colt with a white off fere foot, a white streak in the face, and a white diamond on the muzzle, and he is big enough and powerful enough for anything. Barmby is in rare winter fettle, and there are more races in store for him, or I am greatly mistaken. He is not a first-class colt by any means, but he is a good handicap horse that will do more than pay his way. He seems to be a bit flighty when interviewed privately, but he goes straight enough on the tracks, and I have no doubt his apparent freshness in his box is a result of plenty of oats and too little work by reason of the inclement weather we have had recently.

I fancy the bay yearling colt by Chainshot— Miss Lucy is a better youngster than Barmby was this time last year. He is a biggish, stronglooking colt, with capital shoulders and back; and his loins are good, while he has lots of propelling power, and the bones of his understandings appear now to be good enough to go through a lengthy racing career. Adulation, Miss Webster, and Crown Jewel are three brood mares running about in one of Derrett's paddocks. I had not seen Adulation or Miss Webster for a long time until Saturday. They have not deteriorated in looks since I last saw them. Adulation's broken croup has improved greatly in regard to appearance, and she now looks a big, somewhat roomy mare, good enough to produce something good. Miss Webster looks a far more respectable stud matron than she did a selling plater, and the chances are she may throw a good foal sooner or later. She ia now in foal to Artillery, and I shall not be surprised should she nick well with that stallion.!

Crown Jewel is also in foal, and I fancy she is the best of the three brood mares at Derrett's place. She is well enough bred for anything, and she is a most beautifully-made mare, and she did not race too long to affect her earliest progeny prejudicially. Bob Hastie still has Yellow Jack, by Johnny Faulkner, in charge at Lonsdale Lodge, but in all probability that horse will change hands presently. He is cheap enough at the price wanted for him at anyrate. He is not a badly-made horse at all, and he is sound enough. He is a bit hollow in the back, and at some time or another he seems to have been wrestling a barb-wire fence with his off hind leg. That leg has been cut at one time. It is sound enough, however, and a couple of splints are all I can see wrong with his Cutts says he may go in for a jumper or two presently ; he says they seem to pay better than flat racers now. Ido not know so much about that, however, but I should like to see the master of Chokebore Lodge have a few good "leppers" in training. He is an old hand at training jumpers, too. We have been having some horrid weather at Riccarton lately, and though horses have been cantered on the tracks once or twice during the past week, fast galloping has been prohibited by atmospheric influences. This, so far, is the worst winter I have seen at Riccarton for rain, and the racecourse caretaker has been having a lively time of it. Radical, who was in training here last season, is now in work again, being prepared for engagements at National time by Tommy Stewart. That mentor also has a new jumper in hand in a big, bay horse called Thorpe. He looks very carty, however, and does not show great indication of speed, though he jumps very well. He comes from up country somewhere, and it is evident he has done a lot of jumping prior to his appearance at Riccarton. He appears to me a horse that has been hunted. During the past week some of the horses have done nothing beyond walking exercise on the roads, but all the old jumping horses are in good fettle, and can do with a bit of walking exercise without impairing their prospects in August. The Chainshot— Miranda colt in Butler's stable has given some trouble while being broken in. I saw him this (Monday) afternoon on the road, however, and he now seems quiet enough. I believe there is no real vice in him either, and he is good-looking enough, to fulfil Butler's expectations of him in the future. . Melinite's victory in the big hurdle race at Auckland has been variously criticised here, but it is generally conceded that quality racers like Melinite ought to get substantial burdens in big hurdle races untu they publicly show their inability to carry them. With horses of Melinite's stamp it is merely a case of jumping ability ; unless in exceptional instances thty have pace enough to smother all opposition, and thoy can invariably stay any distance in the class of company they meet. The pace is never sufficiently strong to exert them unduly. King Wai is a very light-fleshed horse, and he is not building up well on the slow work he is doing. He is in excellent health, however, and

he is very likely to go through a lengthy racing career, bar accident. He is strong and wiry. Teredina in the same stable is wintering uncommonly well, and she may prove more remunerative in the spring than she did in the autumn. Some of her autumn form disappointed her trainer, and it is fair to assume that on one or two occasions she failed to run up to private form.

Old Glen will be ridden in the Hunt Cup by Ridge Ford, and Mr Murray- Aynsley may not be far wrong in estimating that horse's chance as highly as he does. Magazine has boen clipped, and his looks have been improved thereby, and now Sheenan has fairly started on him he will soon be perfected in the timber topping line of business.