IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2106, 5 July 1894, Page 30

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Light Artillery is going on well. — Remembrance is turned out at Winton. — Geraldine races fixed for the 27th and 28th ; September. ! — Portsea and Patron are both wintering splendidly. — Tarcoola is just gone into work again after a spell and is looking well. — South Canterbury races are to be held on the 13th and 14th September. — Duckenfield is not improving with age as fast as some thought he would. — Norton was second with 12 8 in the Hawke'a Bay Steeplechase last year. —By cable from London we learn that Newcourt won the Northumberland Stakes. — Hippomenes is enjoying a rest, not, however, because > there is anything wrong with him. — Dainty, winner of the Open Steeplechase at the Hawke'a Bay Hunt Club meeting, is by Ahua. — Galtee is being hacked about by Mr Mye~s. There are Dot many more stylish hack? than this in the colony. — An Australian paper now says that Mr D. O'Brien intends to take the Challenge Stakes case to the Privy Council. — The Russian record for two miles, trotting, was recently lowered by the American-bred stallion Flush to 4min 551 sec. — Chicago is said to have the biggest horse ia the world— a three-year-old colt, still growing, that stands 22hds (!) and weighs 17001b. — The Lover, one of Sommeil's sons, engaged in the Caulfield Cup at 6.10, is described as one of the best-looking two-year-olds ia Victoria. — Roseniinster's name, it turns out, was included by mistake in the N.Z. Cup list of nominations. She is entered for the Champagne Stakes. —Mr Ormond's Ilium, l>y Albany — Helena, broke hie leg while exercising for the Ladies Bracelet at Hawke's Bay and had to be destroyed. — In the Newmarket Stakes, run on May 23, Ladas, starting at 12 to 1 on, went to the front half a mile from home and beat St. Florian by two lengths. — A steady decrease in totalisator investments at the Hawke's Bay Winter meeting is disclosed. In 1891 the total was £6184 ; in 1892, £5191 : in 1893, £4862; in 1894, £4192. — Lord Rosebery is one of tbe few statesmen who have made a speech in the House of Lords defending racing. In February 1873 he said, " It is noble, manly, distinguished, and in its history a decidedly national amusement." — I observe that Conjurer, Napier, Annie Laurie, and other blood horses belonging to Mr F. R. White are to be sold by auction at Gore on Saturday. This should be a chance to pick up something at a reasonable price. Conjurer looks very well. — A mistake in the name of Acone, tbe winner of the Canterbury Park Stakes, caused some confusion. Acone was entered as Acorn, and many people did not back Acone because they fancied it was Acorn— an unknown quantity to them. —In tho Supreme Court, Melbourne, Mr Justice Hood awarded Mr Cox, proprietor of the j Moonee Valley Racecourse, £596 in his actkn ' against the Essendon Municipal Council. Plaintiff had claimed £20,000 damages for injury to his I property. — The yearling filly by St. Clair— Gitana, now being trained from Stewart Waddell's stable, and coining on very nicely, is to be known as Arline. This name is appropriate as well as pretty, for Arline is the Bohemian Girl, hence the relation to Gitana. — In a recent American paper it is said that 30,000d0l has been refused for the trotting sire Albert W. sire of the Hon. G. M'Lean's horse Del Paso. One of Albert Wa sons, Little Albert by name, put up a record of 2min lOsec for a mile in America during last season. — The horses first backed in Dunedin on the appearance of the Cup weights were Pinrose and Prime Warden, and there were inquiries for Solano. At Wellington the early selections were Au Revoir, Magazine, and Pinrose. I hear that Skirmisher was backed up north before the weights came out. — When he first took to racing Lord Rosebery used to bet heavily, and many anticipated that he would quickly come to grief, but his lordship never wagered unless he had good information, and those who predicted his downfall had in the end to express their admiration of him as a speculator on the turf. — At Geraldine last week Mr R. Hood's Refused beat Mr De Renzy's Dust, and by the terms of the ma f ch the last-mentioned owner lost his horse, the agieement being that the winner took both Mr t- ugden's Daisy then beat Mr Crow's Rata, and the third match, between Lopear and Fire King, resulted in a dead heat.

— The V.R.C. Derby favourite, Dreamland, from all accounts is doing well, and, Bays" Verax" he is entitled to hold the position he occupies in the betting at sto 1. Cobbitty, a great favourite of mine, is one of the most improved horses at Flemington, and does good work. The son of Abercorn— Copra will take a lot of beating in this race.

— Hamlet, by Hildebrand, captured all tho good things at the recent WUcannia (N.S.W.) meeting, but was protested against on the ground that his full performances during the last two years had not been given when nominated. The committee of tbe W.R.C. met subsequently, when they decided to uphold the protest, and to disqualify Hamlet and the owner. — The sum of £3349 was put through the totalisator at the Hawke's Bay Hunt Club meeting. Although there were several spills during the day no one was hurt. The preßß report says that Russell, on Moltke, bad rather a miraculous escape. Tho horse, at full speed, struck the picket fence with his chest; snapping two rails and post clean off, and shooting his rider a dozen yards away. Neither horse nor rider was hurt. — The special commissioner of the London Sportsman says that negotiations are in progress with a view to securing one of the best Musket horses to stand in England next sta on. The horse they are after is Trenton. A well-known English breeder writes that Trenton should cross equally well with the unsound Newminster, irritable Blacklock, and soft Stockwell strains that compose our present fashionable blood. His pedigree is made up of the stoutest and best strains.

— Mr N. Nathan, the well-known bookmaker, appeared m Monday as plaintiff in a libel suit claiming £600 against the Wairarapa Star. He had bought seats for a performance at the Opera House in February, which were wrongly given to others, and he complained in rather loud language about it. The Star published two telegrams on the subject, which.- Nathan claimed accuses him of dishonesty, immorality, and of having used obscene language. The jury returned a verdict for £50. — Seldom has the Two Thousand provoked more heavy wagering than that in connection with the ontest for the famous struggle in 1855. A memorable day this for the Day family, since all three — John Barham, John, and William — had representatives in the race, and opposed one another tooth and nail. The winner, Lord of the Isles, was the property of the great Scotch ironmaster, Mr Merry, for whom William Day then trained. St. Hubert, who was second, belonged to Mr Padwick, and was trained by J. B. Day, whilst Lord Howth's Kingston, who Becured third place, was prepared by John Day. — Before the days of express trams and tel graphs, suya the Field, a good horse was the quickest mode of carrying intelligence, and 400 or .WO years ago arare trade in ht jlen horses was done at fairs. To such, an exteut, indeed, had boise stealing grown that in 1555 an attempt was made to check it by having properly appointed fairs for h 'rses, and thus it was that they became divorced from the pleat ure fair. Horse fairs ate not pgculiar to EDgland. In point of the numbers lent to them, Howden, Horncastle, and Lincoln are nowhere alongside those which used to be held at Nijni Novgorod ; while at BerHgchefF no fewer th-.n 40,000 horses are said to hrvve been jrathcred t" gether.