SECOND (METROPOLITAN STAKES) DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 31

SECOND (METROPOLITAN STAKES) DAY.

The long expected and much-prayr d-for rain came down on Monday night and Tuesday mom« ing, rendering thi going ai Randwirk som.-what hoiivy, but withal excellent. It stopped raiulng about noon, but no thrtat-ning was tho ontfook th«t a large number of intending p-ttrens topped at homo; albeit there inu«t havobi.en quit- lO.WX) present at on-* portion of tha afternoon. Tho books Jiad much tha best of tho deal during the d<jy, tho Metropolitan Stiikt-S ruoniug p.oving terribly disastrous to the rank and Hid of backers. This puntttis staited very auspiciously too, as on Ilwiutdirey Oxonhnm withdrawing SoUmmi and Plain Bs!l froni the Shirts (six furlongs) they swooped on tohii btowncolt Wntorf 11 (Nmg-ua— Little Wauaer), who wat nicely handi-at'P-d at 7.2, and suit him out Uvouiito at 3to 1 aibelt oppc^Kd by 17 uthers ; Witchery 7.!> being ucxt in favour at sb, whiUt 10"a were on offer »g tin.it auy» thing pise. Bat>el 8.5, Dahu^ny 7.10, and WitUzer 8.1 b-i>-g oct^UHonslK uil)>.kd nt. Wit hery and I)oris 7.\'i made play, followed by Wakawatea 97, Wnterf-.nl, »»d B*Wl. Before they kad | traversed h*lf a furlon/, Lwgver, Doris ian up top, and continued there till tie distam-e, when Fiefclar broutjhe tha f:vv/>urite up, a bat'lo royal 'twixt he and ]>thivny(>?ljoc.nne very fist in tho l\st furling) eroutuatmg in Waterfall getting humo by a head, Doris (lnijbiv>g thtee leiifj hs bo« liind Dttlmeny, thw im>x(i in oider being Witchery, Wak*w*U-a, bluo Cap, YVHow Plufli, and tk)Uwith IKb-.-l Invt TL'iio, lmin 18pM-o. Hklf a score saddled up for the Spring Maiden Sufkeg, of a mile ami n-h^lf, and owing to tho bukl frout ho hwl diapUyod in the Duby, Onward was made f*rourite as 5 to 2; Mr J. M Swoe>y's coli B»wi (Kubinson (Jriisoiv-- Pil-Rri«a.-»Uf>) buing suppurtotl down to 4't<, Flintock figuriMfl at s's ana WyuJong a.t B's. Mount Victoria quickly e.ita)>li-h-.d a ttveleiigtln' leal from Onward and \Vyal->ng; but at the entrance to tho Btj'iMflht she Wiis do/ie with, and Hewi coining aw":y \y.in oinfortAb-y by two lengtlis fioiu tho favruriie, I:-spu-.»tio?) b«i»g a bimilar d ; st.wiCo aw*y thirJ, Mount Victoria fourth, Flititlook llftfa^whilft i'er.soua actc>i ns whipp^r in throughcut tbo j.>um.'y Tiny, 2inin 43 .re. Tl>-ro wore 22 start-ers for the Mtrtu.po'itan 3t-»kcs. of a mils and a-half, and I may jnvt as well (n»ote tho st.iHi^gpiKO of oanh.: 3's Qiiiyer, 4'B Tt>e Trhir, s's Co-ir.Ulio I?* N'»bli-m-ui, Oxide, 14' a Twmtt.r, 20V R.jn) Kis->, ))lu« Pete*, Trlrol«u?, 26's P;ilj A fc i, 11-coui*tnictioH, ' Irv«»,I rv«», 33^8 Fita Donovan, Stip.-rb, Acton, st>'B Sundijl. Vono, Divison, Oadlo, E'ir/-k^, Woodf nl Uueimlf. It whs a t.irc good srni t, Uoyal Raie boiug tlie lirat to anticip.ate it, and lemling pa*>t the stand from Nobleman, Woodford, C.iumtlie, Uucnatf, and Quiver, with Sundiwl bringing up tin rear. Going out of tho srraieht CourHllio took cuimunnil, l>Mid-. ing p««t Ox«»nl\jim'H from Nobl«man, Quiver, Acton, and Pita-Donovan. Sweeping lound to tho buck Quiver wsw Be^n to bo 1> »iiig ground, wlnlnt 'l]he Trtt-r, ridden hard, was evidently in ditlieultias aa well. Approaching the Btraiftht O.>ur»lli'', Woo-ifiml, and Nobk-mau were in tho v*n, rollowe<l l\y Ruenalf and The frier ; but ones vrilh th*ir hetyis fairry turned for homo Woodford took up th« rimtiing, clj.-ely pursue- 1 by Ruemalf, a devpi>r«vte struggVs between the pair culminating in YYoodford »fc%Hl:u; oil' tbo br ther Ui Patron, hut being imn»odi»ttly chulleti^d by Noblomaii, who spun j«ait kiin wiUi the celerity of " greased lijjh'.in^," and won by three lengths, Rimnalf, who flufa'od with unfti»cbiuK (j.\n>«tM»*>', being enly a hea^l bebin i Wfod-focd, whilat OouraXid was weil uj fouith, after him coauug Superb, Tho Trier, Tureailoi", Quiver, Oxidi, Acbvn, Crndle, und FitzDonovan, ttie la. t three being Olive, Veno, and Euiok'V Time, 2mm 40yeo, tho concluding portion being excepti -nally faat. Tho icsult whh!) complex surprise to the vast majority of backers, who had completely deserted Nobleman >frer hin fsvihwo in the Kpsom Haivdlcap on Saturday Quiver's running, too, was somo what panvdoxical ; b«it unle-w tfeo daughter of Trenb>u and Tre<mi>< na is at oncj takvn to tha front and allowed to costiuue there of her own sweet will she ib npt to run unkindly. Rueualf ran a givjkt horse utvier 8.9. and may possibly improve thereon in the Oaulneki Cup with only lib more. No v Iftm-^n hi»s inct tired a 141b penalty for that event, bringing h)B<woight up to 8 11. The four-year-old son of Tho Australian Peer and Partdoxii a bit of a b.jbbyoazzler though when in tho humour. There was a pot of money lOBt over Quiver in Melbourne, 2 to 1 being actually accepted about her chance yesterday morning. D^ar ol<l Hairy Uuynor traiua N-bltmin, and I hopa Uie veteran had a g>iod wiu. 'i'he A J.« ■. ivoi)le this year discarded tho Oaks and substituted therpf >r tho Ntw Htskts, a mile d*sh for th'ee-\e,ir-olds, with special weights and penalties This brought out a field of half a dozeo, Ma&nHchcr and Form having each a 71b penalty. Loch Leigh and Valiant 3lb each, whilst Vivian hiid Rednvni cscap«d tcathelesH, Vivian car:yi»ig 8.12. Valiant was made favourite though at 2 to 1, Manulicber po-ing at 3's, Vivian and Form at s's. and Loch Leigh and KcdiWM ft KKs. Aa in sHe L'rrby. Mannlicher ciaFh«d off from hcoio, and br<. light tlie fldd along titl hnlfn-Ay up *tbo *tiaight, where Vivum collared him and Ixafc him homo by four lenethe, F«rm a length away third, followed by Ucdavnf, Vuliant, and t.och Leigh. Tiruo, lmin 4b"-eo. Ballyhool^y 10.12 sk*rt«l a 5 to 2 favourite ia a flcll of a dozen f<>r tho Kirt Stccplerhase, of about two mile* and a-h*lf ; but Wateibury 10.0, who started at s's, euchred, him by four lengths in Grain 42fcc, Kpantar 9.10 being third, whilst the only otheis b) finish were Ukck Tracker, Alarm Bell, Ca>tlebar, ani Mark Twain. The Kquattsis' ll»ndicap, of a mile and aquarter, brought the second day's racing to a close, and in a fleW of 10 Lutle Agnes 8.12 and Hindoo 6.10 divided public favour at i to 1 each, Dalmeny 7.5 being supoorted down to s'a, Geiiortina 7.5, Solanum 92, «nd Measauate 8 5 at 7a, Hindoo is a fonr-year-idd btlonging to Mr S. v Hor.Vern. sired in England, but foiled- in New South Wa3e». Ho is by Rtghtawiiy (son of Wiadom), hwdam b*ing Dolatrp (by IsoßomyftomLa Trapoe. by derraH) ;flo tba* he is justabo\ita!»blueblooic^t as they irujKirk them. Ho itovwl tbot he b»a uomething more th»n arbtocratie bteedrog to recomHKnd him boo. as he kept up amount the leaders unvil a furlong and a-haJf from home, when he bid them "Ta-tol" and scampered in three lengths in advance of Gozoreina, who In turn held a length advantage over Moswnate, whose nearest comiagnons de voyage weto Dalmeuy, Scotch Lasoie, Aorous, L ttle Agnes, nnd Solanum. Time, 2m in 14see. TUFTS OF TURF. Bruin, Beat Bower, and Hova are doing wonderfully well at Flomington. The Harvester wid The Heroine are not doing so well at Handringbam, whiUt The Merry Boy ia stiil growing. Leeway has been withdrawn from the Caulnela Cup and Melbourne Cup. Tho Officer (Robinson Crusoe— Marie Louise) fully cndor«ed the laudatory remarks I forwarded you »nent his quality by arm* xine the first event ho started for. However, as Raak was conceding him no le*a than 32ib (exclusive of sexunl allowance) on heavy going, it was small cause for wonderment that she should go down before him. J?ot all th»t The Offloer is the best two-year-old I nave seen stripped as yet this season . Idolatry, the dam of Hindoo, is at present on a vhit to Si Albans. Mr J. J. Miller is publishing an Australian Monthly Racing Chronicle <1b per month ; 10s a year) which is a marvel of conciseness. CRICKET. There's been a curious development in tha cricket world of Victoria. Laafc Beason the Melbourne Cricket Club made "whips of stuff out of the visit of Stoddart's English team and the five (so-called) te3t matches. The other clubs took no money (comparatively Bpeaking) at tntir "gates," and lost members hand over fist, the advantages offered by an M.C.O. memberaM»

prov'ng im-si-tible. 'Die time-honoured inter colonial cjntosLi icsolved thni\ c elve& into icifecfc " fros'.s," and in <>Md uf tl'P clubs foimirg tlio Virt-iitin Ciii kt-tcr-t' A-.s chlion r<oMvin£ a M divy " (as per usual), fry bad to f».> to the Srea-ury nnd " ante up" JCVI a del fnt-.: to pay " crx.'i." 'ilicn 1 v t> r r *i\ cl .l>s in A ll'V ; -5 on ;. ticl leven in W Di\'s ; ' n !:i>t u> t ; fWrih N o'biHinie Iropirine dnwn \.\-i < I'ih \ .1 '. In- iv i tig. ted So (lit? B's this. hO.i- <n, \iC- lti.-hwond upiauad , Jrom B to A throi-gi « t.iiniiig the piemier^hip if fc^eir 6cction. Actug en the advice of ' ihe leading cricket sen her, IJawksHurn, Conn?, and Brighton determined to h-avc junior tanks and blns^om as seniors, which would have hiousht 16 clubs into pennant play— eight in each division. But tbis evidently didn't suit, the books of the leading clubs, who decided to ,"Equn«h" the Viet' rian Cricketers' Association, Mvi form a new bo.iy of their own under the title of the Victorian Gtiiket League, taking the conduct of all iutcrro'onial and international aia!cbet>. The original idea was to have only fix SluViß in the charmed circle— Melbourne, £a»t Melbourne, North Melbourne, South Melbourne. Fitisroy, and St. Kilda— but a few of u« raided BU'to a pow-wow in the press as to the injuries r-f "mihl-ssly wipii.g out" such old identities in the cricket w.rld as Richmond and Carlton that the six recalcitrants re con tigered matters, and al'owed the two clubs named to join in the corns' ct, leaving the Univtr ity fellows out in the cold. As iv matter of fact, there's not much hardship so fa- >-s iinivtrfity men are cwrerned, became in all svort th^c* members have only an ephemeral existence (whilst tk«y are bbMjiing tru-ir depees at the univt rsity), nud they play in such a (jp^moJic and_ perfunct</ry sort of manner as to qnite ruin all competitions where a premiership is oo c^tiied. That bns been my oxpeiienco— ai-retty le::e | h« i n"d one. In nccordauce with tlieir vic^s the eight clubs desitous of forming the new league fphl in their resignations from the VicW-an Orjc k"ters' Association, and by so doing ceasi d to bf long tot hat body forthwith. And now they discover th^t by bo doing they have lost all control over the Sheffi'-ld Slii 'd. which is held by the Victotinu Criclateis' A- o-iation, a»d will .have to be wrested fiom that body by one of the other colonies in hnme-aud-horae inte> colonial contents. A very pretty little kettle of fish, ia it not ? However, I ho Vicorian Cricket League have evidently '"nobbled" scwe of the leiding (by) men on ihe Victorian Cricketers' A'snciation, who aie advising thtir feliov/8 to yield up the position gracefully in the interests of the. game (Heaven B*ve the mark !) ; 60 that we f.haU bee what we shall ccc.

FOOTBALL. After a «ca r ou truly v..mark«ble for the pirn form di«pH>j'<rl, FitzroyWvcg.un<»d the preniiei ship by Bix points over Get-long and Melbourne, whilst if Cdlingwood win then match ou Sntuxiay (wliich they are almott certain to do) there will be a "toi" bitweun Gcelong, M*lJjourua, aud Collingwood for recond place Fitzroy have only bern defeMed once cluiing the Beaton (by Gcelong at G.^clong), but thov bye drawn no leas than five gomes, some of th*m ocainst <otmß 'way down on the premiership li*t. Th-ir great strength has been d f.mce that is the point by which thry wore down all oppo era. They thoroughly deserve the pr. miershiij, as they have bottled for it manfully for Fome )2 years without previously ohtsining it. Public interest in Victorian football has been vny lax though during the season just closed, a number of the mutches being viewed in the same light as " selling races " on the turf.