SPORTING NOTES FROM TASMANIA. By Tasman. Launceston, September 7.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 32

SPORTING NOTES FROM TASMANIA. By Tasman. Launceston, September 7.

Mr C S. Agnew has made another valuable j addition to his Whverley Stud, having leased the ! Melbourne Cup winner Glenloth for ooc year, j and at the moderate fee of 10g3thesonof Glenmarkie should command plenty of patronage. New blood is wanted badly in Tatunania, for our horses of recent years have been wanting in bone and Bub&tance, the result possibly of too many •weeds being allowed to perpetuate thtir specie?, together with the great inducements held out to breeders to raise speedy rather than stout horns. John Oaborne, in his admirable work, " The Horsebreeder's Handbook," ha 6 something to say on the subject. He says : "My own view is that the English thoroughbred has palpably degenerated in stamina from several distinct cau e3. 3*rominent among these (independently of tho Jwphflzard manner they are now bred) is that which has had direct effect upon their action and Upon their lungs — viz., the undue inert-use of sprint racing; and the style of training for it " Glonloth is a massive brown horse, with great bone. He lacks nothing on tht» score of breeding, ana is a proved 6tayer. If, then, with these credentials he fails as a progenitor of blood stock, I fihttll be surprised. It is a somewhat singular coincidence that Mr Agnew should have hit upon two Melbourne Cup dinners for Lis WavetW stud who won that lace under precisely »iinil*r conditions— that \t, En a shower of rain, each with 7 13 in the saddle. Both victories are itgardtd as being of a flukey nature. Portsca, it is svid, would have won had lie not falle*, but of all the certainties command me to the one that falls down. lam reminded of Cordon and " Banker's Dream" : *' ' I dreamt ' someone said, 'the bay would have mode The race safe, if he had stood a while longer.' 'If he had. But, like "if," there the panel stands stiff — • He stood ; but the panel stood stronger." JPemmiUy I am inclined to think The Admiral ■would have won the Cirp of 1892 had the going been sound. Still, however, Glen'oth preyed by hi* victory that he was a 6tayer of no meau order, and should be su2cessful at the stud. The local horses engaged in the Caulfieid and M«lbtui>ve Cups do not number many, and with the exception of one are Dot entitled to much consideration. The one whose chances mu^t not be ovcrlo. ked ii Music, He has, I h-rar, wintered well, and by the day should be in r;u« br-rkle. In the Caulfield Cup the son • f Mozart hns been weighted at 8.6, mid in the Melbourne Cup nt 8 0. For my own part I prefer his chance in the Caulfield event tfilvf.roM, auo'her Mozart horse, v on the same niark us Taranaki, but I am not enamoured of hi* chance ; and as for Lena, the Cre<•wick ma-e, I think the odds are " Lombard 6i,reet to a bath bun." But 1 have overlooked anotherTamanian horse, albeit he is not locally owned — to wit, Stiahan. This bors« must always be labelled dangerous, but he is such an in-and-out customer that backers would do well to let him severely alone. He is like the hoise that was backed by a punter on the ditect assurance from the sUble that he would *' brck 13." The race was won in sood time with the recoid-broaker nowhere. "Break 1!)!" his backer aft-rwarda observed in bitterness of spirit ; "ho would break 113 if they were fools enough to back him!" I " pass" Stiahan. For the Cauliield Cup 1 like the following halfdozen :— Bruin, Kiridsford, Hova, Music, Taylor's best, aud Davis's beat. Melbourne Cup —Dreamland, Atlas, Elowick, Chsllocger, The Trier, IVston. Delawere. The Harvester, Mahee, Biuin, Hova, B mine Scotland, &n>- to lcrhice this lot down to three I will declare for Dreamland, Preston, Delawere. The proverbial stoim in a teacup has been raging here lately over the decision of tbe leading raringboJy in the north uftheisland.theT.T.C , to hold lace meetings annually on Boxing Day. Hitherto tho Catrick Racing Club hasraced ou this day, and its cxicutivc claim thht it ii unfair to a*k them to nhdic.tte Tliis, I undeistand, is the gist of the matter, and while sympathising with the Carrii-k Cub 1 ilo not thii'k that th-vt holy ran rea-on.ibly expeft tlie mctropol-tun club to give way. The rl.uhiiiK "f tho iixluro- is a matter to be n-gretttd as both clubs will hufltr, and iv the end it will be the pui vival of the fittest I suppose. Let. us hope, however, that an amicable settlement Vi'l ensue. The local Pony Racing Club hold meetings »very other Saturday, and would seem to have a fair hod of the race going pulilic ju<leing by the attetiddncp?. The < lub'a course at " E'phin " has been greatly improved «ince la--t bcasou, and financial th ncs are in a sound state. I have often thought that it is a pity to tee the bulk of ihe owners of these 80-callod ponies racing purely

for monetary gain, as it will lead to grave evils fcooiuir or later. Four piiket mare* from John Field's Cobtock ftvid visit Victoria this in >uth for (he purpa<a of. b( { .'ig mated with Pi grim's I'iigie-s and Afnlvolio. Thi iiim'cs arc Cmudia Queen Msib, both by I^a jidi'jt, who are to be p-.t to t^c son of Isonomy, and Ca'uline nnd Ambition will visit Miilvolio. With «t donbt the fouy brood mares fur pcJitjree wouUl hu hard to bfat ia the Aiutraliiiit co'ouics Claudia is out of Claudine, who is full sift<n- 1 1 Sheet Anchor, whilst Ambition is a full sister to Hopetoun, by Pioto-Jlartyr frmn Pr.nd'ira. Some diy I cxpe-t this mare to give the turf a real clinker. She is frame I on much biggwr lines {hen the Ikgjt Handicap winner, but, like her relative, the possessed a rare turn of foot, and appeared to most advantage over fchort courses.