AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 33

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

By Tazhoa. April 29. j The Autumn meeting of the Auckland R.C. coW eluded at Ellerslie last Saturday under most favourable circumstances. The weather was again perfect, and a largo attendance resulted. Th« ' betting totalled £20,8*8, which is over £3508 better than the figures for the corresponding meeting last year. Those who won at the meeting were very lucky, for the unexpected happened in several instances. To show what I mean, ' there were six big dividends, viz :— Lady Anno, £11 12 and £6 16s ; Napoleon. £15 16s ; Pauoplv. £5553; Porangi Potae, £i 7 13s; The Dr.,ne, £34 19s ; and Defiant, £15 odd Well, Lady Anna had not shown anything like winning form for 12 months ; Napoleon was sold by Mr Hayr last month for £'U, because he was reckoned no good ; Panoply was stable mate to the favourite in his race, and was thought by his rider and trainer to have no s!»o\v ; '1 he I 'rone only won through the favourite being blocked iv her race ; Porangi Potae owed her win entirely to the fortunate way fche b»at the field at the start ; aud Defiant' -s . rider and owner thought he was so badly weighted that, acting on advice telegraphed by the former, thu lTou. .1. D. Ormond wired to have the coir, Hcrutchati, but fortuimtely the message was not; delivered until after the horse had won his race. , What sort of luck was that ? Thy opening race was the Maiden Hurdles, for which Tim was a strong favourite. This horse was third finisher in the Open Hurdles the first; 'lay, ami was bought after the racu by George Wright for £90 l'iln won the maiden race easily, and put £-JOO into tho pockets of Wright, who thereupon sod for £150. Smart work that. In the Open Hurdles Miss Nelson was a strong f.ivnurite, but she came a cropper eaily in tho itice, and then Levanter and liukatere not run ninsrup to anything like form, the light-weight Auguadowpy. who tcok a strong lead early in the X'pee, streaked awny and won as he liked. The big race, the St. George's Handicap, of; I2osovs, on« mile, resulted in a complete boil-over. Sixteen hoive-i started, Doris and Fabulist being: the favourites. Doris had two stable mates (Panoply and Lady Marion) in the race, but neither was given a show, it being considered a. good thing for Uoii.-t, but she showed nothing like form, and finished in ths ruck. The field were bunched throughout the race, and entering the straight it was anyone's race. Panoply then hac , half v length's lead of Flying Fish ; then come j Markincu, Cist Ashore, Lady Marion, and Fabulist, all of a heap. So they battled on until the j distance post saw them all within heads of each j other. Murkinch had to pull out to avoid a crocs, anil Panoply shot his head well clear of the otheri, ! but he could not gain a bit moie advantage, and • one of tho best finishes ever seen at Ellerslie rei suited iv Panoply beating Cast Ashore by a head ; ; l.ady Marion a head behind the second horse, and. ; Fabulist a neck behind Lady Marion. The others I were bunched close up. The mile took Imin ; 45$ sec to cover (at least three of the horses hod | bctin tried to do it in Imin 42sec), and Panoply I paid the big dividend of £55 5-=. His stable people bad dumped their dollars on to Doris, neither Ihe rider nor trainer nutting a penny on Panoply, bus I liis owner, Mr 11. H. Hayr, would not let the t borse run loon*, so took two tickets on him. In toe Stc«plefhase an exceptionally tine finish was ridileu by John Kae on Kingswood Mozel had quite 10 lengths lead coming down the hill the last time, anu it appeared impossible for the second horse iKingswoori) to get up. but Rue apparently knew to un ounce what was left in bin horse, and virUnc him fairly vigorously ha reduced the gap to three lengths by the time the la«t hurdle was croMhed. Ev«n then Mozei looked a sura winner, but ll.us sat down on Kingswood, and lidiiis; a determined finish drew up inch by inch, and fairly lifting hit mount over the lasL dozen yards snapped Mozel on the post and won by a. head. Strange to say, the race wa* run in exactly the game time (limin 41sec) that Kihgswood and Mii>s Nelson cul out their dead heat iv last Tue-t-d*y. It. was a pretty finish, ana one well worthy of'Uae. Iv the half-mile Criterion Haudicap the twoyear GuiraHßi'i' liUv Mies Emmy (winner of the Champagne Stakes) gave a brilliant exhibition. She shot off at the jump, and won with > bit in baud, running the halfmile" in 48J;sec:. She will develop into a gieat mare if looks go for anythiog. The live-furlong Grand Stand Handicap was a lucky rac* for Porangi Potae. Half a dozen were stronaly backed, but ijie filly mentioned nevev gave them a hope. She got a lucky l<sa<i when the bariier ran up, and by the time Ihc field were on their feet she had f< ur lengths load, aud this she retained to the finish, Lady Cuisine aud Sword Fish filling the places. Dividend, £17 13a. Time, lmiuSsec. The Victoria Handicap (tor two-year-olds) was % good thing for the St. Leger— -Pingara colt St. Crispin, who led throughout and won easily. The Cas' or filly Janet was well backed, but .«he still shows nothing of the track form she displayed early this season. I fancy she will run a vastly impioved mare when her three-year-old career opens. The Pony Hurdles was won easily by Repeat, whofe first essay it was in a jumping event. I forgot to mention when describing the steeplechase that St. Simou, who is by far the best jumping horse we have here, .srarted and got round ail right, but Irs display wa<s not convincing. The big Winter meeting will see him in great shape, and I atu prepared to thus e.irly say he will be * very hard norte to beat in the double— hurdles and steeplechase. A long shot in that direction woulo be a good bat. Messrs M'Leod and Clelaid, the owners rvf Sabretache, are bringing the colt over to .Auckland, and have nominated him for the Takapuna > meeting next mouth. St. Paul went down to Wellington last week t.. fulfil his Thompson Handicap engagement. I think he will be"at everything bar Waiuku, who I atn glad to say verified my belief expressed in these columns that he would win the Great Autumn Handicap. Ho was pretty well backed here by cute people to win the douhle at that gathering, if lie wins the Thompson Handicap I don't think he will pay anything of a dividend, as his backers are in funds just now. v One man who follows him strongly had a fair win at our meeting l»st week. He backei The Drone (£34 l!h div.), Panoply (£55 5"), and Porangi Potae (£l7 13s), so I reckon he will have a splash on Waiuku should he be in a winning humour.