AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2258, 10 June 1897, Page 33

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bt Taihoa.

June 7. The weather for the opening day of our Grand National meeting was all wrong. During the morning rain poured down in perfect sheets, converting the Ellerslie tracks and lawns into a ma9s of slush. Naturally the attendance suffered, but not so the betting returns, the grand total after the last rs.ee figuring out at £5595, or £133 in advance of the corresponding total last year. The racing was splendid, the fight for the National Hurdles being the best ever ssen at i Ellerelie. , The opening event, the Maiden Steeplechase Handicap, of lOOsovs, about two miles and a-half,' looked a good thing for Tim, Rhino, or Perform, 'and the bulk of the money was lodged on tho three in the order named. Tim rau far behind his Takapuna form, and left Rhiuo and Perform to settle the stake between them. Forella stuck with the leaders until the last half mile, but at that stage he was done with. Perform had too much pace in the run home for Rhino, and won comfortably by two lengths from him, with Ditto a poor third. Tally-ho, who was fourth, gave a poor performance. Time, smin 35sec. Dividend, £5 Cs. - A great 'fight was expected in the Winter Welter Handicap, of lOOsovs, one mile, when it was known that all the 14 acceptors were starting. Wit 1 10.0 on hi«-back R"gel's chance looked the beet, and' i»o3t money went against his name. The lighter-weighted Retaliation and Pyroxylin were almost level second favourites, and to show I whivr. a good betting race it was, St. Gordon, the j third favourite, retnrned "a tenner" dividend. ! The Foulshot horse Pyroxylin, who had run a j good trial, made stroni play for seven furlongd of ' the journey, leading the field by three lengths from the start until the straight was entered ; but he petered "out there, and St. Gordon, who had been waitiDg on the leader, shot to the front and beafc off the crowd comfortably." Panoply lumped 11.0 into second place, and then came Cleopatra close ou his' heels. The mile took lmin 54isec— not bad going considering the bog they were travelling through. Dividend, £10. As for the Grand Natioual, a finer display was never given over the Ellerslie hurdles. Loaded with 12.12'5t. Simon ran the race of a champion, I aud showed conclusively that his form at Tnka.-puna-was false. As regards the betting, Annalielle kept her place as favourite right up to the flag falling. The night before ia Tatteroaile Calcutta sweep she was bought by the owssf-«£Tr level money price, and was considered an aD3olutu i moral. Dummy also was in high favour, hi1 ptarting price beine only a few points--cbeHinu ' Annabelle's. The Watsou party said the x fiea>y ! ground mattered nothing " Dummy can win it I the mud is knes deep !'' was their cry, and their dollars backed up that belief. Troubadour was I also entrusted with big support, but at the start the supporters of Prince Charlie were rather sour on their cbanco. All these horses loo"k«d as fit as hands could make them. Su did Miss Nelsou, but punters stood off her at the fiuißb. As for St. Simon, backers left him alone until his chance stood at l(Ho 1, and not even the withdrawal of his stable mate Pansy from the race caused any decent letnrn of confidence in- the big son of St. Leg'-r. With <he Takipuna running before them, ■ and in view of the heavy goiug, it was hard to | trust a horse loaded with 12.12. " He's not a Liberator, so how can he win 1" was the general I veniict, but after the race the cry was. " Liberator i was never his equal." A truer declaration was never made. Annabelle and Hairy Legs cut out » good pace considering the going, with Dummy clo3e up, Hex not far away. -That about Rums the lace up until the last three furlongs. Theu Hairy Legs fell away beaten, the whip was shown to Ilex, and Aunabelle streaked away looking a sure winner. 'Mies Nelson had never assumed a dangerous aspect, naither had Prince Charlie nor Troubadour, the rider of the last-named lj ing too far away right through the journey. After | traversing half a mile The Friar broke a bloodi vessel, and was pulled up. Entering the straight you could hear nothing but "Annabelle wins !" lor her rider was sitting quiet and the mare showed no signs of faltering. Then Fergus sat down on St. 'Simon, who was nearly last seven furlongs from home, and Mr Skipwith's horse swept past vhe fast tiring Dummy and Ilex, who was labouring heavily. Even with St. Simon's great dash into the. straight it looked odds on Annabelle, for she was a long length to the good at the last jump and going steadily. Again and again Fergus called on the top weight, who r^ponded like a champion to every call of the rider. Annabelle landed over the last hurdle all right, and even then Morrigau was not bustling her, simply holding the mare straight and letting her sail on. Fergus shook St. Simon on landing, and, leaving the whip alone, got to work with hands and heels, and almost before Morrigan on Annabelle could grasp the fact St. Simon was on her girths, and the mare had to be ridden. Every stride told in favour of the top weight, who was going at his work like a bulldojr, and the most galUnt finish ever witnessed at Ellerslie resulted in the big horse beating the mare a clear length ; Ilex, three lengths away, third : Troubadour fourth — he was ridden a bad race ; Prince Charlie and Miss Nelson close up behind Troubadour, and then Dummy. The two mi lea took 4rnin lHsec. Dividend, £11 9s. Although the favonrites'had landed the public iv a hole, cheer after cheer greeted St. Simon and his rider as the pair entered the saddling paddock. Racegoers recognised the merit of the win, and you found losers cbesriog just as lustily as backer* of the winner. The display given in Melinite's Grand National year by Liberator, who won the Open Hurdles at that meeting \yy a marvellous run over the last half mile, used to be our criterion of a champion late run, but after Saturday "Lib." must give way to Simon. The Selling Steeplechase, of 80sovs, about three miles, was a gift to Mozel, who won in a jog. Reflection, a stable mate to the winner, ran second, and Shillelagh third. The other runnera included tyro old-timers, Magpie and Fishmonger, a pair of 'chasers that have battled their way over Elleralie hill for many years pa«r. Time, 7min 2sec. Dividend, £1 17s — a small dividend, but one that will have to be reckoned with by most bookmakers throughout the teland. After the race Mozel was bought in by the owner for 65gs. Half a dozen started in the Maiden Hurdles, of lOOjovs, one mile and three quarters. This was thought a soft thing for the Gisbirne mare Glauvenu, and between Muscatel and Dentist there was little to choose as regards betting, but a lot as legards pace. Glauvena jumped off, and cut out a pace that looked good enough to lose the rest, but she turned it up after going like smoke for a mile and a-half, and then Dentist had a turn at ■ leading. He had the appearance of a winner until the run home was started, and then Mus-

;atel trotted out a turn of speed that fairly boiled lim. The Foulshot mare only crossed the line a ength ahead, but her run was made pretty late. Jlauvena was third, 10 lengths away. Her runling hadn't an ounce of conviction in it. Time, Jmiu 43sec. Dividend, £3 19a. The Pony Hurdle Race was won fairly comforfcibly by Bob, Libeller and Recruit being in the places. Time, 3min B}sec. Dividead, £4 19s. There was soma decent wagering at Tattersall's jn Saturday on the Great Northern Steeplechase. St Simon's great victory in the Grand National Eurdles made him a warm favourit", 2 to 1 • igainst being the best prioe on offer. There was j *n offer to bet 500 to 200, but the amount was de- ; 3line"d, although 50 to 20 was afterwards accepted. , Levanter had a big following ; 100 to 10 was taken, a*nd on the horse shortening to 100 to 12 | bhose odds were |*ccepted to the extent of £550. Miss Nelson was backed for £200 at 100 to 9 and 100 to 10, the ringmen not being too anxious to write many wagers about her. Bombardier was bookocl at "300 to 18 against, and 100 to 10 about Bloz°l When King-" wood was called on 100 to 42 was "offered, but no deal resulted. Sufficient money was taken about him later on to place him second favoiuite at 6 to 1, Levanter being next choice at 8 to 1. aud Miss Nelson', Mozel, and Dromedary next at 100 to 5. j I omitted to mention in my notes on the urst j day's racing that the police took the names of all bookmakers ouerating on Saturday in view of thd probability of court proceedinps being brought a?ainst tbera, as was the case at Randwick. The weather'was fine overhead for the second (Steeplechase) day, but the going was heavymore so, in fact, than on the opening day. The racing opened with the Maiden Hurdles, of •, lOOsovs one mile nnd a-half, for which Dentist j was favourite, and Hniry Legs and Glauvena next j choice. Glauvena, Hairy Lags, Lady Agnes, and Dentist carried the field along for a mile ; then Glauvena went away f roiu the field. Dentist running third, 10 lengths away. Reaching the straight Lady Asrnes was two lengths in front of Glauvena who was being -wh'ppcd, the rest quite out of it. At the finis'i Lady Agnes won easily by five lengths from Glau\ena ; Dentist, 10 lenptbn awny, third. Time, 3min lOJsec. DiviBobrßerruit, & n & Libeller did all the work in the Pony Hurdles, of 50sovs, one mile and a-half, and a slashing finish resulted in Recruit beating Bib by a nock; Libeller, three lengths away, third. Napoleon »nd Daisy Bell came down du*iuK the race. Waldron, the rider of Daisy BpII, sustaiued concussiou of the brain. Wben the race of the day— the Great Northern Steeplechase, of 500>sovs, about three miles and a-half— cams up for decision the scratchings were Rtpsat Sep->v, and Bombardier. These withdrawals left 11 starterß. St. Simon and Levanter carried most of the money, the former being actual favourite. Mozel and Misß s elson were the next best backed ones. A detailed account will appear in another column, I presume, to I shall content myself with a skimming account of the contest. St. Simon, Mozel, The Friar, and Rhino made play early in the fight, the last-nam-d streaking away from the crowd. When they entered the plantation to climb the hill the i first time Deiacey. the rider of Rhino, let his mount out with a will, go that when the post and ] rails on the top of the hill were crossed by The j Da«phin gilding the nearest runner to him was ; Mozel. fully 30 lengths away. The Friar was i on Mozsl's he'ls. with Miss Nelson, Tally-ho, j Levanter, and Kingswood in a cluster, St. Simon j a bit away and running strongly. Wben the field j closed on the water jump Rhino was still slosglDg j ahead with a lengthy lead, and Kingswood had run up cloie to the foremost of the ruck Opposite to the stand Rhino swerved in crossing a fence, and hinged into the course railin?, carrying away a bis bit of the timber, but he kept the lead j ri?ht round to the bottom of the hill, when | Tally-ho took his place. Most of the others were by this time done with, St Simon having stopped j like « ehot after three miles had been covtred When they climbed the hill for the last round Tally-ho was 20 lengths ahead of Miss Nelson, L*vanter, Mozel, and Dromedary, with the rest of them taking it easy, for they were hopslessly out of the race. Tally-ho swept down the hill with uothing in active pursuit but Lrvanter and Mis* Nelson Jack Rae was riding Levanter, and the top weight cut down Tally-ho's advantage at flSfery stride until there was only four lengths oeTweea the nair as they raced at the wall leading i.o thft 'straight. At this critical stage Tally-ho rwngled her jump, and Levanter swept up to the Forerunner mare and had her beaten before the last hurdle was .iumned. At this stage Rae was looking round at' Tally-ho, who was three lengths ■fo the bad when Levanter crossed the line; Miss Nelsoa, 10 lengths away, third ; than came Drome 3ary ths only other finisher.. Time, Bmin 57«ec. Dividend, £i 9s. Levanter pulled up quite Bound, and was evidently capable of doing another mile. Annabelle, Ilex, and Dummy carried all the money in the Handicap Hurdles, of lOOsovs, one mile and three-quarters, and when it came to racing nothing had a hopa with Annabelle, who won easily by three lengths from Tim, Dummy third, and Ilex fourth. Time, 3min 47sec. Dividend, £3 3*. Perform had no difficulty in winning the Tallyho Steeplechase, of lOQsovp, about two and a-half miles. Tally-ho and Sam filled the places. Time. smin 41sec Dividend, £3 4s. The second and third favourites, Bombardier and Kingswood, were never iv it, the former's bad jumping killing his chance, while Kingswood's efforts in the Great. Northern Steeplechase left him without any dash. The starters for the Second Welter numbered 21, and we were given one of the finest races ever seen in a fIV. handicap at Ellerslie. Pyroxlyin went away with the lead, but two furlongs from home the field closed on him, and the lot swept up the straight like a troop of cavalry. A desperate finish took place, but a doze-i yards from the post Bonnie Blue (St. Simon's stable mate) got the advantage and beat Pyroxlyin by a neck ; Donovan a nlose third, and the rest bunched on the lalter'B bee's. Time, lmin 39sec. Dividend, £22 15j. The totalisator returns for the two diys figured out at £359S for the first day and £7248 for to-day, making a grand total of £12,846. The three yearlings in A^am Byers'B stable have been named as follows :— Cuirassier— Albatross filly, Parera ; St. Hippo— Bellona colt, St. Liwience; and Carbine— Hestia colt, O'Brien— the last-named after Daniel of that ilk. The death is reported of Redoubtable, a fouryear old mare by Nelson from Oorcyra. Redoubtable was a member of Mr "W. Forth's" string. The pony Partan Jeannie and the Nordenfeldt horse Markinch left for Sydney to-day. The St. Lager — Onhelia mare Doris was auctioned again last Friday. The Friday before she was knocked down to Mr W. Robinson for 78gs, and that purchaser received 97gs for the mare last Friday, Mr S. M'G-uinnesß being named as the buyer ; so Doris will henceforth share Waiuku's quarters. She is a fast mare, but up to date an accomplished jade. In spite of the Auckland Trotting Club having arranged a meeting for June 22 in aid of the Hawke's Bay Relief Fund, the Takapuna Jockey Club is desirous of holding a mee'ing on or about that day. Unlike the trotting meeting, which will be run for a charity, and with the aid of the totalisator, the proposed Takapuna meeting will be a straight-out profit for the club, and the betting conducted solely through the medium of bookmakers.