AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2263, 15 July 1897, Page 37

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bt Taihoa.

July 12. Ouv New Zealand Cup candidates are joggiDg along quietly and are in good heart. Beyond that there is nothing to say of them, if I except a rumour, that Antarcs has been bought by two Dunediniteo. Do you know anything of it ? Last tftne I saw George Wright (Tuesday last) ho denied that the colt had been sold, and there is n grow.ing impression that Antares will prove Ms best representative in the race. The betting market stands at 180 to 8 agst Euroclvdou, Day Star, and Waiuku, 100 to 7 St. Cyr, 100 to 6 St. Paul, 100 to 5 to 100 to 1 the others. All the local candidates have been decently backed, especially St. Paul and Day Star. In the foreigu section Blarney, Waiuku, Primula, St. Conon, and Belligerent have had good demand. There is nothing of note to report fiom the EUerslie training tracks save that John Kae's pair of chasers, Kings wood and Levanter, are regular attendants. They are looking in the best of health and doing half-pace work. So is St. Simon. The three horses will make the C.J.C. Grand National trip, so Auckland will be well represented. Which will prove Rae'a selected en the day is a question I am unable to answer at present. Levanter is undoubtedly the smarter horse at his jumps, and more likely to stand up than Kings wood ; in fact, the former has never fallen either in schooling or racing, and when he strikes a fence he is as clever as a cat, losing but little ground through the blunder. Kingswood, on the other hand, is somewhat of a flounderer, and takes a good while to recover his footing and get going again after hitting a fence. All the same, I am inclined to prefer his chance in August to Levanter's. He is a vastly improved horse to what he was when seen at Riccarton last year, both as regards pace and jumping ability, and will doubtless be much better served in the" matter of weight than Levanter. Another thing, Kingswood has been over Iliccarton, and that accounts for a lump. The Friar's win in the Wellington Steeplechase put a fair stake into the pockets of Aucklanders who are in touch with the Russell stable, and the dividend of £10 3s made the books look blue. The Tally-ho people went down for a fair sum, else the pencillers would have had si very bad time. Adam Byers gave Nestor a trial over hurdles the other day, and the Cup and Derby winner acquitted himself well. This colt has all the cut of a jumper, and if kept to the game would make a splendid hurdling horse. As St. Kilda is not to be jumped again, and Miss Nelson will require a long spell to recover from her heavy work of last season, it is quite on the cards that Byers will depend upon Nestor »b

his representative in this year's big jumping events. Advices from Napier show that St. Conon is doing well, also Mutiny, who has been well backed up here in Christchurch National doubles. The hurdling horse Hairy Leg?, that ran acoupla of seconds at the recent Gisborne meetings, had a piece of bone chipped off one of his hind legs while being schooled for our Grand National meetirjg, but the mishap does not appear to interfere with his galloping An examination by the X rays shows that the detached bone is embedded in the flesh close to the shin bone. The five-j ear-old Howitzer horse Aughadowey met with a similar niishap about the same time as Hairy Legs, but in his case the injury had a fatal termination owing to blood-poisoning setting in. Mr R. M'Bride put his standard-bred trotting stock to auction last Friday, sales being made as under : — Bay mare Brigandine, 7g's, Mr Peters ; eh mare Baronia, 6gs, Mr C. Tutt ; bay mayo Duchess, lljg«, Mr R. Armitage ; hlk mare Edith, llgs, Mr M'Clay ; bay hor.-e Wallace D, 25gs, Dr Erson ; bay mare by Doncaster, 14gs, Mr J. Craig ; br hor^e Hurricane, 15Jg-s, Messrs Orton (Bros : Teddy, 9gs Dr Erson ; bay horse Count, 40gs, Mr A. Barron. Duke C. was passed at 130gs. .The Auckland Trotting Club have appointed Messrs A. W. Adams, S. (J. Caulton, and the secretary, Mr C. F. CUrk, to attend the conference of the North Island Trotting Association, to be held at Pulmerston North on the 28th inst.