IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2284, 9 December 1897, Page 33

IN A NUTSHELL.

— The new owner of Haria is Mr Fenton. — Received : The Wellington Park catalogue of yearlings. — Parthenopscus has been purchased by Mr C. 3?. Glasscock. — Newhaven'a sister. Sea Queen, baa this season visited Ziliuski. — Emmeline is at Elderslie, and has been mated with Gipsy Grand. — Amberite and Fucile are to be laid by for a •while to freshen up. — Douglas, Culverin, and Golden Plover are scotched for the Wellington Cup. — The Sydney sportsmen, Messrs W. Eales and W. Kelso, contemplate a trip Home. — "Spectator" says that Liberator may be trained for the district race at Akaioa. — Sinecurist, winner of tbe Rosstown Purse at Caulfifld last month, is a son of Manton. — The Hon. J. D. Ormond's horses are not going to cimpete at-the Auckland meeting. — A cording to the Winton scribe "Native," Chaos has been added to J. Lawson's stable. — Dr Cleghorn gave the stake money (£2O) won by hia horse Horton at Blenheim to tl*e Satherly fund. — James A. Murphy presented M'Clary with 2500d0l for driving Star Pointer in his lmin 59Jsec record. — Lord Rosslyn may .possibly- go to the stud ,next 'covering 'seasou, taking the place of his de- , ceased sire St. Cl«ir. - " -' • — The Wyndham Club' has accepted a tender for the .nuking of a saddling paddock, to be -iiulshed^before the 3lst inst. , I — Afrer a lapse _of many years Mr Ettie de Mestre Ijas reappeared ou tho turf/ His name appears as'the nominator of Lethe. ' . ," "—" — Dunlop, the- "winner of the Preadergast Stakes, was bred by the Prince of Wales, who sold him to Mr Martin D. Rucker for 5000gs. — It has been decided by the V.R.C. Committee to reduce the distance of the Bagdt Handicap from a mile and five furlongs to a mile and a-half. — Propounder (Neckersg*at — Emily Faithful), who won a number of races a few years back, including tho Williamstown Cup of IS9I, died recently. — 'Ihe cross-country jockey A.Skirvinghad his collar-bone broken by Dread falling with him at the last Maribyrnong (Vie.) meeting. Skirving ia an Auckland boy. — Devon, tho half-brother to Occident, won the Arniidale Handicap at Caulfield on the* 20th ult. He carried 8 4, started at 8 to I, and took lmin 46stic to do the mile. — The well-known owner and trainer D. Fountain, after a long career on the Australian turf, has decided to try his luck in India, for which country he left a^week or two ago. — L\dy Moyra', the American champion two-year-old pacer of the year, has a record of 2min 16isec at Davenport, la., in America. t3he was sired by Saccharine, son of Director. — A cableeram from London reports that the racehorse Emmales, the property of Mr Am field, ■who was recently disqualified by the Victoria Racing Club, has been sold to Mr C. Hibbert, of Sandown Park, for iOOgs. — Hawfinch, winner of the Dewhurst Plat*, is by Goldfinch (son of Ormond and Thistle) out of Chalk Hill Blue, by Eiward the Confessor out of a. mare by C*rdinal York— Whileface, by Turnus —Nan Darrell, by Inheritor. i — The Kentucky Fu'urity, a 15,000d0l stake for three-year-old trotters, was won by a filly named Thorn, whoee time for the three heats ahe won was 2imu 14*ee, 2min lojsec, and 2m in lGJ^sec respective'y. — Newman qualified for jumpers' flat races by taking part in lhe Hurdle Race at Moorefield (N.S.W.). The brown gelding got round without -, Bflishs-p, but finished a furlong and a-half behind the leaders in a slow-run race. — The veteran campaigner Paris 111 has been - fired with a view of being glsen another innings on the Er.gli.-h turf. He ifl bow being trained with Acmoja by F. W.^D»y, formerly private • trainer to Lord Carrington at Raodwick. — The Man of the World says that the reason ■why the English jockeys object so much to the starting machine is that with its use they cannot, with any approach to decency whatever, do a shunt at the start. « — Mr J. JC. Biewer intends to throw up the lease of Nora Creina and return the mare to her owner, Mr C. S. Ag >ew, of Tasmania. Mr Brewer considers that the handicapper has treated the mare harshly. - — "The B'ly," of Cromwell, reports th*t Mr M. Daw son has Surefoot going again, tliat Mr J. Cowan nearly loet the sister to Silver Crown tlnough strangles, and that Bolder Lad has fallen lame. — At a meeting of the Waimea Plains Hack RaciDgOlubprelirainary arrangements were settled for the race 3, and a ground committee, consisting of Messrs N. Kelly, M. Stevenson, and P. Henderson, -was appointed to make arrangements at the course. — Readers who file the Witness may take a note of a correction in my para of October 28. By inadvettence I printed Kangaroo, the hors-j sold for 12,000gs iv England many years ago, as of a wrong pedigree. He was by Hobbie Noble from Yarra j Tana. I — After the resu}t of the Middle Park Plate had been made known in London, an tven "monkey" was offered against any three for next year's Derby. No trade, however, resulted, but the lead- ' ing qu <rtet in the race are all nominated for the Epsom contest. — Mai tin Gallagher made his reappearance in the saddle at the Moorefi9ld meeting on the 20th ult. Gallagher had one of the minor bones of bis right leg broken and received other injuries at Warwick Farm ou 2nd October when Sovereign fell in thft Pace Welter. — Mr T. Ifl. Barr-Smith has purchased the Morr phettville stud farm, and intends keeping the old , estate and, as he says in his usual modest manner, breeding in a unall way. The price he paid for , the establ : shm-nt at auction was XoSOO, or an average of 6s per acre. ; ' —Mr Golku's Australian-bred Ebor won the Welbeck Hurdle Race at Nottingham. He carried . 12.1, thus giving from 111b upwards to his opponents, started at 6 to 4 on, and won in a hack canter by a dozen lengths from Sillybo ly 11.1, five others being behind this pair. — Ia America it is not an unusual thing for the fielders to make a book with a prohibitive favourite "barred" or "out" in the betting. This they do themselves in order that all specu- ' lation shall not be killed by the presence in a race of some horse who far outclasses his field. — The Further Suppression of Gaming Bill has passed its last stage in the South Australian House of Assembly, ami has got to tho Legislative Assembly. It is said that an attempt is to be made in the Council to insert a clause permitting totalisator agents to act on the courses. — One of Johnstone and Glee3on's starting machines l>as been sent to Germany. It is stated that Mr C. W. Matthews (son of the faniou3 actor) paid a visit to Victoria some weeks ago with the object of reporting to the Jockey Club in England as to the best machine in use in that colony. \ — "Peeping Tom" writes : Laugley has changed hands. Tno price was a tiifis over £2 & leg. The old horse ought to be cheap for hacking purposes alone. It is hardly likely that his new owner will race him much. He may give Langley oae spin at Franktou, without going to the bother of training him. — T. Chapman is applying to the Winton Club to ask that he get his license back. I have made inquiiy into this matter, and think that no harm would be done if the club could see its way to grant the request. Chapman has been taught a lesson that he will uot forget, and there is no point in keeping him idle. — St. Kvox, who made his debut in the Middle Park Plate, is one of the biggest eons of St. Simon that has ever carried silk, and with time given him to mature he will probably make a better - show than in the " two-year-old.Derby," though he did not do so badly in finishing fourth to the am art horses that filled the first three places. — Irish-born sports will be interested in the fact that Breemount's Pride, a four-year-old mare by Kendal out of Mavourneeu, dam of Coronet, Ireland, Innisfail, and other winners, has been leased for her racing career for 2000gs by Mr J. O'C. Murphy, of Breeinount, County Meath, breeder of Ilex, Roman Oak, and many other famous chasers. — The Otautau Club has amjointcd the follow*

ing office-bearers :— President, Mr John Shaw ; vice-presidents — Messrs K. Atkinson, 'John Lindsay, and George Gilchrist ; starter, Mr John Smith, jun. ; judge, Mr Story ; clerk of the course, Mr D. F. M'lntosh ; clerk of the scales, Mr A. Maiuoa ; tieasurer, Mr John Swap ; secretary, Mr George Ross. — Angler, for whom £500 was refused a few days previously, was injured and killed on the Waitara racecourse a couple of weeks ago. When running in company with St. Hiko, Anglec's shoulder came in contact with a atop which had been placed across the course. The shoulder was smashed, and tbe animal had to be destroyed. The lider, named Julian, was not injured. —At the Newmarket sales in October the highest price obtained was HOOgs for the four-year-old Musidora, in Mr Cooper's lot, and she changed hands to Mr Corston. Orelio (brother to Ormonde) and Shaddock were included in the party from Kingsclere, and the last-named was taken by his trainer, John Porter, for 700gs, while Orelio fell to Mr C. Archer's bid of 930gs. — The New Zealand-bred trotting mare Calista put up a good pesformance at Richmond (yic ) on November 18, when she got over the mile in 2min 19£? Ec, and secured ther -by a handsome trophy for beating Htfon Jun.'s record of 2min 21£ sec. Fritz's record of 2min 14 4-ssec still stands the best is Australia, but that was done at Moonee Valley, which is a mile oniso. The llichmond course is only half a mile round. . — The Indiau Government will have none but Stud Book sires. They must be soundjand free from all hereditary effects ; must be at least 70in round the girtib, Biin below the knee, and are preferred not over 15hds Sin in height. These stallions are distributed all over India, "and not only are their service-! given to breeders without • qfoarge, but the Government will also purchase the- progeny at a fair pr^ce. — Percy Bradbury, the ex-jockey, died in October from paralysis of the brain. The deceased was at one time a light-weight rider of repute, but he had the misfortune six years ago to have his leg smashed in a race, necessitating amputation, and thus prematurely ending what promised to be a highly successful career as a jockey. Among the notable races he won was the Kcmptou Park Jubilee Stakes on Amphion in 1569. — Oceana, dam of Nevrhaven, died la*t month while foaling to C rreze. She was bred in 1881, by Mr James Wilson, and as a yearling was purchased for 575gs by Mr D. Cooper, who raced her witl.oul success as a two-year old, and then sold her for lOOgs to\&£r G. H. Chapman, who got one race out of her and then sold her fSr lOOgs for stud purposes. The smart pony Froude was her first foal, Newhaven her sixth. Mr R. Craven was her last owner.

— "Milroy," of Sydney, writes: I dropped in on Dan O'BrieD, the Mount Vernon trainer, the other day, and we had a look at the horse?. I remarked upon the absence of anything like a Trenton or a Carbine on the premise!. " No," replied the stolid Dan, " they do not grow on tree-tops ; yet I would rather have another Tatman than either of them." O'Brien said Tasman was the boldest, most honest, and the bevt stayer he ever owned. — The Victorian writer "Asmodeus" say* : It is a pcandal that some of the most prominent individuals who officiate as stewards are notoriously unfitted for the positions they hold by virtue of their betting proclivities. Those who, do not bet are a minority. This betting stesvard malady, which ia the big cancer of suburban raciug, will some day have to receive the attention of the V.U.C., and the sooner the better. The disease should be attended to before the patient dies. — At a conference ou gambling in England, a resolution was passed condemning the practice of publishing betting odds in newspaper?. - Commenting on this Mr Coiiett says :— " Of very truth these well-meaning but utterly misguided people know not what they do. Prohibit the publication of tho odda in.new&papers, and we would at once turn bookmaker with the certain knowledge that a fortune awaited us. With no betting ia the newspapers the "clubs would still have their returns, and tho outside backers would be at the mercy of the layers, who would return such odds as they thought fit, and the game would then be as good as it is n >w only supposed to be."