CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2300, 31 March 1898, Page 37

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By M. Quat>.

The Dunenin meeting has been the one subject of discus' ion during the past week. Star&hol's performance in the Cup came as a surprise to nine-tenths of Cacteibury sports, aud veiy few anticipated her victozy. Bookmakers scarcely wrote her nanie, either straight out or in doubles Her victory shows cleaily that it is a mistake to issue the m eights for the C.J.C. Autumn meeting until the Dunedin r,<ces » re concluded. At present it appears that Staivhot has eveiy chance of appropriatb.g 'he Ureat Autumn Handicap, a& sho will only carry, with her penalty, 7.10. Backer:! aie supporting her in doubles coupled with mosfc of the s-prmters in the Great Easter Handicap. Many express th" opinion that, s-he may win bofca the Great Jfiaster and Great Autumn Handicap-, if sbe won the short race she would not be further penalised than at present for the long race. Canterbury owners seem to have done fairly well in the sourh this year. Sivbroak must be considered a jemarkably cheap animal, Iris present owner paying £30 for him after his dual victory at the Hororatu fixture. I keor that his owner, Mr V. Harris, did non materially bentfit by Seat rook's win, which is to be regretted, as he has ii"t; bad the best of luck of late, This hoise should be heard of agaiD, as he is just the kind of animal 'for knocking about at cruntry meetings. S^abrook's form on the track did not justify Kicraiton people fupyoiting him against a hor3e like Fuloien. When Mr Karris purchased him he letnsrked to me that ths horse ought to nearly win the rviaiden at Dunedin. His woros have come true. Just before leaving i'iccartcm Seabrook picked up Epaultt four fitrljugs from home, t*nd alth u».h the Medallion hoi&e had then covered v mile at a good pace, ho smothered Seabrook over the half-mile. Probably the latter is not a track horse while Kpatslet always shows better ability there than in loiblic. j Taken together the pair are not exactly desirable property, as their owner never knows when to trust eicher. Djin-Djin had shown such line form at home that his Dunedin running wa& mf si disappointing. His trainer told me that be believed the colfc was>almost, if not quite, the eqnal " of Pygmalion. Per Daps the colt went, ciV a little, or hia feet may hive troubled him. Dundas haa evidently made a vast improvement since he last appeared in public, atd spoitshere were pleased to uee Mr Hob^s again to the fore both v\ith tine colfc and Bloomer. Local backers went nap on the filly when she won, but lost their winnings whtn they again supported her. Messis Ban-ett anc) Grant could ooubtless tell many interesting stories connected with backing horses, boxue of which would go to show how wellknown and shrewd backers go astray in their calculations as to what oiviciend a horse will pay. An in&tacca of this occurred last week, when Mr Jtf. tainett received a wire fiom a backer in Duneaiu asking him to accept .£5 on Vandyke in the Jubilee Haudicap. As is generally known, bookmakers only pay 9 to 1, so ifc will readily be seen how much better of) the backer would have been had he invested his money through the lesalisec bookmaker. There is scarcely anything to chronicle this week as to tbe tiottiug woild here. Great interest is being taken in the forthcoming meeting at Lancaster i ark, as these is every probability that the gathering will be successful. I have seen a lot of horses working: this week, but nothing of note has been done by any of the noddies I saw exercising. I Jaear there is every likelihood of Mr Buckland's horses being quartered «it the Star Hotel, on the Liucoln load. This hotel ia within a quarter of a mile of the show ground*, and should prove suitable in every way. The secretary of the Ashbuiton Racing Club ha« forwarded me tV>p -,h^ r-\r -\ piogrami.u> nf iba club'd Autim-n meeting, vinch t?kd;> vlsr^ on Thunouv end Kiid.iy, jV-uv b ur] << rho bill <jf I fare is <'■ n.«ctiw and I hewf the ild c'liu ill lv favouiti. witL ,i I'upit'Al iiunuuot'^i 1 Mi I3u c.i? ',f lie ui'i k(" i' In- ta..'P . ' ■. _ ii!r after *b<* I\a.v;iriia ip'-ein.^, \v\ nit - i ! i'" t them foi v. liatt-vo 1 th' v v.il'' i.'tr" Mi Jjn'.ch i has had t"rn *v *>;"! 'ur-k Vvttli in hoi -ct. of 1 ti, years, ami 1 Ju uoi, "under at >uh qmt'ii.ti'j ii'» game. It '■ ~, " ' \ t',t)t j\r,' i-imad "ftas been allied fiom Ai id v iiut aI, ict>ii tli.l i nrni, Gold Medslli-,1, t f- i,i mi ■vi' Ui.jfnu,, mo latter, a&is v, <•!' kti' in,i r''Mi tolii, ,u,m i> i r,# on his way to ?'"' y .in] '\ i i ,' t >. '"- 1 Sti <-a '- irodif-ed with Hi- st- 'en m iL v ", "c liu\ >i vas Mrs LaDgtiy, &o my pi-BVimn, ny u o <u» lac I'jiufc was . WdflUtl,> UlWjti

1 The following taMe will show the acceptances, | forfeits, and genera) entries received, covering a , period of live year?, for events to be decided at the j Canterbury Jcckey Club's Autumn meeting :—: —

The acceptances for the two valuable races — the Gi-tat Eabtev nnd Great, Autumn Handicaps— are d-cidtily good, especially for the short event; indeef', ix is. the beit response during the period covered by the si on ve table. Twen':.y-one paid up in 1894, and the same number in the following • yitvr, whilst 19 acrepted--last season.- Last week, 1 when aiscussing the weights, I selected eight from which the winner might spring, and of th> s<* six remain in— viz., Daunt, Ai'liue, Vanilla, Bracelet, Arnphion, and Firefly. I still bsslieve oue of tbese should win. Arline ran well in the south, . and must have aa undeniable chance here. As I figure it out she will have to put up a 51b penalty, brmfiiDg her weight up to S 13. but even so the southern m -re cannot be out of it. Vanilla also 1 started at the Dunedin meeting, but she can Bevor be safely judged on form, and backers ovght not to discard her because s<he failed there. Bracelet i& moving along nict-ly, as aKo are M. iibiv, s-araeen, Goldleaf, and Firefly. Cannonshot. Jieilf Clair, Eed Lancer, i. nlverin, Bloomer, Stn sbci, Fnlmen, St Ouida, and Remorse If were each se-u oat at, the Forbury, and those who witntssed their peiformatices will perhaps be able to tuni up their changes bptter than 1 can. A notable f defection is that of St. Paul ; and many thought Multiform would lernain in. at. Clements has iilt-o beeu withdrawn, as aleo has Boi-cias, a fine lot of sprint ets ; while another good hoi&e in Euroclydon has broken down, Altbouga only 15 remain iv the Great Autumn Handicap, there is tbe elements of a fitie contest. Waiuku, Z^.ntlla, Antaret, and Culverin, of those I selected last week, are still in the Urt, but after Star^hot's dual victory at Dunedin I do not see what is to beat her if she retains her form. At ihe fcame time it weuld be as well to remember that Staibhoc will meet'Eeveial hoiRDS of"perhaps '. better qu>lity than those she defeited iv the j f outh. St. Paul is certainly a good otic, and Stari shot had uo trouble in beating him, and i no one was surprised at Chaafe withdrawing I bis borse. Euroclyuon broke down, and Epaulet j and Antares are commonly regarded as rogues. i Starshot. should aga-.n defea 1 - Cinror.shot, An- ; tares, Culvi.rin, Red Lancer, and Black and Ked. \ Taking a line throngh the runniug of St. Paul and ) Waiuku tt:art>hot osight to beat the New Zealand ! Cup winner, but perhaps Zinelia, Gold Medallist:, Goldleaf, or Tirant d'Kuu are more than equal 'to those Staruhot defeated in the fouth I oanj not see how Gold Medalli-t can hope to succeed ' on fqtni, neither can Goldleaf on Midsunimsr Handicap running, and I v&ry much doubt whether either Zanella or Tirant d'Eau can t.uc-Oc-Esfiilly cope against Starshot Even with her I 301b peualiy &h« will only carry 7 10, and I mu-t \ fay it; seems to me to be a really goo't thing for j her I should like to have scan Multiform and j Daunt left in, and I atn still of opinion that Mr 1 Oriuouct's cult was well tieated However, it .is I possible he has not liren trained over a distance, { but as he won the Wanganui Derby in fair time I there is no reason to assume he cannot stay. Multiform may not lie seen cut at the meetingeven though he is left in the Challenge Stakes. After payment o! subscription 12 remain in the i Challenge Stakes, five of whom a'e owned by Mr | Stejd. ukd of these may win, but Dundas is sure j to iud well, and whatever ixsats him wil! probably ] win. My cwn < pinion is that Gold Medalist will j be Mr Stead's selection. Nihilist nisy also run well. ! Of those left in the Champagne Stakes ("onqueror setu.s to be about the best, and he, Djin l).i'ii, f?nd Nihilist appear to be the p ok The general entries are well up to the average, and altog-'ther there appears every pio"p"ct of rhe Autumn meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club proving even more successful than has bi-ea the case in the past. Some leaily smart animals have been nominated for the Addmgton Plate yelling lUce, run over five fuiOonjrs. Amongst them are St. Clements, St. Ouida, Skirmisher, Mauser, and Doris. A fair amount nt" interess was Taken here ov^r the Tahuna Park trotting meeting, but litnle speculation was indulged in. 1 notice that the American-bred horse Sacramento was successful, a le-uit which will be pl-^^ing to Messrs Mangen and Wilson, bis owneis. A batch of telegrams containing nominations for the Lancaster Park Amateur Trotting Club's meeting from Palmerston North, Asliburtou, Dunedin, at d elt-ewhere, and handed in at various times from 9.50 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, instead of being duly delivered to the secretary at the club's office were placed in his p office box after it had been cleared a1;a 1 ; a few minutes to 10 on Eaturdav night, and consequently they were not received until yesterday morning. About 20 nominations were thus too late The telegn.ph officiate have been requested to inquire into thu , matter. I i Mr H V Styche has been appointed the Westpoit Trotting Club's delegate on the South Island Trotting Association. This is a good selection, as Mr Styche has alwajs taken a keen and intelligent intetebt in all matters connected with trotting. ' i I hear that Mr Lunn has sold Sharpshot, by Chaiui-liot— Becky Sharp. He has not been of much seivice so fi.r. Highlander, the well-known hurdler, is again in commission. Though somewhat big, the horse looks bright aud well. Quiltiri i& jumping decently, but he is anythingbut a safe convf yance, as Fairbrotht-r knows to hia cost. The jockey is fast; recovering from tbe effects of Ms accident \>lien Quiltiri foil with him. Intending investors in the south for the Canterbury Jockey Club's Autumn meeting should remember that Monday, April 11, is a P'<st and telegraph holiday, and it would therefore be wise to send their investments to as to reach the secretary of the C J.C on Saturday. Chain Armour, by Chainshot— Apropos, was fouixd on Sunday last lying dead in a paddock belonging to bis owner, Mr O. Lewis, Al.H.It. It was soon discovered that the horse fiend had again been at work, as an examination showed a clean-cut wound on the off-side of the neck, about half an inch wide and four or five inches deep, apparently made with a sharppointed instrument, which had completely fevered the jugular vein. When found the horse had seemingly besn dead for some time. Chain Armour wtis, remarkably quiet, and this fact wade the miscreant's cruel ami wanton task comparatively easy. How many more horses are to be \ clone to death in this way before tbe perpetrator i is detected 1 ' Tb.n police can scarcely be blamed, as they cannot wdtch out-of-the-way places, and I j know they have been shadowing suspects for inonihs, but so far without success. It is evident that the brute, whoever he is, is not an ordinary butcher, but someone whose scientific knowledge j aids him iv carrying out his dastardly wotk Considering the number of valuable borf.es he has slain it, i-. to be hoped 1 he large rewaul offered will soon pLice him hibide the four walls of a gaol or a i lunatic asylum.

Acceptances. '9i. '95. '96. '97. '98. Great Easter Handicap ... 39 21 21 18 2G Great; Autumn Handicap .. 18 13 15 19 15 Forfeits. Champagne Stakes 14 7 15 15 13 Challenge Stakes 24 24 15 15 12 Nominations. Ktldare Steeplechase 4 — — — — Kildare Hurdle Race — 10 6 S S I'eerswick Hurdle Race ... 8 10 8 S 10 Ep-omW-lrer 23 IS 25 24 14 Yaldhur.st Welter _____ 24 Rußsley Plate 16 14 12 13 11 Autumn Maiden — — — — 14 Sockburn Handicap 17 13 12 14 30 Autumn Nuisery 24 14 16 16 ]2 Templet-- Handicap 26 24 30 25 24 Addmgton Plate 16 14 16 1& 21 20D 18?. 191 191 214