CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2303, 21 April 1898, Page 32

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

By M. Quad.

By the time these cotes are in print Mr Buckland, the well-known Ss'dney sportsman, will have arrived in the colony, bringing his fine team of 11 trotters.

Zanella is slowly improving from the accident which befell her at the recent C.J.C. meeting. Mr Mason tells me that Conqueror has not yet been able to put his foot to the ground. Great difficulty' was experienced in getting the horse home. It will be a 2onj; time before the horse is able to work, if he ever i?, aa the injury is in the foot, not in the shoulder as reported. It.is reported that H, Franks has accepted the position of private trainer to the Hon. H. Mossman.

During the progress of the C.J.C. Meeting I dropped across Mr Fuchs, secretary of the Tinwald Club, and in the course of an interesting conversation he informed me that the club had purchased a totalisator, and that adequate arrangements have been made for the correct manipulation of the machine.

The following are the winning payments in connection with the Canterbury Jockey Club's Autumn meeting:— Mr G. G. Stead £1400. Mr M. Friedlauder £450, Sir G. Clifford £440, Mr E. Cutts £185, Mr J. Lloyd £180, Mr G. Dawsoa £155, Mv S M'Gmnncss £150, Mr J. Brett £150, Mr W. Gardiner £135, Mrs Tai <"c Tau £110, Mr D. Rutherford £105, Mr H. A. Knight £100, Mill. Lunn £100, Mr JB. J. Roden £90. Mr M. Holmes £50, Mr P. Hobbs £50, Mr R. Reay £JO, Mr S. H. Gollan £20, Mr W. Rathbone £20, Mr C. Lewis £15, Mr H. Goodman £15, Mr J. A. M'Ginness £10, Mr J. Ryan £10, Mr J. Fitzgeiald £10 ; total, £3990.

Messrs Pyne and Co. held a sale of blood stock at 'J'atteJsaH'B on Wednesday morning, but the large crowd that was present contained very few buyers, and sales were extremely difficult to c-fl>ct. The horses that were disposed of included the following :— On account of Mr G. Stead : Kissmiss, eh c, 2yrs, by Hotchkiss— Bridal Rose, 40g», to Mr 0. P. Murray-Aynsley ; Corselet, b f, 2yrs, by Cuirassier— Rubina, 50gs, to Mr J. Buchanan ; Legerity, b c, 2yrs, by St. Leger— Hazel, 20gs. to Mr 13 M'Kenzie. On acounfc of Mr C. Lewis : Proposal, eh m, 2yrs, by St. George— Apropos, 50f,\-, to Bs> B. Curtis. Among those that were passed in were — Mr R. Reay's b 'm Staishpt, at 300gs ;' Hon. H. Mossman's b h Antares, 75gs ; the same owner's eh f Lady Harriet, lOOgs. Mr M. JTriedlandei's b g Cannonshot failed to elicit a bid.

Several well- known racehorses and trotters will be offered for sale on Saturday next. W. Clarke has rejoined the Middletou stable. E. Cutts has just commenced to handle a chestnut colt by Stonyhurst— Teredo and a bay filly by Perkiu Warbeck ll— Blytheside. They are owned by Sir Groige Clifford. The Clnistcnurch Polo Club will r.ot hold a sports meeting this year.

The. nominations for the North Canterbury Jo. 'key Club's annual fixture are decidedly good. There are 10 in the big event, whilst all the other racei have filled well.

At a meeting last week of the Ashburton Racing Club Committee arrangements were made for the forthcoming A utumn meeting. The secretary was* instructed to write to Messrs Mason and Roberts ?•« working of the totalisator.

The South Canterbury Jockey Club has agreed, to license bookmakers at its forthcoming meeting.

A laid "was made by the police on two betting shops here last week. The matter will be brought before the court in the immediate future.

Acceptances for the South Canterbury meeting ace due to-night. The racing commences on Thuisday. I fancy Remorse II and Paladin for the High-weight Handicap, Epaulet and Izal for the Washdyke Welter, Cannonshot, Vandyke, and Pitch and Toss for the Autumn Handicap, Dot for the Pony Handicap, Cannonshot, Firefly, and Remorse for the Flying. The programme for the May meeting of the Canterbury 'i rotting Club is one of the be3t ever put forth by this liberal club. I have previously referred to tuis meeting, and feel sure that owners will recoguise the excellence of the bill of fare. The gelding which arrived here recently, and owned by Mi- D. O'Brien, is a son of Musk Rose. He is black in colour, and untried. Mr «Stead has presented the injured Curassow to Mr J. Franks.

How careful trotting stewards need to be when considering inconsistency protests a few performances by horses at the Lancaster Park meeting will prove. Master Irvington (harness) 6min 4sec, (saddle) siuin 38, both winning records ; Linda second in about smin 48sec, first in Brnin £2Js c; Allerton won in smin 19aec, nowhere behind Linda ;* Dictator second in about sm in 14sec, third in smin lOsec ; Mambrino Abdallah won in snvn 16sec, seaond in smin s+sec ; Kentucky won in smin 6£sec, nowhere behind' Mambrino Abdallah smin 16sec ; Jessie Palm second in about smin 34sec, second --in about smin B£sec. These are only a few cases. I could go on all through the list, but the above is enough to show how misleading protests for inconsistency are. There was only one case— that of Miss Tracy — where absolute consistency was shown — 2min 43sec and 2min 43£ sec. The Lancaster Park Amateur Trotting Club's Autumn meeting was brought to a conclusion on Wednesday The day was all that could be desired, aud the going was much better than some thought. The trotting was superior, on the whole, to that shown on the first day, as a perusal of the times registered will show. Unfortunately, the afternoon's enjoyment was somewhat marred by accidents, protests, and stewards' inquiries. The sum of £4645 was passed through the totalisator3, making the two days' turnover £9178, an increase of £464 on the amount handled at the corresponding meeting last year. Captain Popham's recent importation Polly Iluon, by Huon— Hattie Benton, had an easy task in the Maiden Handicap Trot, the remainder of the contestants never having the slightest chance. The captain was congratulated on his success, and I hope his win is the prelude to future victories.

Master Irvington, trotting very steadily, put up a fine performance in the Pony Handicap, covering the two miles in sm in 38sec — a performance quite as surprising to his driver, T. W Price, as it was to others. Master Irvington won the Pony Harness Handicap on the first day of the meeting in 6min 4sec, thus showing an improvement in saddle of 26sec. Jessamine was the only other to finish. The stewards were dissatisfied with the_ performance of Deception in this race, his showing being very different to the form displayed in the preliminary. However, the explanation given by his pilot was considered satisfactory. Six went out in the Limit Handicap (harness), two miles — viz., Monte Carlo scr, Sam Slick lsec, Rita lsec, Mambrino Abdallah 2sec, Little Willie 2Bec, and Kentucky 6sec. Rita was favourite, Little Willie and Monto Carlo being the pair least fancied* Kentucky got well away, and quickly developed a gait which only Mambrino Abdallah was equalling —indeed, at the end of the first half Kentucky had gained a couple of seconds on the pony. Rita seemed unable to trot at the pace shown by the leaders, and the same may be said of the remainder of the field, Sam Slick excepted. Commencing the Becond mile Mambrino Abdallah was seen to be gvadually overhauling Kentucky, ajid. aa they commenced the last lan Mamhrino

Abdallah, trotting at a sm in gait, was but l|sec behind the leader. Creeping up foot by foot he was within two lengths of Kentucky two hundred yards from the judge, but here the little chap went up, and Kentucky was thus enabled to •win by about fifty yards. Had Mambtino kept down the finish would have been a good one. For his inches Mr Mace's grand pony sire would "be difficult to beat in the colonies. Kentucky covered the two miles in smin 6Jsec, and as Mambiino was giving the winner 4sec and finished so close up the pouy registered a great performance, and showed a vast improvement on the first day's form, when he won in smin 17Jsec. Mr Mace entered a proteat against the winner on the ground of inconsistency, which the stewards dismissed. On the first day Kentucky would not leave the mark, and perhaps he was not afterwards seriously persevered with. White can scarcely be blamed for this, as it would have been a hopeless chase. The horse certainly showed much better form even in his preliminary on the second day, as he undoubtedly did in the race — a fact accounted for by his driver by the work he had made the horse do between the Saturday and Wednesday. Whilst the protest was being discussed the owners agreed to save £5, Mr Jardin, owner of Kentucky, thu«i stupidly consenting to a proposal which should Hour have been suggested. ?vlotuiti, a good-looking and nicely-g^ited animal from the north, was whispered about as a good thing for the Progressive Handicap, and so it proved, for she was in front from the first lap and remained there to the finish. Design and Toroa threatened danger at various stages of the contest, but the favourite, Captain Popharn's Young Burlington, just imported from the other side, declined to settle down. He is evidently a fairis-h horse, and ought to do better later on. Some of the horses did not trot up to their form, and I am afraid that the old adage " Nothing like •leather" was amply verified in this event. The wipner trotted the two mile 3in smin 33aec and paid £5 16s. * Allerton, who had won on the previous day, was installed a favourite for the Linwood Handicap Trot, Dictator and Stockholm also being well supported. Linda. 18sec was well away from Stockholm after a mile had been traversed, the latter being a few lengths in advance of Dictator. The two latter gradually crept up on the vigorouslyridden Linda, and when makiDg the last turn for home the three were close together, Linda on the inside, Dictator going up just before reaching the turn. Racing down the straight, all being ridden hard, Linda kept her nope in front, and finally won by a ueck from Stockholm, who broke right on the post, Dictator being a similar distance away thud. Protests against Linda for inconsistency and against Stockholm for galloping aud interference were dismissed. Linda's time was, smin 22£ sec, and the dividend paid to her supporters £S ISs.

Duriog the preliminaries for the next item on the caid-the Lancaster Park Handicap (in harness)- Grenadiei's 'sulky was lun into by another, F. Mulholland, his owner, being thrown out, though fortunately without any serious injury. The horse then galloped round the track, but this proving rather hard going, he seusibly cut across the grass, the crowd obligingly giving him plenty ot room. Arriving at the lail surrounding the t>ack, which he jumped like a practised hunter, ■the sulky bumping behind him, he was finally brcughs up with the high iron fence. Grenadier sustained but little damage, and the sulky, stracge to say, suffered considerab'y les< than might have been anticipated. Topsy Irvington, -jv-hilst being driven at her best pace round the turn past the stand, collided with MantoD s sulky, J. Lukey, sen., her pilot, being thrown heavily on to the asphalt cycle track. Mr Lukey's face and hands were badly cut and bruised, and it wop soma time before he was in a ' fit state to be removed from the ground. Hattie S. was being " jogged " on the track by a stableman, while her owner and D. Price stood ere* sed ready to take the seat ; at the last moment the latter took the reins, a proceeding which a number of the spectators resented when the mare came in an easy winner in the excellent time of omin 4sec. Mr Sefton showed his contempt for those making the demonstration in a manner ■which led to his being fined £5 by the stewards for improper conduct and called upon to apologise. To revert to the race. Hattie S. was in command after going a couple of laps, and only Jessie Palm threatened danger. This mare was trotting splendidly, and again and again got up to the leader's wheel, only to see the leader let out another length. Ilattie S. is a fine type of the trotter, and is probably one of the best mares in the colony. Rita and herself are two fine mares, and if both were well a contest for supremacy would be worth watching. It was evident that the hooting came uroni those who did cot thoroughly understand the situation, and much of it \v<)s engendered by the fact thai many werd unaware that on the flrst day Mr feefton, who then drove the mare, was ordered to pull up through getting away before his time Of course it was decidedly misleading to stand ready dressed whilst the jpare •was beiug jogged round the track, and then another mau drive Although Mr Sefton does not pietend to race for the public, be should not forget that the public pays' the piper always, that people who go to trotting meetings deserve some consideration from owners, and that he would be one of the first to condemn in others the error ap-

parently made by himself. Mr Sefton usually says what he means in a few terse, vigorous, and sometimes too forcible sentences, but he fre-

quently forgets in his anger what in his calmer moments he must know is due to others as well

as to himself.

Firefly made amends for a lons series of disapyo'ntments by taking the Telegraph Saddle Handicap, thus making T. W. Price's third winning mount during the afternoon, and giving "Mr Morris" a long-delayed win. Jessie, from scratch, finished scond ; F. 8., thefavourite.-third. Firefly put up 2min 44sec for the mile, and paid £5. Miss Tracy followed up her first day's success

by winning the Final Handicap Trot. At the half it looked as though Utah could not lose, but just as she was about to wrest the lead from Isa--bel someone in the crowd threw his hat at the

mare, which caused her to break her gear and completely ruined her chance. It is understood thi»t the individual is known and proceedings are to be taken against him.