TALK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2309, 2 June 1898, Page 32

TALK OF THE DAY.

Br MAZEPFA.

**■* Mr Goodman Las sold Buroclydon to Mr John Heudersoia, 01 Waitaki North, for 200gs. The bargain was conehid«d at the tail end <>t last week, arid the big fcorsa went to his iii'W home on Saturday. Suroclydon was bred a-i WarringtoQ by the Hon. G. M'Lcao, got by Gorton out of Xi&dy Gertrude. As a, three-yd«r-old he won tbe Ntw Zealand Cup, the Dtr'.y, and the Caiiterlnry Oup, eaeb of <hrse events heing carried off in dt-eisiv? ?tj"!e, ami in tbe Ofiiveibucy Cup the tiras n'iioid was cat. As a peii timer Euroclydon has first-clasb credentials. It can also be aigupd ia hia favour that he is a jcung horse aud ffcorcughly quiet, and hie appearance i° all in his favour, siuee he is a king amongst the ordhuay rank Bud file of racers. I do»ct kiio** of ■*■ more eligible hexse for stud purposes, and air H- nclej r.r-n should eapiiy see his money b,.ck fitc i;' Kv;oc;ydou never r&t'fs a^ain.

*#* The Da; by tbis year stands out as peculiar in two Tespeots. Mr Larnacb, owner of Jedoab, ih'^ winner, was havicg his first try for the coveted stake, and ife eureJy is pretty well a ttcorii Her two of the placed horses to come from the 100 to 1 division. Jeddah's enl^ perfornisttiee woith spanking of last season was his running second to Orzie in the Ciearwell Htfekes. So littie, howfcver, was that thought oi thai; one writer spea-ke of Jeddah as quite a stone below first-class form. and. " though comprehensively a beautiful httvue, too straight in front to my lifcing." S?&t(,, pUoed second iv the D<;?by, was a fair pe;homer, having to his credit the Criterion and H> vghtoa Sinkes at Newixmrker. Dunlop, fur whom, by tho way, Mr Rucker paid £5000 a«s a foal, woa the Prsndergast Stakes at Newmirkefc. This cols v/ns to have been offered for sale lately, acd we do not know whether he found a customer or not. Tbe critics spoke of him ap leggy and a miler aad having no pretetsiou to cltsv>e form.

*h* The Maoris of Ola'si claim no?? that their Birthday meeting is tos most important tixbuve for hacks in the colony, and she report appearing in this issue shows that tho boast is by bo means without foundation. Very large fields assembled, no less a, sum than £6270 went through the machine on the opening day, and the large crowds of men present wea-e evidet-tly out; for « holiday, patronising not only the lota.lisa.tor, but also the booths and the luncheon room in a manner that is not often seen on the chillier and more sedate southern courses. Visitors tell me that the hilarity of the throng partook of the Peri&ian character. The racics; began with thp Trial Hurdles, in which Marjiw early tcx.k charge, healing the others with great ease. Sbe is bj Bon'' wester out oi:' Barballe — not the Barbslle that appears in the Sturi Book aa tbe daughter of Le Loup and Lady T'iorin The Maiden Elate was also an easy win. Tupuhi, who claims Maxim's half brother Wapiti as sire, comfortably na&ster&d his opponents as soon as then 7 bfg&u to stretch out iv earnest. I notice tb&t Coriisa, who earlier in the season wks flying at highe- game, was one of the beatsn dsvisnm iv thia race. No fewer than 13 started for the Cup. Tom/ny Atkins led up to the mouth. of ths straight;, where Bush Rose tookcharge, and for a moment or two seemed to have the race at his rnprey. At the distance, however, lluby Twist came with a rattle, and there vsss a spleodid race between the pair, B .sb. Rose pulling through by only \% neck. Th" winner is one of the )at« Mr Dougla&'a breeding, brother .to Penvose and Primula, and half brother to T Rose and Pinrose, being by Torpedo out oi the prolific Priisro&e, daughter of The Mute. This meeting, it may be here remarked, was fixed for tbe Birthday in 1893, since when the wiuners of the chief event, thie cs,fiying varyrag names arid being ai sill sorts, oi disifun'es, havebaenas full own :—1893,: — 1893, lonicj £4 16s ; 1894, P<h&ng», £11 ss ; 1895, Finee&e, £37 l*s; 1896, Gnmsou Steak, £4 19s ; 1897, lolanthe, £14 15s ; and 1898, Bash Rose, £5 17s. Though burdened with a 71b penalty, Marina had ali her opponents in the Birthday Hurdles settted loijg before res-clnng the judge's chair. She may hereafter prove to "be «, fair mare in opei> e'im&sa)y. The Champion Stakes, a weight fox 1 age race ov^r a mile course, found Rabin leading into the straight, but he collapsed when Oracle made his ru&h. Tupnhi followed up his win in the Maiden by running away with the Welter, in which aa indifferent start gave him an advantage, and the day's sport wound up with the Flying Handicap, in which the judge's decision was a desd heat, though some thought that Guardfish had pipped Sing Song on the post.

■*.** Mr Rathbone's racing establishment afc Waip*wa has been visited by a representative of Sporting Review, wt>o thus refers to wtll-known horses : Aprenuont, who looks healthy and blooming, aud whose score t« years sit lightly uposi him, was paraded for inspection, and what a massive, well-proportioned horse he is, and as geutle-ttmptred and amenable as a pet dog. Previous reports that I heard about him when in" his old home led me to believe that his temper was cot of the moat angeiic nature, but he has evidently now lost that, and comports himself in a wfell-conducted way. His partiality to his caretaker Carr was emphasised by hia fondling manner to him, and tbe brace aeeic as if they were old friends and companions. Barshot, lusty and well, and as plain and commonplace looking as ever, was running about. The bruised tendon that compelled him last season to retire from active pursuit of his vocation, it is thought, will not interfere with his future preparation, and he is shortly again to take bis place as a member of the working string. Blarney was also an inmate of the same enclosure, and he is to be taken in hand also. There is nothing very handsome about this horse either, but he has proved all the same that he can " get," and it was real hard luck that his trouble — a seedy toe — was the cause of his being knocked out of work ju.°t before the last New Zealand Cup meeting, for he had previously given an excellent showing, and his party were very sanguine of his chance of capturing the big event at Rgsearton. Anyway his ailment has now been eradicated, and he will have a further chance of distinguishing himself. In the same paddock was another New Zealand Cup candidate. I refer to Riversdale, the chestnut gelded eon of Sfc. Leger and L'Orienfe, who is more than half-brother to the '94 Cup winner, Impulse. Followers of the game will remember that previous to the running of the New Zealand Cup in 1893 Riversdale held the position of favou-rite for some time ; he went amiss, however, and is now used as & hack, so that it ie not &l all likely that he will -ever again be asked to carry the blue and black banner.

*** The prosecution of Thomas Williams for betting at Fareoa resulted in a conviction and a tine. His offence was' not trespass, nor betting at totalisator odds, nor keeping a gaming kuwh not betting with infants. It wag simply

and eoltly for -crying the od^s .on a racacoutse and receiving aud paying out— the oldfashioned and uncomplicated form oi oddslaying— thftt he has been punished. His crime •was thai "by taking up a particular sw>.i\r< on the rscecour&e bi> had erected " s. pla.' c" wiibin the meanlHg of fche aefc. Yel; in the very s^ias district of Auckl&t-d s-urxw ci-abs liotDS*! bir»fcmnkers t^osrry en precisfly tbosanie btisintMts The qupuioo arh.es whetbti' ths m&gizhtafa in convicting Williuais was not cvet'-m'iinj; the decision of the Suglisb Court of Appeal in tbe preview caso ol Hawke v. Dann. Tiial, howevfr, i v a p<nafe which tbe lawyer? may be ieft t« 3ecivsf. My ccr.l'f-r.tion is tipiply tha-l as a roaTtftr of pck- oion ren.°e the position i* iv.'i'-u^outi, &V-$ 1 should like io say soineihing more than that. The If.w *?i',>i rf-spf-ofc to gambling ie oo queer mil unsstt.'.ftd as to a'liow msgifftrates and jiiflgEfi ioo wi4e a «iecretioa, and conseqofntly ih-i-p is a risk of vaiying dpci"ions, aud the- ir.fl'efonofpeiwlf-ies that do rtofc rorrcsporul. Ife »« quite posfcib'ft, say, for s coavif ti'nj to be oh'^sh.cA at BiV ?oa on fac'.ifchbt would bt> held iusi fiiupfta 1 *. fcke BSuiE. A T&ranaki msgisfcratfi maj i."fi'el r. fi-.s<"f £100 for an cff^?'Cfc which afe Christcbiucb. would be ■pnsnpb'-d by » Rieretioiranal penalty ; rii Ar.ckland magifctrate m?,y send to goal a map v/bom a Danedin magiair»te would let oil' wjfch & oatsfcion. Ido not srgue that there can evtrbe an (xaot co»refpcijdencesti regard to convielions »r,c per.nl^cf, Rut the van?.'<ioas«.re ronaing to exlrfines, leading k« tho opinion 'ha.t owing io the -vim of sk-jiriieES and pur-pops in tbe Ifew." gov.-rninj; theao matters a great deal too jnnch is lefc to discretion, to the charves of c, roxgistrp.te uoderstanding tbe subject, a.rd, woreb of all, to the pressure of public opinion. lam a believer in the doctrine that public opinion iv the resource is generally right, it is and must be the fountain at authotiiy aorl powec But public o^inJoc as expressed hastily and ■usdei- excitenaeat is sbout as nnjnst. a tribunal as one couid set up. It as oiten a* B/;t crucifies the wrong man. I should very rauch like to see all chance of this devastating influence cut out from our judicial decisions. The only way to do this is to make the batting I*,ws plain and simple and just. At preftfcnt they are muddied, owoiplicfcted, «Bd silly, »nci Jead to alj torts of tSiveroo jvnd ws-relatfrd dcoi»iona. * # * The Goodwood Handicap, full reports o? which are to hand this week, Is the South Australian race in which D O.D. paid £800 odd dividend in 1881. The Observer lvports th&t at the haU-distnncu Australian was in ftoni, aad s. fic-e battle between three ensu6d, ending in thn Victoiiac 'beating Security hy a neck, while Blood&ione was only 3 nose away. The thz/o — laiic 15|sec — was the record for the race. Australian is the property of Mr J. G. Clarke, the ovrner of Battalion, Brewer having pm chased him on his behalf from K/jlbo, of Sydney, about four months? ago. He is by The Australian Peer From Red and Black, a maro gofc iv EngUmd, but foaVd iv New Sooth Wales in lEB3. She is by ExnnusEer (a soa of Stcc'kingjs) from Wild Yia>, Y>s W.ld Oats. The contest in the South Aunfcrslian Stakes was robbed of all ideiest through Hainaulb falling 50 yards from the half-mile post. With Haiuault out ol tha road Sports e&gily defeated his stible companion Cicero. Sparta v^s brr-d by the late Mr W. Binelrier, »ad is hy Thuud-fcrbolt fiorn Leda ; vthile Cicsro hailed from the Morphettvilie stud. Iv spite of the fact t4at Meet Admiral had uot done well siuce his arrival From Melbourne, and that he had shaped vtry badly on the track at Morphett-

j ville, fche public voted bias eyusi to beating : Goodwill aud Koei'a in the Legsr, Kei-r& being > the outsider of fcL;e trio. Fieei Admiral kept I wiib his two opponent', until tfco six-furlong posL was reached, bai. direct!? the pww was clapped on tfceie his weak spot wao found, and before another furloag was traveled he was hoptlersly beaten. Goodwill and Ktera 1 then came on together until entering fche ' straight, when Gkodwill cried enoagb, leaving Keera an easy dinner by three lengths a;\d ' a-half. Tim" vas the fust time K>_ra had scr.red since hn won tho Marifcyfn<u\g Plats. j He is by Ntcksrsgat from Horfcensfc, and is oon&equsintly fail brother to Cicero. *#* Owing to a decrease in fehe takings afc the mutusls the French Minister of Finance | has elaborated a sebeme for pulticg booki makers under tribute. Hirf id«;a consists of 1 opening ao many lists in each paddock, I enclosure, or outside the heath of a racecouzse. The steward* of the different fatetingß are to say who shall be permitted to keep a iist, and the listmen are to form thtmselv€s into a corporation which will guarantee the wagers laid by each individual. A receipt will have to be given with every bet made, aud the ticket will he inscribed with the name of the holder of the horpe and the amount of the wager. M. Coehery asks that those who are allowed to have a list shall be condemned to pay 10 per I cent, on the amount of t-he money invested with I them, whether'a winning or a losing transaction. i Thus a man who laid the odds would have, according to the theory of M. Coehery, to pay ! 10 per cent, on all fche field money, while his pajingo oufc over the winner would be increased in the same ratio. Some five per cent, is to be claimed for the " benefit of the poo*'," three per cent is to go lio the Govatnment Stud Commission for the purchase of sires, and the remaining two per csnt. is a sop for the racing societies. Even if M. Ccchery gets his Bill passed he may have tmnble in finding bookmakers willing to pay 10 per cent, for the privilege ol betting. *#* Of Rebec, whose death Is recorded, •' Peeping Tom " writes : She commenced her racing career by winning the Lowburn Guineas _■ in October 1890, and ended it by beating Dutf Joseph for the Naseby Cup in 1897. Jack Loughlin rode her on the occasion of her firat victory at Lowburn, and she won anjhow. Rebec ,-waa without a doubt the best of Amult't's get. Stimulant, still racing, was probably as fast, or faster, bub for sheer gameneus the little 1 roan, whose dam was an unknown buggy mare, was, in my opinion, head and shoulders above him. I remember one occasion when her connections jusb missed a nice little haul. This was at the Cromwell Spring meeting, 1893. Kebac had been laid by for two seasons, soK^osed to be suffering faom a lickfid back. Getaway was being trained for the Cromwell Spring meeting, and Rebec, poor 'as the proverbial crow, was being harked about one morning after Getaway had run a aria! that was far from satisfactory, andThiips persuaded Mr Scolea to give " ToS" a. go over five furlongs. Against two watches she ran the distance in lmin lOsec. This was within a week of the races, but good enough to make her owner and his friends back Rebec for the five-furJong race . at Cromwtll. The field was a strong one, including Goblin, Avis, Hanlon, -and Bonny Bliuk. Rebec stood on the mark like a sheep, while Fox on Avis and Leeson on Goblin were continually breaking away. When the flag fell this pair gained a great advantage, but Rebec's pace enabled her to run into second place a furlong from home, and she and Avis fought out a desperate finish, which the judge decided in favour of the later, but FuX xiud Leeson both admititiedi to me afterwards fcliat Rebec actually

won. There was only £7 invested on her, and j his Scolea and his Mends held the lot. On j that occß,*i'-u, Rebec, had -she won, would liave paid a £20 dividend. * # * "Umpire," of the Sjdnfy Referee, has | an article wilh exott cf which I thoroughly agree,. Tha fcitae-lK.Eoar.fc.-i waotk'e of calling . a lo».»g string of witupfsei 1 whtnaver a case is j baforc curstewaros for suepicioua running, foul ! jnoing, or Ihe ir,vesti£aljon of a protest is oaa th&t might »cry well be reformed. £To matter how plain the cirpuatsiauces may be, probably aii&i»g -out of something thai has occurred within afaw hundred jarde ot fcbe winning 'post, in wine cases out vf ten gte*>-ards "feel bound to ' drop into the -welMrnown groove by listening j to opinions a»d st-AteineoU by all son;* and conditions of people. They ate especially given to , relying on 'tiis version of ar>y given occurrence j p&intsti tor their e<3ißct»fciou by the wiiziess who ! brings nvivny yes-rg of experience to (hi* assisj tantui wt<tu xeacly to tesuify ""•right up io-the ' " abcxit; f?cm;-iiai>!g he k&i just seen, or • fci.'infcr. \ie l»s r-esu. Most of the wifcues-ses who, I ps ih» Safvatiot».Ainay x>ocple bare ijj, comttia i jJT.pe.red to tesbify a<:e on the side -for the I ciefmos ; and io nia* x-'ases o-afc of tea their j sjmp*ithiee, whsther they chooose to own up to { it oi- nofc, are strongly with the person who | stands in the poMt'on of having to defend ! h:m£?if from the prir»a facie evidence of <wrocgj do!B|r. The Ti-ifcriegs^s, -*o?-aii;p ti>eiKselve8 l up*s [ tfcc oscasii>o *nd f sciifcKU'.nr ct fch? i-&ze suggests, j grew into partisans iris':«Mi.a o? behig unpre- ; ja^.iced jucges of an Gccnrc^uce which they I irudvrtako to dßscribe or give an ■opinion upon. • If a body of stewards totrefors listen long i enough to the views of a^num'be? of such wi6ues^s, and underfea'ke.to give-averSiot " according to evidence," then* isliftle room for'specaSation a? to how a deciriou wil! gc. TYhfrn a cave bsrrff irquiied hj.o i& BM&.t,ibvily postj posed it i* JoDg^odfls on "the. of a"per» j soa charged witb m&lprsctiae. The time j allowed to beat up inflaeulisd "witnesses aod to give perhaps well-ramaning •stewards latitndeto unbend from a severe f rsm-i of mind is everything to the person, who ».« all but convicted of engineering an impudent ratKp. 'Timeis every- | fhir.g to him. Whufc migfart have 'been a two j yeaia' genttxjee cf di^QKalificatlon in a case I dedtied on the spo£ dwindles down after a siifSi eieat po^tponeiaeiit to perhaps si severe repriI mand, or possibly wn aceep'ed explanation, j With no desire to Bee an innocent person | e-djadgefl guilty, or even -punished on tuspicioti j alone, J have bp.s'u forced to the -conchwion ' that tt« BC-qaitbol of a prison 'caaghtrsd handed j is often ovAj & xaatter ut time. *** Oo the subject of thft l*tegt betting case tried in England, the Sporting Times writes 4 — "Another batting case has gone to the Court of Queen* Bench for consideration, and what causes ifc to bo iatfrestiag is that it ; was the Lord Chief Justice who pi'onouueed ! judgment, followed by Justices Hawkins, • Kennedy, Bidley, and Wills. They were ! KEaßimoaely cf opinion that the convictioD j v.'ould .stand. It was a case sent up by the ! Recorder of Leeds for the Cciutt of 'Crowa Cases i Reserved to determine whether a certain place, 1 to wife, an archway in Leeds, was a place ! within the meaning of t&e act. It was proved i that the defendant who was convicted had been ia the fe&bifc of using thi6 archway for the purposes of bettiDg, hs receiving money in advance and giving tickets for the same. We need sc-.«cely say that here there were all the objectionable *lements that Sir A. Cockburn in his speech in the House of Commoun declared i it was the intention of the act he w&s then I iKtroduciiig to suppress. This was common j b&tfcing-licme bating, pute aud siiriple, away j *rom a. iactcoursv, witfc persons ox th& poorer class w'io bc-tte'j for tUe siike ot belting, and to compinte tha ma.tter there was the payment of money in sidvaoee and the of tickets as security. We are isot, therefore, surprised that the couvfc should have held that the conviction was gotK). Tko gtiueral tenor of the juogmeats delivered, however, showed that there "was, notwithstauding, some doubt, and the desirability of further legislation so as to render it perfectly clear what the act 16 and 17, cap, 119, really meant was expressed by all." *#* " Javelin," of the Leader, writes : Mr S Gi-'Ofrey Watsos, as I have fxfquently pointed cut, is only available &s sfcdi-ter at Flemington and Oaulfield wheu he i^ r>o£ wanted at Adblaide Last S&tarday "-fas Adelaide people requireol him, and Caulfiaid had in consequence to find a substitute, as Fiamiogton also has to <lo when there is r*ciag there and at Adelaide. j This is no reflection on Mr J. O. Inglis, who j can start a field of horses as well as any man in j Australia can, but it is really a little humiliati ing. The premier V.R 0. tod the opulent V.A.T.C. can only command the services of tiheir starter when the South Australiaa Jockey

UIUD aon'C nappen jo oe racing.: vvaen cuere is j a meeting at'anodest Morphettvilie, famoua FlemiDgton and celebrated Caulfield have to take a *b*ck ssat because they -don't pay their starter enough to make it worth his while to stay at borne. Mr Watson finds it better busiiioss to be where fche tofcalisalor is in operation, and where fat fees therefore prevail. Tho two leading Victorian clubs ought-to be ashamed of having only second call on the services of one of their leading officials, and I never could understand why some of the members— especially of the V.K.O.— doa'fc kick up & row j aboiatit. _j %*-Tn ®Egland some years ago Sir John Astley, Mr Chaplin, and Mr Sterling Crawford vigorous warfare against touts. These v purists bad no objection to touts in the abstract, ' but only to their being in the employment of. other people, and their hcarte must surely have secretly rebelled against the vehement diatribes they uttered on the subject, seeing how well j they kuew how valuable a reliable tout is. The i Duke of Beßufort dealt much more kindly with them. He had every one ot them present en Danebury Downs captured, and then he addressed them in his usually courteous style: "I lat you have the ground all the year; j kindly let me have it for half an hour. If you , ride in the conveyanos provided for you to i Stockbridge yon will Und an excellent dinner , provided for you, to which I trust you will Ho ! full justice." During the time the men were 1 partaking' of this hospitality fche "Doke found j out that Rustic was hardly eqnal to the task «£ beating Lord Lyon in the Derby. *#* Owing to severe wintry weather setting in last Saturday the second day's races of &te j Tahuna Park mesfcinjg were adjourned to i Wednesday tjresterday). *** The German Government has purchased j Carnage for 10,000 guineas.