AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 33

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bt Taihoa.

June 6. The North New Zealand Grand National meeting, always popular here, opened, in beautiful weather at Ellerslie on Saturday, the attendance being fau and away- the largest ever seen on our convincing ground at this time of the year. Sec- ' rotary Pereival had 7 everything in apple-pie order, j ' and as speculation was brisk, the sum of £84?8 | going through the totilisators, as against £5458 for the coiresponding date last year, and the. racing of a high-class order, you can well imagine that the gathering was a tri'liant success in every sense of , the word. The card opened with the Maiden Steeplechase, about two miles and a-half, for which a moderate field of four elected to face- the music, the withdrawals being Voltigeur 11, Great Britain, and Menadava. The Sinner, a kwv-set son ef Foul Shot, who last week passed into the hands of Mr Skipwith, owner of St. Simon, was at duce prcked out as a good thir-g — indeed, «) strong was he that when- they -were released the tote,showed odds' of nearly 2tol on him-. HalT, who had the mount, was content to keep his horse well' in hand over •the first half of the journey, Glonmel making the running; but when they came to the sod wall on the last round- his pilot let him out!, and" the Foul Shot horse, jumping beaufcifullj', held tbe lead, and although Reindeer was on sufferance allowed to'run, up to his girths at the lust fence, the issue • was never really in doubt, Ths Sinner shoot- | ing away as they landed and winning with j something to spare by three lengths from Reindeer, Itch ay couple of hundred yancis away third, and Clourael a bad fourth ; time, smin 20secs. The great fu-ld of 21 racea the barrier in the Winter Welter of one mile, the only deletion being Rubin. Light was served up a hot favourite, but did not show anything- in. his prelimipaty, work to warrant his position iv the bstting, St. Kflda ! moved better thai) anything in it. From a good seni off Indian Chief,' who had had inside running, dashed int9 the lead, and, with Sylvia Park as lite nearest 'companion, tha Son of • . Torpedo made a. merry pacei for better than half J the jqurney. At the half-mile post Sylvia Park | cried content, and Record Reign shooting up to • j the leader, the pair turned into the straight j i' together with the field well bunched close up., ! When the Derby staad was reached half a dozen of f them seemed to~> hold a winning chance, but ! Record Reigu had- yet. to be reckoned with, and j coming with, a great rattle from the centre of the ! gi oupe, Castor's Son scored by two lengths from |- , Miss Anna, Supplejack being third, St. Kilda | t fourth, Panoply; fifth, Coronet sixth, and Sylvia • | Park whipping in the field. Time, lmin 46Jsec. ' i Next came the piece de resistance? Grand ! ', National Hurdles of two miles. Missfire, Dante, i i and Torpina, not having made the. journey north, , thair names were at or.cc" sfercick off, an*l , when Muscatel, The Friar, Opou, Anmves, Kluna, aud Reindeer had the scratching pea run through them, it waa seen that the field for tha big race had dwindled 1 down to eight. When the contestants cam» to have their toilets adjusted the one most eagerly, sought out was Opai, who . had ruled ai a strong favourite since ha scored at Wanganui ia the week previous. The son of Somnus came thiough the ordeal of inspection well, and certainly looked a fair gentleman as he 1 strutted round the enclosure. Dummy bore a. well-trained 1 appearance?, but waa not in the same street aa Opai 1 fou looks. After Opat, the best- . looking, one. ofi the 1 field, might^be sald.to 1 be. Nor-, west, who stripped in fine fettle. Levautar au.

] pearid a trifle fretful, and did not quite pleasft. i Voltigeur looked somewhat mean compared witß. ' such a commanding pair as Opai and Nor'-west, i but still those connected with him were- aot

' without strong hopes of his rendering a, good ; account of himself. Casxasbore looked ail the [ better for the racing which ha weat through at > Takapuna, and did not by any means cvi; a- bad ! fisjurfi amongst the fieirt. so far as looks -were con1 cerned ; but the generai npiciois entertained conI cernuig him was that he scarcely seasoned

I enough to do himself justice ia a jumping contest. i-When preliminary gallops cams to be ymder1 taken Nor'-west was the first to entertain tha ! onlookers, and ths white-faced son of Sou'-w ester, I rattling down the straight in a rery resolute L manner, pleased ths onlookers, immanaely; but , Opai'a long, loping stride, combined with his fine I physique, caused him to Decomfreven a greater ; favourite, as He galloped to the post. When the ', Irarrjer vent up !for'.»v»-it vis the" first to .be ■ pJtka'i ovt iti fche van He wss, however, aoon 1 steadied, .jncf when they swept past the stewards' stand Opas *?•&& in front, half a length before Dummy. The latter closed up to his opponent at the bottom turn, and they were still racing together when the sixth hurdle came to be nego- , tfated There «ras little to choose between the ; pair wben the seventh hurdle was reached, and as ' wh>ps »vere put- on both horses there was for a.few strides a little anxiety for the fate of the : favourite. Opai, however, began to leave -his rihestant. opponent as they made the home turn, and the favourite, leaping the last hurdle with a • length's advantage, increased his lead in the' run ! home, and won comfortably in the 'end' by a couple of lengths amid a round of cheering. The race was run. at a. slashing pace throughout, asthe' | time (Smin 55sec) shows, and Opai's performance takes rank as a record one in connection with the Auckland race. Opai was bred by hie owner, Mr M'Donald, at Horowhenua, in- the Wellington province. When three y£ars old he was sold, for £66, but Mr Rt' Donald repurchased the horse at the beginning of the present year for £155,, and since then he has won six races in his colours.

Dummy ran a real.good horse,, and though* Nor'west tired perceptibly in the last quarteT of a mile, he did not by any means disgrace himself, considering the fast pace afe which the journey was 1 compiet' 1. Castashore got through his maiden effort; over the sticks in a manner that

may be te) mcd very satisfactory, and the big" son of Castor may be looked upon as a very promising candidate for jumping honours. Magpie suited punters most in the Selling Steeplechase — about thireemiles — the withdrawalsin this eveut being Redborry, Carbuncle, and Glenarm, leaving half a dozen to battle for the lOOsovs attached" thereto. Charcoal, who was a long way down in the betting, completely upset calculations, however, for, going to the front in the early stages, the Foul Play gelding showedthe way right through, and taking fences proficiently, ran in a comfortable winner from the favourite by .three lengths, Menadava third, and Bombardier lust. Ballyhooley fell at the sod, fence. Time, 6rnin 32sec. The winner was bought in for £25.

, Eleven was the main in the Maiden Hurdle Race of a mile and three-quarters, thescratcbings being Reindeer, Yattenfelt, and Sharper. South Pacific found strongeßt.following, with-Antta uexo in market. Thelma- was the first to show in front, but she came down at the' first" obstacle, Lufra also falling at the same jump. This left The • Trifler, Anita, and Great Britain at the head of affairs. The first-nientionpd fell back as the riders of Anita aad lireat Britain shook their mounts j up, and together the pair raced, stride for stride, I until within half a mile from home, where Anita commenced to draw out, and she eventually gained a somewhat, easy victory by a couple of lengths. Time, 3miu 32£ sec. Ihis was the first time the daughter of King Quail had been seen in pui.lic over the small sticks, and. the pleasing manner in. which she took, her fences left a, favourable impression of hen as a. juniper. The programme closed with the Pony Hairdi'cap

Hurdles, a mile and a-half, in wliiclilieciuib was . ladled out as the correct, pei, with. Bob next in f order. Sneak apd Libeller made the running to I the top stretch," where Recruit put in a strong

I piece of work, getting within a length of Libeller J when the home turn was reached. The Capapie i, gelding managed, however, to hold his own in- the run home, and won by three parts of a length, in

Smin Jscc, .Fairy third

r The committee of the A.11.C. do not appear to I have defin-italy fixed upon_the distance' of the

weight-for-age race on the Autumn programme of i 1900, and may yet alter it from a mile and, aquarter to a mile and a-half. Several members of the committee are in favour of the latter distance with a view to giving stayers a chance. There were, unfortunately, several accidents during the jumping races. In the SelliDg Steeplechase Ballyhoolcy made a faulty jump at the sod fence, and turning a complete somersault over the obstacle his rider, W. Olive, was

severely huit. Later on in the afternoon Thelma and. Lufra fell while contesting in the Maiden

Hurdle Race, and their respective riders, A. Collins and- W. Gall, were heavily thrown. As the two lads lay still after their herees fell, it was . at once recognised that they were badly injured. Dr Walker examined the- injured horsemen, and as Collins was seriously hurt he waa ordered! to the hospital. St. Hiko and Honesty also fell while contesting the Maiden Hurdle Race, but their respective riders,' A. Ha.ll and W..Veale, j fortunately escaped unhurt, as did also J. Pennell, j whose horae, fiatoomba, came down when negoj tiatiEg the sttoher wall at the head of the course in f the Maiden Steeplechase. J. M'Taggart also

suffered a fall when Voltigeur came down at the first hurdle in the Grand National contest, but neither horse nor rider was hurt.