AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2318, 4 August 1898, Page 33

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

I* I "i.UKOA.

August 1.

The anuunl meeting of mcnd-crs of tlis Auclcland. K;t(ing Club wu.i held thi-> al'ernoon. The revert ma bal-r.i-e shert re»'<?&lpd a very satibf-\c-tiny state d aifa'rs. WUh bat four meetings during the Lcascn, st against fm» in the previous ye.tr, tha dub g.".ve £13,150 in addeii money, an incase of XliSOj over 189(5 J 7 season, while the tolalisator invclments amounted to £101.92(1 against iMOl.ir.U, au increase of £7W, and one day Ics3 racing. The statement of accounts showed a profit of £2005, betides w riling off £L'JOO in ract'Course fnrnilurp, plant, etc.

At a fubbequont mefctiDg of the committee the piogrannne for the incoming sea«ou was dis-cuss-ed, and. though nothing definite was arrived at it is undeistood that the Auckland Cup will s,laud at £1000, and it is in the air that another handicap of the sann value will be got up, the club intending to make a splash during exhibiti m time at Christmas. . '1 he .season's pio»iamn»e will hi all probAli-lny be dr«w v up ncJ.t Monday. As I i>cu iay v, ir*-, Mr J. J. Dickey, th-* treasurer nf tho Auckland Racing Ciub, is lying at d^ath'd door, his two medical advi^cra having Riven up all hope of his rccoveiy. New Zealand Cup batting has been practically a dead 1-ttor here du.-icg the pa t week, 1 hough it may be mentioned that 1 sy Star i« decidedly fnvii at 100 to 8, and h.xs been supposed to a fair extent at that iiguie. A warr.u- of 3'iO to 0" uiro.ed abo-it Ne-durbt ought ono ef t heps i tit* -ml ere -ted in the owueiahiy to bos'iii's*. Olhi i\. i-£ the Cirprioort on tifer lcmsu'i as rei-oiU-.\ b-t v-te'r. Fair betting ha?, however, b. O.i en: i-n ou about the Grand National double, lOUO to '20 haviuabe^n written about CUymcro and Mi-liie, an \ 500 to 15 about Plain Bill and Miw>n)<-, while smaller amouuta have dabbled on Nor-'wa^'and Blisi-fne at 100 to '.',, also Moraß and Dummy coupled with. Hi) wat 100 to 2. 'i'he piicei on tho double are asui'dc.-:--'i(o !o 5 Dummy and Cpai, ICO to 4 Uanuuv and SHiifin 1 , 100 to 4 JJomn.y and Sue .xl IV t, 100 to 2 Dummy and IlcaOfoul. The old 'ch-iscr Magpie was brought down from the Waikato last week, where he has been following the hounds, and he is now located at EUer&lie for a few days preparatory to being sent to ClnUtchuich to fulfil his Gsand National cut a-SPiuent. Tfce Avofida'-i Jockey Club have selected Saturday, yopteiubar 17th, aud Wednesday, 21bfc, for the Opting meeting. The leading event", of the fiivt d.iy are the Avondale Handicap, of lOfkovs, oue niila and a-cuurler; Hurdle Rice, of 50suvs, on i mil 3 and thtee-qit.irtsrs, and the Juveuilc States, of C'^sovp, four furlongs ; while on the second c'&y the Plmnpkm Handicap, of 75jovs, one mile ; Eleclnc Ifancticap, of EOaova, four fuilongs ; and the Nursery, of 50sovs, tour fmlongj, foim the principsl attraction. Last ye.cr, it will be reniembeied, St. Paul was galloped on whilst comettirg the Dunedin Cup. The iojurtd feUock of the no.ir hindhg is now Plightiy enhrged, but it does not appear to havo interfered with his preparation, as he has been kept going all through the winter months. Messrs ff. and W. Eetce, of Opotiki, prove to be the purchaser of the Cuir.'&Bier— Koie &tallion Sabretache. , Of the Auckland contingent in the New Zealand Cup Doneraiie is said to be the only oue likely to fall out on I<'rid,.y rcxt. Mr L. D Nathan's New Zealand Cup candidate Explusion continues to move nicely ia his preparation at IQler.-lie. The stallion Tannan, who has b?en in the Morrin^ville distiict for some time past, has been sold to Mr J. Buckeridsje, of Wuirarapa. lieports from Papabuva state that Swordfish, another New Zeal-nd Cup candidate, is doing satisfactory work. St. Kilda was s-lrpped to P.iccarton en Tue.day lai-t to fulfil his engagement in las Welter Handicap 'i he old chap, who looked very well when placed on board the Elingamite. ia under the charge of W. Ci earner, who will ride him in his engagement. Another one token on to Riccarton for the game event is Castashore. St. Clements, whose sale I reported last week, ib now in the hands of W. Ckill, at Elierslie. An untried Sou- wester gelding m Fr^v.k M'Manemin's stable has been named Birdi. During the week £ioo to £30 was scceptfa about Opai's chance in the Grand Nationul The newly-formed Coromandsl Racing Club, ■which has obtained a permit, contemplates holding a two days' meeting on November 30 and December 1. , __ „ Shillelagh, the hero of the Gccat Northern Steeplechase of 1892, and who was some months back sold out of a mixed draft for a mere song, is being hunted wUh the Pakurangt hounds, while others smnilaily engaged arc Belle, bt. Leonatds, and Reflection.