AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2319, 11 August 1898, Page 38

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

By Taihoa.

The declaration of the New Zealand Cup . acceptancos has not brought about any betting of note, but a fair amount of business ha 3 been done ■ duiing the week on the Grand National doub'e, for which Dummy and Opai is still the popular pick, the best price obtainable beiu« HO to 5. Dummy, coupled with Magazine and Husaar, was -on Friday last backed for .£SOO.

As anticipated, all Aucklanders, with Ihe ex- • ception of Doneraile, remain in the New Zealand ■Cup. ami the contingent, including St. Paul, Ntstor, Explofcion, Antares, and Firearm, are going along well enough in their work. In lumping 11.3 on to St. Kilda for the Winter Handicap at the National meeting Mr Henry appears to have given the Auckland gelding a shnde more than his dc/crts, and, g-eat weightcarrier as he is, I fancy the impost will prove beyond his capabilities When I penned my lust week's budget, Mr Jas. Dickey, treasurer of the Auckland Racing Club, was lying on his deathbed, and barely had the wire reached your end before the candle of life went out. Nearly 20 years the decea' ed had occupied the. position of conimitteeman of the Auckland •Club, and for a number of years he was associated with the important po .t of treasurer. In his time Mr Dickey has held interests in many horses, and was a member of the long-since-extinct syndicate that ran Necklace, Niagara, Turquoise, Thunderbolt, Bangle, and others. Of a genial disposition, and a man to whom the distressed never appealed in vain, Mr Dickey's memory will linger long in the memory of Auckland ers.

As you will have oliody seen, another horse from these parts has been purchased to go to the ■ old country in Captivator's son Levanter, pur- • chased by Mr Power (manager f«T Mr S. H. Hordem) in the capacity of commissioner for Captain fcfeott, of Cork, Ireland. While moderate in appearance, the Auckland 'chaser is of the safe and reliable order, and one of the best cross-country •horses that ever sported silk in the colon y. Providing the sea voyage does cot prove too much for him he should do credit to the land from which he hails. The Auckland Racing Club Committee are talking of extending the Sj.ring meeting to three days and the Summer meetiug to four days. St. Coaon, by St. Leger— Sapphire, will pro■baWy go to the stud next season. From Mr W. Walters, of Glenore Park, I learn that Swordfish is going along satisfactorily in his fpreparation for the New Zealand Cup, and from what 1 can gather the h.irse's connections fancy his chances pretty strongly for the big race. D. Morrigan, of Auckland, who was recently private and crass-country rider for Mes&rs Duder Bros., has left for Christchuich under engagement to steer Morag in the Grand National Steeplechase. Tally-ho, baying lost her form, has been thrown out of training. Lieuteuant, who has been spelling at Mr M'Kinnon's Waikato estate tor some time, will in all probability be put to jumping duriDg the coming season.

The annual meeting of the New Zealand Tattersall's Club was held on Thursday last, when the balance sheet showed a healthy position of affahv, the assets being given as £410 with no liabilities. Messrs Bi iiablecombe, R 11. Duder, W. H. Percival, J. B. Russell, 11. P. Garrie, H. H. Hayr, and J. Davidson were elected the committee for the ensuing year. The first foal of the season was announced from Wellington Park on Tuesday last, when Mr Morrin'g Lady Cureton (by Goldsbrough— Mingara) produced a beautiful chestnut colt to St. Leger. On Tbuisday Strathmore's sister Hazel followed with a filly to the same sire.

The Auckland Trotting Club has fixed its Spring meeting for the 14th and 19ih October.