THIS YEAR'S MEETING

Otago Witness, Issue 2323, 8 September 1898, Page 36

THIS YEAR'S MEETING

is described as in every respect a most enjoy- i able affair. The weather was luxuriously (warm — quite a treat for Otagons — and the . management could hardly have been improved ' on anywhere, a particular feature being that the horses and jockeys were got out sharp and started to time. One visitor writes me that everything went so pleasantly that for once an a way he was quite content to lose his money. The course was in very fair order— a little soft on the first day, but that soon improved. Kuku won the Hurdles pretty easily, waiting on Jib to the last fence and ■ then effectually disposing of this mare. In i the Maiden Plate, Crusader and Refugee were disputing with one anothei in the straight, both running a bit green, when Epaulet suddenly ran up on the outside and won as he |iked. The Cup furnished an interesting race. Vanilla and Bhnetallist raced away together e,s if they were on a five-furlong journey, and they kept in front for nearly a mile, when they suddenly tired and fell back to the company of Double Event, Castashore, and Sequin, Maremma last. Castashore got the lead at about the distance, and just staved off the rush made by Maremma, on whom T. iSuddicomb had ridden a nice race. The time, 2min 14-^sec, is the slowest since Outpost's 2min 15sec four years ago. The record as Saracen's 2min 12£ sec in 1884. Castashore as a big free-going chestnut, hailing from the North Shore, Auckland, where he won the Takapuna Birthday Handicap, a mile and acfuarter, last season. , He is by Castor out of Kip, a mare whose name does not appear in the Stud Book. Castashore has done a lot of racing during the past six months, and he looked like being a trifle overdone in point of condition as he stripped at Timaru ; hence, I suppose, the comparatively bitr dividend. The Trot is easily described. When Joker got in front there was nothing else to do J but go and figure out the dividend ; he was going so strongly. In the Welter, Mount Clair, the much-improved .brother to Blazer, had all the best of the horsemanship ; still, he appeared to win on his merits pretty comfortably. Linkshot made a good run when he got clear, but I think if the race were run bver once more Mount Clair would win again, even if the one or two unplaced membp^ who are under suspicion of not being ovei i arnest •were to go all they knew. Lobo had bad luck in not winning the Hurdle Race and landing a £7 12s dividend. Napoleon turned turtle at the stand iump, through taking off too far away. The other three came together to the last hurdle, Lobo untouched, while Dundee and Magazine were both under pressure. Here, however, Lobo fell. With him out of the way, the remaining pair raced home locked together, and nobody but the judge could sa^ which had won. Warrington and The Ornhan made the r>ace in the Flying, and, while the latter had had enough of it at Mie home turn, Warrington kept going, and •was winning easily, having not the least show of beine beaten by Bloomer's run on the Snside ; but the lad on Warrington started flourishing his whip and his horse swerved across Bloomer's course, shutting her in. It •was a plain cross, though unintentional, and Wio stewards had no ootion but to disqualify Warrington and givr- the stake to Bloomer. The race was clearly lost to Gorton's owner through the misuse of the whip. In the Hurdle Race on the second day Napolpon was V-eateti off and Jib won comfortably. Battery and Linkshot were first away in the Gladstohe Handicap, and, while the former failed at the home turn, the Dunedin horse hung to the lead until Crusader came and smothered him at thp finish. Epaulet and something else got mixed up at the post and this cost the former any chance he possessed. Bloomer and Refugee ran a cut-throat race for the Rhodes Memorial and led into the straight, where, when they slackened down, all were bunched, till Maremma, under pressure, drew clear for a comfortable win. Swordfish made a great rush when it was all over. I am afraid he knows too much. The farewell was a splendid race. Bar Glenore, all the starters were together all the way, and Mount Clair only won in the last three strides. j HORSEBREEDING IN FRANCE. The French Government, alive to the ficsirabilii.v of maintaining a standard in

breeding and of keeping up the supplies for the horse market and for military purposes, have huge breeding establishments in various parts of the country, and by this means owners of mares can secure the services of sound stallions at a reasonable figure, instead of being left at the mercy of private enterprise, which often means, so far as the colonies are concerned, having to use an unsuitable or otherwise objectionable horse. The correspondent of an English paper has been describing" one of these French stud farms, that of Le Pin, in the Province of Normandy, where there are stationed no fewer than 257 stallions, of which 17 are thoroughbred and have made their name at racing. The catalogue includes Bruce (Seesaw — CarineJ, Krakatoa (Thunderbolt — Little Sister), Clamart (Saumur — Princess -Catherine), Fra Diavolo (Trocadero — Orpheline), The Condor (Dollar — Charmille), and Zut (by Flageolet). The fees for the services of all these Government sires never exceed the modest French " fiver," which comes out at £4 English. The subscriptions vary from 30 to 40, and are exclusively reserved for mares being the property of breeders domiciled in France. Mares of over 18 years of age who have had no produce during two consecutive years as well as those who are over 10 ajid have never proved in foal are debarred from entering. Preference is naturally given to thoroughbred mares. The entries for each sire are registered in rotation as received, and then- preference is given to those who have thrown a winner of a race of at least 400sovs value, or of several races on the flat of the value of 800sovs, or of 1200sovs on the flat and over country. Next come mares who have won a race of SOOsovs on the flat, or other races worth 1200sovs on the flat, or 1600sovs over country and on the flat, or having run second in a race of the value of the last amount, or being dams of produce fulfilling the above conditions. Then comes the sub-division for mares whose qualifications are estimated at half of the requirements mentioned above, and finally the list is filled up with thoroughbred mares at the option of the authorities. Should by any chance the subscriptions not fill, the owners qf halfbred mares have a cl.ance of inscribing their mares. Some day New Zealand will follow this eminently wise French system — some day after the colony rises up against and repulses the wretched , Cold Tea Party.