SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA

Otago Witness, Issue 2370, 3 August 1899, Page 37

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA

Bx HOKI POENE. i 1

V.R.C. GRAND NATIONAL MEETING. I Second (Maiden Steeplechase) Day. MELBOURNE, July 18. Last Wednesday was a truly glorious day, and, owing to the usual half-holiday, there was another large gathering on 3tand, hill, and flat; the attendance including a number of visitors from Government House, and amongst them Lady Mary Lygon (sister to Earl Beauchamp, t'io Governor of New South Wales). I cannot truthfully aver that'personally I took much "stock" of these celebrities; but a "gushing young creature" who "does" the society business for one of those weklies which lay themselves specially out foe this sort of thing prattles thus thereanent: —"Lord and Lady Braasey not being present, there had been no flourish of trumpets to announce the party, and its members were not noticed till they passed along the terrace before the Hurdle Race. Then every one discovered Lady Lygon, and at once fell in love with her. One would pick her out of a. much larger crowd than that at Flemington, as the moat aristocratic type of English beauty. She has a tall, graceful figure, good carriage, and pretty features, which a fresh colouring and a very sweet expression threw into animation. Lady Lygon's style is distingue. She wore a very pale shade of grey cloth —quite the most summery confection in evidence —made in coat and skirt style, with a dainty vesi; of white chiffon; and a toqxie to match, sitting well back oil the head, and having a crown of swan ikin, with groy curled quills in the front. Like many of our leaders, the fair sister of Earl Beauchamp wore no'fringe, and her hair in full uncrumpled "fashion on the crown.'' Having made that quotation in the interest of any fair readers qf the Witness who may wish to know what Lady Mary Lygon looked like on her firet appparance at Flemington, I may well be pardoned for making another excerpt fiom the v..r/if- " Ladie3' Letter" with respect to a matter \r> v;hich I alluded in my previous notes. As oa the first day, the lawn was again " roped' off. and commenting on the fact the lady scribe remarks: —"The result was that far more ladies than usual invaded the betting ring. They stood in groups! all round, or squeezed through the excited smoking throng of men who regarded the close proximity of petticoats p,s a bar to hot words. The women gambled more than usual. The time when a woman would blush to come in contact with the bettors of the turf is paßt. The fair sex (i.e., the gentle sex) has brcomc inured to the language that pours from the vials of racing enthusiasm on the thick air of the betting ring, and stands imporvious to its coarse element. The up-to-date girl stands with her racing card in her hand, taking the ' scratchings ' m the hottest corner of the betting bedlam; and ' puts on' her little bit with hor own fair hands. It is known to the "timid sex' that the Amazons of the 'ring' are susceptible to the charms oi their fair patrons, and the up-to-date girl proceeds in a-very-businesslike way to 'hapglp' over the starting price, aiid g^ts as big odds as she can. It is not- 8, pretty picture; but, unfortunately, the--up-to-date • girl thinks otherwise, and regards that sort-of thing as the quintessence of smartness. One of these days a lude man, who has gone through the fire of disillusion, will try th-e ' new girls'' ears with the naughtiest of hot words, and push her roughly out of his way, or send a -hot spark from his j)eaoeful pipe into her <keeu eye —and then the new order of things will change, and she will abandon the path of men's liberty. Some of us "will tune our lyres and sing an anthem of praise; but it will not be for & long time, I'm afraid.' Kindly remember that those words were written by a lady for lady readers; and after you have got that fact firmly fixed on the tablets of yonr memory try and ponder the hidden meaning —veritably between the lines " —in the remarks anent (I) tbo up-to-date girl preceding in v very " business "-like way to haggle over the starting prioe, and (2) the bookmaker "" who haß gone through the dire cf disillusion " using the "naughtiest of hot words" to, and roughly pushing ont of his way, his erstwhile enchantress. Mind you, this is tipped to come off in the grand stand reserve at Flemington —where foul language to a man even renders the offender liable to instant ejectment! Now none can say that the picture of the possible development is in the slightest degree overdrawn. And this being so, what more potent argument could be evolved for the immediate legalisation of the totalisator so as to avert the impending evil? To deal with the racing, proceedings commenced with a Two-mile Hurdle Race, for which Borderer 12.0 was made a, 5 to 2 favourite against seven others, Fairlight 10.2 being aext in demand at 7 to 2, Soult 12.4 finding much favour at 9 to 2 whilst offers of 100 to 5 were allowed to pass unheeded (by the "right parties") so far as The Armourer 9.11 was concerned. Acton 9.6 was the first to make jplay, followed by Borderer, whillst Soult was in the centre of the field. A mile from home the latter struck a hurdle heavily, and came down on his head, suataining a concussion of the brain and other internal injuries which veterinary Willis Allen assures me are likely to seriously interfere with his hurdle-racing prospects for some coijsideiable vi.'iis- —if not cemianently. Sis

furloHgs from hcSme Borderer went to the front, with' Pilot' '9.5 ili close attendance. .Right up j to the distance it looked as if Borderer would I win, but after crossing the last hurdle i 7i 7 airtight ; bade him "Ta-ta!" and ran home an easy winner by two lengths from The Arrnourei, who did not put in a forward appearance until the termination of the journey, when he finished with remarkable vigour, defeating the apparently tired Borderer by half a length fo: second money, Widderin 9.5 (in Alec. Taylor's stable, and a promising lookingson of Maliia and Priscilla) being fourth, and "the time 3min 58& sec. This second victory of Fairlight stamped the son of Warloo and Kestrel as being a good many notches above the ordinary, whilst the perambulation of The .Armourer likewise i caused me to place a marginal note on my cuff ■for future reference. Fifteen (exactly half the number coloured on the card) saddled up for a Welter Handicap, | of seven furlongs, an aged gelding yclept Early Uorn 8.12 being installed favourite at 7 to 2, with Eugene 8.4 at 7's, and Arnpier 9.5, De j Wilton 9.1, and Gardner 8.0 nt B's. Outside these 12 to 1 was easily obtainable, und some of those " nousoy ' individuals who generally take j a synopsis of the position before making their investments on donning theii" considering caps, came to the conclusion that a- general like Mr P. T. Heywood was hardly likely to bring an aged gelding of Benedict's credentials (by the Melbourne Cup winner The Assyrian from the Caulfield Cup heroine Blink Bonny) all the way' from 'Dandenong for the mere fun of the ihing", and^-despite the muttered whisperings of the '* knnw-alls " to the effect that Benedict I was certain to break down when the pace was i pub on — they entrusted "Phil's" horse with *-heir confidence. And the result showed their sound judgment, as Benedict not alone failed to break down, but canto with a mighty " swish " towards the finish, which euchred Stoddart 9.0 ijy a length, Jubilant 8.10 only a neok behind H.H. Kour Sahib -Fatiala's gelding, then following in. order Aiva, Trendle, Reaper, The Scotchman, and Early Morn, with --the unintelligible Arnpier acting as whipper-in ; time, lmin 35isec. The presence of Coniboyne J. 0.7 in the Maiden Steplechase, of two miles, after his meritorious performance against Hostile in the "Kenaiugton Steeplechase on the first day, frightened the rest of the entrants bar naif a dozen out of the transaction, and as Comboyne lied the j Millers' fust horseman — M. Mooney — to act as I " guide, philosopher, and friend," it whs really surpising that the bookmakers uiu not demand . bigger odds than 5 to 4 on the apparent ' moral certainty." However, the good thing failed to come off, ' as Comboyne blundered at a fence five furlongs from home, unshipping Mooney ; i a/id a couple of the others turning turtle, a j six-year-old hir-iter named Rockwell (by Columbus)','belonging to Mr J. Robertson, and riddon by Alf. Williams, raked in the nice odds of S to 1 for his supporters, C. F. G-lasscock's Reefer (10 to 1) being two lengths astern of him when the winning post was passed, with Panyule a dozen lengths away; the time being drnin 35|sec. A Steeplechasers' Flat Race, over two miles of ground, again introduced us to your ckl friend Ditto, who had 11.4 on his bank in the person of H. J. Freeman. I do not think his party fancied his chance to any great extent; but a number of punters did, and so he went out at 6 to 1 against 13 others. Pirate 10.10 was favourite at 7 .to 2, but there- was a pot of South Australian . money on Happy Jaok (an. aged gelding by Tremando from Beeswax) 3.10.. d0wn. .t0 4 to j, whilst Ouyen 9.13 found som.q favour nt B's; 10 to i being on offer against R. A. 9.2, and I'2's Mysore 9.4, Homer 9.9, .Carmyle 11.0 or any other. Ouyen looked like' winning at the distance, but she was cut down by Gladstone 11.6 immediately afterwards. The latter, in turn, failed to pace it alongside Happy Jack when J. M'Gowan made his effort, and sustained defeat by three-quarters of a length, Ouyeii third two lengths farther back, Passion Fruit fourth, Ditto fifth, R. A. sixth, and Mysore seventh; time, 3min 59£ sec. ' Pirate, who dashed off with the lead, and gal- ' loped in a very mad-headed fashion, apparently , wondering where the obstacles were, finished 1 behind N.Z., Doondiah, and Troy ; but still the ' event was not looked upon as likoly to throw any light on Grand National Steepleohase prospects, it being generally considered that a few fences to be negotiated during the tryst would have made all the difference. The Braybrook Handicap, of a mile and a half, brought the second day's programme to a close, there being only six starters therefor, their positions in the betting market at the clobo of pencilling operations being as folilows : 2 to 1 against Chokebore 8.3, 5 to 2 Disfigured 8.5, 4 to 1 The Undine 6.7, B'a Avalon 7.0, 10's Residue 7.2, 12's Asnton 8.7. Eesidue ifa the five-year-old son of Russley and Remnant that I have been so sweet on for some time past in these notes with respect to Grand National Hurdle Race prospects. He never displayed any brilliancy in that event, but improved considerably in the one under notice, as ho waited on the field until well within the distance, when he ran through and won by a length from the favourite, Avalon being a similar distance away third, followed .by The Undine, and. Ashtpn, with Disfigured last ; time, 2muj. 44i3.ee. TJiis .exploit sent your friend " Ho.ri " on the, back track with a hump on his back, I cjyi assure you. Not but what he had bis Jittio.bit on the descendant of Fisherman and Juliet, but the Grand National form puzzled him somewhat. During the afternoon there was an inquiry into the alleged foul riding of V. Turner in the Two-year-old Handicap on the first day ; but the whole of the testimony tended to show conclusively that the rider of Shell had not the slightest influence on the accident which eventuated in the destruction of Mr S. G. Cook's beautifully bred filly The Loch Lily; and the stewards, after a very lengthened investigation (rendered almost compulsory owing to an extremely ill-advised paragraph which appeared in one of the morning papers), came to the conclusion that the evidence did not sustain the charge in any one I particular. j • OLLA PODRIDA. I Mr Tom TJphil, the Indian buyer, intends ' despatching Forest, the last Newmarket Handicap winner, to India by the s.s. Darius, which leaves next Saturday. "Mo " Trahan and bis charges (Talaxera and Co.) iileo proceed by the name boat. ""Bob " Glasscock, who for the last 15 years has been connected with the business carried on in Kirk's Bazaar, Bourke street, by the firm of Campbell, Sons, and Co., will proceed to Madias in September to act as confidential agent in the Indian market for Sir Rupert Clarke, in place of the late Mr T. Burke, who recently died there. "Bob" has already got some 120 horses selected for the laud of the rajahs, and his numerous friends prognosticate a very remunerative and successful career for him. Mr John Crozier experienced a regular "gala" day at TattersalFs meeting in Adelaide an Saturday. He started by carrying off the Trial Stakes with Belemite (by Thunderbolt— De Capo), 'and then secured the two concluding events — the Federation Handicap, for two-year-olds, with Gungadin (Cariyon — Brown Alice) 9.5, running second with Belemite 8.2, eight others constituting the field ; a mile in lmin 45Jsec; dividend, JB2 4s; and the July Handicap, six furlongs, with Cicero (Keckersgal—Hortense) 7.4, his Security 7.5 finishing second, m advance of 13 more. Cicero won on the post, and paid a dividend of £36 15s. Dirk Hamrnerhand (Cariyon— Lady Dorns) put up another splendid performance in Tattorsall's Handicap by carrying 9.12 home in fiont of Vikmg 7.12, Trapper 9.0, and a dozen others, and cutting out the mile and a-half in

2min 402 see. Dirk Hammerhancl is likely to b& well supported for the Caulfield Cup, in which he has been apportioned 8.1, but has incurred a 3lb penalty, making his present weight 8.4. CUP SCRATCHINGS TO DATE. Caulfield Cup.— Billow, Symm»try, Ke.T, Diffidence, Dundomild, The Clansman, Mm run. Melbouene Cup. — Diffidence, Dundonalci, Vocalist, The Clansman.