IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2387, 30 November 1899, Page 41

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Idolator has returned from India to Victoria. -

—Mr J. R. Mackenzie has bought Mount Clair.

— The Melbourne Cup was worth £8543 and a £100 trophy.

— Clinker will win a hurdle race before the season is out.

— Sam Jones, winner of the Maiden at Arrow, is by Epicure.

— The V.R.C. made a profit of about £10,000 on the late meeting. — Mr x S. H. Gollan's Ebor won a steeplechase in England last week.

— E. Hankins has now got Patriot as a irate for Secret Service.

— Not one of " Tatterßall's " place prizes on the Melbourne Cup-came to New Zealand this year. — Plutus has been purchased for 600sovs by Harry Roberts, and will leave shortly for Singapore.

The Middle Park Plate was Democrat's tenth iace, and his fifth win. Only once has he been unplaced.

-<— Keep your eye on Tremor. She is slippery •when quite well, and she may bo quite well before long. — Mr Joa Thompson had a £20,000 double on the Cesarewitch- and Cambridgeshire. The first event was w.on by a favourite.

—Mr H. Goodman is not going back 10 Riccarton..at once,, but will probably, do ;o i efore" long 'if tho Forbury is not re-opened.

.jr- Malatua -lias been, nominated by Mr Dan. O-'Brien for the-Villieis Stakes and Summer Cup," to -be ran for at Randwick on Boxing Day.- . •• -— St. Ouida has been a bargain for the Ellis Brothers. They bought her for £23 after the National meeting, and have won at Gore, and twice, at Wicgatui. — Walter Hickenbotham has been mildly •working Cranberry away from the Flomington track, and he says the colt will probably be all right again shortly.

— On the 20th October last, at Los Angeles (California) John R. Gentry boat Anaconda and Joe Patchon in 2min 4sec, thus taking the Californian trotting record.

— From Western Australia the death is reported of the stallion, Two of Hearts, who sired sQme good horses in that colony among them being Wandering Willie.

— Mr W. R. Wilson in 1896 won the Williamstown Cup with Merman; ran second with Majestic to Battalion in 1897 ; won with Auriferous in 1838; and 'with Delusive thi3 year.

— Tho Grand Prix de Paris (8000sovs — GOOObovb by the City of Paris, and 2000sovs by the five great railway companies) closed on September 12 with the magnificent total of 519 entries.

— Mr G. Mason, of Blackstone Hill, asks me to Bupply a nnmo for his five-year-old mare, by St. Clair out of Inchkeith. 1 suggest " Clairette," the name- of a character in the opera of *' Madame Augot." — An Indian paper states that Stralhroy has not recovered from his attack of fever, and will not be put into work for some time. Mtrloolas is looking tho picture of health, and is favourite for the Cup at 5 to 2.

_ — Jock Taggart has left for Pomahaka with Paladin, Red Banner, and Mount Clair, and wil give these horses a fortnight's spell, then Paladin will either leave for Palmerston North or go to the Invercargill meeting. "* — -AfteY her defeat in the Welter at Wingatui on Saturd&y, tho four-year-old Motto, winner of tho C.J.C. Oaks, was sold by Mr Goodman to Mrß G. Ruthven, of the Taieri, for £55, and ran for the new owner in the Farewell.

' — Walter Hickenbotham was the most successful trainer during the late meeting at Fleminglon, as far a3 the number of races are concerned. With Finland, Kenley (twice), Fides, and Ballistite he secured five races.

— Trentou was not represented by a winner at the V.R.C. campaign. The loss of Treinarden, too, has deprived the expatriated son of Musket of a descendant that would probably nave further added to his winning account. — The American pacer, Star Pointer (1.59J) has definitely retired fiom the turf, as lus bad Jeg will never again allow of his being trained. His trainer, D. J. M'Clary, has been released, and tho hoise placed permanently in the stud. — General Tracy, the trotting stallion, is to travel tho Taieri district this season. This is a remarkably fine horse, both iv respect to looks, pedigree, and performances, and I can safely recommend him to the notice of breeders.

— In three successive races at Wingatui on Saturday the totalisatoT money outside, as I checked the working of the dividends, came out exactly even, there being no odd money. This is a very peculiar thing, and I think unprecedented.

— The Hon. H. MosEraan was represt"i + -od at tho last Brisbane meeting by Circe, bought at the annual Auckland sales, in the Hopeful Stakes. Tho best she could do, however, was to run second to Ncnagh, and a very bad second at that. — H*ut Boy is described as a grand looking colt, with a good sot of legs- and foet, just the sort to stand up to the collar for a severe Derby or Chip preparation without going amiss. Ho is engaged in next year's V.R.C. Derby and St. Leger.

— .W. Brown rode Nelson when that horse cracked the two and a-quaTter mile record, and the same horseman was on Seahorse, Nelson's son, when ha broke the samo record at Riccarton. Om Wellington correspondent digs up this interesting fact. — The Caulneld Cup winner, Dewey, was brought under the hammer in Melbourne on the Monday after the races, but bidding stopped at 2000gs, at which price T. Payten declined to part with him, and the announcement was made that 2500gs was his price.

— Fulmeu was fitted with a, contrivance for preventing chafing between tho hind legs before he ran in the St. Andrew's Handicap. This may havo caused him to shut up so quickly. He is not a reliable horse, but the form on Saturday was too bad to be true.

— -Wo talk about our Seahorse's record for two miles and a-quarter, 3mm 56 l-ssec. It is good, no doubt, but iiofc so good as Sheen's record in England. That horse won the Cesarewitch, 35yds over the two miles and aquarter, in 3min 54 3-ssec.

— Some backers complained that the inside dividend on Dundus on Saturday should have been £5 13s instead of £5 12s. The objection is a mistake. Figure it out for yourself. £401 invested and £61 on tho •winner means a dividend of £5 12s and 50s over.

— Only five absolute first favourite? won during the four days of the V.R.C. Spring meeting. Strange as it may appear, the " books " assort that they hate lost over the meeting. This is explained by the slatement that the great bulk of the bullion has gone into the pockets of a few backers. — Kuinbold, an English jockey, who, while riding at the Vienna races, was thrown and trampled to death," was a second-class English jockey attached to B. Sherwood's stable, at Newmarket. He rode the nice weight of'about 7.9, and his average for the past few seasons Was about one win a fortnight. — Watts should have ridden Dieudonne in flic Champion Stakes at Newmarket on the 10th October, and Tho Gorgon in the Clearwell. Stakes, but owing to the forgetfulness of a rider in tho Egertcn House stable, he was not acquainted with the fact that his services were required, and consequently could not do tho ■weight. — Soon after Iroquois had won the Derby ttrange stories wer,e afloat about his antece-

dents, some people averring that, just as many au English hunter is sent to Ireland and Vaere sold as the product of the sister isle, so had Iroquois been bought in England, sent to America, and re-shipped to England as an American horse.

— A full brother to Flying Fox is at present at ths Eaton stud. He is described as a great strapping colt, but is said to be a bit on the leg and light of bone, faults whith in his illustrious relative are wanting. His quarters also are said to show no signs of being such models of propelling power as are this year's triple crown winner's. — Tho North Otago Jockey Club announces the conditions of the Oamaru Champion Handicap Trot, two miles, £100, to be decided on tlie 30th May next. The limit of the handicap is not to exceed 40sec. Nominations, with nominator's name only, are clue on sth December; tho second payment, with the name of the horse, is to be made on the' 6th March. — For the Sandown (Eng.) Foal Stakes on the 19th October most support was accorded to St Gris and Merry Methodist, but the firatnamed, who started with the market call, only finished fourth of the half-dozen runners. Merry Methodist, on tho other hand, pulled his backers through, but it was only by a head afteT a sharp tussle with Solitaire, who was the oiiteider of the party at 20 to 1. Mr William Brown— 'better known -as " Bully " Brown — who died in Tasmania in the middle of November, had been known in Australian racing circle for half a century. The first horse he owned was Lucifer, by imported Lucifer. At Launceston, in 1854, Mr Brown won the Ladies' Purse with- this horse, the rider being Mr W. Dodery, now Chairman of Committees in the Tasinanian Council. Tho Victorian Legislative Council is considering a bill which gets at the wily tote better, and also tha owner of the property r.cxt a tote shop. When raids have been tnado by the police in Melbourne tote shops the irmates have always secured exit through the adjoining yard. Under the present bill those who let premises for the purpose of obstructing the police, or aiding in betting will bo lioble to a penalty of £200. — The V.R C. committee were specially called togeihftr to deal with offences by bookmakers, who the first day of the big meeting disregarded the regulations by calling the odds in front of the grand stand. The ring had been warned that this practice was officially discountenanced, and 24 of them were summoned, and fined £1 each. Thar were informed that this punishment was merely nominal, and that in future the offence would be more severely dealt with.-

— "Martindale" writes: It is hard even now to say if the best horse won the Melbourne Cup, as the going was dead against many. Gauleon would bo one in particular, though some thought he would do very well. The falling of Blue Metal and BuTrabari also put several out of their places. In this way tho rider of the winner states that he must have lo3t fully four lengths, while M'&ee, who was on Flodden, says that he was nearly down, lost his place, and never got a j>ositjon again.

— Taken right through, says "Martindale," the fields were not so strong as usual at Flemington, as lunning through the list I find that less than half of those down in the book for the four days started. Those entered and accepted for, the names of which appeared iv the book, numbered in all 774, while the active starterp were : On the first day, 77 ; second, 109 ; third, 65; and fourth, 63, making a total of 314. The best field was 2S, which went out for the Cup, and the smallest 4, which contested the Maiden Plate.

— 'It seldom happens at our suburban meetings, says a Sydney writer, that, of 20 horses whose names appear on the card, tho scratching pen is used in the case of 19. That occurred at Rosehill in the Prince's Handicap, Torment having a -walk-over. The reason for this liberal use of the scratching pen did not actually transpire. Some of the horses entered were on the course, but their owners, fearing perhaps that they would not be able to get a price, followed the example of those who had withdrawn early.

— Says the correspondent of the Sydney Referee: Tho way in which the Manton filly, Nenagh, won tho Hopeful Stakes at Brisbane was quite enough to stamp her as the two-year-old champion, but if there was any possibility of a donbt about the matter she settled it very decisively on Cup Day, when, with 10.3 in the saddle, and getting away last from the barrier, she again went to the front in the last 50yds and won by sheer gameness after a desperate struggle with the Musketoon coif, Miisket to whom she was conceding 2.4.

— Tho Prix dv Conseil Municinal was decided at Paris ou the Bth October. There was nothing better than tho American-bred Sly Fox to attempt to beat the French horses, and he made quite an inglorious display, being dangerous at n» part of the race. Libaros, the property of M. Achille Fould, ran very gamely, for though Fouriro managed to get the advantage nearing home, Libaxos came again at the persuasion of his jockey, and won cleverly by a head. The race, which was worth £4000, evoked a considerable amount of speculation, over £29,000 being invested at the mutuals.

— For downright consistent performances Record Reign's display during -last and the present season stands out as quite unique, says "Phaeton," as the big fellow has never once bee.h out of a place. The case of Record Reign furnishes a good illustration that it pays in tho long run to give a- good horsS^a rest when he meets with a mishap. When contesting tho Railway Handicap at Ellerslie last December, tho son of Castor knuckled over, and injured one of his fore fetlocks so badly that ho could not bo started again at the Summer meeting. Mr Roulston threw him right out of work, and has done nothing with him until July last.

— On March 5, 1897, the American pacer, Star Pointer, was placed under the hammer and knocked down to the bid of Denton Pearsall, for 16,100d01. Mr Pearsall was unable to make a cash payment of 25 per cent, of his bid, but tendered a check of 50dol, but the horse was offered again and sold to James A. Murphy for 15,600d01. W. B. Fasig and Co. brought suit d^ainst Poarfia-11 for 500dol commission of 16,000r10l and for SOOOdol damages, and the case was tried in October before Judge Smyth of the Superior Court, and the jury awarded the plaintiffs 850dol. Tho counter claim of Pearsall for damages was not allowed. His payment of 60dol did not bind the bargain

" Terlinga " or> Seahorse's treble: When Major George owned Nelson he carriod all before him in New Zealand for several years. ? hen he came to Australia with his champion, who would have beaten Trident iv tha Australian Cup instead of losing by a neck if the jockeys had been reversed. In this race Nelson carried 9.7, or a stone more than Trident. Reprisal and The Workman were two useful handicap horses the Major afterwards won races with at Flemington, but for some time past he has had nothing of much consequence. It looked fis though Nelson was to be a stud failure, but on Major George buying the Goldsbrough mare Moonga for him he redeemed himself with Seahorse.

— At tho Newmarket Second October meeting of 1864, Lord Glasgow was smarting under the defeat of General Peel in the Derby and Leger, in neither of which races ho fancied the horse had been properly ridden, and lip matched " the General" to give Cambuscan 21b across the flat for £500. Arthur Edwards rode Cambuecan for Lord Stamford and Wells had the mount for Lord Glasgow. Odds of 6to 4 were laid ou Cambuscau, who won by half aleugth. Alter the race a gcutlcinan approached

Lord Glasgow, who was in a terrible fidget. " I am sorry you have lost," said the gentleman. "Be sorry for yourself, not for me. I have £ISO,OOO a year. I can stand losing; you can't and you may go ifo /' said the owner, who of all others could not " stand losing." —Mr Edward Sharp, who sold Fair Ellen (The Barb's dam) to Mr G eorge Lee many years ago, endeavours to explain in a letter to the editor of the Sydney Mail why The Barb was not a success at the stud. Mr Sharp holds that ho required a strong infusion of Touchstone; in fact, ho thinks that Sir Hercules would have done better on Touchstone than on the material he got when at the stud. With regard to Fair Ellen — afterwards christened Young Gulnare — Mr Sharp sajis he intended to put her to a young Touchstone horse then m the colony, but before the season he sold the mare to Mr Lee, who- bought her with the intention of putting her to the same stallion. But this horse was killed in his paddock, and the mare went to another stallion, and in 1563 went to Sir Hercules and produced The Barb.

— Mr Wilioughby Maycock, of the Foreign Office, England, an excellent authority on all sporting matters, says that "welcher," not "welsher," is the correct term to bo applied to these disappointing gentlemen, his reason being the following historical statement: "Over a century ago there lived in London, on his wits and the credulity of acquaintances, one David Welch. As Byron says, 'He was good at all things, but mostly at a bet,' but^ unlike the famous poet, he was not good 'on parting - — for he never paid. As fresh victims cropped up- their friends would say, ' What now? What's the matter?' -The answer invariably was, ' Welch has had me.' This stato of things occurred so often th&t at last, v/henover a. man had a long face, it became a common saying that he'd been ' Welch' d.' " Thus the expression originated.