IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 41

IN A NUTSHELL.

Crusoe has started bleeding at the nose. Thanks to Mr Quin for a Tapanui ticket. — Crocus fell in the Tally-ho Steeplechase at Amberiey.

Mr Gordon P. Wood sends an invitation io the South Canterbury meeting.

— Mr Percival's salary as secretary of the Auckland Racing Club has ' been raised to £500.

— The D.J.C.'s Committee, meeting last •week was x>ostponed owing to the death of Mr Sydney James. • — • Chelsea was bought as a foal for 23gs, and sold to Colonel Campbell as a three-year-old for 200gs and contingencies. — Albert Goodman, writing from the fifth contingent quarters in the heart of South Africa, says he is quite well, having got over a touch of fever. — Chelsea, like two other Caulfield Grand National wirmeis, Damiio and Domino, is a steeplechaser of Mr R. H. Frew's own making, and he also graduated in the hunting field.

— I acknowledge from Mr W. Roliitt, secretary of the N. Z. Trotting Association, a copy of the official minutes of the Tiotting Association, and alterations and amendments to rules.

. —Mi H. Goodman visits South Canterbury and afterwards returns to tp.ke Transport and Cherrystone to Christchurch, where they will tiain for country meetings and the Cup fixture.

— " Sir Modred " rex^orts that Zeehan has arrived at Invercargill and g,oss into A. Gerrard's stable; also that Mr tt. Logan has sold the brother to Lexington to Andy Pringle for JE100." . — An aggregate of 7S9ogs for the St. Albans horses in training, or an aveiage of 374gs for 21 lots, must be considered satisfactory, especially as there were no commissions forthcoming from England. «.

— The Gore Club x^aid Mr Sydney James the compliment of sending x\lr Latham as a special representative at the funeral. The'Tuapekn. Club was rej)resented by its president, Mr Hugh Craig.

— To heii> the judge, the Gore Club has fenced his box off, so ns to keep spectators fiom standing in a line with the xJO3t, and x^ut up a white boaid with a black stiTpe in the centre, opposite the judge's box.

— Mr J. Ellis is very much taken with the filly by Gixasy Grand — Emmeline. He tells me that she has the same markings as "the old mare," her granddam, Lady Emma, and x^roniises to be like her in every way.

— After the Grand National settling at the Victorian Club, a wager of i'3ooo to £150 was laid against W;,it-a-Bit for +he Melbourne Cui:>. Odds of 100 to 9 were wanted about Arnpier for the Epsom Handicap), to be run at Randwick.

• — At lasi week's meeting of the Gore Racing Club committee, Mr F. Wallis, who has acted as honorary starter and treasurer of the club ior several years, was oiiade the recipient of a pair of -field glasses in recognition of his services to the club in the jwst.

— A Sydney cable says: — La Carabine will not come over to Melbourne to fulfil her Sydney engagements this month. It is also unlikely that she will stait for the Melbourne Cup, which points to the probability of her early shix^ment from the colonies.

— Sporting Review reports that Mr Watt's New Zealand Cup horse, Nobility, is striding along in his tasks, one mile and a-quarter and one mile and a-half gallops, and the way he revels in his work bears ample prof that his trainer is missing no chances with St. Leger's son.

. — The following is the result of the principal event at the Hawkesbury Spring races last Saturday : — Hawkesbury Spring Handicap. — Butternut 1, Rock of Ages 2, Cyanide 3. Eleven staited. Betting: 4to 1 agst Cyanide, 7to 1 Butternut. Won by a long head. Time, 2iain 21sec.

— Id some quarters there was a disposition at Caulfield to question Chelsea's bona fides as a first-class 'chaser, in consequence of the breeding flaw on his dam's side, she being a cart mare out of a sister to the well-known trotter Leithamsted, to whom Chelsea throws back m colour — grey. .

—In winning the Lingfield Park Stakes on July 13, Caiman covered the course (,one mile) in Irnin 33 l-ssec, that being the fastest time over the distance recorded in England. It was in the same race last year that Harrow ■won in lrnin 35 4-ssec, and established an English record at a mile.

— There is a yearling own sister to Persimmon who was brought up by hand after Perdita II died, and she has developed into a fine, slashing filly, much after the stamp of her brothers. She will be given only a few eng?gements, the idea being io make the best possible use of her as a biood mare.

—In the Great Western Handicap, run at "Washington Park on July 7, the Yankee crack r Lieutenant Gibson, broke down. He pulled •up so lame that Boland had to dismount and lead him to the judges' stand and he will be 'laid up the balance of the season, and x^erhai^s permanently retired from racing.

— A meeting of the English Jockey Club .was held at Newmarket on Wednesday in the second July week. Mr Fitzwillian said the stewards had been asked if a gelding could be entered for the Epscm Derby, and, acting on precedent, if the club saw no obietitron to that course, they intended to reply in the affirmative. This was agreed to.

— The Gore committee report that the improvements on the course are^rajridly nearirg completion, and that a start has been made v/ith grading the braining track. The Works Committee recommend the erection of a new judge's box, number board, and semaphore, plans for which were submitted to the meeting, and authorised.

— This is from a London XJ^X^er of July 19 : Wo are asked to state that the tall hat aud frock coa_t which have hitherto been the recognised costume at Sandown Park on the occasion of a Royal visit may be dispensed with at the Eclipse meeting to-morrow and on Saturday, in favour of a straw hat and ether costume more suited to the £>resent tropical weather.

— The late Mr John Stephenson bequeathed to his wife his household effects and the sum of JCSOO for her immediate use. The trustees are directed to x:>ay to Mrs Stephenson the income on J830,G00, and immediately after her decease the amount is to be lalaced in trust for her children in equal shares. The net residue of the estate is to be divisible in equal shares for the children.

— The matter of the starting gate was brought forward at the annual meeting of the Jockey Club. The stewards x^roposed next year to give instructions for the use of the gate for all races confined to two or three year olds, or to horses of those ages together, but not for races to which older horses are admitted. This lenks as if the gate has established itself permanently in England.

. — Says Melbourne Sportsman: Nearly 40 per cent, of the money raced for at Caulfield comes out of owners' pockets. For instance, last Na.tional Steeplechase was nominally worth 1300sovs, but of this amount owners subscribsd not less than 600sovs, and the V.A.T.C. get the 'credit of giving a 1300sov race, w'liich -would have figured on a Flemington oi Randwick programme as 700sovs.

■ — There was a tmiqiie performance at the Broken Hill races recently. The Sailor, Precaution, Ingomar, and Selector made a dead heat for the principal flat race on the programme. This is perhaxss the first time in the history of' the turf in Australia that the mail ia the Jbox taa bcea unable to separate four

horses, although we hefve heard of three being locked together on more than one occasion.

—At the conclusion of their turf careers many racers find their way to the shafts of a cab, but it is not often we hear of one ending up in a plough. This, however, is the way the Tasniamau steeplechaser Medicine is now earning his oats. It is also stated that The Meny Boy, who won, among other races, the S.A. St. Leger and V.R.C. Handicap, is useiully employed in drawing a baker's cart in Launceston.

— A two-year-old Caibine — Coiby Yvitch filly named Silver Bullet annexed the Juvenile Selling Plate, five furlongs, at the Bibury meeting on July 11. An English paper says that Carbine has made a start, and his stock seem to be scoring tolerably frequently. At the subsequent auction it cost Captain Fowler, her owner, 380gs to Luy Silver Bullet. The filly started at the remunerative odds of 100 to 8 in a field of 21.

— "Phaeton" writes : "Milroy" is generally correct m his wiitmg&, but he has tupped badly over Musket 'ihe son of Toxophiiite was purchased in England by Mr Thomas Russell and Mr James Bailey (who, I may lemark, were acting m this matter on behalf of the Auckland Agricultural Coinpam; for SDOgs. The hoise may, of course, have been at Kirk's Bazaar, but he only remained there awaiting shirmicnt to Auckland.

—In connection with the sale of Manners, who was x^urchased at auction by Count Lehndorff for 4009gs at the Newmarket JiOy sales, it was caused -by a little disagreement between his joint owners concerning the entry of Meirnan in races at Ascot. The Duke of Poitland ridiculed the idea of making an objection on technical grounds to Merman, while Lord Lurgan ex"ores3ed his intention of doing so in the event c-f lleiman beating Manners.

— "advance tells us that Mr Gcodscn, who bred The Guard, was very unlucky with Yattaway Her first foal was by Vsnguaid, but it, unfortunately, died of the staggers, the second was The Gu-ird, the thiid (also by Vanguaia.) shared the same fate as the first, whilst the fouith (by Gipsy King) is a promising three-yeai-old, owned by Mr D. Barry, Hawera.- Yattaway died under two years ago, from paralysis of the loins, being in foal to Lakesheli at the time.

— Mr T. Duggan sends the handicaps for the Vincent meeting. Why they are issued &o early I cannot understand, but that is the club's business. I rather fancy that Bizarre and Feima are cho ones most likely to gi^e the top weight trouble in the Matakanui Handicap), and I t?ko Dagmar and Harvester as a possible pair in tho Trot. In mentioning these names, however, I vould remark that the form of several candidates m each race is practically unknown to the public and to myself.

— According to the Sydney Mail, Reviver is doing famously st Randwick. Lamond is one of the few men about that knows when he has got a good horse, and there a:e very few of the regulars about that do noJ know when ths vcieran has a good one, as he takes no pains to conceal the fact when £nllox:>ing is to be done Lamond has paid Reviver no end of personal attention during the y/ast two months, which is a sure sign that the big Clan Stuart horse is better than outsiders are likely to know of.

— The fastest .trotting.. performances of the American season, to date. , were made at Santa Rosa (Cal.), July £, p,ione, bay mire, by Bros, iv a performance against time, reduced her lecord from"2mirj 9^sec to 2mm TJsec, tiotting , and in a race Clipper, bay gelding, by Diablo, lowered his pacing record from 2min 9£sec to 2inia Gsac. This is brilliant work so early in the season. Clipper, although he won the first heat in 2min Csec, and the third in 2min 6Jsec, was beaten in the race by Little Thome, bay gelding, by Hawthorne, in 2min 10?. sec, 2min BJscc, 2min 10|sec.

— The Hare Park Handicap at the Newmarket July meeting was a farcical race, ior all the iockeys except S. Loates pulled up fiom some strange mistake as to what wss the winning posl, and Loates, persevering on Pax, got the run on the whole lot. Lester Reifi, on Solitaire, was the first to realise the ghastly blunder, and he stiove desperately to repair it, but just failed. Zagziga or Solitaire would have won in ordina\y circumstances. It was an enexplicable affair, for they all did not stop at the winning post at the bottom of the hill, but at the small notice boards half way up it.

— Mr J. R. Crooke writes to the Australasian to saj* that he was the owner, not the trainer, or Saladin. and the editor replies: We always understood that the old grey belonged to Mr J. R. Crooke' s .father, but, of course, Mr Crooks must know. Further, "Air Crooke says he did not train for Mr Jolrn Whitiuigham, but was trut gentleman's partner in Mc;rimu, Prattler, et^. Well, tin's is a surprise. Many a time we ha^e seen Larpent, Gbptero, and other horses of Mr Whittingham's working at Flemington, and Mr Crooke was always there directing operations. The noint Mr Crooke wants to emphasise probably is that at no time has he trained horses for nsyment. — Ingliston Jooked uncommonly like a winner of the Malakoff StakP3 half way up the straight, says ' Asmodeus." but Lancaster finished with a finely-tinif-d run, and snatched a brilliant victory in ths last few strides. Lancaster is a very much improved horse, and as there is room for further advnncement in his condition, he will be worth keeping in view for the Caulfield Cup, in which Jie has 71b more to cany. Tngliston will meet him on 41b easier terms Lancaster ran badly on the previous Saturday, when he went out without a auotsit:on, whereas he was well backed for the Malakoff Stakes. The separate performances were contradictoiy and suggestive, to say the least.

— A sensation was sprung at the Hawthorne race track, Chicago, July 21, when the judges received notification from the Washington Park officials that they had ruled off the turf J. H. ("Texas") Smith, the horse-owner and plunder. The action, it was stated, was takpi on the strength of ret>re«ent?t;ons to the Washington Park stewards by J. Carroll, who. it was said, had charged Smith with accepting lOOdol in consideration of an agreement on his part not to claim Carroll's horse Catnstrophe out of the last selling race iv which the horse nartioiuated at the Washington Park meeting. Trouble is anticiiaated in connection with the ruling-off of Smith, as he declares he will not submit to the decision unheard.

— It may well be, writes Mr Allison, that a jockey would be the better for wearing a skintight jacket instead of one that fills and rustics in the wind. Let anyone try to run in ordinary trousers as compared with pioper shorts, and he will soon feel what wind pressure means. I on»:e had actual experience of this myself in ! a half-mile handicap at Oxford, which I could not possibly have lost under ordinary circumstances with the start that I had got, but my kit not turning up by some mischance, I ran in ordinary flannels. We finished the last 150 yards or so against a strong head _wiud, and though I had a lead of at least 20 yards at thai.J point, it was well-nigh impossible to stiuggle home, and Lord Elgin "just got up and won. I beat his lordship by fully 100 yards in the same race the following year. j

Mr Phil. Dwyer, who is the president of i,ho Brooklyn Jockey Club, very unexpectedly sold al l his horses in training in Jufy. His Royal Highness, a chestnut colt by His Higluwss out of Nellie, for which he paid SOOOdol at auction last year, only brought 3500d01. This colt staited out last year as a two-year-old, and cvvon. e\erything in a gallop at the beginning of the season. So piornising did iie look that Mr James R. Keene offered 40,000d0l for him, because he was entered in the English Derby. Mr John Daly scorned the offer, and because lie was beatgn ia tho Stallion, Stakes, attached.

all the blame for it to " Skeets " Maitin, who is now riding in England. Events have since proved that Martin was in no way to blame, and even at that early date few agreed with MiDaly in blaming Martin for the coit's defeat.