SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2455, 3 April 1901, Page 45

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

By R^\r.\ T -.v onr MiILBOURVr, Mm h 19. A LOOK AHEAD Advpiicp has o'llv done vcrv mild work suncs the V.R C meeting He wns t,er.t to Sydney vcstcrr.t" His tiaincr was \ <?rv v\,sc in w'iDg him dowii <?ftei hi-3 recent severe oidea,, but if Ad\-aiioe is 1o do -any good rt the A J.C. meeting the easing dc \n ruust rot be o'^rdorie. He wants to be sant alaus; ove. a distance i •

enable him to show at hia best ai Randwick. Prosser will no doubt profit by recent experi*DCes, and do this. If so, I shall be quite prepared to see the New Zealander the weight-for-fihge champion of the A.J.C. meeting. Boreas jwill not fitay in Sydney. He is under orders jto return to New Zealand at once, and MerriWee will accompany him. Scobie's and Macdonteld's horses are also still at Flomington, but ithey will leave for Sydney in the course of a Jfew days. Wakeful is doing well, and should Jwin the Doncaster Handicap, while Clean Sweep ■tor San Fran may win the Sydney Cup, for jphich Golden Ring is the best outsider, V CAULFIELD RACES. /JUacing men again assembled at Caulfield last Saturday, when some first-class racing was wit- * ceased. Only one or two of the visiting horses 'remained for the meeting, and they did no 'good. The Federal Stake, a six-furlong handicap, went to Beau Hampton 7.4, by Gossoon kimp.), eire of Fulminate, from Belle Hampfton. He is owned by Mr S. Miller, chairman tof the Y.R.C., and had not shown any form Wince he ran: second at Caulfield at the begintaing of the season. He was therefore let down in the weights, and, staying well, won comfortably from the promising Patronus 6.13, by Patron. The favourite, Fotheringay 7.18, led to the distance, but failed to stay out the race. !the Hurdle Race went to Mine 9.2, by Escutteheon or Goldreef. He wrs favourite, and won fcasily from the Sydney gelding Overwood. Mine is owned by Mr S. Miller, who only got pxm a few days previously from hia brother yilbert in exchange for Thrush. Jenico fell in yke race, and his rider, G. Stanmore, was senlonsly injured, his spine being affected. •- The St. Kilda Cup was the leading event of ihe Caulfield meeting. It was worth 250sovs, land was run over a mile and a furlong. Juggler 7.9, who recently won at Flemington, was liavourite, but he shaped poorly, and, to the 'surprise of everyone and the delight of the jbookmakers, Sagacity, a 10 to 1 chance, got jihome. On any recent form Sagacity was badly '(handicapped at 8.12, but the son of Pilgrim s (•Progress, who has been a very expensive horse, sran the race of his life. He had everything (beaten at the distance, and won in a common teanter, with the well-backed Dumb Bell 7.13 second. Norman 9.12, the Steeplechase fayvourite, was ridden a very peculiar race, and eventually the rider got off the horse pltogether, falling off softly over the sod wall. ■ffhe stewards regarded the whole performance avith suspicion, and disqualified the rider, R. i Coffin, for 12 months. No one else was involved, so the stewards, in putting a nail in "Coffin's coffin, appeared to think he pulled 'the (horse about merely to amuse himself. The Steeplechase was won by Lady Agatha 9.12, who was well backed. Rosconimon took the /Übique Stakes, calling it which was merely ■wrapping up a selling race in a nice name. ORoseommon, who is by Sunrise, and was trained "by J. E. Brewer, was afterwards Eold to Mr IR. M'Kenna for £150 to go to India. The concluding event, the South Yarra Handicap, six Curlones, proved a good thing for the Gossoon telly, Mylae 7.8, trained by J. Cripps. I epoke /very favourably of this filly (who is a half-sister '*to Dreadnought) after she had won the Utopia .Trial at Caulfield a few weeks back. She ia j '« splendid-looking animal, orly three years old, , and has, I fancy, p successful career in front j 'of her. The Goasoons, as a rule, do not stay, foist Dreadnought had plenty of stamina, and ►3 think this filly will get r distance. She led the way, and won in a canter, cutting out "-he six furlongs in Imin 16sec. She was not 'entered for the Newmarket, which w2s lucky =for the Wakeful peoule, as she would have been j ±n at a light weight", aad would probably have l *'" n ' SUBURBAN RACING. 'The Moonee Valley meeting on March 14 was i fa.riy successful. Glenroy having proved a -failure on the flat, was given a trial over jumps, |«nd he won the Hurdle Race in good style. .'Olenroy is now. owned by the Caulfield trainer, "p. A. Bellamy. Aioona 7.4, by Melos, tcok the .Tfrial Handicap, Clanside 7.2, a full brother to »pd a stable companioi of Ampier, being se4 «ond. Clanside was a hot favourite. Kola 8.3, "by Malua, started favourite for, and won, tho -Welter Handicap in a big field, and Repeater !9.9, by the New Zealand-bred Mana. was successful in the Jumpers' Flat Race. Hearsay 9.0, Tyho ran fourth in the Newmarket Handicap, \ron the March Handicap, with the West Australian Springlock 7.7 a good second. The handifecapper made a mistake in the identity of fepringlock, and put him in 2st too light, but The ran against a "snag in Hearsay, who is, ife*c I have remarked in previous letters, out oi j-^lie New Zealand-bred Vinaigrette. Craigmore, f'vinner of the Valley Handicap (eight furlong a-half). is by Bill of Portland from Lady •Oarbinc. He is one of the few Bill of Po-t- , ids who have trained 0.2. RACING IN SYDNEY. ' o Rcsehill Club in Sydney com/ienced a 4 meeting on Saturday last. 'The leading event, the March Handicap, one mile and three furlongs, went to the Queenslander, Bos•cobel 8.4, by Battailous, sire of Battalion. Fer'ayman, who recently ran at Flemington, carried T.11.t0 victory in the Shorts Handicap. FerryUnan is by Xtozo, and is pretty smart ut> to a mile. F. Kuhn had a very successful recoid last week. In Melbourne he rode two winners vt Ast>endale Park on Tuesday, two at Moonee Galley on Thursday, and, crossing over to 'Sydney, won at Rosehill the Maiden Handicap m Alfonso 8.0, by Metal, and the Nursery Han--'dicap on Prince Butler 7.5, by Prince Chester. Kuhn, like the successful Melbourne iockev W. Minter, rides in the Tod S'oan style. The Rosehijl Hurdle Race wan ta3cen by Noble 10.5, by j Clan Stuart, and the Mile Stakes by Cran- j bourne 8.12, by Cranbrook. The latter won m r canter. Tho A.J.C. held an extra meeting t>t Rand*vick on Mordav last, which was observed as the St. Patrick's Day holiday. Some pretty fair horses took t>art in the meeting. The half a dozen events included a weight-for-age race o\ er a mile. Dandy, in Kelso's stable, charting at odds oi, was beaten by Severity, v^ho was thousht to be not quite ready. Severity, however, bored out Dandy, and a protest against him for interference was upheld, and the race awarded to Dandy, who is very pood over this distance. The principal handicap was the Alexandra Stakes, run ovor a mile and R-quarter. This enabled thp all-con-ouermg F. Kuhn to score another win. Pis ar.cunt was Firemaai 7.6, by Prodigal, and tl c 'race was won by three-quarters of a length 'from Hi Hi. The field was a numerous one, Nahpro 7.9, the favourite, Tiinnmg badly. Marton 9.0, by Lochiel, Recounted for the Hurdle •jß'ce, Moravian carrying 13 5 into second place. The Trenton gelding Idle Boy 8.0 was successful in the Shamrock Handicao. six furlongs, going out at 10 to 1. Tare O'Shanter 8.4, the 'favourite, just missed a place. - The New ZeaJlander, Crusado 11.0, took the Steeplechase, .•but the opposition was not very strong. Prince •'Butler, who seems to be smart, carried a 7lb uenalty to victory in the Nursery Handicap, the field being a large one, with the winner one ef the favourites. KYNETON RACES. A good country meeting, held on Monday last, ■was "that at Kynston. The Kyncton Cuo, run over a mile, was won by Fast Lady 8.2. who ran well m the St. Kilda Cup at Caulfield. •She. f-nrried a 71b penalty for her win at Astjendalo Pnrk. Dumb Bell 8.9 was favourite, but he did not run up to his St. Kilda Cup form and missed a place. Oakleaf, who won the Trial Handicap, is by the Melbourne Cup winner Tarrook. Lsdy A"atha ITU took tne Hurdle Race, but in the Steeplechase fell at

the first fence, the race going to the grey Breadalbane 10.6, who ran well at Caulfield. Malacca 7.13 won the Telegraph Stakes, half «■ mile; Carlis 8.0, by Carlyon, the District Handicap, and Miss Wycombe 6.7, by Wycombe, the Launston Handicap, six furlongs. The latter was a, 20 to 1 chance. Dandy Dick (by Meteor) fell in thi6 race, -and having broken a leg was destroyed. Two jockeys, W. Ross and T. Daffey, were badly injured in different races through falla, and were taken to the local hospital. ODDS AND ENDS. Caterer Skinner, who owns Bonnie Chiel and other horses, gave a picnic to his employees and their families and friends on March 13, at Sandown Park racecourse. There were between 1300 and 1400 people present, and everything was done m great style. There was ft number of valuable presents for different athletic events, and some mean cur stole the lady s bracelet. Weights have been declared for the big events of the Onkaparinga meeting, to be held in South Australia on Easter Monday. In the Great Eastern Steeplechase, The African is top weight with 12.12, and though the country is a severe one, I think he has an excellent show, and next to him I like Hayseed 12.7, Euro 11.13, and Doondiah 11.4. The Onkaparinga Cup should go to Terlinga 8.3, The Bird 7.3, or Cynic 8.2. Debenture, Berenice, and Private Willis have left Melbourne for Sydney. Vocalist was left in Melbourne after the V.R.C. meeting. He is now being trained by C Moore, the ex-jockey. Someone has made a calculation which shows that James Scobie's stable has already this season won 87 races, of the total value of £18,120. Scobie looks like winning a few more good races before the season is over. At the Port Adelaide races, run on Saturday last, the St. Patrick's Handicap, one mile, was won by The Bird 8.2, by Splendour, and the Jumpers' Flat Race by Dearzx 9.0, by Trenton. There is already one ambulance at Flemington on race days, but m case of there being more than one accident in a single race it has been decided to have two ambulances in future. Messrs S. F. Reynolds, R. M'Kenna, R. Gilder, A. Glasscock, and S. Margarett, Indian horse traders, returned to Melbourne by the s.s. Moravian last week. Mr Reynolds sold Amourette at a satisfactory price before leaving Calcutta. Sport Royal, by Malvolio, has been sold to go to West Australia. The Australian Jockey Club Committee in Sydney have increased the added money of the Derby, A.J.C. Plate, Randwick Plate, and Cumberland Stakes, the total amount of the increase being £500. An important decision was arrived at by the V.R.C. Committee last week. Increases of added money to different stakes totalling £3000 were agreed upon. The increase that will mtercyt; New Zealand readers most is in conneotion with the Melbourne Cup, the added moWy of which 1 is to be raised from 3000sovs to 5000sovs. Owners' sweepstakes will also be raised from £25 to £30. The owner of the second horse will receive £1000 and the owner of the third £500, but the amount received in sweepstakes is almost certain to exceed £1500, so that the lucky owner of the first horse will win over £5000. This, of course, is an insignificant sum compared to the stakes to be won in the boom days. For instance, the money added by the club to owners' sweepstakes in Carbine's Melbourne Cup (1890) was £10,000, and a trophy vahied at £150, the first money amounting to £10,230. At the same time, it is far and away the largest stake to be won in this part oj the globe, and in very few cases is the stake money exceeded in any other part of the world. Another important alteration decided upon was to increase the added money of the next Grand Nationa.l Steeplechase from £1000 to £1500 (£3OO going to second and £150 to third horse). This increase will be greatly appreciated by owners of jumping horses, and will place beyond doubt the claim of the V.R.C. Grand National to be considered the leading cross-country event of Australia. Other increases of added money decided on at the Grand National Meeting were. — Keilor Hurdle Race, from £150 to £200; Steeplechasers' Flat Race, from £150 to £200 ; and Footscray Steeplechase, from £150 to £200. The committee also decided* to increase in connection with the April meeting the added money of the Hurdle Race from £100 to £150, of the Steeplechase from £100 to £150, and of the April Handicap from £100 to £200. Owing to the death of her lato Majesty the meeting hitherto held at Flemington on her birthday (May 24) will be abandoned, and in place a fixture to be known b; the Duke of York's Birthday meeting has been arranged for June 3. The programme will be on very much the same lines as that usually run through on May 24, but the added money of the Birthday Handicap will be raised from 350sovs to 500sovs. The Soring Stakes, run on the concluding day of the Spring meeting, has never been a success. The event will be run at the next Spring meeting, as entries have already been taken, bub after that it will be abandoned in favour of a handicap for three-year-olds. It ~ was reported in the daily papers that Marie Corelli had "been sold to go to New Zealand. This turns out to be incorrect. The purchaser is Mr A. E. Anderson, a New South Wales breeder.