AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 50

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bt Taihoa.

December '2. The Takapuna Jockey Club Spring meeting was commenced on Saturday afternoon, when, a card of eight events was disposed of, and the sum of £6734 was passed through the tote-. Proceedings opened with the Trial Handicap, one mile, which attracted a field of four starters, the selected of the public being the foua> year-old Cavalry, by Light Artillery. The favourite was early out in the lead, and flattered the hopes of his supporters right up to tha distance, where Gold Rose dashed up, and, cutting down the leader, scored rather easily by a couple of lengths. The winner, who carried 7.7, is a four-year-old daughter of St. Leger out of Bangle, and this is her first winning bracket. The time, 1.46, was rather slow, but she must be credited with having finished up her task in a business-like style.

Seven filed out for the Cambria Handicap, five furlongs, for which Mary Seaton was installed a decided favourite. Swagsman acted as pacemaker for four furlongs, when the favcurite, who had been lying second, ranged herself alongside, and after a good race up the straight, scored by a length in 1.6. The winner, a fair filly, is by Seaton Delaval out of Bragela, and is owned by her breeders, the Messrs Nathan.

The scratching pen having been drawn through the names of Coronet and Materoa, this left the small field of four to contest the principal race of the day, the St. Andrew's Handicap, a mile and a-quarter. Investors went fai Chaafe's pair— St. Ursula 8.4 and St. Ilga 7.12, who carried between them, about two thirds of the money on the machine, and were generally regarded as likely to finish first and second respectively. When the barrier^ ■was run up St. Olga dashed away into the leid> and making the running at a sound pace, she< stayed at the head of affairs for upwards of seven furlongs, with Sparkling Water as her nearest attendant, and the favourite (St. Ursula) some lengths away all along. A lew, strides farther on ,Sparklmg Water ranged liorself alongside the leader, and as they niader their way to the home turn lauhei also ran' tip, and -when heads were turned into the straight-, both were in front of St. Olga, who began to fade out of the contest, and whose defeat at this stage was well assured. Tauhei and Sparkling Water contested every inch of the remainder of the journey most stubbornly, and ran past the post locked together, tha iftd»a_4fefil*rias » &§*£ heat} while St. U»*

fula, who made up some ground in the lun up the straight and finished fast,. was more than two lengths away. There was a bit of demonstration on the part of the public against St. Ursula when they returned to scale, the malcontents airing the opinion that the result might have been different had she been kept closer up to the field in the earlier stages. The daughter of St. Leger and Satanella was certainly looking better than when she raced in the spring, and all I can say is that if the party concerned thought her full sister, St. Olga, good enough to do the trick, and did not feel inclined to risk the slb penalty that would have attached to St. Ursula in the Auckland Cup had she won, they were rather badly slipped up. I cannot see how her chance in the Auckland Cup can be favourably viewed, but hear that her party fancy her a bit for the big two-mile race.

A good field of nine faced the starter in the Handicap Maiden Hurdles. Chancellor II was made a slightly better favourite than Ecyal Conqueror for the event, and after making the running for the best part of the- journey in company with Balling_er, ran home an easy winnei by four lengths troin Lady Dash, who made a good effort to get up from the distance. Chancellor is a six-year-old chestnut by St. Xieger out of Bragella. Eoyal Conqueror was never prominent at any stage of the journey.

Eleven filed out for the First Hack Handicap, ■five furlongs, .Lady Soult oeing the one? selected to score. The daughter of Soult was always prominent, but- suffered deifeat by Nereid, at lank outsider, who was with, the leading: division right through, after a capital race over the last bit by a matter of a neck only. The "winner is by Blairgowrie out of Fishgirl, and paid £34 dividend on the inside machine.

The Handicap Hurdle 3 wa-s contested by a taker's half dozen, Regalia II being installed a decided favourite for the two-mile jumping rsce: Rufus was early out in the lead, and setting a sound pace, the son of Maskapeer was never afterwards headed, winning by about half a length from Chancellor 11, who wa3 handy all along, and fought out tie issue gamely. The pace set was too merry for the heavily-weighted division. Eufus is a six-year-old gelding, by Muskapeer out of Haricot -Jewellery was a strong tip for the Cheltenham Handicap, for which the good field of 15 sported silk. Takapuna and Despatch were left at the post when the barrier shot up, while St. Olga, who was one of the first to move, made practically all the running. The daughter of St. Leger was still in the van at the distance, but when the main stand was reached the leading division ran a bit wide, and tho favourite, taking advantage of the opeui^g, dashed up on the rails, and, finishing very fast, 6he won by half a length. Tolstoi and Orange and Blue fell, but the riders were not seriously hurt. Jewellery is a nice cut oE a fiily, and is by the defunct St. Leger out of Necklace.

The weights 6i tho Auckland Cup. Eailway Handicap and Auckland Steepiechpse, to be run at the A.R.C. Midsummer carnival at Christmas time, have been the principal topic during the week, and while there are some who though Mr Evett would have started the Cup adjustment with Blue Jacket at 9.10, I think he has given the s«n of St. Leger all he is entitled to with 9.8. Although he will no doubt find plenty of admirers- at the weight it w/li be' quite time enough to go into the event in question in detail when the acceptances make their appearance, but taken all round it must be' said that the Auckland handicapper has framed his weights in a manner that claims for him a warm word of praise, and gives general satisfaction, and should bring about a good pceeptanee in the Cup owing to the flattering imposts allotted what may be termed the second-rate division. In singling out a biker's half dozen in the two-mile event, at the present srtage I should name as most to my liking Blue Jacket, Coronet, Nonette, Ideal. Skobe'loff, Formula, and San Eemo. Ideal has, of course, shaped very indifferently this, season, but we must not- overlook her doings of lasi; year, and it is quite possible that the daughter cf Dreadnought- may quickly regain her lost form, under which circumstances sh<* would bo certainly well treated. Skobeloff has all along proved very disappointing, but the fact that Mr Stead considers it worth his while to keep him gives the impression that the Canterbury sportsman is still hopeful of getting a good race out of the son of Stepuiak, while in Formula's case the question is as to whether she can. get the distance, and many keen judges think she is equal to doing so, in which case the full sister to Multiform is by no means overburdened with 7.7. Eosella, the selected of I*lr iStead's pair — Eoyal Artillery and Cuiciform — it will probably prove to fee the firstnamed — Glenogle and Scotty are a quartet that reads well in the Eailway Handicap, while in the Steeplechase, Cannongate, Cavaliero, and Übr'-west (if he gets back to his proper form), the top weights, have a, say, and others who may have to be reckoned with are CyDbo, Huku (said to be a capital jumper), and Eufus.

Sinco the declaration- of the Cup weigh'-s 2vonette has been supported to win about £800 at 6 and 7 to 1, while Blue' Jacket has also claimed considerable attention, and holds his place firmly. A fair amount of wagering has also gone on about the double, Cup and Bailv/sty Handicap, while the Cup and Steeplechase double has- also claimed some- attention. For the first-nainad Kbnette and Blue Jacket coupkd ■with Royal Artillery is the selection most favottred, the price b3ing 100 to i, while in the latter double Blue Jacket and Caiuiongate have been backed for all the money obtainable at 100 to o, and Blue Jacket and Nor'-west have also met with a good measure of support at the same price. The principal quotations straight out about the Cup are 5 to 1 Blue Jacket, 5 to 1 Ncnetts, 8 to 1 San Eemo, 8 to 1 Coronet, 8 to 1 Ideal, 10 to 1 Battleaxe, 10 to 1 Beddington, 14 to 1 Tortulla, 16 to 1 Skobeloff, 2ff to 1 Boreas. Others are quoted at from 25 to 200 to 1.

The loss of the St. Simon horse Fitzsimmons two or three days after his arrival here from ■the old country elicited wide sympathy with the Messrs Nathan, but it seems, after all, that the los-s sustained by the owners of the Sylvia Park breeding establishment will mean an ultimate gain to the colony, as word has been received here that Mr L. D. Nathan has negotiated the purchase of San Francisco, a superior sire to the one whose demise was hailed with such general regret, and a fullbrother to the Two Thousand Guineas winner St Frusquin. This scion of the celebrated St" Simon is out of Isabel, who was got by Plebeian from _P»™w. by Parmesan, a proud pedigree, as Plebeian was got by Joskin, a son of West Australian, the triple ciown winner. San Francisco is a bay horse, with black points, standing well on to 16hds, and should be one of the finest horses of the famous galloping line that has been sent to the colonies, and a welcome addition to the thoroughbred sires of New Zealand. Splendid nominations have been received for the big. classic races of the Auckland Racing Club. The Great Northern Champagne Stakes, 1903, claims 99 entries, the Great Northern Guineas 99, the thirtieth Great Northern Derby, to be run at the Summer meeting 1903-4, no less than 102; the ninth Eov^l Stakes 87, and the fourth Century Stakes 47. Evidently there is no lack of material for the future. The Auckland Trotting Club have issued an attractive programme for their Summer meeting, to be run about Christmas time, the plums being the A.T.C. Cup, 20050v3; Summer Cup, lOOsovaj President's Trot, lOOsovsj and Pony

Cup, lOOsovs. Nominations fall due on Friday, December 13.

Advance figured among the nominations foi the. Fourth Century Stakes, and a friend who returned from a southern trip the other day informs me that Prosser is hopeful of getting %he brilliant little black to the post again. 'The foalmg season for this year at Sylvia Park has closed, and the establishment claims 26 foals, 14 being colts and 12 .fillies. Foalings announced during the week are as follows:— L. Marshall's Epine, by Sweet William — The Thorn, filly to Medallion ; W. Hunter's La Belle, by Natator — dam by War Eagle, colt to Eton ; J. B. Williamson's Orini, by Captivator—Rangi, filly to Cyrenian ; Mmola, by Cuirassier— Bianca, filly to Cyrenian; T. Hodson's Temptation, by Brigadier,— The Jilt, filly to Cyrenian; T. Morrin's Stelyn, by St. £, e g er _Lady Evelyn, colt_to Cyrenian; Messis Nathan's Charente, by I\ ordenf eldt— La Dauphine, filly to Seaton Delaval.