IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2571, 24 June 1903, Page 47

IN A NUTSHELL.

— ■Weights for the Melbourne Cup axe due to appear on June 29. — Weignis for tlie first day of Ihe Wellington -winter meeting are due on July 6. — A Melbourne cable reports the death, of llalvolio, winner of the Melbourne Cup in 0891. — Shrapnel is reported to "be looking fine end healthy at present, and greatly improved in appearance. — *Fhe North Island colts Melodeon and Starshoot are in work pgain, after having been indulged! in a spell. — Sirius will probably make the journey io Wellington to fulfil his engagements at the "W.R.C. winter meeting. — Halberdier commenced his New Zealand Cup preparation a lew days back, after being indulged in a short spell. — x± Melbourne cable states that "Waiwera wes , scratched for both Hurdles and Steeplechase at 11.30 yesterday morning. — Amongst a number of stallions advertised for private sale- in Melbourne 13 Elswick, the full brother to Mergpnser. — The well-known Yiotorian trainer J. E. "Brewer recently left for England to try his luok dice more on the English turf. — In America — the home of the trotter — the stipulated race weights ore lOst IQib in harness and lOst slb under saddle. — Amongot the starters in the One Thousand Guineas, won by Quintessence, was You Go Off, a filly by Sir Hugo— Fuye. — Our Auckland correspondent reports that "Wairiki is at present in excellent health and 1 going on satisfactorily in his work. — Txadewiud und Evening (a lull sioter to ■ Evening Wonder) are both reported to be showdng pood form over the schooling obstacles. —Mr Alexander Benson, for many years judge for the Australian Jockey Club, died in Sydney a few days before the lest mail left. — The Sydnsy trainer Mark Thompson is Appealing against the disqualification which ■was recently placed on him by the Australian Jockey Club. — An unnnmed Carbine gelding defeated IS others in a five-furlong soiling race at Thirsk (England) on May 1, and waa sold after the race for 155gs. — The South Canterbury Jockey Club made a net profit of £198 33 4d over this season's racing, as compared with a lO3S of £125 17s SA over last neason. — Somebody in their haste has remarked that Seaioa De'aval hasn't a representative iv the New Zealand Cup; hut as a matter of fact thp Melton horse has two in Lconore and Lavalctte. — M'Chesney, the American four-year-old, ■who made such a name for himself as a thrce-ye»r-old, has been bought by Mr E. E. Smathers, of New York, fit a price said to be 55,000d01. — It w&s a real good thing, and the money ■was well down. The gentleman ndcr r.3ked at the last moment for instructions. "You need r.o instructions," replied the trainer, "I'll cut the bloomin' reins." — Owners are reminded that on Friday next Dominations fall due for the C.J.C. Grand National Steeplechase, Beaufort and Lincoln Steeplechases, Grand National Hurdle Rac?, "Winter Cup, and Sydonham Hurdles. — The six-year-old ge'.tiing Orphan Boy, a eon of Jfavigator and the Grandmaster mare Gd!den Image, won the Adelaide Birthday Handicap of 800bovs, one mile and a-balf, ai.d paid a divifirnd of £59 Is. Orphan Boy defeated 1G othsTs by three lengths in 2min dleec. — Mr "W. A. Menzies, who was recently appointed handioapper to tho V.E.C., is rep'orUd tj have been successful in his first pdm=lments. although a couple of owners found fault wifh the treatment oi<?ted out to -their horses, and rushed into print to ventilate their grievances. —Mr J. B. Reid has experienced a severe loss in the death of two Saiit Dario colts from Jlarlin and Sequin respectively, and a colt from Herrcosa i§ alao reported to be in a b:id ■way. It appears that the youngsters were being piven a linseed drench, and Rome of the phy*ic found its way down the animals' windpipes. — "Mr Longfellow." the well-known Ob main sport, haa purchased the Gipsy Grand — Arlme filly, winch was auctioned at the last F.ldershe yearling sales. The filly ha.3 a slightly rtamoged pastern, occasioned through coming in contact with a wire fence, but it shou'.d not seriously interfere with her racing career. — Mr J. H. Pollock, who is in tho field 'ct handicapping horonra aiul who has Leon present at Bfveral ci our meetings in tins part of the woi-ld. informs mr that he cwaits tho tlccision of the Dunedm Jockey Club re the erpointmrnt of a handicaprer before finally deciding to take up his residence in Duucdiii M'eantirne he will continue to reside in We.lingto". —On Tlmrs-lay last, Mr W. J. Coughlan presented, in tha pr<"=en"p of Mr II L. J.mu-s, secretary D.J.C . and tho writor (acting as re- i presentaitvc- of t^iis jcurnal), Mrs Dowse, wcJow j of the Inta Mr G. I)ov.-ie. with a chequo fcr £145 o=> Od. the oirount collected in connection with the Dowaa Testimonial Fund In edition to the above amount the D.J.C. paid direct to Mrs Dowso a sum of i 25. — Vladimir has been purch-v-ed by Mr L C Hazlett and the Stepniak colt has been placed under the care of J. .Rutfcledere, who took delivery of the horpe at tha latter er.d of last week. The price has not transpired, but a- few weeks back the Hon. G. M'Loan, the late owner of tho colt, quoted £750 when asked to placo a price on the hnndscme son of Mist. The many friends of RuHlcdge will bs> pleased to hear of the r>air.sis>ki:ur vcung twiner having ; rpceivcd such an important addition to his icam. — An American authority, deprecating a augg p st.)on mr.t l " to lower Eteeplechase fences, Te- ' crntly put the matter tersely, sensibly, and ongirnlly— -in fact, he put it a.s an American might have been expected to put it, thus- ; "A 15 hand horse 13 sft high, and its body is 1 2^l't from the ground, therefore, in order to 1 ciear a "fence 4Jft high, the horse would have ] to raise its body only 2ft. Now, if you lower ; Ihese jumps so that the horse may" not have ' to rise at all to clear them, you actually make them danperous " ' , — The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting . Club received from all sources during the just ] closed season the sum of £11,090 18s 6d, and 1 ihe expenditure (including stakes, £G531) i reached £10,534 19s 3d. The amount expended ( to date on permanent buildings, etc., amounts '. to £7103 19s lOd. Ilia ap=ets, after writing 1 down buildings, etc., £2079 Ga 4d, total £5270 1 2-< 9d. Included in this is a bank balance of 1 £1255 i9s 3d. Liabilities are ml. A debit 1 balance of £1117 12s 4d from tlie previous year i lies bsen paid off, and has loft the club in • credit to the extent of £1255 19s. : — After all there appears to be little chance i o f anything being done in what 13 lrnown as •, the Newcastle scale-tampering case. It will < bs remembered that the owner of the horse Gentleman Jim, v Mr James Hingsley, and ■ the rider, W. J. Moran, were committed 1 ior tnnl on a charge of conspiracy. The case 1 v.-as Fft dowu for hearing, but nothing cam© of < it. as the Attorney-general declined to file a I lull rgainst the accused. The committee of 1 the Newcastle Jockey Club have decided to go 1 further into the matter, and were to hold a, 1 •neeting 111 connection with the case. —Mr T. Liken recently informed the writer > *hat he had disposed o! the "triple crown" hero ;

Euroclydon, aid t>>at ihe son of Grrrton and X/ady Gertrude will probably travel somewhere in the Warganui district next season. Since taking up stud duties Euroclydon has not con3 so/ted with a great number of fashionably-bred matrons, and in his new home it is to be hoped the horse will get the chaneos he deserves, as there is no doubt that everyone of his stock ' which I nave seen appears to possess the g:ft 1 of going. The success of Betsy should prove a good advertisement for the Gorton horse m - 1 the North Island. ' — Some of the American firms of tipsters are very warm, but a New Orleans firm recently L put up a record. It sent out a sure thing long 1 shot, and invited subscriptions to be placed on the horse, which could not lose. Certain ' investigations were ma<le «wing to the foolish ■ framing of tlie advertisement, which practically hinted all others were dead to this wonder. The raaie of the horse v. as given up , before the race, and it turned out to be a horss that had actually not been out of the stable for three weeks, that was as big as the : side of a house, and of course ran nowhere. — At the A.J.C. Birthday meeting the winner cf the Two-year-old Nursery Handicap turned up in Hcs, who started at pixcs and won coai■fortably by three lengths, leaving the six furlongs of the race behind in lniin 15|sec. Hcs is a chestnut twc-yea,r-old filly by "Wallace out of Moonlynong, a daughter of the New Zealand-bred m<>re Sierra, who was got by Apremcnt out of Hammock. Sierra, who wrs purchased by the late Hon. D. S. Wallace at the disposal sale of ths Middle pßrk stud, is a full sister to Sornneil, and half-sister to Somnus, Morpheus, and Keverie, the dnrn of Dimdas and Welbcck. I —The annual report of the New York Stats I Racing Commission — which consi°t3 of August ; Belmort, E. D. Morgan, and John Sanford— was submitted to the Legislature recently say° a New York writer). It shows that 1 770,029d0l were won by horses in this State last year, an increase cf H3>,623d0l over 1901, and the" American turf is in "the highest state of prosperity. The 5 per cent, tax paid to the fanri n rF hus amounted since 161)5 to 710,029d01, of which 170,085d0l was paid on the gate receipts for last season. The highest average price paid for yearling* hitherto has been a little in exes? of 800dol. Last year the average paid was SSSdo 1 . — Doann Rosa, whose breakdown was reported some little time back, is now Tjeing treated to a run in the paddock. The mare 15 etill lame, but with care she may be found bearing ei!k again, or it is possible that her owner may dispose of her as a brood male. Being a good-sized mare ami showing a iot of quality, l)onna Rosa should furnish a welcome addition to any breeder's paddocks, as on the score of brooding there is little to be fouud fault with. She is by Don Pedro (son of Vas=co d: Gamp, the imported eon of Beadsman and brother to Pero Gomez) out of Red Ersign, tlie daughter of St. George and the Traducer mare Rsd Ross. — The greatest selling plater in history if the celebrated Hampton. In the eai-'.y poit of his career he was a mere plater, but aftor falling into the hands of John Nightingal) hs developed into ihe best stayer in England. For tho Epsom trainer he won the. Oread Metropolitan, Goodwood Stakes, Goodwood Cup, Donoaster Clip, Nc*thuml>erl3:ad Plate, and the Epsom CoLd Cup. In the race last mantiocctl ho beat the French horse Vemeuil, wno shortly afrefsmrds won tlie Ascot God Cup and Stakes. Hampton was tried over iurdlcs, and proved himself an adept at tlie game. Hi 3 best laco in this branch, was ior the Grand International Hurdle R-ice, in t.hich lie ran second. — llio Sultan of Johore was sued m the District Court, Sydney, by A. P. "Moiris sporting editor of Punch, for £11, balance due for work nnd labour clone. The case for plaintiff was that lie was asked hv the jockey, A. Campbell, to prepare an illuminated tabulated pedigree of the racing mare Disfigured, owned by the Sultan of Johore. The pedigree was prepared and sent to Campbell m India. The defendant alleged that he paid Campbell, but the plaiuiM contended that Campbell was not his %-ei:t, and had no authority to receive money. The counsel for the defendant raised the point that he was a foreign potentate, and could not be sued, and on that defence the case was d.smissed. —Itis ge leral'y noticeable pftei selling race that amoi.gst tlx* crowd surrounding the auctioneer iuc- siveral pcMoa? v/'io, after a few bids have b r rn rnad<\ kdvise the wielder of the hammer to "kno'k him down," but 111 Amencu the pyrnpathy comet imes enmos from the auct;oacer Inmso!', as {he fo'lnving «i!l sho*. — A smart fil'y won a sel!n.g xace at New Orleans, but before any of the c harps around the ring made a bid the auctioneer disposed of her 111 tho following- coo! manner. He ?aid, "Now, look here, gentlemen, thcrc-'a a fiJ'y b<- Great Tom out of one of the most iiO-acrount mares that was ever foaled. She' 1 ? entered to be sold at 300dof, hut if you look at that off fore leg you'll tc s' c's likely to break down at any ' taue, «>;id carry -iig more'n 90!b breaks her heart. I When 1 tUinJt of it. I don't t>elie\e therfc's j anyone h"re can r.fTo.-ci to keep a filly like this 1 over the winter, so I'll ju=t knock hoi down to the ow.iei-, who, I daro eav, will do his best for her." -— Sorre inicro-img statistics have been coml'i'cd cniiceniini' several of the American two-year-olds of hst year Plulo, 0 filly that v.on £1154. CO-,! £12 Uri s. vearhng FlcrnrTir.r\ v/m»>er ol e;<fLt rscos (uuhidinp; tho New Orlfanq Preliminary Oarbv), of Uie total value of i'lo-M, co3t £14. fli:J Eugeiua Burch, who won ovit £r.003, cost a fiver— o.s dollur* l On the oth-r 1 side of the picture, W C Wlntn<>>- paid £3201 for the St Simon—L ady Reel filly, and she l»evcr fared the s'arter's fla? , and J. B Haggm gave JSoOUO for tlis Avrslnre— L'Esclare colt, which is stil) a majden J E. nncl F P. KeciiC R<ive £KSiO and £1300 respectively for FuUmUi and Poncn, ami while CAth won a single indifferent r.ice, neither was anywhere near even FPcond class form. Oth"r big disappointments of the American racin<j season, all of wl'ich aro still niaideiia, were — Thui.derbolt, cost £2GOO, Amaryllis ro^t £2300. Prinrplet. £2060; Mooi.dvne, £2MO, Karnn C, XI2OO. Melton Mov.bray, £1020, Passan, £1000, and Wator Spirit, £1000. — Grease is a great thing, more especially on cart axles ard 6udi Jtke, but (says on American writer) you will fail to sec what possible connection "greaEo" can have with racing until the matter is explained. It has before been told how there was a bill m process of introduction before the Penn^vTvanian Legislature to legalise racing and betting in that State. Mr Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania R R , was bo-ckiug it up, in conjunction, with three or four wealthy Pennslyvanian racing nien, and it waa thought that the measure was un fait accompli. Here is where the matter of "grease came iv, and 1U connection with racing. It is said that l£r C*ssatt and Kis confreres declined to grease the political machinery, and the wheels suddenly ceased to revolve There was a hot box; the bill y?as killed in double quick order. That was too "bad l A Pennsylvania^ circuit w«mld have proved of immense advantage to us, would have relieved the present congested condition of our New York tracks, and would have given the poorer class of hoTses heTe an opportunity to earn their oats. It may be thought that there was no gTaase in Pennslyvania. But there is — plenty of it. Goose grease 13 as effective as any other kind, and the geese are evidently not all dead in tr;-t State, otherwise the bill would not have failed to go through.

—An Amercan paper remarks what a wonderful horse Joe P.itchen is. He has a record of 2min ljsec, anc! is the sire of Dan Patchen, lmin 59Jsec. Will K. Dickerson, the manager of Senator M'Carty's breeding establishment, has compiled the appended statement of the achievements of Joe Patchon — Times started in rnccs and against time 100 Times won „ „ , - „ „ 53 Times second 39 Times third , \ Times fourth b , „ „ 4 Times unple-cer? „ „ 3 Heats won in 210 or better .. „ .. 90 Heats won in 2.09 or better .. ... „ Bt3 Heats won in 208 or better „ 81 Heats won m 2.07 or better .. „ „ €6 Heats won in 2.06 or bettei 54 Heats won in 2.05 or better 40 Heats won in 2.04 or better .. „ „ 20 Heats won in 2.03 or better .. „ „ 13 Heats won in 2.02 or better 5 Heats won on half-mile tr?cks in 2.09 or better . 10 If oats t\on on ha'f-nnle tracks in 2. 0S or b"tter .... g Heats tton on half-uvle tracks in 2.07 or better j Heat 3 won on nalf-raJe tracks in 2.CG or bettcT ... ... 3 Heats won on lu'if-mile tracks (2.04}, world's record) m 203 or b'tter .. .. 1 Money won ip s'lkc^. purse 0 , ard exhibitions m nine years, 100,350r101.