AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2612, 6 April 1904, Page 47

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

■&T Uk'IITOA.

April 4. •

The Auckland Racing 'Chtb's autumn meeting was commenced, 'on Saturday, .when the weather wa,s-fine, end oilier concUiioas J&vourable ; but the attendance v.'as not '.quite as big as usual. A -s-xiin .of j638?6 .-wns passed through the tote or the eight events carckd — a decrease 'of i£755 coirtDaxeS with the arnouict handled on -the

corresponding 3ay O&st -yeai. As the -miner events <are .hardly likely io interest readers down "below, I •confine my notes to .the -principal races, coixiineacing with -rh-e JSForthern Ohnanjiagae Stakes, .in w-hidh n field of eiaht spovted silk., the withdrawals from the -rich isce "for two-year-olds b?ing Dnamore, General Average, Elspeth, Soult MaiS.iand G-ulniad. Boris, a nicely-balanced dark 'fcown son tji 'Stepniak, was one 'oi the .most -attractive-locking youngsters mtra&ecl and ids --well-trained .appearance, jaunty air .and free action 'in 'his sprelirninary Won the W-elling^on calt -the post *of favourite. Mabhema, jonS tßeau Seaton Were .the first do commence, and lengths separated tthe trio #oir.g -thiou#i -entting. where Akaxana > W as lying fourth, ■followed b.y Gladstone and Boris. As they settled C-own for •fch.? -nun -across the top s'.Tsieh, Promotion was still a length -to the goe'd <af .Beau Seaton and Muthema, who were jin ,-closs- .company :a .length in iroiEfc of Akarairn, -w-hih Boris And '.Gladstone a couiple tii lengths .away {and Monof arm -whipping in the .-field. Thie afield iclosed <np a bit coming to ihe home ttirn, ißaris lad got almost in line with Promotion sA .the head of •the straight. A few .staris.es inrfiher . on the Stepnia.k colt -was in charge, arrd 'holding off the opposition. %c won hisjracc easily "by ra'her over half a length from "-Promotion, Beau Seaton about two length* away third, with Gladstone miniest on "terms. Muiihema and A*karana ■finished nest, sand rthen earneTsfoncform several lengths away, while Tygos. .-vcho was .tsrsed up, -wailked in later on. lE'he -winner -was bred at 'the JElSersiie .st.ud, auxl was iknooked -down to his present owner, ~Mx K. iCurnbull, ;as .a .yearling, ior S&Dgs. The -.gooil field ■.■di 15 weighed' oitt .for the Epster Handicap, the scratdhrngs in -which consisted of Madrigal, Crania, IMaio, Ls"dy Annie, aaid 'Te Aroira. VV'hen "the candidates 'for Hhe raiie xaae were 'sfcripjsed, nothing filled fhe eye more pleasingly "than Sta-rshoot, who looked -fit to run for a. kingdom ; and this, combined ■with th? taking -manner in -which "the son of JHolchkiss .dashed .off Ins pre.iroinary. caused him to be installed iavotrrite. 'G'hoorka and Wairiki being ;rnost -in .demand of vbhe others. Putty bolted with his. rider when on the way to the post, .ami iiaversad "the best iparb of a .mile and a-half before b'iirsg pulled rap. Mr O'Connor liad some difficulty with thercuat rthe past, but eventually effected 'a -saiisfactory siart, Borneo 'being .the one -to show out first. ICTiey had, .however, nob left a furlong behind hafore Austeriitz was out making ihe pace a couple of lengths in iraat of StaishooL, Sliss Xiottie Ij-ing {hiro 1 just in front of a bunched 3ot. The leading places were maintained going to J .fcLe irix furiong .post, where- Miss LotUe rpngecl aiongfiide Stars'isot. e,nd wben the field entered the cutting Anrsoyad and 'liomcfi were hancly to the .jiair aiamed, .with Regulation next and Waliiki sevenih. In the lun across the top .-stretch Aus^erlitz had impiovad his advantage -to thi-e; lengihs fi-ora Miss Lottie and Starshuoc, with Float comii-g fa,st on -fhe outside. -Austerlhz continued 'to dhow the -way through The home taira, and >was first into the sir-aiglit >with a slight .advantage of De'laoiia, Star^hoot, and Eeguiation. Austeriitz going out of the contest, StershjQat goc in front, ibut diicctly 'EegTilxlion challanged, she diad Star.shoofc .beaten, .and tiie Segel nmre stoiding .ay/Ay from the fa\ouTite, wjaiiar race in .good style by fully two lengihs, IDaiaoiia bemg nearly ths -sanje distance sway rthirc!. Float finished fouith, aud then cttrne Isiua]>le, Miss Lottie, .sad Eonieo. wj.fh V'arlki well up among the others. AHhou?li the winner had -pleased course watchers, there were many who doubted her ability to see out a £.olidiy-conteaLed mile,

such as that of Saturday, which was cohered JLn Imin 41 l-ssec, thinking -the last furlong would find her out. Contrary to expectations, however, it wsis in the closing stages that she was eeen at her best. ,was bred by Alison Bros., when they carried Tin breeding operations at Slotukorea Island, .and it twas at lOgs that -the daughter of Hegel and May was quitted as a yearling.

Hautapu'aaidl Aka Aka being -struck out of the Brighton Hurdle- Race, thi-s left a 'field of seven in tha small stick event, and 61 .these IJp-to-Date Tfa9 fhe one most to the liking of 'investors. When they .parsed ihe stand the fLrsfc time the uncertain "Yal "Eosa was found in fhe lead, with Up-to-Dpte-as his nearest attendant. When the second mile was entered -upon, the favourite closed -up the -gap separating him 'from the son ot Seaton Delaval, -and ~ihs -paxr, clapping on "the -pace in i&as -style, were eight lengths in -advance of the +hir3. -horse- 'when £hs fifth -hurdio came ~to be oiegotiateS. The two leaders rose at the obstacle almost tnneously, 'but Up-to^Date made -fine ibstiei jump, ancl he -haE a lengths -advantage -w-hen they landed. TTp^to-Dat-e to [be -stopping when, fhe head of the straight was raachsS, but 'he -stayed i* out satisEaotoiily, anS -won his ir ace comfortably .;bj-<a -couple of lengths from Cannongate, -who, -aa usual, frnis'lisd: tmost gasaely -Hinder rpunislrnient. -Dip-±o-I>ate -jK a ,(i-i»e-y.ear-Qia bay son, of St. Hippo, -an 9 Winnie, and ithsrefor« a .relative rof 4he (defunct ohampion JEecord 'Eeign.

Tits Tunning iof 'G-heoika, tire winner of 'the Wingarsui -Cup, in -the SEasl^r iHanditap -fon Saturday was about -gr-eatest disappointment of dhe Scty. Stturting second favourite, he was nevert -prominent -at .'{ujy .stsge oi mfle race, -and -fLciShed:>right;ba6kj;n Tthe ruck. In my last .w-^ek'cS snofces I -said -that if Wai i> oaa rtook it into 'his Ji-ead to nun kindly an "the Brighton Hurdle Kaoe .he had every .chance of -easily winning distinction over rfshe fences. Jumping away in jront, .he flattered -tfhe 'iiopes of has supporters for gather aipwards of :a jnile and «,-ialf, but vchan tackled :by iDip^to-©ate and. .Ganongate -he turned it -up .badly, tand, tfiickixig his toes in, iiß-per .aSter-warda tried a yard, vQnishing .absolutely last. te:eaa% ie is one tnot to "Tie trusted.

Monoform, the h-'gh-priced full .brother to Muitifoxm. was givoa -a -mta xa ftlie jSoxtharn Champagne -Siftkes on SaturclKy, but vzus a, long .way .back (seventh) when 'they -passed the judge's box, the only one to finish behind .him being ICbgos, -.wito was .pulled up -below the xlistanoe. Muitiform's -favo-year-old brotlier .was evidently JJot wound nip, .being on the big siSe,; but -even so, 'there was Jrothing about his <dis-pla-y tto make the pjmdicate -o%vning -him feel very .hopeful. For ctheir ;gake, however, it is 'to be .hoped .that tima --will .toll a ttale, ,as another .discouragement jifter their iaiiure -with Powerful, the rfull -brothsr to .SeEthorse, .might cause them to^consider dhe •advisa'biliigr of-with-drawing from the oraoing <ed the thorcughbfrad. That unhzed 046s .are .not always to 'be despised has been pointedly .-iliuafcrated by JElqgiilationls meoent performances, including the 'bay mare's victory an the HasteT Handicap on fSatuxßaj, v/hen -she "defea.ted 11 ofihers SSLr 'Sirrc-nu-'.s mare is by Regel, a-BQnrof ;St.li-eger, from May, a daughter -of -the latter rsire.

While ou .the tswbject »of arfbxeeding, it unry be mentioned .that '-Saturday's .xecing brought under notice another instance in the -shape -of the aptly-jiamed ,-colt The Error, .which jfigured in the vQnslow Stakes, ,and>i3 , i a-£on>oi.Hotch"kiss and .Stella. In the fays _of the New Zealand Stud 'Company, .Satanella, 'grand Sam .of ,the youngster <un.der notice., was, to the owner's atoi-y, -cent -to ±he breeding establisliiwnh mentioned to .be auarted swith .St. Loger. In £us ccurse the raare ptoducad a ifilly wliich was received £sn3 aiftecwaxSa jrep-iirchaßed by her Tireeder as a daughter of tire son of Doncaster. The fill3\ no other Shan -Stella. -was put to HotcMciss, aud ths aesult of the -union -was Thfl lError. Then -the iact leaked out that Sstanella had been covered by Hotchkiss; henoe -the name bestowed on the inbued .colt, whose doings will -bo watched -with interest.

The difficulty in .attempting to give s. satisfactory forecast >of .racing -"results -several days before the .event -was instanced in .my anticipation >in connection wifh the Northern Champagne Stakes, decided on "Saturdoy. "W4ien I telegraphed south, .the 'Step-nink oolt Boris, who won "the raoe under aiotioe, had 'been given his fir'rt gallops Bince arrival at iEllerslie, and so indifferently did he then chape that coursawatahars •were 'not .pxeparod to give birr a chance. Later on in the waek. however, the R f epniak youngster showed such improved form that it came as no purprise on th° 3ay to finrl him figuring as favourite for t';e important tißce that went do-ron 'Io his credit.

Evidently Mr Spencer G-ollan, the well-known fpv. f Zealand swortsman, stncl owner of the Liverpool G-rand National Hurdles IReice winner. Moifaa. has come to -the coicHision that liis only prO3T>Pnt of getting a return for +he 200Qj?s iirrcgte^. in Seahorse is by racing -ths rcm of JSelnon and Mconga >in .iumpinp rqcos. AHhouqli lhe-chp=tr.u+ .-was in the Great Met-rn-nclicaii Stakes with 4he handy impost of 9.13, Mr Gollnn has withdrawn him from the Ensom I'ace a.nd -the 'KeTsoTi ]ior?e as iiow v.'ithout a single in important 'flat rsces in England.

Av>ril 4.

The meeting was continued to-day, when the weather was again fine, and the aifcendsnee satisfactory. The iola'isatar -rpturns ran out to showing s. fallins off of .comnnrecl wifh ihe *\\r? haT'Ciled on the second day la?< vsnr. Tb° ■flr'rt rrce of not» to engage Hie atte^if'o i o r the imbl'c was the Century Rt*ke=! -fn- -"iit^-h t!i° ?litiptt -tpr" rec!nc°d to thr^e V>v ■*',■"* Jp<o"+ o-i of Cll-oorkn p-'f l Snn.lTi(ipp v.-lii'o i+ --pr c"'.-"- *t> »'' t-bat 'Bpt:Ti<>iv wa= o'i'v lf>f' ;i-i; i-i ■"--«"!-=.• - «;t"ti of f> r>s r = to third place. Wairiki, though not looking

at 'bis best, -.moved over Hid ground in his pr-eliminai-y in a jianner that leit no room for complaint, and as was expected, the brown, son of Soult was ths one to -claim most .atten-

tion when the speculators got to work, though -the -betting on Starshoot showed that the chestnut son of lEotchkiss ottos regarded by a good juany cs .a likely cone ito clip the b'g horfee's wings. When the barrier .was released, ''Wairiki, who had a berth 03 tile inside, v.-as ihe first Ho move, -and the -top (weight .rcn jsast -the stancl flu"BB lengths in iront .of Slarshoot, who vrs.6 sapara^eS by a 'Couple of lengihs from Bonheur. Racing through rthe' bottom 'turn

to -the back. Wairiki and Starshoot, still sepa-

•rated by b^fcwosn two -and three lengfbs, -began ■to tlra,\v away 'from Bonheur, \vss lhalf .a

dozen Leugths to the bad six furloitgs 'from ■ home. Siaro'hoot -wps siickrng to 'Wairjki in. a '| manner that caused the big -fellow^ supporters I to fpel -somawhat -unTP&y as 'the pair xacaft thiough ihe cutting and across the -top stretch, where there was Jm-aly a length's daylight between them, while "Svy.oii, twlio was up on Bonhenr, .v,-as satisfied to jet her run -along oulat'ly, trnd^was -nowninc or 32) lengths to .the ba9. W.airiki was the iiist to show into the straight, .but when the -.distance ,w.as reached: Davis got aright >.3owji to wock on.'St-arshoot, .and,

dr.awing .up "in-oh : bj- inch ;he'lan.decl.ilie Js.-ugh-

ter ,oi ■'Crescent home jj dinner :by >a ahort lv.cad. 3onhcur upwarSs of_ 20 Jlanglhs away. As .the -mile and a-guarier .was left behinctau 2min 310 3-"Sssc, >it .win "ba seen that xlo tiros

wa-e wssied.on th-exoacl. 'while it jnay be _meaitioned fthat the last haS jnils was cut -out Lin 31 U-'Ssec. 'Tire performaace jfo- vihich Stas>shoqt was jresponsibls was undoitbteSiy .a •iiigHl-y jnsritorions one., and in rsumming x\p tihe situatror T .may .say that the Hotchkiss — Cr.es-

cant colt li3d ail ths best of it on fhe score of

condition, though, .giving -this in, 1 was one of thosia -who did >eoI "ecarci ih:m as capable of lowering the 'colours di -the JSorflt 'horse.

•In the rfieHl oi -five that went to the post for *tb.2 Autumn SlttrSles TRace. 'Caiixrongalte wa.? a rafher better favourite 'than Aka Aka, and fhe -subsequent .result showed fhe -public '.estimate to "be ,a correct <orie. The -pace was solid from the .start, &nd ths field -remained ra close icompany over cthe -first tlxree -iences. Massing ihe star.d, 3Pjrincesa -of Thitle -was lirH a length <tx.< lht> good (of iCannongate, -but £he top -weiglit, who w.as full of rurioiing. had irevej-seu tli©-posi-tion -whan .the .fence at the^baok -oTrhe course, about .six furlongs iiojtn home, was -reached. G oing rfhrough the .cutting. Aka Aka set .out in pursuit, .and heading -Pxincess -of ?Dhuie "by, the time they .reaohrd ths .hurdle .by :the -fouaiunlang jso&t, th« Hegel gel Sing was .alongsife the son ,oi Cann.cn .when Ihc.j landed. Theneß en it was :ba4weac this pair," 'but they Jrad nc sooner .cleared the last .obstacle than Gannongate .began to ancve out, and ihou^h .O x ConneK was .busy on Max _&kg., ihs .had jio cchance .of getting -up, as .the top weight -ran in :an iasv -winner 33y two llengths, «w.ith Pi-iacess ,of 'JBrjiis third, nearly lour lengths .away. Sirdar was 15 lengths ay/ay 'iourfh. an 9 Lady Kaven whipped in th-s nc-ia. That Ganxousate Uias regained Eomething like 'his ,ola 'lormVas 'demonstratea iby 'the 'fact that fhe mile .andihreequarters was^nxown 'bfhind -in '3.22. IDb.3 jprincipal -hanaicap vi ;the -day wks rthe St. George"^, .irun over 'a -mile -and "a-q-iiarwr. This k&s -.corttestec 1 by a -field of 10, -fche ,-one most dn .demand -bsiug .Regulation, while of the others -Float and 9?utty -were accorded most sup_port. HegulaMop .and iGfaooska were momentarily in cthe lead. ,but 'as the field paaseE the .main stamd, 3Romeo and Miss Hlidt-

tie were in charge., r^-ith Eegulaiion, 3?,nity, and Sccftty 'fojlowing m that -order. There were mo -changes in the leading places cgdinjr througji -the ibattom 'turn to -tlte seven furlongs post, but w&en .they .settled down *for fhe >run across fhe iback 3-eweiier-y ■made -her --wav through, and was sgerbing "close to 'Eomeo an& Miss jLo'.tie passing ,the six furlongs past, and the trio named -were closely associated going thiough the .cutting. r»vath & well-bunched Hot ha-nd.y, Scotty and Regulation -being most conspicuous. .Coming through the top .stretch Borneo .was leading Miss Xicttie .by fhalf a length, and the .fkst-:carutrd .was sill cutting, out ths ,pßce joundang iths 'home 4urn. where focotty was Aipsiies .wiah jSSEiss Lottie, and Ghoo.ka was Jvivg nsxK A Jew -strides farther on Regulation, chipped in, and R_great battle !betwaen -the .Sauglrter oi - E.sgo£ JRomeo, and Cxhnorka resulted in :a Jif acl-!ieat .for first placr between Eegulation and itom-so, Ghoorkit rather over half a length away thiiS. Scot. vanished lourth. Lottie 'fifth, and F-oit sixth, Jewellery bamg ths last 'to pass the j3st

3tsssra«i.-jj-c-y»£^!£sz^.