AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2645, 23 November 1904, Page 52

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bt Taiboa.

November 21.

The Takapima Jockey Ckib's spring meeting tommencea next Saturday afternoon, and should! the suburban club experience fine weather the gathering should prove a successful one. The principal race on the opening day is the Sit. Andrew's Handicap, for which nine have accepted. Ihe mile and a-quarter ra-ce reads very open but ii asked to select one I should name Durable as the hardest to beat In the Cheltenham Handicap, run over five furiongs, the top-weight, Black and, Gold, who is trained l on the coufte, shouild run well forward.

It will be time enough to talk about the Auckland Cup and other leading events of the summer meeting! when the acceptances are posted', but meanftme it may be said that those most in favour for the Cup are Cruciform', Mahutonga, Staishoot and Float ; while in the Railway Handicap punters will have nothing but Savoury. With 11.3 on his back, Up to Date should hold everything else in the Summer Steeplechase safe. Taking a- line from the formi shown, by our two-year-olds during the recent meeting, I should say that the local juveniles will not have much to say against the visiting contingent when the Foal Stakes com.es up. for decision at the Metropolitan Club's summer gathering on Boxing Day. The three-year-oids> are also a moderate lot, Gladstone being the pick of the bunch, and the prospect of the Great Northern Derby Ribbon being claimed by a loeaily-trained three-year-old is, to say the least, remote. ' j It was thought a few days ago that j Messrs Simmelhag and Jackson, owners j of Gladstojie, had abandoned! the idea of I appealing from the decision of the stewards ' of the Auckland Racing Club in disallowing their protest against the stake in the Auckland Guineas going to Boris on the ground that , the latter's rider had weighed out and in without the breastplate, as required under Rule 103. It seems 1 , however, that, after consideration, they have decided to proceedl with tlx© appeal, which will bft heard by the committee of the A.R.C. on a date to be fixed. Should they uphold the decision of the flfceuyfp&s, tla» j case wili then be referred 1 to the Racing Con- < ferencei ; We are not particularly well favoured m tho matter of cross-country horsea above the average, -just at present tho only jumper here likely to acquit himself with distinction in high-class company over the big fences being Up to Dsfte the half-brother to Riecord Reign. The others are* ior the most pait. veterans ,

who appear to have seen their best day. Of the hurdlers, the most promising seen out at the A.R.C. spring meeting were perhaps St. Rowan and Wellcast, winners of the Manukau and Maiden Hurdles respectively.

The publication of the weights for the Auckland Cup and Railway Handicap has not been followed by speculation worthy of note, the only doubles to claim decent support being Mahutonga and Cruciform coupled with Savoury, the smart three-year-old son of Simmer and Melodia, whose win in the Members' Handicap on the last -chiy of the C.J.C. meeting has caused his prospects of winning the Railway Handicap to be highly thought of by investors here. Jennie, the last of the Wellington Park Stud Company's mares to- foal, gave birth during the week to a colt foal to Bluejacket. The foalings at this sfcud total 34, of which 16 are colts and 18 fillies. It is expected that the crack southern pony Man jess will figure among the nominations for the liliputiap events to be decided at the Auckland Racing Club's summer meeting. The prices quoted about Auckland Cup candidates, coupled with Savoury m the Railway Handicap, are very cramped m the local market. The Cup candidate Mahutonga has already arrived in Auckland from the south, and is quartered at C, Warren's esta-blishment-at EllersQie. The early arrival of the horse indica-tes that his party intend that he shall be given ample opportunity to become acquainted with the EUerslie course. Boomerang and Suhmarine were^ shipped back to Napier during the week, boomerang appears to have oretty well recovered from the cold he contracted after winning the Welcome Stakes on the opening day of the A.R.C. spring meeting. . . -i According to private information received here Mr G- G. Stead will be represented by a powerful team at the' Auckland Racing Club s summer (meeting. The Auckland Trotting Club authorities have drafted an attractive programme for their summer meeting, to be held on December 27 and 31 and January 7. The principal events will bo the Auckland Trotting Cup, of 200sovs ; the Great Northern Trotting Handicap, ot 125sovs; the Summer Cup, of lOOsovs; th« President's Trot, of lOOsovs; and the JPony Cup, of 115sovs.