CANTERBURY DOINGS

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 55

CANTERBURY DOINGS

By Fkitz.

During the course of a visit to 'lie ChrisichUTch Hospital yesterday I saw the injured horseman, J. M'Guire. Though he has recovered censcious-ress, he will be r.orne time before he can leave his bed. He plaintively told me tbaD he cud not know what was tha li titter or hew he jot where hs v :>*. As a matter of iact his Wain is still clouded, buf there seems tc be no doubt that he will quits u<cover.

The scratching of Melocleon for all engagements at the C.J.C autumn meeting was not at all palatable to Ins numerous local supporters, as the Napier horse had been heavily backed in double-event wagering.

Three Groat Eastei candidates wrra seen out at the recent South Canterbury meeting — viz., Convo}', Manjess and Sandy. Of the trio E should say that Convoy is entitled to most lespect. He -carried 9.13 into third place at Timaiu, rove-ring the mile and a-qusiter mi 2 9 — a fair performance, — and the gallop is sura to do him good. He looks lusty and well, andl pulled up as fr^sh as his best friends could desire, and he may occupy a prominent position in his Riccarton essays. Sandy started! twice, winning the Farewell Handicap in attractive style. He has only 6.7 to carry in! the Easter Handicap, but still I cannot recommend him. Manjess cannot win on the" foim lie showed at the Waßiidyke, albeit he ha^ only a 6.7 burden. Convoy is also engaged m the Great Autumn Handicap, as also is Specie late, who won at Timaru. I should say thai ■wherever the pair mar finish, Convoy should defeat Speculate.

Lady Lyonors is now Ihe propeity of Mr Ci Corton, who, it will be remembciccl. owr.cQ Master Alix, prior to the sale of the hoi; 8

k> Mr Buckley, of Oamaru. Lady Lyonors is considered to possess an undeniable chance in the Great Easter Handicap, but I would suggest that Mi Stead would scarcely be likely to sell her unless he had something better * in his stable for that race. I hear that several inquiries have been made as to the possibility of purchasing Machine Gun, but so far no business has resulted. Petrovna, one of the most prominent of ithe- foreign arrivals at Riccarton, has registered some attractive performance's since she landed at headquarters. The % little mare has many friends who believe that sho will demonstrate that seven furlongs in aristocratic company is not too far for her. The Yaldhurst youngster Delaware wag chipped to Auckland on Wednesday, where the colt has engagements at the. A.R.C. Easter meeting. A meeting of the committee of the EllesMiere Racing Club was held at the Leeston •Hotel on Monday evening. was a large attendance, and Mr R.. Graham, president, occupied the chair. The secretary. Mr Taylor, submitted an interim balance sheet, showing a credit of about £ 54 14s, after pay- ._ orient of all accounts. The stakes, £76 10s, and accounts amounting to £47 13s lOd were -parsed for payment. A bonus of £3 3s was voted to th© secretary. It was rpsolved to - »ow grass on tlu track, and Mt Pick was deputed to have the work done. It was resolved to fine the owners of Disappointment H, First Shot, and Nor'-wester £1 Is each "- Ifor not informing the secretary in time that "their horses had been scratched. Messrs Graham, Pick, Donald, and Slattery were ap_fcinted a sub-committee to go through the members' books and revise the list, and report next meeting. The draft programme for next meeting was drawn up, showing an increase of stakes to the extent of about £30. Djin Djin, by Apremont — Dudu, has gone the way of all horseflesh, a friendly bullet Wing brought into requisition on Tuesday last. The Wellington and Dunedin Cup winner contracted, an attack of strangles last year, and fee never recovered from its effects. He was "bred by 3£t IS. Cutts at Chokebore Lodg-e, and, besides the race above-mentioned, Djin Djin captured several smaller stakes. During a. reoent visit to Timaru Mr T. Yarr, •well known as a trotting owner and enthusiast, who is new residing in the southern town, kindly invited me to have a look at a few of the horses owned by him, and I gladly accepted his invitation. The stock we found running in a nice paddock overlooking the sea to the north of Timaru, and a more healthy locality could scarcely be imagined. After glancing at the speedy Boatman, we were -introduced to the thoroughbred mare Lady 'A.gn-es, by the Cassivelanus horse Master Agnes, who has been mated' with, and appears to be in foal to, the standard-bred trotter Albert Victor. She is a fine type of mare, and should she throw a filly foal, Mr Sarr intends, all being well, to mate this produce with a standard-bred trotter. The speedy pony Naughty Girl was also put to Albert Victor last season, and has possibly held to him, whilst the Rothschild — Imogene mare'Roselta. looking very well, is also in foal, apparently, to Albert Victor. A very fine ir.are in Secrecy (St. Louis — Secret), bred! by Mr J. A. Buckland, was last season mated with the -thoroughbred horss Gipsy Grand, an _ experiment which will be interesting, though somewhat \ dangerous. However, should Secrecy "give her owner *a filly, he will be satisfied. Running by the side cf Secrecy ■was her last season's bay foal, a colt by Rothschild, who shows much promise; and another arising two, by Bell Boy. The latter, who is shortly to be put into work, is a somewhat < plain brown colt. I wish the owner of Monte Carlo every success. The handicaps for the events to be decided on the first day of the Hew Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's autumn meeting have jr>ade their appearance, and I would suggest * that the following horses have been given j • winning prospects in the respective races: — Injaroductc-ry Handicap — Birc^imark, Valentia, and Master Pcole ; Autumn Handicap — Logan, Blithechild, and General Grigg ; !X ew Zealand Handicap- Vestina, Verity, and Imperialism; Ladies' Bracelet — Wocdburn, Chief, Governor L., and Premier Dick; Advance Handicap — Craigaruskie, Leura, and Ciss ; Cash Handicap — Sunbeam, Valentia, and Birchmark ; Speedwell Handicap — Felony, Queen Mab, and Veracity; Express Handicap —General Mac, Anstrey, and Logan. On Easter Monday, April 24, the Canterbury Jcokey Club's autumn meeting will be commenced, and will be continued on the , Following day. At the moment there appears '' so be every piospect of a successful gathering — visitors are expected from north and south m large numbers, the course and surroundings (promise to look well, despite early frosts, wLieh have not improved the flower beds and Jborders. and the fields should be large, irliUst the quality of the espe- , <aally ( in the classic events and principal handicaps, is beyond reproach. Of i course the two principal handicaps are arousing a great amount of interest, and, •writing a week before the races are decided, it is not by any means an easy task to foreshadow possible winners. The withdrawal of •Afelodeon means one less in each race, which is to be regretted, as he appeared to possess an undeniable chance in tlie long-distance event. Machine Gun has not met with much inquiry, and Nightlall's 9.9. is regarded "by many as a prohibitive burden. If she is as good as Cruciform was at the same age (it will be remembered that the latter won uader 9.8). then her chance cannot be ignored. Vladimir's defeat at Invercargill has not improved his prospects, perhaps; still, he was carrying a heavy load, and I am not inclined, jiot having seen his effort, to say that the Stepniak horse cannot win. Petrovnn is doing fine work here, and she is sure, Seapite the distance, to run a great race. Convoy is well. as he exemplified at Timaru, and I expect to see faim run well up amongst the leaders. Golden Vein is almost sure to be Sir George Clifford's selected lather than Stronghold or To-morrow, and if the stake is to go to the lucky Choke•boxc stable, Golden Vein, I think, will take it there Lady Lyonors, now in Piper's stable, is very well, and may register an attractive performance, but on her recent track form I cannot recommend Bagpipes. Mangess must improve to win, and Sandy, I fear, .will find the company too fast. Po many -horses have yet to arrive, and it is impossible •to compare them with local horSes, except through their most recent deeds. All in, 1 would pick Mr Stead's selected (probably ftTightfall), Ailsa, and Golden Vein, with a preference for AILSA. ' Eleven horses still remain in the Great Autumn Handicap. Convoy is bound to run a, good race if he improves on his Timarti forni ever so little, and there can be no doubt that Quarryman is executing capital .work at headquarters. This horse will bo fi, hard nut to crack. His stable companion Is an unlikely starter. He has not appeared 'to advantage in his recent work, owing to plight lameness, and Quarryman will probaly parry the confidence of his connections, and Very well, too. Vladimir has yet to demonstrate his ability over 12 furlongs, but Crlicoxka should urn a, fair race. Though

Savoury lias never contested a race over a mile and a-half, he is a really good one up to a mile, and as the sole Yaldhurst representative, he commands respect. Ailsa, may possibly be more at home in a shorter race, but Stepdaaicer is in rare fettle just now, and I believe she will about secure a place. I have not much regard for the other three — Speculate, Cavatina, and Crichton, — and believe that the places will be filled by Quarryman, Savouiy, and Stepdancer, preferring SAVOURY. The Champagne Stakes, i think, will be won "by either Sungod or Munjcet, with Alexis and Glenowlet close up. The Thirteenth Challenge Stakes, run on Tuesday, should provide a great set-to, inasmuch as Achilles, Nightfall, Savoury, and Strcnghold form a strong quartet, who will be opposed by some speedy two-year-olds. If Savoury starts in the Great Autumn he will not carry silk, I should opine, in the Challenge Stakes, especially as Mr Stead has three others engaged in the classic seven furlongs. At present I fancy Sungod will prove the best of the jfaldhurst stable. However, whatever the selected, that horse is sure to give Achilles a sound race. The acceptamces for the minor events' do not close until after these notes will appear in print, but at the moment I like the prospects of the following : — Kildare Hurdle Race — Levant and Slow Tom ; but if The Mohican is started and jumps decently he ought to win easily. Russley Plate — Contender, Grand Poplar, _-anl Bonnie Brae. Epsom Welter — Koputai, Chryseis, and The < Mohican. „ . Sockburn Handicap — Signalman, Calibre, and De la Rey. Horses engaged in minor events putting in fair to good work at Riccarton are Chryseis, Antigone, Signalman, Ingleneuk, Reduction, The Guesser, Cuirassettia,, Grand Poplar, Ordnance, Blythemaid, Wet Blanket, The Mohican, and Ability. The inaugural meeting of the Canterbury Coursing 1 Club was held at Burnham, when there was a large attendavce, which betokens a strong revival of the sport in Canterbury. The officials, who controlled a most successful meeting, were: — Judge, Mr J. Barr; slipper, Mr W. Fox; slip steward, Mr J. Pick; field stewards, Messrs L. Wilson and J. Carl. Results : — THE OPEN STAKES. First dog JEIO, second £5, and two dogs £2 10s each. First Round— Mr E. Shield's Jim beat Mr J. C Rossiter's Maori Queen, Mr C. J. Rossiter's Phoenix beat Mr W. Wright's Bringo, Mr J. Connelly's King Edward beat Mr J. Lecky's Xiucky Bean, Mr G. Toon's Gunpowder beat Mr G. Tabart's Tatts, Mr J. Kelson's Black She beat Mr J. L. Carl's Silver Jubilee, Mr J. Downing's Wonderful beat Mr A. M'Causland's Treadmill, Mr W. Ashworth's Nellie Moore beat ivlx L. Brown's What Oh, Mr C. Withell's Gipsy beat Mr F. Reid's Tommy Atkins, Mr A. M'Causland'a Flying Fish accidental bye, Mr R. Muir'a Sockburn beat Mr J. F. Ashworth's Darkie, Mr H. C. Hopkins's Fly beat Mr L. Brown's Chefalo. Second Round — Jim beat Phoenix, Gunpowder beat King Edward. Wonderful beat Black She, Gipsy beat Nellie Moore, Sockburn beat Flying Fish, Fly a bye. Third Round — Gunpowder beat Jim, "Wonderful beat Gipsy, Sockburn beat Fly. Fourth Round — Gunpowder beat Wonderful, Sockburn a bye. Final — Mr G. Toon's b and w d Gunpowder _ beat Mr R. Muir's f and w d Sockburn, and won the stake. The thanks of the club were given to Mr Withell for the. us© of his property for the meeting. After the deciding course cheers were given for the judge and the slippers, whose work so greatly tended to the success of the meeting. April 18. Nightfall may not start for any event at the- C.J.C. autumn meeting. j