IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2668, 3 May 1905, Page 51

IN A NUTSHELL.

— dominations for the Forbury Park Racing ' Cflub close on May 5. — "The death .reported of the St. Leger — Hazel stallion St. Cjt. j —^Needlework is reported to be shaping well in his schooling otfer hurdles. "^ — Savours: was passeS' in at 250gs when placed under ihe trammer last week. - — r-JRoller hrolke -down- whilst running in fte secondr day's hurdles at .Riccarion. — -Acceptances ior'the. Tahuna. 3?ark_ Trotting, -Club'-s - meeting .close, on. Saturday next. , — .Machine , Gun was discovered to be a -•xoarex the ibst time he was asked to B*U°p. — Stronghold has ~-been shipped north to - fulfil his engagements at the Hawke's Bay meeting. — Miss Gladys, the dam of Gladsome,- clipped lex ioal a, few days ago Jot the second year hi ! succession. j — -.According -to .reports Mt J3r. G. Stead's ' colt .Delaware .gave _a poor display in his race at Auckland. —^amenclature item: Amongst the .starters 'j mi- the CJJ.C.^meeting was Ariadne^ a daughter : of Gastashorc. j — Apo-llodoris stands about 14.3, if "ho does -pSt -grow upwards ne would make a more than" •aßefnl^ pony. j — ■_ " What Ailsa?" a»urmured a -when he -noticed the ;daughter of Wallace getting licked -m the Easter. — Signalman put Tip a couple of good performances in his -Epsom and second to Ailsa in the JCempLeton. -•- ' — Itias Been-d«cidedthat th© VJR.-C. Derby ■wil -be -run. on iDeoember 4, and the MeTbourn* Cup on [November -7. — .-Euclid, .a lialf-brother to SoTuiionj shaped promisingly 'in -the "Russley.JPla.te, - and was travelling well at the finish. —^A ccmplimentstty ticket 'for the "Wesfcland Racing -Club'-s autumn meeting is to hand, »nd- acknowledged >with > " — The Iwte R-. Rjeay -rode "the first, winner of __ £he 'Canterbury iDefbyjiastl .subsequently rode * ""*" five-other "winners' -of *i3ie BairnVxace." — 33«- -Russian's will no -doubt -gain ■fresh - ardour in "their -eSorts against the Japs when ' ' ihey .hear of the victories of Vladimir A and .Alexis on the 'Riccarton -battlefield. " — ~33o& "English horseman 'W^ Bambridge"' had a mount <at Feilding, created a favourable impression- amongst ftite spectators. — The Westtand Racing. Club last week dis-quafified-'thfr'cross^coun.try iorseinan 'Delaney for"l2"snonths for, suspicious-riding. — 'Machine Gunf-s official 'time for fhe Great Easter -was Imin 29 -4-ssec, but several pnvafbe watofcholders made it lmin J2B 2-s&ec. — It -not -ambitiously placed. Alexis should ■not prove a -dear "horse at the 105gs which he realised .under the ""hummer -last week. -r^The colt %y Soichfcise— Forme*, a fuU- . "brother %> .Multiform, broke one of his legs - ■Ihe "other -day. and 'had. to be -destroyed. — Vladimir cost 'his present -'owners somewhere in "the neighbourhood of £550, and has 1 proved a 'very cheap- norse at the price. i — iEhe Cuirassow— Pomsettia igeldlng Ouiro- j - «ettia has "been leased Toy 7. .TJutfVdge, and lias -joined the latter' s stable at Wingaitui. 1 — The Castashore-JPoinfiettia .-gelding Cuiraecttia,, owned Mr S. J. IPrice, has been '- leased 'to a- patron of J. Ruttledge' s stable. —^Cavaiina was striding""along very strongly in. the esffly part ~o£ the Epsom Welter, but ; collsipsedT after .going about five furlongs. — "Tirole won both, 'Ms 'races at .Riccarton frith a good bit in hand, and his form went ' to show -that iis Timaru win was no fluke. ; — Exmoor, "-Savoury,, and Gold Crown have '. been -scratched 'for all engagements at -the Hawbe's Bay Jockey ,Club's^autumn meeting. • ; — Munjeei -was allotted 10.7 in the Autumn Hurssry, five furlongs, and -was asked to : concede 71b to Glenowlet, who- finished fourth. ■ '. — 'Tarfcan. the winner of the Sydney Cup, is ' 1 a half-brother^, by Lc-ehiel, to the. weU-known '. performers- Australian - Star and Australian j Colours. . I 1 ■ — The. -Gipsy Grand-^Marlin mare Gipsy i 1 liynn. fell" in .a. race* on ihe -second day of -1 -the Rivjerton meeting-, - and had to be destroyed. . 1 — ;It,ds stated that, the crack highrjumper .A>' 3?oux3, who :6ft' llin at the- vMaitlaaid 1 chow, was-sold "on .Bogamildi- Station .as a foal J ? for 30s. .. ' • _ ! —^The fwo-yeai-old Sal Tasker won the < Juvenile Stakes for the last day of the K"ew . ] Zealand Metropolitan 'trots *!froni a flying ' start in 2.20. i — VJadimir and Convoy cannoned into each i other .at .the start of the Greait Autumn, and I the former was a trifle sore the -following day t as a -result of the bump. 3 — After Tupara won the Hurdle Race on i fhe second day of .the C.J.C. meeting his legguards had ;tc >be port in the scaie before his I xider .could draw -weight. . t — A'b-alf^brother by Grafton to Lord Caxdi- * £an~and Dividend was purchased by Mr Chirn- I eide, of Victoria, for 1750gs at the Randwick i Hood stock sales last week. i — ATrrum's stud fee in England has been further .reduced, and is now only 9gs. The 1 fact of -not -having proved himself a sure foal- t gefeter may be responsible. s — Vladimir was chased into the straight 1 "by a Machine Gun on Easter Monday, and a lie- did the wisest thing possible under the 1 circs. — that is, beat a. retreat. — The price paid for Seahorse by his Ameri- £ can .buyers was 2000g-s, at which figure, in the o light of his English form, the ex-2Tew Zea- t lander appears -to -be welL sold. c — AKbo-ugli R. Reay must hove had 1 a warnr j *rpo4 in -his heart for "gallant .old Templeton, he ? considered Welcome Jack -the- ~v*ry best horse tritH -which he was ever associated. li Sungod lias not made the improvement a one TTonld. -reasonably expect from his spring d form? and showed a- lack of brilliancy in 11 Ijoth. T™« latest -efforts at Riccarton. j ti — r Owing to Mr 'H. Bnnkman being unable o to attend the forthcoming North Otaga meeting the handicaps for the trotting everuts will I ha oomnfled by Mr H. J. Gourley, jun. "w —Itis a Jong straight that hasn't an occa- h gHonal winner in it, and the recent success of , a Ailsa was considerably overdue, but none the ' a less desirable or popular on that account. , d — Convoy was evidently a bit above him- '. -«lf when he went to race in the Great <J

' Autumn, and his peacocky behaviour lost . him. one or two admirers for his chance. — Congratulations to W. M'Donald, who b was married last week to Miss A. Low, of ' Riccarton. !Long life and happiness together, . with a ton of luck to the young couple. 1 — Ailsa did not look well to the eye when T going out for her recent races at Riccarton 5 owing to being troubled with a skin disease [ which has affected a number of horses lately. j — The Y.R.C. Committee proposes at an early daite to invite representatives of country racing clubs to meet in conference and discuss the subject of the curtailment of country rac- ' ing. — The Guard figures amongst the w>mina- ? tiona ior the principal events to be decided } at the Auckland National meeting, and also 3 has been entered m tho Wanganui Steeple- ' chase. ' — The totalisator returns for the C.J.C. autumn meetings held during the past few - years read:— l9oo, £15,189; 1901, £18,212; i«O2, £18,207; 1903, £22,519; 1904, £23,671 15s; 1905, £19,784. — Owners are given a final reminder that nominations close on Thursday, 4, for ' all events, except the Hack Scurry, to be decided at the North Otago Jockey Club's ■ . winter, meeting, j — Mr 'Stead timed the various stages of the [_ Great Autumn a« follows: — Two furlongs, 26fsec ; four furlongs, 52sec ; .six furlongs, lmin l lessee; eight furlongs, lmin 44sec; 12 furlongs, 2min 365-ec. 1 — The Hon. George M'Lean's stallion Lord Rosslyn had ,a winning representative at Auck- - land last week, where a three-year-old gelding named Waitati beat 15 others in -the A.jx*C. k Criterion Handicap. — "Vladimir put up % good performance in 1 * the Autumn, as he was last off the mark owing to cannoning with Convoy, and his actual time must have been a trifle faster i than the -official 2.36. l ! — Hed Slack, who won a couple of races at j thiO .Bearamont meeting, is a half-brother by 1 ' the Maxim horse Black and lied to the one- ' time well-known performer Jupiter, who was a •good winner in liis day. ij — In Fiance -the stud services of at least 1 j one of Flying Pox's progeny is obtainable at j a low figure. 'The four-year-old French Fox, 1 who showed ex-oellent .form as a two-year-old, 1 is doing duty at a ice of 20gs. j — Gladsome's three-year-old brother <3iad- . atone showed .good form at the A.R/C. meeting, and registered a good performance in comfort-a-bly annexny* the Autumn Handicap (one mile and a-half) in 2min 36 3-ssec. — The -trotting horse Engineer got away from iis trainer «ftear doing exercise at Tahuna Park ■or. Thursday, and broke his neck. This is bad luck for 'the .owner, who -refused £100 for the Electioneer gelding two days ago. — A number of metaflicians got a -severe blow to thedr .banking -accounts by Sardonx'» win at Wairarapa. 'The Saracen horse was popularly supposed to be a rod in pickle, and reward«d those^in the know -with a. .£l2 5s dividend. — It is stated that the West Australian paper which decided to exclude all horse-Tucing news 'from -its columns has suffered a considerable - decrease . in its circulation, and the management has gone in "for ■geiieral Tetrenchment. — The Tttuch-ialked-about Maniopoto is ie.port'ed. to .have Ihe Napier touts in a, couple of .sprints 'he_ was treated to on Saturday, and Jhis- .beautiful action and de--terminect style of moving won him heaps of admirers: * — "Canteen -has- lost many friends since he won'^fehe .Ifew 'Zealand Cup, and jiow he has been robbed of Ms Australasian record "by Tart&n, who «ut out -fibe Sydney Cup journey in 3min.27sec, and knocked a fraction off the grey's time. — The A.R.C. has declined to endorse "the disqualification of J. ; M'Cluskey, imposed by the Avonda-le Jockey -Grub, until further inquiries liave been made into the matter. Consequently -M'Cluskey was allowed to ride at the A.R.C. meeting. — Messrs .Barnett and Grant have erected new offices in Christchurch, and are .now • in the happy position of being able to collect rent from themselves, together with that from other tenants occupying suites of offices in the -same -"building. — Machine Gun -will probahly be taken to Australia, • where his dam Rubina hailed from, and where his half-sister Florrie and half"brother Launceston carried silk when taken across by "Mr D. O'Brien. Rubina, by the way, died in 1901. — The High Jump at the Sydney show, h&ld last week, was won by 'Mr Moloney's 13hds pony Playmate, who cleared 6ft 4in, beating -horses which have won prizes m all parts of Australia. This reads -a marvellous perform- • iiaioe for such a liliputian. — The Melbourne Cup winner, Clean Sweep, ran in a ,550 Maiden Hurdle Race »t Cheltenham (Eng.) last month, and finished a long ■ last in a field of 10. He had a tiura at the ' stud, bust his return to the turf suggests that 1' his are not in demand. — After seeing Petrovna- untier big weights rr.aking -great haste aver the early part of some i of her races and 1 fading away at the business -end'Oi'the 'trip, it would perhaps 'be advisable to steady .her ji .bit at the outset, " and see if she could act better -at the finish. I — — An offer -of 300gs was recently refused fpr j the IN'OxEh Island hack Sir Geraint, who cost j 22gs at -tli* IPalniers'ton sales last year, aaid was subsequently resold for 30gs, because his owner had no room for him in a truck of horses which he Jiad purchased al the sale. | I — Dalny, the two-year-old sister to Orloff, j is evidently coming on, as she held her own in five-furlong gallops with Boomerang on Saturday at JMapier. It is said that Dalny was as smart as either Boomerang or King Billy in the early part of the season, but went amiss. —At the recent meeting of the Feilding Jockey Club the sum of .£29,767 was put through the totalisator during the two days, which is £2773 more than was handled at the A.R.C. meeting (three days), and no less than £9983 more than at the Canterbury J.C. meeting (two days). — Stepniak .received additional honours to his merit as a stallion during the past few days by tho wins of Vladimir, Kremlin, Rose Madder, and Munjeet, landing over 1300sovs in prize money. In addition, some of his stock won at some of the^ininor meetings held during the recent holidays. — A Dunedin s.p. merchant who dropped £600 over the hurdle raoes at Feilding has cut off the " No reply " permit in connection with the illegitimate ganic in the North Island, simply because it was a case of " pay, pay, pay" with suspicious regularity in connection with -these events. —Mr A. Moss was struck heavily over the hurdle events on the Feilding programme, and owing to the extremely remar kable luck displayed by some of his clients does not intend to operate so fully as heretofore on the illegitimate games as seen at some of our North Island meetings. ' — Norice put up a- go of 2.18 4-5 in the Fliers' Handicap, but was aisqualified along with Verax" for galloping. It appears both horses left -their feet in the last couple of strides, afld, according to. press reports, the i action of the club in distancing the winner ' did not meet with the approval of the public. — Gladsome's latest success, which was ac- j quired at Randwick^ is the twentj-third vie- . .

tory standing to the credit of the New Zealandbred mare, and her stake winnings now amount to £7702, a little more than half of which has been won in the colours of her present owner, Mr Sol Green. — Up-to-date (the cable informs us) did a fine performance in the A.J.C. Steeplechase, holding a good position all the way, and jumping faultlessly. He took charge after passing the half-mile post, and led Kaffir. Young Creswick, and Skywaid into the straight He then drew away, and won in a canter by two lengths. — Notwithstanding the Y.R.C had adopted the disqualification imposed by the Calcutta Turf Club, Mr Barney Allen put in an appear-

ance at Flemington on Saturday.

He was re-

quested to leave, but on declining to do was escorted to the gate by the club's detective. Allen has announced that he intends taking the matter to the law oourts.

— Machine Gun was allotted 11.5 in the

Templeton Handicap, and Vladimir came next on the list with 9.10, whilst the wefghtadjuster Allowed himself a range of no less than 68lb to bring his field together. With all his weight Machine Gun would have had

something to say in the race if his owner had elected to send him to the post. — The New Zealand Trotting Association has published the official list of horses registered in New Zealand from August 1, 1903, to July 31, 1904, and also alterations and additions to previous list' of horses registered from 1899 to 1903. This is a most important pieoe of work, and all clubs and owners should be in possession of the iists, which are published at 2s.

— Referring to the reappearance of Sloan early last month, the New York Journal says : " J. Todhunter Sloan is not only sincere in his efforts to regain his prestiges as a jockey, but he also retains much of the skill which made him the sdar rider of a few years ago." This eulogy was brought forth by the fact that S'loon had four mounts in one day, and landed two winners.

— King of Iron, eaid by the Northern Miner to be about 16 years old, won the Plying- and Corinda, Handicaps at the recent Corinda (Q.) laces. Says the Miner : "Mr W. Hartley, who ••was looking on, remarked Ihat Ring of Iron beat his horse Magistrate at Mount Success in 1895, just 10 yeara ago. The old chap looked ragged, buit Jacobs had him in great condition, and rode him with judgment."

— Since the C.J.C. Champagne Stakes was inaugurated in 1874 Mr Stead's name figures on the list of ■winners 14 times — a remarkably creditable record. His first win was in 1884, when Trenton was successful. Other Yaldhurst victors were Maxim, Medallion, Strowan, Blue Pare. "Mannlicher, Bombshell, Multiform, Altair, Screw Gun, Formosan, Cruciform, OrlofE, and now Munjeet.

— That this year's A.R.C. Easter Handicap was regarded as one of the most open races that has ever cqifie up for decision at Eller&lie was well exemplified by the prices offered Tsy the metallicians. When "the mile race (says an Auckland exchange) came to be attacked on the day odds of 8 to 1 were pretfy well everywhere obtainable, and at the close of opierations "that price was still being quoted, on the field.

— A private match over a 'mile was jrun off on the Tinwald racecourse last week between ■Mr J. Smith's Prohibition and Mr R. Burnett's Bouncing Bob, the former being ridden by Smith and the latter by li. G. King. Bouncing Bob went to the front after the first furlong and --won easily. The mile was covered in lnun SOsec. The match was for a wager of £20 aside. Mr T. E. Upton acted as starter and Mr M. Stitt as judge.

—As in many other 'towns in England, street betting is strongly suppressed in West Hartlepool, hut in that city the bookmakers have a cute way of circumventing .the authorities. Prom 1 o'clock until well on in the afternoon the " bookies " stand on the stretch of sand on the seashore, and on positions below highwater mark. As this is not a place within the meaning of the aot, the local authorities are quite powerless to interfere.

— Convey would have probably given^a better account of himself in the Autumn Handicap if he had had a race in, the Easter. He looked and acted as if h* was a bit above himself when he went out io race in tlie Autumn. After getting badly away he raced through. £he_ ruck as .the field turned into the back stretch, and five ■furlongs from homo he was up with the leaders, and appeared to "be pulling M'Comb out of the saddle, but he collapsed before Teaching the home tiurn.

— Savoury's displays under silk last week were disappointing. Jn the Easter he was in the ruck throughout, and finished second last. There was some excuse to be made for him in the fact that, according to Dams Rumour, the colt was specially trained for the Autumn, for which he finished fifth after never appearing to be dangerous at .any stage of the journey. Judged T)y last week's form, the crack flyer of the spring can now neither go fast nor stay.

— A yearling colt with which the writer was particularly struck -when paying a- visit to Mr G. &. Stead's Grasslwi stud in "Novemb-er last ■was a handsome upstanding chestnut by Multiform out of the imported Orvieto mare Stressa. Unfortunately fhe colt has injured himself across the back, and it is more than likely that he will have "to be shot. This is a piece of bad luck for his owner, who valued the youngster very highly, and is understood to 'have said that 2000gs would not have made him part with jthe colt.

—In a recent issue of the Racing Calendar the stewards of the English Jockey Club give .notice to owners, trainers, and jockeys that the following instructions have been given to starters : — The staarb is to be made from' a " stand," and jockeys (especially the seniors) wbo wilfully prevent their horses from standing still should invariably be reported. Unruly horses must suffer for their bad behaviour, and if they cause prolonged l delay they should either be started "at a gtand " behind the rest of the horses, or be " left."

—J. M'Comb was kept fairly busy at the C.J.C. meeting, and had 13 rides out of a possible 14. He rode 7:5 on the second day, and his record was : Three wins, two' seconds, and a third. One of the best races he rode •was when, on Crichton, he was defeated a bead by Derret-t on Royal Crown. M'Comb waited patiently on his mount, who is not the most courageous animal in the world', but when he made his final call the Lochiel colt did not respond or lengthen his stride an inch, despite a couple of rib crackers which -were given in -the last couple of strides.

— Messrs Baraett and Grant's, A. Moss's, and J. Loughlin's double books over the Easter and Autumn proved to be good volumes for those metaTlicians. One of those who picked the combination for half a century against Mr Loughlin was a gentleman from whom the latter had just purchased the house and stables formerly occupied by Mr S. Mercer at the Porbury. The vendor of the property asked the lnetallician what he fancied for the double, and by way of giving him a turn planked a sovereign on the selection which netted the sum mentioned above.

— Talking of women and their funny htfclo ways, I have just heard (says a Sydney write") of <a lively lady who endeavours to keep herself in pin money by picking winners — or, rather, picking horses that she thinks shoaid be winners. The result of this game came to light the other day, when she received a curt

note from her banker saying her account was overdrawn to the extent of £25. Being a good business woman, she at once drew out a cheque for £25, and sent it to the banker with many apologies for having overlooked the state of her account, and begging him to make all right by placing the enclosed chequo

to her credit l

— A meeting of the Taieri Amateur Turf Club was held on Thursday evening, Mr J. Imrie presiding. Accounts 111 connection with the club's recent meeting were passed for payment, the principal winning amounts paid over being- — Mr J. A. M'Lean, Mr G. Ruthven, £48: Mr J. R. Mackenzie, £40; Mt W. Allan, £30; Mr R. D. Petrie, £23; Mr T. Stewart, £23; and Mr J. Glen, £23. The Secretary submitted a rough balance sheet, which showed that the club had made a profit over the meeting. It was decided to prosecute two bookmakers, they having refused to leave the course on Easter Monday when requested to do so.

— The penalty condition attached to the Great Easter Handicap, there is good reason to believe, was the cause of Achilles being allowed to drop out of the race, although it is quite possible that Exmoor may have been good enough to win at the weights. The

latter was supposed to be galloping great guns, and was an eleventh-hour tip for the •race, but the gelding unfortunately injured one of his feet, and had to be struck out of the race. It is said that the Grafton gelding was showing better jjrivate form than Ghoorka over seven furlongs, and if that is so, the Porirua stable was unlucky in being deprived of his services.

— There died recently in America Robert W., on© of the world's great pacers, who, in 1896, put up a record of 2min ljsec. After that he gradually faded from public view, and -when getting into the sere and yellow was put up for public auction. A philanthropist named Nathan Strouss purchased him for -£200, with the definite object of turning him ont to grass for the remainder of his days. A contrast this to a Sydney trainer who sold, for a few pounds, the gelding which had won a mint of money for him; in fact, had laid the foundation of his fortune. If there is a horse section in Hades, this trainer, says a Sydney writer, should be destined to haul round the cart of some equine bottle-oh!

— New Zealand blood was in great prominence at the second day of the Australian Jockey 'Club's meeting, every race on tfie card falling to stock whose sires are closely identified with tho New Zealand Stud Book. Holette, ihe first winner of the day, was sired by Holbrook, a son >f Lochiel. The Itochiel colt Scot Free annexed the second race, and Charles Siiuart (Wallace— Sweet Alice) landed the Champagne Stakes-. "Next, two Jjochiels in Tartan and Tatterdemalion finished first and second in the Sydney Cup, and the other P'laoe was occupied by Cherson, a eon of the Trenton mare Nada. The New Zealander Up-tc-date won the Steeplechase, and the last winner of the day, Jargoon, is out of the Martini-Henri mare Jacinth.

— The American Year Book shows that , while 1904 was not a champion year, it still has a few to its credit. There was no advance in the world's record and the five and four-year-old championships. Directum 2.5J still holds "the latter from 1893. In the same year Fantasy won fhe three-year-old championship in 2.82. It still remains, and the 2.10| of Arion in 1891 is still unchallenged. Cresceus. shorn ol his record of 1.592, still retains the stallion championship with his record of 2.2 J. The championships to the credit of 1904 arc as follows: — Dan Patch cut the pacing record to 1.56; Angus Pointer, the pacing waggon race record to 2.4J; Charley Mac, to saddle, put the record at 2.14J ; while The Monk and Equity placed the trotting record for teams at 2.7|. — Exrnoor, who gave inglorious displays of form 1 over fences a little time ago, was to iave been the Pocirua horse for the Great Easter, but the Grafton gelding injured one of his feet on the morning of the race, and consequently the pen was put through his name. W. Brown, who was engaged to ride Ghoorka in the Easter, lost the ride in the race owing to Exmoor's -mishap setting Jenkins free. It was xumoured that Exmoor was much better 'than Ghoorka over the Easter distance, and if that is so his party were very unlucky, as on the Lochiel horse's form his stable companion could hardly have missed. It also goes to show that Exnicor was not the back number several were inclined to vote him, and no doubt many will take a resurrected interest in him in ihe future.

— Good-hearted people, with a desire to see jockeys and stable lads steer* clear of the quicksands that beset them, have many times made efforts to provide recreation for them in order to keep -them out of temptation's way, but the colonial jockey has proved hard, to lead is such a way, and it looks very much ac though he will have to be left to his own sweet will when off duty. A Sydney writer says : — A number of Randwick trainers and leading jockeys met recently in response to a request from Colonel Mackay with a view to discussing the advisability of establishing a local club for 3ockeys and sta"ble lads, but after a lengthy discussion the idea was abandoned, the general trend of opinion being that stable employees were not a class likely to take kindly to or support an innovation of this sort. „. — During recent years many men who have been identified with sport in Dunedin have realised that, from a sporting point of view, there are ma-ny more prosperous places in New Zealand than our fair city, and have turned their backs on the town which has been their homes for the beat, part of their lives. The latest to do this is Mr L. Ruttledge, wbo has been well and favourably known in Dunedin spc/rting circles for many years past. Mr Ruttledge has practically decided to settle in Wellington, where it is hoped that he will make as many friends as those he left behind in the south. In local coursing circles Mr Ruttledge will be greatly missed, as it was his great capabilities as a judge, coupled with absolute fairness, that helped to make the sport reach the high plane of popularity which it now enjoys here.

— A Continental writer says that many French bookmakers have registered their colours on the flat and over the hurdles in order to take advantage of a clause in the Gambling Act which distinguishes horseracing from gambling. This distinction has been admitted by the Coiu-ts of Appeal, which hold that owners may bet among themselves without incurrizig any of the pains and penalties of the Riottcau Bill, which introduced the Mutuals and made all other form of turf tpeculation illegal. Stewards at some of the meetings within the Paris district have hep.y compelled to tolerate the presence of the open market, and the question is how to conciliate the interests of owners with the abolition of all other kind of speculation as prescribed by the Riotteau Bill. -If this problem can be solved, no doubt the fielders will have a bad time, and a corresponding period of affluence will be granted to the small offices which bet at Mutual prices in almost every corner of Paris, notwithstanding the stimulant given to the police in the 4000sovs granted by the different racing societies for the purpose of checking clandestine betting. — Ernest Thompson, of Manitoba, has been making some investigations on the speed of animals (says the Sportsmen's Review), that

7 h© reports to a contemporary, and arrives ati some unexpected results. "One of them is that animals generally are not as speedy as believed, but are very quick in getting up full speed. Their 'muzzle velocity' is indeed a matter of life and death, for most predaceous creatures, especially the cats, give up the chase at once if they fail on the first dash. The method wap by observations on railroad trains and motor cars, the speed of which could be known and used for comparison. It 1 was found, for example, that the best speed of a horse was al the rate of 35 miles an hour, but the example chosen was an exceptional one, and 111 the table printed a rate of 32 miles an hour wars chosen a& being within the 1 capabilities of many horses. The best speed • of a niani is 100 yds in 9 3-ssec, a rate of a little over 21 miles an hour. For one mile a man has run at a rale of 4inin 12|sec for the mile, a rate of 14 miles aoi hour. The following is the best .speeds per hour: — Firstclass greyhound, 34 miles ; racehorse, 32 ; prong-horned antelope, 30 ; Texan jack rabbit, 28 ; common fox, 26 ; northern coyote, 24 ; foxhound, 22; American grey wolf, 20." I — News item : Four Dunedin-ov/ned and j trained horses won on the second day of the C.J.C. Easter meeting. — A SGng of Braggery. — We don't -want to brag, but by Jingo if we do (1) We've got the prads (2). we've got the jocks, We've got the trainers (3) too. We backed 'em on the first da.v, and fo 1A - 1 trifle blue (4). j We missed on tht; t ~wu_u >.tcty in the way that punters (5) do ; We've licked them there before, and they'll lick us there again ; And — and — and — we don't find a poet at the end of every pen (6>. (1) Similar lines arc used by several otheT poets, but must not be conforinded with the lings frequently quoted by Mr John BuH, a worldfamous English gentleman, well known in diplomatic, military, and sporting circles. (2) " Jock " is a contraction of ftie word jockey, a> name applied to diminutive specimens of thehuman raoe, who, on festival occasions, garb themselves in fantastic aocTay and hurry (more or less) or tarry on horseback when riding between any two given points, according to it structions. Much money frequently dependeth on how a jock jockeys the animal an. which he jocks. (3) Trainer (L- : Trainor, trainorius, trainoribus. Anglice: There are ■trainers, trainers, and trainers.) The " gum " •behind the horss who does the work, and places imaginary labels on ye racehorse's saddlecloth, such as " Urgent," " "Nob wanted: on the voyage," and seen only by the cognoscenti, as it were (4) A sensation experienced! after one has squandered .coin of the realm. Restoratives can be purchased on roost racecourses at 6d per glass. (5) Punters: A name applied ~fcc deluded individuals who labour under tho -hallucination t-hat gold can be garnered by attempting to foretell the results of horse races. Poetic license is claimed for " again " and " pen." (6) This beautiful passage was conceived only after the author hsr l doped himself liberally and ' suffered muohij from brain fag.