IN A NUTSHELL

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 56

IN A NUTSHELL

_ Acceptances for the D.J.C. spring meeting are due on Friday. — Entries 'for the Gore spring meeting fall due on. October 9. — Mahutonga continues to do pleasing work on the tracks at Hastings. — Vladimir is working away on the tracks without showing 'any signs of soreness. — Asteroid, who won the Wanganui Handicap last week, is a half sister to Sirius. Maniapoto's correct starting price for the Metropolitan is returned as being 16 to 1. — The placed horses in the Shorts Handicap at Geraldine are all trained in tha sn/re stable. — Fifteen nero members have been added to tho membership roll of tho Tafouna Park Trotting Club. — Complimentary tickets for the D.J.C. spring -meeting are to hand! and acknowledged with thank's.

—Mr G. G. Stead, New «Zaland's premier sportsman, lays down the axiom, "Good stakes breed good horses." —At the recent Sydney meeting tho .starter was fined £5 for being late ati the post to start the Wycombe Stabes. — The Melbourne bookmaker E. Kelly has 23 horses in work, and personally superintends their' track operations. — Owners are reminded that nominations close to-day (Wednesday, October 4) for the North Otago J.C. meeting. — Nominations close on October 19 for the Winton annual meeting, at which the club gives away £690 in stakes. Melodeon appears/ to have run a good race in tho Wanganui Handicap last week, after being badly left at the post. — Haydn has returned to Auckland, and it is reported that Up to Date will also be shipped back to this colony. —As a result of his Randwick form Charles Stuart is now quoted at outside prices for the' Melbourne Cup. — The Soult mare Elspeth, who is a half sister to Maniapoto's dam, has been showing good winning form in. Queensland, —At the Nottingham meeting on August 15 Fusilier, a son of Carbine, won the Rufford Abbey Plate, beating a field of five. Word has been received that about 170 horses of the large shipment from New South Wales to Japan succumbed to tropical heat. — A Melbourne cable states that Maniapoto, •who has been suffering from a cold, is now recovering, and worked freely at Flemington — According to the Sydney Referee, the Multiform filly Isolt ia much above anything of her sex seen at Randwick for a long time.

— The Napier Club has decided that for the future all fractions of dividends over sixpence will be handed over to the local hospital. — Old "Waiwera, who made a bold bid for a win in the last National, proved he is aot

altogether a back number by registering a win at Wanganui.

— The Taieri Cup is to be worth 55sovs this year, and th e Flying Handicap has 35sovs tacked on to it. Nominations close on October 24.

Mr J. A. Sligo has been appointed one of the slcwaids of the Tahuna Park Trotting Club, in the place of Mr M'Kechnio, who 10cently resigned 1 . — Bornbastes is sadd to have cost his present owner £175, and on recent form tho money is well worth the horse, who, by the way, is legardetJ as a quitter. — Nightfall is quoted at s's to 1 for the New Zealand Cup, and there is an impression abroad that she will be tho Yaldhurst representative in the race.

— Tho Multiform filly Petticoat, wh:> wjis sold privately from the Yaldhurst stable for 250gs, is reported to have, won both her races last week in fine style.

The American owners Messrs J. R. Keene and H. R. Duryea have nominated six a.ud five yoirngsters respectively for the English Derby of 1907. Antigone was made favourite for the. Belfield Handicap, seven furlongs, at Ashburton, but" she was never dangerous, and failed to gain a place at the finish. — Tho Grand National Hurdles winner York, it transpires, has been purchased by Messrs Clark and Robinson, owners of the Melbourne Cup winner Ihe Victory. — The Tahuiv-i Park Trotting Club's programimo for the forthcoming spring meeting shows an increase of 12020vs prize money over the amount given away last year. —It is reported from Napier that the Stepniak— Madder filly Munjista. is showing promising work on the track. She is- a sister to Madrigal, Rose Madder, and Rubia. . —Mr H. Piper acted as starter at Geraldine last week, and his despatches, which were effected with a machine of his own invention, were up to his usual high standard. — The Multiform gelding Highland Fling, who was among' Si- the starters a* Gera-ldmq a.pperar.9 to he. com&ug on a bit, but is also incline-i to- be fractious "hen- going out for the brother to Kelburn, ran prominently during the early stages of both his races at Geraldine last week, and if he should town on he should win when, the cormpaiiy is not too strong. — Olanburn ran a good race in the Oeraliiae Cup. but did not act so well over the snorter journey attached to the Spring Handicap. The Clanranald gelding da a great finisher, but ho is generally finishing well when the finish is finished. — The nominations received for the Auckland Cup total 31, as against 41 received last year. Mr G. G. Stead's nominations for the Cup and the principal events to be decided at the A.R.C. summer meeting came to hand too late. — King's Guest carried 9.8 and won the Squatters' Handicap on the first day of the Geraldine meeting/ bu with 10.5 up he aid not appear to get going properly in the Sheets Handicap, for which he was made a o'rong favourite.

—Mr G. G. Stead has two nominations in the next A.J.C. Derby in Seal Rock (San Francisco— Miss Gladys) and Huascar (Hotchkiss—St. Elyn). The first-named' is a half brother to Gladsome, and St. Elyn is a sister to Hermosa.

— Mahutonga is the ruling favourite in Afckland for -the New Zealand Cup, a-nd 13 returned at Gto 1. N-ootuaform is quoted a-l 7's and Nightfall at B's. This reads somewhat strange, as the filly ia favourite in the scuth, and is quotecJ at 5 to 1. -y-In winning the Imberhorne Handicap at Lingfield Park (Eng.) last month, Bonanza ran seven furlongs on a straight track in lmin 22 4-ssec, which equals the world's record for that distance, put up by Child's Guide at Epsom in May, 1903. — The Messrs James Bros., who wn'&ed ihe totalisator at the Gerald&ne meeting, \ion the praise of their patrons by the smart manasr in which they handled the investments; whilst the dividends were frequently posted lefore the horses returned to the paddock.

— T!be handicap for tho first day of ths Gei-aldine meeting were compiled by Mr Chadwick, and the adjustments for the second day were put together by Mr J. E. Henrys. On both days some fine racing was witn-333ed, aud close finishes were of common occurrence.

— Veneer and Ability are two of the longest striding horses the writer has -seen about lately, and if they could be muscled up n.ore and macie to stride quicker without loss of length in the stroke they would oe rr.ore> entitled to rank as New Zealand Cup horsci.

— Regiment was taken up to Geraldine for the four-furlong race at the second day of the meeting, but he gave an indifferent display of form. He drew one of the outsits positions ■ax the barrier, was slow off the mark, and ran wide untSl the home turn, where he was hopelessly out of a chance of victory. — A good-looking sort of a colt named Balsam was amongst- the starters at Gerakline^ He is a whole t chestnut, and -was got by xSenzem out of Ilnwald Beau/ty, tho daughter of Perkin Warbeck II amd the Medallion — Siesta rrraro Beauty Sk-ep, so tha>t on the &coie of breeding Jid should do something to pay hia way.

— Black Diamond is a horse which, prior to the Geraldine meeting, the writer did not entertain a great deal of respect for, but with Hewitt in the saddle the son of Reflector galloped with plenty of vim, and won like a tradesman. A continuation of that form should result in making him a winner again before long.

—J. M'Giirre, who was severely injured whilst riding last season, was in the saridle in several races at the Aiihburton and Gera.ldine meetings. His fall evidently las not cc&t him his nerve, asi at both places M'Guirei was in the thick of the fray when on the back of anything capable of footing it with the opposition.

— 'The horsemanship of F. Thomson at Geraldine is well deserving of a word of praise, particularly for his effort oa Makaroff the second time the Arline colt scored. In that race- Thomson handled his mount wiUi the patience of a veteran, and his final call on the horse was well timed, and judiciously made with hands and heels.

— The bookmafceirei who were pi-esent at Gwraldine appealed ta be beOtiag fairly liberal pikes, and a case ia point may bo cited in the Ladies' Bracelet, when $ to 4 waa on offer i.ip to the risei of the barrier in a field of three. No. 9, who proved the winner, and was the outsider of the trioi c_n tho machine, made a clividen-T af £3 4s.

— The National winner York was to be shipped from Melbourne by the R.M.S. Orrnuz on September 26, and will theai be under the charge of A. Fergtison, who is taking J. Mason to England with him. Probably York will be landed at Naples, and proceed by train to France, where he will most likely spent! part of the coming winter before going on to England.

—At the recent meeting at Randwick-- the stewards suspended J. Rogers and A. E. Cornwell, the respective riders of Buddah and Bon Bon in the Suburban Handicap, for a month each. The stewards were of opinion that the riders named chopped across the .field froift tne. gutsi^e. too goog afiej tfee

stnrt, and thereby might have brought about an accident. — According to "Milroy," the Victorian trainer, James Scobie, is of opinion that nothing in reason would be beyond Emir's power if the horse were blessed with an even temper. He declares Emir is the best horse that he has ever trained, and his opinion is that the son of Wallace is, when in his best humour, as good as was his famous grandsire (CaTbine). — The Auckland trainer G. Wright purchased several horses at the 1 Randwick sales, and they have since been safely landed at their owner's place. The new arrivals consist of eh g, 2yrs, by Beauchamp (imp.) — Grace, by Cynthius, 45gs; Ironmould, 6yrs, by Metal (imp.)— Hopabout, by Gozo, 85gs; br g, 4yrs, by Metal (imp.)— Adelia, by Gozo, 95gs; and br g, 4jts, by Far Niente (imp.) — Stewardess, by Gozo, 60gp. — In order to advertise their new track the , Tahuna PaTk Trotting Club are giving away a purse of 20sovs for a horse that can go to the best mark ivnder 2min 23seo in a race or trial at their spaing meeting. In addition tho rider or driver will receive! a gold medal valued at s:»vs. The record for the old ttack was a.boxi-t 2rain 2»«ec, and the formation of tho new course should permit of that mark being improved upon. — Calibre showed a "reversal" of his Ashburton for whtn running at Geraldine last week. At Ashburton he ran badly the iirat day, and won nicely the second day; whilst at Geraldine he reversed by winning on the first acid running' like ft cur on the second day. Tho son of LdgLt Artillery has evidently % will of his own, or else the track and weigLt conditions must suit him before ho will ii:splay his best galloping powers'. — In alluding to Benzoin and Obligado last week the writer mentioned that these were the only horses which, Mr Stead has ever imported from England, but memory was not in good order, and the importations of Apremont and Cadogan were overlooked, whilst Mr P. Campbell was a part owner of Obligado when the son of Orville was brought out to this colony. The importation of Splendour was also, if the writer's memory is not again failing here, duo to Mr Stead, but the books are not handy by which that could 'be verified. — Writing in reference to the fast times put up at the recent Randwick meeting, a writer in an exchange states that it is a pity the A.J.C. Commitee will not go in for aa electric clock, and so ensure reliable times for its races. There ia always the chance of a mistake under the present system. The man with the watch may make it, or the man who lowers ihe white flag from which the timekeeper starts his watches. The barrier is behind the post at Randwick, and the horses are on the move when_tho timekeeper sets his watch going. — After landing from- Sydney, L. H. Hewitt did not dally long before he found his way to a racecourse. He reached Christchurch shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday last, and, catching the second express to the south, he appeared on the Geraldine track when about half the first day's programme was over. The last race furnished him with a winning ride on Black Diamond, and with the same mount he captured the first race on the second day's card, and immediately afterwards left for Christchurch. In fact, it was a case of here again, won again, off again before many patrons of tha meeting realised he was on the ground. — Horses ai one time took their age from the Ist of May— that is to say, no matter what timio of the year a. horse Tsras foaled he waa considered to be a year old on May I,— ~and this arrangement was regarded as entirely satisfactory until the spring of 1831. About the middle of April in the year mentioned a two-year-old race was won by a colt named Spaniel, who the following month figured as winner of the blue riband. Of course, the incident cp.used a great deal of comment, but nothing was done at the time to alter the •undesirable state of affairs. Eventually, however, the Jockey Club decided that an alteration was necessary, and from. 1833 a horse's age dated from the Ist of January. —In re.f erring to high jumps in the hun*ing field, tha Sporting Times say 9 that perhaps Trunk Bartlatt, huntsman to Lord Fitzwilliam, has the credit of making one of tha biggest jumps that have been measured. It was on the Derbyshire side of the country, at Nastine, near Chesterfield, and he was ridiug Whimbrel, a thoroughbred mare standing 15hds lin. Lord Fitzwilliam's hunters weie all trained in Ireland, so when a big Iri^h bank with a stiff laid hedge on the top of it presented itself, B-artlett went at it without hesitation, though it was out of plough. But the mare, instead of jumping on to the bank flew the lot, and though she pecked bad'y on 'landing, she did not fall. The height of the fejice was 7ft 4in, and the farmer realised a nice little sum in charging a small fee to 1 people who went to see it. —In my opinion (says "Martindale") the best of the Yaldhurst team is the filly Isolt ', who, in the Members' Handicap, gave no end i of weight away to everything of her age, and j beat them in most hollow fashion. Pea-haps j Noctuifoxm may be her master over a dis- , t?/nce, but up to a mile I should say she is , quite his equal. It is said that Nightfal l did not get a very clear passage in, the race for the Spring Stakes. Perhaps so, but, in. the humour, I think that Emir would always beaJ not only the New Zealand filly, but anything in the Stakes. The Wallace horse never galloped at all in the Randwick Plate, and, whit is more, he greatly interfered with Marvel Loch, not that I think the latter had any chance of beating Nightfall. Marvel Loch is a very good mare, but not up to the Multiform mare. To win eight races, as R. Mason did at this meeting, is a great performance - one that any trainer can be well proud of. — Since the mighty wrath and indignation cf CaToline Duchess of Montrose when the footman who was charged to post the letter containing the nominations from the stud of the Duchess for nearly ail tho big stakes put it in his pocket and forgot all about it (saya the Sporting Times) there has been no such fiasco as that which has attended the Duke of Westminster m connection with the entries for the Derby and Oaks, which recently closed. Through an informa-lity these are all void, and the wor^c of it is that one is for a brother to Flying Fox, who is stated to be a grand colt. The Duke has the good fortune to be a young man, and with, as we hope, many years before him. When the late Lord Glasgow was condoled with by an indiscreet indi--.icluarl on his bad luck, the old lord growled in reply, "You silly , how can a, man with £60,000 a year be unlucky?" Remembering this, we will not venture to condole with the Duker of Westminster, but it must be exasperating y,ll ihe same. — In a discussion which took place last week as to whether merest in racing was declining mere than one present stated that they would give a. pounrT any day to see again snc.h, a race as that which took place in the principal handicap c-n the second day of the Ashburton. m'ceting. It will be remembered that in. a note in reference to the meeting it was remarked that not nioro than a second ' elapsed between^ the second and iaet horses (in a field of nine) passing the post. The totalisator figures read: 65J Veneer, 60 Beau Se-a,ton, 48| Ability, ' 4S Somaroff, 46 General „ Symonss, 43 i Golden Knight and Calibre, 38 Clarsburn, 18A Bagpipes, and 10 Secret Society. 1 3&9 fi-'.'lJleS'S! Yl&f, bettiDg 4t<il the field; UB

to the rise o>f the barrier, and whether it wag tha 'hardicapper, starter, or jockeys who made their efforts so that all ttie field) paseed Iho post in a bunch is a question that the writer! loaves open, but that it was a pa-rtieulady fin 3 race to view admits of no questioning.

Makaroff, the Stepniak — Axlino coif, who made top price of 340gs at the Elderslie> yearling sales of 1903, lost his maiden status after many unsuccessful attempts by landing a double at Geraldine last week. MakaroiE was a colt of whom good track reports reached the writer last season, but although he started 10 times the best the son of Arline could da, was to get third to Glenowlet in the D.J.C. Champagne Stakeß. He has shown pace, buti is somewhat erratic and unreliable in hia races. However, now that he ha* tasted the fruits of victory he may redeem his character. His wins last week appeared to fee due .-a no small measure to the capable handling of F. Thomson, who rode a couple of good races on the colt. In hi 3 first win Thomson appeared to steal a march on R. King, who rode Tessera, by getting up on the inside: and in hia second race the colt was careful ly t handled, and scored as the result of a welltimed call on tho part of his rider. In, neither race could the colt be charged with! any great gameness or dash, and Thomson rode with head and heels, and did not take the liberty of using his whip or in any way jeopardise his chance of succeEß by making too vigorous a call on his mount.

— Melbourne backers received rather a- shock last week when Gladsome was pulled out of the Caulfield Cup. The big chestnut mare had been coupled with everything in doubles long before the weights came out, and even people who bit their fingers over her in trie same event last year felt inclined! to give Gladsome another chance in the big Cftulfield race. They arguetß (says a writer in an exchange) that) increased age would bring with it additional stamina and a.ll that kind of thin?, but if Gladsome lives till she's a hundred she'll always be better at a mile and a-quartei! than a mile and a-half, or I'm very much mistaken. People who argue that the horse capable of staying a. mile can stay any distance have an interesting study in Gladsome. All of her best deeds in Australia have been donef at a mile and a-quarter. The Caulfield Cup last year was a cake-walk for her up to that distance, and then anyone bar a wooden-leggecl mam could have run her home himself. Although scratched for the V.A.T.C. event, Gladsome' s name still figures in the Melbourne Cup. — A writer in the London Sporting Times says that he knows of only one bookmaker in England who left as much as £100,000 behind him, and that man combined bookmaking with money-lending. The scribe continues as follows: — "Betting is now so close that if the bookmaker is not * very shrewd man the backer will beat him. In our youn? days such a thing as a man making a good living by backing horses was never dreamt of. The first professional backer we ever knew was Mr Charley Rayner. who was at one time light-weight jockey to the Duke of Bedford. For years he had the game to himself, £1000 won on Lord Stamford's "Walloon when that horso carried off the Champagne Staka3 at Doncaster being his start. At one time he waa worth from £20,000 to £30,000-. All at once he seemed to go out, and no one lsnew in what way the money went. Probably it was through reversing the process and laying against something that he did not fancy, os thought was ' safe.' It was doing this over Muscovite that .knocked 'Lifeboat' Shelley cut. The professional backers are now reported to be "richer than the bookmakers. We do not see bookmakers nowadays winning Derbys and St. Legecs, but it was common enough in the old time.'\ — The Raoidwick Plate"' was voted the best of good things for Emir, in whose interests F. J. A. remained in to ensure a sound paca from the jump, while the New Zea.la.nd mare Nightfall was regarded as the most likely to put down the Victorian hoTse, and she was backed acording-ly. F. J. A. set a rattling pace for half the journey, when he began {o tire, and as he beat a hasty retreat Hewitt sent the New Zealander to the front, and in the next iurlong openecT up a gap of three lengths from the favourite, who was racing ungenerously. The farther they went Nightfall's advantage increased in a- like ratio, and without being extended in the last five furlongs she came home 20 lengths clear from Marvel Loch, who passed Emir at the distance, and beat him badly out of second honours. "What Nightfall might have dons had she been asked to gallop towards the enil of the trip (says "Galtee More") must be left? to imagination. As it wr.s, she acounted foe the journey in the record time for the distance, registered by Lord Ullin's Daughter n the last Australian Cuv>. The times for the) different stages are- — First half-mile, 53Jsec; seven furlongs, lmin 291 sec; mile, lmia 42sec ; nine furlongs, 2min s&ec : last two miles, 3min 201 sec: last mile and a-quarter, 2mini 15£aec; and last mile, lmiu 52|see; of the whole journey in 3niin 571 sec.

— A correspondent wishes to know if, outside hunters' and jumpers' flat races, the 13.10 awarded Machine Gun at Sydney is a record! weight, and inquires if there was not a hoisa that won in Tasmania under a, similar ininost. It would be a big order to take on to» find out if the New Zeal&nder's weight hacl been exceeded in Australasia, but (says "Tant o" Shanter" in the Tasmanian Mail) probably it stands among the biggest burdens allottecE a horse in metropolitan company. The hera of the thumping amount of ballast in this State was Swiveller, who, carrying the late Mr W. Martin, won the Ladies' Cup, one mile and a-hnlf. at Launceston with 13.12 in ths saddle. This happened -upwards of 26 yeara ago. Other gentlemen, iocks having mounts ill the race were Messrs P. Glenister, A. Parkers C. "White, T. Taylor. W. Gatenby, and 9: Waldock. some of whom have crossed the "Great Beyond." It should be added that the event in question was a. 10.0 minimum, nine on the third day of the T.T.C. summer meeting. On each of the previous days Swiveller; won the Launceston Gold Cup and Taniar: Hs.ndicap, ridden by his trainer, the present? Walter Hickenbotham. An hour or so afteU annexing the welter race the son of Snowclen; was saddled up for the T.T.C. Handicap butf lost the event half a neck to Lord Harry/ the late T. Hales up, Swiveller being unabl* <o concede the 311b to the late Mr M&rtirtf liougMin's gelding, who had run second to the Launceston Cup winner. Nightmare, from' whom Noctuiform descends, was a winner; at the meeting. — Tessera was made favourite for both her races at Geraldine, and as she ram fairly well each, time it was bad luck to get beaters by Makaroff, who for the first time was dis-. covered in a galloping humour 1 . In her firsti race the Clanranald filly looked all over sf winner a couple of furlongs from home, aS[ when she was shaken up by R. King aha immediately shot out and led into the straight^ \mt appeared io be getting eased \vp wheo} Makaroff got up on the rails. King appeared! to be caught napping, as before he made- a' hasty-looking call on his mount in a. manner! which suggested surprise his opponent waa' about three-parts of a length in front. €g. The) filly answered gamely enough, and although) she gained ground again was a head away, when the post- was reached. In her second' race Tessera was brought along from tha rise of the barrier, and did. not have ft_greaj

deal of fight in her when Makaroff challenged at the finish. It struck the writer when watching the latter race that better results as far as Tessera was concerned might have l>een obtained if she had been ridden a waiting race, and her known turn of speed would possibly have been -more successfully used in that event. The only one she had to be frightened of, according to the "book, was Ma.ka.Toff, and if she had waited on him, instead of making the pace, and made it as strong a finish as possible, Makaxoff mignt possibly have curled up, as it looked odds on that he would have stopped (according to precedent) "in both his races if he were severely pinched. This Tessera would have been capable of doing if she had been ridden in a manner calculated to leave a good finisn in her. However, this is the "after' game, and "ifs" and "anas" cannot make horses win races if they are not able, but reflections are sometimes" larmless and interesting.