IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2761, 13 February 1907, Page 54

IN A NUTSHELL.

— The Duuedm Cup is to be decided on Wednesday next

— ■ Xommations for the W<>ima+e meeting are due on February 25.

— Irish and Aka Aka are amongst the latest to join the active brigade in Auckland.

— Acceptances are due on Friday next for ihe first day of the Diuiedin Cup meeting.

— ■ Xommations for the Southland Racing Club's meeting are due on the Ist of next month

— Acceptances for the first day of the Tahunn Park meeting must be declared on the 13*h inst.

—It is estimated that £8.500,000 yearly changes hands in bets on horse races in the United Kingdom. — The two Cross Batteries is a combination likely to receive good support for the Easter and Autumn Handicaps-

— Idasa ran very badly in the Post Handicap on Saturday, and tailed off from the field from the outset of the race. — Monoform, the^disap-pointing brother to Multiform, is agairJHn work at Auckland, after putting in a season at the stud.

— The Gore Trotting Club hold their annual meetmg on Wednesday of this week, and should experience a successful gathering.

— Chryseis, the winner of the Midsummer and St Albans Handicap, is a half-sister to Goldleaf, who won the Great Autumn, of 1698.

— The fact that the Tuapeka meeting clashes with tbe Gore Trotting meeting will not tend to enhance the financial returns of either gathering. — The New Zealand Tattersall's Club is meeting with such poor support of late that th& committee is considering the advisability of winding up the concern — The- Australian Jockey Club has put it on record that the inclusion of pony events on the programme of any registered meeting will be strongly objected to

— Private watches" made Glenculloch'B time in tha Middle Park Plate faster than the official record, end some expert wa-tcn-hclders made the colt go 1.14 for the journey.

— The form displayed by -3501 us in the Post Handicap on Saturday, when he carried 9 7 over a mile in lroin 42 2-s sec, suggests that he is not far below the best eeen out At tha meeting. — For the services of the American jockey Shaw a German owner, Mr Weinburg, is this year paying £3000 and all expenses. Last season Mr Weinburg won 53 races, and £36,870 in stakes.

— Complimentary tickets for the Dun-edin Jockey Club's Cup meeting, th« Tahuna. Park Trotting Club's meeting, and the Gore Trotting Club's meeting are to hand, and acknowledged with thanks. — The Central Otago Trotting Cub holdg its fourth annual meeting on Friday, March 15. Tb& principal events are to be the Goldfields Cup, of 40sova, and. the Middle-class Handicap, of 30sovs.

— Submarine ran a fairly good za.ce in the St. Albans Handicap, but he had to go under (no jest intended) »H the same, and at tho finish was piloted post the post by Ckryseis and Stronghold.

— During the currency of the midsummer meeting, Mr J. B. Reid sold Sea King to "Mr J. Case," at a. figure which is understood to have been in the neighbourhood of £800, and purchased Watershoot at £300.

— The writer was present at the C.J.C. midsummer meeting last week, and on all sides there could be gleaned evidence that northern owners are likely to be found liberally patronising our Cup meeting. — Tho Stepniak— lllusion colt De Witte won the Hornby Welter in good style hwt week, and his performance of carrying 9 5 over seven furlongs in a tick over Irnin 30sec leads fairly good for a three-year-old. — There were inquiries for Cross Battery and Sea King for the Dunedin Cup and Publicans' last v.eek, whilst tho same horses are " fancie-J for the big handicaps to be decided at Riccartou in the autumn.

— The Medallion colt Rose Xoble continues to furnish into the makings of a, fine horse, but he ran badly in both his recent races at Riccarton. He showed a. bit of pace, but tired badly at the business end of Jus journeys.

— The l.ders of Buccleuch and Gclden Cairn fit the Craven Plate made a suicidal hurry to get over the journey, and both horses stopped badly at the finish The more haste the less specd — at the finish.

— The Pa-llas colt All Guns favours his sire greatly in appearance, and fills the eye as a youngster who should be found making a good winning score L JS * week, however, he was see, and consequently not seen vit his beat

-Tho Sant llano filly Jlauta promises to be a useful sort, and should be found -winning again before the year is jut She is a compactly built chestnut standing close to the ground, and ewdently Ini3 the gift of going fast

- Buccleuch has improved greatly in appciraru c <-mrc the early spring, and some of. thc&e who- sa.v .he =on of Benzoin race at Ashburton in the early pa rt of the season would haro'y rcogmte luru in his present condition

— The Sydney Referee selects I<stria. Charleft Stuart. Lachlau Red Streak, and Xorth Head aa hkeiy winners of the Xewmarket Handicap; and Aatomous. Poseidon, May King, and Realm as likely to prove formidable in the Australian. Cup

— The Irish-bred steeplechaser Old Fairyhoase (by Hackler from Circe), changed hands at the Xewbury Steeplechase meeting on 18th December for 3000 guineas. Old Fairyhous* was purchased for the next Grand' TCational Steeplechase in March.

— The odd totalise.tor money at A^hhurst race meeting amounted to £58 S& 6d, and has been sent to the secretary of the Palmerston Hospital. "With the Governmant subsidy of 24s in the pound this means an addition of over £120 to the hospital funds.

— ChxyEeia practically woa the M:d<nimmor from end to end, and ran out her 12 furIcngs in a manner which suggests she is a much better stayer than the majority of ClanranaJd's srtock, who are not partial to goiug much farther than eoght furlongs.

— Signalman held up the start for the St. Albany Handicap for a, considerable time, ani the field was finally dispatched when he -wag trotting up, and some four or five lengths away. He joined the others in a few strides, but failed to show up at ilie finish. — It has become painful to notice how our racing clubs carefully safeguard the totaljsator and do all that is possible to protect its returns, whilst on the other hand they partially or wholly ignore doings on the track which should meet with a punishing attention.

— Elevation was bad'v left at the start of the Middle Paik Plate, or otherwise would at least have been a good second to Glentulloch. It is, however, doubtful if he

j could have beaten Sir George Clifford's c©!t, ' even if the pair had hopped away on level terms. — Bonny Glen, the half-brother to Buiawayo, who scored in the Lyttelton P. ate on Thursday last, cost Mr G Murray-Aynsley 160gs as a yearling. He is a. cheetnut m colour, and stands higher than his relative. If he turns out as useful, he will prove a cheap purchase. — Stepdancer appeared to be acting fan'y for about 10 furlongs in the Midsummer, but she failed to come on when asked for a final effort. The racing she had at the j meeting should, however, key her up a bit. I and it will not be surprising to find her , doing better work at "VVingatui. I — Royal Artillery, who w»s one of our most brilliant horses under silk, has been slow ii» making a name for .himself as a sire, but the form of Watershoofr should give him a boost in the estimation of breeders. The filly , Tremulous is also a promising sort that should! prove a favourable advertisement. •— iEolus, who 'displayed excellent form at I the midsummer meeting, was bred: by Mr J. i S. Thomson, and was got by Euroclydon out of Santa Katarina (a daughter of St. Leger and Puwerewere). He was one of the best horses seen at the meeting, and should be well worth watching in the future. — There was a big sale of trotting stock in, America- last month, and the 14-year-o!d champion sire Axworthy (by Axtell) changed hands ' at £4200. Another high-priced animal was the crack trotting mare Sweet Marie (2.2), who 1 went to £2800 before being knocked down to ! E. T. Stokesbufy. a Philadelphian banker. ! — There is an impression? abroad that Pink 'Un is to be shipped to Australia in. order to take part in the Newmarket Handicap. Pink 'Un may go to Australia, as he> is under offer to a well-known Melbouxniie ; but if the* son of Strowan is at Flemington or* Xewmarket day it will be as a spectator only.

— Signalman still keeps a, large pain in his temper, and exhibits a pronounced objection to lining up at the post. Ho wi.il probably be given a few lessons by the wellknown rough riders — the O'Neill Brothers, — and a judicious application of the bastinado may effect a cure. Spare tke rod and spoil . the horse. j — The- North Otago Jockey Club continue* to add to the attractiveness of its programmes, and for its Cup meeting, which is to be held on May 23 and 24. the principal items are to be the Oamaru Cup, Of 230bovs; the Victoria. Handicap, of loOsovs ; the Tokarahi Handicap, of 120sovs ; and the Otekaike Handicap, of lOOsovs. . — Tho C.J C. stewards have introduced a mle that their starter is not to wait for euy horses who are fractious at the post or otherwise delay the start. Tessera was I ordered off the- course after she bolted a 1 couple of times when she went out to contest the Craven Plate, and the field was dispatched without her. — Cross Battery was travelling slowly in the early part of the St. Albans Handicap, and entered the straight so wide that one t would imagine that her rider had lost tha helm. The rider, however, steered himself ' on to the carpet, and was strongly advised that he will have to give a more pleasing display of navigation in the future. — The- victory of Ckryseia in the Midsummer and St. Albans- Handicaps under the racing banner of Mr G. Palmer were popular wins with racegoers. The wins ■» were well-deserved, as although the gentleman named has been a liberal supporter of the game, Dame Fortune has not bestowed too many winning smiles on the stable. —It was rumoured amongst the wiseacres who were present at Rkscarton on Saturday that Sea King was a strong a. p. order, but that did not make the colt go any faster, as he stopped, badly and could not pace it home with Buccleuch, who won going away from his field ; whilst the Sant Ilario colt had to be hard ridden to defeat Tabu for second money. — Some of the riding which was displayed at Riccartou was not to be compared to the enviable reputation possessed by Caesar's wife. There waa some very so-so horsemanship displayed in one- race, and Btrange to relate that, shortly after th« horses returned to the paddock, the band commenced a medley in which "The, Holy City" was th© initial Item, and "Do not forget me" was trumpeted into the atmosphere at the finish. — It is the intention of the A.J.C. Committee to have th* work of remodelling the grand stand at Randwick finished before the spring meeting. Meanwhile the architects are arranging the preliminaries. Before the new stand is finished, and a few minor matters attended to, there will not be much left out of £20,000. The only regrettable feature is that the extra seating: accommodation will not be for more than an extra 2500 people, and if the- crowds at Randwick on big occasion* keep growing-, there may soon be a further demand, for seating accommodation. — A remarkable feature of the C.J C midsummer meeting was that the yel!ow-and-blaek racing banner of Mr G. G. Stead was not unfurled at the gathering. Mr Stead's colours are- generally very conspicuous at Riccarton, aud owning large studs and tiaming stables does not necessarily mean owning a lot of cracks Apparently the fighting force under Mason 19 at present hors de combat, or being 1 held in reserve. And what makes the absenco very remarkable is the fact that the stable had no fewer than 15 engaged in the Middle Park Plate when the nominations were declared — As showing how well Bruce Lowe's figures continue to work out in England, the "Special Commissioner" writes "During the last seven seasons the aggregate amounts won by the members of the first four families are as follow— Xo (3J, £381,165; Xo. (4), £343,496, No. (1), £337.447; No. (3) £268,838, and, with the possible eicception of Xo. 16, no olheT family approaches the figures, which make a test far more, searching than any Bruce Lowe himself ever applied. Turning to the number of actual races won in the same period — i c., 1898-1306 — Xo. (2) family horses have carried off 1329 races, Xo. (4) fami'y 93 races, Xo. (1) fami y 964 races, and Xo (3; family 874 races " — The Special Commission on Hor&eracing in Francs has recommended that the percentage of public winnings of a. horse going to breeders shall hencefoitk reach at least 5 per cent, of the total amount of the stakes given m Sat racing; that no two-year-olds shall be raced before the month of June of each year ; that on no account shall there be more tlian two events for two-year-olds a.6 any one meeting ; and that under no circumstances shall the distance exceed five furlongs. In the interests of horse-breeding and for the improvement of the horse, the percentage of wmnmgß system adopted in Franco is both; wise and just. It is an inducement to breeders to maintain first-class studs, as the. fear of low prices for promising animals is removed! •when the breeder is entitled to eitajre in the noises' winnings. — Our racing laws contain a rule which is very definite in its wording. It reads that " Xo steward shall take part in adjudicating on any matter in which he is in any degree pecuniarily interested." From this it is generally understood that a steward who ha<? made a bet on the result of a race should not sit in the event of an inqnirv or protest arising from the running But there are other reasons besides wagering a pound or tw«

■why a steward should not sit with his brother stewards, and from what has happened recently the writer is strongly of opinion that stewards should be formally challenged by the president or chairmin who is to be in charge of the meeting as to whether they are indirectly or directly financially interested in the matter. For instance, if p steward is ' likely to be influenced by a bet it is just as possible that something eke has transpired Vrticli etoti l^ debar a. steward from recording his opinion and vote. — The fastest two-year-o''d trotter in America last year was Kentucky Tod, 2min U^sec, while The Abe, 2nun 10|sec. headed the three-vear-old division. He is a full brother to The Abbot. 2min 3isec. Guy Axworthy, 2min Bjeec. was the best four-year-old, while Sweet Marie. 2min 2sec, -was the champion of the lot, and it is expected she will reach the 2min mark this year. The best trotting sta-llion tsf the Eeason was Mainsheet, 2min SJsec. Dan Patch shone among the pacers. He cut hall a second off his dirt shield record, pacing in lmin 55sec, a remarkable performance after a season in the etnd, and he reeled off several other miles in the neighbourhood of 2min. under and over. Brenda Torke captured the three-year-old filly record with a mark of 2min Bfsec. Bolivar, 2min Of sec, took a world's race record for geldings, and Ecstatic, 2mm ljsec, for mares; while otheT notable new records were— «Gratt 2min 24sec, My Star 2min 3Jsec. and Argot Bay 2min 3Jsec. — In regard to the number of Derby winners ' that have sprung •from any one brood mare, Herr M. LazarefPs Lassuk is, we (London Sportsman) should say, an easy first, having foaled no fewer than five winners of the Russian Derby. These included <saltee Boy and Galilei, both, of whom resulted from alliances with Galtee More. Lassuk was bred by Count Nicholas Esterhazy, and was by Vederemo (son of Buccaneer) out of Rape of the Lock (by Victorious). She was «old to go to Russia after winning the Karolyi Memorial at Bud* Pesth. At present she is at Newmarket, and is in foal to Flying Fox, whom she visited last spring. In the coming stud eeason she is to be mated with Mr L. | de Rothschild's crack stallion St. Frusquin. Herr M. Lazareff, it may be added, is the predominant partner in this year's Russian Derby winner, Hammurabi, being recently registered as possessing a 19-55tJhs share in the now Beckhampton-trained — The San Francisco Bulletin states that "two bills against race tracks will be introduced at the coming Legislature. One will be aimed at the Emeryville track and the other at Ascot Park and 'Lucky' Baldwin's track at Arcadia. University men, led by President Benjamin Id« Wheeler, have drafted the first bill, and have brought pressure to bear on the Assembly man Jack Eschleman. of Berkeley, to induce him to present it. It i» probable that Wheeler and others will make quite a fight on behalf of the measure-. Another bill to close the Ascot Park and Arcadia tracks is being taken care of by Assemblyman Prescott F. Cogswell, of El Monte, Los Angeles County, an anti-organisation man. These two bilk, as well as the ante-prize fight measure prepared by Senator Gus. Hartmann, will go to, the Committees on Public Morals of the two Houses, and there is quite a scramble for places on these committees Among the men ot the Upper and Lower Houses." It would appear tint the object of these projected measures aiai more at "graft" than the preserve- , tion of public morals. The race track proprietors will pay *°r immunity.