IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 55

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Munjeet is in the private sale list. —In India it is allowable to race under a norn de plume in initials. — Plenty of bad animals are good horses — when th« money is down. — Master Del aval is reported to be .ookicg particularly well at present. — Forty per cent, of all the stakes in Belgium are open international races. — Nominations ior the Palmerston Racing Club's meeting are due on the 9th inst. —It is reported that Mr John Wren intends going out of the boxing business. Nominations fol -tlx-& "Waiko-najii HsLeingf Club's meetings are due on the 11th inst. — Nominations for the Wairio annual meeting close on Thursday, December 10. — In France the whole of the entry fees and forfeits go to the winner or placed horses. — The Lake County Jockey Club's meeting takes' place on Friday and Saturday next. — Muhuta will fulfil his engagement in the Auckland Cup, and is to be ridden by H. Cairns. — All Guns, the three-year-old eon of Pallas, won a double at the Hororata meeting last week. — Too Soon was taken north at the conclusion of the Tahuna Park meeting, and goes into C. Piper's stable. — The PeTth Cup \,ot 2000sovs, two miles), which is to be decided at Christmas, has attracted an entry of 49. — Nominations close on Friday, December 13, for all events to be decided at the Southland Racing Club's summer meeting. — Firat Pet acted badly in her races at Tahuna Park, and does not appear to lie at home when racing on a half-mile tract. — Success was acting with a great bit of dash in her preliminary prior to the Jamea Memorial, but ran over herself several times in the race. — The Christchurch Racing Club has received excellent acceptances fox the first day of its spring meeting, which commences on Saturday next. —Mr P. Selig, president of the New Zealand Trotting Association, has been presented with 25 guineas by that body for services during the past year. —It is said that Eclat, who w.as amongst the winners on the first day of the Tahuna. meeting, could have been purchased at a cheap figure after his race. — D. J. Price has purchased the two-year-old Coronella, by StepniaJt — Coronal, and the yearling filly by Stepniak — Ambush. Both will be taken to Australia. — A friendly bullet -terminated Red Gauntlet's career on Monday last. He was a great galloper, and his true merit as a racehorse ■was never iv ly discovered. — James Pine, who has been fined three timeß for using abusive language to racing officials, was suspended for three months at i the last meeting of the C J.C. Committee. — Messrs Barnett and Grant, the leading metallicians of the Dominion, are circularising their clients to the effect that they have closed their office and ceased operations. —J. M'Combe had three ribs broken and also received a scalp wound when he met with his accident at Feilding. At latest advices he was doing a 9 well as could be expected. — Fichu, who has a record of 3.37. did not finish in the firat six at the end of the Publicans' Handicap, which was won in 3.48 3-5 by Torpedo Bill, who was receiving 11 seconds. —Te Porangi acted badly in his races at Tahuna Park, but some excuse can be advanced on. his behalf on the occasion of his last race, a-s he had to be pulled up owing to his gear going amiss. — Zimmerman, Sir Tristram, Dawn, St. Aidon, and Diamond Star will carry the Hon. J. D. Ormond's cerise jacket at the A.R.C meeting. The horses are booked to leave for Auckland on Friday of this week. — A Oliver has been suspended by flic "Woodville stewards for jostling, and the C.J C. stewards have suspended James Pine Thus we have a trio of prominent horsemen "resting" during the busiest part of the season. — The Hororata Racing Club licensed 16 bookmakers to bet at its recent meeting. The fees charged were £5 for the inside enclosure and £3 for "outside." The totalisator receipts were £1659 10s, whilst la3t year the total was £1046 103. —Mr J. T. Gwynne, secretary of the Palmerston Racing Club, writes to say that in issuing the programme for their forthcoming meeting the words "weight for age"' were omitted from the conditions attached to the Maiden Plate. — Two notable world's records were established by Alice Pointer and Hidalgo recently. The former's 2.5J is the fastest first winning heat ever won by a pacing mare; whi'-t the latter's 24J id the fastest ever won by a pacing gelding. — The ancient Vancleve gelding Colonel was accepted for in a couple of races on the second day of the Tahuna meeting-, but had the pen put through his name on each occasion. He is in regular work, And may be found trying for winning honours in the near future. | — Torpedo Bill, who won the Publicans' Handicap, lOOsovs, .one and a-half miles, with ease in 3.46 8-5, is an aged gelding got by Torpedo (Musket — Fanny Fisher) from a Fitz James mare. FitzJames was imported from California in 1882 by Mr John Kerr, of Nelson*

— Vitella, a ponifi^d mare by Vancleve — Sunbeam, who was raced by C. Piper at Tahuna Park, displayed pace in patches, but continually ran over her gait. She displayed the. same fau t at Chnstchurch, but when she has settled down should prove a useful member of the stable.

— Unless the racing clubs come to reasonable terms with the bookmakers in regard to licensing fees it would appear that the legalisation of the fielders will in effect partake more of the nature of the shadow than the substance, and it takes a good man to live on a shadow.

—Mr H. L. Johnson, whose death occurred last week, was well and popularly known in sporting circles for many years. He bred Pitch and Toss, Mountebank, Red Start, Red Morn, and amongst others which also carried his colours were "Brin, Langley, Wayiand. Apology 11. aud several more. — Amongst the run. 2rs at Tahuna Park was the vancleve ponj Cling, who is now ID year.s old. She was a good performer in her day, and at the stiid is best known as the dam of Embrace. Cling battled away with as much gamene^s as ever, but she is evidently sore, and it is a pity she was brought back from the paddock.

—D. Maher recently Tode his hundredth •winner of the- season, and has thus reached a "century" five times in seven successive yer~s. his previous figures having been as iol.ows:— 1901, 94; 1902, 106; 1903, 56; 1904, 115; ISOS, 101; 1906, 103; and in the two seasons when he did not reach the hundred he was laid by for some time by illness.

— A common fault displayed by those who were steering horses at the Tahuna Park meeting appeared to be attributable to the fact that they did not know when their horses were at the top of their sp<?ed ; consequently breaks (great and small) were a» common «s can be witnessed in a billiard tournament. There is a time and place for everything. — If success in the sadd'e or sulky spells capability, the result of the Tahuna Park meeting proves that A. Pringle was the ru.ing Archer of the trotting track, as out of four appearances on the first day he saluted the judge three times as a winner, and was beat a head on Success. On the second day ho had two -wins out of four races.

—W. J. Andrews, a promising light-weight apprenticed to Mr H. Goodman, leaves this we«k for Wellington, where he temporarily joins J. Lowe's stable. Andrews has only ridden in a few races, but is a promising scholar of the mentor who txxrned out D. J. Price, T. Buddicomb, J. Longhein, L. H. Hewitt, and others who have been successful in the saddle.

— Verax was always theTe or thereabouts in his races at Tlahuna Park, and his record for the meeting was a win, two seconds, and a third. In chasing Too Soon, who was in receipt of 10 Eeconds and went 2.28 3-5, Verax displayed a fine g»it, but as Too Soon appeared to be acting well within her powers after she smashed up Berlin M., th« scratch horse's tesk was not by any means -%n easy one.

— In South American racing there is what ig termed a "classic" race practically every week, the entries for the whole of which have to be made at the 'beginning of the season on one sheet. Imindiately afterwards a book of these entries for the entire year is published officially. Nominations for all other races beyond these classic* axe made each Saturday, for the following Sunday week's racing — thus eight days ahead.

—On the concluding day of the Tahuna Park Trotting meeting the pleasure of participating in the sport was considerably discounted by the clouds of dust which were in continuous circulation on the lawn. An occasional visit from the water-cart would have been very much appreciated, and it is to be hoped the club will do something at future meetings fo prevent their patrons getting their peck of dirt in an all too brief period.

— Thunderbolt, one of the very few of Muskef s get to still remain on top of the turf, is said to o» Bearing the end of his days. He was foaled in 1882, and was unbeaten a3 a two-year-old in this country. Since he has been at the stud Thunderbolt has sired several good horses, but has not been a very great success. In this he resembles the other sons of Locket in Medallion and Chainshot, whose good ones were not very plentiful.

—If asked to name off-hand the biggest "bogies" among racehorses of respectively this and last season (says an English writer), one would undoubtedly allude to Lally, the failure of the 1906 Derby, and Slieve Gallion, the disgraced Epsom favourite this year. Yet both these horses — with Wool Winder — stand at the head of the winding list this season, Lally having gained nearly £12.000 and Slieve "Gallion almost £6000. The last-named has since been sold for lo.OOOgs.

— The majority of Tilson's horses appear to be trained to do the flash-m-the-pan act. Motorist lost nearly all his handicap at true start of the Recovery Handicap, but finally moved away a couple of ]ongths in front of Verax. aad then, after pacing it with the crack Tanclevc gelding for less than half a mile, stopped to nothing. Verax was stepping at about a 2 20 gait to get close to Too Soon, who was in receipt of 10 seconds, and Motorist was only equal to the task for a brief period.

—Mr R. Cleland. owner of Apologue, was interviewed on his return to Auckland. Ho stated that the son of Phoebus Apollo was knocked about a bit during the running of the Melbourne Cup, and was, therefore, withdrawn from his engagement in the VRC. Handicap, where he occupied the po»t of honour with 6.7, and -was regarded as a good thing. Apparently buyeos thought that Apologue's withdrawal was owing to his unsoundnesß, and the comparatively small figure paid may have been the result of this impr«esion. — The dispersal sale Df Mr T. Wilkin's Waxatah stud was held at Dubbo (N.S.W.) recently. Several Sydney buyers were present, but the prices realised were by no means high. The ste.l ion Ranji (Haxold Jun — Speo) was passed in The trotter Maud S., in training, was bid for up to 80g«, but was privately sold later on in the day. Miss Cleve brought 71g», Alice H. lOlgs. Mis« Red Cleve 31gs, Mona 43gs, and Lady Harold (dam of Vano) 30gs. Several yearlings and two-year-olds were sold, but the prices realised were smaJ 1 .

— A strict observance it the Gaming Act means that street-betting and office-betting are a thing of the- past, and by their drastao legislation, cur law-makers have forced the bookmakers on to the racing clubs; but the latter are do.ng their best to keep tlieir Rates closed -to those who are likely to divert s-o^iie of their revenue from what was formerly termed tke legalised channel. There may be a chance of settling things toon, as the bells of Christmastide are on the eve of ringing out "peace and goodwill to all men on earth." Perhaps.

— Some of the Birkenlieads which were sold last E-eason to an Australian buyer have been earning winning brackets in their new homes. Mines, by Birkenhead" from Miro, won the Hopeful Stakes, 500sovs, at the B: thday meeting of the Queensland Turf Club, and established a new time record of lmin 2 8-ssco and Eo. by Birkenhead—

Eon, four-year-old full brctuer to Ecr.a. won the Epsom Welter at the Melbourne suburban course of that name. These successes should make Mr Cox, who took the shipment across to Australia, doubly pleased with tne draft he recently purchased from the Hon. J. D. Ormond's stud.

— The death is reported from Australia of the New Zealand-bred horse Subterranean. He was bred and raced in this country by Mr E. J. Watt, and was got by Torpedo (Mu°ket — Fanny Fisher) from Blue Water, a daughter of St. Leger and Sapphire, the dam of Bluefire, Phaethon, and M-annlicher. Subterranean was taken to Australia by Mr D. J. Price, and after the horse had shown good winning form was sold to Mr E Manifold at lOOOgs. Subterranean broke a blood-vessel when he was one of the ruling favourites for the last Caulfield Cup, and subsequently contracted pneumonias wnich wa3 the 1 %t of a combination of troubles which caused his death.

— Even with the notorious care exacted in the art of handicapping racehorses in the Old Country, the differences of results often cause surprises which are as amusing as was the monarch's at the presence of the apple in the dumpling. Thus a Londoner writes: — "I could wish each handicap was the work of one man — that is to say. one man to one handicap, and no collaboration. Let the handicappers divide the handicaps, and work separately — each man according to his lights. And let the separate work go forth as the handicap. Owners would then have a more sporting chance than is now the case, with the blight of uniformity their infliction. 'It is all right,' said an owner to me the other day, 'if your horse happens to be underrated But take the case of overrating. Well. it means you are overrated all round; and it will take you months to get off the poundage the ability of your horse does not warrant.' I once asked Mr George Thursby which of the handicappers past he considered the best. He promptly m-entioned the 'ate Mr Main waring. I sort o" smiled, because the gentleman named was not reckoned the most dexterous of his rraft. 'Well, you see, it was like this — sometimes you had 7lb more than you could win under; but at other times you had 71b less. Then came your chance. You could bet.' 'And now?' A non-committal smile was the answer."

— Some wonderful prices have been obtained for bor-ses of the Doncaster line. Doncaster himself began th« series by making 14.800 guineas, and from him the Duke af Westminster bred Bend Or, » J>erby winner, whom, it is said (remarks a- writer in an exchange), money could not buy. From Bend Or the Duke bred Ormonde, with whom he won all the groat races, and after that horse had lost his health he was sold to a South African Crossus for £12,000. The latter, discovering he had made a bad bargain, looked around for somebody to paes Ormonde on to, and found an over-wealthy Yankee, to whom ho sold the horse for £31.250. Ormonde's son, Orme. won £30,000 in stakes, and was valued by an expert for stud purposes at £40,000. Orme's son, Flying Fox, won all the great EngMsh races, and was sold -to the French for £39,375. Two sons of Flying Fox, Jardy and Val dOr, were sold respectively for 580,000 and £28,000. IKendal. an almost brother to Ormonde, was sold twice for about £20.000, and Scaptre, whose dam is a sister to Ormonde, realised £20,000, which was the amount received for Galtee More, a eon of Kendal. The two best three-year-olds of the present English season are Orby and Woolwinder. The former is by Orme, and the latter by Martagon— a son of Bend Or and Tiger Lily, by Marconi from Polly Agnes. Orby won the Derby, and Woolwinder the St. Leger. "What are they worth at the present moment on the open market?