IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 55

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Wyndham acceptances are- due on the 27th inst.- — Acceptances for the Gore Trotting Club's meeting close on Saturday next. -r-The Gore Trotting Club have received excellent nominations for their annual meeting. —A. Victorian rider recently had hia license cancelled on the ground of incompetence. — The Lake County Jockey Club handled £2766 for their meeting, or £158 less than last year. — Owners are reminded that nominations are due on December 21 for the Tuapeka meeting. — The first Tace on each day of the D.J.C. summer meeting will start at 12.30, and the last event o-t 5.15. — Petrovna won her race on the firsx day of the C.RC. meeting very easily, and is evidently back to form. — Judging by the form displayed by Jolly

' Friar at the Lake meeting, the St. Hippo ge.ding is not quite himself. — The Austraiian-bred horse Chatsworth has won three first and three champion 1 awards at the Southland shows this setson. — The payments attached to the Laucceston Cup, ot 400sovs, are a bit of a record in their way, as it only costs £30 to start a •ftorae. — Acceptances are due on the 20tb for the Waikouaiti meeting, and on the following day acceptances fall due for the Palmeraton Racing Club's meeting. - — Tne Tahun* Park Trofting Club's next meeting will be held on the 21st and 26th of February, and the committee have the programme under consideration. — Hypnotist, who is one of the oldest horses- m training, woa a double at the Lake County meeting. He is now getting on for the npeage (tor a racer) of 14 years. — Step Out, who broke his leg whilst running at tne> Plumpton meeting, was a promising sort of a two-year-old, and his loss ia not a .small one to hia owner. —It is to" be -.hoped that racing clubs will open a defaulters' list for bookmakers and backers under the new regime. It is a poor law that acts against one class only. j — Fireiron led for a mile and a- furlong * in the C.R.C. Dominion Handicap, of one mile ' and^a-quarter, but ;wss not able to1 stay, in a place at the climax of the journey, j — Poseidon's high-priced brother, Orcus, I who has Commenced to do a little sprinting I at Rawdwick, will probably make his debut on the turf during the coming holiday sea- ■ son. — Petrovna's win on the first day of thy Plumpton meeting was an overdue victory, as it is the' .first time she has scored si&v-e her' success at Oamaru in 1 the spring of last season. — The handicaps for the first day of the Southland Racing Club's meeting are due on Saturday next. Any horse winning after the declaration of the weights may be rehandicapped. — Both the Waikouaiti and Palmerston Clubs have received nominations for their meetings which should allow them to present a good day's sport to the patrons of those tracks.. — Judging by the nominations which, have been received for the Cromwell Jockey Club's meeting, the gathering should be one of the most successful that the club have held for some time past. — The defunct Captive, by Oaptivator from Maid of Honour, had a winner at the Lake meeting. His stud chances were about as many as any horße would receive if he were at the North Pole. I —*' The turf's the thing to put you on your feet; you go to the races in a oab, and walk home! " says one of the comedians now showing in "Lady Madcap" at Her Majesty's in Sydney. — Ota the first day of the C.R.C. meeting the totalisator receipts were £4010 10s, as compared with £5365 last year. The deficiency was more than made by 14 bookmakers paying a fee of lOgs. — Cross Battery has been unsuccessful as a stayer, but is evident that all hopes of ' her scoring over a journey bave not yet been; abandoned, ac she figures in the. nominations for -the Wellington Cup. — Sir Artegal, St. Joe, Armament, a trio of winners on the first day of the Plumpton meeting, were purchased by their present owners at the blood stock sales held during , the New Zealand Cup week. I — Local sportsmen anxious to participate in a little racing during the " festive season " can enjoy themselves at Wingatui at Christmas, and at Waikouaiti and Palmerston ! during the New Year holiday*. | —Speculate, who appears to nave taken a fresh lease of life since going under W. Buddicomb's care, has now won three races on end. They are not very important wins, but still they are breadwinners. — Bookmakers will be licensed to bet at the Dunedin Jockey Club's summer meeting at a fee of OOsovs per day for both enclosures. No fee is to be charged for clerks, and double betting will be permissible. ' — On Friday next acceptances for the first day of the- Dunedin Jockey Club's summer 'meeting are due^ and on the same date nominations for the Trial Stakes and Farewell Handicap' must be handed to the secretary. — A good deal of interest is being taken in the forthcoming Dunedin Jockey Club's summer meeting, and under favourable circumstances it should prove, the most successful Christmas fixture that has yet been held at Wingatui. — Reports from Australia state that Mr S. Green is negotiating for the purchase of the English horse Lally for his stud. Having cabled to England- offering a big price for the son of Amphion, Mr Green is now awaiting a reply. — A splendid finish was witnessed in the Dominion Handicap, which was decided on the first day of the Tecent C.R.C. meeting. St. Joe beat Paragon by a head, whilst Ivanoff was a. neck away third, with Fireiron and Medallist close up. — The two; principal races to be decided at the. Gore Racing Club's summer meeting are to be the Gore Cup, of 80sovs, one mile and a-quarter. and the G.R.C. Handicap, of 70sovs, one mile. Nominations for the meeting are due An January 6^ — At last week's committee meeting of the D.J.C. 'it was< decided that the club's winter meeting will be held on two consecutive days. This should be much appreciated by visitors* and the result of the experiment will be noted with interest. — The news, of the sudden 3«ath of Mr Frank Finnegan, of Winton, was a painful shock to his many friends in Dunedin. Mr Finnegan was well known in racing circles, and a few years ago was recognised as one of the most capable riders of trotters we had. —It is fairly certain that Velocity, who has so greatly distinguished himself in England, will not be raced next year, though, according to one well-informed writer, there is but little likelihood of his changing hands at the 2S,ooogs asked for him, principally because he is not bred on fashionable lines. — The next issue of the New Zealand Turf Record, being- minus totalieator figures and dividends, will also be minus half its value and consequent sale. Some racing man with the ear of the Prime Minister or hi* colleagues should point out the fact, and endeavour to get it made an " exception to the rule." — Sea King has at last won a race for Mr "H. F. Nicoll after a long series of nonsuccesses, and, it is to be hoped, will continue in winning vein, as the owner of Cross Battery and the horse under notice expended a good d&al of money on their purchase, and up to- date has had no luck with them. — Adam King, who waa refused a rider's license at last month's committee meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club, -made a successful application to the same body last week. King unfortunately lost the sight of one of his eyee through a gun accident, but he claims that it makes little or no difference to hi* capability as a rider. — Amongst the visitors to the Christchurch Racing Club's meeting, which comj raenoed on Saturday last, were Sir Joseph ' Ward, Lieutenant Siwckleton, and Captain

England. The two last-named gentlemen probably Were out to explore some of the great mysteries of the turf prior to attempting to locate the South Pole. — Lord Magnet, who is described as the best 14.1 pony Australia has known, has been sold for tiOOgs through Messrs H. Chisholm and Co., for India. Lord Magnet is by an American-bred horse named Magnet (by St. Blaise), and was sired while that horse was in Sydney. Subsequently Magnet was sold for stud work on a Queensland station. — The Gore Racing Club have catered in a liberal manner in their summer programme for owners of trotters. On the first days there is the New Year Trot, of SOsovs, two miles, 5.30 class; and tie Electric Trot, of 40&OVS, qne mile, 2.45 class. On the second day there is the Piogreesive Trot, of 45sovs, one mile and a-balf, 4.10 class; and the Telegraph Trot, of 35sovs, one male. — The blood stock in the . estate of the late Mr Charles Baldwin will ba submitted to auction by Messrs H. Chisliolm and Co. in the early part of February. The stallions to be offered are Havoc and Machine Gun, and there are 51 mares and 57 two and three-year-old colta and fillies. A great number of the brood .mares are young, and that fact alone should attract buyers. — Despite 'an almost general recognition of the fact that we are already suffering from too much racing, the Dunedin Jockey Club have granted permission for the SirathTaieri Hacic, Racing Club to held a second meeting this season. The permission was granted under exceptional circumstances, but the writer ias attended two out of tlie three meetings which * Have been held a* Middlemarch and has failed to see any violent reason for holding a meeting there at all. — Just before the last mail left England the progeny of Carbine were 41oing well. At Newcastle, Glasis won the Stewards' Apprentice Plate, and Yellow Peril, who, like Glasis, is owned by Lord Derby, was successful in the Gatwick. Stakes, a 500sovs handicap, run over a mile*" and a-half. Yellow Peril, who carried 9.9, won easily, whilst the favourite, Lavino, could only finish third. Carbine's other winner was tte three-year-old Gunbarrel, who accounted for the Repton Plate at Birmingham. — The New Zealand- Gambling Bill was put through very quickly, and; as a specimen of " advanced " legislation, it is worthy even of New Zealand. I fancy a good many will agree with the New Zealanders who say " Give us Russia." Anyway (Bays " Terlinga- "), the Dominion is not the kind of place people with sporting instincts will hanker after. You can read the account of a race in a newspaper, but no mention must •be made in that paper of the dividends paid by the totalisator. — What do you think happened in Belgiumrecently? .Listen to this:. At Joncken races, near Verviers, the police suddenly appeared and seized the stakes. The Public Prosecutor explained that he had acted on his own initiative entirely, considering racing legal as a. question of skill, but that betting on it was a mere question of chance, and as such illegal. One race more was run after the incident, but the bookies and 1 the paf^m-utual took no part. The interference of the law - is said to be due to the fact that the working .population of Verviers has become co inoculated with the passion for betting that many tragedies nave happened, and tradespeople have complained. — The principal sporting writers are congratulating Australia- on obtaining possession of X«ny, who is- one of the few direct descendants of Tbo Flying Dutchman — Dollar line in male tail. Xeny has been purchased in England by the Hon. W. M'Cullooh, and is to go to his stud in. Victoria. We have had the same li-nf. in the female branch through Rupee, who produced «uch good horses aa Spade- Guinea, Silvermark, Apropos, and Mecrie .England. About the only two left are Merzie England and Pallas. Their claims have often been recommended to breeders in these columns by the; writer, and if there is a mountain of merit in bringing Xeny to Australia surely the claims of our branch of the tribe are entitled to recognition. — The Jockey Club Cup, a high-class w,f.a. race, *un at the Newmarket October meeting, turned out a disappointing failure. The distance was two miles and a-quarter, and two good stayers in The White Knight and Torpoint (by Trenton) started against Radium, a very speedy customer. The riders of the two stayers evidently lost their heads, for they merely cantered for a mile and a-half, going so slow, in fact, for the first mile that the starter beat them that distance on his hack. All speed was clapped on over the last five furlongs and Radium: was then enabled to beat two horses that would probably have easily accounted for him had forcing tactics been observed from the first. They must be getting back to the Fred Archer • period of horsemanship at Home, and the wakening up which Sloan gave the Englishera has apparently faded out. The Canterbury Cup. won by Elevation, is a case in point which recently occurred nearer home. — .The writer of -sporting notes in the British Australasian remarks : " The New Zealand jockey, L. Hewitt, has not had the best erf hick in the matter of winning mounts since he c»me to the Old Country, -but next year he should have plenty of chances. He has been retained to ride for Mr W. HallWalker, a gentleman whose colours have been. very prominent during the past three years. In 1905 he headed the list of winning- owners, his horses having won stakes of the value of upwards of £23,000, while last year he was third in the list, with over £14,000 to his credit, and at present he stands at the too again this year. Hewitt, by the way, signalised his good fortune in being retained by Mr Walker by a particularly brilliant win in the Orleans Nursery Handicap, at Sandown Park, on an outsider, just getting the Oroiitta II filly home by a neck after a desperate race with Mauviette and Picture Card. The winner started at 20 to 1 in a field of 19." — Quite recently in London the managers of the Aseosiated Railways received a deputation from the Racehorse Owners' Association, consisting of Lord Marous Beresford, Sir Harry Rardall, -and Mr .Francis Luscombe. Ltn-d Marcus addressed the meeting, ■and put very clearly and concisely to them •the three pointa on which racehorse owners are specially urgent. The first is that railway borse-boxes should be properly and systeiratieally disinfected, whether they belong to the company on whose line their destination happens to be or not. The second point is -that facilities should be given for the more speedy transport of racehorses to and from meetings, preference being given to them where possible; "and the third point is that ■39 hunters and show horses are conveyed at reduced rates, a similar concession should be made in the case of naceborses. The Chairman complimented Lord Marcus Berestord on the lucid manner in which he had stated his case, and promised that his representations should be fully considered, and an answer sent jn due course. — A Manchester bookmaker waa recently introduced to a. new client, Trho quickly showed himself to be & "man of ideas." One of his first messages read; "Please put me £5 each -way on The Page." After searching diligently thiouscb tlie day's programme the bookmaker failed to discover that The Page held an engagement. So, in the belief that a- mistake had been made, he simply filed the telefram.* Tbo account rendered on the

following Mondaj wag promptly returned with a claim for the odds to £5 each way about The Valet, a winner. This led up to a persona I- interview, whsreat *he wire was • produced to show that The Page was the horse the backer had sought to have his money on. "Oh, yes, I know I put The Page on the wire, but that was tj> bluff the telegraph clerks. Any fool with the programme in front •of hin» should have known that I ' me&nt The Valet, and I shall rof settle the adverse balance on ray other bets until you ! allow for this one. Moreover, I shan't be.t ' ' any more with, such • stupid person. There!" j And he kept his word — and his" money. — There is going to be a shuffling up of jockeys in the coming season (says the Sports- ' man) both in England and on the Continent. . The tendency in England is to cut down retainers to jockeys, and! on the Continent to increase them. In Austria bigger retainers ■ are paid than in any other country. Sensible men have long ceased to place credence in paragraphs from the United States regarding salaries there earned by jockeys^ French owners used 1 to pay bis. salaries-, and do co still, but they are being beaten by their j German and Austrian friends. A jockey who ( ten years ago in England would have com- ' mazuied £3000 a year would now ask £2000. The- truth is, a man would sooner ride in \ England for £1000 a yeU • than in any : other country for two or three- times I that amount. In England he knows as i long as he conducts himself in. bis ■ private life in accordance with the high ' standard set up by owners in this country, and possesses riding ability, he may. be easy about earning a good income >foi many years, whereas the- moment he leaves England it may be a case of going up like a rocket and coming down like a stick. j' — Dearly fond of racing a>s he was, Lord Brampton was not a betting man, for he made only one transaction of that kind after. Harry Hill, one of the characters at Tattersail's, paid to him very early in his career : "Mr Hawkins, I see you come here pretty regularly on Sunday afternoon, but I advise you not to speculate among us, for if yon do we shall beat yen, We "know our business better than you do, and you'll get nothing out of us any more than we should get out " of you if we were to dabble in your law, i for yon know that business better than we ; do." The investment made subsequently was £5 on a favourite, which was scratched immediately, an event about which his lord- . ship wrote : " A lawyer's opinion may be , ■worth what is paid for it in a case stated, but of the soundness of a horse's wind or the thottsand-and-one ailments to which that , animal's flesh and blood are heir, I know j nothing— not so much as the little boy who . runs and fetches in the stable, and who ' could give the ablest lawyer in Great Britain or Ireland odds on any particular favourite's 'public form' and beat him. This was the last bet I ever made, and I ! owe my abandonment of the practice to Harry Hill, who gave me excellent advice, and enforced it by examole." — EngJish file* report that, with the object „ of obtaining her license to jockeysbip. an f American trirl, whose portrait is published i in some Paris papers, is . now paid to be , Dractising the jumps on horseback at Chan.tilly tinder the patient eye of a well-known trainer, and expects in a few weeks to be allowed to ride in public. If she 'really sue- , ceeds in forcing her way through the rules of the Jockey Club, which presumably had never contemplated American jookeys of the •feminine gender, she will no doubt score a great "success de curiosite." Miss H.. whose name it is best for the present not to mention, as she says she detests notoriety, admits that she has already ridden on American racecourses, and claims to have won 28 races, including 14 cups. It is well known, writes the Paris correspondent of the Telegraph, that girl jockeys are a feature at some of the circus races in Coney Island, but whether she has ridden on legitimate racecourses is not ye£ clear. When mounting she dresses like a boy. and. but for her voluminous hair and girlish features, might be taken for an ordinary jockey. She was to have ridden in one of the races at Compeigne under en apprentice's license a little over a. week ago, bat an accident, it is said, prevented her. The Iteilv Mirror correspondent gives the mtme of the lady as Miss Mary ' Money. ~ — The writer has always pos'esßed an admiration both for Obligado's individuality and his breeding, and has on more than one ' occasion recommended bis claims to breeders, j Whilst in the South Island, however, Obligado i obtained very few good mares, and he pro- ! bably partially failed up to date because he j received few opportunities. The Sydney Mail i stud column gives the son of Orville a re- I commendation by utating in a rea^t number ! that " Obligado. whose picture, with that of . Eton, is printed on the Cambria Park cata- j logue, eeemi! to be a well-Tjitihed Dowerfuli horse, and it is allowed in the Dominion that he is a handsome fellow. Obligado is by Orville (13) from The Flirt (16). and is inbred to the Agnes family. Hermit and Macaroni. Hermit was oner of the greatest of the Toachstone line, and Macaroni belonged to the same j family (14) as Touchstone. Orville ib by Ormonde from Shotover. Ormonde was by Bend Or (1) from Lily Agnes (16). ly MacaromiJl4) from Polly Agnes (the dam of Bucktborpe), a daughter of the celebrated Miss Agnes, by Birdcatcher (11). Shotover was by Hermit (5) from Stray Shot, by Tokophilite (8) from Vaga. by Stockwell (3) from Mendicant, by Touchstone (14). Obligado's dam. The Flirt (16), is by Trappist (1). a son of Hermit, by Newminster (8), by Touchstone (14). Trappist's dam was out of Diomedia, an almost sister in blood to our justly celebrated Kelpie, the grandsire of Goldsbrough. The Flirt's dam, "Frivolity, was by Macaroni from the before-mentioned Miss Agnes, the third dam of Ormonde. This is one of the strongest Birdcatcher — Teucbstone pedigrees we have seen, and ought to do well on the blood of Musket. Last season Oblistado had several decent winners running for him thai placed him nearly up to the £3000 mark among winninsr stallions in New Zealand. It is remarkable, however, that in writing the above it waa omitted to mention that Obligado can claim an additional merit in being related to St. Ambrose and Playawav, whom Australians know to be considerably above the ordinary, and nearer to us at this side of the world.