AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 55

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bt Taiho*.

The Auckland Racing dob's summer' gathering was brought to a" close on Thursday last, the attendance throughout having been - large, the racing well contested, and speculation brisk. In all £82.382 was passed! throt.gh the totalisators for th© four days, as against £88.721 for the 1906-07 meeting- — a, shrinkage of £5939 ; but as far ""as the metropolitan- club's finances are concerned the gathering will show an increased- -profit compared with its predecessor, as no lese than / 62180 w.aa paid by. bookmakers for me privi- J

J lego of plying their calling. At this stage I it is haidly necessary to deal with tie racing I at length, but the more salient features may Ibe touched upon. On the second day the 1 Summer Cup was the principal event. The withdrawal of le Aroha. left a field of 11 in the 10-furlong race, the top weight (Uranium) being tbe one most in favour. The favourite was the first to- show out, and she flattered the hopes of her admirers by staying in front right up to the distance, , wbare King Billy dashed up, but only to- , give place to Waipuna, who came with a rush from, the main stand and scored by a lengthand a-half. The performance of the son of i Soult, who also filled second place in the Auckland Cup, was marked by a dash of brilliancy, and he may safely be singled! I out as the pick of the aged horses seen out lat the A.R.C. summer meeting. Evidently j Waipuna is as good as ever. . Derby Day followed, the first race of note being thet , Great Northern Derby, for which the starters I numbered five, the scratching pen having I been passed through the names of Pohutu, ' Carmania, and Lady Ferris. Boniform, the j sturdy little bay son of Multiform and j Otterd-en, waa the aristocrat of the party on j the score of looks, and was landed at the post in capital buckle by Richard Mason. After a furlong had been left behind Downfall was out forcing the pace, and he took the field along at a lively spe-ed for a mile ; then Boniform closed! up on the son of San Francisco. At. tbe distance Downfall came i again, . but • though the movement caused 1 ai i flutter of excitement, the next few strides , showed that Boniform had his rival's mea- | sure, and Mr Stead's representative drew j away and won comfortably by three lengths in fast time. The various stages were struck off by Mr Stead as follows: — Two furlongs, 27£ sec; half-mile, 54sec; six furlongs. Imin 19sec; one mil-e, Imin 41J?ec; one mile andl a-half. 2min 36 2-ssec. The Derby winner, who was decorated with the Blue Ribbon by i Lady Plunket, cannot be said to have been very strongly opposed in the classic event, but it can safely be said of him that he j is a colt well above the average, and one ( likely to build up an attractive record and earn considerable stake money for the Canterbury sportsman, provided he trains on all right. Fourteen sported silk in the Auckland: Racing Club Handicap, for which Master Delaval was- most fancied. The son of Seators Delaval was not, however, .prominent at any stage of the mile and a-half race, the one. to force the pace to the home turn being Mahuta, who took charge after three furlongs had been traversed, and was still showing the way when the home turn was reached. Coming to the distance Zimmerman came along with a powerful run, end finishing up his task as straight as a gun-barrel, the son of Birkenbead scored a victory brimfuH of merit, seeing that he w-as carrying 9.3, which is 31b over the weight-for-age- scale, and was timed to do 2min 35§sec. The fourth day's racing waa on Thursday last, the events to claim most attention being the -Grand Stand Handicap, Royal! Stakes, and Auckland Plate. For the handicap, eight reached the starter's hands. Uranium, King Billy, and Mahuta were alternaitely in front during the early stages, - and when the head of the straight was reached King Billy took charge again, and! bowling along freely a.t the business end. he won comfortably by a length and ift-half from, Te Aroha. Although the son of Merriw-ee finished outside the placed division in the Railway Handicap on the opening day, 'he reinstated himself by his subsequent running in the Glasgow and Grand Stand Handicaps, and may be said te have taken rank as the nick of the five-year-old's fiaruring at the Ellerslie carnival. Moreover, King Billy exploded the view held in some quarters that it was beyond' his ability to see out a, strongly-run mi 1 * and a-quarter. The Thirteenth Royal Stakes was contested by a field of four, and tilthough Fieetfoot was to be E-een whipping in the field for the first three furlongs, the chestnut fijly improved her position coming to the head of the straight, and bounding along freely in. the home run, Sir George Clifford's representative won very easily by three lengths' ' from Armlet. The winner, who is by Clan- ' ranald and Safeguard, accounted for the 1 Great Northern Foal Stakes and the Royal Stakes in a most attractive manner, placing j heT claims to be regarded as the best of the I juveniles eeen out at the Cftristmas gather- ; ing beyond dispute. She is a solid-looking youngster, showing substance that warrants the opinion that she will be heard of again at three years old. Fleetfoot's time for the ! RoyaJ Stakes has only been once improved upon, the occasion being in 1906, when Cuneiform left the six furlongs behind in lmira 14 2-ssec, whilst the only other winner to do Imin 15 l-§sec was Renown, who won in 1902. The scratching pen having- * been passed through the names of Master Delaval, Clan- • chattan, Uhlander, and Downfall in the Auckland Plate, only a trio filed out for the mile and a-ha-lf race. The three, contestants remained close together until they came initd the straight on the home run. and as Pohutu appeared to ba keeping Zimmerman going at top at. the distance, there seemed some ' prospect of a keen finish. It was, however, only necessary for Jones to stir up the Hon. Mr Ormond's representative te draw outi again, and Zimmerman landed his third race 1 by three parts of a length amidst applause. The Birkenhead horse- stood out as the bright particular star of the summer meeting, and. a long way >ut in front of all others of the same ag© — viz., four years. It waa a sterling record' that went down to the I Hon. Mr Ormond's bay — winning- the AuckI land Cup. A.R.C. Handicap, and Auckland! j Plate; and, looking back over past records, I I find that he may safely be given a place I among the best four-year-olds ever seen on the Ellerslie course in the summer. Although represented by a fairly largeiteam at the A.R.C. summer meeting, the Napier sportsman. Mr T. H. Lowry, failed! te land a stake during the four days. Paritutu figured under silk each day during the summex meeting at Ellerslie, but the son of Castor was never prominent at the business end in any of his races. FJvidently he is wot the Paritutu of old, and in all probability the veteran, will next make his appearance as a hurdle-racer". ; The Royal Artillery filly Aa-tillerie^ who was sold by Mr G. Murray-Aynsley to M* J. S. Thane during the A.R.C. summer meeting, is to go to Australia. , One of the- most disappointing horses seen ' out at the Ellerslie summer meeting was Boibrikoff. the three-year-did son of Finland and G-ossip. Of the i 10,350 dfistri'buted in stakes during the four days of the AJB.C. summer meeting, i no less tEan £2950 went to the Hon. J. D. | Ormond, -Sir Geo. Oliffcird following with i £1355. ! Although, appearing to be in capital health, j the brown 'horse Powerful, by Nelson — j Moonga, and therefore a full brother to i Seahorse, was Jold by auction a day or two ago for 40gs. Th© annual sales of. thoroughbred yeuplings bred at the Glenora and Cambria Park studs were held on. Friday last. " The ' lUS youn&stere at GdenoKv Fork realised 1 1783gSj an qrexage of 99gs; tn& th,e 12 »t|

Cambria Park 2345g5., an average of just over 195gs. The yearling to bring top price was the brown colt by Soult from Dreamland, who went to Mrs A. M'Combe, owner of Master Delaval, at 625g5, after spirited competition. Master Delaval'g running in the A.R.C. Handicap on the third day of the summer meeting at Ellerslie greatly disappointed his many admirers, and it was certainly net the true form of the son of Seaton Delaval that ■ was witnessed in the event in question. Probably the veteran's poor display can be attributed to his mishap on the first day, when he fell just as the field turned into the straight in the contest for the Auckland Cup. The English-bred sire Seaton Delaval (Melton — Rosed ale) was put up to auction last Friday, and fell to the bid of Mr J. J Craia at 4Oogs. Of the new aspirants for jumping honours seen out at the A.R.C. summer meeting, the one to show most promise of better things ahead was Clarernont, who, when properly seasoned, should earn winning distinction over the sticks. He was shaping ver-r nicely in the New Year Hurdle Race, until he came to- grief at the fifffii obstacle.