AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2913, 12 January 1910, Page 60

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

B? Taihoa.

January 10. For tho concluding day of the Auckland ,(Racing Club’s summer carnival tho ’■weather was again .fine, the attendance Jarsre, and speculation brisk. The amount put through the machines was £21,594 10a, making the total for tho four days £90,765, record for the club, and £11,284 over ihe previous year’s receipts. Bookmakers were again strongly in evidence, 47 mem- ; tiers of tho fraternity paying £965 10s for [Jfcho privilege of betting, and raising the ybakinff? from this source to £4079 10s, Against £5156 10s last summer. The first invent of note on the programme was the

Sylvia Handicap, confined to the two-year- j

old division, and in a field of seven starters Goklfinder wa* most etrongly backed. The Sais Fraa youngster was prominent until well inside the distance post, when Apellon dashed up on the rails and beat the favourite by half a length. The winner was responsible for a taking performance, as he finished up his task with great gamer.ess at the business end of the journey. Twelve weighed out for the Grand Stand Handicap, and the Wellington horse Diabolo was sorted out as the one most likely to score. When the barrier shot up Cranium jumped off in front, and setting a merry pace the Leolantis mare was still in front when they entered the straight. Coming to the distance post she showed signs of tiring, and Roosevelt and Diabolo challenged, the former winning by a length from the favourite. The 10 furlongs were covered in 2min Bsec, a time only beaten on the Ellerslie course by Bcbrikoff in the Auckland Plate later in the day. Tenterhook and Zuleinia were withdrawn from the Royal Stakes, leaving in a field of eight, Danube being the one to most impress the onlookers. War song gave trouble at the post; but was the first to get going, and the h-"''-brother to Downfall showed the way .- ■; the top stretch

end into the home i '. He, however, was not equal to holding off the favourite in the run from the distance, Danube scoring by a nee!:. When the numbers went up for the Auckland Plate- i*- was seen that the" field had been reduced lo three, but with All Red and Bobrikoff" left in the weight-for-age race claimed a good deal of interest. Bobrikoff, who was making his fir**t appearance, stripped in the pink of condition, white All Red looked a bit jaded, the result, no doubt, of the heavy demands made upon him during the gathering. Bobrikoff had the race wor a long way from home, a.nd ran in an easy winner in the record tinra for 10 furlongs at of 2min 7 4-5.-ee. Even at his best it was pretty evident that at weight-for-age All Red would not have troubled the winner, who, up to the mi'e and aquarl.er. ranks among, the best the Dominion h-- Tcducod.

Altl)OUT;i Formby chimed pride of place arncr.r" the two-year-old-; seen out. at the A.R.C. summer meeting, by reason of his victor in the Great Northern Foal Stakes it is open to question whether the Birkenhead colt is superior to Danube. He was seen out but once —in the Fonl Stakes. It is alleged that Danube was then suffering from a touch of influenza. The ,'r.tter ran very "-enuinely throughout the meeting, win:.' . r - vo out of three races and finishing £/;•■:••'.r.d, a pleasing' feature of the performances of '.he ron of Martian being the determined and genuine manner in which he finished up his tasks under present.

The crjck Auckland three-year-old colt Elysian, who pulled up lame after the Great Northern Derby at Ellerslie, will probably not race again this season. As a result of his disappointing performance in the elaf-sie race, coupled with recent roguish propensities, he has fallen from the high pedestal upon which recent doings in the- south placed him. Of the Auckland two-year-olds seen out at the A.R.C. summer meeting Appelon. can safely be marked off as the pick of the bunch, and ho should be heard of again when the autumn gatherings oome round, provided all goes well with him in the interim.

Sedition, who won the A.R.C. Handicap, takes rank as a decided bargain, _ the owner of the son of Soult havi.n.g picked him up when six months old, together with his dam, for £35. As a three-year-old Sedition won £935 in stakes, and so far this season has . annexed £BSO.

It transpires that, the Canterbury sportsman, Mr G. D. Greenwood, who was by far the largest buyer at the recent Auckland blood stock sales, held several Australian commissions, and the majority of the youngsters purchased by him will be sent across the Tasnian Sea. The colt by Soult from Erry Roc, bought for 300 gs, goes to a Queensland sportsman. Master Soult is making a good recovery, and will probably be able to race again in the autumn