SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2955, 2 November 1910, Page 56

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Bt Ravensworth.

MELBOURNE,. October 25. RACING IN MELBOURNE. We are now within three or four days of the commencement of the Melbourne Cup meeting, and the excitement is already in the air. Melbourne is full of visitors, and a great gathering is anticipated. Last Wednesday a small meeting took place at Sandon Park, but there were very few horses of any class running. Two horses that were at the time still in the Melbourne Cup—viz., Balgowan and Loch Shiol, ran in the Sandon Park Handicap, one mile. Balgowan was, in a weak field, expected to win, and if he had any pretensions to winning the Melbourne Cup he should have scored an easy victory. 0. Andrews, who had the mount, was, however, at him almost from the start, but he made a very feeble response, and it was seen before the home turn was reached that his chance was ho)>e!ess. Late Hours led into the straight, and, stalling off! Perilous, won with a little to spare,. Balgowan finishing a moderate third. Honey,wood, a filly by Sir Tristram (imp.), won. a double-—Trial Handicap and Sandown Plate. A. Ferguson, who has been out of luck for some time, trains Honey-wood. G. Ross rode her in the Trial Handicap, and an apprentice, A. Potter (who had a 51b allowance) in the Plate. Honey wood's penalty was thus reduced to 21b. G. Rots, who is one of the best riders in Melbourne, atao got Xarcissa, by Havoc, home in the Sandown Purse. R. Cameron rode King's Ransom to victory in the Jumpers' Flat Race; while Steve Howie got Busra first past the jjost in the Steeplechase. The Moonee Valley Cup meeting wan held on Saturday last, and attracted a record crowd, despite the strong counter attractions of the Henley and the Yarra regatta. There were originally 116 entries for the Moonee Valley Cup, the stake for which was fjSOsovs; but the fear of incurring a Melbourne Cup penalty kept all the good horses entered away, and only 10 went to the post. Luckily for the local: division, there were no Sydney horses in the field. The winner was Kerlie 8.1. wh<> has lately been running very unluckilv. No horse has been going better on the tracks, but he is one of those who cannot stand interference in a race, and a bump settles his chance. In the Toorak Handicap he lost his place through beine bumped at the start, and was never afterwards in the hunt, while in both theCongy Handicap and the Caulfield Cup ho was seriously interfered with. W. P. Burn had the mount on him in the three races mentioned, but on Saturday W. H. M'Laehlan was up. This jockey had never ridden Kerlie since he piloted him to victory in the Williamstown Cup last November. M'Laehlan had Kerlie on the inside all the way. He ran a risk of beingcut out at the home tarn, but the leaders opened out, and in a few strides Kerlie was in front, with the race won. He led into the straight, and easily stalling off Carlton 8.3, who did not have too good a run, won with three lengths to spare. Langloh 7.5 finishing a close third, and Eyeglass 8.1 fourth. Since the Mooneo Valley Cup was instituted in 1883 the race has been run at various distances. At first it was a mile, and then six and a-half furlongs for a few years. For 11 years the journey was seven furlongs, and for the succeeding nine years a mile and three, furlongs. Last year it was a mile and ahalf, and this year a mile and a-quarter. This is a popular distance, and it is I'kely to remain at this. It has been ivon by. some good horses, including Meteor, Merriwee, Isonomy, Don Giovanni, Preston, Clean Sweep, The Persian. Blue Spec, Charles Stuart, May King, and Flavinius. Two of these, Clean Sweep and Blue Spec, won the Melbourne Cup m their respective years. The success of Kerlie is of more than usual interest to New Zcalandcrs. He is by Stepniak (son of Nordenfeldt) from Melodious (dam of Wallace and Tom Aloore), by Goldsbrough from Melody (dam of Melos), by The Barb. Mftlarlinujy uifeoifc wjw dea<] jyas for.soro*

time in Xe.v Zealand, where she foaled Kerlie. Mr John Wren bred Kerlie, who is owned by Mr Mat. Eilis, a well-known cricketer, and the success of his colours w-as popular. The time for the Moonee "Galley Cup- -2min Bsec —was very good. It was probably the smartest mile and a-quarter ever run on the course. W. H. M'Laehlan also bad a win on Sylvander 8.12 in the Ngarveno Handicap, a five-furlong sprint. This colt showed smartness at the recent Caulfield meet?ng, and here he won easily from Boniface 7.12. Sylvander is a three-year-old colt, by Ayr Laddie (imp.) from Ladv Grafton (dam of Doon Lassie), by -Grafton from Lady Roodee, by Roodee. Another Ayr Laddie to win was Hartfell 7.13, who carried Mr Agar Wynne's colours to victory in the Phcenix Handicap, o? 250sovs, on© mile,. Lager was expected to win, but, after leading for some distance, she compounded,- and Hartfell ran in an easy winner in the fine time for the mile of lmin 41gsec. This was the second victory scored by Hartfell since his arrival from Sydney, as be tcok the Windsor Handicap on the last day of the V.A.T.C meeting. Payton. who bred Hartfell, has him very well at- present. y The Hurdle Race went to the Riverinaowned gelding men, and the Steeplechase unexpectedly fell to Acute Angle 9.0, by Angle, with Charlemagne 9.5 second. Acute Angle was a failure in hunters' races earlier in the season. The best finish of the day was witnessed in the Welter Handicap. Advantage £ 11. with W A. Rvan up. looked to have a fair chance to the home turn, but then dropped out, and an exciting race home amongst Bostra 8.1, Musket Belle 8.13. and Dunolly 7.11 ended in favour of Dunolly, who is now held on lease by Norman Leek, the Caul field trainer. G. Ross rode Dunclly a fine race. RACING IN SYDNEY. The Canterbury Park Club raced on Saturday last, when the chief event, the Half-holiday Handicap. one mile and a-quarter and 100 yards, went to Merei 7.7, by Mozart, with La Bonne 7.9 and Diabolo 7.9 in the places. Irishman 8.12 was expected to win the Flying Handicap, six fuTlongs, but. though ho ran second, the Grafton marc Oweenee 8.0 carried too many guns for him at the finish, and won by a length and a-ha!f. the Queensland jockey, J. Stone, having the winning mount. Newport 8.2, by Holbrook. was successful in the Stewards' Mile, while the Three-year-old Handicap wont tc Strathroyale. by Strathroy, with Kummulla 8.12 and/ Holliston 7.7 next. The latter was expected to win. Wangrijong 8.4, by Lancaster, son of Hotchkiss. tool: the Park Stakes, one mile, and Troon 9.11, by Ayr Laddie, the Shorts Handicap. , RACING IN WEST AUSTRALIA. The anniversary meeting of the Western Australian Turf Club was commenced on Saturday. The Trial Stakes went to the imported mare Galloon 7.1, by Garb Or — Lady Galloway. and the ex-Victorian Venom 9.0. by Bundook (son of Carbine) was successful in the Jumpers' Flat Race. Two others that used to race in Victoria. Gold Streak and Glenalla. were returned winners Gold Streak, who is by Hyihcttus, carried 8.2 to victory in the Leake Handicap, six furlongs, while Glenalla, who is by the Carbine horse Ballistite, made light of 9.1 in. the- Northcote Handicap, one mile and a-quarter. The first two-3'ear-old rece of the season in West Australia was run at this meeting, and it went to Owlet, who is by the imported horse Murilo (winner of the Maribyrnong Plate in 1904) from More Pork (dam of The Tola and Thigen Thu). by Moorethorr«j (imp.) from Johanna, by Maribyrnong. Owlet was sold as a ycar'hjp; in Sydney last autumn to the Perth trainer H. Holmes for 20Cgs. More Pork is a very old mare, having been foaled as far back as 1885. Murage 9.2. by Mural (son of Carbine), won the Strickland Welter, one mile. The meeting concluded on Monday, when the principal event, the Anniversary Handicap, one mile and a-half, was won by Roido! 7.13. by Simmer, with May King second and Galloon third. The New Zea-land-bred Whcelara. by Phoebus Apollo, took the Colonel Reeves Handicap, one mile. There was a. fair field. The other winners were Snarkle (bv Snarta), Florus 'bv Scarpia). Particular (bv The Echo), and Talofa (by Projectile). MISCELLANEOUS. T!Ti-ee horses purchased in England by the Western Australian owner Mr C. Watson have reached Perth. Th? fillies Wise Lass (Love Wifely—Co'dan) and Queen's Regent (Count Rchomberg—V.R.) have gone into P. J. Ward's stable*, and the cold Fortofix (Rock Sand —Full Cry) has joined E. B. M'K-?on's string. The racing mare Je->.n Crawford, bv Wallace—Contract, has been sold, in Melbourne. to Mr T. Payten, and will go to the stud in New South Wales. Master Souk, who pulled tip very lame in the Caulfield Cup. has been sent back to New Zealand. He managed to pick up one race here —the Eclipse Stake at Caulfield. Carlton's departure for India was put back in order that he might run in the Mocnee Vallev Cup, for which his owner paid a late fee to enter. Carlton was not. equal to securing firei money, but his second place represented £IOO. This was his last race in Australia, and be will be despatched to India at the earliest op; ortnnifv. The winners at the Trnnanian Turf ("Hub races at Hobart last Saturday were: Abernant (by Oaulus), Con (bv ' C.'.co.J, Wynyard Lad (by Harcfield), Flyaway (by Uranus). Steam (by St. Glaze), and Gravelotte (bv Grafton). In the contest for the light-weight boxing championship of Australasia, at the Stadium. Sydney, Mehegan, of Victoria. proved so vastly snoTlor to Arthur Douglas, of South Africa, that the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round, and g,TV> the verdict to the Victorian. The lameness developed by Mr Hunter White's Jinnee during the A.J.C. spring meeting continues, and his owner has withdrawn him from his Victorian spring engagements. He remains for the present at Randwick for treatment. His e+ablemate, Woad, also owned by the Havilah studmaster, goes to Mr W. Cornwell's farm, near St. Mary's, for a spell, as dees Mr White's Safra.no. The approximate estimate of the attendance (given officially) at Randwick during the currency of the A.J.C. spring meeting was 104,000 persons, of whom 35.000 wore t>resen.t on Derby Day and on Metropolitan Dav: 14,000 on Craven Plate day; and 20.000 on the final (Randwick Plate) day. A remarkable record was put up at the Broadsound races, Central Queensland, on September 29, when the seven races on the ~*-**J were secured by the progeny of Battle

Abbey. Blush won a double—the Maiden Plato" and Hack Race—as did Zeal in the Stockman's Purse and Farewell Handicap; Industry secured the Flying Handicap; Fare-Thee-Well the Broadsound Jockey Club Handicap, and Ingratitude the Hurry Scurry. • Battle Abbey was bred at Warwick Farm by the late Mr William Forrester, and is by Carbine from Rosary, by Monmouth from Vesper, by Panic from 'Evening Star (imp.), (great-granddam of Wakeful), by Lord Clifden. Battle Abbey was raced as a two and three year-old, but did not earn a winning bracket. Certificates of age and identity in regard to the following New Zealand-bred horses have been accepted as satisfactory by the V.R.C.:—B m Lady Lucy, syrs, by Seaton Delaval —Hilda; b m Crucinella. 6yrs. by San Francisco—Char-ente: and b m Celebrity, 4yrs, by Hengist—Celebrity. In regard to Celebrity, a note was taken of the fact that there was some doubt as to the identitv of the sire. Oelebritv is a daughter of the V.A.T.C. Oakle'gh Plate winner, .'Celerity.