SPORTING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7447, 28 September 1895, Page 4

SPORTING.

[By Outsider.] Mahaki, I hear, is going real well in his work, and it is only a matter of the black Bon of Ingomar going on alright for him to fulfil his engagements at the New Zealand Oup meeting. He has been entered for Napier Park, and it is most likely ho will be given a nutter if not harshly treated. The weights for this meeting are not due till the 9th of next month. A sounding note that another racing season is upon us is given by the face of nominations for the principal events of the Poverty Bay Turf Club's spring meeting falling due on Friday next. The ex-Gisborne mare Pororua was amongst the starters in the Ascot Handicap at the A.R.C. meeting last Saturday, ihere being twenty who favored her chance out of 661 investors on the totalisator. Pororua was the first away, and led across the top stretch before entering the straight, where she died away, finishing absolutely last. Fidget, another erstwhile Gisbornite, started second favorite in the Pony Handicap, but ran unplaced. The sum of L 8197 was paesed through the totalisator during the two days of the A. B.C. meeting. Nineteen horses have been nominated for the Y.R.C. Sires' Produce Stakes of 1899. St. Leger and Cuirassier are the New Zealand representatives. The Hawke's Bay sportsman, Mr W. Douglas has (says " Spectator ") been strongly advised to take his two Musket horses, Torpedo and Waterfall, to England, with a view to standing them a season and selling them. The Australasian states that fourteen racehorses have died or been killed in Australia and New Zealand since the new racing season commenced on the Ist of August. Since the above was written Auckland has contributed three more (Union Jack, Nero, and Crusader) to the list of fatalities. Mr E. W. Allison, Chairman of the Takapuna Jockey Club, says the totalisator goes a long way to ensure honest racing, and this feature exist i throughout New Zealand, which in this respect will compare favorably with any part of Australasia. He also stated that last year for the Auckland province 35 totalisator permits wore granted for horse race meetings, but 1 this year the number is reduced to 23. There will now be barely sufficient local meetings to support horse owners, for, outside the Metropolitan Club, there will be only eight meetings held within a 70-mile radius of Auckland, in which are included South Auckland and Thames. Few horses at present racing in Australia can have been on the turf as long as John S., who won the Mentoue Handicap on the Ist inst. The little son of Guinea and Olga started his career as a two-year-old at Moonee Valley on March 1, 1888. Altogether he has run 106 races, and scored 15 wins. He was spelled one season. Another serious mishap occurred on the Auckland steeplechase course last Saturday. The hunter Crusader fell and broke his neck whilst competing in the Ladies' Bracelet. This makes three horses in all killed during the two day's racing— namely, Nero, Union Jack, and Crusader. Strange to say, the latter accident happened at the post and rail fence on the top of the hill, where Union Jack shared a similar fate on the previous Saturday. Koyal Rose, who was only beaten by a short head by Sundial in the Sydney Handicap, at the A.J.C. meeting, in the great time of 2min 37 a sec, won thtsame race last year. The stallion Blairgowrie, whom Mr W. Walters a couple of seasons back imported from Australia, dropped dead in a paddock at Papakura the other day. The second forfeit for the Auckland Racing Club's Royal Stakes of 1895-96 show that 68 remain in. Among the number is Bob Bay, the A.J.C Derby winner. Joe Oripps has got Bruin in tremendous nick (says a Melbourne writer), and the man who ventured the opinion out Flemington way that he wouldn't win one or other of the Cops would be looked upon as a kind of madman. Daimio, the crack Australian steeplechaser, it appears, is not meant to start in the next Liverpool Grand National, which is run in March, but in the succeeding oae. In the course of an interview, a report of which appears in the Melbourne Times, J. E. Brewer, the successful cross-country rider, said that Carbine, after he received the historic cut with the whip in the Derby, refused to race under the whip again. There are some funny specimens of nomenclature among the English Derby entries. The Duke of Portland has called one of his "Do" and another " Don't.' l Then there is the same owner's "No Thank You." AMr Crossley has dubbed two Oaks fillies " Pull Up Your Socks " and " Scoop The Pool." This is the style of nomenclature which was in vogue in Lord George Bentinck's early days. Pegasus, the JSew Zealand Cup candidate, was made favorite for the Ascot Handicap at the A.B.C. meeting last Saturday, but several of the others were equally well backed. Pegasus was the last to move when' the barrier flew up, and was some time getting on his legs, but considering the state of the ground he ran a good race and finished fifth. This horse is rapidly getting into form, and by the time November comes round should be cherry ripe. In Auckland, immediately after acting as runner-up to Waiuku in the Spring Handicap, in which event he was going quite as fast as the latter, he was made an equal favorite with Mahaki at 100 to 10 for the New Zealand Cup. A person who is well qualified to judge tells me that had the above race been another thirty yards, Pegasus would have reversed positions with Waiuku. It is a well-known fact that Major George's chestnut is a very slow beginner, but he has the reputation of being a great stayer. The following report was submitted at the annual meeting of the Takapuna (Auckland) Jockey Club, held last Monday : — Your Committee have much pleasure in reporting that the Club has had a most successful season, for after providing six of Gray's patent starting machines, telegraph house and appliances, and also the laying on of a water supply, the net profit for the year is L 428 12s 2d. During the year the Club held two meetings, two days at each meeting, each of which was most successful in every respect. The receipts for the year amounted to L3OBB 19s 7d, and the expenditure to L 2260 7s sd. Your course is at present in splendid condition, but the grandstand and appointments are quite unequal to meet the wants of the public and horse owners. The existing term of lease will shortly expire, and it will be the duty of the incoming Committee to so arrange that necessary improvements may be provided. The balance-sheet showed an excess of asaets over liabilities of L 2084 10s Bd. The cash in bank and in hand amounted to L 317 19s 3d. Bloodshot recently performed a gallop at Riccarton, in the accomplishment of which the son of Maxim moved with great dash aud freedom. Mr Stead's colt promises to be a hard nut to crack in the littwke'a Boy Guineas next mouth. The Melbourne turf writer " Nuiiquam Dormio " argues that the jumps ia 'chases shoald be made aiifficieutly formidable to keep fcurdlers and fast horses possessing a minimum of leaping ability among their owu cl««a. "Numiuam Dovmios idea respecting height is that all 'chasing jumps should bo 4ft Sin. Aud although at first vi«ht fitch :i standard appeals a bit on the bi'-' side ie « Bft out a tne way for true steeplechasing. Certainly -no croascoßfltry jump should be under #fc.

especially on the flat Australian courses, where there is ao much inducement to nice over jumps. It is a very fair argument to say that email obstacles in crosscountry runs are conducive to accidents and the breeding of n class of jumping animals that nre as far removed from true steeplechasers as a mule is from a Derby horse.