CAP AND JACKET

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 12, 4 December 1880, Page 98

CAP AND JACKET

, The Ghost is looking well. The members of the Melbourne Reform Club won £20,000 on the Victorian Derby. Rose of Sherwin will not accept for the Auckland Cnp. j The colt foal by Traitor out of Gilda broke ! his leg the other day, and had to be destroyed. The Dunedin totalisators were used in con- ! nection with the Hanlan-Trickett contest. The Irish comedian, Grattan Biggs, made a big hit in Ghristchurch. YoungSledmere will not, it is said, start for the Auckland Steeplechase. Quite right. About £1000 to a postage stamp represents his chance for that event. Jack Harris, together with two or three other members of the Southern "talent," are expected up here on Monday or Tuesday next. Paramena is in grand condition, and will make a good fight for the short races at the coming meeting. Notwithstanding the mistake re Gilderoy, Mr. Lyons' s visit to the Waikato seems to have been the reverse of unremunerative. Lucky dog ! j Mr. Farmer's Florence is in splendid fettle, { and bar accidents, should about win the Auckland Derby. Prunella and Vampire had a "rough up" on Wednesday morning, in which the latter did much, the best. The match between Lone Hand and Levant appears to have been won absurdly easily by the former. There was no betting, G. Osborne has purchased York from H. Goodman, and will run him first on the West coast. " Voltigeur," the sporting correspondent of the "Canterbury Times," retires in favour of Mr. G. Elliott. "Sinbad" says Amulet has a very doubtful hock, but will win all the autumn two-year old events if he trains on. Mr. R. Mason informs " Beacon " of the | " Witness," that he has received a cablegram from Mr. R.'Vallance stating that he has sold his share in Mata and is coming back to New Zealand. An Oamaru paper says that Waimate hotelkeepers were very fortunate at the recent C. J.C meeting. Their united winnings are said to amount to £1500 or £1700. I can answer for one having landed over £1000. Ariel (wearing bandages) had a good gallop on Wednesday morning. He is looking very big. His owner, jolly old Mat Edgar, attends him regularly at exercise. Neither Maid of Honour nor Tim Whiffler have been out of fche stable since Monday. When last seen the Maid walked very gingerly. I sincerely hope there is nothing .wrong. Notwithstanding her wretched display in the Christchurch Derby, "Sinbad" opines that Lure will still prove herself snperior to Lurline. A daring prophecy isn't it? The Stewards of the Ly ell's Bay Races have decided the disputed Maiden Plate in favour of Cossack. The owner of Moeraki, the second horse, is not satisfied, and is going into the R.M. Court, to " have the law " of the stewards. Pressure on our space compels us, at the last moment, to leave out " Old Turfite's " article on the Wellington Cup. It will, however, appear next week, together with a number of interesting notes on current events, by that gentleman. Mr. Farmer's Rewi was going splendidly up hill Tuesday, when he wrenched himself at exercise. He is now quite lame. This must be dreadfully disappointing to his owner, who fancied the horse's chance for the Cup. The match between Harold and Gilderoy proved a regular facer for the "talent," who went for the former to a man. Mr. Percival and one or two others prophesied Gilderoy's victory, but their judgment was pooh-poohed. After the race was over Harold's backers begun to wonder how they could ever have believed in such a common-looking beast. Darriwell's inglorious position in the Cup race is explained by " Augur. It appears that while the horses were at the post waiting for a start, Lothair kicked last year's Cup winner twice, each time severely, and the victim has been lame ever since. When lettingout with his hind legs Lothair also came within an inch of Grand Flaneur. Active preparations are being made for the Katikati race meeting in Feb. 1881. Some of the most prominent sporting men have left the district, so things may not be so easy as heretofore. Still, the hon. secretary, Mr. Cecil Gladstaues, who is such an energetic young man, seems to be pretty hopeful of making a good show. Bettors who wish to avoid mistakes, and keep free from disputes, should make a point of getting all wagers initialed. It is not much trouble, and may save infinity of subsequent bother. Those who got •'huffy " when asked to initial a wager are either fools or else have bad consciences. Men who have never shirked or wished to shirk a settlement, are always glad to have things as clear and unmistakable as possible. No bets should stand good which are made after the result of a race is known in Auckland. I mean supposing A and B make a bet on the Tiddleliwink Cup on Monday evening at 7, and it is afterwards found that the result of that important event was known at the " Herald office at 6.45, the bet should be null and void. In England no bets stand good which are made after the hour at which a race is fixed to be run. "Spur" was the only sporting writer that fredicted sometime before the C. J.C. handicap, that Le ioup would prove the intended one, instead of Betrayer, who was then first favourite. — "Etunour has put her tongue on an ugly spot with regard to the C.J.C handicap. I give the statement as it was made to me, and I leave my readers to judge. It is simply this, that heavily backed as Betrayer has been for the event, ho will not be sent for it, but that Le Loup is to represent the interest. If this should prove correct, there will be not a little money thrown away." The •' literary " bosses at the "Herald " office should be careful how they give important information to outsiders. It is current gossip that racing news obtained there overnight has been used for improper purposes. In the case of all results of sporting events an extra should be published at once, or else the sub-editor should keep the telegrams in his own possession till it is absolutely necessary to put them in type. Unless one can place absolute reliance on a man's honour, it is very wrong to give him advance news re racing matters. Heaven knows what use he may make of it. The Committee of the Melbourne TattersaU's subscription rooms have been asked to decide how trebles stand, when the first of a treble ends in a dead heat. A bookmaker laid 1000 to 1 soy. against Welcome Jack, Flaneur and Flaneur for the Maribyrnong Plate, Derby and Cup. Also £1000 to £1 against Lavinia and the two Flaneurs. The question is does he pay half to each P The backers think he should pay two-thirds to each. But this will not hold good, as he cannot be held liable for more than £1000. If he could be, he could never estimate his liability.

On the St. Leger day one Doncaster tradesman sold £170 worth of waterproof coats, and during the week over £300 worth. Another Bold £50 on the St. Leger day, and both assert thoy_ could have disposed of more if they had had them in stock. This strongly demonstrates the weather experienced during the Doncaster meeting. Mitchell, the " coming man "' at billiards, mode the following extraordinary break in a match with an amateur to whom he was giving 1500 in 2000. The amateur broke the balls and Mitchell scored 50, and and subsequently 108, composed: of 36 spot strokes ; the amateur then scored 10. Mitchell in his next break holed the red ball and got the spot stroke, and held the cue till he had pocketed the red ball 612 times scoring 1839. Three or four times he got too near the cushion, and had to play round the table to get position. The game lasted 1 hour 35 vain. It is reported that the Auckland Stud Company have sent home to England>f:>r some brood mares. It is to be hoped that they are prepared to pay long prices for them, as brood mares of character have hardly ever been in greater demand than at the present time. At the Doncaster sales the following fetched long prices' Agenoria (1876) by Adventurer out of Milliner by Rataplan, 880 guineas (Mr. Weatherby). Milliner (1869) by Rataplan out of Manganese by Irish Birdcatcher, with a colt foal by Adventurer, 940 guineas (Mr. Polge). Apology (1871) by Adventurer out of Mandragora by Rataplan out of Manganese, 3200 guineas (Mr. Vyner). Owing to a bad calculation on the part of .the proprietors, one of the totalisators, open in Dunedin for operations on the Canterbury Cup, was not closed to investors until several minutes after the result of the race had been posted up outside the Empire Hotel. Some would-be clever ones, seeing the opportunity, made a great rush to the office, but their eagerness to get onto Le Loup caused the worthy owners of the machine to smell a rat, and they shut up shop forthwith. There is little doubt but that some tickets were sold to the clever ones ; but the affair has been greatly exaggerated. The dividend on the race amounted to £3 2s 6d per £1 ticket. The Waikato Spring Meeting took place on Tuesday last. The attendance was pretty fair, considering the number of persons that had gone to the Te Arqha Goldflelds. The racing was not of on. interesting character, owing to most of the races being confined to local horses. The fields were also small. The Hurdle Race ended in a match between Sportsman and Young Sledmere. Sportsman came in alone, through Young Sledinere refusing at every hurdle. The principal race, the Spring Handicap, fell to the lot of Zing Quail, who carried the top weight, though notwithstanding his beingr rather on the big side, had no trouble in. disposing of his six moderate opponents, Gilderoy being second. The other races call for no comment. The attendance at the Wellington Spring Meeting was very moderate, owing to the unfavorable state of the weather. The news to hand is very meagre. Billingsgate, with the steadier of 9st. fibs, continued his victorious career, and placed the Railway Handicap to his owner's credit. Billingsgate has improved wonderfully this year and may now be looked upon as the best sprinter in New Zealand, and likely to make as great a name for himself over short courses as his dam Slander did in her day. The Spring Handicap attracted only a moderate lot of horses to the post, Norseman, the best of them being amiss, so Luna managed to win a head from Lone Hand, Norseman finishing third. The other races were not of an interesting character. The news of the Dunedin Races is of a very scanty character. The principal race, the Handicap, was won by Atlantic, to whom Le Loup was giving 3st. 21bs. The verdict of the judge was an extraordinary one, viz., won by a short nose on the post. This verdict, I think, has only once being equalled and that was when a 1 judge in Canterbury gave it as won by a nostril. 1 think that when a race is as close a thing as a nose or nostril, the judge might fairly give it as a dead heat. The Native Handicap was won easily by Randwick, Bst. 51bs., Hilarius, 7st. 121bs. second. Le Loup was ridden in the Spring Handicap by his owner, and as he is a difficult horse to ride, his jockey might not have understood him, and waited too long. To this cause may be attributed his defeat, as from recent form he was quite capable of giving the weight away. Libeller also ran, but was nowhere. Perhaps the little horse is waiting for a better day, as I can not think that he has lost all form, so most likely he will be seen to better advantage later on in the season.