CAP AND JACKET

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 23, 19 February 1881, Page 235

CAP AND JACKET

MY NOTE BOOK

By "Old Turfite."

The Te Aroha meeting appears to have been a great success with tlie exception of the Publicans' Purse. According to the Waikato Tunes this handicap gave dissatisfaction. Though, seven horses were entered, .it ended in a walk over for Ratcatcher. Old Golden Crown won the principal event after a good race with Yatapa, from whom he was receiving 1 a stone. It is wonderful how Mr. Byers keeps tliis "horse on his legs, and picks -up all the besb things at the country meetings. When he bought him, some two years ago, he was supposed to be done up, and was sold at a hack price. As things appear, he is likely to put some more money to Iris owner's account before the season is over. The Tauranga meeting (Poverty Bay) produced some good racing. The horses engaged were, for the most part, local, therefore their running does not affect any of the future big events. Merlin, who appears to have greatly improved this season, picked up most of the money. Foul Play and Pnramena have not begun well for their new owner, both of them having been beaten in their races. Foul Play, of 'course, had the top weight, still in that company he ought to have performed better. The Duneclin races take place on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of this month. The general entries and acceptances that were made last Friday are very good, and give promise for a most successful meeting. The hurdles have an' entry of seven. Agent heads the list with 12st., (a weight that he is quite master of.) Clarence, coining next, with only 21bs. less. The weights, however, go down to the low scale of Bst. 91bs. This will, of qourse, militate against Agent's chance, still I expect him or Clarence to furnish the winner. It is a pity to see the weights for hurdle racing and steeplechasing brought so low. It tells against good horses, and encourages weeds that are fit for nothing else. This question has been ably argued in the Australasian! and it is to be hoped that the day is not far distant when the minimum weight will be lOst. for this description -of races. The Railway Plate has an entry of six, the Maiden Plate, seven, and the Queen's Plate, six. All these races are. dependant on previous running. The Champagne has an acceptance of seven, including some well bred, ones, the best being a brother to Betrayer and Sir Modred, the colt by Yattendon out of Peeress, and Amulet, who showed good form at the Christchurch meeting. Most of them are strangers to me, but I fane3 r that Mr. Walters' colt, if at all fit, will take a great deal of beating, as he is a nice lengthy animal, showing a great deal of quality, and a good mover.

The Dunedin Cup is the principal race of the meeting. Up to the present time betting has been very limited, Le Loup and Sir Modred being the favourites. Some years ago owners used to send their horses to Dunedin weeks before the meeting, on account of the risk they ran on board the steamer. The railway, however, has done away with the necessity of sending them "by sea ; therefore they are kept at home till the last aioinent. During the last two or three years many ■owners have made private gallops, therefore there is great difficulty in finding out what horses are really doing ; the betting also is so limited that it gives you no information. When I wrote about the handicaps for the Dunedin Cup some time ago, I expressed an opinion that it was not such a certainty for Le Loup, Sir Modred, and Virginia Water as most people deemed it. I am still of the same opinion. Le Loup, though top weight, holds a great many safe on his Christchurch running, and has been backed to win a good stake down to sto 1. Sir Modred has been greatly fancied from the time the weights were published, and is now first favourite at 3to 1. Virginia Water is backed at 7 to 1. She was taken to Wellington, but did not run. It is reported that she went amiss, but I am inclined to differ with that opinion. Titania and Volunteer are also backed at Bto 1. The former I have no fancy for, but the latter is a good horse when fit and well. Grip is another animal that has been backed on the quiet to win a good stake. Last year he was as good a horse as Betrayer. The stable are in good form at present, and know what they are about. At this distance from the training grounds it is impossible to get acenrate information as to what horses are doing, but, instead of only throe, as was first thought, I think the following are all well in : Le Loup, Grip, Sir Modred, Volunteer, Virginia Water, and Lady Emma. Reducing them to three, I prefer the chances of Grip and Le Loup in the order named, though, if things are right, Volunteer may come at the last moment and upset the pot.

At the sale of the Middle Park Stud, Sir Hercules Robinson purchased the following brood mares for the Auckland Stud Company. Bergere (foaled 1873) by Saunterer out of Lass of Gowrie by Dundee covered by Dutch Skater, 300 guineas; Clyteimiestra (foaled 18G7) by Blair Athol, dam by Irish Birdcatcher out of Mickleton Maid covered by Scottish Chief, 135 guineas ; Mad Cap (foaled 1873) by Trumpeter, dam by young Melbourne out of Maid of Ma sham covered by Blue Mantle, 55 guineas ; Mersey (foaled 1874) by Knowsley out of Clemence by Newiniuster covered by Scottish Chief, 150 guineas ; Rosette (foaled 1876) by Lord Lion out of Rouge Cross by Thorninanby covered by Scottish Chief, 350 guineas. The correspondent for Bdl's Life makes the following remarks on the sale: — "Business was pretty brisk in connection with the sale of Bergere, a beautiful Birdcatcher niare, whose breeding could not be mistaken, put in at 'a hundred ' by the owner of Beauchainp 11, who appeared terribly loth to lose her. She was at last knocked down to Sir Hercules Robinson at 300 guineas, and it was not the worst bargain the 'Governor' made during the afternoon. Sir Hercules Robinson threw in for a bargain in securing Rossette, whose good looks and shape held out, doubtless, greater attractions than her near relationship to Bend Or. On the second day of the sale, when the foals were sold, the chestnut colt, of great hone and liberty, by Dutch Skater out of Bergere, was sold to Mr. Hulnie Webster for 310 guineas to sell again at his annual sale of yearlings. Sir Hercules Robinson, in buying these mares, had evidently in mind the blood that was likely to suit Musket. With these mares and others that the Stud Company have, together with those lately bought by Major George, and thoss of Mr. Walters, Auckland promises to bo able to compete with Christchurch. It would be a good thing if the A.R.C. Committee would take into consideration the advisability of having a "breeders' stake" on the same -principal as those in England, which have lately become so popular with breeders and owners of race horses.

Pageant, who won the Chester and Shrewsbury Cups in 1877 and the Chester, Brighton and Doncaster Cups in 1878 is dead. Bal Gal won £10,606 during her career as a two-year-old; and Thebais, another crack youngster, credited her owner with £5818. Robert the Devil's winnings in stakes alone during 1880 amount to £18,647. James "Waugh, Ready Money Robinson's trainer in England, has returned from the continent and recommenced work at Newmarket. - Hermit heads the list of winning stallions in England for 18S0, Ms progeny having won no less than £29,622 ; Adventurer comes next with £15,974, and then Bertram (Robert the Devil's sire) with £12,808. The Grand Annual Hurdle Race, run at Uandown Park on the Bth of December, was won by the Shrewsbury Cup winner Antient Pistol, Charles I second, and Northfleet third. The famous mare, Formosa, who won the Two Thousand, One Thousand, Oaks and St. Leger in 1868, is dead. Her decease took place but a few days after that of Blue Gown, who was the Derby and Ascot Cup winner of the same year. The following are the amounts realised by the principal winning owners in England during 1880 :— liord Falmouth, £16,061; Prince Soltyifoff, £13,135; Mr. Crawfurd, £13,0875; Mr. Brewer, £12,571; Mr. Jardine, £11,904!; D. of Westminster, £11,258; Mr. C. Perkins, £9341,

(To the Editor.) Sir,— l . was much surprised to notice a paragraph in the last copy of your paper to the effect that " ' Old Turfite ' was quite wrong in stating that the books were chary of laying against Vampire for the Dargaville Races." In .-justice to " Old Turftte " I have no hesitation myself (and several others will also bear me out,) m saying he was perfectly correct about the betting, for as soon as the weights appeared I at once questioned the " talent " what they would give against Vampire and they did not care about laying even money although they ottered me a good price about anything else. A week or so afterwards it was reported Vampire had gone wrong and would probably be on the shelf for the remainder of the season. Not quite believing the horse to be as bad as represented, I inquired his price and was magnanimously offered 3 to 1 which I considered too short to take about a doubtful starter even though the bookmaker in trying to persuade me remarked, •" Well, if he comes to the post you know as well as I do the odds will be on him." I notice "Phaston" in his criticism of the handicap says, Maori at 9st. is well in, and picks Yatapa with 7st. 41bs. to win. In to-day's paper however, (no doubt upon it being a different handicapper) he says the former is completely crushed out of the Ohaupo Handicap, while he entirely ignores the chances of the latter. Seeing that these two horses meet at a difference of only a couple of pounds between the two handicaps, what in the name of sense does he base his calculations on ? Surely if the one handicap is perfection as far as Maori and Yatapa are concerned, the other according to his own showing can't be far amiss. With regard to Hippocampus, perhaps he has got in a few pounds too light, but it should be borne in mind he has had a very heavy season at the stud, and I for one have yet to be convinced that a horse that has been a whole season at the stud, can be brought out immediately after to win a two mile race wibh anything like decent company. The result will help to prove whether lam correct in this conjecture. — I am, &c, A Backer op Horses.