CARAND JACKET

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 27, 19 March 1881, Page 9

CARAND JACKET

MY NOTE BOOK, By "Old Turfite."

— The weights for the Taranaki Autumn meeting have been published by Mr. Hately. In the Jocky Club Handicap, Longlands heads the list with the steadier of 9st. 61b., Libeller (Bst. 121 b.) coming next. The handicap appears to be a pretty good one, King Quail (7st. 51b.), Redeemer (7st. 101b.) /and My Dream (6st. 1211>J reading the best in at the present time. Hippocampus (7st. 21b.) will be fancied by many, but for my part I do not believe that he can get two miles under any weight. In the Hurdle Race Mr. Hatel.y comes down to the absurd weight of Bst. 121 b., and in the Steeplechase to 9st. I am surprised at this, as in the old country, some years ago, he was a great advocate for heavy weights. The horses, for the most part, being strangers to me, I shall not attemjit to analyse their chances. — The bookmaker, Drake, did not pay up his £1900 to W. Goodison by the time fixed by Tattersall's Club, Danedin, and he was consequently posted as a defaulter. By the morning of the first day's races, however, "Ducky" thought better of the affair, and a settlement being come to, the notice of his default was withdrawn. I now learn that Gooclison, who had laid off £100 of this Mata money to a Mr. Btirnian, refuses to pay the latter a shilling. This is rather cold, considering that he acknowledges receiving his own money from Drake, and lam not surprised to hear that Burnani intends bringing the matter before Tattersall's. —At a meeting of the stewards of the Wairarapa Jockey Club it was resolved that Mr. Redwood be applied to by the secretary for payment of money due by him to the club for subscriptions and eutrancee money now owing since Stirabout won the Maiden Plate four years ago. —Many people in the colonies put a great deal of faith in the time races nre run in. Experience, however, hns shown racing men at Home that time is no test at all, and that men who trust to it will soon get broke. Still, if people in the colonies put their trust in it, time should be properly taken. The Herald gives the time for all the Wanganui races, some of which are absolutely absurd. For instance— Maiden Plate, 1J miles, time 2min. sJsec. ; Sapling Stakes (for 2-year-olds), 1 mile, time Imin. 21Jsec.; Town Plate (welter weights), 1 mile and a distance, time Imin. sisec. As the Herahl is looked upon by many as a good authority, it would be better either to leave the time out altogether or give it correctly.

— Jimmy Poole is going to Sydney very shortly. —Grand Flaneur is at S to 1 for the Sydney Cup. I shouldn't care to take it. — Mata goes to India after the Adelaide (S.a.) meeting. —Jimmy Poole says the "stiff tack" he laid his young friend, the levanter, for the Dunedin Cup was On Dit, and that as he had to back the brute back for a pony " his losses over the transaction amount to £70. —Mr. H. Driver has bought Somnus, Idalnm, and Sir Modred on behalf of a company being- formed in Otngo. I wonder will the "company" turn out to be bookmakers. — The entries for tin's year's Liverpool Grand National (the Steeplechase Derby) nre very poor. The Sporting Times says there appear to be no good jumpers nowadays. Why doesn't Mr. Butler send The Agent home ? —Mr. Fisher, mine host of the Occidental, has opened a sweep for £500 on the Autumn Handicap. Having got up three affairs of a similar kind in Wellington with success, he will, no doubt, be able to fill up here. —"Augur" tells us that "all the available money hns been taked about Darehin for the V.E.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup of next spring, this colt having been backed to win about 15,000 at 1000 to 10 " Darebin is one of Lurline's colts. —The scratching of Sir Modred for the D. J. C. Handicap, at the late Duuedin meeting, seems to have created n, tremendous row. Ifc appears he had been very heavily backed by the public in doubles mid trebles for this event, and when the talent saw him brought out for a less iialuable race the same afternoon they were naturally wroth. The case is precisely similar to that of Foul Play at the Auckland meeting. —In Macaroni's (English) Derby in 1863, and Hermit's in 1867, the largest stakes were won that were ever gamed by one individual. So far as figures go, the largest stake ever won by any one man was by Mr. Chaplin over Hermit. His account showed a balance of something like £150,000 ; but as he laughingly remarked to me some time afterwards, a considerable part was "on paper," and is owing to this day. The man who won the most money, and got it, was Mr. Naylor, who had over £100,000 paid into his bankers after Macaroni had won the Derby. Mr. Merry is popularly supposed to have won upwards of of £100,000 on Thormanby, but I believe that his gains did not exceed £70,000, which is about what Sir Joseph Hawley won on Teddington. —Among the sporting fraternity who went over to Launceston last month to attend the races there was " The Leviathian." Settling on the meeting over, he charted a special train for the Sunday to take to the capital those who wanted to join the steamer leaving there next day for Melbourne. Great, then, was the consternation in sporting circles in Hobart when it became known that Messrs. Joseph Thompson and Louis Barnard had been arrested. It appears (says the HobaH Mercury) that while journeying to Hobart they began card-playing, and were so engaged when the train stopped at the Jerusalem station. Sub-inspector Anderson saw them, and immediately took them into custody and lodged them in the Jerusalem watch-house, where they were able to cogitate over this rather unusual proceeding. When ajjprehended they gave as an excuse for their Sunday gambling that they belonged to the Hebrew persuasion, no doubt thinking it "hard lines" that a Jew could not play a friendly game of cards in Jerusalem. Next day they were each sentenced to an hour's imprisonment.