Cap and Jacket

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 36, 21 May 1881, Page 392

Cap and Jacket

MY NOTE BOOK,

By "Saul."

" Is Saul also amongst the prophets."

— "Sinbad" thinks Sailor Boy, Clarence, or Winfield will win the Grand National Steeplechase at Wanganui.

— Grand Flaneur has been secured by Mr. Andrew Town, of Hobartville, Richmond, Tasmania, for stud purposes. — Mata's name did not appear amongst the acceptances for any of the events at the Adelaide, S.A. meeting for which he was entered.

— Hales' luck is astonishing. No sooner does Grand Flaneur, with whom he has won the principal prizes of the season, go wrong, than he gets on to Progress and wins the Sydney Leger and Gold Cup.

— Wheatear is the great "pot " for the Melbourne Cup in the doubles. He is not entered for the Melbourne Derby, tmd the opinions are divided between Mammoth, Spimiingdale, and Welcome Jack for that event.

— Two very line Arab entires have arrived by the mail steamer Rosetta at Melbourne for transhipment to Tasmania. One of them, Pathfinder, ran second at the Poonah Derby, and both were selected by General Graves, one of the first judges in India of Arab stock.

— "-Spectator," in the Wanganui Yeoman, says :— " No wonder Mr. Gallagher scratched Kawenata for the Wangaivui Handicap Steei>leeliase. It is generally believed that Lonehand can give the Agent 71bs over country, but taking- the weight-for-a»'e scale, Rawenata, a maiden at the game, duly receives 61bs from the cracks"

— The Papakura Hurdle Race, on paper, reads a good thing for Harkaway, but the other morning he met with a slight accident, though they say that he is now all right. Should he not be, Morning Star will beat him, as the distance is a quarter of a mile shorter than Ellerslie, which will suit him better. To these two the race should be confined, as I do not think Sportsman is fast enough, and the others are only moderate.

—Mr. Allan M'Lean, of Tnki Tuki, Napier, lias purchased privately the filly by Tubal Cain from Fortress by Citadel from Gemma. She is exceptionally well bred, her pedigree showing a double cross of Stockwell and Melbourne with that of Womerslej and Wild Dayrell. The filly, from her breeding, if she sever races a yard, should be invaluable as a brood mure. The remainder of the Bundoora youngsters are to return to Melbourne. They had rather a narrow escape of being shipped on board the Tararua, but crcumstances prevented it.

— Apropos of the C.J.C. Handicap, "Beacon" says :— "It would simply be waste of time to wade through the above, more than six months before the race is to be run with a view of spotting horses that should run very forward. I may remark, however, that Sir Modred, Somuus, and Idalium appear to me about the worst treated ; while Lady Emma is very well used indeed. Foul Play, Grip, Betrayer, and Piscaborious can also certainly not complain. These are all however only impressions which strike me at a first glance; there is plenty of time for a fuller analysis."

— The field for the Papakura Handicap does not promise to be a strong one. Matau (Bst. lOlbs.) heads the list, but he has not been doing much work lately. King Quail (Bst. 61bs.) should be all there. Maid of Honor (Bst. 51bs.) has too much weight on. Kenilworth (7st. 71bs.) is fairly treated, and being an honest horse should run forward. Paramena (7st 41bs.) will never get the distance, besides which he does not like heavy ground. Grand Duchess f7st.) has nothing to complain, of and she may run better on her own ground. For the others I have no fancy. The three that appealbest in are Kiug Quail, Kenilworth, and Grand Duchess, the former for choice.

— When Bend Or, the winner of last year's English Derby, was ignoruiniously beaten both 'in the St. \Leger and Champion Stakes, "know-all's" cried out that his victory at Epsom was a fluke, and that we should never see him win another great race. Other and more reflective writers, however, thought differently. They remembered that Bend Or's sire, Thorxuanby (whom he closely resembles) went oif in precisely the same way at the finish of his three-year-old career, and that he came out as a four-year old and won the Ascot Cup ; and they openly declared their belief that Bend Or would come round again similarly. lam glad to say Bend Or has regained his old form. A cablegram to the Australian papers announces that the Duke of Westminster's fine chesuut, carrying the welterweight of 9st., won the City and Suburban Handicap at Epsom Spring Meeting, beating Mr. J. E. Keene's American colt Foxhall, 3yrs., 6st. 71b., who ran second (the Americans are doing well this season) • Mr Graham's Post Obit, -iyrs., 7st. 31bs., third ; and a'lar^e field. The City and Suburban is the most important of all the Spring handicaps, owing to the heavy betting which takes place on it. Admiral Eous used to say that an owner could back his horse to win £20,000 in the " City and Sub " (as it is slangily called), and not bring him to 15 to 1. The race is run over the last mile and a quarter of the Derby course, and horses that do well in the struggle for " the blueriband of the turf " generally make a bid for it. The course is also favourable to the heavy weights, who almost invariably run forward. Bend Or's performance is a most extraordinary one, in fact it has only once been beaten— i.c ,by the six-year-old Thunder, who won carrying 9st. 41bs. in 1876. No four-year-old ever got home in the City and Suburban with more than 7st lOlbs. Julius Cfflsur, who ran third for the Derby of 1876, carried this weight to victory in 1877, and Digby Grant did ditto in 1872. Both these performances were fairly good, but they are nowhere by the side of Bend Or's, and the chesnut's meetlug with the invincible Robert the Devil in the Ascot Cup will be anxiously looked for.