MY NOTE BOOK, BY "SAUL."

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 59, 29 October 1881, Page 110

MY NOTE BOOK, BY "SAUL."

"Is Saul also amongst tlie prophets." — Sweeps on the Victoria Derby will be drawn at the Thistle Hotel this (Friday) evening at 9 o'clock. — Either Foul Play or Badsworth will win the Auckland Cup. — Bribery has thrown a nice colt foal to Perkin "Warbeck. — Santa Claus has been backed for the V.E..0. Derby and Cup to win £60,000. — Billingsgate's big knee does not, according to " Sinbad," interfere with his galloping. — Mr Kidd, of Wyndham, has bought Sylvanus. price 100 guineas. — Rewi has returned from Napier, and is now at his owner's, Mr J. Banks. - The betting seems to indicate that Somnus ■will win the Victorian Derby. — G-eneral entries for Christchurch Metropolitan Meeting close on 31st inst. — Nominations for the Wellington Cup close 3rd. — The North Canterbury Racing Club will Tiold a meeting at Eangiora on New Year's Day. — "Beacon," of the Melbourne Leader, considers Moninouth has no chance for the V.E.C. Derby. — Sweeps on the Melboiirne Cup will be drawn at the United Service and Thistle Hotels on Monday evening. — Foul Play and Agent is the favourite double for the Auckland Cup and Steeplechase, 100 to 5 having ■been tnken freely during the week. — That popular young horseman, Fred Carrington came up with McDonald's team. He rode Badsworth in both his wins at Napier. — Bill Profitt arrived from Napier on Wednesday with McDonald's team, consisting of Foul Play, Badsworth, and The Sqtiire. — The Slander filly would have Avon the Vanganui Stakes but that she bolted coming into the straight. — Mr Horsfall's Jenny Lind dropped a fine filly foal on the 12th of October to Feve, and visits him again. — The handicapping for the Napier Spring Meeting was about as bad as it possibly could be. One liorse could have swept the board if he had been wanted. — Joe Ellis' new horse-boxes at Ellcrslie are finished, and Edward Day took possession on Wednesday. — Abbott's No. 2 Consultation seems likely to tot up to £2500 or £3000. It closes on Monday next, and will be drawn about 6 p.m. at the hotel. — Mr G-. Dacre has drawn Duchess, in Abbott's sweep on the Melbourne Cup, and Mr E. B. Houliston Bathurst. — The Auckland Cup is going to be a poor betting race this year. Already people talk as if there ■would be nothing in it but McDonald's pair. — The entries-for the Auckland Cup are poorer than usual. This does not arise from want of energy on the part of the worthy secretary, for he wired all over the coiintry to likely nominators. — The annual meeting of Tattersall's Club takes place this (Friday) evening at the Occidental. Members should roll up as there are many important matters to be considered. — " Sir Launcelot," who has jusfc come from Melbourne,' where he visited all the famous stables and heard the latest gossip, tips Somerset to win the V.R.C. Derby, with The Duke and Darebin or Somnus next. — The Dunedin Jockey Club have removed the disqualification from J. Harding and the mare Miss Domett, the entry money for which Harding was a defaulter having now been paid. — No doubt the running of Hilarious in the Toorak Handicap, in which he carried Bst 111 b and got third, had something to. do with Somnus' rise in the "betting for the Victoria Derby. —Mr H. P. Barber had 60 tickets in Abbott's sweep, and drew nothing, and a similar fate attonded ;j£r Abbott himself with 80, and several others with 20 and 30 chances.

Query Will Grip's nomination for the Auckland Cup stand good V He is trained by Bob Ray, and that worthy has been disqualified by A.R.C. from having anything whatever to do with the Auckland racecourse. „ , _„ , .., , „ Tl a 0 Waitara Jockey Chib will nolcl a meeting on New Year's Day, the full programme of which appears in our advertising columns. The principal event is the W.J.C. Handicap of £75. Nominations close on November 19. „ M1 Theodore Brown says his sweep on the Melbourne Cup is full, yet he won't draw it. This looks fishy very, and naturally makes people suspicious. If anything were to go wrong, inethiuks Theodore would be first tarred and feathered and then beaten to a jelly. Mick Ghillagher Ims made arrangements to have the results of the V.R.C. Derby and Cup wired direct from Flemington at " urgent " rates. The news of the first named event may therefore be expected at the Thistle Hotel soon after 6.30 p.m. to-morrow evening. Owners of thoroughbred mares who have used the Auckland Stud Company's blood sires are to receive no encouragement for exhibiting the pi-oduce at the Agricultural Show, whereas a 'draught foal by Elgin is to receive fifteen guineas from the Company. — The way in winch Abbott's big sweep was drawn on Thursday evening last reflected great credit both on promoter and committee. Prom first to last there was not a hitch, and the greatest good humour and bonhomie prevailed. —The paid-up list of two-year-olds for the Maribymong Plate shows that 49 out of the original 135 nominations have decided to " have a flatter." No youngsters who have been backed to any extent during the winter, or the last few weeks, are absentees at present ; and it is very likely indeed that over 30 of the lot may sport silk. — A Melbourno writer says : " Eumour has it that Havanaka is beginning to show symptoms of soreness from the terrible Cup preparation he has undergone, and that in a trial spin early in the week, Spectre showed himself the best of the trio, the grey being beaten ofl: at the finish, but I do not vouch for the truth of the report." — Santa Ohms was tried pi'ior to the Caulfield meeting, when ho enrried about Bst 31b for nearly a mile rgainst Napper Tandy, with a far lighter weight up, and finished home with Sir Joseph, beating the pair comfortably, and doing the 1J mill (unless the measurement or the watch were wrong) in the noticeably fast time of 2min. 13secs. — That handsome horse Randwick, the second largest stakes winner last racing season, was exhibited at the Agricultural Show at Christchnrch in 1879, when a three-year-old. The judges' estimate of him was that he was below mediocrity, and thoy passed him by as beneath their notice. Messrs Chaplin and Ganuook were these Solomons of horseflesh. — That rocky mole midway between the grandstand and the water jurup at Ellerslie, which always afforded a prominence of view only second to the grandstand to at least a hundred visitors to tho races, has been levelled. This is us great a piece of vandalism as ever was perpetrated on a racecourse. In its stead stands a pile of rocks which will have to be placarded "Dangerous" at the time of the races, or some aaccident will happen. — " Beacon," of the Otago Witness, who may | fairly be called the most euntankorous of Colonial sporting writers, has fallen foul of " Sir Launcelot "for venturing to hint that the non-appearance of Readymoney Robinson's and Lance's horses amongst the Dunedin entries had anything to do with the D.J.C.'s action re Natator. Of course everyone knows there i.s a connection between the two facts, and no amount of argument or abuse is likely to alter the impression. — The following is a list of some of the lucky beggars who have drawn promising animals In Abbott's £10,000 sweep : — Remembrance, Daniel McKenzie ; First Water, Henry Johnson ; Savanaka, Henry Brown ; Warhawk, G. Jone3, sen.; Legerdemain, J. A, Gregory ; Monmouth, J. O. Richardson; Wheatear, Mata and Co.; Sir Modred, Michael Kenny ; The Duke, Woodhead and Co.; Somerset, Jos. Whitehead ; Somnus, C. Barry ; Spinningdale, Samuel Pinch ; Darebin, A. P. Ogilvie ; Waxy, O'Mesvra. — The Middle Park Plate, run sit Newmarket the day after the Cesarewitch, is the greatest two-yenr-old stake of the English racing season, being generally worth between £3500 and £4000. This year it has been won by Lord Rosebery's flying filly Kerinesse (by Cathedral — Hazeldean), who must be a rare good animal to carry the tip-top penalty into the first place. The second horse, Gerald (by Saxon — Girl of the Period) is a Yankee belonging to Mr Lorillard ; and the third, St. Marguerite, is a full sister to the famous Thebais, being by Hermit out of Devotion. — Ever since I had the hardihood to make sundry unfavourable remarks relative to Mr Cameron's very peculiar sweep on the English Derby, " Beacon," of the Otago Wit ness, has amused himself by perpetually saying ill-natured things about the Observer, and drawing interesting comparisons between "Saul" and •' Ananias." lam quite at a loss to understand why "Beacon" should fight Cameron's battles so warmly. Not many weeks ago he was good enough to insinuate that my complimentary remarks re Mr Abbott indicated a pecuniaiy interest in that gentleman's sweep. Perhaps I should not bo -f tar out if I retorted, "Tit quoque, oh, ' Beacon.' " — The English Champion Stakes, run at Newmarket on the Middle Park Plate day, is a weight-for-age contest across the flat (1 mile 2 furlongs 73 yards), and has been won by many of the most famous thoroughbreds that have trod the turf during the last five seasons. In 1877, the year of the race's initiation, the invincible Springfield beat Silvio (the Derby winner) and a good field. In 1878, Lord Palmouth's renowned mare Jannette cantered in first ; in 1879 the Leger winner (Rayon DOr) was successful, and last year Robert the Devil covered himsolf with glory by beating Bend Or easily. This anniversary the contest must have been unusually interesting, because of the meeting between the heroes of the last two Derbys — Bend Or and Iroquois. The former, as might have been anticipated, won easily, Scobell splitting the two; and the Yankees must now be convinced that in truth there is no comparison between this year's and last year's three-year-olds. — The following is a list of the probable starters and jockeys for the V.R.C. Derby to-morrow, together with particulars as to their x^arentage : — Horse. Sire. Jockey. Idalium Traducer — Somnus Traducer Rudings Santa Claus Glorious — Pell Mell Panic — Chuckster Infidel Higginbotham Darebiu The Peer Power Royal Maid King of the Ring St. Albans Kohinoor • Piscator Walker The Duke King Cole Halesf Billilla Fireworks O'Brien Tourmaline* Fireworks — Nautilus Piscator Emsworth Liberator Irish King King Coriolanus Tubal Cain Braithwaite Sardonyx Fireworks Pigott Monmouth Yattendon Huxley Gudarz Yattendon Ramsay Spinningdale Msmbyrnong Connors Somerset Maribymong Yeomansf The Israelite Blue Gown Kilduff * Doubtful starters, f These positions may be reversed.