CAP AND JACKET

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 66, 17 December 1881, Page 212

CAP AND JACKET

MY NOTE BOOK, By "Saul,"

" Is Saul alto amongtl the prophets /"

— A good name for tlio Cassivelaunus-Envy filly — Mandragorn. —Edward Day intends removing his horses from Joe Ellis' stable. — Messrs Roper and Vnllanee -will arrive by tlio Hotoniahana on Monday next. — Mr Percival is handio.ippcv for tlie Nortli Shore Meeting, a fact whicb in itself guarantees good racing 1 . — There is nothing in Die Auckland Cup but Foul Play and the Envy filly — at least, so the Southerners say. — It is said that about a quarter of million of money was lost by the betting public on the last Melbourne Cup. — General entries for the A.R.C. Summer Meeting close this (Friday) evening, when a good deal of betting will probably take place. — The entries for the Takapuna meeting were received on Tuesday evening, and promise a capital day's sport. — Billy Kraft, the Auckland Stud Company's popular groom, was attacked by Musket in his box on Monday last, and much bitten about the face, &c. — Lone Hand was backed by the owner on Wednesday for the Steeplechase to win £500. Joe Ellis told everyone he was lame, so that people |expected a commission would be out shortly. — The race for the Sandlnnvst Cup, at Bendigo Spring Meeting, resulted in a dead heat between Mr Coffey's Albyn and Mr Sevior's Star of the West, The race was run off, and won by Albyn hands down. • — The Grip stable offered to bet an even £500 the C.J.C. hero would win the Auckland Cup, but as no one could be got to lay even a portion of that sum, he was promptly scratched. — Musket's son, Petroncl, won Her Majesty's Plate at the Newmarket Second October meeting, beating Chippendale, Euuus and Eusebe. The betting was even on Chipiieudale and 5 to 4 against the winner. — Drake, Jack Harris, and Belcher — the only members of the Southern ring whom it is safe to have any very extensive dealings wi£h — hare arrived from the South, and are open to lay £500 against anything at a fair price. —The favourite for the English Derby of 1882, Mr H. Ey mill's splendid colt Bruce, won the timehonoured Criterion Stakes at the Houghton meeting, Nellie, second, and St. Marguerite, third. Value of the stakes, £1127. — Whilst in England Mr Stead, of Canterbury, has puichased a 3-year-old colt by Mortemer, out of Araucaria, who is own brother to Chamant, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1877. The colt will be shipped almost immediately for the Colony. — The absolute amount of profit gained by the Y.R.C. at their late Spring Meeting is £8300, which is a very pretty addition to a banking account. Last year the gain was £10,000 ; but then the occasion was very exceptional, through the fact of the Exhibition being open. — The editor of this journal has received a letter dated from the South (but apparently posted in Auckland) which contains full particulars of a railway carriage card-sharping swindle in which, it is alleged, a bookmaker likely to patronise our meethig-, was concerned. I forbear publishing the particulars just at present, as if the affair were sheeted home to the culprit it would, of necessity, entail exxnilsion from Tattersall's Club and the enclosure. Sporting men are not very particular in this city, but we rather think they would draw the line at n. convicted card-sharper.

— " The Champion Stakes," says our Melbourne correspondent,!" is exciting but little interest. Progress according to report, is amiss, imdan improbable starter, but tlie 'sharps' can't swallow it. Connnotion ,and Santa Claus have been backed for a bit, but so far there seems very little doing." — For the eighth time in thirteen years, Viscount Faluiouth has won the rich Clearwell Stakes (for two-year-olds) at Newmarket. In 1880 Bal Gal was the victress, and on this occasion Bal Gal's half-sister Dutch Oven ran home first, the field consisting of Nellie Merino, and two others. ' — MrKerfercl, of Melbourne, thinks betting cannot be put down by Parliament. The fire insurance offices (he says) are always laying wagers. They usually laid about £100 to 5s that your house would not be burnt down within twelve months. If the event came off you won the wager ; if not, you lost the stakes. The odds, he considered, were pretty liberal. —The Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket was won on October 28th, by Mr Crawford's 3-year-old colt Corrie Ro3' by Galopin, out of Corrie, Peter second, and Exeter third. Ohippendale, Muriel and Mistake were the other runners The betting was 6 to -1- against Chippendale, 2 to 1 Exeter, 10 to 1 Corrie Roy, Muriel and Mistake and 100 to 8 Peter. — The-grundlv bred Nellie by Hewn it out of Hippia (the Derby and Oaks winners of 1867) carried oft' the Great Challenge Stakes on the last day of the Second October Meeting at Newmarket beating Scobell, Tristnn, Peter, Mazurka, Poulet and Charibert. All the celebrities of the first water. Walton, the American plunger, won £10,400 by the filly's victory, and gave the jockey Barrett £400. — The betting on the Auckland Cup during the week has not been so brisk as is usual at this time of the year. Konilworth has been backed by the stable to win £600 at 100 to 6, and the Poet people have put on £40 at 100 to 10. Of the others, Libeller and Foul Play are in best demand, and the Euvy filly frequently finds backers at 40r5t0 1. For the Steeplechase, people will stand nothing but Clarence and Matau, the latter for choice, Rawenata having retreated to 500 to 5 (offered.) — The San Fransisco mail places me in possession of particulars of the great nice for the Cambridgeshire Stakes on October 27th. There were 32 starters, the favourite being Bend Or (4yrs., 9stßlbs.,) who was backed down to 9to 2. Next in demand came Incendiary (4yrs., 7st lib.,) at fitol, Lucy Glitters (3yrs., Gst 71b5.,) at 7 to 1, mid Foxhall (3yrs,, !)st.,) at 10 to 1. Lucy Glitters looked like winning at the distance but swerved across Tristan, and this allowing Foxhall to get up, he won hardly ridden by ;i, short head amidst a hurricane of cheers. —I have before me the prospectus of the Cambridge Racecourse and Stud Company ; capital, £3000, in 600 shares of £1 each. It runs thus:— "The company proposes to purchase the present Cambridge Racecourse ; also the field of 13 acres opposite the same on the Cambridge-Hamilton Road (into which the steeplechase course extends), together with the grand stand and all other buildings, artificial fences^ and hurdles now upon the ground, or which are the property of the present Cambridge Jockey Club. The land is roughly estimated to contain about 100 acres, which the provisional directors have already arranged to purchase for £2000, on the following terms, viz.:— One-third cash, the residue to remain at interest at tji per cent, per annum for a term of five years, the company reserving the right to pay olt the mortgage at any time upon giving three months' notice in writing. The provisional directors have arranged to purchase the grand stand, which cost £800, for the sum of .CtiOfl. The property which forms the racecourse is situated within two miles of Cambridge, and has an extensive frontage to the Cambridge-Hamilton Road. The hind, which has been laid down for some years in permanent grasses, is admiaably situated, of first-class quality, and will eventually, as the town of Cambridge increases, become of great value. The racecourse itself is in splendid order, and the steeplechase course has been pronounced by competent judges to be unsurpassed in the colony. An oiler has already been made to lease the course for the sum of £100 per annum, which, in addition to the sum of £100 per annum agreed to be paid by the Cambridge Jockey Club for the use of the racecourse and grand stand, would, it is estimated, pay interest at the rate of 7i per cent, per annum on the money invested, which, in connection with other sources of revenue, must yield a handsome annual dividend to the shareholders." I should have thought this would have been an admirable opportunity for all the various racing clubs in the AVaikato to amalgamate and purchase the above-mentioned course (which is so superior to any other), with a view to forming one grand co-operative society to be called "The United Waikato Racing Club." The .district would then be able to boast two meetings in each year, which would challenge comparison with the best in New Zealand, and attract all the best horses. To avoid jealousy, the chief event at the summer meeting might be called the Hamilton Cup (two miles), and that at the autumn meeting the Cambridge Cup (two miles and a quarter). In addition to this, there should be a grand sprint handicap at the summer meeting of about a mile and a-quarter, to which 300sovs. (in addition to a sweep of 15sovs. each, 5 forfeit) ought to be given, and which should be called The Great Waikato Stakes. In England by far the biggest, fiolds and most exciting struggles are those over courses of these distances, and I am distinctly of opinion that the first New Zealand Club which initiates a really rich handicap of about the same nature as the Cambridgeshire Stakes at Newmarket (one mile and a quarter), the Ascot Hunt Cup (a straight mile), or the City and Suburban at Epsom (one mile and a quarter), will found what may eventually become the most attractive contests in the colony. Take the case of the Epsom City and Suburban Handicap, for instance, and compare it with the Great Metropolitan (two miles), initiated at the same time for the same meeting. The " Metrop." was intended to be the prize of the ri- union, and for a year or two proved to be so ; but it soon faded into insignificance, and now the " City and Sub." (for which there are seldom less than 30 starters) is the greatest of all the spring handicaps; in fact, an owner who backs his horse judiciously can win more over it than over the Derby and for a much smaller outlay. The same remarks apply to the Ascot Hunt Cup and Goodwood Stewards' Cup (six furlongs), both of which have entirely supplanted the erstwhile fanious Ascot and Goodwood Stakes (two miles and two miles and a quarter) ; in fact, the year Croagh Patrick was first favourite for the Stewards' at the ducal meeting, and won. There were forty-five starters. Of course, I do not approve of these short sprints overturning the longer races : but one big handicap of this kind would do no harm, and might be the making of a Waikato meeting. It will be a great pity if the Hamiltonians allow any petty jealousy to interfere with an amalgamation. A united Waikato meeting held at Cambridge about a week after the A.R.C.'s summer affair would, I am confident, prove a gigantic success. At any rate, an experimental meeting could do no harm.