MY NOTE BOOK,

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 67, 24 December 1881, Page 228

MY NOTE BOOK,

By "Saul."

" Is Satt! also amongst the prophets ?" — Othello should win the Maiden Plate on Cup day, and Billingsgate the Railway Plate. — Chancellor is to remain in Cutts' hands to continue his preparation for the Dunedin Cup. —^Nautilus has been scratched for the Melbourne Champion Stakes. — Envy's sister, Castanette, has foaled a colt to Cassivella.unns. —11. P. Kennedy, the well-known jock, of Maiden's, Queen-street, is open to a mount in the Hurdles. — Mr Snider, the Leviathan bookmaker of New Zealand, and one of the most popular members of the Ring, arrived by the Rotoinahana on Tuesday. — At the AVtigga (New South Wales) meeting Martindale was backed for the Melbourne Champion Stakes to win £500 at 5 to 1. — The Peeress colt, Randwick, and Billingsgate arrived by the Rotoinahana., in charge of Mr R. H. Vallance. — Silver Chronograph Hunting Watches for timing' races, to be purchased from F. H. Lewisson, Jeweller, Queen-street. — [Advt.] — " Sir Launcolot " stands Badsworth, King Quail, and the Peeress colt— the latter for choice— to win the Auckland Jup. — The latest betting on the Champion Stakes is 100 to 40 Wellington ; 100 to 15 each Commotion, Progress, and AVheatear : and 100 to 12 Martinditle. - — My cantankerous friend, " .Beacon," falls foul of ''Phaeton" in his last notes. He can now proudly boast thai, he has abused every sporting writer in the colony. — My tips for Cup day are : — Maiden Plate, Othello. Hurdle Race : *Matau. Cup : Peekess colt, 1 ; Maoki, 2 ; Kenilwokth, 3. Railway Plate, BILLIXHSGATE. —Mr Ramus and Jimmy Poole appeared to enjoy the fracas at Tuttersnll's last Friday amazingly. If I were ill-natured I might retaliate by telling the story about the, champagne. It would amuse some of 11. 's influential amazingly — eh, Jimmy ? — •It is unlucky, Mr Walters, to run an xxnnamed horse in a big race, so, for all our sakes, call the Peeress colt something before Monday next. Either Patrician or Aristocrat would be a most suitable cognomen. — Mr Davidson, of the York Hotel, will have a refreshment booth at the Takapuna races on the 27th inst. Some misapprehension exists as to the racecovrse, many people being under the impression that it is at the Lake, whereas it is not more than ten minutes' walk from the flagstaff whurf. — -A very strange case, in which a well-known trainer and hotelkeeper, as well as sundry other sports, are concerned, is to be brought before Tattersall's Committee shortly. The complainant is Mr Jones, the tobacconist, and the statements he makes are of a most damaging description— amounting, indeed, to a charge of fraud against one or two of the parties. — Much dissatisfaction exists in sporting circles re the withdrawal of Libeller from the Auckland Cup. Some folks assert that a representative of the stable went to TattersalPs, and took "blind" bets to win £1200 about the colt in order to throw the public off the scent, but this I can't uelieve. Such reports are merely the outcome of a disappointed backer's temi>er. • — The Henderson's Mill R.C., which will hold its next annual meeting on St. Patrick's Day, has elected the following officers : — President, the Hon. Thomas Henderson ; vice-president, Mr A. li. Taylor ; judge, Mr W. J. Hurst ; starter, Mr Archibald ; clerk of the course, Mr C. Cowan ; stewards, Messrs Smyth, Malam, Hepburn, Thomas Henderson jun., and R. Garrett ; handicapper, Mr William Percival. —Libeller is a great pet of the Thames folks, so when Jimmy Poole learnt the colt was likely to be a " dead 'mi," he slipped down to Grahamstown and spent the day there, punching him. properly. At length the cat came out of the bag, for someone wired to Auckland — " Poole olfers any price Libeller ; what's up '(" Jimmy will get a warm reception when next he visits the goldfields. — Many well-known members of tho " talent" who used to be up here for the Christmas races will be away this anniversary. Hurry Prince does not mean to patronise Auckland this year ; neither do Jack Collins, nor Patsy Butler ; and Dick Clarke is coining money on ait English course. Still we have the jovial and pleasant Snider, jolly Jack Harris, Drake, Gardiner, Belcher, and another individual, who has had to do an extraordinary lot of advertising to raise a wager or two. ■ — Since his arrival in Auckland Jack Harris, as pur usual, has been doing the principal betting. He has books open on the Wellington and Dunedin Cups, and also on the next Melbourne Derby and Cup. In this couneefcion I may mention that Mr Harris has been much annoyed by a rumour that lie is the Ghristchurch correspondent of the OissEHVEii. The story is about as true as most of the lies which emanate from the same source. — A Christchurch resident who attended the Dunedin races informs "Sir Launcelot " that Messrs Walter and Co. are still running; a totalisator at their old stand, next the Empire Hotel. He says " they are, I believe, acting under legal advice in thus defying the provisions of the Gaming and Lotteries Act — an enactment which we shall soon see wiped from the Statute-book, if many more sporting men have courage enough to beard thelion. Mr Abraham, of Dunedin, is also, I observe, advertising n consultation the same as on previous occasions." — Greorgi! Williams, the Australian jockey, who arrived by the Hotomahana, piloted Ttisuian to victory in the President's Handicap at the D.J.C. Spring Meating. Williams will be remembered as having last season broken his collar-bone at the Wellington Summer Meeting through his mount, Miss Domett, falling with him. Subsequently, he was second on Libeller in the AVanganni Cup, and, returning to Australia shortly afterwards, he rode Strathcarn when the unlucky son of The Barb ran second to Progress in the Sydney Cup. During the present season his best performance in the sister Colony was his second on Pirate in the Caulneld Cup. I am glad to see him back in this part of the world again, and I hope that both he and Ivemy — another Australian who accompanied him, and who rode Yaldhurst, who ran second in the Selling Race at Dunediu — will have plenty of employment during the season, for we have so few good light weights that their arrival may be looked upon as an acquisition. — The totalisators at the Dunedin race meeting, says. "Beacon," did a fine business, slightly marred, however, by the operators at the outside one paying £87 too much over The Agent's victory in the Hunters' Plate. The mistake arose through the £138 in the machine being^divided by 60 instead of I(3o— the actual number of investors on the winner — a. dividend of £2 Is being thus paid away instead of 15s 6d The error was only found out by the money in the hands of the operators running out before all the investors were paid. It is worthy of remark that whilst there were 160 investors in the machine on that race, there were only 73 on the next event, the principal race of the day. It looks very much as if those who had knowingly received a much larger dividend than they were entitled to were ashamed or afraid to, face the operators again. I heard of one sport who had 18 tickets on the winner, but as he stopped to have "a whisky " before collecting his dividends, he only came in time to receive the proper amount, and he upbraided himself in very strong- language when he found out what a good haul he had missed through his "droughtiness." — At the Newmarket October Meeting it is generally the custom of the English Jockey Chib to go into solemn conclave orcr any proposed new rules or amendments ; and the following, which might well be adopted in full by the Auckland Racing Club, is the latest important regulation made by the Home authorities in regard to turf defaulters and those persons guilty of malpractices, viz.: — "Rule 5, sub-section (iii.) to read as follows, the alterations being in italics : They shall exclude from the stand, enclosures, saddling paddocks, weighing-rooms, and other places under their control, every person who has been warned off Newmarket Heath, and every lierson whose name in in the Unpaid Forfeit List, and which has heen, twice so published in the Racing Calendar ; als every jockey who has been suspended for corrupt practices on the turf, so long as the sentence against such person or jockey remains in force. They shall in like manner exclude any person

who, lias been declared by the Turf Club iv Ireland, or by the stewards of any recognised meeting in any country, to have been guilty of any corrupt or fraudulent practice on the turf. They shall further have ytoxner to exclude at tlteir discretion any person from all or any vlaces under their control." — Eefemng to tlio subject of the names of certain ticket holders in Messrs. Miller nnd O'Brien's sweeps having been divulged, Messrs. M. and OB have addressed the following explanation to the Melbourne Argiis : — " We feel that some explanation is due to our clients relative to a commission executed in re Sweetmeat for the late Melbourne Cup, as we find that the impression created by a letter in last week's Australasian has been misinterpreted, and bears a very damaging aspect. The facts are these. Mr Ivory had the half of two interests in Sweetmeat offered to him gratis, if he would start for the Cup, the pnrties believing that they had no chance at the time. He told them that he would consider th c proposal. Iv th c meantime he learned from various sources, but not from us, in all five other interests, which same he came to our office and asked us to negotiate for him at a fnir price. Amongst these last was the party at Narandera, who was paid £30 for the half-share, which amounts to backing Sweetmeat for first place at 100 to 7, when 100 to 3 was his price in the market, thereby equalising the advantages of second and tbird moneys, we getting the amount of 30s for commission. And we distinctly deny the allegation o£ having at any time disclosed the names of our clients. We have always advised by circular to hedge or sell part interests, feeling that the benefits of our clients would be best conserved by ourselves executing the commissions, and we have always acted truly to them. We also assert that the terms were dictated by Mr Ivory, and why such strong expressions should have been made, in what was to us s'irnyly a business transaction, we cannot conceive, but hope that this explanation will be satisfactory lio all concerned. Any further information will be most willingly given by your most obedient servants, Miller and O'Bkien.