MY NOTE BOOK.

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 77, 4 March 1882, Page 388

MY NOTE BOOK.

By "Ariel."

" Tot Jtomines, qiiob sententiee"

— A good name for Libeller, Secundis. — Billingsgate, Bst. lOlbs., was accepted for the Newmarket handicap. — At the Nelson races on the 29th and 30bh £355 will be offered in prizes.

- Hell and Fury is not the name of young Munro's new mare, but "Helen Fury."

—About £15,000 was passed through the totalizators during the three days' racing at Dunedin.

— The entries for the Henderson's Mill Cup and hurdles are more numerous than they were in former years

— Mr Ellis lias liad a bit of kick at last, Lone Hand having won the stakes and Ladies Purse at Gisborne.

— Luck Penny (late Reggingtor) has been backed for a lot of money to win the Easter Handicap. — Both Lyons and Grallaghcr were struck over Lady Emma's victory having laid her previous to the Wellington Cup. — Six to four was freely laid in Auckland on the Combined Eleven re English in the late match in Sydney. — Piscatorious has, I hear, been turned out, and so it may almost be stated as a certainty that he will not see the Post at Whanganui.

— The man who filled in the Press Agency telegram on the Dunedin races, for the " Herald" on Saturday morning, must have been — unwell.

— The speedy Luna miist be all to pieces when she let the Quail beat her over a mile course, as was the case in the Consolation Handicap at Dunedin.

— King Quail was backed for a lot of money in Auckland to get a place in the Dunedin Cup, and it was nearly coming off, as he only got beaten by a head for third place. The seven o'clock train ozi Tuesday took away a large crowd bound for Dargaville races, amongst them being the principal members of the Auckland Bing.

— The Whanganui Cup begins to look a better tiling for Libeller than it did ; as Sir Modred, Somnus, and Dauphin, have all shown -wretched form lately, and, though beaten, little Libeller appears to have been perfectly pink. — Although Matakau was tipped by all the wires that came to Auckland as a good thing in the Dunedin cup, he was hardly backed for a shilling, the public sticking to the Auckland pet Libeller.

— King Quail's running ever since the Auckland Cup, has given added proof, were any necessary, that Hilda would have beaten him easily in that event had she been saved her fruitless journey in the Free Handicap previous. — The Henderson's Mill Cup and Hurdles have both fair entries — 12 for the former, and 1 for the latter. The meeting is a great favourite with the sporting public, as it is very easy of access, just a nice drive, and there is always really good sport. —Libeller has given his long-suffering backers another slap in the face by getting his usual position (second) in the big event for which he was so much fancied, and repeated it in the Forbury handicap, though he met the mare on nine pounds better terms in the latter.

— Settling on tlie Dunedin Cup took place at Tattersall's Occidental Hotel, on Saturday night. There was some grumbling amongst the "Books" at the nonappearance of backer.s I think, as betting is not a necessity, jjeople should be prepared to pay when they lose. — The books that opened early on the Dunedin Cup had bad luck as Lady Emma was very much fancied before her Wellington Cup performance, but after that no one would back her at any price, hundreds to ten being freely offered on the day of the race. — Bandwick evidently can't stand the kn ocking about his new owners give him. It is a sin to lug a horse that could race like he did in tho A.R.C. Handicap, at the weight too— all over the country in the hope of picking up a few crumbs, and keep him in training when he is not fit to gallop a yard. — Mr Walton, it seems, on the evening following his trouble with Sir John Astley in the Birdcage at Newmarket, England, offered to fight the latter for §5,000, but as this offer was as ridiculous as the baronet's wordy onslaught had been unmanly and utterly indefensible, nothing came of it.

— Somebody, tinder an evidently assumed name, is going for Mr Percival hot, and at the same time indirectly having a dig at the sporting writers for not scarifying poor Percy. Actions speak louder than words j oxir fields for all handicaps are good and the racing generally ditto. .1 don't think to change would be to improve. The "Walters, Mason, and Vallance stable have been very unlucky. Even the apparently invincible Sprinter, Billingsgate, could not pull off his favourite J-mile, but was beaten at weight for age by a two-year-old (Siesta) who, if I mistake not, is by Tradueer, out of Hammock. As the filly won, " hard held," by a length-and-a-half in lmin. 18isec, she promises to be a regular hummer.. — Tasman, Dan O'Brien's promising three-year-old colt, has shown himself a consistent performer at the last meeting. _ He carried 7st. into second place in the Dunedin J.C handicap,

and 7st. 121b5., or weight for age, in the Mandeville Plate, which he won cleverly from Legerdemain, Post, Matakau, and Holderness. It is noticeable that he was ridden on each occasion by G-eorge Williams, the Victorian jockey, who rode him in the first race and won, at the Dunedin spring meeting.

— The performance of Lady Emma in ■winning the Treble Event (Cup, J.C. Handicap and 3?orbury Handicap) at Dunedin, must be looked upon as a really good one, and at the same time as a great surprise ; no one for a moment expecting her to run even forward for the cup after her poor performance at "Wellington, which latter must certainly be regarded as peculiar. She has now proved herself well -worthy of the reputation she brought here ; and a stayer and weight carrier. — *7st. 61bs. two miles and a distance ; Bst. 4lbs., If mile j and Bst. lOlbs., H mile ; first in a good field each time, is no flukey work, but real sterling bottom and speed.

— Another boil-over in the Dunedin Cup, and poor little Libeller is the victim. As soon as Mr Walter has a good show of landing a good stake, so sure something turns up the last minute and beats him. In the Autumn Handicap, 2 miles, in Auckland two years ago, he looked a -winner all over, when a twenty to one chance turned \ip in the shape of Yatapa, and beat him in the fastest time ever done on the Auckland course — 3-39. Again at "Wanganui last yoar another rank outsider, Sir Greorge, a horse hardly ever mentioned, beats him on the post, and now another big prize is snatched from his grasp by the un-looked-for Lady Emma, who was thought to have not the ghost of a show inthe stable, I believe, having not backed her for a shilling. Although she was reported to be very pink at the "Wellington meeting, I doubt it very much, for sho must have made a little show had she been fit and well. I think she could have "won the Dunedin Cup -with 8 stone up, as her running in the C.J.C. and Forbury handicaps proves that she must have won with a lot to spare.