RACING FIXTURES.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 346, 25 July 1885, Page 14

RACING FIXTURES.

NEW KE Air AND. Aug. 7.-ABhbt»rton Hunt Club Steeplechases. Aug. 12.— Ohpisteliureh H.C. Steeplechases. August 28.-Norfh Canterbury Steeplechases. Oct. 1 and 2.— Geraldine Spring Meeting. Nov. 10, 12, and 13.-C.J.C. Spring Meeting. DECLARATION OP WEIGHTS. Aug. I.— Christ-church H.O.S. An*. 15.— Forth Canterbury Steeplechases. BroSCtB-ATIOWS, ACCEPTANCES, &0July 25 —Nominations Christohurch H.O.H. Aue. B.— Acceptances Christchurch H. 0.- -& g.-Nominations North Canterbury SteepleAug. 22-Acceptances North Canterbury Steeplechases. AUSTRALIA. September J2.— Great Metropolitan Stakes. October 17. —Canlfi eld Cnr>. « 31— Victoria Derbr. November 3.— Melbourne Cup. Johnny Faulkner is again in active work. A Hunt Club has been formed in kelson. Adamant has been shipped to Sydney from Dunedin. The Pakuranga Hunt Club hounds have returned from the Waikato. Comg-an had the mount on Wymlet in theV.RrC. Grand National Steeplechase. It is stated that the ring was struck for £450,000 over Melton's win' in the English Derby. It is rumored on reliable authority that Jnly will be taken to Melbourne to compete in the Melbourne Cup. Sardius. Commotion, and Lord Wilton were the first horses backed in Melbourne for the Cup after the publication of the weights. Mr Tancred's Consul is likely to leave the post for the paddock, having never completely recovered from the injury which he received at Cambridge last year. The V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase -was won by Wymlet, Sailor second, and Denmark third. ' Clarence in not mentioned. The Hurdle Kaee . was won by the Agent, Guardfish, and Cockboat third. The heir-apparent won £50,000 over his colt Eoyal Hampton, getting a situation in the 'last' English Derby. 'How would the « Gamins: and Lotteries Bill ' work in that country ? But the law makers in Britain are a long way beMnd our wise-acres in making people virtuous by law. The eccentric William Lyons has done some big betting during the week. His •wagers were principally straight out for the Melbourne Cup. He has a thousand pound took on the New Zealand Cud, and he did some betting over that race also. Bill has been rather fortunate of late. A friend of Ms died and left him a nice little nest-egg. He has had great news from Hokitika. The genial Robert Blaikie was not one of 'the lucky ones over the Wellington Steeplechase; he laid the winner, Faugh-a-baUagh, for a tidy sum. He laid the winner of the Grand National, Wymlet, to a visitor from the other side, last Monday. Bob laid to the same gentleman 1,000 to 5, Matchlock and Commotion, 1,000 to 5 Matchlock and Sardius, 1,000 to 6 Thunderbolt and Vaneiiard, 1,000 to 6 Thunderbolt and Commotion. He is still open to lay mixed goods at the same price for Melbourne Derby and Cup. The Wellington Racing Club's Steeplechase Meeting was a great success, there being large .fields and good raciug. The weather was also fine, and consequently the attendance of the sporting public was large. Most of the events were great surprises, if not really *boil overs.' The first event on the programme was the Trial Handicap, and was won by Faugh-a-ballagh, who easily disposed of Ms opponents. For the Wellington Steeplechase of 150 soys, eight faced the starter. These were Macaroni, King Arthur, Romeo, Berrington, Faugh-a-ballagh, Orient, Erebus, and Fair Flay. Faugh-a-ballagh won easily by two lengths, Orient second, and Erebus third King Arthur lost his rider early m the race' and Romeo fell at the last Hurdle. Macaroni was never dangerous m the race The Hurdle Handicap brought out a field of ten and the winner turned up m Erebus flOst 4ibs), Ravenswood being second, and Sup third. Billy-go-by-em broke Ins leg and had to be destroyed.. The Selling Hurdles was won by Doncaster, and the Consolation by Quilp. . The betting over the New Zealand Cup is at a standstill, not a line done by any of the bookmakers for over a week, and why 1 should like to know. I fancy it is much easier to pick the winner in that Cup than the Melbourne great race. In the firstgained race there are only 53 horses, and some of them very old performers, so that the chances of a backer are. much greater than a winner from out of 160' horses, and most of

them unknown to the backer. The cause must be long odds— £looo to £5 is the talisman that drawers the backer and yet there are some bookmakers in Auckland that have £1000 books over the New Zealand Cup and they will lay 100 to 1 about nearly half the horses in the race at the present time. Strange, is it not ! The question may well be asked in these days as to how first favorites are treated. < The money does it,' is certainly the readiest reply, but after a race is over, and a red-hot favorite has bean upset, it is frequently asserted that the stable ' knew all about it, or that the favorite did not ' try; ' or that he was not thoroughly ' wound up,' and will see 'a better day.' The consistent Macaroni has proved himself beyond doubt a little wonder under the welter weight he has had to carry in the last three steeplechases that he won. In the Wellington Steeplechase he had the crushing weight of 12st 61bs; and yet the public would not have anything else but the 'creamy,' although he had to meet half a dozen of fresh horses, or different ones from the c prads' he beat at Napier and Auckland respectively. Well, the son of Gladiator ran just as consistently at Wellington as he has done all through the season ; and he will always go down or get beaten when he meets anything that can make the pace a bit warm tor' a couple of miles—that is, as lon°- as hia weight is anything above 12st. Owners of horses are very seldom to blame for the position of first favorites ; but certain backers get a craze for certain horses, aad whenever they appear in an entry they are rushed upon, much to the detriment of thenowners. From the Australasian we learn that racing is making gigantic strides in America, and at no place more rapidly than at Louisville, where in the month of May they held a meeting which extended over nine days. The principal race was the Kentucky Derby, which was contested by ten three-year-olds. The winner was J. L. Williams' Joe Cotton, who carried American Derby weights, 7st^l2lbs, and ran the mile in 2min 37^-sec, which is as o-ood as our own Martini-Henri, who carried Ist 101 b, and ran the distance in 2mm 39sec. The American horses have a slight advantage in their tracks, which, as a rule, are not grassed, but are made with a view to speed. Joe Cotton, like Australian race-horses, is a real English bred one, for he is by Foxhall's sire King Alfonso, from Inverness by Macaroni, from Elfrida by Faugh-a-ballagh, from Espoir by Liverpool. King Alfonso is by Phaeton, who is a son of King Tom. The Kentucky Oaks also fell to a daughter of King Alfonso, in Mr C. Corrigan's Lizze Dujer, who caried 7st 71b and ran the mile and a half in 2min 40|sec. Several other races were run in fast time. For instance a Maiden Plate for two-year olds was run in 48+ sec, the distance being half-a-inile. A three-year old colt named Troubador carried 7st 41b and ran a mile and a quarter in SJsec. A four-year-old colt named Bob Miles earned 7st 121 b, and ran a mile and a quarter in 2min 9-Asec ; John Davis (aged), with 7st 91b up, ran six furlongs in linin 15sec; a two-year-old colt named Bankrupt ran five furlongs in lrain 3sec, and Billy Gilmore, four-year-old, carried Sst 61b, and ran one mile and half a furlong in lrain 48- 1 ; but better than all these was that of Lady Waywond, a three-old filly, who carried sst 10lb and ran six furlongs in lmin 13±sec. At the Jerome Park Meeting the chief race, the Withers Stakes, was won by Mr B. A. Haggins' Tyrant, who is by Great Tom, a very successful sire (English), who is by King Tom from Woodcraft, by Yoltiguer, from a Venison mare. Tyrant was the Oalifornian representative, and his victory was very gratifying to the sports of San Francisco. It would be difficult to over estimate the importance of the coming Melbourne Derby and Cup, with so many New Zealand horses engaged; and there is good reason to believe 'chat some of them will make a very prominent show for either two or three of the great races in Sydney or Melbourne, The sporting public will have to plunge very heavily this year for the dreaded Hobbs' Bill comes in force on the Ist January, 1886. No more sweeps— no more betting on horse-racing, foot-racing, rowing, gaming, sport or exercise of any kind. The Postmaster- General has at any time the power, if he thinks fit, to order or declare, by notification under his hand duly published in the Gazette, that no letter, packet, < newspaper ' or parcel addressed to any person (either by his own or assumed name), or to any address without a name, shall be either registered or delivered to any such person. Why not make a Star Chamber or Spanish Inquisition job of it at once ! But there is one clause — that is clause s— in the Bill which gives the lotteries in aid of churches and clergy a chance to fill their coffers. It run 3 thus :— ' (5) Nothing in this Act contained shall be construed as referring to any lottery which is or may be sanctioned under the authority of the said Act.' The great blow that this Bill will give to New Zealand is that hundreds of thousands of pounds wiU be sent away to Australia to the persons that get up consultaions over there ; for instance look at the enormous amount of money that passes through the hands of 'Robiu Hood,' 'Ada Mantua,' 'Adam Bede,' and a score of smaller lights in that line, besides a great amount of money that goes through the bookmakers 1 hands that is never heard of or advertised; therefore, Hobbs' Bill is not in favor with the great

CISCO.

majority, and I am sure it will never work, for no legislation can or ever will make the people go their way by force, or in other words join the band of ' goody-goodies.' In 1881 the Hon. W. Kobinson dropped down heavily upon the Hon.- H. Wood, during the discussion over the Gaming and Lotteries Bill, for having declined to pay up his lost bet of his honorarium. Mr Robinson argued that the alleged repudiation was a far graver offence than the making of the offer. Referring to what was said against bookmakers during the discussion on the ' Gaming and Lotteries Bill,' the Hon. Mr Robinson said he had had many transactions with the ' books,' and would take the verbal engagement of one of them to pay £10,000 as freely as he would take the best cheque in the world for the same amount. If a bookmaker had done what was shown to have been done in this transaction he wouldhavehad his clothes torn off, and himself thrown in a duck pond -, he would have been expelled from society, and afterwards known as a 'welsh'er.' The Hou. H. VYood paid the bet of his honorarium forthwith. On "Wednesday, the loth July last a commission was put in the market to back Claptrap for the Caulfield Gup to win. £20,000 at 100 to 2, and St. John, was backed for a large amount in doubles, Derby and Cup, with Newstead, Monte Christo, TJralla, and Dunlop. The names of Commotion, Reginald, Lord "Wilton and Normanby have each been pencilled during the week to win large sums. The following are some of the biggest hona-Jide bets actually laid during the past fortnight : — MEIiBOTJBNE CT7P. 5000 to 150 Coronet 3000 — 60 Warwick 30C0 — 90 Sardius 30 0 — 90 Norclenfeldt 3000— 50 Mozart 5000 — 100 Prometheus 5000 — 100 St. John 2000— 20Willeroo . • 2000 — 30 Impulse 2000 — 30 Honeydew 20JO — 40 Velocipede The following are the latest TattersalTs Club prices : — MBLBOTTENE CUP. 100 to 5 Commotion (tk and off) 100 — -1 Coronet (tk and oil) 100 — 4 Vanguard (tk and off) 100 — 4 Ondeis (tk and off) 100 — 2 First Demon (tk) 100 — 2 Tom Brown (tk) 100 — 2 "Warwick (tk) KEAV ZEALAND CVV. 100 to 12 (Japtam Webster (on:.) 100 — 10 July (off) 100 — 8 Ike (off) 100 — 6 Turquoise (tU) 100—5 Eubezbal, Johnny Faulkner, Trenton. Tasmau, Black Eose, and Tim Whiffler (tk)