AUCKLAND TROTTING CLUB AUTUMN MEETING.

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 952, 27 March 1897, Page 15

AUCKLAND TROTTING CLUB AUTUMN MEETING.

The Auckland Trotting Club's Autumn iprogramme is published thiß week, and a reference to our advertising columns will .give all particulars. The meeting, which ia a two days' <fixture, will take place on Saturday, 10th April, and following Saturday, 17th prox. Taking place, as it does, just prior to the Ellerslie Autumn Meeting, and during the Easter holiday time, it is to be expected that the Club will have a big gathering. Certainly, the programme is a most attractive one, and one likely to draw big entries from owners. The Club has been satisfied in drawing up the prDgramme with a list of seven events each .ttiy, Autumn gatherings scarcely warranting a greater number of events, when the days .are co much shorter. The first day's programme consists of rfour trotting and three pony events. The .trotting events are: Maiden, 25 sove, 1 mile ; stewards', 50 soys, 2 miles ; Harness, 40 soys, 2 miles ; Electric, 35 soys, 1 mile ; whilst for the ponieß are the Flying of 25 .•sovs, 5 furlongs ; Hurdles, 30 soys, 1* mile ; and Autumn Handicap, 40 boys, 6£ furlongs. Total stake money for first day, 245 soya. ■The second day's programme comprises Trial Trot, 25 soys, l*mile ; Easter Handicap Trot, 45 soys, lj mile ; Second Harness Trot, 40 soys, 1* mile ; Class Trot (saddle or harness), 40 soys, 1* mile ; and three pony events as follows : — Maiden. 20 soys, 5 furlongs ; Steeplechase, 40 soys, 2* miles ; April Handicap, :-35 soys, 6* furlongs. The stake money for the second day totals the Bame amount as the first day, viz., 245 soys ; the total amount given away under the programme being £490. It will be noticed the last event to be run at the meeting is a Class Trot. I hope owners will be able to see their way to iend their support to the Club in the direction of a continuance of such events, and that they may ultimately become a recognsied feature of our trotting fixtures. So far it is bub a beginning, but I hope such events will increase in importance, and be a means of raising still higher the standard of trotting in the North. I should be glad to see the A.T.C. soon inaugurating stakes similar to the most important of the class events already a feature on the Southern tracks, which would draw numerous outBide entries, enhance the Bport, and still leave plenty of room for local owners. Nominations for all the events of the .above close with Mr C. F. Mark, secretary, Durham-street, to morrow (Friday), 26ch inst. Handicaps for the first day's events appear on Monday, 29th inßt., and accep-tances-for the same are due on Friday, April 2nd.

Paul Pry. by Lochiel, won the . CooJgardie oummer Cap. The Canterbury Jockey Club's reserve f and is stßted as £4000. Messrs Gollan and Hickey are expected back in New Zealand shortly. Blazer has been turned out and will not race again until he is a three-vear-old. ' Terlinga ' thinks Cartridge the beßt looking of Carbine's gets that he has . Been. Flying Fish, ex-hack, promises to earn notoriety justifying her name. She was a known smart mare before ever she came this way, bat we haven't Been the best of her, unless I am mistaken. Webley relegated to the tribe of arch-deceivers, which are now a big list in racing horse-flesh. 'If I lived a hundred :., ; vtocmsand years I would never pat another H^H^^^^^^^^l. fonder what racing will

Flukem, with more work, may pay his way during the coming winter, if he keeps sound.

The Outlaw, who so far has shown no signs of approaching distinction, is to be tried at hurdle racing.

The dates of the New Zealand Grand National Meeting at Christchnrch have been fixed for August 12th and 14th.

The Wanganui Jochey Club's Jubilee will be celebrated next year. A thousand pound Gup is spoken of , and an allround increase of other stakes. The Athletic, Bowling Club, and Regatta Association are talking of joining in to make a whole week's carnival.

I don't know how to account for the small tields at Avondale last week. Several races were decidedly poor in numbers, and the jumping events especially bad in this respect. On the first day, of coarse, plenty of owners were away at Paeroe, where a record financial success resulted. These on their return swelled somewhat the second day's events at Avondale, otherwise the meeting would have been poor indeed.

Porangi Potae, Sharper and company have been having a little better luck lately, and the owner of these horses will have received . a decided lift by their several victories, which nobody will grudge him in the least. These particular animals have been the reverse of profitable for a long while past, and their owner recorded amongst the list unlucky ones. The recent change of fortune is all the more pleasant to record.

One of the spectators of Aurum's victory in the Sires' Produce Stakeß was the man who drew Aurnm in the St. Alban's Lottery, and sold him for 400 guineas. 'I am told,' says ' Terlinga,' ' this gentleman feels ill every time he sees Aurum win. He could probably get 2,000 guineas for the' cole if he owned him now, but that is the luck of the game. At the time he was sold, Aurum was a very ordinary-looking little fellow, and if it had not been for his being a brother to Auraria, he might not have brought a hundred guineas.— Christchurch Press.

We don't often have dead heats between three recorded, and I doabt if even those few are actually and truly ' triple dead heats ' Racing verdicts are given in the bouth and other places, such as ' a nose,' ' a short nose,' etc. Bat a dead heat is even a more satisfactory verdict, as few people on a racecourse are in a position to decide between horses which finish within a noßtril of each other. When three are recorded ' dead-heaterß,' it may be presumed one of the horses has got the best of the verdict by something more than an inch.

It is pleasing to record novelties. I mean no satire when I class the following incident as extremely novel. The Selling Kace at Avondale last Saturday resulted in a ' dead-heat.' But the pair of prads which the judge found impossible to separate were coupled on the machine, both being in the same interests. I don't base my idea of such an incident being so surprising on the fact that an owner should elect to spin out to the ' bitter end ' both his nominations. That should always be. But the circumstance is one which may not take place again in a hundred years. Some people may have seen a similar thing occur before. I haven't. What would the correct odds be against such an event occurring ? Perhaps some ready calculator may be able to tell us.

J. Rae came in for a half suppressed ' boo boo ' at Avondale last Saturday. The occasion was the Hurdle Race.for which his horses Levanter and Hukatere were the only starters. I could see nothing in the race to warrant any suspicion. Levanter seemed to me beaten on his merits, as he was, that day. He may be made a better horse ; he certainly has been. But Hukatere, though his late form has not been distinguished, is no duffer over hardies with a light weight. Those who ' booked ' on Saturday did so without thinking, and were afterwards ashamed of themselves. They certainly could not have seen the horses finishing over the last jump, or they would have acknowledged that Levanter was a beaten horse.

The connections of a certain stable are nothing if not mysterious Its movements are apparently placid, bat there Is always more or less undercurrent, only discovered after the completion of the stable's manipulations. The stable is in its rights, and is but exercising its astuteness to get us much money as it can in a perfectly legitimate manner. The eye of the waiting backer is ever alert and watchful, his hand in pocket ready to emphasise hiß implicit belief in the stable's judgment. But, as he is ever ready to iollow the slightest lead, sj also is he prepared to fall off at the least sign of want of confidence. Confidence is not a quality he himself is lacking in, bat rather too confiding is he in believing that .'only what is seen on the surface is real; Of the depths below he

Picklock scored his first, victory at Napier this week.

Weiss is reported to have said that the best billiard players he has met in New Zealand are Charley Chavannes of Wanganui, and Muir of Invercargill.

J. Gallagher's many misfortunes and much knocking about have not in any way apparently robbed him of 'any of his professional abitity. His handling of Daystar at Hawke's Bay, landing him as •winner in the Cup, is a pleasing proof that Joe still retains his form with the return of health.

A Christchurch Referee correspondent says that up Wairatapa way a sport* ing scribe, in tipping probables for a meeting, in one instance does so with the proviso 'if on the job.' This would seem like a reflection on a particular owner. In a general way I suppose that proviso would be taken for granted. No need to stipulate it. There are black sheep in every flock.

Mr D. McKinnon's horses are rnnniDg more prominently than formerly. Haria escaped from his shell sometime daring his Southern tour, and has since been astonishing his detractors, whilst Picklock is by no means an unworthy Bcion of the same family. Lufra retains her pace and gameness without much of the necessary addition of luck, and Arqnebuß on Saturday gave us a convincing proof that his 'leg' is allright. Scotland, however, is defunct, but as I did not know much about the hor-e I cannot say whether it is a severe loss or not.

Avondale recent meeting was chiefly notable for small fields and dividends, also close finishes. Financially, I doubt if the meeting will reach expectations. Regarding the sport, interest was maintained throughout, and the arrangements were well carried out. There were two dead heats, notably one between three horses. General opinion was that Fabulist ought not to have started in this with Lady Marion and Lnf ra. Voice, by the Press and public, has been given to the bad precedent of more tban one person occupying the judge's box during the racing. i>lo suspicion of unfairness has been hinted at, but the precedent is a bad one, and it woud be far better for clubs to adhere rigidly to the strict laws, written and unwritten, relating to racing.

A Sydney exchange has the following :— Mr E. B Eccles, who is well-known in Melbourne, where he formerly carried on business as an advertising tipster, has succeeded in breaking the bank at Monte Carlo. A bank, that ia ' a table,' at Monte Carlo, starts with £-10,000, and when that ia lo3t play is finished for the day and the ' bank ' goes into monrning. The other ' bank ' or ' tables,' however, continue play. The amount Eccles has won is probably £40,000, but it could be any sum. Let us say fifty other players had been losing heavily, and so Eccles, when he broke the ' bank,' must have won the amount lost by the other players. If Eccles gets away with his winning he will be a clever fellow, as players at Monte Carlo who win are molested by ' provocating agents ' in the pay of the Gambling Company. Monte Carlo is about the most disreputable gambling hell in the world. Clever people are not wanted by the Administration. If visitors win heavily the ' provocating agents ' are instructed to pick a quarrel at play, and a sound thrashing precedes expulsion from the rooms amd final orders by the Police to leave Monaco.