A.R.C. JUNE MEETING,

Observer, Volume XVIII, Issue 1061, 29 April 1899, Page 19

A.R.C. JUNE MEETING,

The approach of the dae date for nominations in connection with the Auckland Racing Club's Winter Meeting makes as alive to the fact that oar season's racing is very nearly run out. However, we have before as some very good racing before the dead season commences. Takapuna winter meetings are always enjoyable, and Ellerslie very fittingly closes the season with a big programme, comprised chiefly of Hurdles and Steeplechase. The Great Northern Hurdle Kaoe and Steeplechase have hitherto attraoted a goodly number of the best jumping class the colony at the time possessed ; and though this year there does seem to be a dearth throughout the country of what one may call firstolaßS animals of this description, doubtless the entries will be very fall, and a few good ones find place amongst them. For the other events — the welters, etc. — there is no dearth of animals locally to make capital fields, and, with the usual number of outsiders which are certain to be attracted, these two will in all likelihood be satisfactory. To-morrow (Friday) nominations for the G.N. Hurdles and G-.N. Steeplechase only are called for ; and the doable will appear on May 12th. May 19 th is general entry night, when nominations for minor events will have to be sent in,

The second day's racing of the Wellington Baoing Club's intamn meeting takes place to-morrow (Friday) 28th inst. J. Rae had so far got over the xesnlta of his fall whilst schooling Miss Emmy last week as to be able to take part in . saddling operations at Avondale on Saturday. Though a bit lame, and obliged to have recourse to a stick as an aid in his perambulations, he did not seem otherwise a great deal the worse for his fall, and should very Boon be able to mount the pigskin, in which he is so proficient. The unlucky horse at Avondale was Admiral Hawke. Becond in each of the prinoipal events, he had the bad luck to meet something approaching a flyer in Firefly. The latter is possibly the best mare we have racing her 6, and, if that surmise is a correct one, Admiral Hawke does not suffer much by comparison. The ' Hawk,' as he is famillary called, should | certainly pick up something at Takapuna next month. How greedy some investors are, even when they get a 'win'! One lady punter at Avondale expressed mach dissatisfaction at only getting £9 14s for a pound invested on one particular winner. She spoke as if she expected the whole of the machine money. Even if that had been coming to her, 1 suppose she would still have grumbled. Yet, most turfites would be satisfied with a tenner and a day's sport thrown in, any day. It seems reserved for the lack of a Stead to get the ' Multiforms.' True, there . have been few Multiforms, but there have been the Gold Medallists and the others to fill up the gaps ; and they have filled them very capably. To cop the winning lists, to command the highest figures in Bale records (the one following the other as a natural consequence) ; these things have become habitual to the Southern sportsman. One might say, ' Yaidhurst every time.' ■ Taken all round, the entries for the forthcoming Shore meeting are very satisfactory. The chief Handicap has not attracted the number expected, but the entries are select. The entries for the short distance events are numerous, as also are those for the Welter. In respect to the jumping events, all the known local performers are engaged. So far as the prospects of a meeting can be guaged through the various entry lists, the Shore meeting promises well. Newhaven has at last belied the names of ' duffer,' etc., which Home turfites have been at such pains to bestow on him and others of ' those blooming Australians.' Newhaven did not have the best of times during his sojourn in England. For a long time he was a victim of the climate, ana fell away so much that bis forlorn appearance deceived some of his erstwhile Australian acquaintances as to his identity. That stage being past, and the return to form compassed, we ought not to be surprised at his winning one of the most important of English spring events. j Multiform goes to the old country with a great record. Those who have not seen Multiform race have missed something in racing. They have missed seeing one little, if anything, inferior to Carbine. Out of 19 starts, Multiform won outright fourteen times, dead-heated twice, and was ■econd three times. In respect to three occasions on which he was beaten, it is worthy of remark that his victor was his own ■table companion, Gold Medallist. Whilst the latter was perhaps one of the fastest horses over a short distance we have ever had, Multiform was equal to any distance provided. I don't know why Firefly was so negleoted on the second day at Avondale. She had shown good winning form on the first day by winning the chief handicap. She won that race comfortably after making all the running ; and, though Admiral Hawke did get a little the worst of the running through being interfered with slightly, there waa still a fair margin on the side of Firefly. However, the majority went for the ' Hawk.' He ran another game race, but Firefly won again, if anything, easier than she did the first time. Both performances stamp her as being a very smart mare. At the start of one of the races at Avondale, Cannongate performed & feat which would have qualified him in the eyes of a proprietor for admission to the rank of any oircus troupe. He evidenced a strong desire to get anywhere out of that, and not being able to go forward or backward at his own sweet pleasure, he made a dive 'in under,' and to the astonishment of the riders in general, and the consternation of two in particular, he made an archway of Sultan. Sultan's reach being too small for such a bulky progression, that animal was hoisted in the air to make the necessary room, and Cannongate passed through to the other side, not concerning himself about his rider, who, to say the laast, must have been considerably dazed at the extraording tactics adopted by his mount to get rid of him.

Liberator is reported nearly .recovered. Multiform will probably be shipped to England on May 11th. The Bluecap-Halbadier case will be heard on or about May 7th. At Ongaparinga on Easter Monday the tot alia at or s manipulated the sum of £24,578. Oscillator was again awarded first prize at the championship amongst thoroughbreds at the New South Wales Royal Agricultural Exhibition. Forty of Sir Modred's stock won between them £8500 in America last year, of whicb Bum the three-year-old filly Sweet Briar ia credited with £2500. They have begun early on the other side with Melbourne Cap betting. Chesney has been backed for £10,000, and Parthian for a like amount, while £5000 has been taken about Reviver. In New Zealand Cup betting in the South, a few stray lines are reported, Explosion's name being mentioned as having been written for a email amount. Cuirasette seems cured of her repugnance to the barrier— or nearly so. Though a trifle fidgety at the post, in eaoh of her starts at Avondale, she was not much more so than the general ran of horses. On one occasion, she was facing the wrong way about when the tape went up, bat the way she whipped round and joined her field without losing scarcely a stride spoke well for her more recent schooling in this respect. What alone has constituted any uncertainty in respect to Cuiraasette has been her troublesomeness at the post. With that cured, she should give many a good run for owners' and backers' money. In ' Notes on News ' (Christchurch Referee) an explanation is given of the working of the ' Equilisator,' the recent manipulation of which at certain unregistered meetings on the Coast led to the disqualification of some person who took part — which disqualifications have since been removed by the Hawke's Bay Metropolitan Club with a warning. In the description of this machine (?) readers will recognise an old mode of gambling which uaed occasionally to obtain in this district at Maori and other hack meetings, I think. The ' machine ' iB simply a board on which the figures are marked, the manipulator taking the ' usual percentage ' for his trouble. There is a sort of controversy (if one may thus name it) going on just. % now amongst English writers as to the claims of New Zealand horses of being ranked in the same class as Australians. Of coarse it is admitted that some great ones have been bred here, but their gravitation afterwards to Australia robs New Zealand of pride of ownership. In commenting on some of the expressed opinions of English writera, the Christchurch Referee brings oat very forcibly the reason, which none can gainsay, why so few of our best horses have run in recent years in Australia. In the words of the Referee, it is that ' thanks principally to the totalisator, leading clubs in New Zealand have been enabled to offer such rich stakes that there was no great inducement for owners to go abroad seeking for honours/ Two punters, who didn't know much about anything in respect to racing and nothing at all about race horses, wandered around just before the steeplechase came on remarking on the candidates in the various stages of their saddling up. The field was not a very choice one, but it was more a matter of difficulty on that aooonnt to our friends in their attempt to choose something to carry their modest pound. There was one particular animal whioh they declared they would not have. She was ragged in her coat— that was nothing ; bat she had a mournfully groggy pair of forelegs. ' I'll eat my hat if she wins,' said the one to his friend. At last they decided to split their coin and back two animals — one a longlegged chestnut, the other a neatly-made little bay that they had seen jump before. The race started, and our pair of punters were placed in a good position to see the running. The chestnut was the first to misbehave by running wide of the second jump, and going for a gallop on his own account into the centre of the courue. Then the little bay, on whom the hopes of our friends were now centered, refused to gallop at all and was left far in the rear. But one horse held the lead from the rest nearly all the way, Jumping like a deer and pulling double. This was the groggylegged mare, and, to the astonishment of our friends, she came home the easiest of Winners.