CAP and JACKET

Observer, Volume XVIII, Issue 1092, 2 December 1899, Page 19

CAP and JACKET

By ' Boz.'

RACING FIXTURES

December 26, 28, and January 1, 2— Auckland

Racing Club Summer. Jan. 1 and 2— Hawke's Bay J.C. Summer Jan. 1 and 2 — Ashburton County R.C

Summer Jan 10 and 11 — Woodville District J.C,

Summer. Feb. 22 and 24— Canterbury J.C. Summer March 17 and 19— Hawke'a Bay J.C. Autnmn March 21, 23 and 24 — Dunedin J.C. Autumn April 16 and 17— Canterbury J.C. Autumn April 16, 17, and 21— Auckland R.C. Autumn. May 24 and 26— Danedin J.C. Winter June 9 and 11— Auckland R.C. Winter June 20 ana 22— Eawke's Bay J.C. Winter.

TAKAPUNA SPRING MEETING. The next course in the racing bill of fare will be the Takapuna Jockey Club's 3pring Meeting, which will commence Dext Saturday at the Shore. So far, we have had some very excellent racing in the North, and the first items of the season have been of a kind that increase the sporting appetite, and give to turfites a desire for more. They can be assured that the programme provided by the T J.C. will be as good a" any of its fore-runners. All the items of the programme have attracted good entries, the hor.-es engaged are in good racing trim, and all we shall need will be fine weather to ensare sport eqaal in standard to the many enjoyable meetings of the past on the Shore coarse

It aeems most probibJe that fioe weather will attend the gathering. Snmmer has eet in in earnest afttr a watery epring,-and at the time of writing it seems a safe prophecy to venture that it will be fine lor the Shore races on Saturday. In respect to the arrangements for the comfort and enjoyment of spectators, the catering ability of the Clnb is too well-known for each details to be questioned. So far as it comes within the province of the TJ C. management to make things enjoyable for its patrons, its past successes are sufficient "guarantee of there being nothing wanting on that score. I anticipate a big attendance at the Shore gathering, and I also anticipate that none, after goiDg, will come away disappointed with the sport. My anticipations for the various events are as follows : —

Trial Handicap.— The Afghan or Jim Kean.

— JBalbirnie or

Cambria Handicap, Roaiphele.

St. Andrew's Handicap. — Bluejacket, Firefly, Carsade.

Maiden Hardies — Thelma or Genarm. Hack Handicap.— Swiftfoot or Sham rock.

Pony Handicap.— Kitty Flynn or Blue Panl.

Hurdles —'Volcano, Opua, Thelma.

The New Zealand pony, Fair Nell, won another race at Roaebery Park IN.S.W.) on Nov. 23.

Mr K. Rouse, a well-known Isew Sonth Wales sporting man, intends to take a trip to New Zealand shortly.

Mr William Brown, known in Australasian racing circles for ' half a century, died in Tasmania the week before last. . - .

Mr A. Joseph, leader of the Victorian ring, whose life was "recently despaired of, has taken a tarn for the better.

That grand old mare Frailty has dropped dead twins at Wellington Park She is not in the beat of health, bat that, under the circumstances, is not surprising. A Bpeedy recovery is what everyone will wish her.

One of the soundest as well as one of the beat horses at present racing in the North is Record Reign. Joined to quality, aonndnefs completes the desideratum. In how few horses are combined the two. Yon can't break down a duffer, and yon can't be too careful of a good one.

A three -year- jold chestnut filly by the defunct Chestor horse, Dreadnought, and a brown unbroken colt by Captain Webster, both the property of Mr S. H. Gollan, have arrived in Sydney from New Zealand. They will be transhipped Immediately for England, together with Australian Star and, perhaps, Cranberry.

Okoaire's lruin. 16sec. , for 6 farlongs shows that she can move herself when in the humour.

Joe Gallagher and Fred Davis each had a couple of wins the first day at Wellington meeting.

Te Hapufca, who ran second in the Wellington Handicap, would have paid a dividend of about £30.

Explosion and Hosella are expected to arrive in Anckland about theend of the present week.

Opua fell at Coromandel whilst running in the hardies, bat was nninjared. He w-ta brought back to Anckland on Friday with Knight of Atbol.

Avondale Suburban Club put through more money at their Spring meeting than did tbe Danedin Jockey Club at Danedin last week.

The Otago -Cup attracted a field of only six. Jnpiter, the winner, has proved more than naefnl dnring tbe past year. His dividend, £5 Ids, was surprising.

Hollywood won two trots at Potter's last Satnrday. In the first he m xed galloping with trotting very freely, bat in the other he trotted in fiae style.

Coromandel was gay during the time of the races Who were the crosscountry jockeys who drowned the cry of the bookmakers and beguiled the time with a bell ?

Both Explosion and Rosella were well backed in Auckland for Wellington events. But when the g*y deceiver Okoaire beat the Seaton-Delavel filly in the Flying, panters lost heavily.

Although not numerously represented at Wellington meeting, Auckland did well. Local epoitsmen were well pleased with the success of Explosion and Morella. The former has , improved greatly.

Mr O. R. Wise seems to have taken on Mr D. O'Brien's bad lack. The handicapper showed Ilex no favonr, and he mnst be a pood horse to run as well aa he did under 12at 31b and 12-.t 21b, getting second each time.

Kahaxna, by Castor-Valentinia-, is Wellington Park bred . Kahama was one of the double event winnera at Coromandbl Meeting St Ona scored the double of Coromandel B.C. Handicap aad Goldfields Handicap.

Falmen's party must be losing their good opinion of their horse. The Otago Gap was run in 2min 44<3ec, and be was a beaten horse. Compared with Explosion, Seahorse^ Record Keign, and other Ancklanders, Jupiter and Palmen are not in it — if there is anything in time.

Minerva's connections made things hum when they gazed over the weights forTakapona. The owner has arrived at; the opinion that purchasing a horse in Australia is expensive, as -it evidently means getting a prohibition weight put on.

George Wright, like a good many more, could never understand -how Bluejacket beat Explosion.in the A.B C. Derby It is quite evident Explosion requires to be ridden from the jump, and aUo that he requires no end of galloping to get him into form.

Sport languishes in Dunedin. One time interest in Danedin meetings was genera!. Now it is almost strictly local. Wagering in Auckland over the recent meeting there was almost nil, and the totalisator returns show that even local speculation is very mild. The conservatism of the Dunedinites has not helped them.

The Takapuna handicapping has not met with more than the ordinary amount of hostile criticism. Possibly some owners may have, or fancy they have, canee for dissatisfaction, bat they have no right to earwig the handicapper in the street. The proper coarse would be to a?k the stewards for an inqnlry. When was there a handicapper that pleased ail ?

The unusual spectacle of a mounted trooper participating in the start of a race, was seen at. Potter's. It was a hurdle race, and Venus, who was very fractious, was given into the ca&tody of this- sporting representative of law and order. The trooper managed her with such consummate skill, that she got the best of the start, and won from end to end. Venus is a beautiful -jumper, and possesses pace, too. ■

The sport at Otahuhu en Saturday was not brought to a close without a little .unpleasantness. Cob came in first in the Final Trot, bat was disqualified for galloping, Doubtless Cob did break daring the race, and the stewards acted conscientiously, bat their action was not quite consistent, for although a protest roused the stewards to action in Cob's case, Hollywood, the winner of the First Trot, galloped even more than did Cob. Stewards should not wait for a protest", but act on their own account when they Bee a horse ' breaking ' the rule? of trotting.

That beautifully- bred pony, First Whisper, scored twice the first day at Otabnhn, and is evidently in great form.

At the Gawler (S.A.) races on Nov. 13, Pythian, winner of the Bvanstown Handicap, paid a dividend of £58 143 for 10a.

Explosion would probably make, a better fijfht of it with Seahorse over two milea now than he did in the New Zea - land Gap. '

Splendor's progeny were in great form at the Warnock Farm races on November 18th, they winning three oat of five races on the programme.

Explosion's two big handicap victories at Wellington showed that the black horse was comiDg on all the time when racing at Eiccarton.

Another of those sensational dividends that cause backers' months to water and their fingers to itch, was paid by Fdlk* at Wellington— £69 lla.

Explosion's performance for the present season are so far very creditable. He did not do badly at Riccarton, and hia two victories at Wellington were excellent performances.

St. Paul is doing fair work at Elleralie. John Ghaafe is a sanguine man, and is wrapped up in the little bounder. He thinks he will bring him to the post sound, but like the Scotchman, 'we hae onr dootß.'

-Viscount is unlucky. When he last ran at Potter'e, his chance of winning was destroyed by the driver tumbling ouo of the sulky On Saturday the horse struck himself badly and had to be brought back to the paddock.

If St. Paul can only be brought well to the post for the Auckland Cap, he will wonder, after the heavy weights he has carried, what is the matter when he feels 8-jt 121 b only in the eadd'e. Kome people say that he will bolt.

It would take a lot of money to cause Major George to part with Seahorse. He waited patiently for another NeJson and his patience has been rewarded. Indeed, some people think that the new love is better than the old one.

The dark horse of the Melbourne Cop, Voyou, did not achieve the surprise some were waiting for, bat that he is not a bad one was proved on the last day of the V.R.0.,' when he scored a handsome victory at w f.a. in the V.R.C Handicap.

The softest thing at Otahuhu on Saturday was the victory of Bessie Wilson in the Maiden. Like nearly all Maiden Trots, it was just a one horse affair, and was, as ail these, bat a farther illustration of the farce of bandicappera endeavouring to bring together comparatively unknown horses.

How punters get hold of the good things. First Whisper did a good galJopat Elleralie, easily beating St. Elmo over four furlongs "Everybody at Potter's knew of it, and the pony was heavily backed. The only ones that did not back her were those who do not believe in good things. There are a few such.

We don't seem to pay so much attention to time aa we did a while back Fast times are usual The only wonder ia, what will be the limit ? Or is there something abaolntely false in the time system? Why, an imported donkey would nowadays ran six furlongs ia as fast time almost as racers commonly did years ago, or, at least, cue would imagine so from the way that records are being constantly broken up. Perhaps time itself is getting fast.

A German joke is usually a ponderously fearful, awful thing to contemplate, and usually requires a key, bat occasionally oar metaphysical German cousins get off a good thing that, when translated and stripped of its polysyllabic phrasing, is worth catting ont and pasting in your hat. The retort given below is an instance. An American paper lately gave currency to the report that Edison was writing a novel. A German paper smartly replied that there mast be some mistake, and that Edison vtaa probably constructing some machine which wrote novels. It was Saturday afternoon, and a youthful nipper sat crying on the kerbstone in Jervois Road Kind Old Party : ' Why do you weep so, my little man ?' Nipper: 'I can't get father to come home 1' Kind Old Party : ' Why, my child ? Does he drink ?' Nipper : ' No, air, bat he belongs to the Ponßonby Bowling Club.' In a certain Auckland Bethel not a hundred miles from .the Post Office, there was a sign in the vestibule which read, ' Please wipe your feet before entering.' A few weeks ago a bad little boy erased the word Meet ' and substituted nose. Several oi the deacons are still looking for that boy. They are desirous of remonstcatiDg with him with a strap Ponsonby Husband (rushing into the room) : ' Gome out, quick I' Wife : • What's the matter ?' P.H. : ' The house is on fire, and we will be burned to death if we hesitate a moment. Bun, run for your life !' Wife : ' Yeß, I'll be oat in a minute. I've got to tidy np the room a little so that it will look decent when the salvage corps get here ; and, dearie, hold on, my new hat is ' But he had fled.