CAP and JACKET

Observer, Volume XXI, Issue 118, 17 August 1901, Page 16

CAP and JACKET

By Boz,

N.Z. GRAND NATIONAL HURDLES.

THIS important event is to be run to-day (Thursday). On its result depend the expectations of sanguine owners and the hopes of innumerable double bettors. With such a select field, reppresentative of all districts in the colony, whatever wins will need to be of the right metal. It is almost certain to be a fast run race, and both pace and smart jumping will be necessary qualities to the victor. I have before briefly summarised my impressions of the handicap as between a select few, and as the list of competitors is a lengthy one I will not go outside of those few now, seeing no reason to alter- my previously expressed opinion. The four horses 1 chose were The Needle, Hotu, Haydn and Dartmoor. I still think it probable one of these will win, and from them I make a final selection of Needle or Dartmoor.

Renown is said to be doing well. N.Z. G.N. Hurdles run to-day (Thursday). Record Reign will not race at Caulfield. Battleaxe is said to be in splendid condition. Dummy was going splendidly when he met with his mishap. Mr G. G. Stead's total win in stakes since 1893 is £39,700. Advance was scratched for the Melbourne Cup last Thursday. It is expected that Calibre will be in work again almost directly. The training of Calibre has been temporarily interfered with owing to a curb. Nominations for principal events of Avondale meeting due to-mor-row (Friday). Wanganui men are sanguine of The Hempie's chance in the G.N. Hurdles. Seahorse's full brother Powerful has been nominated for the V.R.C. Derby. Kenley has been backed by his owner, Mr Eden George, for about £10,000 to win the Epsom Handicap. It is said that Advance's connections have not, so far, a single penny on their horse for the N.Z. Cup. Sir Thomas Lipton is again being credited - with the intention of tackling the turf. Capt. Machell is mentioned as the probable manager of the team. The new conditions restricting the number of pony races on a trotting programme to two each day will, it is thought by some, reeult in a higher class of competitors. It will, 1 think, almost certainly reduce the number trained^ and that very substantially. The public have made Pampero a good second favourite for the N.Z. Cup. The horse has started his preparation in earnest, but whether for the N.Z. Cup or some other race, even Otago writers express uncertainty.

Moifaa, it is sai^, is still under offer to Mr Gollan, and it is thought business may result. Sydney police arrested 135 persons as the outcome of a raid on the betting houses there. Lancaster, has been sold for 500gs. His purchaser, Capt. C. Smith intends him for stud purposes. Both. Haydn and- Hotu are lazy horses on the track and have to be' ridden hard to keep them up to the mark. English bookmaker lory's doubtful debts are said to exceed a million. What his turnover is may be imagined. Record Reign has now been scratched for both Caulfield and Melbourne Gups and will be shipped almost immediately for England. Marina, who has improved a great deal, is still thought to be below her best and hardly likely to gain a victory at the G.N. Meeting-. Seahorse left last Friday per the Waiwera for England. (Seahorse's many admirers will wish him '' bon voyage " and success on the English race ground. Scotty is not to go to Australia after all ; in which decision I think his owner shows some jiiscretion. JNew Zealand is not a bad foraging ground. Needle's iirst essay over the hurdles at Riecarton did not please tho onlookers, but afterwards, when accompanied by Hotu in a schooling gallop, he performed so well as to gain many admirers. Cannongates injury was evidently more serious than was at first supposed, as it led to his withdrawal from the Grand .National events. A piece of very bad luck for Uannongate's connections. Favona appears to have done some useful work since arriving at Riccarton, and as he has not shown any signs of unsoundness he may run better at Riccarton than seems to be generally anticipated. Dartmoor is well and has done plenty of work and is thought that with the advantage of only the moderate weight of lOst. to carry in the G.N. Hurdles he must beat the greater number of his opponents. " Petronel " says that the public have supported Advance for the .New Zealand Uup so strongly that it is doubtful whether his owners would not " experience some difficulty in backing him to win £1000." Leading N.Z. Cup quotations per latest files are as follows :—Advance, 5 to 1 ; Pampero, 10 to 1 ; Palaver, 14 to 1 ; Renown, Battleaxe, Fulmen, Ideal, Cameo, Formula, Nonette, Will-o'-the-Wisp and Glenaldale, 16 to 1. Mr Dan O'Brien's luck again. Calibre, who was going nicely and whose hocks were beyond question in formation, lias unfortunately developed curb, and has in consequence had to be eased in his work. The following is a description of the first prize that goes with the Ladies' Bracelet at the forthcoming G.N. Meeting. It is " a combination brooch and hair ornament in the form of a crescent with a rising sun. The crescent contains twenty-three diamonds, and the sun forty-two, a total of sixtyfive in all, while in the centre is a fine coloured ruby." " Leader " says : " The death of Sagacity points a forcible moral in regard to early betting, his recent double victory at Flemington having made him favourite for the Caulfield Cup, his name being more freely coupled than any other with Melbourne Cup candidates in the big sporting double. When will punters learn that a short price and a start are better than long odds, a dead ' hoss ' and a dead loss? Probably never!"

New Zealand turi scribes were almost unanimously of .opinion that Moifad would fail under his big burden in the •" N.Z. G.N. Steeplechase. .• : La Gloria is apparently not ripe yet for thtf stud and we shall probably see her striking out again with" colours up early in the new season. She. is still working. It is reported that a mare that has wpn a number of- hack races in this colony is in the pony ranks in Australia, and has won three or four races quite recently under a different name from that -which she bore in this colony .—Exchange. I query the doubt that Advance's connestions intend to start their horse for the N.Z. Cup because they have not backed him. Owners don't usually favour antepost betting when their horse is a bic favourite — at least when a big race in question. An outsider won the American Derby run at Washington Park, Chicago, on June 22nd. The winner, .Robert Waddell, started at 12's, had the race almost to himself at the finish, and yet put up record time for the race, viz., 2min. 33 4-ssecs. it its generally conceded that the reason of Cannie Chicl's withdrawal from the N.Z. Cup was due to the assumption on the part of his connections that a two mile race might prove beyond his compass, and that if trained for shorter distances some substantial successes may be looked for. Huku's schooling performance at Kiccarton the other day makes him out a rather unhandy sort of a customer. The report says he crawled over the first fence and refused the second and third and could only be got to fence well when the whip was brought out to him. The death of Mr J. S. Kidd last week removed one who, though not actively engaged- in sport, yet did mush indirectly to conserve sport of all kinds. Within the very wide circle over which regret at his demise is spread are sportsmen of all grades, followers of the many divisions of out-door pastimes. Messrs Barnett and Grant's annual publication, " Form at a Glance," has again appeared, and is, as usual, brimful of sporting information, its leading features being particulars of horses figuring as New Zealand Cup candidates and their performances in detail. No turfite should be without one of these very handy guides to the new season's racing.