CAP and Jacket

Observer, Volume XXIII, Issue 2, 27 September 1902, Page 15

CAP and Jacket

By Boz.

Racing Fixtures. 1002. Sept. 20. 24. and 27— Avondale J.C. Spring Oct. 2 and 3 -Wanganui J.C. Spring Oct. 8 and 9— Hawke's Bay J.C. Spring Oct. 8 and 11— Dunedin J.C. Spring Oct. 16— North Canterbury J.C. Annual Oct. 16 and 17— North Otago J.C. Spring Oct. 30 and 31— Poverty Bay T.C Spring Nov. 8, 10, 12 and 15— C.J.C. Metropolitan April 1 and 2— Nelson J.C. Annual. AVONDALE JOCKEY CLUB'S SPRING MEETING. THE Avondale Jockey Club were not dealt with too kindly last Saturday for the opening of the new season. There . was only one thing that could appreciably dampen their prospects ol success— that was unfavourable weather. Unfortunately the one thing to be feared occurred, and though it might have been e\en worse, it was sufficiently bad to give the club good reason to growl at their hard luck. The clerk or the weather was full of deceit ii: the morning and under a cloak of smiling sunshine lured the club to ri.ee and the people to venture. Once decoyed to the race-ground the crowd of racegoers were treated to Avondale's best in the way of rain squalls and gales.

However, wind and weather, stormy and rough, could not spoil sport once it had commenced, and the programme was gone through with in a determined fashion by the caterers, and was enjoyed in equally determined fashion by the club's patrons. On a fine day, with such a splendid lot of horses to exhibit sport, this opening day would probably have taken rank

with the club's best gatherings of the past, and it is to their credit that handicapped as?- they were, they were yet able to give race-goers as much enjoyment as they did. The public were evidently set upon getting all they could out of it, for .every event met with its share of interest.

• • • From a financial aspect, the club probably have not a great deal to grumble at. They had a good attendance, there were very few scratchings, and the totalisator returns ran close on £6000. The large sum of, £9000 odd put through oa the first day last year was due in some measure to the club's being privileged to race at Ellerslie and being favoured with fine weather. Under fine weather conditions for the conclusion of the meeting now in progress the Club should still come out of the three days' operations with ;.. substantial profit.

• • • The second day's events were to have been run on Wednesday of this week, but as the result of a meeting of the committee on Monday evening, it was decided to postpone the second day's racing from Wednesday 1o Saturday. This will give the course a chance of being in a fit condition when next raced upon on Saturday next, and given fine weather from now on, that is certain to be the case. Weights for Saturday's events were declared on Monday, but acceptances do not go in until after we go to press. I select the following as likely winners : Second Hurdles, Tim or Hell man. President's Handicap — Nonette (if started), Maroon and Gold. Guineas — Lavalette, Tdas, Wairiki. Nursery — Kamo or Cordon Rouge. Second Prtny —Avalanche, First Whisper, Girton Girl. Plumpton Handicap — The Shannon, St. Olga, Formula. Second Hack— Hippowai or Marshall Soult. Mt. Albert Handicap — Drudge, Komeo, Geologist. ••• ••• <••

Calibre is improving daily. Welbcck is doing satisfactorily. Kelburn grown into a fine looking horse. Stormy weather at Avondale List Saturday. Avondale Meeting to be concluded on Saturday. Romeo wins the first event of the Auckland racing season. Auckland Trotting Club's profit (or the year was £254. Imperator has not yet rc-appoared on the track at Riccarton. A Riccarton writer considers soundness a doubtful quantity. Glenaladale is moving as well as any Cup candidate at Riccarton. Matarawa was ridden with great judgment in Avondale Steeplechase. St. Denis is a growing Southern fancy for the C.J.C. Stewards' Handicap. Cannie Chiel's work has been slightly interfered with on account of a sore heel. Parthenopaeus, of sensational notoriety, is said to be racing in Australia under another name. Norwest is in very big condition and though he ran well forward in the Avondale Steeplechase he only beat the rough 'uns. Nineteen two-year-olds started for the Avondale Stakes and it would be hard to get together a finer looking lot of youngsters. Tresham split the two Southerners in the Avondale Cup, racing home between the winner, The Shannon and Durable. In ordinary going Tresham would hardly have been in it. There was a lot of commission money for the Avondale Cup winner, The Shannon, and the public, following; the lead, soon had her in rhe position of favourite. The black mare looked in the pink of condition. An Otago writer says of T'ampero's Cup prospects that Wingatui watchers are satisfied that he is sound and forward enough, and that he, himself, thinks that if the horse belonged to a betting stable he would be supported for a lot of money. Shrewd sportsmen were prepared for the downfall of Lavalette in the Avondale Hack Race on Saturday. A three-year-old, giving away over two stone to an aged horse that had just shown good form, and asked to carry nearly 9st. in the heaviest of going, these shrewd ones discarded the favourite and following the Maiden form went for Strathavon and scooped a very substantial dividend.

. , Gt ZY Seaton ran badly,«nr*Ayohdale Cup. -_*...... »j r.«^SS k ! and Trotting Club giveaway £2,475 in stakes last season,.- ■■s'& Matamataharakiki appea>edt ; atout the best auditioned . horse lat",Avondale on Saturday. " ' " Backers 6fLavalette t fot>Hi3. Chip must have felt glum when they saw their fancy beaten in a hack race. Lavalette's ~ defeat Tin the Hack Kace at- Avondale was a threat face for punters. He was considered the moral " of the meeting. Lavalette's defeat at Avondale was only a nose defeat, but the nose being l n f , avour of Strathavon, Lavalette has lost favour. Even a nose victory robs the defeated one of any merit in his running. There is nothing new locally in connection with the New Zealand Cup betting except that the light weight Bombardo has been enquired for. 50's to 1 wanted. At this stage bookmakers are not inclined to I.iy that price. Cant. Falconer proposed, at the annual meeting of the Wellington Racing Club, that bookmakers should be licensed by the club. The proposition was put to the vote, only seventeen members voting, seven for and ton against. ( Strathavon was to have l.ecn the dry thing" of the Pakuranga Hunt Llub sports and a good many punters were hoarding up their " beans " for a plunge on him. 'They didn't think he was good enough for Avondale company. At the date of Utcst English files, the winning sires' list showed Persimmon ill, the head with '.£27 552 St. Simon next with £19,563, "then Tsinglass with £13,0fi4, and Carbine fourth with £12,033. Carbine's amount represented the sum won by 10 winners. N.Z. G.N. Meeting at Christchurch appears to have been too much for some of the small fry there, us it is reported that several small cash fielders have been missing from their usual business haunts since that meeting, and so far have given no indication of a possible return. If bookmakers generally had rather a bad time of it in their straight-out betting on the course at Avondale on Saturday, their double betting made it up to them. Leading pencillers had good double books, and though the winning double— Shannon and St. Olga— was laid by most of them, they yet won money. The sport loving tendencies of Auckland turfites were put to the strongest test last Saturday, when with weather the very reverse of tempting, they yet flocked to the opening day of the season at Avondale in big crowds, and notwithstanding bleakness and rain showers remained enthusiastic to the '.ast. Christchurch betting lists contain the following business done during last week : 1500 to 58, Lavalette • 1000 to 30, Grey Seaton ; 408 to 6 Clanhurn ; 400 to 10, Soarkbrook • 300 to 9, Halbadier ; 300 to 15* Beddington ; 300 to 12, Bowman • 300 to 12, Ostiak ; 250 to 5, Dundas 1000 to 10 has been taken about Welbeck and Pallas, and 1000 to 35 about Siege Gun and Ostiak for the double, Cup and Stewards Handicap. Bookmakers had a rough time of it on Saturday in two ways. Their position, out in the Open, drenched by the squalls and frozen with the cold, was bad enough, but on top. of all that, punters were beating them badly pretty well every race— no wonder if they felt that this first day of the season was not a very auspicious one to them in particular ; and no wonder too, that some of them turned the laying business up for the nonce, and seeking shelter at, the tote, did a quiet bit of punting on their own Doubtless Lavalette's defeat on Saturday has injured his Cup prospects in the eyes of a good many turfites. But we have had so many instances showing the danger of discarding a horse because of one defeat that those who now feel inclined to desert Lavalette may do well to consider the circumstances of his failure. Perhaps, too, it may be as well not to depreciate too much the quality of his victor, who may later on give us yet other surprises. In any case, conditions of the race under which Lavalette failed were a long way ip favour of the aged horse.