Late Racing.

Observer, Volume XXXVI, Issue 49, 12 August 1916, Page 23

Late Racing.

The Hon! E. Mitchelson returned from Sydney in time to presidio at the annual meeting of the Auckland Racing Club. Resolutions expressing symipathy'' with Mr H. T. Gorrie and Mr Angus Gordon, who have each lost a, son at the front, were passed in silence. Appelon, the winner of the Northern Champagne Stakes of 1910, ie being hacked about the. roads, and will probably be put. into work again shortly. Claude Whale, the. country trainer, has brought his team, Waiutu, Sandy Lupin and Luperirio to Ellerslie, where the tracks are good. J. O'Shea left for Riccarton on Tuesday night, where he is engaged to ride Seadow in the Winter Cup at the C.J.C. National meeting. D. Moraghan's .pair of two-year-olds are showing good form on the course tracks. On Tuesday morning they fluttered over three furlongs attractively. Colonel Soult is also in fine form, and is running round the sand track with all his accustomed vigour. He has been entered at the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting. Bowler, which started a hot favourite at the A.R.C. winter meeting and ran second, will start work again shortly at Ellerslie.

A pleasing function recently took place at the New Zealand "Herald" office, when Mr Archie Bruce, was presented with a cheque, and was the recipient of some very flattering and true remarks by "the heads" on the completion of fifty years' service with the old house. When the late Captain Handley retired from the "Herald" as sporting scribe, Mr Bruce filled the vacancy, which was truly a labour of love, compiling the sporting column. The writer can well remember Archie and himself, mounted on a couple of hacks at 4 a.m., scampering out to see that good horse Ariel prepared for the Auckland Cup of 1876-7. The son of Dainty-Ariel captured' three Auckland Cups in the colours of three different owners, Messrs J. Watt, A. McDonald and M. Edgar. Mr Bruce received his baiptism in double betting in 1883, when he selected the Auckland-bred colt Martini Henry for the V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup, which duly eventuated, landing the then youthful sporting scribe a couple of centuries. Probably it was the proudest day of Mr Bruce's life when he was shaking hands with his old shop mate Mr Mick Connolly, who has topped his fifty-second year in the same ftffice. "Boys, it's a long way from the old Bell Savage to the new linotype. Congratulations."

There died this week at Mount Pleasant, Mr James. Smith, at one time a driver for Cob and Co., Elliott Street, in the late sixties, and afterwards partner with his brother John in the Greyhound Stables, Queen and Victoria Streets. "Jimmy," as he was known to his friends, was one of the best whips on the roads, and a dashing and fearless driver. The writer can remember of one instance, when, by his pluck and quick judgment, he saved the situation, returning from the Ellerslie racesdriving a team of highly mettled horses. On topping Khyber Pass the horses got out of hand amidst the heavy traffic. The horses had too much way on to swing round the corner safely into Symonds Street. Of two evils "Jimmy" chose theleast, and dashed down Newton Road, but he lost his party,* all but one, the late Mr Edward Hill, who kept the Victoria Hotel, who, being an extremely corpulent man, could not follow the rest of the passengers out of the vehicle. The late Mr Smith was nearing his seventy-sixth birthday.