SPORTING NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8249, 23 February 1905, Page 1

SPORTING NOTES.

Aocording to latest advices Canteen was doing good work at Flemington. It is reported that Mahutonga. is being given swimming exercise at Gisborn*. Mr E. J. Watt, of Hawke's Bay, 'is' expeoted back in the colony shortly, alter a trip to England. J.. Scobie, the Ballarat trainer, has a team of twelve horses ai Fleminston for ths au.tunm campaign. Grand Rapids has been disposed of to a South African sportsman, and will leave for his new home shortly. Canteen and Gladaoma figure among the nominations for the -weighMor-age races at the Victorian Autumn Meetings. If the figures in an American paper can be relied on, E. Hiidsbror.d had 1280 mounts last year and rode 298 winners. New South Wales stables will not be so strongly represented as nsusl at the Victoria Racing Club's Autumn Meeting. It is expected that Sir George Clifford and Mr G. G. Stead will be well represented at the Wanganui meeting next week. The tracks at Riccarton axe practically deserted, owing to tho large number of hcrse*that are engaged at Wingatui this week. Mr A. Gray ,o£ Sydney, has invented another starting machine. It is not so complicated as the other machines, and is less cumbersome. Writing to a Melbourne Pressman, Mr Stead said Nightfall was too sore^ to sen,d over to Australia this autumn, ana he did not care to send Martian alone. For the champion picnic horse of New South Wales, Da.keith, who cost something like 60 guineas only a few months ago, an offer of 10TO guineas has been refused. The dual Derby winner, Syivanite, has been thrown out of work, as one of his legs showed signs of filling. It is thought that the last has been seen of him on a racecourse. Noveilina, tha two-year-old sister to Sweet Nell, is a beautifui-lcoking filly, but so far she has proved a great failure as a racehorse. In her latest effort she finished last. Mr G. J. F. Palmer has purchased .Bagpipes from Mr G. G. Stead. The latter has also disposed of Carcanet and Golden X>iiy, the destination of the latter pair, it is understood, being Australia* * Among the nominations for the Ascot Gold Cup, to be run in June, are Zinlandel, Preity Poljy, St Amant, Jotn o' Gaunt, Rock Sand and Presto 11., tho last-named 'being the French horsa that defoated Pretty Poliy. A northern writer, in referring to the fact that Edward Cotton rode two winners at * recent meeting, says:— "This youngster has two essentials io the making of an arti3t in the saddle, an even head and a silent tongue," On tho first day of' the Johannesburg Summer Meeting £33,000 passed through the 10'.a.---lisator, which was a record for the club. Of this amount £11.159 ' .trs placed on the straight-out machine and £22,841 on. the place. In Argentina, South Amsnca, a number oi two-year-olds by ihe English sires Kendal, Gay Hermit, fctiletto nnd Nunthorpe, were sold recently at extraordinarily high prices. Twenty-aix haad brought £50,000, an average of nearly £2000. Casket, by Castor— Bangle, is doing very 'well at the stud in Otago. Despite limited opportunities he has already left a large number of winners. He had three winning representatives at the Tuapeka m&eting, who carried off four races. •Mr J. Wilson, sen., the founder of St Albans, is retiring from the turf, after a career extending over fifty years.. Among his horses which are to be disposed of is the three-year-old Blinker, who is favourite for the Australian Cup. ' . The general entries for the Victoria Racing Club's Autumn Meeting shew ?.n iUcreaee OY&r those received last year. The two-year-old and jumping events show a substantial increase, but the weight-for-age races Have not filled so well as usual*. A oase similar to 'that, in which Hewitt was the chief figure at the summer meeting at Riccarton engaged the attention of the Sydney stipendiary stewards at Moor^field this month. The offending jockey, T. Clayton, was let off with a caution. Mr G. G. Stead has sold four of his horses within the last week. Bagpipes is now owned by Mt G. Palmer, but the other three, Carcanet, Golden Lily and a two-year-old by 1 Royal Artillery— Bellicent. aro und-irstootl to I have been secured for buyers outside the [ colony. There is apparently plenty of money to be won in America by owners cf jumping horses. Last year the most successful jumping owner •w«s T. Hitchco-'k, whose horses accounted for £7853, next m order coming J. W. Colt £3314. "Mr Cotton" £3615. "Mr Chamblet" £3*58, and J. B. Widener £2952. In a two-mile match over hurdles Mark Time, owned by the ex-Australian, Mr J. G. Clarke, was oaaily beaten by Karakcul. The pair are regarded as the best hurdlers in England, but the race was very unsatisfactory, a3 there was no attempt at a fast pace until the last hurdle ha-d been negotiated. Tho following important notice to stewards appeared in the last number of the Victoria Racing Club's " Calendar" :—" It is notified that no steward is qualified io act offipially in any matter, or adjudicate or sit upon any inquiry, on the result of whioh he is in any way interested by bets or otherwise." According to the Continental correspondent of a London paper, the Hungarians are true sportsmen, and betting opens on classic events in Their country and in Austria long before it does in France and England. The Bona Vista filly Patience is the favourite for the Austrian and German Derbies of 1905. A Melbourne writer falls into. tho error of crediting Solution with a New Zealand - record when she ran the five furlongs of the Wellington Stakes in lmin lsec. it is certainly the fastest time put up in this race, but it is a long way short of Machine Gun's oSsec in the Randolph Handicap at Riccarton last November. The English-bred mare Playaway, by Carbine, who was such a hot favourite for last year's Newmarket Handicap, is again first favourite for the Flemington sprint. The best offer against her in. Sydney is 5 to 1, but 7 to 1 can* be got in Melbourne. Gladsome and Canteen are both quoted at 20 to 1. For the" Australian Cup Blinker is favourite at 8 to 1 and Canteen ia at 14 to 1. The latest innovation to come into vogue in America is an electrical apparatus which displays, immediately after 'he finish, the numbers of the placed horses in three or four different parts of a course. The judge has merely to touch electric buttons corresponding to the card numbers of tha horses in. races, - and the most outlying parts of the track are i instantly informed as to the result of the i races. j Some surprise was occasioned in racing circles in Wellington on Thursday, when it was announced that Mr Stead's two representatives at the Dunedin Autumn Meeting had been scratched for all engagements. This decision, it , is understood, was due to a difficulty in getting proper accommodation for the entrainment of the pair on the day following the Cup Race to enable them to fulfil their Wanganui engagements. The new order to the police that the owners of properties are to be summoned for allowing betting to be carried .on in their Premises is causing some trouble amongst the silver shop men. One or two have already rotired, and (says a Sydney writer) one hears of others who intend shutting up shop, for %, time. One man who does a vary heavy trade will have to seek fresh quarters, as the landlord will not renew his lease. 2»o doubt there will be a teat case to decide whether the bookmakers can beat the latest move of the authorities. Betting lately has not been very brisk, and results bad, eo that there is by no men*is the money in it that there was. Then, the shops have increased ** *J u . oh . * rate, both in the city and suburbs, that it is a wonder some can find any patrons at all. The stewards acting on the New South Wa_.es pony courses have the power, and exercise it, of examining a horse's feet before ne starts in a race, to see whether he' is carrying plat M> aluminium, or ordinary shoes. It would be well, perhaps, if they went a little further, and inquired whether ic 8 together necessary to run a horse in ? A,*- t*hort time ago a pony, who went out with boots on, was badly beaten by the iavouftte, but subsequently, without the encumbrance, took charge of a big field and won. iho longer distance of, the previous race may have been responsible for the defeat, but (say 8 an exchange) the fact cannot be denieo. that some who noticed the boot3 on at tne tune were particularly sanguine about tho favourite's chance, and did not hesitate to lay extravagant odds on. The Indian turf authorities do not tolerate bookmakers owning racehorses, therefore Australian bookmakers who patronise the Indian turf cannot field nor have an interest with a brother bookmaker. Indian sportsmen assert' that racing is all the better for thie rule, and it would be further improved' if professional owners were barred. As a majqriy of Indian horse-owners race for pleauue, the eport is in ■*°*r l v i ll " 1 th « ricll Indian merohalits and the highest Government dignitaries, even th* Vwero* fojaselt Aftej. *• tot* Vice****

Cup Meeting in Calcutta, his EXoellency the Viceroy. Lord Curson, entertained members of the Indian and Ceylon Chambers of Commerce at dinner, and at the conclusion of a long speech concerning matters of business, he toasted the merchants present, ooupled with the name of Mr A. A. AP car , the owner of Great Scot, tha dual winner of the Viceroy's Cup. In replying to this mark of honour Mr Apoar declared he waa the proudest man in India when he led the famous gon of Lochiel 'back to weigh in after winning tlie Cup a week previously.