SPORTING NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9456, 22 July 1881, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES.

By "Soukak." ith the permission of the owner I the pleasure of taking a glance at A. Higgie's thorough bred stock ffe ek. I must preface my remarks :on, by saying that it is a thousand s that our lo?.al sportsmen nearly top half way when they go in for uio-hbred stock. We have various lfiiDMi in the district who keep for ling purposes mares with fairly strains of racing blood in their i, and the owners spare no expense rocuring the services of the best ] stallions to mate with their mares ; hree they consider their duties end. mare is depastured in a paddock, I perhaps her owner looks her up ionally, or probably he never sees intil she lias a foal by her side, and she is perhaps in low condition, 5 still allowed to take her chance. consequence is that the foal does ;et its fair share of subsistence, and weaning time comes round it is : from tht dam and sent to find its jas best it can. The owner pluckily nates it, for Derbys, Legers, &c, rhen rising three years old has it up, broke, and put in training. [miner does his best, but there is ig to work on. The young one tiikc kindly to the stable, refuses 'd, and pines fov the paddock. ic owner still perseveres, and sees 9 of Derbys, &c, floating before ■es, probably having backed the 1 when a foal to win him four or undred. But, alas, the trainer lisgustfd, the colfc looks worse day, instead of improving, and day comes round and the ster is brought to the post looking go through a gaspipe, and at the t the first mile lias shot his bolt lislii-s nowhere. The owner looks oin'ed, and the layer of odds gets e(Mi<\ and the trainer his wages ; !e Derby candidate returns once tn the paddock to be converted Luly's hark or something of the nd the owner thinks it is not his i win lii'i-hys. I hope the gentlcliose stock I am about to make a marks upon will not conclude that I drawn the above picture for his 1 tilihVation. The remarks apply i'ly iiveiy breeder in the district, ntil every attention is paid to lain and foal from the time me visits the stallion until the j placed in the trainer's hands, inui can never expect to commwssfully against all - comers valuable prizes that are annually into other provinces by the more ' blenders. It was evident to practical men that there were s in our last Derby that, had they bared properly, could have run Stance in several seconds better lan the winner, who was the only lit had received fair play during ly Wo. To return to Mr Higgie's , Jock : the first that caught my eye JP Valeria, by Blood Royal, with JBht-:u<mths"-old Painter colt at flft was much pleased with this j| Q1! '' vvno looks his sire all over, is jHrong; across the loins, and is well iHuP' with powerful quarters, and Jp shoulder. He is, in fact, a JB Sf ' n ot his much-to-be-lamented JBd I hope bis owner will give him jMßiow, I next got my eye on the flftv-olil Tommy-up-a-pear-tree, oHr 1 '- from the same dam as the }JJHH «ilt, Like all other Sators he fflff inijivoss me favourably, and I ■JB" if ever he will appear on a race rfjm^ h p has not one good point to V him. Gladiola, by Gladiator iflF n ' ■* years, was the next that «N my attention. She has fur'iH,"^° a looking marc, 1 jH 111 ' afraid her racing career is over aßecins to have had an attack of Tynndpy. hut she should be valujjH^ brood marc, being roomy and y» both quality and strength. 3§ido, by Gladiator — Waipuna — by jjMlat. was next interviewed. This jMf s thickened soiuewhat since she Bd in the Derby, and is the makTiKi a " 00(^ mai ' c n time. She is Wto bo leggy, but shows a good ■d shonkicr, -with fair quarters, H splendid pair of legs. I learn tfflhe o\mer that she is going fifthly into work for the spring i$W? T "icetings, and with luck she iliw her oat bill before the end of Pw son ' ns s he evidently possesses jsß< or she could not have run as ■ as .she did in the last Derby. wd-known Traducer mare, Del B y ' is 10 next I saw ; she is rather Wondition, but evidently in foal to NjK"- The serviceable mare Mocking Sdw"' a yearling and a foal at foot, [gj Painter, next came under ob■tfflp' Both the youngsters give v!iSfc Coll siderabie quality, and, idWPer attention, might appropriate id* j^dsonie stake. The four-year ■|'t of Other Days, has furnished conß^'erfrA horse, and would make . a? hunter or steeplechaser. ti&p °y Pacific, has a rather neat aud is in foal again to pjßtesday last, through the courtesy ■"■* «ac an . Lyford, T had the 25K. Ul specting the various horses tLeir tcami In thfl first VJBKr 1^ I found the erstwhile Mel- *£&** faT ourite, Artful Joe. This '^ lecently been taken vp s

and consequently looka rather rough, but in good health. Mr Eae informed me that he is intended for both flat and hurdle events this incoming season. The next box disclosed the steeplechaser St. S within, by Day Dawn, from a Don Juan mare. I must say that this horse is a credit to his schoolmaster. Every time he has appeared in public he has performed creditably, and will turn his head at nothing. He has been well wintered, and with age will prove himself a tough one over big country. His stable companion, Hawthorne, was in the next box, and notwithstanding that he occasionally gets a shade more of the hunting field than is good for him, looks fairly well. This horse has also been creditably hurdled since he has been in the hands of Messrs Kae and Lyford, and has in my opinion not yet been seen to his best advantage, and I think he is well worth taking care of, as he shows plenty of pace for a jumper, and looks every inch a weight-carrier. In the adjoining box I found Mr W. T. Owen's handsome Derby colt Fathom, by Day Dawn— Maid of the Mist. This colt looks quite the gentleman, and his condition is first-rate. He bears evidence of a careful rearing, and will have an immense advantage over tho majority of our Derby candidates in that respect ; but while I like him in many points, I fear his forelegs will give trouble to his trainers. They are not the sort to impress one with the idea that they would suit our training ground. However, I hope the owner will be fortunate enough to see him come to the post fit and well, in which case his chance of seeming the blue ribbon would be one of the veiy best of our locally-owned animals. Last, but not least, I looked at that gallant son of Traducer, Grey Momus. The veteran seemed as gay as his juniors, and although he has ran more hurdle races than any horse in New Zealand, except, perhaps, Lone Hand, he is a long way from being done yet. His legs are certainly not so clean as they used to be, but he is comparatively a sound horse, and will yet give his more youthful~rivals a deal of trouble to shake him off under a fair handicap weight. The Derby colt Woodstock has improved very much since he came into Messrs Eae and Lyford's hands, and may yet furnish into something good with care. The stable will be strongly represented in the jumping line this season, having besides the old grey, Artful Joe, St Swithin, and Hawthorne. While on the subject of hurdle horses, I mightmention that there is a probability of a numerously signed petition being presented at the next meeting of the Jockey Club to have the weights in the autumn weight-for-age hurdle race raised at least to one stone above weight-for-age. I hear that P. Byrnes and F. Potto have each taken boxes at the stables lately occupied by E. Mclvor, and that Byrnes will immediately take Messenger and the Hurdle horse Hard Times up for the Spring Meeting. Potto has Mr A. Higgie's mare Corrisande, and the Hurdle horse Eaven, in hand for the same. As three out of the four mentioned have been patched up, these two trainers (who by-the-way are generally successful in bringing what they have in hand, fit to the post) will have an anxious time of it. Mr W. H. Chitham has taken up his Derby colt Bluff by Gladiator, and although in poor condition he is by no means an unlikely looking animal. He is out of the same dam as The Barb, about whom some local sports took long shots, and plenty of them, for the Derby last year. Spectator, in the Herald, has twice attempted to define what is wrong with Mr Durie's horse Scud, and as often been victimised by the compos. It was apparent to me from the first that a spavined hock was the injury meant. I learn that the programme issued by the Hunt Club Committee has had to be abandoned. The conditions were such that the result was not unexpected. The programme, which I reviewed on its appearance, was received with disfavour by nearly every member of the Club. I pointed out, in my notes of the 9th instant, that it would have been better for a general meet- i ing of the Club to have been called to approve of the programme before passing it. Had this been done the programme would have been so amended that it would have met with support. I notice that at the meeting which resolved to abandon the programme it was decitled to call a full meeting for next Saturday evening, and the Secretary has published an advertisement calling another Committee meeting to arrange a second Hunt Club programme. This may be an error. I should think the Committee would rather not undertake the framing of another programme after witnessing the fate of their late wonderful production. The following nominations have been received for the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club's Spring Meeting, to be held on October 11 :— Spring Handicap — Bylong, My Dream, Angler, Mischief, Paramena, Maori, Uira, Firefly, Sydney, Kincraig, Rewi, Will-if-I-can, Mavis, Badsworth, The Squire, Eawdon, Afghan, Fleur de Lys, King Quail, Grand Duchess, and br. or hi. filly by Hippocampus out of Slander. Flying Handicap. — Prim, Bylong, My Dream, Novelty, Hero, Mischief, Paramena, Venture, Firefly, Crissoge, bl. colt by Pacific out of Occult, Sydney Nellie, Loch Lomond, Eewi, Will-if-I can, Mavis, The Laird, Lonio, Foul Play, Badsworth, The Squire, Eawdon, Afghan, Fleur de Lys, Ratcatcher, Grand Duchess, br. or bl. filly by Hippocampus, out of Slander. Handicap Hurdles. — Morning Star," Angler, Rawenata, Venture, Uira, Lady Mary, Ada, Loch Lomond, Will-if-I-can, and Te Whetumarama. The Christchurch Hunt Club Steeplechase meet will be held on the stli of August. The programme consists of A Hunt Club Cup, 60 soys, and Tally-ho Handicap of 40 soys for qualified hunters only, and an open Handicap of 80 soys ; a Consolation Handicap of 25 soys (also open). All the prizes are in cash, and although some members of the local Hunt Club assert that no gentleman would run his horse for money, it appears the gentlemen who constitute the Christchurch Hunt Club are not quite so scrupulous, and I trust my suggestion of last week will be adopted, and it made optional whether the winner takes plate or money.