SPORTING NOTES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XX, Issue 5745, 15 October 1885, Page 2

SPORTING NOTES.

(by flaneuh.)

Mr John Walker, of Aramoho, informs me that Black Rosa's dam has dropped a very fine colt foal to and visited St. Legcr. Mr J. Paul's Leonessa, by Leolinus — , Petroleuse, dropped a colt foal to Somnus and has visited St. Leger. This last foal is, I hear, a very fine youngster, showing a shape and general conformation which give promise of a thoroughly well put together racehorse. The foal has been named Foxton, as his mother was on a visit there to Homnus. Mr J. W. Jackson' Cheshire Lass dropped a filly to JN'atator, and visits him again, The Island Bay handicaps seem a pretty level lot of weights and ought to give some close finishes. In the Hurdles I take it the winner will be one of the first four at the head of the list, Macaroni, 12st 51b, being j top weight, and as good as anything iv it at the weights. In the Island Bay Handicap, 1J miles, Administrator, Bst 121 b, heads the list, and is not ill treated. Minerva, Bst 81b, is a bit overestimated, I think. She has started no less than 74 times, and only been a winner on eleven of these occasions. Pasha, Sst 71b, has to put up an extra stone for his Napier victory. This ought to give the roan horse the victory over his late vanquisher, as Pasha did not give him a tweive-pound beating at Napier. Clogs, Bat 71b, reads better, but it's a nasty time for her .vex.. v ex. Speculation. Sst 31b, can have no show on her Napier form, but she may be in a better humor at Island Bay, though my own opinion is it was not the season of the year stopped her winning at Napier, it was the exceptionally fast time. .Had the mile and a half taken 2miu 45^sece, she wuuld have been very handy at the finish. The Poet, Bst, is not killed with weight, but I think he want 3 a year's grass in a good paddock. Puck, 7st 71b, reads better, and will be one of the placed horses, I imagine. He is a 4 year-old faoii of Leolinus — Titania. Fay, 7fct 51b, is nicely weighted. Strenuous, 7st sib, is said to be a cripple ; he has been scratched for the New Zealand Cup and other engagements at Christchurch next month. Ugly Buck, 7st, is in light enough, but he has yet to make his mark. The Bard, 7st, would have a rare show if he could get the distance, which is half-a-mile beyond his metier so far. Revoke, 6at 41b, is a likely one for a place. Rata, 6st, is also leniently treated. I think Administrator, Clogs, and Puck the three best in it as named. In the Stewards' Handicap, f mile, Pasha Bst 71b, Capsize 7st 101 b, and Glaicks 6st 71b seem the best three on paper at the weights.

"Hippo" says Musket is ill. What the extent of his illness is, or whether it is serious or not the writer says he does not know, but the company refuse to take any more mares until they Bee how he gets on. 1 hope there is nothing serious the matter with this great gun, as he is doing grand service for New Zealand breeders, and getting the name and fame of our thoroughbred racing stock up to a very high pitch.

The .Sydney Herald gives the following somewhat sensational version of the Derby race : — Uralla looked fit and well, and as she was cool and quiet, aud it was pretty generally understood that she had the confidence of the stable, she was steadily backed at the least shade of odds. Nordenfeldt, the fine, strapping son of Musket, looked healthy aud well, but rather above himself, and the general impression appeared to be that he would only be asked to cut down the field for the benefit of Uralla, so that very few invested on him. The race will ever be memorable on account of the extraordinary conduct of Ellis, who, after making all the running on Ncrdenfeldt, effectually settled the prospects of Uralla by blocking her just at the critical moment when she had settled down to make her run at the home turn. It was there that the Derby was lost for the favourite, and for a few strides it looked as though First Chester would win, but he had exhausted himself by fighting with Kelso for the first three-quarters of a mile, and after making one really good run he melted away. Nordenfeldt ran him out at the turn, and had Mr Kdso's horse finished second it is more than likely that a protest would have been entered. Uralla came home from the distance at a terrible pace, but she had lost too much ground by having to go round the other two for her to be able to get up, and she suffered a three-quarters of a length defeat by is ordenf eldt.

I take the followipg from " Hippos " notes in the Napier Telegraph. The Jockey Club are again to be cougratulated upon the success of their last meeting, as they must have cleared about £600 by the two days' races. Last year the profits were £746, but this year the stakes were higher and nominations, etc., lower. The Selling Race this year brought them back £60, and the Hack iiace being declared null and void saved them £25 I have frequently advocated the doing away of hack races, and in their place having a Scurry Selling Race open to all horses. By making the stake 30 soys. and the selling price 30 soys. there would be better fields, and the horses would be limited to a certain class. We bhould not have welltrained racehorses running for it, and it would do away with disputes and protests as to a horse's previous performances. The small entries for the hack races at the last meeting should show that they are now the success they used to be.

The nominations for our Spring Handicaps are very discouraging, both as to number and quality. The cutting down of the stakes and not lowering the fees, have, to some extent, kept owners from patronising the meeting ; but counter attractions and hard times are the chief factors at work I think.

The Wanganui Stakes Handicap has only attracted nine nominations as against fifteen la&t year. Four for the Hurdles does not look well in this part of the colony, the birthplace of two-thirds of the winners of the bulk of the jumping races of the country. The Druid's absence from the list was an oversight Sam Powell tells me on his part, as he over-looked the date. This paper gave a special paragraph on Tuesday reminding owners of the nominations closing that evening. So Sam must not have read his paper that night !

At the settling over the Hawkes Bay Spring Meeting the following amounts were paid over : — W. lorns, £422 15s ; Win. Douglas, £275 10s ; t\ Tancred, £123 10s ; W. Clifford, £95 ; Hock and Conroy, £80 15s ; P. Martin, £80 15s; G. P. Donnelly, £4 10s; H. O. Johu&on, £23 15; and B. Blower, £14 ss, or a grand total of £1163 15s.

Some of the horsey folk at the Sydney races this year have had a novel experience. Owing to the outbreak of small-pox at an hotel, trainere, stable boys, and racehorses were placed in quarantine. Fortunately none of the ' big guns " were included in the lot. Ihe consequences might have been rather serious for sporting men if one or two of the favorites for the big events were put in durance vile.

That ' 'silence is golden" does not seem to come within the ken of some of the younger end of English jockeys. The following amusing sketch by "Rapier" in the Sporting and Dramatic News is a case in point :—: — "No trifling pai t of a jockey's education is knowledge of how to hold his tongue. One young man has recently had a warning, but it came too late, Had he possessed this most desirable accomplishment I should have been richer myself, and some of my friends would have benefited by several thousand pounds. Thus it happened. Archer was the other day riding a colt that appears to be invincible. He cantered to the post, and was joined there by a lad (G. Barrelt), a successful jeckey iv his way, who promptly struck up conversation by observing, 'I'm going to beat you to-day J' 'Are you ?' Archer carelessly replied. 'Yea, lam 1' the other replied. 'You think I'm not. All right. You'll seel' The lad in truth was 'as near as a toucher 1 doing what he said he should do, and we, who were in that desirable thing which they call 'the know,' thought for a few comfortable seconds that our money was In our pockets. But Archer won. 'He'd have done me a certainty if he hadn't talked about his mare !' Archer said afterwards. 'I should havn laughed at the idea of his being dangerou- ,f he hadn't said what he did, aud should have taken no notice of his getting ahead — felt sure he would come back or 1 would catch him when I started ; but after what he said I thought I had better keep an eye on him. He astonished me, I can tell you, and he would have won the race if he hadn't given me warning.' Those who backed the second at from 12 to 1 to 20 to 1 are naturally delighted with the jockey. They propose, in»

.depd, to present him with a testimonial A muzzle is the most favored suggestion." At the Heathcote Spring Meeting on Monday, Master Agnes, 12st 81bs, appropriated the Hai-dicnp Hurdles In the Spring Bandicap the places w<:re filled thus : Patrician, 7st 3lbs, 1 ; Puck, Btt 41bs, 2 ; Billy, Bst s!b, 3. Opawa'a son Conundrum, Bstlolb, won the Plying Handicap, beating Billy, Bstllb, and Wlver Queen, 7st 10! b. Thia Wanganui bred horse has won a lot of races for Mr Weston. Last season he started 19 times, and won five of them, and being placed on most of the other occasions.

Tho Caulfield Cup on (Saturday will perhaps give New Zealand a new laurel, as the H >n Wm. Robinson has two still iv it- viz , Liverpool, 7st 81b, ,md Winchester, 6afc 91b. The iauer is half brother to Welcome Jack, being by St Georgo (< heater's brother) from M's"! Fl.it. If he doea what those who know something of his capabilities say he can when fit, he will go very near landing the money, but I think Liverpool by King of Cluba— ldalia, half brother to Sir Modred and other good hoisos, will be a safe card to back at the weights.

The Hon Jas White ia going to put three maivs to Chester to foal to Knglisli time, so as to have a cut in at the blue ribbon of the turf in England. May he breed an Iroquoia, aud show tho folks at home what an Australian hoi&e can do. His string in Melbourne for coming events is a very strong one, consisting aa it does of Kordenfeldt, Uralla, Moute Christo, Despot, Acme, L'hiilip Augustus, and Tempe. His cheque for h;8 A.J.C. winnings, thanks to Nordenfeldt, was a big one, viz., £2922. Mr Halm, burg, Acolyte's owner, came next with £1210.

The Otaki Racing Club have arranged a nice Jittle programme for their annual meeting on New ear's Day. The card contains a Handicap Hurdle Race of £20 and the Otaki Handicap uf £35, besides several minor events. No qualification fee is asked from owners nominating. Mr Tcmpaitt has been appoiuted hanaicapper.

At a meeting of the Foxton Club, Hill and Poole's offer to work their totalisafcor at the summer meeting was accepted. Newslead, the idol of the public in Australia for the Victorian Racine Club's Derby, has been scratched, having gone lame. Thia and the scratching] of Commotion for the Melbourne Cup, has been a nasty jar for the early birds. Helene, the speedy South Australian mare, and till lately first favourite for the Caulfield Cup, ia dead, so a backer's lot thi ' season is not a happy one. Winchester and Liverpool have been heavily backed by the stable for the double— V.R.C. Derby and Cup. Huxley, the Australian jockey who got so undeservedly censured when he rode Archie and failed to win the V.R.C. Derby, won by Martini Henry, is dead. Rubina, the winner of the Great Autumn Handicap and many other races last season, has dropped a colt foal to Ingomar. Idalia has another filly this season, the third in succession to Apremout, to whom Charm has also dropped a filly.

Stonyhurst is now first favourite for the Canterbury Derby at 6to 4. For the New Zeabnd Cup Tuiquoise, Captain Webster, and Wapiti head the betting at 100 to 12. Alpine Koso has been backed for a eood stake at 100 to 7