NOTES BY MONITOR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue IX, 1 September 1900, Page 390

NOTES BY MONITOR.

The Avondale Cup, which takas place on the 15th prox., is already the means of considerable speculation. SI. Paul, who has the top weight of 9.12, has come in for much support, his admirers no doubt remembering his previous victories in this event. The game little son of St. Leger is reported to be in ra e buckle, and if nothing goes wrong with him in the meantime he must be more than dangerous, as he is much more leniently treated than when he won this event two seasons ago. Miss Delaval, with the handy impest cf s.R, reads very dangerous, as the distance is to her liking, while Rosella, with 31bs- less, is also safe to run well. Honesty is another for whose chance I have a considerable liking, while of the light weights Formula and Zealous are almost sure to show prominently.

By the s.s. Papanui, which left Wellington in the early part of the week, the champion colt Screwgun was a passenger for the Old Country. The horse goes Home in charge of Carr, and it is to be hoped he will land Hotchkiss's speedy son in sound condition. I understand Screwgun will race in Sir Edgar Vincent's colours, and providing all goes well he should be quite capable of winning many an important event-

The sporting writers on the other side strongly incline to the chances of Dandy for the Epsom Handicap. He is by Martini-Henry from Vain Glory, and is therefore full brother to Vanitas, an exceptionally fast horse in his day. Yet Dandy is reported to be even better, if such is really the case 1 should not care to look further for the winner.

A friend who was at the Grand National meeting tells me that it was conducted in the best possible manner, the punctual starting being one of the noticeable features. He is a’so of opinion that in some respects the totalizator is worked in a better method than at Ellerslie. The figures are much plainer, and there is only one machine. Mr IT. Pi]>er, the starter, had to fine jockeys in several cases, the provident fund being considerably benefited by the misdemearaours of the jockeys. Latest reports received from Napier state that Mr E. J. Watts’ N.Z. Cup candidate, Nobility, is getting on with his preparation in a very satisfactory style. Long work is being apportioned St. Leger's son, and he appeal s to be thriving on it. for the colt is looking really well for this period of the year. The other inmates of the stable. Tirade, Palaver, and The Shannon. are all doing famously.

The Christchurch Hunt Club’s Point to Point Steeplechase took place at Templeton on Saturday last, and proved a great success. The event for heavy-weighted hunters, 13.7, fell to Mr W. IL Woodroffe’s Victor. During the running of the race Crocus, who was ridden by Mr P. Holmes, came to grief, the latter getting a severe fall, which resulted in a slight concussion of the brain. The brown gelding Hawai owned by Mrs Woodroffe, proved successful in the lightweighted event.

A brown son of Trenton and Thelma fetched 1000 gns. at the sale of Mr Wareing’s yearlings at the Ascot

meeting. As this price was the second highest of the day it would seem that the Musket horse is held in good repute as a sire. The hero of the Grand National meeting. Record Reign, was brought back to Auckland on Saturday last, coming up by the. Takapnna in company with Cavaliero. It had been given out that the Castor horse was to have undergone his N.Z. Cup preparation at Riccarton, but it was afterwards decided to ship him back home. Southern writers describe Record Reign ns one of the finest looking horses yet seen on the Riccarton course.

The ex-New Zealander Levanter has been relegated by Captain Scott to the hunting field. The son of Captivator always jumped too big to have any chance over such small obstacles as obtain in England, and there seemed no prospect of his ever earning a winning bracket. The victories scored at Christchurch by Record Reign enabled Mr J. E. Thorjye to head the list of winning owners at the National meeting, the Ellerslie trainer receiving £520. Mr J. Prosser comes next with £5OO, which was secured by The Guard. For winning the Winter Cup with Spider placed Mr J. B. Reid in third place, £265 falling to his lot. while the Aucklander. D. Moraghan. came fourth on the list, his cheque amounting to £245. which was placed to his credit by Straybird’s successes.

Seahorse is going on well with his preparation at Ellerslie, and the chestnut is looking in really fine trim at this period of the year, and when November rolls round he should be cherry ripe. With Explosion off the scene Nelson’s son is now at the top of the New Zealand Cup weights, but so far nothing definitely has leaked out with regard to his mission in the spring, whether it will be Flemington or Riccarton. I notice several wagers quoted by the local bookmakers as having been laid against Major George’s colt for the New Zealand race, one amongst the number being 500 to 40. The speedy Sou’-wester gelding Boreas hsis been put into work again and is being restricted to slow work at Porirua. A son of the Prince Charlie horse Clan Stuart won the first two-year-old race of the season in Adelaide the other day. This was Stuart King, who was sold as a yearling for 50 guineas. Mr F. B. Ross, who took Kanaka down to compete at the Grand National Meeting, returned home by the s.s. Flora on Friday last, The black horse has been left behind at Christchurch for the present. It appears he went wrong while competing in the Final Hurdles.

The stock of Carbine are evidently beginning to earn their oats in the Old Country, as I notice that the son of Musket occupies fourteenth place in the list of winning stallions in England, his progeny having won between them £2BlB. As all the Carbines require age he should improve on this position before long. It has been definitely decided by Messrs Nathan that Explosion shall be retired from the turf and restricted to stud purposes. The black son of Cuirassier was always a public fancy, and his absence will be felt- in the big spring events. Such a well .bred horse is almost bound to make a name for himself if mated with suitable mares, and it may be taken for granted that, he will have every chance in this respect. Betting on the New Zealand Cup has been fairly brisk during the week. Record Reign and Malntua dispute for the position of first r- uirite, both being quoted at 7tol :r ainst. Other prices ruling are:—lo io 1 Tortulla, 12 to 1 Seahorse, 25 to 1 Paphos, 25 to 1 Materoa and Conqueror. 33 to 1 Hengist, Beddington, and Ideal. Both Aurum and Merman have gone to the stud in the Old Country, and the latter's list is practically filled at 100 guineas. It was unfortunate

that the son of Trenton-Aara went amiss oft arrival in England, and writing of him the “Special Commissioner’’ to- the “Sportsman” says: — “Aurum is the best of all the Australian horses, whether in England or at the Antipodes, and those who have seen him this year can readily understand that he will very shortly be full for next season.”

Old Voltigeur IL, the hero of the last Great Northern Steeplechase, is to be seen frequently pottering about in the salt water on the Lake beach. The grey appears to have quite recovered from the gruelling he got while competing in the big race at Ellerslie last June, and from present appearances it would seem that Mr Ross' old general will be as good as new when the jumping events roll round again. At the Newmarket First July Meeting the Australian Star with 8.13 ran nowhere in the Visitors’ Plate, Tirant d’Eau performing in a similar manner in the. High Weight Handicap. I notice the ex-New Zealander was awarded top weight (9.8) in the Welter Handicap Plate, run at Newmarket on July 6th.

The largest, totalisator dividend returned during last season was £ 165 5/, which amount Sam Slick paid when he annexed the Trotting Cup at the Canterbury Summer Meeting. The hurdler Waiwera paid the useful dividend of £BB 10/ in the hurdle race run at Marton, while the greatest amount to be returned on a flat event was when Motto scored in the Welter at the Dunedin Autumn Meeting and paid £B5 4/. When Bobadil changed hands recently at the St. Albans sale for 500 guineas it was voted on all sides that the purchaser, Mr F. Grimwade, had secured a cheap horse. Word Is now to hand that Mr J. E. Brewer, who recently returned from England, wants the son of Bill of Portland, and he has offered an advance of £2OO on the purchase price, but: so far it has not led to business. It would appear that in consequence of a general impression that Bobadil would reach a very high figure several people, who would have Hked him did not bother to bid, with the result that there was but little competition, and he went at a comparatively low figure. At Wellington Park this week Mr Morrin’s fine brood mares Edith Cureton, by Castor—Frailty, and Crescent, by Castor—Pungawerewere, produced colt foals to St. Leger and Hotchkiss respectively.

The Auckland-bred colt Lancaster scored another win at the V.11.C. August Meeting. This was in the Three and Four-year-old Handicap, which is run over seven furlongs. There were ten other runners, which Hotchkiss’ fine son had no difficulty in defeating. The account given of the race says the colt won in a canter by a length, the time taken for the journey being 1.32 J. Lancaster started favourite at 5 to 4 against.

There has been a fair amount of business already transacted over the coming Avondale Meeting. For the Cup St. Paul, Hohoro, Miss Delaval and Zealous have been coupled with every horse that appears to have a chance in the Plumpton Handicap. The favourite selections for this event are Rosella, Solo, Firefly, Hohoro and St. Ursula.

The annual meeting of the Northern Wairoa Racing Club took place on the 13th of August. The balance-sheet presented showed a satisfactory state of affairs, although had the totalisator been in use they would have been able to show much better results. The

committee hoped to have the machine working at their next meeting. At the V.R.C. August Meeting Massi nissa carried 9.4 and defeated a large field of nineteen runners in the Show Handicap. The. mare started favourite at 5 to 2, and won easily by a length, running the six furlongs in Im in 19sec.

Lancaster has been well supported for the Melbourne Cup, and is now quoted favourite at 100 to 6. In the early part of the week inquiries were made after St. Ilario for the New Zealand Cup, one wager of 500 to 35 being wanted about Mr Stead's representative. The latest foaling announced from Sylvia Park is that of Miss Letty (St. Leger—Necklace), who produced a splendid colt foal to Seaton Delaval. The youngster, therefore, is full brother to the speedy Beddington. A horse that is well spoken of on the other side of the water is Barbarossa, who claims engagement in both Cups. “Pilot” in the Sydney “Referee” has the following with reference to the colt: “Barbarossa takes my fancy, and even if he misses the Metropolitan I would not be greatly surprised to see him equal Dewey’s performance of last year and get away with the Caulfield Cup.” Barbarossa is a three-year-old colt owned by Mr C. Jeffries, and is trained by Ike Ernshaw. The will of the late Mr W. R. Wilson was presented for probate at the Victorian Supreme Court recently. The propertv altogether amounts to £63,584 19s Id, of which £21,585, is reality and £41,999 personalty. Sequence is now favourite for the Epsom Handicap, as he was when the weights first came out. Several hundreds were secured about Mr Mayo’s horse at 100 to 8. Others to receive attention are Allinga. Ampier, Dandy and St. Clare. For the Metropolitan Handicap Paul Fry and Dandy are equal favourites at 16 to 1.