LATE SPORTING.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXII, Issue XXI, 21 May 1904, Page 22

LATE SPORTING.

Lovers of a good hurae will be pleased learn that Achilles la himself once more, having recovered from his influenza trouble.

Heaton Delaval retains his place nt the th elh»t of wires of wlnuing twoj ear ol«la for this season.

Stepniak must take u high place.amongst the u inning sires this season. He has had a large number of winners of various ages.

Regulation is said to Im» doing good work at Ila worn, and may he hard to l>eat in the Connolly Handicap at Wanganui.

Madrigal's connections are said to have had h fair win when that mare won the Hawke's Bay Cup.

Durable and Maio arrived Tuesday morning from New Plymouth to fulfil their engagements at Taka puna.

The long-raced First Shot looks as evergreen as he did 11 years ago, and ran two races at Ashburton in better form than he has displayed for a very long time.

Orloff, who went lame last spring while ip Australia, Is doing steady work again at Yaldhnrst, and it is thought may stand another preparation.

Gilnockie has been doing schooling work over femes at Wanganui, but is rather slow over these obstacles, as he always has been over hurdles.

Mr R. Patterson. owner of the Soult— Problem filly Solution, gave solid support to his. filly when she won at Hastings last week, and as a result hdd a solid win.

While schooling at New Plymouth on Monday morning Pharos pulled up lame, and will not be able to start at Wanganui or Auckland meetings.

Mr F. Martin, the owner of Benefactor, is away for a trip to Germany, and will not learn of the decision of the judges of the Appeal Court against him in the I’abiatuß Cup for some time.

Ostiak has been.tried to jump since his new owner purchased him, and it will be seen shortly how his trainer views his prospects, for there are plenty of good jumping prizes in sight.

Exmoor and Black Reynard are both reckoned to have fair winning prospects in the Connolly Handicap, though both would be better suited to a shorter course than a mile and a distance.

A. Hall was engaged to ride Slow Tom in his Auckland engagements, but may be required at Otakl, so it is probable that the services of another horseman will be secured.

Sam Higgott, who used .to train The Feet. Patrician, ami Minerva, is still located at Rlcearton, and leases his boxes to local trainers, but does not follow his profession now.

As a result ofg striking a hurdle while jcnooling -at Hhwera in company with J.imestone. the jumper Banana injured one Vi, 1 ?* hn - H J e , eti > which but it may not pi event him starting at Wanganui.

Mr IT. Friedlander will have 15 yearlings n the sale list next spring, most of them by r inland, though Seaton Delaval, San S ente“ < ”““’ "“ <1 El “ losIo “

New Galana Cup winner T i? .C is do,n » good work at Wanganui, and there are more unlikely things than wnJt‘2s. 11 m ’ etlirned a winner during the ulnter months.

Reduction, who raced in the Ashburton • P<»ny events last week, is a daughter of Moderation, but her success was not district 3 «uticipated in the prohibition

During my trip South last week T saw several promising yearlings and foals by the <. astor horse Castashore. A fillv by this sire from Pleasure-seeker, rising two years old, looks likely to race with credit.

Though there was no great merit in Roseshoot s win at Hawke’s Bay, his performance was sufficiently impressive to satisfy most of those who witnessed it that he will prove good at the game.

Sardonyx, the Saracen—Decline gelding that raced at Avondale recently without success, was taken from Gisborne to Hawke s Bay, where he won two races. Mr I’. Tancred purchased him for £175 after he Lad won the first, on behalf of .1. Gravestock. his old trainer, and he won in Gravestock's name in his second race.

It is believed in some quarters that more than one of the hurdle horses that ran at Hawke’s Bay were out for a “look on” in view of events further afield. An observant, visitor remarked to the writer that horses should be given their schooling in private.

Since being placed in F. Tilly’s hands. Kremlin, who was purchased by Mr Dugald Thopipson, has been schooled over the battens, and shaped very well for a beginner. The ancient Rubezahl gelding Goldspur looked ns well as ever when racing at Ashburton on Thursday last, and can still gallop fast.

The Southern-owned gelding Slow Tom will likely be brought to Auckland by F. Holmes, who trained Liberator, and rode that gelding in his races in Auckland some years ago. J. Taggart is busy breaking a number of yearlings for Mr Reid, and may not bo able to make the journey Not th himself.

The defeat of Machine Gun by Boris in the Hawke's Bay Stakes only emphasises what 1 have repeatedly said about the son of Hotchkiss, that ho .cannot get a distance beyond five furlongs where the opposition is first ciabN. In ordinary company alx fur-

longs Is aet beyofwl him. It k a great pity that such an otherwise fine colt should be affected in his Whifl, for he is master of w eight.

The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club have cause to be highly pleased at the sroc<-vsa of their recent meeting. Let us hope that It marks a turn In the tide of adversity so long experienced. The next meeting, the winter steeplechase fixture, comes rather close, perhaps, but it is evident from the nomination list that the meeting will be well patronised by owners. Durable and Maro arc a pair of horses that have travelled between New Plymouth and Onebuuga more often probably than any others that have raced, and have become quite accustomed to being shipped and have. never had a really, bad sea trip between the two ports, but on one occasion last winter a bad passage was. experienced between Wellington ami Lyttelton,- and Durable was the only horse that came through the ordeal without a scratch. Maro means hard, and it would appear that Mr George’s horses aie well named.

The statistics showing the winnings of the two year olds during the past season should be interesting when they- make their appearance, but they can be anticipated to the extent of saying that the Auckland-bred colt Silkworm, half brother to Hohoro, will have a substantial lead in stake earnings over all others, his winnings coming to close on £lB<X>. Stronghold, a loss brilliant, but a useful colt, comes next with something over .£lOOO to his credit, and after him the good-looking Golden Lily, the first of Multiform’s progeny. Then comes Boris, a son of Stepnlak, who had fewer opportunities than most of his age. Tessera, Ailsa, and Beau Seaton follow in order of winnings. As to merit, there is no doubt that Silkworm owes his place to his excellence and superiority over those of bis age that have performed, and there is no doubt that he would have added to his fame had not an accident sent him into letirement. A number of promising colts have not raced at all, and others have raced but little, and it is possible some fair horses may develop from the juvenile ranks, but take them as a whole, their form has not been high class.

Du.rus, the dam of Lasting, Durable, Maio, and Mataura has had ten foals in ten years, and the four named are the only ones that have raced. Lasting dropped dead while racing at Hawera two years ago, and her progeny by Vanguard and Australian died respectively at a few days and four years old, and a foal by Sylvia Park died at Papakura. Mr George has a three-yeai-old full sister and a two-year-old full brother to Durable, and a colt foal by Soult from the mare, who is certainly the most successful of brood mares got by the Tubal Cain horse Armourer, and laced herself successfully over all distances up to two miles. Confidante, dam of Dufur, had eleven foals, ten of which raced, and nine of the number with success, the other not yet having been tried in public. Good records these for the family. Fides, dam of Confidante, was a prolific mare, and left quite a number of winners also.

Those who invest money through totalisator departments on meetings far afield should display the utmost care in wiring their instructions, but one is constantly hearing of cases which make it abundantly clear that care is not always taken, and the inevitable result is that heart burnings follow, and people who make mistakes blame everyone but themselves, who are almost invariably at fault. Some instances may be mentioned. Two back block settlers recently wired the secietary of a racing club to invest £5 for them c»ii a certain horse for the Andrew’s Handicap. The horse w’as engaged in more than one race, but no race called the Andrew's Handicap. The secretary promptly wired asking the sender of the money for the name of the lace he wished the amount invested on, but having left by train for another district for a few days, the wire was not received. In blissful ignorance of the fact that his money w’as not on, the sender imagined that he was some £35 in credit with the club, ami on learning that his fancy had won, and deciding to play up part of the winnings on other fancies on the second day, he wired his instructions for various horses for various races, adding money in hand. The club certainly had £5 in hand, but not sufficient to put on all the horses, and wired hack to that effect, and awaited instructions. The wire did not reach the would-be investor, w'ho had returned to his home by train. Some of the horses won, and results becoming known to the investor who was acting, himself and a friend, there was much jubilation. In due course both wires reached him, and fancying that they had been wrongly dealt with, they got to town with all speed, and besought the totalisator department head of the club, and there rewived undoubted pi oof of the fact that they had no money on at all, through their own blundering. When they left the office they were forced to admit that it was all their own fault that they were not very considerably in pocket instead of being expenses out of pocket. Another case with another club is that of a punter who fancied a horse for a hurdle race, and sent a letter with ten pounds to be Invested on it. The letter did not reach the secretary till the morning of the second day, anil merely stated to invest on the hurdle race, not mentioning first or second hurdle race. The horse had won the hurdle race on the first day, and the money went on the second day, when it ran and lost. This was hard lines on the punter, of course ns inhad anticipated that his letter ’ would nirive in time. The secretary was at first bhimed In the matter, whereas any blame was attachable elsewhere. The punter lost his £lO, and should have won £6O. In transmission a telegram was mutilated through the senders writing of the words “and four” being read, nnd sent as '‘your.'* and a good dividend was thus lo«L