Sporting Review. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1890.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 16, 15 November 1890, Page 1

Sporting Review. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1890.

Major George, in his letter to the Herald last Tuesday, wrote a great deal of truth, and is willing to come forward with £3,500 if four others will join him to make up the £17,000 the Bank now requires for the Sylvia Park Stud. A short time ago we were informed that £13,000 was the sum required. He also says that the stock, plant, etc., are worth the £17,000, and others agree with him. Does he mean that the Bank are still willing to take the £13,000 and that the extra £4,000 are for working expenses ? If so, well and good; but he is not very explicit on this matter. Then, again, he makes no mention of land and how it is to be obtained. We are informed that the first mortgage is £14,000. Take this at 6 per cent., which, together with rates and taxes, would bring the rental to over £9OO per annum. Then there is the replacing of all the old mares, and there are a good many of them. Against this must be put what the yearlings will realize this season. You cannot put them down at over £5,000 nett. It will then be found that the sum mentioned will be inadequate, and no better than Colonel Carre’s. The meeting held at the Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday to try and come to some arrangement with regard to purchasing the Sylvia Park as a whole was a failure, as Major George was all for a syndicate, while Colonel Carre was all for a company. The only other speaker was Mr. John Abbott. It does not take much penetration to see what the gallant Major wanted, i.e., to help the Bank and have a finger in the stud, while the gallant Colonel wanted to be managing director. However, the whole thing ended in a fizzle, and one must conclude now that the stud will go to the hammer next January.

Mr. Percival, the Secretary of the Auckland Racing Club, called upon us and explained the cause of the mistake with regard to the temporary withdrawal of The Baron’s number from for the President’s Handicap from the Telegraph. The explanation is, that after some conversation with Wright, the trainer, he was requested to scratch No. 6 (Tulloch) for the Welcome Stakes. It so happened that The Baron’s number was also No. 6, so when he told the man in charge of the scratching board to strike out No. 6 for the Welcome Stakes, he mistook the order and struck it out of the President’s Handicap. As soon as the mistake was discovered it was rectified. Of course when the large dividend was paid there was great indignation, but it was not likely that many would have been on him, as The Baron may be called a resuscitated horse.

The Auckland Racing Club’s Committee should be at length convinced of the folly of appointing Mr. Evitt as handicapper for the second day of a meeting when he is not able to be present. The weights are supposed to be published at nine o’clock the night before, and acceptances declared at ten o’clock*, All the reports of the running have to be wired to Christchurch and the handicaps made and returned before nine. As the last race was not run until past six this was almost impossible, and the consequence was that the? weights did not appear until after eleven, as several things had to be referred back to him. When they finally appeared there was a regular howl of indignation, for worse handicaps have never appeared. We will take the City Handicap first. Cissy met Antelope on the first day at a difference of two pounds and gave her a ten pounds beating. Now they were handicapped at the difference of only four pounds. There were several more discrepancies, but none so glaring as in the Nursery and Spring Handicaps. In the City Handicap Cissy might have been put up three pounds and the others all brought down, throwing the scrubbers in together, , as no handicapper should crush a good horse for the sake of the platers. Now we come to the Nursery. The Workman won the Welcome Stakes easily. It is well known that two-year-olds can give more weight away to horses of their own age than any others; still he is only asked to give lolb to Brigand, while Tulloch, who has never run, is placed within ylb of the winner, and had to give JEgyptus ylb, Morion 141 b, Transit 21 lb, and Sybil 281 b, all being non-performers like himself. Then, in the Spring Handicap, Antelope has to meet Cissy at only jib, when at a difference of 21bshe gets a lolb beating, thus being allowed only 1 lb, when she should have had izlb. Space and time will not allow us to go thoroughly through all the weights, but the same blunders occur throughout in what ought to be handicaps. It is lucky Mr. Evitt was not present to hear the anathemas hurled at his head. If he had been a man of sense he would have declined to make handicaps when he was not present to see the running.

Messrs. T. M. Jackson & Co. sold the privileges in connection with the Pakuranga Racing Club’s Spring Meeting yesterday, when they realized:—Booth, £l3, Mr. Hawkins; cards, £6, Mr. H. H. Hayr; gates, £2B, Mr. Blomfield; fruit stall, £l, Mrs. Luther.