CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 29, 14 February 1891, Page 1

CHRISTCHURCH.

OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Christchurch, 7th February. A very successful meeting of the Canterbury Trotting Club was brought off at the Addington Show Grounds on Friday. The attendance was larger than I have ever seen there before at a meeting of the kind. A lot of money was put through the totalizators for a trotting meeting, and the doings of the day were generally satisfactory, though one matter is to form the subject of an inquiry. Calista, who was paid up for in the Association’s Ground Cup, a four mile race in harness, in which she was set to give the winner no less than 115 secs—equal to something like 1150 yards—start, was sold just before the race to Dan O’Brien, it is said for She looked very fresh and big in condition as compared with her condition when she started last time, and won in such good form some months back, but she failed to show anything like this pace, and cut up very badly and was pulled up at the end of about half the journey. This was her first appearance in harness, and she had behind her an inexperienced driver —so far as rating a trotter is concerned. Well, someone, disgusted at the mare’s performance, demanded an investig-i ation, and evidence was forthcoming to the effect that her driver received instructions from her former owner to pull her up after going about two miles. In the first place the mare didn’t look fit for such an ordeal as four miles, and early in the race it was any odds against her, and her driver would have been quite justified in retiring from the contest, and nothing more would have been heard of the matter but for the instructions given before-hand. It is a pity that any unpleasantness should have occurred. Mr. J. C. N. Grigg is a gentleman of standing in Canterbury, and above any of the tricks that are sometimes resorted to by professional trotting owners, but for him to have started the mare at all in her condition

| was a mistake. He could not have dreamt, of her winning, and if it was with a view of letting * his friends see her move, it would have been better had he scratched her, and then obtained permission to show her on the track alone. A • large number of visitors at the meeting went on purpose to see Calista trot, but as things turned out they were much disappointed, though her chance of winning was not considered good, and her backers were few. The matter is to receive further consideration this I week. The trotting on the whole was fair, < especially that of Victor, who, though beaten ’ in both races in which he started did his mile in the last race in 2 minutes 33 seconds. Sunlight won the Maiden Trot, two miles, in ; ’ 5 minutes 46 seconds, though he never would ■ 1 have caught Ellen, a mare from Ashburton, liad she not broken down in the last two hundred yards. Polly Plum won the two mile harness race, paying the nice dividend of os 6d, and doing the dis- - tance easily in 6 minutes. Dora Thorne won the Selling Trot. Richmond, 115 secs, Cygnet, 95 secs, and Kitty, 80 secs, were the placed horses in the chief event —the Association Ground’s Cup, of 4 miles, and the time was 12 min. 13 secs. Parnell, a pony under 12 hands, won the Pony Race doing the two miles in 6 min. 36J secs.; good, considering his inches. Lady Warbeck won the Addington Plate, two miles, in saddle, doing the distance in 5 min. 53 secs. Miss Axe won the ■ Disposal Stakes, and Nellie, a pony, just got her nose home in front of Hurricane in the Electric Stakes, 1 mile, the official time being 2 min. 59 secs, and the dividend the nice sum of 9s, shared in by five investors. The Midsummer Meeting of the CJ.C to-day ranks amongst the most successful the Club have experienced for a long time, though they do not seem to be able to draw the public to Riccarton. The success I speak of was financial success and good management, assisted by splendid weather, but the racing was not of the keenest, nor was the all-round quality of the contestants of the best. Crackshot did not start in any thing, being sore after his Northern trip. The running of Bay King, while away from Riccarton, was not such as to cause him to gain support, and the result of his victory in the Hornsby Welter was the return of splendid dividends to his few backers, who received £ 10 i3s. inside, and ss. 6d. outside. Bay King carried gst ilb, and was ridden by “ Free” Homes. Crown Jewel, Bst, was second, and Liquidation, gst 1 lb, Harkaway, lost 41b, King of Ulster, gst i2lb, Preston, gst 51b, Tired, Bst 121 b, Nellie Grey, Bst, were the other starters. The Middle Park Plate was a capital race at the finish. Florrie, 7st 71b, who was made a strong favourite, being run close by Palliser, Bst 41b, and a less experienced horseman than White would not have stalled off Clifford’s brilliant run on the son of Nordenfeldt. 'I he A premont colt Cajolery, 7st 71b, made the pace, and only died away in the last two hundred yards. Fairchild, an improving colt by Black ’Rose from Hinemoa, was fourth. Watersprite, Yattaghan, and Ranee Nuna were the other starters. The time was imin. igsec., and the dividends £2 Bs. 6d. and £2 2s. 6d. Freedom was made favourite in the Mid summer Handicap, but he looked “jolly,” otherwise a bit above himself, the result of being a bit short of work on account of having injured one of his feet, and it was found necessary to run him in a bar shoe. This and ' the fact of meeting with bad luck, losing a stirrup leather and getting jammed on the rails, ' were quite sufficient to loose him a race run in the fast time of 2min. 38sec., which Prime Warden accomplished. The son of Apremont —Miss Kate, albeit went like a racehorse, and finished well. He is an improving colt, but he looked very leggy and light on Saturday, I thought, notwithstanding his win. Breadalbane lost what chance he possessed by being made too much use of, and Rosebud assisted to cut him down. Ahua was well up for a mile, when he died away, and Catamount was quite out of his place and finished last. The dividends were £5 13s. and £5 19s. 6d. ,• The Selling Race was won by Enchantress, a daughter of Bundoora and Miranda, who won the Ct J.C. Oaks as a three-year-old, but who has been a kind of a white elephant to her owner since, so he parted with her. She stands "fabout 17 hands high, and shows some quality.

No doubt she never got properly over an attack of influenza. Mr. Hungerford bought her for for the coast. The Scurry, a 2osovs race, an ornament to a programme of a metropolitan club, was won by Rose of Cheviot, who failed to find a purchaser at the upset of £2O. Old Ruby nearly always runs well at Riccarton, but his Wellington form put some of his admirers off him for the Craven Stakes, which he landed. He carried Bst 61b, and beat Von Tempsky, 7st zlb, Carronade, 6st, Richlake, 7st 71b, Hazel, 7st 31b, Breadalbane, 7st 31b, Dragon, 7st, Nelly Gray, 6st, and Lady Sockburn, 6st. Carronade was made a good favourite, and led till a hundred yards from home, when she was done with, and Ruby got home by a length from Von Tempsky, who just beat Carronade. Time, imin. 3if sec. Dividends, £5 is. 6d. and £6 3s. In the Consolation, Von Tempsky, 7St 71b, certainly looked a good thing, and Rosebud, Bst gib, had a lot of friends, but Hazel was backed by the right people and ran better, and Von Tempsky worse, than in the Craven Stakes, and the daughter of Nordenfeldt — Ouida ran the mile in imin. and dividends of 4s. and £4 14s. 6d. were paid out. Hazel was fifth in the Craven Stakes. Dragon, who ran prominently in the Craven Stakes to the turn, also showed up better here and ran second.

15 was passed through the machines during the day, and Bob Derritt was the most successful of the horsemen.

Betting over the Dunedin Cup is dull. sto 2 is offered on the field, Hilda being most fancied, while 4to 1 is accepted about Prime Warden, and 4 to 1 offered against Occident and Freedom, 6 to 1 and 20 to 1 about others.