Sporting Items.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 54, 6 August 1891, Page 7

Sporting Items.

The Victorian Racing Club made a profit of over their late Spring Meeting. Wally Clifford, Donovan, and Lawton left last week for Sydney. Ival, the jumper, has been sent home, and will be given a spell on his owners’s station at Hawkes Bay. The Wellington United Hunt Club made a profit of close on over their inaugural meeting held last month. The Musket horse Fusilier has been shipped to Melbourne, where his owner, Mr. Orr, expects to get a respectable price for him. The Canterbury Trotting Club have received 144 nominations for the seven events of the Spring Meeting, which takes place on 14th inst.

“Dick” Frewin is now in Christchurch, and is - open for engagement to ride at the Grand National Meeting. The Wellington Racing Club are making enquiries, re a well-known bookmaker betting totalisator odds at their late Winter Meeting, should the charges be proved, the bookmaker implicated may expect to be severely dealt with.

“Jack” Wells, one of the best horsemen in New Zealand, who has lately been in the employ of George Hope, left last night for Sydney.

We are informed that Mr. Bobbett has sold the well-known mare Lady Norah, by Cadogan —Steppe, to the Wellington Park Stud proprietors, and as far as breeding goes she ought to make an excellent matron.

Common, the English Derby hero, was disqualified for the Rous Memorial Stakes, from the fact that the partnership between Lord Allington and Sir Frederick Johnstone had not been registered when the entries for the race closed.

The meet for the Point to Point Steeplechase will be at the Royal Oak Hotel, Onehunga, on Saturday next, at two o’clock, and the start for the Steeplechase is timed for three o’clock. The following are the nominations:—Messrs. Vincent Taylor (Premier), D. B. Tonks (Odd Trick), Steward (The Count), Sinclair, Kettlewell (The Don), W. Shera (Bradlaugh), Haultain (Gamecock), Mcßean (Mac), W. R. Bloomfield (Bachelor), B. Lochart (Eros), R. Garrett (Guadalquiver), Paul (Dundee), Paul (Billingsgate colt), Henwood (Maritana), H. C. Tonks (Billy), F. Yonge (Fly), E. a. Gilmore (Tomato), 0. Gordon (Pawa), Colonel Dwason (Ike).

Stromboli is now a strong favourite for the V.R.C. Derby. The fee for training on the Forbury racecourse is now £1 per horse. Prudence is expected to foal in about three months’ time to Brigadier. The steeplechaser Auckland is to be put into work again shortly. It is stated that Wolverine, the winner of the last Ne v Zealand Cup, is not in work, and that he will go to the stud next season. Trimolite has been thrown out of work, and it is not likely that he will face the starter until late in the season. The best trotting record in America for a mile this year was 2min 11 sec., made by Stamboul. It is stated that Mr. W. R. jjWilson, the squire of St. Albans, is so dissatisfied with the Victorian handicappers, that he intends to turn several of his horses out of training. 1 The nominations of Reprisal and The Workman were received too late for the Epsom Handicap, to be run at the A.J.C. Spring Meeting at Randwick. ■ • Merrie England has been scratched for the Melbourne and New Zealand Cups. The Australasian states that the sire Henchman, brother to Robinson Crusoe, has been sold to Mr. W. Chaffe of New Zealand. Tirailleur has been backed for a fair sum for the Melbourne Cup, although he has not , yet left New Zealand. . ■ Tommy Taylor has been given the care of a filly by Radames out of Moth. She will be trained for pony racing. ' J.A ■ *. Leila, by Buccaneer —Vestalin, slipped* j;win foals last week. This mare was J. B. Williamson at the Sylvia Park sale pip January last for £\3 13s. . ' : . 1 .~ Mr. A. H. Barron of Gisborne has purchased from Mr. J. H. Jull, Hukatere, a four-year-old son of Ingomar and Bissemer, the price being ~ £l5O. The Spring Meeting of the Auckland Trotting Club is fixed for the 26th September. The programme will be published shortly in the columns of this paper. _ > Apremont and St. George will stand during . the season at Middle Park. Mr. H. A. Knight, of Racecourse Hill, has purchased an interest in the former.

At the recent Conference held in Wellington a deputation was appointed to interview the Railway Commissioners, and ask them to provide better horse boxes, and put the fares for racehorses on the same footing as hunters, which are allowed the return journey free. Captain Dundas, formerly of the Canterbury Yeoman Cavalry, and well known in sporting circles, has (says the Canterbury Times) secured a position in London as secretary to a firstclass gentlemen’s club. [We hope it may be. true.—Ed. S.RiJ The attention to subscribers to the following events —Takapuna Stakes of 100 sovs. (runJanuary, 1892), Anniversary Stakes (January, 1892), and the Takapuna Stakes of 100 sovs. ! (1893), is drawn to the second payment of 1 sov. each, is due next Friday by 9 p.m., payable either at the Secretary’s office or at the office of Mr. W. Adams, Durham-st., Auckland.

On Monday, 26th ult., a piece of wood several inches in length was taken from a wound in the side of the steeplechaser Tauraekaitai. The horse fell over some timber some months back and received the wound referred to at the time. The billet of wood had been imbedded in the flesh ever since the accident.

Cloth of Gold, who has been ridden at the Hunt for the past two Saturdays by J. Dawson,, now takes him over for training purposes in conjunction with Reid. They have taken Mr. W. Adams’ boxes at Ellerslie, and have also a two-year-old by The Dauphin in work. It is said they will have Ingorina added to their string. The Dunedin Plumpton Champion Coursing Meeting takes place on the 19th and 20th insts., The Champion Stakes is for an unlimited number of all-aged dogs, at £5 each,, with 10 sovs. added by the Dunedin Jockey Club, and a trophy value £5 55., and a trophy value, £2 2s. for the runner-up ; open to members of the National Coursing Club of N.Z. only. There is also a Maiden Stakes, for all-aged dogs that have never, won £5 or over, and a Sapling Stakes for saplings, at £2 each sweepstakes.

T. Lyford, the popular cross-country rider of Christchurch, got a nasty fall off Ganger while spooling him at Ric Carton last week. The Committee of the Dunedin Jockey Club are removing the etumps and filling in all the holes in the inner circle or coursing ground, which should be in good order for the next meeting.— Otago Witness. x The Christchurch Hunt Club may be congratulated on the substantial increase in the list of entries for the five events to be decided at their meeting on the 15th inst. The total number last year was 53, and for this meeting 89 have been received. Mr. J. Henry, assisted by a committee, will frame the handicaps. Harry Harrison informs us that he has not yet disposed of his stallion Raglan, by Cap-a-pie — Tenambra. Any breeder requiring a real good horse could not do better than communicate with “ Harry,” who says he will dispose of the horse on very favourable terms. We learn that the gelding Impulse, by St. Leger-—Aida, has left Auckland. It is re?orted that he has been sold, which we doubt, lowever, he is now in the hands of Mr. Geo. Cutts, who has taken him over to Sydney. At the Auckland R. 0. Autumn Meeting he astonished everyone by the way he won both the faster and Autumn Handicaps, and it is a moot question if he is not the best three-year-old that has appeared last season in New Zealand. tie can both go fast and stay, and if the Australian handicappers treat him fairly he will ably uphold the reputation of his birthplace. Settling over the United Hunt Club meeting (Wellington) resulted as follows : —Mr. W. E. Bidwell /'6i 155., Mr. J. Dennis £3 B, Mr. J. Maitland £n 55., Mr. R. Roake £zs 155., Mr. E. McElwain /"19, Mr. D. Scully £ 19, Mrs. Collins Mr. S. H. Gollan 55., Mr. R. E. Mcßae, 10s., Mr. J. Maher £4. Mrs. Ormond 15s. Total, The practice of lads absconding from their employers before their term of service empires is pretty frequently practised by those employed in the various stables throughout New Zealand. As a warning to all those boys contemplating “ running away,” we may men- . fion that a jockey named W. Lardner has been suspended from tiding by the Victorian Racing Club, for three months, for absconding from the employ of Mr. S. G. Cook, before his period 6f service had expired. The Australian-bred trotting horse Commander, who made his debut in England at Alexandra Park last Monday, is the first Anti-podean-bred animal who has taken part in a race this class in England. In the preliminary heat the horse displayed temper, and finished a long way from the leaders, but in the final Commander showed that he possessed a very fine turn of speeed. A furiong from the judge’s box he was fully fifty yards behind the leaders, but he made up his ground in a surprising fashion and won. With a first class jockey up, I (think Commander will prove himself to bfe one of the smartest trotters in England. On Monday his driver seemed unable to set him going properly during the early part of the race.• — Canterbury Times. i There is not much work doing at Ellerslie as the gallops require a good deal of reparing. but the course proper outside the hurdles has been allowed to the trainers, who qre anxious to get their charges forward for the Spring meetings. On Monday the following wort was done. —■ Fishmonger and Coalscuttle did a steady gallop twice round, while Reprisal cantered a couple of circuits. Miss Cole, Fiesole and Dancer went a couple of miles at. a good workiiig pace. Karewa, Dolosa atid St. "Clements did the same about a mile. O/ested, Ma Bough al and Dishonour did some Useful work ; the former is growing into a nice colt. Priscilla did a couple of rounds slow, and Cldth of Gold one. On Tuesday there was much the Same work done. The Dancer canteyed a couple of miles. Fishmonger, with the filly by King 'Cole—Rosebud, went once round the 'first part slow, but spurting the last two fttfldhgs ; the old horse is looking well. Ma Boughal, ’Orestes, Bangle filly ana Dishonour did steady Work. Fiesole, Miss Cole, Reprisal and VendOtta did some useful work. Harrison is evidently getting his horses forward with a view to their Spring engagements. Cloth of Gold did some nice Work, and a Feve mare did sloW Work. Bon Voyage and Dolosa did some fastWOrk. '