Sporting Items.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 75, 31 December 1891, Page 8

Sporting Items.

The Victorian legislators have shelved their totalisator bill for the present. " An old and well-known breeder ofhorses (Mr. John Pendergast) died recently in Victoria. One by one the old landmarks are disappearing. ,We notice that the Auckland Cup winner Eiufireis nominated for the President’s Handicap at the Gisborne Racing Club’s meeting, which is held on the 19th and 20th January. Collelo, who rode Tirailleur in the New Zealand and Canterbury Cups, has left the employ of Mr. Paul, of Wanganui, with whom he has been connected for several years. It is probably a good job those accidents happened in the Steeplechase last Saturday,; or otherwise, a meeting of the stewards might have been deemed necessary, to save their “ good name and reputation,” about which some parties are very particular. -'We notice that the locally-owned Satyr, won the A.J.C Hurdle Race at Randwick, on Saturday last. Miss Letty, a two-year old, by St. Leger—Necklace, ran second to Moonray in the December Stakes at the same meeting. She is owned by Mr. L. D. Nathan of this city. If we may judge by the results of the sales ,pf racehorses recently in Melbourne, that class i oif animal is falling' considerably in value. At a sale of sorpe very well bred ones, the other day, the highest price realised was 90 guineas. The next'highest price was The disappointing Archie, who was such a red-hot favourite for the V.R.C. Derby some years back, has sired a good colt named Realm, who won the Queensland Cup in good style on joth December last. This would point to the fact, that it does not necessarily require a firstclass performer on the turf to sire racehorses. We hear that the rails at the top of the hill in the Auckland, steeple course had been sawn nearly through shortly before the start for the Maiden Steeple, but Rae, discovering the trick, informed Ruddy, who soon put matters right. The-Licensing Committee of the district in which the Cromwell racecourse is situated have decided to charge a fee of £35, instead of £1 10s., for a temporary license to sell on the course; so long as the Cromwell Jockey Club persists in adding the extra 1J per cent, tax to the usual totalisator charge of 10 per cent. — Wellington Post. The V.R.C. balance-sheet shows a profit for the season of £3,843 6s. 4d. Compared with an ordinary club,.this shows leviathan business. They began the season with an overdraft of about £2,900, but finished up as above, with something to the; good. - Li

A pretty little surprise came off at the Thames Races on Boxing Day. It appeared at one time as if one of the races would result in a walk over, but a supposed outsider was prevailed upon to start to enable the “ dead bird” to draw the full stake. The outsider consented for a “ fiver,” that would pay his jockey, and he could put a little bit on the “ moral.” They started. The outsider took the lead and kept it, winning the race by half-a-length. The surprise of both parties can be better imagined than described, and the chagrin of the clever party was complete.