Sporting Review. THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 1892.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 108, 18 August 1892, Page 5

Sporting Review. THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 1892.

The Auckland Racing Club are determined not to be behindhand in enterprise this racing season, for they have decided on a total increase of in their stake money, as compared with that given during the season just closed. Of this amount /"135 is to be added on to the Summer programme, and to the Second Spring,while^ 30 is added tothe Winterbill of fare; butthis is counter-balanced by a deduction of from the Autumn card. These alterations were decided on at a meeting of the Committee on Tuesday last. is the total to be given at the First Spring Meeting on September 17, the programme of which appears in the advertising columns of the Sporting Review. In a few respects only does it differ from last year’s corresponding programme ; and those are that the Foal Stakes is made a handicap ; instead of 30s. entrance thereto, the entrance is 1 sov., and there is an acceptance of 1 sov. ; the distance of the Flying Handicap is cut down from six furlongs to five ; and the Welter Race is not, as heretofore, limited to hunters.

is the total to be given in prize money at the Second Spring Meeting, which commences on November 9, the Prince of Wales’ Birthday, and concludes on the 12th, the interval being accounted for by the fact that the latter date falls on a Saturday. On the first day the only change made is that the Shorts Race is to be designated the Shorts Handicap and is raised from 30 sovs. to 50 sovs., with a “fiver” out of the stake for second horse; and. in addition to an entrance fee of 1 sov., an acceptance of the same amount is provided for. The race is open to all horses of the age of three years and upwards, and the distance is reduced from six furlongs to five. On the second day, the Hurdle Handicap has 80 sovs. added —an increase of 10 sovs. ; and the old Hunters Welter Race is now to be known as the Welter Handicap, with the prize money raised from 40 sovs. to 50 sovs., and the distance increased from one mile to one mile and a quarter. The principal prizes of this Second Spring Meeting are, as heretofore, the Welcome Stakes of 150 sovs., for two-year-olds; the Auckland Guineas of 150 sovs., for three year-olds ; and the Prince of Wales’ Handicap of 200 sovs., one mile and a half. As we have indicated above, /'135 has been added on to the Summer Meeting, the present total being add the old dates are selected—Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and January 2. On the opening day the distance of the Trial Stakes is increased to a mile and a distance. The Hurdle Race is raised by 50 sovs., making the added money 150 sovs.; the second horse’s prize is raised to 20 sovs., and the acceptance is 2 sovs. instead of 1 sov. The Railway Handicap is increased from 70 sovs. to 100 sovs. On the second day the New Year Hurdle Handicap is a 120 sovs. stake instead of 100 sovs., and the second receives 15 instead of 10 sovs. The old Selling one mile, is superseded by the County Handicap of 70 sovs, for three and four-year-olds and upwards, the winner to be sold and all proceeds to go to the Club’s funds. The Maiden Handicap is reduced from 70 sovs. to 60 sovs., and an alteration is made in the conditions of the Welter Handicap, in that it is not confined to gentlemen riders, but the professionals have to concede the gentlemen 7Tb. We think this might well be altered so as to provide that only gentlemen riders who have never won a race shall be entitled to the 71b. We know several amateurs in the Colony who are well able to hold their own with the best of the professionals. On the third day of the Summer Meeting the distance of the Grandstand Handicap is cut down to a mile and a quarter. The Auckland Steeplechase Handicap was last year of 300 sovs., added to a sweepstakes of 5 sovs. each ; but this sweep we now regretfully observe has been eliminated by the committee ; instead of the second horse receiving 50 sovs., and the third 15 sovs., they now get only 40 sovs. and 10 sovs. respectively, and in addition to an entrance of 2 sovs. and acceptance of 3 sovs. an owner has to pay 3 sovs. at the post, which, together with the nomination and acceptance fees, goes to “ the fund.” This is a trifle rough on owners, we think, more especially as the club’s steeplechases are always very popular races. We hope the committee will reconsider the conditions of this race before the date of nomination and amend it to its old conditions, or at any rate let there be a sweep of 3 sovs. added to the

stake. A slight alteration is made in the Musket Stakes whereby youngsters got by stallions or out of mares that have never produced a winner at time of starting are allowed sib. Under the old conditions the allowance had to be claimed at time of entry, which led to some confusion. The Recovery Handicap, which winds up the Summer programme, is raised from 60 sovs. to 80 sovs., and the acceptance consequently goes up from 1 sov. to 2 sovs. The total of added money for the three days is and the principal stakes are such valuable ones as the Great Northern Foal Stakes of 300 sovs., Auckland Cup of 600 sovs.; Great Northern Derby of 500 sovs.; A.R.C. Handicap of 400 sovs.; Auckland Plate of 200 sovs., and Auckland Steeplechase Handicap of 300 sovs. The Autumn Meeting will, as usual, be held on Easter Monday and Tuesday, and is the only one of the five programmes that exhibits a decrease, /30 having been taken off it, making the total The Tradesmen’s Handicap, with which the curtain will be rung up, has had its dimensions altered to a mile and a distance. The Northern Champagne Stakes and the Easter Handicap remain at 200 sovs. and 300 sovs. added money respectively, and the Hurdle Handicap is raised from 100 sovs. to rtfo sovs. The Selling Race of 50 sovs. is made a handicap, and with the unaltered Eden Handicap of 100 sovs. and Onslow Handicap of 80 sovs. the first day’s racing concludes. On the second day there is no change in the Stewards’ Handicap and Ellerslie Handicap, but in the Autumn Handicap the added money is reduced from 250 sovs. to 200 sovs., the second receiving 25 sovs. and the third 10 sovs. The acceptance fee is cut down from 3 sovs. to 2 sovs. The Steeplschase is still 200 sovs. The Flying Stakes is re-christened the Shorts Handicap and the distance reduced to five furlongs, while the Shorts Handicap, which was previously the last race on the card, is re-named the Flying Handicap. A more distinctive name might easily have been found for each of these two races;

At the Winter Meeting—or rather, to give it its proper title, the North New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase Meeting —there is an increase of the total now being stake money. The Winter Welter Handicap ‘ tenner ’’ lopptTd added nwHJBk: being and the race of the same name on the second day—why not another distinctive title ?—suffers a similar decrease. To compensate for this, though, the Handicap Hurdle Race, which follows the Grand National Steeplechase, is raised from 70 sovs. to 100 sovs. and the Tally-ho Steeplechase from 80 sovs. to 100 sovs., increases being made in the acceptance money in both events. From the remarks we have made it will be seen that the only serious error in the programmes as framed is the reduction ' in the Steeplechase prize. We are glad to notice that the Programme Committee and the secretary —to whom attaches most of the credit for framing such capital all round bills of fare —have done their best to encourage the hurdle racers, am* - we hope to see other Metropolitan Clubs fol Inw the l ' r examjfeu- -Before dismissing our subject we may say that a rumour has - reached us that some members of the general comrsjttee of the Club were strongly in favour of reducing the distance of the Auckland Cup from two miles to one mile and three-quarters. We hope -J the day will never come when such a retrograde step is taken.