WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 116, 13 October 1892, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

October 3. The Wairarapa Racing Club, at their adjourned annual meeting decided, on the motion of Mr. C. McShane, that £SOO be borrowed for the purpose of carrying ' out improvements. It was also decided to hold a two days’ meeting on the 2nd and 3rd of January, and that the stakes do not exceed £650. Mr Bidwill said he thought if the Masterton-Opaki Club would hold its meeting in February instead of on Boxing Day, it would benefit both the club and horseowners. It was resolved that, if the Government will permit, the State tax be deducted from the totalisator dividends ; that rules and by-laws be printed and circulated forthwith ; that the stewards be instructed to make arrangements for improving the turn leading out of the straight on the club’s course at Tauherenikau, and that the secretary be instructed to write -to the Metropolitan Club suggesting that provision be made for the representation of country clubs, and that a circular be sent to other country clubs to evoke similar action. The Porirua Jockey Club have issued their programme for their annual race

meeting on the 9th November. Six events are provided for, the principal being the Porirua Handicap of 45sovs.. All the minor events have been raised to £2O or £25, in order to comply with the new rule. A. Peters, whe trains Bide-a-wee and La Petite Fille, tells me that the reason why he did not go to Napier is that owing to the continuous wet weather they were not able to do any work for nearly a fortnight. There was considerable surprise at Freeth not taking up Rebellion and Revolution. I have not heard the reason in this case, but possibly it is the same as in the other. The reported sale of “ Mr. Cousens’ ” Paramu to a syndicate has not eventuated. One of the syndicate—the man with the money, I hear—“ cried off ” at the last moment, and the deposit was forfeited.. 1 paid a visit to the Hutt a few days ago, and went through some of the stables. Fletcher has Paramu looking quite fit to run. The son of Puriri shows good development of muscle on his quarters, but is rather light in the barrel. J. Jones has sold his stallion Coronet by Leander —Corona, to Mr. A. Pringle, and the horse has gone to Feilding to stand the season. At the Family Hotel stables he has under his charge Alma, a five-year-old brown mare by Remington out of a Sator mare, who has never yet raced. She belongs to Mr. R. Campbell, and he has commissioned Jones to find out whether she will make a hurdle racer. If looks go for anything she ought to. Jones has also a three-year-old brown gelding by Grand Duke—Capucine, which belongs to Mr. W. Grace. He is a nuggetty fellow, but as he is only just taken up he shows no condition. That erratic mare Traitress, who has lost more money for local backers than any hack in the district, was also under Jones’ care, but at present is being hacked at Waimu-o-mata. Armstrong, who has boxes in the same stable, has two under his charge. One is a nice looking bay mare nar ed Mayfair by Mangle—Vanity Fair. She belongs to Mr. Tatum, and although she is very big at present she looks like racing when fit. At present she is a maiden. The other is a very curiously marked white and bay mare by Mangle from a. sister to May, a mare belonging to Mr. Bidwill. I should say from her appearance the best thing that can be done with this picturesque lady is to sell her to the circus people. A. Peters has his team divided, two of them (Luna and La Petite Fille) being under his own eye at Tate’s Railway Hotel, and two (Bide-a-wee and Houpla) being stabled close by under charge of H. Peters, the cross-country rider. Bide-a-wee andHoup-la are both looking lusty and well, but want work to get them into racing trim. Houp-la, whois by Remington—Beauty Bright, is a fine upstanding horse He hit the shin, of his near hind leg a few days ago while schooling, and there is a nasty lump on it, but it is nothing serious. This .horse ought to turn out a good hurdler. Luna is a six year-old mare by Hippocampus out of Deception by Phantom. She is a very nice looking, brown, but although she has started several times her owners have not yet succeeded in getting a dividend. La Petite Fille looks better than I have seen her looking for some time. I hear she has quite lost the fever in the feet that used to trouble her; if so she should show something of her old form during the season. Neil Miller, at Randwick, has Angler coming on ' nicely. The old fellow is all the better for his spell. Miller has just taken up an old bay gelding, said to be by Premier, who has been trained for some time. I think he is ‘wanted for cross-country work. [The above had to be held over from last issue owing to pressure of space.— Ed.] October 7. During the last week Mr. H. Mcllraith, president, and Mr. A. Rattray, secretary of the New Zealand Trotting Association, have been in Wellington to represent the views of the Association with regard to the subject of issuing totalisator licenses to trotting clubs. While here they have discussed the whole matter with Mr. Lawry, M.H.R., and Mr. Blake, M.H.R., and they have got them to_ further their mission with the Government. Their object is to raise the' amounts which must be given in stakes by trotting clubs wanting to use the totalisator to £IOO per day per meeting, £l5O for two, £2OO for. three meetings, and £4OO for four. By this alteration /the Association hope to put a stop to ufany of the small suburban meetings which are cropping up. They disavow any intention to crush out country cli/bs. but maintain that if stakes

are raised as desired, small clubs . will have to be content with fewer meetings. In an interwiew to-day with Mr. McIlraith he informed me that they are very pleased with the results of their mission, as Messrs. Blake and Lawry had told them they had represented their views to the Colonial Secretary, and without having definitely agreed to their proposal, expressed his entire concurrence with it, and promised to give them an answer in writing in a few days. Mr. Mcllraith is very concerned about the rumour which has got about that he and Mr. Rattray are representing the views of the proprietary clubs. He says he is totally against such clubs, and the new rules which they have passed will secure the death of these at the end of the present year. These rules were at first expected to have effect this year, but legal advice has been taken to the effect that the rules cannot be retrospective, but can only apply to clubs from the Ist of next July. This decision has disarmed a lot of opposition to the Association. The action of the Dunedin Jockey Club in taking over registration of all trotting clubs in the Otago district is much to be regretted, but it was undoubtedly led up to by the action of the Association in passing a rule giving rights to racing clubs having a trotting race or two in their programmes, equal to those possessed by regular trotting dubs, and then refusing to admit the Dunedin delegates to their conference. They made a mistake in conferring such privileges, but they had no right to exclude delegates elected under their own rule. As things are at present, the Association will allow Dunedin Racing Clubs to affiliate with them and recognise them as long as they race under their rules, and will give them all privileges except that of representation. Mr. Mcllraith resigned office on the action of the Committee of the Association in breaking faith with the racing clubs, but was persuaded to come back. Asked how the New Zealand Association regarded the Auckland Association, Mr. Mcllraith said they were on the most amicable terms. The Auckland rules were virtually the same as their own, and the Auckland scale of stakes was already higher than those the New Zealand Association were trying to get sanctioned.

Mr. Cousens has built a stable close to the pipe bridge at the Hutt, and Fletcher (with Paramu) took possession on Tuesday last. The grass gallop at the Hutt is progressing slowly, and at the present rate will not be really ready for horses to go on until a week or two I efore the Spring Meeting. Local trainers are complaining bitterly of having no place to gallop their horses, and unless the club remove this great drawback in a satisfactory manner the horses will go away to where such facilities exist. All the local horses are at present very fat, and I heard one trainer say the other day he would bet level money that not one of them would get a place at the Wellington Spring Meeting. The Manawatu Racing Club have decided to send a circular to the various racing clubs of the district asking that steps should be taken to secure representatives at the Conferences of the Metropolitan Clubs. The same club has accepted the tender of Messrs. Cohen and Stock for working the totalisator at their meetings this year. The fact that the C.J.C. have consented to postpone their Summer Meeting to the 4th February so as to avoid clashing with the Wellington Meeting is matter for congratulation, as showing a very friendly spirit between the clubs. It is to be hoped there will always be the same unanimity displayed in their transactions with one another. It appears that Revolution, Rebellion, and Revolt did not go to Hawke’s Bay because their acceptances were delayed until too late by the slip in the Gorge. They are all three now in Napier, and will run, especially Rebellion and Revolution, at the Napier Park Meeting. Marlborough Point to Point Steeplechase comes off to- day, and Dick Roake and J. Hughes left last night to ride—the former old Orient and the latter a horse named Upcot. The Metropolitan Club, it is understood, will submit the matter re Hunt dubs holding to the next Conference. \ . \ Oct. io. Mr. Cousens’ Paranip is to be sent to Christchurch this weekfor the C.J.C. Spring Meeting. \ I yesterday inspected tnte Johnsonville Trotting Club’s track onXwhich their inaugural meeting on sth November will be held, The formation is no\t yet com-

plete, but the contractor expects to finish by Saturday next, but if any bad weather is experienced they will have a bad time, and probably the meeting will have to be postponed. There is no doubt the Club are starting racing too soon by some months. The Wellington Trotting Club’s nominations for the Spring Meeting on the 28th inst. are not quite so numerous as last year, but are quite sufficient to give a good day’s sport. The grass gallop at Hutt is being pushed on, but trainers are rampant at not having any track available for training gallops. They contemplate combining in a deputation to the stewards asking them to throw open the outside of the racing track. Mr. Henry Redwood, who returned from Australia the other day, was inter viewed by ‘•'Vigilant.” The veteran informed that scribe that Camoola was the best three-year-old that ran at Randwick, and gave him as his tip for the V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup. He has a great opinion of Frantic, who won the two hurdle races and the Steeplechase at Randwick, and he says that although a plain horse, he is one of the most busi-ness-like jumpers he has seen, and he believes he would have beaten Clarence in his best day. He says the Australians have a few very good horses, but the majority are inferior to the general run of New Zealand horses. At the United Hunt Club Equestrian Sports at Newtown Park on Saturday two serious accidents occurred. Mr. Perry, a member of the Club residing at the Hutt, had his leg broken while riding in the dismounting competition, and the wellknown cross-country rider A. Peters was thrown in the jumping contest, being picked up insensible and taken to the hospital suffering from concussion of the brain. It was at first reported that he was not likely to live, but later reports are more favourable. Peters rode Bide-a-wee when that horse won the Wairarapa Steeplechase about six weeks ago. The people present were so shocked at the two accidents that the bulk of them left the ground before the sports were finished. It was very singular that both accidents were caused by the same horse, Mr. Bridson’s Sunbeam.