A.R.C. WINTER MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 148, 25 May 1893, Page 9

A.R.C. WINTER MEETING.

: .X Grand National Hurdle Race. Local turfites will have a nice little ‘ contract’ before them during the next week toL’piibk the winners of the A.R.C. Grand. National Hurdle Race and Great Northern Steeplechase. The acceptances closed on Friday night, and I judge by the result that Mr J. O. Evett would be inclined to walk round the corner and 4 shake hands with himself.' Only seven dropped out of the Hurdles, and of these the resaons are evident why they should not accept. As the acceptances stand one might say that they were all content, but it would have been useless to have paid up with those that dropped out. Norton has a good mate in Kulnine to do battle for his stable, and his defection is reasonable. Aorere is amiss. Disturbance is said to be hardly himself. Auckland has a far better show in the Steeples, for which he has accepted, and it would be ridiculous to run him in the Hurdles and perhaps spoil his chance for the other. And so on with the other malcontents. I presume I shall be expected to have a 4 cut’ at each of the events, and try if I can to find the winner of one or both, .!/-./ / Kulnine, 11.12, heads the list with Mangere on the same mark. So much has been said and written about Kulnine that it seems almost useless to enter into any discussion as to his chance. One point, however, I note in passing, and that is, although he won the Christchurch Grand National Hurdles last year, still he only beat Erin-go-Bragh and Justice, both of whom I do not feel inclined to fancy greatly. This, in my eyes, greatly discounts the performance, and I think he may * go down’ before some of the good ’uns engaged herein. I shall give him a place. I very much doubt Mangere’s ability to win. He could hardly have received less weight, and besides he is a big chap and well able to carry a load; I vastly prefer him for a steeplechase journey. Tiritea, 11.5, is about in his right place, and ought to run well forward. By his running down Napier way last spring he proved his ability to get the distance and win, but the performances in each case were not of a character to lead one to think he was able to win a Grand National. He got home in the Town and Suburban Hurdles, 2 miles, with 11.12 up, and in the Waipawa Hurdles, on April 19th, with 12.0 ; but the fields were small, the company mediocre, and the time slow in each race. In fact I think he is too slow, but then he might be the best on the day, and the running might suit him. I think he will be beaten Marechai Neil, 10.9, has an excellent show.-on the score of weight, and it is well known he has a bit of foot; but then, again, he is always disappointing to his followers just when they think they have a 4 moral’ on. If he run well on the day his chance is certainly a good one. I picked him as a likely one in a half dozen last week, and shall elect to keep him on my credit side of the ledger. With 9.5 he won the New Year Hurdles at the A.R.C. Summer Meeting on New Year’s Day in splendid style, and in good time —4mm 1 sec. He has only i6lb more now to carry, and should be quite master of his present weight. Gondolier, 10.7, is a great’ fancy of/tnine.. He ran with a good deal of bad luck during the spring, did not accept for Egmont, but is engaged in two steeplechases at Wanganui, the results of which may throw light on his chance. I judge he is a 4 rbd.in*'pickle,’ and have had an ;eye on him ever since he won the Ladies’ Trophy at the Wellington Steeplechase Meeting last July over a distance of 2 miles. In the Sporting Review of July 14th, page 6, and July 21, in ‘Turf Record,’ this result is shown very clearly. In the issue of January 19th, 1893, his name again figures, showing that he has a 4 power of toe,’ can make his own pace, and keep it up. He is a 4 fair daisy,’ I should say. I pick him as about the best in the race, and whatever beats him should win. My reasons for thinking so of him are as follows: —(1) He won a ; 2 mile flat race, with 12.6 up, beating Retina, Prairie Grass and others ; also a mile flat race, carrying 12.0, beating Paramu, Retina, &c., making his own pace and outstaying his opponents, and thus showing his command of weight and foot over any distance. (2) On January nth, with 10.0, he won the Hurdles, 2 miles, at Napier Park, with ridiculous ease,, leading from start to

finish, and doing the journey in the good time of 4mm ssec. (3) His breeding: Foul Play—Brunette, which is as good as gold. (4) The leniency of his impost on the present occasion, which he is strong enough to carry even if it were up to his knees in mud, as it were. Belmont, 10.0, is last year’s winner of this event, but I caa’t stand him amongst this 4 push.’ Kapua, 9.8, has yet to prove himself a 4 lepper.’ He won the Welter Handicap at the H.B. Meeting on 26th December last, as also a mile and a half flat race in 2min 45sec, with 7.4 in the saddle, but that won’t make him win a hurdle race. Criminal, 9.7, hails from Gisborne way. On January 17th and 18th, at that place, he won the Hack Hurdles on each day, as also the Hack Flat on the second day. Each of the races were a mile or less, which goes a very short way to prove that he can get to the end of a two-mile journey. He ran in Auckland about this time two years ago, and gave signs of being only a sprinter. I could only fancy him as an outsider. Despised, 9.6, has been winning hack hurdle races down Taranaki way, and might be troublesome, although I don’t think so in this company. He is a brown gelding, by Cap-a-pie—Mavis, and is aged. He should have developed earlier in life. lam not sweet on that breed for jumping, but Takapuna on Wednesday should give a line. Ingorina, 9.6, I remarked fully on last week in my notes on the Takapuna Meeting and cannot offer anything further. Readers can form an opinion just as good as mine, because he is a new chum at this game. As with Despised. Takapuna will enlighten us somewhat. He has, I take it, only an outside show. I take him as an upset. Flukem, 9.5, is leniently treated, and I hardly see why Despised and Ingorina should give him weight, even if it is only a pound. He ran nowhere with 9.0 in either Hurdle Race on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day at the A.R.C. Summer Meeting, and though he beat Mangere in the Steeples at that Club’s Autumn gathering I don’t fancy him in the Hurdle Race. Mutiny, 9.4, has a number of admirers down Taranaki way, but so far as I know this chestnut son of The Mute has only essayed flat racing hitherto. He won the mile Hack Flat at Egmont on the 15th February last, but was beaten out of a place with 10.2 on the second day in ar£ mile race. Tattler, 9.3, beat Marechai Neil at Egmont last February with a difference of i6lbs. This is one of the unlucky points which I am always afraid of with the Marechai. Now the difference in weight is zolbs, therefore Tattler has the best of itby4lbs : butagain, the race now is a distance shorter, which is all in favour of Mr McLeod’s horse. Since that time Tattler has been beaten by his Egmont opponent at Ellerslie on April Ist with a 131 b difference ; and Ika Vuka beat him at Avondale in a two mile hurdle race with a difference of 61bs. This points to his inability to win, as also to the likelihood ’of Ika Vuka repeating the dose when only receiving Ilb from him. Try Fluke, 9.3, I don’t like. Deceiver and Ika Vuka have each 9.2, and I prefer the former, but do not expect either of them to have any but a very outside chance. Bombardier at 9.0 is an unknown quantity, and I have no 4 remark ’ to offer about him. Going carefully over the lists again and thoroughly analysing the weights, quality, ability and chance of each, I am constrained to write the Grand National Hurdles of 1893 as

Gondolier.. .. .. .. 1 Marechai Neil or Kulnine .. 2 Tiritea .. . . .. .. 3 with outsiders according to my 4 remarks.’