Coming Events.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 149, 1 June 1893, Page 5

Coming Events.

[By

Sir Launcelot.

AUCKLAND RACING CLUB.

The customary North New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase Meeting will bring the Auckland Racing Club’s operations for the season of 1892-3 to a close. It is an open secret that the Club have had anything but a prosperous season financially owing to wet weather, but by the aid of this their Winter gathering they hope to clear off a goodly portion of their deficit. If good entries and acceptances be a forecast of a successful meeting, then assuredly the A.R.C. should have a bumper attendance at Ellerslie on Saturday and Wednesday next, and the only thing wanting is that the clerk of the weather will be in a better humour with the Club than he has hitherto been this season. Taking the events in the sequence of the programme, I first of all come to the .

Maiden Steeplechase

of 80 sovs., about two miles and a half, for which there is a decent lot of ten engaged. Of these Carronade and Maritana have already been tried successfully over the course, and should lherefore have a bit of a pull over their opponents. Both Isidore and Bombardier appear to be improving horses, and Chester has run well in the Hawke's Bay di-tri *t Bombardier has a bit of a pull in the weights, and I shall bracket him with Isidore to supply the winner, and I expect Maritana to be very dangerous. The next item is the Winter Welter Handicap, the weights for which appeared on Tuesday last. I am necessarily writing before the acceptances, but I may at once say that I think Mr Evett has been very harsh on Van Dieman, who starts the handicap at 12.0. Ida has quite her full allowance at 11.5, but I shall be prepared to see her run a good mare if her owner relies on her in preference to Dorothy, who has the minimum of 10.0. I have a great liking for Tulloch at 10.12, and I think whatever beats him will win. Vivat has been doing such good work lately that she is entitled to some respect, though on her public form I don’t think Mr Evett could have given her any more. I shall go for Tulloch, who may find formidable opposition in Vivat and Mrs Lennard’s selected. After this Welter Race we will be confronted with the knotty problem of who will win the Grand National Hurdles of 250 sovs, 2 miles. A knotty problem, I have called it, and indeed it is so. Gondolier is the only scratching since the date of acceptance, which leaves 16 in. I fully analysed the handicap when it appeared, and had more to say on the same subject in last week’s issue when the acceptances had been declared, therefore I need not go over the same ground again. In last week’s issue of the Sporting Review I tried to reduce it to a quartette. Gondolier, who was one of these, has gone out, leaving me with Kulnine, Marechai Neil and Deceiver. I shall desert the last named (at the risk of making a mistake) in favour of Belmont, and shall place them — Kulnine i, Marechal Neil 2, Belmont 3. There is a mixed lot of eight in the Selling Steeplechase

of 60 sovs., about three miles, the trio best known to fame being Kate, Hurricane and The Colonel, each of whom is entered to be sold for nil, and therefore has to carry 9.7. I give my vote to Hurricane.

Nine entries were received for the Maiden Hurdle Race of 60 sovs., one mile and three-quarters, and of this nine Bombardier and Isidore are engaged in the Maiden Steeplechase and may not be started now. If either goes he should on past form be dangerous. Kapua and Despised on past form stand out in bold relief, but then both may have had a severe race out of them in the Grand National Hurdle Race. If Kapua be brought fresh to the post I think that whatever beats him will win, but with the uncertainty about him and others starting I prefer to rely on a horse that will not have had a race out of him, and that is Little Tom.

I am surprised to find that the enterprise of the Club in giving a 40 sovs. bracelet to the fair nominator of tne first horse and a 10 sovs. bracelet to the fair nominator of the second horse in the Ladies’ Bracelet, one mile and a distance, has not met with a better reward than the paltry entry of five. Lottie has a pull at the weights, and I look to her to win.

The big event of the meeting is the only item of the second day’s card that I can well deal with, but before proceeding to do so I may mention that there are seven nominations for the Hunters’ Welter Handicap, eleven for the Handicap Hurdles (why not give it some more distinctive title ?), sixteen for the Second Winter Hurdles, and eighteen for the Tally-ho Handicap Steeplechase, but only a paltry couple are entered for the Novel Race, an event which will have to be eliminated from next year’s programme. A good many of the hurdle candidates being engaged in the Great Northern Steeplechase of 400S0VS, about miles, adds to the difficulty of saying what will start out of the 19 at present left in In any case, however some of them may fare in the Hurdles, I think we shall see at least a dozen face Mr Halstead on Wednesday. I selected the following half-dozen when

the acceptances appeared -Mangere, Booties, Flukem, Scaltheen, and Deceiver, and to bring it down to a selection for places I declare for Bootles i, Flukem 2, Mangere 3 ; Deceiver and Scaltheen good outsiders.

At the sale of the privileges of the meeting, held on Friday, the prices realised were £gB in exce>s of those for the corresponding meeting last year, and were as under: — Grandstand bar, + Mr S. C. Caulton ; lean-to bar, Mr F. Purcell; No. 1 booth, Mr J. Hawkins; refreshment stalls, £2, Mrs Mclntosh ; cards, Mr W. Blomfield ; stabling, Mr Parker.