Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 149, 1 June 1893, Page 7

Turf Topics.

LBy

“Sir Launcelot.”

;Messrs. Alfred Buckland & Sons will offer for sale to-morrow, at noon, at the Haymarket, on account of their owner, Despised and Recruit, with their engagements. Both are entered for the Auckland R.C.’s Winter Meeting, Despised being well weighted in the Hurdles at 9 6. The United Hunt Club (Wellington) will hold 'their Annual Steeplechase Meeting on Wednesday, July 12, four days after the Wellington Racing Club’s Steeplechase Meeting. £3OO will be given to seven races, the principal items being .the Open Steeplechase Handicap of 75 sovs , about 3 miles, and United Hunt Club Steeplechase! Handicap of 50 sovs., about 3| miles. 'Nominations close on June 20. The undermentioned horses have arrived to take part in the A.R.C.’s Winter Meeting:— - Kulnine, Norton, Long Roper, Criminal, Mutiny, Booties, Kapua, Waterbury, Tulloch Derry, Tiritea and Lord John. George Hope has put in an appearance here again having come up with Kapua and Waterbury. I was sorry to see Fred Stenning limping badly in Queen-street yesterday. Mangere gave him a nasty kick on his knee while he was being dressed down the other morning. Is this the straight tip that Mangere will win? r Mr J. R. Scott reports having laid the following wagers during the week on the double of Grand 'National Hurdles and Great Northern Steeples :—5O to 3 against Tiritea and Mangere ; 100 to 4 Belmont and Norton ; 100 to 3 Marechai Neil and Flukem; 100 to 6 Flukem and Norton ; 100 to 2 Flukem and Waterbury; 100 to 12 Kulnine and Mangere; 100 to 2 Belmont and Marechai Neil; 10 O' to 6 Kulnine and Marechai Neil. ' I regret to learn that Mr John Kirkwood is seriously ill. Mr W. Dean of Pokeno has named his colt by Howitzer—Miss Fisher Fusee. I mentioned last week that Mr C. B. Lowe took Clieveden and Stromboli to America by the .last mail boat passing through Auckland and that I had a look at them on board. Cleveden was no stranger to me, for I had seen him as a yearling at the Femhill stud of the Hon. E. K. Cox. Since then he has never raced. He was a bit overgrown as a two-year-old, and was therefore kept for a year when he met with an accident to ojae of his hind hoofs, which he shed once or 'twice. Mr Cox then kept him in lavender until he got a good, sound, but slightly enlarged hoof, and for some time used him for half and threequarter bred mares. Crichton and Affiance are the first of his get that raced, and both performed well, so that there is no reason why Clieveden should not get as good stock as his deceased brother Chester. Another brother of his, -st. George, is now in this colony, and he has not had as many chances ' as be should have had, he has left several that can gallop—and sound legged ’uns at that. .When I first saw Cliweden—having previously seen his brothers Che'ter, Monmouth,;, and Roodee—l thought he resembled Chester in a marked degree, and I mast say that when I saw him tee other day and found him filled out to stallion estate the resemblance was still more marked. He stands quite 16 hands, and is a brown in Colour. His muscular development behind is a picture, and he stands ovea a lot of ground with a nice long back, kindly head, and good shoulders. He is only in his twelth year, so that he is just in bis prime for a covering season, and Mr Lowe should not be long in finding a purchaser for him in : America. I wasn’t able tohrve as good a look at Stromboli as I should have liked, as he was in in an awkward comer of the deck, but I was quite Satisfied of his power and substance from what I saw, and he has winning credentials to back him up, for he won the A.J.C. Derby, Sydney Gold Cup and other events as a three-year-old. By Chester out of the Maribymong mare Etna is his breeding.

Our Hawke’s Bay correspondent sends a report of the Town and Suburban Racing Club’s MeetV ing on Wednesday last, which is held over owing to pressure on space. His Worship has been leased to Mr Baker, of Helensville, and Mr “B. Thomson ” has also leased to the same gentleman the yearling filly by N elson—Phantom. Our Wellington correspondent’s reviews of the Otaki Maori Racing Club’s Meeting and the Wellington Trotting Club's Meeting are crowded out, but the “ records” appaar in another column. In his Jbudget the Wellington representative of this journal reports that the Wellington Trotting Club will lose a considerable sum over the meeting. The same correspondent says:—“ The affairs of the United Hunt Club are in a more prosperous state then ever they were. The finances are satisfactory, the membership has increased to about 70, the number including two ladies, and the prospects for the year are very bright. The annual ball is to be held, either in the Drill-shed or Thomas’ Hall, on Monday, 10th July, and on the following Wednesday the club’s races are to • take place on the Hutt course, while the annual sports will come off a few weeks later. Already several of the local hunters are being, put into regular training. Mr Mills’ Matchless has gone into ‘ Bill Davies ’ stable at the Hutt, and the same trainer informs me he is in negotiations for getting two or three more.” - •; Impulse did not get a place in the Sydney Birthday C,up ran on Saturday, which was won by Cremome, 9.9. This horse who, when a bit of an outsider, won the Doncaster Handicap last has shown since that his victory on that occasion was no fluke. Ten out of 11 engaged in the Winter Welter Handicap accepted. The only absentee was Stamford. The Taranaki correspondent of this journal writesAs Mr Watson understands that the name Dummy has already been appropriated, he . wiU have to find a new name for his Mute— Maid, of the Mountain gelding. I would suggest WahangUy the native synonym for Mute.”

Mr T. W. Hungerford, the owner of Wakawatea, The Dreamer, Heather Bell,'Wyvern, &c., who is at present carrying out a contract in New South Wales, had the misfortune to break his leg the other day, and dislocate an ankle.

Mention of Mr Hungerford’s name reminds me that Southern papers report that Wakawatea and Heather Bell are to be taken to Australia by next week’s boat.

Still does Paddy keep going ! At the Melbourne Hunt Club’s races on the 13th inst. he carried 6.2 to the front in the Selling Race of 100 sovs., 5 furlongs, Salamander, 6.6, and Portland, 7.0, running a dead heat for. second place, with half-a-dozen behind them. Paddy won easily by about a length, covering the 5 furlongs in 1 min He started first favourite at 2 to 1 against, and on being submitted to auction was bought in for £ 100. At the same meeting another New Zealander distinguished himself, Orangeman, 11.3, beating a field of five in the Steeplechase of 125 sovs., 2 miles. yEgyptus, once owned by Major George and afterwards by the late Wally Clifford, carried 7,6 into second place behidg Spokesman, 8.12, in the Deer Park Handicap of 100 sovs., 1 mile, a field of 13 following the pair home. Commenting on the abovementioned win of the son of Anteros and Atalanta, “ Free Lance ”in the Melbourne Sportsman says : —“ Although but a selling plater, I reckon that Paddy was remarkably cheap at the /100 for which he was allowed to return to his stable. The time, imin 2Jsec, I do not believe in, nor would it infloence me in the appraisement of the relative value of horses if ‘ imin for the five furlongs ’ were hoisted, but the style in which the lusty-looking old gelding raced home in front of his field, so impressed me that I was surprised that an Indian buyer present (who would not be choked off backing the horse) did not make a bold bid for him.” The Dancer appears to be having bad luck in his new home in Sydney, for, on the 13th ult., he ran second to Luna in the Stewards’ Mile at Moorefield. However, though beaten he was by no means disgraced, for he was carrying 10.0 to 9.3 carried by his conqueror, who beat him a length and a half and the mile was cut out in imin 4osec. Mr J. C. Booth made another trip to Sydney yesterday, taking Waltzer and Tit with him in company with a three-year-old half-bred colt, who is, so far as I could ascertain, a maiden. Waltzer should be a useful horse at some of the suburban meetings in and around Sydney. He has already shown us some decent form liere over sprint courses.

I see that at a clearing sale of some of the Hon. D. S. Wallace’s stock, held in Melbourne on May 15, a two-year-old son of Mitrailleuse, named Guardian and sired by the Melbourne Cup winner Mentor, was knocked down to Mr D. Fountain for 75gs. Another two-year-old colt, by Mentor out of Fancy Free (by Musket out of Foul Play’s dam Fancy), went to Mr F. Musgrave at sOgs. Megaphone and Titan—once bright lights, the latter especially being a “ sensational ” horse when Mr Brodribb owned him —were passed in at soogs and 25Ogs respectively. r In a previous issue I quoted some remarks of a Melbourne paper about some New Zealand-bred horses Mr Frew was exercising on the Flemington training track, and made some enquiries about their pedigrees. This information is now partly supplied by “ Cranbrook,” of the Melbourne Sportsman, who had a look through Mr Frew’s stables the other day, and this is what be says of the Maorilanders located there :—“ Rata has the makings of a first-class cross-country candidate —that’s if looks go for anything. Rata was bred by Mr Grigg, of Longbeach, in the North Island {sic). As Rata had travelled 30 miles two days previously to and from a hunt which had extended over about 14 miles with the Oaklands hounds, his condition spoke volumes for his trainer, for the horse looked as fresh as the proverbial kitten. Mr Frew, who has steered the winners of the last two Point-to-point Steeplechases run under the auspices of the above mentioned club, along with the Melbourne Hunt Club, has, I am inclined to fancy, a very excellent chance of scoring another success in the same event this season on Rata, for the horse is an accomplishad fencer, and that despite the fact that he is yet a comparative novice at the game. * * * Across the corridor a look was taken at Blue Boy, a dappled grey son of Korari, by Towton, and bred in the land of the Maori. This gelding, who has great substance, combined with the quality of a thoroughbred, has been sold at a satisfactory figure to a well-known hunting man. * * * Little Arthur, who when he first came across from New Zealand, proved himself a clever little fencer, was next seen. The son of Jangler has not been long in work, but he already shows pretty clearly that his feed box is not always empty. Stepper is another of Mr Grigg’s breed, and judging from appearances, this gelding has been wrongly named, for he looks uncommonly like a ‘ lepper.’ The pick of the lot, however, to my way of thinking, is the bay gelding Marauder, bred in New Zealand, and got by Borderman (a son of Bonnie Carlisle, who woh numerous hurdle races in the land of his adoption) from Beeswing. I wonder how many Beeswings there have been in Australasia ? This gelding is a most racing - like looking animal, and, when this trainer gets him thoroughly seasoned — well, then some of the cracks will have to look to their laurels when the riders are amateurs. Marauder is a beautiful jumper. Another New Zealander I was introduced to was the recently - arrived Loretto, a mouse-coloured bay, and said to be an own broth.r to Mr Sept. Miller’s wonderful old gelding Orangeman.” It would be as well perhaps, I think, if some of these pedigrees were verified.

My Dunedin correspondent wires that on Monday night the Dunedin Jockey Club received 32 nominations for the Dunedin Stakes, for two-year-olds, to be ran at their next Spring Meeting, and 40 nominations for the Dunedin Champagne Stakes, to be decided at their Autumn Meeting in February next. In the first mentioned event, Mr L. D. Nathan has nominated a trio, and another North Islander represented with 5 entries is Hon J. D. Ormond. Mr Ormond’s representation in the Champagne is again 5. and Mr Stead has a like number, while George Wright has a ‘ brace ’