Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 158, 3 August 1893, Page 5

Turf Topics.

[By

"SIR LAUNCELOT."]

F. Stening has put Mangere into training again.

A committee meeting of the Pakuranga Hunt Club is convened for to-morrow afternoon at the Auckland Racing Club’s office, at 2.30 p.m. There was no foundation for the report that Mr J. C. Davis went to Sydney to ride Satyr in the G.N. Hurdles, as it turns out that his old pilot P. Nolan rode him in the race. Bad luck for Jack !

Despised, in charge of Alick Williams, was shipped to Christchurch on Monday to fulfil his engagements at the C.J.C. Grand National Meeting.

I have to acknowledge the receipt from the secretary of the Canterbury Jockey Club of the club’s book programme for the season of 189394, printed on gorgeously tinted paper with a most artistic and aesthetic cover of a decidedly “flowery” aspect. A thing of beauty indeed. The total amount of added money to be distributed by the club during the season is /n,855, the Grand National Meeting next week absorbing /1740, the Spring Meeting /5180, the Summer Meeting/680, and the Autumn Meeting 55. As mentioned in a previous issue there is no material alteration as compared with last year’s programme.

I took a run out to Ellerslie on Tuesday to have a look at Freedom, who had been brought up from Christchurch on the previous day by his new owner, C. Weal. I found him located at the Ellerslie Hotel, where Mr A. Boyle, the owner of Aorere, now holds sway, and as Weal had gone away on business for the nonce “ mine host” showed me the son of Captivator and Maid of Honor. The horse was no stranger to me for I had seen him run down South. He always was a pet horse of mine since first I saw him when Mr D. O’Brien brought him down to Christchurch from Auckland as a yearling. I thought he was the best purchase Dan made at that sale and from a mnnetary point of view he proved so. He developed into a good honest racer as his record shows. As a two-year-old he started five times, and was never once out of a place, winning the City Stakes Handicap at the Dunedin J.C.’s Autumn Meeting, running second in the Dunedin Champagne and Marshall Memorial Stakes and third in the Canterbury Champagne and Challenge Stakes. He was out eight times as a three-year-old, and only twice unplaced. Medallion just proved too good for him in the Canterbury 'Derby, but he put up a good record by winning •the Otago Cup, if miles, and the President’s jHandicap, i| mile, carrying 7.7 in the formerand ; 8.7 in the latter. The Dunedin Cup, 2 miles and ia distance, was another race he put to his owner’s credit with 8.3 up, and as a four-year-old he landed the Canterbury Cup, w.f.a., 2| miles. Staying was undeniably his forte, ana therefore he is essentially the class of horse I like to see put to stud duties. I thought he would have thickened out a bit more than he has, but when Weal builds him up to stallion estate I am sure he will catch the eye of breeders in the Waikato. He is to travel the districts of Te Awamutu, Cambridge and Hamilton. On the score of breeding, no exception can be taken, for he is by imported Captivator out of Maid of Honour, by Kelpie (imp.) —Fairy Queen, by Peter Wilkins (imp.), tracing back to the same blood as Nelson. After I had inspected Freedom, Mr Boyle showed me the old hurdle-racer Beggarman, who is about as big a take-down as one would wish to see. This horse has always, to my way of thinking, been very much over-rated by the handicapper, and I never could understand how the weight was kept up on him time after time despite his, repeated failures. He has been blistered and treated to a good spell, and we may see him sport silk before the season closes. Aorere is another hurdler Mr Boyle has running in a paddock.

The annual billiard tournament of Auckland Tattersail’s Club is now in progress. Six matches of the first round have been played, leaving four more to be played, in addition to a bye. After the display exhibited by F. Macmanemin on Tuesday evening he was made a warm favourite*

Lardner, who rode for a long time for Mr Stephenson, and was associated with Occident in some of his most important wins, died on shipboard the other day while returning to Australia from India. Mr Archibald Clark has been proposed to fill the seat vacated by Mr P. Lanagan on the Auckland Racing Club’s committee. The man who has, according to the London Sporting Times, seen more Derbies than any man living is Mr. Joshua Haines, who has never missed seeing the “blue riband” since the year 1822. He went down by rail to see Isinglass’ Derby, but for 50 years he has walked down and back. He was born on May 24, 1798, and is still hearty and well. He has been an inmate of the Butchers’ Almshouses at Waltham Green since 1871. Mr W. Paul informs me that his mare Woodbine by Sword Dance—Woodnymph, has missed to St. Leger. The foal out of Mr Paul’s unnamed mare by St. Leger—Lady Mersey had a bad time of it with the wintry cold, but she hus pulled round. The annual meeting of the Egmont Racing Club, which was held at Hawera on Tuesday, July 25, discloses a very satisfactory state of things, the club being in a really sound financial position. A report of the proceedings appears in this issue. Writing of an inspection of Mr J. Stephenson’s horses, the Dunedin scribe, “ Mazeppa,” says “ Hippomenes is wintering as nicely as his admirers could wish, and so is Outpost, who will prove to be a stayer, unless I am very much mistaken. Lustre is now in regular work, and he seems to be picking up a bit, while Tempest and Ulva are quite right again after the accident in May. Occident flourishes on the easy exercise with which he is indulged, and it would not be surprising if this Dunedin Cup winner was to have another go in public before the next season is over. There is, however, no certainty that he will stand a preparation, and if he is trained it will probably be for a shorter race than he is used to.”

A Christchurch friend writes me that Stepniak and Melinite have been booked to leave for Sydney by the first opportunity in charge of Mason. Messrs S. C. Caulton & Co. report the sale of the trotting pony La Grippe to a local owner of trotters and ponies at a satisfactory figure. The rendezvous for the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s hounds on Saturday is Mr Gray’s farm at Papatoitoi. The St. Leger—Aimee colt Acone, who was added to the list a few weeks back, has been put into work again. A meeting of delegates of the Auckland Country and Suburban Clubs has been convened for Wednesday next to consider the resolutions passed at the last Conference of the Metropolitan Clubs. An advertisement on the subject appears in another column. The South Island Country Clubs will hold another Conference in Christchurch on Friday week, the day intervening between the first and second days of the C.J.C. Grand National Meeting. • .-« ■ ■ ' Captain Bewicke, a well - known English amateur rider, has qualified himself to ride on equal terms with jockeys under Rule 96, which provides that any gentleman wishing to ride in races on even terms with jockeys shall obtain a permit, current until revoked, from the stewards of the Jockey Club, and make a donation of to the Bentinck Benevolent Fund. Mr Jardin has imported to Christchurch from Sydney a young trotting stallion that is full brother to Osterley, a standard-bred trotter of fame on the Sydney side. The annual meeting of the members of the Auckland Racing Club will be held on Monday next. *,* F. G. Whiting—Doubles, Grand National Hurdles and Steeples; also betting onN.Z. Cup.