Amid the Thoroughbreds

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 163, 7 September 1893, Page 6

Amid the Thoroughbreds

[By

Sir Launcelot.]

John Rae has a small string in hand at ‘ White House,’ Otahuhu, and I wish for his sake that I could say 7 that it is select, but, to be candid, the inmates of Rae’s boxes are not of a high-class character. Since I visited Rae’s stables last August, he has lost Morion by death and Quadrant is not in work.

Nevertheless I responded to Rae’s invitation to go out to his place and see what there was to be seen, so on Thursday morning I took the train to Otahuhu, where C. Goodman (late Whip to the Pakuranga Hunt Club, who is now working for Rae) was waiting for me with a trap. The occupant of the shafts was no less an old-time celebrity than The Colonel, whose life is now a varied one. He is not above being utilised when harrowing the track is necessary ; he is a beautifully kind horse to travel in the shafts of a buggy, and he still occasionally carries Rae after the hounds. Arriving at White House, I received a hearty greeting from Rae, who was giving some of his horses half-pace work. When they had finished and were brought in to their boxes I had a good look at them. Lonely was the first to come under inspection, and I had almost omitted to mention that he had just before been jumped over some of the obstacles for my edification and flew them like a bird. It is easy to perceive that Lonely is a great pet of Rae’s, who is a staunch admirer—as well he may be —of the Cap-a-pie blood for jumping horses. Lonely’s last appearance under silk was in the Grand National Hurdles at the Auckland Racing Club’s Winter Meeting of 1892, when with 10.6 on him and Rae up he was beaten out of place through hurting himself during the race. He has had a spell and was only taken up about three months ago. However, I think we shall have to record a win or two to his credit before the season is over.

The Marquis of Tewkesbury and Marechal Niel are the pair that Rae had mainly to rely on during the past season. The Marquis I found to be a bit in the rough after the rest from active service he has had, and I don’t suppose we shall see him sport silk till later in the season. The Marquis is another example of a good hurdle-racer graduating in hack company. He ran several good races as a hack on the West Coast of this island, and his present owner, seeing him run and taking a fancy to him, gave him to Rae to train. Those who were present at the Auckland Racing Club’s First Spring Meeting on September 17 1892, will not lightly forget how with 9.4 in the Hurdle Handicap, one mile and threequarters, he made a holy show of Ika Vuka, Stepper, Te Kooti, Cloth of Gold, Business, Potentate, New Chum and Daisy. Jumped up 241 b, making his impost 11.0, he just as easily won the Open Hurdles, one mile and threequarters, at the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s meeting. A day or two afterwards he was sent down to Christchurch to compete at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Spring Meeting, but the results did not ‘ pan out’ quite as expected. His reputation

had preceded him Southward, and he started a hot favorite in a field of half-a-dozen for the Spring Hurdles of 1 50 sovs, two miles, in which he had 10.7, but he could get no nearer than third, Norton, 12.9, winning by half a length from Magpie, 10.8—not a bad pair to be in front of him. Next day he was weighted at 109 and was again served up warm for the Middleton Hurdle Race, one mile and a half and a distance. He had only The Idler, 11.8, Black Hawk, 9.2, and Justice, 9.0, to beat, and he had nothing much to spare in getting home from The Idler. At the Auckland R.C.’s Summer Meeting the Marquis was taken good care of by Mr Evett in the Handicap Hurdles, two miles, for he got 120 but nevertheless he managed to finish third to Mangere, 10.9, and Never Miss, 10.0. He has not sported silk since, so he has had a long rest ere the coming campaign, in which, unless I am greatly mistaken, he will distinguish himself. The Marquis’ winnings last season totalled up ss. Marechai Neil is not one of the handsomest horses to be found in these parts, but when you stand up to him you see his size, power and bone. He is one of the latest aspirants for hurdle honors, and though on several occasions he has failed when the money has been on, he has scored some good wins, representing a total of £ 248 15s for the season. It was in the Hurdles on the first day of the A.R.C. Summer Meeting that we saw Marechai Neil make his initial essay over the little sticks. He had previously run down South in several flat races under the guidance of J. E. Pilbrow and won some of them, and Mr D. McLeod, the local penciller. thinking he would make a good hurdle horse, purchased him. He was allotted 9.12 on Boxing Day and finished fourth, his stablemate Marquis of Tewkesbury, 12.0, being third and the winner being Mangere, 10.9. Mr Evett in the New Year Hurdles took ylb off his back, and he won with a bit to spare from Fishmonger, 10.10, and Mangere, Belmont, Never Miss, Deceiver and F'ukem were behind them. At the Takapuna Jockey Club’s Summer Meeting he was made a warm favorite for the Hurdles, in which he had ro.io, but his colours were easily lowered by Ika Vuka, who was getting 241 b from him. When again reckoned a good thing at the Egmont R.C.’s Summer Meeting he was beaten a length in the Hurdles by Tattler, to whom he was conceding <6lb, and on the second day when again made favorite he ran up against a ‘ snag ’ in Gondolier, who had 61b concession from him. We know what Gondolier has done since then, so this wasn’t a bad performance. A third and an unplaced at the Hawke’s Bay J.C.’s Autumn Meeting were succeeded by a victory under 10.6 in the Hurdle Handicap, two miles, at the Auckland Autumn Meeting, Mangere, 12.3, being second and Tattler, 9.7, third, the field being made up of Fishmonger, Isidore, Ika Vuka. Neli, Union Jack, Rangatira, and Myrtle. He was then laid by for the Auckland Winter Meeting, when he was started with 10.9 up for the Grand National Hurdles. Flis owner backed him for a lot of money, and no doubt he would have been close handy at the finish— though I do not think under any circumstances he could have beaten Mutiny—but he jumped inside the rails at an early stage of the race and the ‘ subsequent proceedings interested him no more.’ He was saddled up on the second day for the Great Northern Steeplechase, his weight being 10.0, and he went out third favorite, Booties having most supporters, with Shillelagh next in demand. Marechai Neil refused a fence when they had gone a mile, so here again no true test of merit was afforded, and he may be said to have finished up the season unsatisfactorily. I did not like the look of one of his fore pins when I saw him on Thursday, but it may be nothing serious. Ido not think we shall see him in public till the Summer Meeting. I cannot say he is a horse I ever liked, and I have always regarded him as greatly over-estimated by his owner and backers. However, time will show.

Rae next showed me a six-year-old mare called Resolve, got by Resolution (brother to Hailstorm) out of a Ravensworth mare. She belongs to a resident of Onehunga, who, in view of the Auckland Racing Club having taken up pony racing, thought she would come under the pony standard, and sent her to Rae. However, measurement showed her to be a little in excess of the required standard, but Rae says she has a bit of pace, and she may be persevered with. She is a well-shaped mare. Long Roper will have a go at jumping ever.s in real earnest this season, and I should not be

surprised to see him turn out the sheet- . of the stable. A neatly-made ' little two-year-old filly by King Quail out • of a Cocksure mare is all in the rough . and sadly wants building up. Rae has only had her a short time, and when he puts a bit of polish on her I think she will be a very handsome young lady. By the way, all of the stock of King Quail that I ; have seen show heaps of quality, and I should like to see the son of Yattendon and Quail have better chances afforded him. Decoy, the three-year-old daughter • of Captivator and Waltzer’s dam Lady Brnnette, has not yet sported silk. She : is a slashing fine filly, and it is to be j hoped when she gets to work that she will display as brilliant a turn of speed as her half-brother has done, but should -she not be a success on the flat she has the characteristics that should make her -a good hurdler. Good Day, whom Rae ayers was one of the best ’chasers he ever put a leg across, is heavy in foal to Cap- . a-pie, and as she is by Izaak Walton (son of Dainty Ariel and Fanny Fisher) the progeny will have a double strain of Fisherman blood. Rowena, the Ravensworth mare alluded to above as the dam of Revolt, was grazing with Good Day and is also in foal to Cap-a-pie. The last on - the list —but not the least—was QuadTant, enjoying his otium cum dig. in a paddock. Here is one of the fastest sprinters that ever carried a saddle in New Zealand, as sound as the proverbial -* bell of brass,’ awaiting a purchaser at Mr Bobbett is only selling him because he wishes to retire from racing, . and if a purchaser does not come along in the course of a few days the son of Robinson Crusoe and Radiance will join the ranks of ‘ sires of the season.’ I hope he will find a purchaser for racing purposes and again •electrify us with some of those brilliant dashes of speed. Lunch follows, and ■ then Rae drives me down to the Otahuhu railway station and we part, he expressing regret that he had nothing better to show ■ me and I expressing the hope that when next I visited him he would have a large string of oats-earners for me to cast my eyes over.