WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 199, 17 May 1894, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

April 12th. What price Chatterbox winning the Auckland Great Northern Hurdle Handicap like his full brother did last year.

I don’t think that either Victrix or Norton could have won the Wellington Steeplechase had they stood up. Strange thing that Union Jack’s name did not appear in the list of acceptances first published for the Egmont Steeplechase. Even when the omission was noticed it did not appear in the Wellington papers. The winner of the Thompson Handicap this year bears the same name as the Christian name of Mrs Thompson. Raven’s legs look very cronk. It is a pity the train did not run right to the Hutt racecourse. The present arrangement is very inconvenient. The work could be done for about five thousand pounds. Itipo (Cadogan -Awatea) served 127 mares last season. Rangipai, by Foul Play, winner of a hack hurdle event at the Hutt, has only been up five weeks. The Wellington Racing Club come out handsomely over their late meeting. At a meeting of delegates from the Wellington, Johnsonville and Upper Hutt Trotting Clubs to the recently-formed Wellington Trotting Association the rules of the Canterbury Trotting Association, with several amendments, were adopted. Mr H. D. Crawford is president, and Mr H. R. Woon secretary of the Association. It is expected that at least five clubs in the district - will affiliate. The rule adopted by the local Association with regard to the re-handicapping of horses is : “ Any horse having won an event at a meeting may be penalised in subsequent events not more than ysec per mile?’ The forthcoming meeting of the Welington Trotting Club jon Queen’s Bjrth-

day will be conducted under the rules of the Canterbury Association, as amended by the local Association. Sir Garnet, the steeplechaser, who is sound, is for sale. Tempest, the Dunedin Cup winner, was bred by Mr Eales, of Duckenfield, N.S.W., whose death is just announced. Alecto wants a lot of condition on him yet, and a bit more schooling. Pill, who broke his hind leg at Egmont in the Hurdles, was regarded as a promising jumper. It is a wonder that Timothy was not nominated for the Wanganui, Egmont. and Great Northern Steeplechase. The hack racer Caloola 11. has completely broken down. The Hunt Club come out with a neat century to the good over their late meeting. Overseer, who paid Z 37 ns in the hack event at the Hunt Club Meeting, is by Ros (by Anteros), and a fine looking horse. However, this was only his second appearance on a course, the first one having been but a few days previously. I believe that had Rebellion got a good start in the Electric Handicap at the Hutt he would have won. Lord John is palpably out of form. Unless there is a great rod in pickle the English Derby this year looks all over. There may be something concealed in a Matchbox.

Dr. Skerman has resigned his position as delegate of the country clubs in the Wanganui and Metropolitan district to the Racing Conference to be held in Wellington. Whalebone, who ran a dead heat with Oeo in the Wellington Steeplechase once, has, I see, run another with Crazy Kate at Egmont. Lonely does not like cross country, but no doubt will improve. Dick, by St. Clair, who performed down this way, was, I noticed, scratched for the Trial Steeple at Egmont in order to be saved for the big event. However, his rider was thrown and received injury. They are forming a trotting club at Stratford. Good nominations have been received for the Wellington Trotting Club’s Meeting on the Queen’s Birthday. The committee will act as handicappers. They talk about swindling at trotting meetings, but I must say I haven’t seen such barefaced swindling for a long time as I saw at the Hutt last week. Old Matchless was nearly half a mile behind in the Ladies’ Bracelet Handicap run at the Hunt Club Meeting. It is evident that General Gordon has not been up long, for he does not show any condition in him. I hear that Morag has not yet got over the injury he sustained in the Hurdles at Napier Park. (By Wire.) May 14th. Waiuku, by St. Leger—Musket Maid, may be a thundering good hack, but I don’t believe the report from Hawera that has been offered for him. The steeplechaser Ginger was offered for sale here on Saturday, but was passed in, the reserve price not being reached. Booties may be slow, but he is apparently sure. Turf, who is nominated for the Egmont Hack Stakes next year, is rather appropriately named, being by Natator out of Spray. There will be quite a little parliament here when the Conference of raping club delegates takes place, for if all reps, turn up they will number 35. Taina Hinemoa, the name given to the Nelson horse, means son of Hinemoa. Everybody remembers the old mare. Chatterbox, the winner of the Hurdles at Egmont, won the Second Hack Flat Race at the same meeting last year, when he paid 15s, and got home by a head, beating a large field. Union Jack’s time for the big steeplechase, ymin ssec, is the fastest on record for that race. The trotter Nea is not entered for the Tuhara Trotting Meeting at Dunedin. The Reefton Jockey Club want the other racing clubs, on the Coast of the South Island to combine and appoint one handicapper for the lot, and also, if possible, one starter. I have not .heard in what spirit the proposal has been received by the other institutions, but the principal difficulty in the way will be the securing of a suitable man for the position. -

Starlight, winner of the First Hack Flat event at Egmont when he paid a good dividend, got home in the same event last year, when he paid 3s. Acceptances for (he Wellington Trot-

ting Club’s meeting on the 24th May are due at the New Zealandia Hotel on Monday, 21st inst., at 10.30 p.m. Mr Goodson, of Hawera, has the halfsister to Reprisal. Ben 8., the Hawkes’ Bay horse, has been swopped by J. Griffiths, his trainer, to Mr Douglas for the three-year-old gelding by Hiko—Religieuse, who is now owned by Mr Taylor, who formerly kept Wanstead Hotel. The Ashburton Trotting Club will not hold their June Meeting in the show ground this time, for the simple reason that they can’t get a conditional license from the local committee, and that means no revenue from the publicans’ booth privileges. They are consequently going to race at Tinwald, where no such restriction is in existence. This conditional license question is a farce. J. Rollo, last owner of the Hawke’s Bay steeplechase winner Tauraekaitai, has shifted from Green Meadow to Kaikora, where he now has in hand Samoa, a three-year-old out of Pilgrimage, and a two-year-old by the Musket horse Hiko out of Phoenix. Tramore and Buckler, the hacks, are half-brothers. Mr Gollan is not represented in Sydney by any of his horses. Martini Enfield is in work at' Kaikora (H. 8. At the Egmont races Mcßae’s Whalebone ran a dead heat with Crazy Kate in the Final Steeples. His Booties ran second in the big steeples, and Rambler ran second in the Trial Steeples. Nile, who ran third in the mile and a half hack race at the same meeting, is by Nelson—Florence. At Kaikora A. Ellingham has Dainty (by Ahua) and a filly rising three year old out of Swiveline in work. A private letter informs me that hunting has taken on wonderfully in Hawke’s Bay, and that every Saturday from six o’clock to eight o’clock horsemen follow R. H. Mason’s hounds. The other Saturday one would have thought there was a big race meeting on up country to see eight horse boxes on the first train from Hastings to Waipawa. The chestnut gelding Golden Plover (Forerunner —Plover) and Minos (Turquoise—Scylla) have been turned out for a spell at Kaikora. Dr. Gillon, a prominent member of the Wellington Hunt Club, has gone to England with the object of benefitting his health. Outlaw, a four-year-old brothor to the Waipawa mare Lobelia, is being qualified here for the Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club’s Meeting at Hastings next month. A. Banks still has charge of Lobelia and Waitress at Raikora. They have a trotter at Hawera who used to be called lolanthe. They changed the name to Kaponga, but subsequently re-christened her lolanthe. A meeting of the stewards of the United Hunt Club was held on Thursday night, when it was decided to hold an annual concert at the end of June, when a first-class programme will be submitted. The question of holding an. annual ball was held over for further consideration. It was reported that the club had made a handsome profit out of their late meeting. It was decided to endeavour to arrange more frequent meetings of hounds near Wellington, in order to give town huntsmen a chance of more frequent runs out. Very eulogistic reference was made to the service rendered to the club by Dr. Gillon, who was present. His health was drunk in bumpers and his safe return from the old country wished for. Dr. Gillon briefly replied, and before leaving made a handsome donation to the funds of the club.

This morning an important judgment . was delivered by Mr Justice Richmond in the Appeal Court in the case of R. Patterson, turf commission agent, who appealed against the decision of Mr Martin, S.M., who fined him £25 for keep- > ing and using a room in Willis-street for betting purposes. His Honor said that a bet through the totalisator must necessarily be made by or through some person present on the spot immediately before a race was run. Agencies had accordingly been established through which persons at a distance could bet. The defendant in the present case admitted that he had been carrying on such business, and that he undertook for a sum of los and agreed to a commission to provide Constable Butler on the occasion in question with a half-ticket on the horse Rosefeldt in the race for the Auckland Cup. It was contended for the prosecution that on these facts the 'conviction should be affirmed. He (Mr Justice Richmond) could not agree with the construction of the second clause of

Section 11. on which that contention was based. The clause prohibited the keeping of an office for the receipt by the office-keeper of money in consideration of an agreement to pay money on the event of a horse race or in consideration of a guarantee or security that some other .person should pay the agreement. To pay first, spoken of, must mean, though the clause did not expressly say so, an agreement by the office-keeper to pay out of his own moneys. The second part of the clause made this clear. If, therefore, the case against the defendant could pe carried no further than his own admissions carried it, the conviction was wrong, for defendant agreed to pay nothing beyond the sum (if any) which he should himself receive or be able to receive as holder of the half-ticket on Butler’s account. Then did the evidence carry the case further. It was contended that as the telegraph office closed at io a.m. on the 26th, and the agreement with Butler was not made till about 11 o clock it was impossible to execute Butler s socalled order by taking a ticket on his account, and the inference must be that defendant was really himself making a bet with Butler at totalisator odds. To that defendant had answered swearing that he had just before the telegraph office closed that morning ordered, his agent at Auckland to take 40 tickets on Rosefeldt. His books, which were seized the same day during his absence, tended to confirm his testimony, for they contained an order for 30 tickets on the same horse. This entry, could not have been fiction invented to meet the present charge. It was incredible that the defendant did actually order a large number of such tickets on the morning of the 26th. If he were bona fide acting as agent in the transaction booked by him he would need to purchase upwards of 30 tickets, and it might be true that after providing for the orders he had received he really had a balance of tickets at his disposal. Rosefeldt was favourite. Defendant swore that in his order he purposely left a margin either |to enable him to meet applications which he might receive after the telegraph office closed or to hold for his own benefit. The sale of a ticket or a share in a ticket was of course a lawful transaction. The defendant swore in effect that his actual transaction with Butler was a sale. It was true that he had not, as he might have done, and as the prosecutor could not have done, obtained the production of the telegram , which he said he had read. Neither had he called any witness to prove that his alleged order for tickets was executed. Nevertheless, as the case against him rested on a mere inference, and that inference was met by a plausible' explanation, the evidenoe appeared to be too weak for a conviction. A doubt was raised, to the benefit of which defendant was entitled, consequently the conviction must be quashed. There would be no costs. Mr Gully was for the prosecution and Mr Skerrctt for defence.

May 15th. Mr Nat Grace presided at a meeting of Taratahi-Carterton Hack Racing Club held at Mr T. Ray’s Hotel, Taratahi, on Saturday night, when there was a large attendance. A report was presented by the course improvement committee, and it was decided to improve and considerably enlarge the course as recommended by the committee. Tenders are to be called for the work at once. Mr W. B. Alien’s plan for a grandstand which will seat 700 people was laid on the table, and a motion carried that a stand should be erected in accordance with the design presented. In order to provide funds for this work, debentures of £5 each are to be issued. The total amount of money required is £150; twenty-one debentures were taken up in the room, fifty-two members were elected, and the meeting terminated. The racehorses Swordbelt (by Sword Dance—Necklace) and Kent (St. George —Red Rose) are advertised for sale. The following are my selections for the Wanganui Steeplechase Meeting:—Flying: Prioress 1, Cyrus 2, Goodwood 3. Trial Steeplechase: Kaimanawa 1, Rambler 2, Lonely 3. Winter Oats: Cordelia 1, Pinrose 2, Dreamland 3. Wanganui Steeplechase : Whalebone 1, Kaimanawa 2, Booties 3. Captain Boison has been turned out for a spell. The Marlborough Racing Club will probably shortly consider the advisableness of securing a new course. The Town and Suburban Club (H. 8. have received good acceptances for their Birthday Meeting. In the Queen’s Birthdav Handicap I like Midas, T Rose and ■ne. In the Hurdles, Alecto, 1a and Waterlily. In Taradale ■ . ■

Handicap, Ua, Zanella and Krina. In Meanie Handicap, Aio, Midas and Rayfeldt. For the Maiden my pick is Aphony or Iliad. In the Welter, T Rose, Spinfeldt and Sylvanus; and in the Flying. Zanella, Dingo and Musketeer. The lease of Langley the Devil has expired, and Mr A. W. Dillon, owner of Flywheel, took him over after returning from the Wellington Meeting. At Dunedin I think Remembrance will run a good horse in either the Birthday Handicap or Tradesman’s Handicap, next to him in first named I like Hippomenes and Skirmisher, and in the mile event Bay Belle and Captive should prove his warmest opponents. In the Hurdles I prefer the chance of Empire, with Erin-go-Bragh and Smuggler next.