Untitled

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 200, 24 May 1894, Page 4

As others see us. A Sydney racing man who was recently on a visit to New Zealand writes to the Sydney Referee to say that during a four months’ trip he did not see a really high-class racehorse. He is willing to admit that several good handicap horses came under his notice, but “ nothing out of the common.” The two-year-olds he classed as only moderate, and the position of champion, he accorded to Bluefire, by Maxim—Sapphira. But as regards her his praise is decidedly weak. To quote him, “ She is no doubt a beautifully-bred filly on both sides, and she can gallop fast, but does not look up to weight, and the opposition was not of the strongest.” Castor’s colt, Casket, he declares, showed up as a nonstayer in the Challenge Stakes, and, to his mind, Mr Mon in will be interested to learn, Castor is hardly the sort of horse to make a good sire. To use his own words, “ That he may get stock good-looking and able to gallop I have no doubt, but all the good sires that I can call to mind have been good, strong, vigorous horses, as well as good perperformers, such as Musket, Panic, Fisherman, and Yattendon. Trenton has all the qualities of a good sire, being a most vigorous horse. On the other side, Grand Flaneur was a great racehorse, but much more of the effeminate type, and he has certainly not been a great success as a sire.” Loyalty fairly showed up the three-year-olds, he thinks, and their form is set down as certainly behind the Australian colts. “ Amongst the older horses there are certainly some very good ones on the turf in New Zealand, but not up to the standard of such horses as Trenton and other celebrities. Merganser is considered a very high-class mare, but as she was amiss I did not see her. A mare named Lady Zetland won the double at the Canterbury meeting, beating a fair field; but I think she is hardly up to Caulfield or Melbourne Cup form. A hurdle horse named Kulnine, a perfect gentleman, won two flat races with hard on to 9.0 on his back, and won like a racehorse ; and in my opinion he was one of the best horses I saw. If he is as good over hurdles as he is on the flat it will take a regular Redleap to beat him at that game. Prime Warden, Quadrant, and Liberator are all good handicap horses. Stepniak was not as well as

when at Rand wick, and perhaps he has not forgotten that memorable three miles some of the punters I have no doubt remember.” That New Zealand is a country well adapted to raising’thoroughbred stock our critic admits. In fact, he says there is no doubt about, but, says he, “ you can not go on for ever producing racehorses from one strain of blood, and now they have got so much Musket blood that if they don’t very soon hit upon some fresh sire, to take the old horse’s place it may be a long time before they give us the champions as of yore.” What about St. Leger, as good a sire as any in the colonies. “ None of Musket’s sons, at present standing in New Zealand, have produced anything high-class. Maxim they sold to go to America, Trenton Mr W. R. Wilson has, Nordenfeldt is at Mr S. Hordern’s stud farm. Strathmore and Zalinski, grandsons of the old horse, are also both in Victoria’” Quite true. Respecting the totalisator, he considers it is like all gambling machines; if you play long enough the bank will have all the money. He does not think you could win £5OO on a single race in N.Z. unless you were prepared to lay odds on, and the fact of having to pay 10 per cent, for, the privilege of wagering a pound evidently does uot meet with his approbation. As for our jockeys, with the exception of Derrett, they are put down as “very moderate,” and as for the starting, and the trainers he says: “ The starting is very bad right through the whole of both islands. The trainers are, with the exception of Mason, Goodman, Outts, Butler, Kean and Wright, and perhaps another or two, men of inferior ability, judging from the condition I saw their horses in.” Candid to say the least of it.