Coming Events.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 207, 12 July 1894, Page 7

Coming Events.

[By

Borderer. ]

V.R.O. GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE.

Ou» Melbourne friends will be continuing their Grand National meeting at Flemington on Saturday next, and there will be no doubt a certain amount of New Zealand speculation on the Steeplechase. Local interest would have been keener if we had had Norton to battle for us, and with'him out of it we will have to depend upon Mutiny, who has been weighted at 10.9. According to recent reports he is said to be not in the best of condition, and the general opinion on the other side is that he will cotne to grief, as was the case in New South Wales. The opinion appears to be general that he is not forward enough and that an- . other month would put him in much better trim. The weighting for Saturday’s Steeplechase is high enough, seeing that no less than nine horses have been given burdens over 12 stone. Although Mikado 11. is called upon to carry the crusher of 13.1, I do not think he can with safety be ignored. He is a great horse at weight-carrying, and as I hear T. Corrigan will have the mount on him it may be taken for granted that he will have the best of piloting and will be carefully saved in his big task. With Foxtail out, Busaco comes next with 12.11, and from what I can gather he will be a very dangerous candidate. He is one of the best steeplechasers on the other side, and is said to be doing his preparation famously. Confidence I know little of, but I believe little danger need be apprehended from this quarter ; and Trojan, although under suspicion of lameness, will have to be watched. In the cross-country race at, I think, Mentone (Victoria) I notice he ran last, but if one judged his chance through that performance he would fall into a grievous error. His connections are the wrong people to show their hand, and I shall be surprised if ha* does not show a good race next Saturday. The Actress is said to have a more than fair chance of scoring, and Oorangamite comes over as a strongly supported middle weight. Dondi is a goodish horse, and with 11.2 may be expected to' show up well, and of the light weights Medicine, Mutiny, and Daimio appear to be the pick. Respecting Daimio, who is second last on the weight list with 9.3, it may be said that he onCe won a three-mile steeplechase with 11.2 in the saddle and on a previous occasion finished third in crack hunting company in a four mile and a half race. Good horses have come from the hunting field, and as I know Daimio to be a staunch, staying horse, and a clever jumper to boot, I shall alter my tip of last week, inasmuch as I shall substitute Daimio's name for Dondi’s. I think the three best horses in the race are Busaoo, Mikado 11., Daimio.