Coming Events.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 215, 6 September 1894, Page 5

Coming Events.

AUCKLAND RACING CLUB’S FIRST SPRING MEETING.

[By

Borderer.]

Last year the Auckland Racing Club had to be congratulated upon the auspicious opening given to their season by the ' satisfactory nominations received for the opening chapter of the racing book of 189394. This year, however, one cannot be quite so jubilant for the returns for the coming meeting show an all round falling off compared with the figures for the past season. Then the five handicaps offered to horse-owners brought forth 66 nominations ; this year the total shows a fall, 55 being the main. There are two less in the Trial, three less in the Hurdles, one less in the Flying and, what is more to the point, five less in the big race, the Spring Handicap. And, if one can trust what he hears, the acceptance list will show a very important falling off. The weight adjustments for the meeting were declared on Monday evening and the reception of the handicapping has not, to put it mildly, been of the most favourable description. Trainers and owners look askance at Mr Evett’s latest piece of work, and I must admit the A.R.C’s. weighting expert has not altogether steered clear of mistakes, jt may be that the value or accuracy of the weighting is not apparent on the guaface, and perhaps inexperienced eyes may not altogether appreciate the unerring skill which the handicapper has shown in bringing the horses together, With that section of the public I have the melancholy honour of enrolling myself. Taking the running of the past season as my line (and a more legitimate basis could not be obtained) I fancy there are a few peculiarities in the handicaps which though possibly unimportant may as well be pointed out. The big race should receive first attention, and in this the weighting cannot be said to be on too high a scale for that consistent mare Lottie, who is, I fancy, well able to meet the field opposed to her with a little more than weighUfor-age over her pet distance, a mile and a quarter. Right through last season she proved herself a most consistent mare, and in view of her slashing Thompson Handicap win, in which she carried 8.2, and beat pretty well the cream of New Zealand, the Spring Handicap might havt/ been —framed with more regard to theJXnimals placed befow her in the list. / Pegasus has 31b more than his weight-for-age, Yattenfeldt has 81b less, Ingorina 151 b less, Ben Godfrey 1 ilb less, and Grenadier gib more. Eve has already fallen out oi the contest, and the other two pomimtors are liardly to be considered jn viewof those racers placed higher in the list. ’ The point which first presents itself to my taind in considering this handicap is the fact of the handicapper asking Brigadier’s three-year-old son to carry ~ §lb more than weight-for-age, while the other contestants meet their w.f.a. scale on so 4-ich more advantageous terms. • In sizingup horses at the opening of a season I houid say some sort of attention shouK be paid to their achievements of the past and if Grenadier’s running of last year funishes a reason why he should carry jib ni>re than St. Hippo did when

he captured the same event in 1892, personally I fail to see it. Of course he may have altered in a very wonderful fashion of which I know nothing, but on hard figures I must say I consider he cannot be considered very fairly treated. Then Ben Godfrey at 8.3 is hardly treated in a harsh fashion seeing his wins over a mile. At Taranaki in the autumn he carried 8.7, and beat a more than fair field in imin 43sec. His wins as a miler were accomplished very easily, and whether the extra quarter is a reason why he should carry 41b less than he had when he won comfortably in “ 43 ” is very doubtful. With eleven pounds under his w.f.a. his chance must be rather fair (on paper), although it maybe that as regards condition he is not in the race. But in reviewing handicaps the form of a day or a week is hardly a fair criterion. Major George’s colt Pegasus could certainly not have been valued at less weight than has been given him, but I fancy Yattenfeldt is not overburdened. In the Auckland Guineas he ran a big second .with 8.10 to St. Laura, 8.5, who won under whip and spur in imin 45sec, Annabelle, Stanmoor, and Royal Rose finishing behind Yattenfeldt. Next day he won the Maiden Plate, one mile and a distance, with 9.3 in 2min 11 sec, winning easily. Bearing those wins in mind, I incline to the opinion that, on paper at least, he is not a mile out of the coming fair. Passing on to the Steeplechase, one must bestruck with the request made by the handicapper to Potentate to head the list with 11.7. Now what.'sort of a chance would the Penrose gelding have with the runner up of our last Great Northern giving away ylbs ? As soon as the lists came out Union Jack’s party could not see the beauty of giving 31bs to Crazy Kate, so why should Alec Williams be called upon to increase his disadvantage by 41bs more than that out dealt to Union Jack ? When Potentate won the Tallyho Steeplechase at our winter meeting he carried 10.11 and won simply because Belle fell at the last jump, and then he came in looking fairly well used up. In the Grand National he was weighted at 9.12, and Crazy Kate giving away 41bs beat him with the greatest of ease. Now he is asked to give away 71bs to the mare, which means a difference of lllbs and a beating—rather a tough job to undertake up the Ellerslie plantation and over the hill with Crazy Kate behind him. At the Garrett meeting Potentate, carrying 10.9, beat Crazy Kate, 11.5—which weighting gave him an advantage of lOlbs. Now Crazy Kate takes 71bs from him, which means 171bs better terms for her compared with her Garrett meeting run. Fishmonger and Crazy Kate met at that meeting with a stone in favour of the Izaak Walton gelding; now he has to allow her 51bs, which means an allowance to the mare of 191bs and a beating. Fishmonger had 9.9 in the National—51bs under Crazy Kate—and when he fell at the hill jump he came down because he was a beaten horse. Yet he is now summed up as 51bs the superior of the mare ! Respecting Austral, he has two wins to his credit, the first being in a Maiden Steeplechase at Hawke’s Bay, in which nearly all the contestants turned “ sevens,” and in'the second, the Wairarapa Steeplechase, 3 miles, which he won with 9.7 up the company behind him was only Hunt Club class. At 41bs over Mr Lawrence’s mare he is either a vastly improved or an overrated animal. I may here remark that my Wellington confrere wires his opinion that “ the Wellington horses are shamefully treated,” and in support of his sweeping assertion he instances the ’chaser under review and the hurdling nominator Bouquet. The latter is a maiden and has never raced over hurdles. “ Yet (wires the correspondent) he is reckoned to be superior to a pair of winners like Warrior and Skittles.” On paper such weighting does appear slightly “ thick,” and I cannot wonder at the impression that has gained ground down Wellington way that Southern horses are not wanted here. The main blot on this handicapping is of course Crazy Kate’s measurement, and it was hardly surprising to hear of Potentate’s prompt withdrawal. Passing on to the Flying Handicap the eye is inclined to rest at Doris 8.0. At the A R.C. Second Spring of last year she won the five furlong Welcome Stakes in imin 4£sec, and at the autumn gathering, after losing the Champagne Stakes through an unlucky bolt—as I at all events fancy— : She came out the day following and won the six furlong Ellerslie Handicap in imin 1 Sisec “ with her mouth open.” Three Stars’ run of the day previous was accomplished in imin iBsec, so that the filly’s chance would not have been such a bad

one had she got away before a six furlong bolt had been taken out of her. Now she is placed 61b below Grenadier and First Nelson, 71b below Ben Godfrey, 221 b below Lottie, and 2st jib below St. Kilda. And on the same day that she cantered home in the Ellerslie Handicap, run in imin iB|sec, she came out again and with 7.8 up ran a more than fair second to the flying St. Clements in the five furlong Shorts, cutout by the winner in imin 3sec. Behind Doris were St. Laura, Stanmoor, Tingara, First Nelson, and half a dozen others. Then again why is Lady Moth placed 91b below Grenadier?- At Takapuna the mare beat him in the Calliope Handicap, 6 furlongs, carrying 7.12, while Grenadier, who finished unplaced, had the advantage of 81b. The next day Lady Moth had 8.12 and the colt 7.5, which meant an advantage to the latter of a stone and a half Yet he was ridden out to the bitter last, and then beaten by the daughter of St. Leger—Titania. This handicap could not be started higher than it is and while St. Kilda has quite enough to carry, Lottie’s and Doris’ burdens are certainly not far enough up the scale in view of the imposts given the other candidates. In the Hurdle race Marechai Neil’s connections see ground for grumbling at the 10.4 awarded the horse. Fishmonger cannot be very comfortable within a pound of Ingorina ; the top weight is summed up to his utmost capacity fin view of Ingorina); and Skittles looks in a healthy condition. Respecting Marechai Neil one certainly remembers that with 10.0 he was unplaced in the Garrett Benefit Hurdles, while Skittles with 61bs less finished second. Now the Marechai is asked to give her 121bs which arrangement his party naturally fail to see the advantage of. In the same race Fishmonger gave her 21bs and was beaten for second honours, and now he is asked to concede her islbs. That sort of reasoning is hardly “ according to Cocker”—or any oneelse for the matter of that. In considering Skittles and Belmont I had overlooked the lesson taught by the North Shore hurdle race run over the same distance as the one fixed for the 15th. At the Takapuna Meeting the mare won with 9.8, taking 131 b from Belmont, who was an indifferent third. In the coming hurdle race Belmont is asked to give Skittles 221bs ! That is something worth considering. I have touched on a few of the pecularitfes of the handicap, and will postpone further dealing with the subject until the full tale told by the scratching pen is made known. Of course horses are “ kittle cattle ” to deal with, and much advancement may have been made by the equine puzzlers since we last saw them with the colours up. With stable secrets and Ellerslie whispers we have however nothing to do when considering the first handicap of the season, and the same re mark may equally apply to a weight adjuster and his work. The figures of the past season’s running form the only guide worth following and viewing the handicaps through such a channel of light, I cannot help regarding their contents with a certain amount of regret. Great strides may have been accomplished by the horses under review, which advancement may be known only to a privileged few, but going on figures and past performances I fancy some of the horses alluded to above must win (if in . the humour), while others cannot have donkey’s chances.