NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VI, Issue 289, 6 February 1896, Page 8

NOTES.

[By

Gipsy King.]

The other day I had a chat with Mr W\ H. Keith, who recently returned fr>m Australia after disposing of the two Gipsy King geldings, Bush Boy and The Hero. In reply to my query as to whether he had received the appointment of private trainer to Messrs H. C. and H. V. White for their up-country horses, he said that he was the successful man out of 75 applicants, but although he had accepted the position he subsequently altered his mind and came on to New Zealand.

Harry Moore, who was at one time connected with Mr S. H. Gollan’s stable at Caulfield, is now in charge of Mr “Jerry” Driscoll’s horses, Buckley’s Chance and Off Chance, at Hawera. It is stated in one of the Manawatu papers that a resident of Palmerston North was lucky enough to accept a wager of £5OO to £l5 about Brooklet for the Wellington Cup. There were only two £5OO “books” open on the Cup in the southern portion of the North Island, and both were written for the full amount, but in small parcels, so that the resident referred to could not have had any of these two “ bookp.” That £5OO to £l5 must have been laid by the chef of some Coastal H otel!

As far as the Wellington £5OO “ book” is concerned, almost the first wager booked in connection with the Cup race was £lOO to 1 Brooklet, and what’s more, the backer paid up his £1 straight off ! The las* wager in the same “ book” was £5O to 8 !

Jim Hathaway was nearly losing the stakes for the Hurdle Race at, Foxton through overconfidence on the part of Gillett, who was riding his horse Pyrites. The ex-Blenheirn nag was sailing in comfortab y and Gillett was letting the horse slow down, when Jim Morris sneaked up with Nat, and challenging Pyrites the latter just, succeeded in getting to the post in time, only winning by half a neck. Alick McCormick rode two splendid finishes on Swift at Foxton. The little mare is one of the plodding sort, and Alick waited patiently for her until within the distance, when he asked her lor one run, which her better looking opponents were unable to withstand, and he landed her a winner cleverly each time. Both races would probably have been lost if Swift ha I been entrusted to a less experienced horseman. It does my heart good to see a horseman sitting still and then come with a well-timed run that silences everything else in the race. ’Tis the pace that kills, so does the weight sometimes. The handicaps apportioned Flying

Shot —10.0 in the Foxton Handicap, miles, and 11.4 in the Electric Handicap, 5 furlongs—effectually stopped the big gr.y, and although he stru |T "led gamely, he simply was not in it at the finish. Wharangi (which I understand is the Maori for leaves), the three-}ear-old chestnut colt by Ascot from Lorelei’s dam, sported silk for the first time in the Anniversary Stakes of one mile at Foxion, and although he looks a strapping, strongly-built col' (who would be chosen tor a racehorse in preference to Lorelei), and is fairly forward in condition, he simply disgr ced his family and didn't appear to be able to raise a good canter, and finished a long way in the r-ar. I trust he is not going to ’urn out such another frost as his three-quarter brother Aintree, by Ascot —Bay Leaf.

Bavaria (Forerunner — Starwater), the winner of the Juvenile Handicap at Wellington, was bought in a Hawera sale-vard as a ye.cling by Mr W. H. Chitham, of Palmerston North, for the small sum of £9. Foreru meris half brother to Vanguard, and Si ar Water is by Premier from Voltarina, dam of Recluse.

Year by year the Wellington Cup meeting appears to" be growing in public favour, and it is only a question of a few years when it will rank next to the N.Z. Cup m-eting. In a great measure the meeting is popularised by the amount of betting that is transacted oyer the Cup race, which is run over a favourite distance with horse owners. This year there were two £5OO “ books,” every penny of which is “ good,” besides several smaller “ books,” ranging from £25 to £2OO. When a backer takes a wager, no matter how small, he never loses sight of the date of the meeting, and at every opportunity he compares notes with other horsey men as to the chances of the various horses engaged, and in this way alone he assists materially in advertising the meeting. Strange to say. the principal bookmakers do not appear to care about opening a book on the Egmont, Wanganui, and Hawke’s Bay C ips, probably for the reason that there is not sufficient time to “ get round,” from the time the nominations are received up to the date of meeting. One mctallician remarked to me, in reply to my query why he did not open a book on the Wanganui Cup, “ that the race is too easily picked, and that backers will only back two or three horses in the race, as there are so very few horses that can get one mile and threequarters, and the public are very fair judges of those that cannot get the distance.” I think that statement pretty well explains the position. However, if “double books” were opened, <>n the same principle as that prevailing in Sydney, i.e., the backer to receive a cer'ain sum —according to the p oportion of the wager —for a winner and a second, a winner and a third, or two seconds, I think if this system were tried here —each backer to receive a card with the odds plainly marked oir it—that “ double” betting would be more favourably received. In connection with the Cup race it seems a pity that, owing to the dispute between Mr W. Douglas and Mr T. Quinlivan, senior, the latter, who had been training Brooklet up to within a week of the meeting, should be robbed of the pleasure of leading away the winner of this year's Cup. During the time the mare has been under bis care she has been steadily improving, and at the Manawatu meeting the mare was in the acme of condition, and her failure to win the Palmerston North Cup, run in the fast time of 2min 3Ssec for that course, was simply owing to want, of horsemanship. The little feUow on her back was done after the marc had gone about nine furlongs, and during the three last furlongs the mare was running loose and going where she pleased. Brooklet is my lieau ideal of a racehorse, and is undoubtedly a splendid advertisement for Mr W. Douglas’ Te Mahanga stud. I remember Brooklet s first appearance under silk, at the Taratahi-Carterton Hack Meeting, on November 9th, 1894. and she failed in both her races, Swordfish being the first to catch the judge’s eye in each of the events in which she competed. I backed the Hutt-trained hack against Brooklet, but wouldn’t have the courage to do so now. However, time and careful attentention have worked wonders in the mare, and Mr Q.uinlivan, senr., is deserving of all the kudos attachable to training the winner of one of the most important handicaps in New Zealand. Indeed, the same trainer has had all the horses in his charge in wonderful nick this season, as Streamlet, Aio, and The Brook have each done good service for Mr Douglas’ stud this season. This is all the more creditable to their ex-trainer, as mares are kittle cattle to keep well. Some people say that if Saracen had not faltered at the turn into the straight he may have been returned the winner, but good judges, some of whom were not backing Brooklet, aver that she was too superior, and that it would have taken a Carbine to have beaten her. Anyway, when it comes to a struggle I hardly think Saracen is the gamest in the world, for when White got at him in the Wellington Racing Club Handicap he shirked punishment. But I have seen a lot of hoists lately that decline to race under whip or spur, but the same horses, if ridden hard with hands and heels, will contest every inch of ground at the finish. Muffled spurs may be right enough, but my observations have led me to the conclusion that spurs do more harm than goo 1. The Wellington sports as a rule are undemonstrative, but they could not help giving Saracen’s owner a. cheer after the “ all right ” had b- en given after the decision of the Racing Club Handicap. Mr Allen has had a lot of hard luck with his horse, and everyone was pleased to see him get a win. Saracen did not look so “ pretty ” as i have seen him on previous occasions, looking much lighter, and he evidently races better this way than when rounded up. A thoroughly trained horse does not usually look a picture. A quarter of a mile less distance to travel and 81bs off his back, may have made a difference io old Liberator (whom his owner calls “the stonethrower”), but my opinion about the hurdle race the second day is that old Lib. bolted in, so easily did he win. My pick of the two-year-olds at the meeting is Defiance, who is bred the right way to

stay, and I like St. Elmo better than Antares. Lorenzo, if he were mine, should be turnc I out until he is four years old, then be put in c ommission for hurdle racing.

Solitair.-’s victory in the Metropolitan Handicap was almost as unexpect d as Defiance’s defeat in the Juvenile Handicap. However, sprinting is undoubtedly Solitaire’s forte, an 1 as die is more 1-ngthy than her half-brother, Ascot Vale (cy St. Albans', who was a brilliant horse over a short distance, I expect her to turn out his equal for pace. Ring’s Bowman, whom she de'eated, is a great galloper over a sprint distance, and it takes the best in the land t > stride it <>■ t with him for the first thee or four furlongs. Of the hacks that started at the meeting I prefer King’s Own, but I fancy he is not too sound. He won comfortably enough the first ><ay. but only secured third position the second day, but had he not stumbled badly I t ink he would have wrestled out the finish with Ebor 11.

The Miser, wh> many thought had a chance in the Wellington Cup alter his Hutt Park Handicap win in November, ran very consistentlv at Wellington, and turning into the straight in the Racing Club Handle ip of one and a quatrer miles, his name was called, but when Lorelei and Saracen came at him he could not stand the pressure. This was not to be wondered at, as he had run a clinking good race in the January Handicap, one mile and a furlong (two races previous), the distance bei g traversed in Imin sG.)sec, and the son of ol I G.-rmaino was only about a length and a half off the winner (Leda.) To ask or expect him to beat Lorelei and Saracen, fresh horse, was too much. To my mind this horse would have a better chance of scoring if he were ridden a waiting race instead of being ridden from end to end. Very few horses can stand the strain of doing their best from start to finish, as practically horses ridden to instructions in such a manner act as pacemakers for something else in the raee, which “flop” up at the finish to beat their pacer.