Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ GAZETTE. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, December 10, 1896. SPORTING TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 333, 10 December 1896, Page 6

Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW AND LICENSED VICTUALLERS’ GAZETTE. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, December 10, 1896. SPORTING TOPICS.

The acceptances for the Auckland Cup numbered fifteen out of the original thirty-one handicapped, and was generally considered satisfactory, St. Paid was left in, and of course that was the big consideration for the public, as he, to an extent, has become their idol, as before the weights had made their appearance he had been the favourite pick both in double and straight-out betting. How he will justify the somewhat blind confidence that has been reposed in him remains to be seen. Had The Possible accepted he would have been backed, but it is said thar he has a leg that gives his trainer a little uneasiness. Acone’s owner was not satisfied with his horse’s weight, but besides that fact the horse has not yet got over the effects of his fall at Wellington. By scratching Waiuku, with his nice impost of Bst, his party almost admit that he is not up to the distance. Reports that the condition of Defiance is not satisfactory are probably correct, and account for his failing to accept. The scratching of the others did not cause any disappointment, as none of them had been backed. After the acceptances had been made known, St. Paul still continued to be the public fancy, and Mahaki’s victory at Feilding has brought him prominently into notice. There can be no doubt that the son of Ingomar is favourably handicapped, and if all goes well with him in his work he will be soundly backed before the day of the race. Some expected to see Dav Star struck out, but he is still in, and, despite the fact that so far as appearances are concerned he is not the healthy, robust animal he was before he went south, he has been backed to win several hundreds. Fabulist has been having physic, and probably will not be backed until just before the race. Mars being the representative of a dangerous stable has been asked for. Thirteen have been left in the Steeplechase. Of course we would all have liked to have seen Liberator sporting silk, but his scratching from the outset was anticipated, so that his disappearance did not create much disappointment. Those left in should make a good race of it, but the going is now getting very hard for cross-country work, and if there are more scratchings between this and the convincing day Mr Evett’s handicap must not be held to be the cause. “Sweeps” are now the rage in South Africa,, and although President Kruger is supposed to be religious, it is thought that he will not be so short-sighted as some of the Australian colonies, which by suppressing “Tattersall’s” lost immense revenue. Tn October last sweeps that had been got up in Johannesburg on coming events were said to be going strong. At that time 6000 £1 tickets on the Summer Cup had been sold, and' 3500 £1 tickets on the Nursery Plate sweep. After Persimmon had won the English St. Leger.the Prince was much jostled as he led his: horse to the weighing-room door, and it took ten policemen to keep the crowd off him. Seeing the close attention of the boys in blue, a well-known bookmaker shouted, from his coign of vantage on the rails :—“ All right, Teddy, never mind, we’lli bail you out.”

W. Miller, who had charge of the New Zealander, Sabretache, until recently, has vacated his stables at Randwick. The New Zealand gelding Tire was handicapped to carry 7st 41b in the Sydney Tattersail’s Summer Cup, but he has been scratched. Patriot, who disappointed his friends in the Maribyrnong Plate, won at Randwick last week, and now the turf critics are wondering why he did not win in Melbourne. Coreeze, who is by Newminstcr, and has won the champion prize for the past two years at the Royal Agricultural Society’s Show in New South Wales, has been mated with Oceana, Newhaven’s dam. Newhaven has a brother named Fronde standing in Queensland, and his services are now in request. The Newhaven craze has reached the publishers Gordon and Crotch, who have issued a radiated pedigree of the equine wonder. It was a work of art and expense, but “ Delaware,” in cruelly plain language, tells the publishers to take it down and correct it, so that innocents may not lose money by the mistakes made. Some .jsay that the business of the Turf is becoming demoralised, and in time will be almost as bad as that of the grocer who sands his sugar every night after holding family prayers, or of the milkman who manages to serve 300 customers from the outcome of two small cows and a very large pump.—Sydney Ab-row. Melton House, Exning, has accomodation for only about 15 horses. Matthew Dawson has had it ten years, and during that time it has turned out two winners of the Derby, one of the Oaks, one of the St. Legei, one of the Two Thousand, two of the One Thousand Guineas, two Middlj Park Plates, one Dewhurst Plate, two Newmarke | Stakes, one Jubilee Stakes, and one Grand Ei'Mi of Paris. There are some establishments tha| have not done as much in double the time. J-S is for sale. — Man of the World. K

Osculator has been thrown out of work, and will do a short season’s stud duty at Windsor, New South Wales. The yearlings at Newminster Park (Victoria), where Zalinska and v engeance rule, are highly spoken of this year. At the Bendigo Jockey Club’s Spring Meeting the New Zealand pony, dß&klen Fleece, was evidently in great form, as she won a couple of good races among horses* The first race was the Miners’ Purse, in which she covered the six furlongs, with Bst 51b up, in Imin 17sec. Next day she won the Epsom Handicap over the same distance with Bst 51b in the saddle. While we complain here of the low scale adopted by Mr Evett for his Auckland Cup handicap, the Queensland Sporting and Dramatic News finds fault with their handicapper for adopting an extremely high scale for the Queensland Cup. The Queensland handicapper has fixed his lowest weight at 7st 111 b, but he has not exceeded weight for age for the highest impost, so that on that score serious fault cannot be found with him. During the last Spring Carnival, two horses, Le Var and Paul Pry, were sold out of the one stable to go to Western Australia. They were both entered for the Perth Cup, and the genius who handicaps in the far West thought that the sprinter Paul Pry, who has never done anything much in bis life, is within 21bs of Le Var over a two-mile course. Mr Evett would be quartered if he made such a mistake here. A veterinary surgeon having declared Straightfire to be spavined, and thus nullified his sale for £250 to the West Australian sportsman, Mr T. O’Beirne, the horse has been subjected to further examination by two other veterinary experts, both of whom (states the Leader) have pronounced the horse thoroughly sound in wind and limb, and given certificates accordingly. It is Mr I. T. Carslake’s intention to take action by way of removing the reflection which he considers has been cast on Straightfire by the declaration of unsoundness.

That unlucky mare, Response, i« getting into good form again. Mr Dan. O’Brien” - must have lost a ton of money on her in New South Wales. Other Sydney horses spoken well of are Cartridge, Right Honorable, and Vivian. They have all been disappointments this spring. When Persimmon won the Derby for the Prince of Wales lhe race was photographed at high speed—over 2000 impressions on one long negative, and the operator hurried off to London at once. That night, by the cinematograph, the race, with the struggling horses and the rush and movement of the crowd, including the rush of the tens of thousands across the course at the finish, was shown life size to the audience at the Alhambra. The annual meeting of the Poverty Bay Turf Club will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, January 13 and 14. The programme provides for eight events on each day. The leading items on the first day are the Turanga Stakes of 150 sovs, one and a half miles, the Flying Handicap of 60 sovs, six furlongs, and the First Handicap Hurdle Race of 60 sovs, one mile and threequarters. On the second day there will be the Sunderland Stakes Handicap of 115 sovs, one mile and a quarter, the Stewards Handicap of 60 sovs, seven furlongs, and the Publicans Purse of 60 sovs, five furlongs. Nominations will be received up to 9.30 p.m. on Debember 11th. The date of acceptances is fixed for Friday, January 8. Full particulars will be found by a reference to the advertising columns. I (“ Delaware ” in Sydney Truth) mentioned last week about Sir Dan Cooper selling Newhaven’s dam, Oceana, and Ayrshire’s dam, Atalanta, for a mere song. I forgot to mention that the ill-fated and well-performed Troon, who was killed the other day, was a son of Atalanta’s, and I might have mentioned that Perdita 11., the dam of Persimmon and Florizel 11., was once sold for Seven Sovereigns. Another cheap mare was Laura, who once belonged to Sir John Astley, and as she was addicted to breaking blood vessels, Sir John ordered his trainer to

______ - dicing uimnir--fiea special effort to drag forth from 7 peuinu me scenes the arch plotters who brought .. about the Wyndham scandal. But it is not alone to the Wyndham scandal that their attention might with benefit to the sport be directed. Grave statements have been made concerning one classic event disposed of during the recent V.R.C. Carnival, which should cause the stewards of the Club to make a most exhaustive investigation. Fear of the law of libel has probably prevented names being mentioned in the public Press, and we, therefore, cannot be more bold than our Australian contemporaries ; but from what has been stated, it appears that in the classic race alluded to there was a pronounced public favourite, and in the face of the money that was piled on, one prominent bookmaker continued to lay his odds, appearing to be elastic. The horse ran and won, but afterwards it was stated in the Press that the bookmaker had been a victim. The facts, as alleged, were that the owner of the horse or mare had agreed, for a substantial consideration, to allow the bookmaker to drug the favourite on the night before the -race. The bookmaker’s agent or tool, with the necessary drug, proceeded to do his master’s bidding, but—whether designedly or not is not known —the trainer had changed the favourite’s box, and the wrong horse in the darkness was dosed. This reads like a chapter from the “Flying Scud,” or one of Hawley Smart’s works, but nevertheless this is the story that is at present in circulation in Australia, and surely, in the interests of the turf, if there is any truth in it, the V.R.C. will leave no stone unturned to discover the prominent bookmaker and the owner of the favourite. The V.R.C. Committee (states the Leader) have largely increased the values of the Newmarket Handicap and Australian Cup, to each of which the club last year gave 500 sovs. At the meeting of the committee the other day it was resolved to add 750 sovs to the former and 1,000 sovs to the latter. The reason a difference is made in the value of the two stakes is that a stronger field is always seen in the Newmarket Handicap, and as the committee has determined to give the sweepstakes to the owners, it is anticipated—calculating last year’s figures —that the Newmarket Handicap will be worth about 1,700 sovs. For the Australian Cup there are never so many entries, the distance not being as popular as the six furlongs gallop, and for that reason the committee has decided to give 250 sovs more; but even with the payments given to the owners it is not expected that the race will be worth more than 1,400 sovs, a substantial addition nevertheless to the stake of last season. The Summer Meeting of the Takapuna Club will be held on Friday, January 29th, Saturday, January 30th, and Saturday, February 6th. The programme, if we except the unseasonable steeplechases, has been attractively arranged, and during the three days the amount of prize money which the club proposes to distribute is £1465. Of that sum £555 will be apportioned on the first day, £4BO on the second day, and £4BO the third day. The best plums are the Takapuna Cup of 200 sovs, one mile and a half ; the Takapuna J.C. Handicap of 100 sovs, one mile and a quarter; the First Handicap Steeplechase of 100 sovs, three miles and a half; and the Summer Handicap of 100 sovs, one mile. The full programme is published in our advertising columns, and from it all particulars as to nominations and date of weights may be obtained. Owners should bear in mind that several of the leading events will have to be nominated for on Friday, December 18th. The annual meeting of the Lake Takapuna Hack Racing Club will be held on Saturday next in McKay’s Paddock, Takapuna. The first race is timed to start at a quarter to two o’clock, and ’busies will convey pleasure seekers from North Shore to the convincing ground. Nestdr will have the services of Perry in the Auckland Cup, and the colt’s prospects are in consequence enhanced, as Perry is not a.bad lad. It is also said that T. Taylor will ride Mahaki, and, if so, who will pilot Fabulist?

—jTsvrtmonmr iS“OyX7!rSTOT K and is a finn-looking horse, but hitherto he has not quife acted up to expectations ; when sold at the Wellington Park sales Mr Hordern paid 1,575g5. for the handsome son of Castor, but although he has not received a quick return for his money, the fact that Astronomer is half-brother to such celebrities as Trenton, Niagara, Cuirassier, Zalinski, and Havoc makes him worth a higher price. He is now four years old and is trained at Randwick by Ike Earnshaw ; in his race on Saturday week he only won by a neck, but he finished gamely. On the same day another New Zealander (Cravat), also owned by Mr Hordern, finished second to Sam in the Club Handicap, one mile and a quarter. Cravat is a four-year-old by Castor out of Necklace. “ Javelin,” in the Melbourne Leader, complains that, in face of what he wrote concerning the barbarity of steeplechasing in the summer season, the Victoria Racing Club has decided to include a Steeplechase of two miles and a half in their New Year’s Day programme. The V.R.C. Committee are not alone in their want of consideration for the feet of steeplechasers, and some of Auckland’s horses will probably give evidence of the hard nature of the going here before our next Steeplechase is over. Referring to the action of the V.R.C., “ Javelin ” remarks :—“ In no possible way can the thing be justified. Moreover, I know that the V.R.C. Committee are not unanimously in favour of racing over stone walls and timber in midsummer on a course as hard as a brickbat. Unfortunately, however, the sportsmen are out-numbered, and the majority evidently consider the gate of paramount importance when placed against such trifling considerations as.the lives of gallant horses and brave men. ‘ ’Tis true, ’tis pity, and pity ’tis ’tie true.’ ”