THE A.R.C. NORTH NEW ZEALAND GRAND NATIONAL MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 356, 20 May 1897, Page 6

THE A.R.C. NORTH NEW ZEALAND GRAND NATIONAL MEETING.

[By

Atlas.]

The secretary of the Auckland Racing Club may be congratulated on the excellence of the entries and the quality of the fields for the Grand National Hurdle Race and the Great Northern Steeplechase, to be disposed of at the North New Zealand Grand National Meeting. Mr Evett was up to time with his weights, and although Ellerslie resounded with growls on their appearance I do not think that is a bad sign. There are people who never can be satisfied and others who pretend they are not, although in their innermost soul they know they have been fairly treated. Mr Evett is to be congratulated in keeping the weights up, and although high weights do not flatter the hopes of unthinking owners, still a substantially framed handicap is fairer to them all round. He commences the Grand National Hurdle Race with St. Simon at 12st 121 b, or Sib more than he carried to victory in the last, hurdle race at Ellerslie, when he beat Miss Nelson (10.9) and Tim (9.0). The handicap for the Grand National is on a higher scale —as all Grand Nationals should be—than the Ellerslie event. Making allowance for that, St. Simon has got his full share, but he is such a good horse that Mr Evett is bound to respect him. Donald McKinnon is fairly placed at. 12.7. but all that is known of him of late is that he has been hunting with the hounds and jumping well. Mr Evett estimates St. Simon a 51b better horse over the hurdles than Donald McKinnon and 61b worse over the big fences. If he had put the pair on the same mark in the hurdles, he would not hare made much of a mistake. With the same weight up last year Donald McKinnon ran second to Hop Garden, so that he cannot complain of his treatment. Ilex and Levanter are fairly treated, and a little bird whispers that Dummy (11.2) is held safe by Muscatelle. (9 0). The North Shore meeting will give us a better idea of the form of many of the candidates. At present I like best —Muscatelle, Troubadour, Tim, Miss NelsOn, Aughadowey, and The Friar. Since writing the above Donald McKinnon was scratched. The Great Northern Steeplechase weights finds Mutiny in the pride of place, and although very little is known of him just now his victory at Riccarton with one pound more on his back fully entitles him to the impost of 12.8; nor has his stable mate, Donald McKinnon, any cause to growl with 21b less. A stable with two such topsawyers under the same roof must be regarded as formidable when the money goes on the elect. Levanter has not been leniently treated when asked to carry 12.1. He certainly won the Auckland Steeplechase at the Summer meeting with 11.9 up, but he only then managed to squeeze home in front of his stable mate, Kmgswood, who carried 10.2, and his performances since that time, both in the Auckland district and at Egmont, are not such as to create the thought that he has improved. At Egmont, although one of the few that stood up, he was easily beaten bv Dromedary (10.5), and on that occasion he carried one pound less than he is asked to carry at Ellerslie. St. Simon is asked to carry 12.0. In the race that was won by Levanter at Ellerslie at the Summer Meeting, with Kingswood second, St. Simon was third, and was in receipt of twenty-three pounds from the winner, while he now gets only one pound. One horse has gone up six pounds in the handicapper’s estimation,, and the other twenty-eight pounds, and I do not think that any public performance in the interim has justified the elevation. Kingswood has been going so well of late that I cannot, help thinking he has been fairly treated when allotted 11.6. He ran a great horse at the Summer Meeting at Ellerslie, but he performed much better at the Autumn Meeting, when he won the double, after one dead heat with Miss Nelson. Since then he has gone up twelve pounds, so that Miss Nelson, with 10.12, will meet him on ten pounds better terms than when she run the dead heat with him. As a set-off, however, the increased length of the race will probably favour Mr Hayr’s gelding. I notice that Mr Evett has taken a little weight off Bombardier, and that is only right. He belongs to good sportsmen, who have tried long and unsuccessfully with him ; but if the old fellow will only keep bis eyes open this time and avoid jumping into instead of over the timber he should have a good chance of earning the price of the oats he has not been paying for in the past. Annabelle (10.9) has been a strong private tip, but I hear that she has hurt herself, and may not be ripe on the day. The Friar, on his Egmont running, must be respected, and Dromedary, too, for the same reason, must be given a show ; while Mozel, if he can get the distance, is fairly treated. If there is not a dark ’un among them I do not think that there is anything lower down the list that is likely to trouble the judge. I like the following half-dozen best: —Kingswood, Miss Nelson, The Friar, Bombardier, Mozel, and Prince Charlie. Since the above was written Mutiny, Donald McKinnon, and Tiritea have been scratched.