Sporting Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 369, 19 August 1897, Page 7

Sporting Topics.

Amberite, who is in the Caulfield. Cup, has been.backed, it is said, by the stable for a couple of thousand pounds. Delaware lately seems to have been under a ' cloud. His tasks on the training track at Sydney have been very light. That well-known Australian racehorse Marvel (by Marvellous —La Belle) whose owner, G. Hill, recently died, is in the sale list. Clan Stuart, the sire of Bonnie Blue, is also for sale. Despite the complaints concerning dull times in Victoria, the betting institutions seem to thrive. At the annual meeting of the Victorian Club a credit balance of £7,000 was revealed. A paragraph has been going the round of the southern press to the effect that Derritt has been ' engaged to ride St. Paul in the New Zealand Cup. On making enquiries we understand that the statement is altogether premature. When Buzzi came to grief in the Caulfield Grand National Hurdles, he made a complete • wreck of himself. His neck was broken in two places, and his jaw fractured, so that there is little doubt that he landed fair on-his head. After winning the Maiden Plate for two-year-olds at Newmarket the winner, Torre-e-Espada, bred by the Prince of Wales, was submitted to auction and realised 530 guineas. The Prince personally participated in the bidding, and bought the colt for his equerry, General Stanley Clarke. Prince Imperial (Kelpie—Queen’s Head), whose mile and a half record of 2min has never been beaten in Australia, was submitted to auction at Wauchope recently, and was passed in at a tenner. Prince Imperial fell in Grace Darling’s Caulfield Cup, and was so seriously injured that he never raced again. At the stud he has been anything but a success.

As was expected when it became known that Galtee More would enter the lists for the Sandringham Gold Cup, the opposition was paralysed, and only Mr C. D. Rose had the temerity to accept the challenge, and some people took the odds of 9 to 1 in the hope that, at a difference of 171 b, and if they should have the luck to get a slowly-run race, Cortegar might possibly lower the champion’s colours. How fallacious was this opinion the result demonstrated. They had their desire with regard to the pace, as in fact it was to all intents and purposes a five furlongs race, and yet the great horse never showed to better advantage, for he simply cantered home, while Mr Rose’s useful filly was doing her best, thus attesting in a remarkable manner the all-round excellence of the Derby winner. The following paragraph from the annual report of the committee of the Australian Jockey Club, may be commended to the consideration of New Zealand breeders . —“ Though not falling strictly within their province, the committee desire to avail of this opportunity to expre-s their regret that the Imperial authorities should have endeavoured to obtain cavalry horses from Argentina without first testing the capabilities of the Australian market. They would earnestly suggest-to breeders in New South Wales that the . reported failure of that attempt should encourage them to a methodical effort for the production of a class of horse from thoroughbred sires, which has hitherto been too much neglected.” The English scribe ‘‘Sir Hercules” says —‘‘Bad horses owned by rich men, ridden by rich jockeys are the great ring drain on the public racing purse — much more so than they are to the stable’s purse. Of this combination we have a remarkably heavy crop, as much the abnormally numerous and rich jockeys as bad horses. Racing law prevents jockey-wagering, and the acceptance of offerings, save by owner’s consent and knowledge, ■’is also barred by law, and thus we are driven to the conclusion that our trusty rich pigskin lot are or must have been lucky, doubtless in Kaffirs, for. the wealth that is theirs can never have been piled up in fees as fixed.” The scratching of Britomarte for a South Australian steeplechase is giving the turf authorities in that colony something to occupy their attention. The committee of the South Australian Jockey Club have called upon Maurice Griffin, trainer, to show cause why he should not. be dealt with for corrupt acceptance for the mare Britomarte in the Gawler Steeplechase, run on June 6th, without the authority of the nominator, and with intent to deceive the public, It was decided also that E. Buckingham, the.secretary of the Gawler Racing Club, should be called to show cause why he should not be dealt with for having corruptly received the scratching from a person who did not any authority to deal with the mare. Britomarte, it is almost unnecessary to state, is the winner of Caulfield Grand National Steeplechase on Saturday last.

In Melbourne an attempt to taxi sport and - places of amusement to establish a fund for old age pensions is at present causing some interest. The cable brings the intelligence that Mr Williamson, the well-known theatrical manager, . has been examined before the Old Age Pensions Commission. He strongly opposed the proposed penny tax on theatre and other amusement tickets, and said it wonld fall upon the ..management, who could not afford it. Already the profession' was precarious, and many failures would mean ruin. Retting and drinking being the principal cause of poverty, they should, he thought, be made to pay for it. Mr Moore, secretary of the Victorian Racing Club, opposed the form of taxation proposed, but was favourable to the totalisator. He stated that the club had distributed three-quarters of a million in prize money. Mr Wardell, secretary of the . Melbourne Cricket Club, said it would be unEnglish to tax outdoor sport.

In the 1895-6 season Lochie.l (states the Sydney Referee)' was thirteenth on the list of winning sires with £2588 to his credit, but during the season just closed he has made rapid strides to the front, coming out third with a total of £7122, the two above him being Newminster and Trenton, with £9lBl and £7326 respectively. As far as the highest number of races is concerned Sunrise comes out on top, his progeny having secured 65 as against 48 the previous season. A note in the London Sportsman says, in respect to Gray’s starting machine, that the anticipated trial of the much talked-of starting gate, which, as is tolerably well known, has been for a long time in use on Australian racecourses, came off in the neighborhood of the Ditch Mile starting post at Newmarket. A great deal of curiosity was aroused, and a large and fashionable company watched the experiments with much interest. Several of the prominent stables at ‘ headquarters” sent teams of horses for the purpose of trying the effect of the novelty upon the thoroughbreds, and at the conclusion of the tests opinions as to the utility of the machine appeared to be divided. A general feeling seemed to prevail, however, that the apparatus should be afforded a practical trial on an English racecourse. Before the decision of the Court of Appeal was given in the Kempton Park cases, a London scribe wrote:—“ While bookmakers are being prosecuted wholesale by the police authorities, I would suggest that they turn their attention awhile to other ‘places.’ For - instance, say Lloyd’s, with whom, we are told with respect to the ill-fated Aden that when rumour was to the fore that she was missing the underwriters were allowed to re-insure at 80 guineas per cent. That is to say, without precise knowledge of the conditions or whereabouts of the ship,- they were hedging at Bto 10. How’s this for blind speculation ? If Justice Hawkins’delineation of the Betting Act be the right one, surely this comes under it, for nothing near akin to such a deal as this would pass on a n.cecourse under the eyes of the Jockey Club. So that I would refer the attentions of the ‘vigilant’ Flawkites to Lloyd’s as to whether their premises are ‘ places’ within the meaning of the Act.”

Concerning Persimmon’s victory in the Ascot Cup the sporting writer of the London Licensed Victuallers' Gazette remarks : —lt would take more space than is allotted to me altogether were I to attempt to describe the scene at Ascot on the Cup day; it Was something to remember, exceed-, ing in all respects whatever has gone before in the shape of turf spectacles, and the turfite who may be the longest liver among us will probably never see anything approaching it in the future. The gorgeousness of the dresses and the beauty of the wearers was a dream beyond all power of description. Of course the central figure of this grand scene was the Prince of Wales, and, after him, the noble horse that was to carry his colours in this historic race for the Gold Cup. How bravely the peerless four-year-old Persimmon bore those colours can be understood when I say that he won in a common canter by eight lengths, making hacks of such animals as Winkfield’s Pride, Love Wisely, and the Oaks winner, Limasol, who, in the order named, ran behind him. The scene when the race was over beggars all description ; the excitement and enthusiasm was at boiling point, and peer and peasant, rich and poor, bookmakers and backers vied -with each other in demonstrating their loyalty and devotion to our ever-genial and popular Prince. The sporting writer for the London Licensed Victuallers' Gazette and Hotel Courier writes enthusiastically concerning that good English horse,- Victor Wild, who has retired from the turf. He remarks:—“ Tlte race of the day at Ascot—l might almost say the race of the week —because it is the one which will become historical as that wherein one of the mo t remarkable horses of our time finished a brilliant career, brilliantly, in fact, in a style altogether worthy of himself ; and this last feat of Victor Wild’s will dwell in the memory of all who saw it, and be a theme of conversation so long as they shall live, and long after the youngest of them has passed away it will illumine ‘the pages of Turf history. There have been greater horses than Victor Wild. There are now probably several who would beat him at weiaht-for-age; but there is not one living, or one past, that has ever won the great heart of the public in a like manner.

His thorough honesty, his stoutness of heart, hie jaunty manner, good temper, and almost human sagacity, have been as remarkable as his wonderful speed or his ability to carry big weights, and it was those qualities that made him such a pet among all classes of sportsmen. If you come 1U - - think of it, this final effort he was asked to make was something tremendous. He was called on to give 391 b to a horse who won the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last year, carrying 8 5 in a field of . twenty-four, composed of many of our very speediest horses. He was asked to give 421 b to Sandia, who has shown such recent good form,and nearly as much to Yorker, who last year figured so prominently in the two Cambridge- ■ shires. Hence many of our best judges who would not bet against him because they wished to see-’ him win, could scarcely make up theirminds to back him, because they thought it was setting him an impossible task. But the grand old horse, seeming to comprehend what was ex- • pected of him, right gallantly fulfilled their expectations, getting home three-parts of a length in front of Chasseur, and more than three lengths in front of Sandia, who was third Sardis was i fourth, False Step fifth, Yorker next, and Suppliant last.” Owners should bear in mind that entries are due on Saturday next for the Marton Jockey Club’s Hack Meeting, to be held on September 8 and 9. . ’ It is understood that about eighty applications' were sent into the Takapunu Club for the position of caretaker. That number was reduced to eight, and the final choice will probably be made known at the end of the week. At a sale of blood stock on Monday (writesour Christchurch correspondent), Barmby was sold to Mr Marshalle for 28 guineas, Miniature to R. Kingan for 80 guineas, Ulysses to Mr Alexander for £2O, and Bisley to Mr F. Holmes for £2O. Missfire was passed in at 170 guineas,' but was subsequently sold privately to G. Hope. ‘. Kingewood was passed in at 120 guineas. It is stated that Hope paid about 200 guineas for Missfire. ' ■ • . ’ We notice by advertisement that that good—- '~i sport and excellent judge of horseflesh, Mr W. Fawcett, has gone into the livery and bait stables line, and he should do well. It is pretty certain 1 ? that such an excellent judge of the noble animal < will only keep the best of cattle well broken in, and that is just what the public want, especially when on pleasure bent. Patrons of the stable,, which is at the corner of Queen Street and Karangahape Road, may enjoy the privilege of selecting from all descriptions of vehicles. It was expected that the programme of theAuckland Racing Club would have been issued this week, but trainers and ownershave been disappointed for the time being, though the committee cannot be held responsible. It inay be that there is some little difficulty in the way of getting the necessary permits for five meetings, but there should not be, as the success of the club’s five meetings last year should be ample proof that the club are not asking too much. If* - interest in any of their gatherings had flagged, then it would be a different thing, but the interest evinced in each meeting of the A.R C. shows that the gatherings of the metropolitan club are publicly approved of. The Colonial Secretary is not unkindly disposed towards the club, and it is to be hoped that early during the ensuing week- we shall be in possession of the programme, which, we feel sure will be found to be a liberal one, and. fully in accord with the progress made by the club last year. The Caulfield Grand National Steeplechase of 1300 sovs fell to the black horse Britomarte, who carried 9.5, with Zouroff (11.7) second and Montrose (10.7) third. .There were ten starters, and

-/ Vmil was favorite at sto 1 ; 10 to 1 was on offer against Zouroff, and 14 to 1 against the winner The favorite fell at the last turn for home, Scout followed suit, and then Tixnom, Hayseed, and Dondi came down. Britomarte won easily in Smin 25|sec. Glennon, who rode Scout, and Allen, on Hayseed, had their collarbones broken, and Hendricks, who was up on Vigil, was still more seriously injured. Perform returned to Auckland on Wednesday. His trip South was a very unprofitable oneIt is stated that Castashore, who, it will be remembered, was disqualified at North Shore, has changed hands. - The foalings at Wellington Park have commenced early this year, and, so far, everything has gone on well. This week Necklace has thrown a fine colt foal to St. Leger, and Lady Evelyn has thrown a filly to the same sire. A ‘ Should everything go smoothly with i the A.R.0., and if it should be able to hold fave meetings, the added money this year will be increased by about £2,700. It is probable that the added money in the Auckland Cup may be 1000 sovs. The Easter Handicap will be one mile and the added money 500 sovs. In his remarks concerning the Wellington lark Stud, last week, “ Atlas” inadvertently referred to Miss Emmy as one of the productions of the Park. Mr Morrin naturally takes a pride in this fine filly, but-he points out that the real credit ol Miss Emmy’s production belongs to Sylvia Park. ••• If this young lady keeps up the promise she gave at the latter end of last season she ought to make matters hum this year. . ■ ‘ The stakes paid over in connection with the C.J.C. National meeting amounted to £2,225. The largest winners were C. Archibald £5OO, G. Williams £4BO, E. Mills £l3O, H. Lunn £lO5, F. - X Webb £lO5, J. A. McGuinness, £lO5, W. ’-' Douglas £lOO, W. Sutton.£9o, R. Campbell £B5, J. C. N. Grigg £BO, B. Curtis £75, J. B. Adeane £7O, Mrs Lowry £6O, and G. Richardson £5O. Out of the total amount of prize money the North Island owners won £1,690, leaving £535 to be divided among southern owners. A racing man in a neighbouring colony (writes “Javelin”) had drifted into financial trouble, which, however, was not generally known, and with more than an ordinary share of sagacity and a naturally buoyant flow of spirits, he was not. the man to “ give himself away.” It was only to a very intimate chum, who had enjoyed his hospitality at a slap up dinner party that he unbosomed himself. Said the chumßy Jove, old chap, that was a stunning feed you gave us ; those English soles were not too bad, and. what price the 1 imported pheasants ? You’re a lucky fellow BB7 "" J £obe able to run men servants to wait at table these times ! ” Unable to keep a good joke to himself the other replied—“ Well, I’m satisfied, • for if you didn’t tumble I’m sure none of the k others would. The two flunkeys were bailiffs in possession. I slung ’em a sov. each, and a big bottle between ’em in the kitchen, to let me rig ’em up for the occasion ! ” It was not long ago (states the Melbourne Leader) — never mind where —that a youngster, who may some day be a shining light in the pigI' skin, had his first mount. His instructions were not to be in a burry to get away, but to let his ■ horse have a strong working gallop, a suburban ■■ ■coup in a fortnight’s time being in view. Before reaching the home turn the novice found himself getting nearer and nearer to the front, and, not unnaturally, losing his head in the novelty of the , situation, the boy came along on the “ dead un G : and won by a couple of lengths from a red-hot z favorite, over whose defeat the owner of the win■G ner dropped a pony. There was no suspicion of M:" the lad having been “disloyal,” and even the irate owner knew that he spoke truthfully when he explained that he “ couldn’t ’elp it ; the horse • done it ’is self.” Still you ht-ar people complain that trainers don’t teach lads their “business” before putting them up. x Trainers out at Ellerslie have been doing fairly • h. good work, and all the N.Z. Cup candidates con- • i’. tinue to look well. Antares, indeed, never looked and goes with a freedom that shows his heart is in his work ; Macmanemin evidently in- _ tends to give Castor’s son a sound preparation. Daystar and Haria look really well, and hardy . St. Paul is once more as gay and playful as a, kitten. Fabulist is working out at his owner’s place, and all accounts of him are satisfactory. < Lady Anna and Miss Anna are doing their work at North Shore. The youngsters at Ellerslie are ■all doing nicely. It may be that there is not a Carbine or a Trenton among them, but, if there pot it is certain that some smart youngsters will be unearthed. A filly in Macmanemin’s stable is full of promise, and should commence •early. ■