WANGANUI.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 380, 4 November 1897, Page 15

WANGANUI.

The victory of Aquafortis-Local horses and the N.Z. Cup—Alpine a pony — A foaling—Retirement of Albert Hoskins and sale of his horses-A five-furlong ' flutter—Bloomsbury—Toa—lrish Twist . in work—Troubadour—Trask —Vanish —Wanganui horses for Riccarton. Wanganui, Oct. 29. I was pleased to see J. T. Proctor, who has just got a small string together, receive a little ■encouragement by the agency of Aquafortis in the Final Hack Race at Wanganui. It is a wellknown fact that the Wapiti mare revels in soft going; and her somewhat easy win was, I think, a good deal attributable to this fact. Proctor has also in hand Kahurangi, by Somnus out of Tangaroa’s dam, and a Sir Garnet filly out of Effect. As I predicted in a previous issue of the Review, none of the locally-owned nominations, Toa, Matarawa, and Chasseur, will see the post for the N.Z. Cup, for which my fancy is Haria or St. Paul. The Isaac Walton mare Alpine, who paid the long price of £3l 15s in the Hack Hurdles at ■Wanganui, is only a pony. Duggan, in whose stable at Marton the mare is, informs me she will go under 14.2, and will probably have a shot at the pony races at the Palmerston North Trotting Club’s fixture on the 19th November, and may be sent to Auckland for the same game later on. Julia, dam of Dante, has just thrown a brown -filly foal to The Workman. The youngster is an exceptionally big one. I am sorry to" learn that the local trainer, Albert Hoskins, has decided to relinquish the game. He gives as his reason for doing so harsh treatment at the hands of the weight adjusters. Hoskin’s horses were placed under the hammer at Messrs. F. R. Jackson and Co.’s Wednesday sale, with the following result: —B m The Onyx, 4yrs, by Wapiti —Spray, £6l, Mr A. Shearsby, of .Palmerston North. She will be an inmate of the same stable as The Archer. B g Realistic, 4yrs, Wapiti —Waltonia, £25, Mr W. R. Tuck. Realistic will remain in Hoskins’ hands until after the Otaki meeting, when it is hoped that the •colours so often carried to victory by Irish Twist will catch the Maori judge’s eyes. Br g Disraeli, aged, by Puriri —Gipsy, £lB, Mr B. Coyle. Variety (Natator—Last Chance) goes to the ,stud. visiting The Workman. Quite an assemblage of sports congregated on Wednesday afternoon to witness a five-furlong flutter. The contestants were Mr R. Earle’s bay ■colt (by Wapiti out of the dam of Mrs Lomax’s show prize winner, Selim) and Mr Allen’s brown mare Vigorous, by Strenuous out ■of a Deadshot mare. Alick McCormick was up on the first mentioned, whilst Phillips rode the Strenuous mare. Mr 0. H. Chavannes sent them away together, and McCormick made every post a winning post. Phillips’ gear going wrong, he pulled up before reaching the box. The crowd was not satisfied, and on it being ascertained that the start was from the wrong post, another flutter was agreed upon, when the above result was reversed, Phillips’ mount winning somewhat easily, despite the vigorous riding of McCormick. Old Bloomsbury is to be put to the illegitimate game. Duggan, who took him to the West Coast, is schooling him over the small sticks, in view of the Feilding meeting on November 30th and December Ist. I am quite satisfied that Fred Potto has something worth keeping in the well-bred Toa. Though very much on the big side, the powerful son of Dreadnought and Muriwai showed a real good turn of foot in Merry Maid’s Wanganui Stakes at the recent W.J.C. meeting. Rounding the bend for home he ran up to the leadeis, but died away in the straight. About- Wanganui Jubilee Cup time Toa may come under notice.

I had a look at Irish Twist the other day. Tngomar’s long striding son has only been up a month, bui has come on wonderfully fast, and has the appearance of having been taken up fully six months. John Walker has made a real good job of the firing business, and I trust to see the laishman’s owner (the popular boniface, Mr W. R. Tuck) amply rewarded for his outlay and perseverance. Mr J. T. Moore’s Troubadour was placed under the hammer on Wednesday last, but no change in the ownership of the somewhat uncertain son of Sou’-Wester —Betty resulted. Trask is remaining in town with The Artist until after the Feilding meeting. Trask had hard luck in getting blown out by a neck by Merry Maid in the Wanganui Stakes, as the son of Somnus, after his repeated failures at Hastings and Napier Park, was sent out paying fully a tenner. I hope to see Trask get it all back later on. Johnny Belcher will shortly take in hand a two-year-old filly by Vanguard out of Lotion’s dam (Linnament). The filly, which is a very promising looking one, has been named Vapour. I notice the fine upstanding half brother of Cheque, Varnish is to be given a chance of distinguishing himself on the flat at Waverley on November 9. He is undoubtedly possessed of a very fair turn of speed, and I expect to see him score before long. My attention has been drawn to the fact that Mr W. G. Nicholson’s half s.ister to Vedette, named Meta, has been incorrectly spelt. Seeing the dam is Venus Transit her daughter should doubtless have been called Meteor. Wanganui will be represented at Riccarton next month by the two sprinters, Vedette and Sedgebrook, whose mission will be the Stewards’ Handicap. Both horses are in Johnny Belcher’s stable. There are some who think Sedgebrook will have a good look in, but on recent form Boreas, who I said before is a much improved horse since going into the hands of Jos. Prosser, has to be very much reckoned with. I had a look at Vedette in his new quarters the othei’ day, and I am of opinion he will take a lot of beating with all his 8.9.

Novelty, by her two thirds at the W.J.C. meeting, is evidently coming back to form, .and I want

to see the owner of Man-o’-War get a turn of luck with Puriri’s representative ere long. John Belcher left Wanganui yesterday for Wellington, en route for Christchurch, with Vedette and Sedgebrook, accompanied by the well-known light weight, George Price, who will ride Sedgebrook in the Stewards’ Handicap. As Derrett rode Vedette at Hastings the second day probably his services, if not otherwise engaged, will be secured to steei’ Vanguard’s speedy progeny in the big sprint event. The new rule as regards jockeys tickets was strictly enforced by the Wanganui Jockey Club at their recent fixture. As I said before, it comes pretty rough on some of the boys.