After the Races.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 431, 27 October 1898, Page 12

After the Races.

NAPIER PARK R.C. SPRING MEETING. [By Our Own Correspondent.] On the opening day of the above meeting it looked as if the proverbial Park weather would be in the ascendant, as the morning opened up dull and cloudy, and, just previous to the commencement of the first race, a heavy bitter shower descended. Luckily, however, the rain had not come to stay, as, after the first event had been decided, the climate took a turn foi the better and Old Sol took a hand in the game by dispensing his welcome rays. The course was in perfect order and condition, reflecting the greatest credit on Caretaker McCutcheon. A well-known trainer remarked that the course was as springy and yielding as the lawn, and the fast times cut out during the two days gathering thoroughly proved the correctness of his observations. Mr Piper’s starting was as usual, the acme of perfection. Owing to the absence of Mr J. Bennett, who was to have officiated as judge, Mr Hartgill took his place. This gentleman hails from Danevirke, whose residents are to be complimented upon possessing such a genuine enthusiastic sport as Mr Bennett’s locum tenems proved to be. True, he had no knotty questions to solve, but had they cropped up, knowing his qualifications, I have no hesitation in saying that they would have been admirably adjudicated upon. Mr Danvers allotments gave rise to some exciting contests. The takings from the automatic dispenser of odds showed a slight decrease that of a previous meeting last year, but still 1 am glad to say that the club will come out on the right side of the ledger by about £350.

Battle started with the Trial Hurdle Bace, ihe full strength of the card saddling up for the fray. Blackberry headed his opponents in the b ttieg transactions, being closely followed i p by Ruby, and as they finished —Ruby first and Blackberry second —it showed the public were able to pick it in two. The sloppy and slippery state of the track, occasioned by the shower that I have previously referred to, did not seem to suit the black gelding for he did not gallop with his usual dash. Ruby, who is a daughter of that one-time good performer over the obstacle, Denbigh, is a perfect jumper and as clever as they make them. Te Ngaehe, as usual, shot his bolt after a mile had been gone and finished outside of a place. Barbarossa (half brother to Morag) filled the barren position of third berth. Flying Shot, the other starter, sprawled about at his fences, and he will require a lot of education ere he proves facile princeps in this department. Te Hapuku, who claimed an engagement in the big race of the afternoon, was the only withdrawal from the eight colored on the card for the Criterion Stakes. Pistol Grip found most favor with punters, he having £3O more invested on his chance than Tirant d’Eau, the winner (Donovan) being third choice. Nightingale, who was reported to have done a good mile trial, was the outsider of the party. Donovan, who had the assistance of Percy White in the pigskin, was never nnder pressure for any part of the trip, his rider waiting for his field till half a furlong from the winning post, when he slacked reins and there was no more about it. Daphne beat the “cerise” bearer, Pansy, for second honors. The first and second favorites had never anything to do with the result. Donovan paid £4 ss, his connections having a respectable win over his victory. r lhe Guineas winner, Oingo, was withdrawn from the County Handicap, and so was Rip Van Winkle’s brother, Rehua, the defection of the former made the evert wear a more open appearance than it had done when the acceptances had been issued. Esperanza, the Wapiti—Last Chance mare ,in Quinlivan junior’s stables at Hastings, had but a slight call over Alionora in the investments on the machine. When it came to business in earnest Buchanan drove .Alionora along and she soon had The Frenchman in difficulties, ultimately beating him by a length for the prize. The half-dozen final acceptors for the Park Stakes lined up for dismissal, Bush Rose heading the Dreadnought colt Te Hapuku by £4 in public estimation, and Cocur de Lion (£4O) being third choice. The lot were sent about their business to an admirable start, and Castashore assumed control. When they had settled down nothing ever got near him to make a race of it, the Auckland-

bred chestnut winning with his mouth open by six or seven lengths, Cceur de Lion just pipping Te Hapuku on the line for the 20 sovs attached to second place. Scotia and Nansen were the last to finish, and, if this is their true form, their nonacceptance for the New Zealand Cup was a judicious act on the part of their owners. Castashore paid £7, his connections btnefitting well by his victory. Another inmate of the same stable (Alionora) having scored in the previous race gave them a bit of foreign bullion to play up on Castor’s good-looking brilliant son. Seven was the main for the Spring Welter, Whitirea being selected as the proper elucidation cf the problem, and he did not give his backers away, for when Jones, who, by the way, rode a really good race on him—in fact the best I have seen him ride, and I have been watching him for a year or two —shook the black son of Armourer he gave all the rest of them the “ go-by, capturing easily and well. Waterstone was second ; in parenthisis, this fellow will win a race before long as he is evidently improving with every gallop. The consistent Daphne was third; she will also be due for a win ere many weeks elapse. Blarney, who is not near ready yet, but looking in good ruddy health, was also one of the contestants. I was rather amused at the fatherly way in which T. Jones talked to bis brother before he lifted him into the saddle—" You have got a chance now, and mind you,do not do it in” —and by the same token he did not. Rangipunehu filled the position of favorite. in the Hurdle Race, Missfire and Antares ranking as co. equal second favorites. The issue was never in doubt. Antares, with one exception, fenced in a faultsess daring manner, and when once fairly landed in the straight his superior turn of foot showed out in greit style. Morrigan rode an exceptionally nice race on Castor’s son, and had the Queensland owner been present he must have felt highly gratified at the cheers that greeted the bearer of his uniform as he passed the post, a form of approbation that was renewed when his weight was declared correct. A welcome addition to the list of New Zealand owners is the Hon. Hugh Mosman, and I trust that we will very often have the pleasure of seeing his representatives at our local meetings in the future. During a conversation that I had with Franks (the trainer of the “ orange and blue” carriers) he informed me that racing for the enjoyment it produced was the sole aim and object of his new employer, and this is the class of owners whowlil always be hailed with delight by those who have the interests of the sport at heart, for they are the class of men who help to purify and popularize the pastime. Castashore’s number was the only one missing when the starters’ numbers went up in the square for the Railway Handicap, Daunt being about half a hundred points better supported than the black Wanganui mare Aquatic, a large parcel of ducats from outside places being rung on her in the mat hine just previous to the start. Doubtless the 1.14 4 sths that the favorite carved out the distance in had all to do with her defeat It was a great performance on the part of Dreadnought’s son, tor it must be remembered that he carried 9.4 and it appeared as if he could have improved upon the time that the official clockist credited him with. Several capable timeist* made the going quite a second longer, but what is the good of appointing an official unless you abide by his decision. Djnovan, who had 'o put up a 71b penalty for his previous success, was not a bad second, and had he not incurred this extra weight the chances are that he would have proved very troblesome to the victor. Victoria Cross was just behind The Dauphin’s son. Amphion was hurried off his fe. t by the strong pace set from the fall of the flag and was never prominent, but with a few more gallops into him he will, I prognosticate, beat some of those who proved his betters in the Railway Handicap, and that at no g eat distant date.

First Blood, Stockville, and the £llodividendproducer at Hastings last week (Jadoo) were the only ones to face the flag in the concluding item of the day’s sport, the *huriri Handicap. The big black stallion, Stockville, was palpably sore as he did Lis preliminary, but this fact did not prevent punters from going for him in great style, and he showed them that their trust was well merited, for he silenced his brace of opponents in a very determined and striking manner when steam was turned on from the distance.

On the second day only a trio (Ruby, Barbarossa, and Te Ngaehe) lined up for despatch in the Trial Hurdle Race, and Ruby never had the slightest difficulty in proving victorious. Half-a-dozen went out for the Wharerangi Handicap, seven furlongs, Victoria Cross being selected favorite, with Pansy next in punters’ choice. Whitirea, the ultimate winner, ranked as fourth favorite. Those who pinned their faith on Armourer’s black son had never any cause to regret their pick, for he was always near the leader up to the home bend, where Jones asked him for his best, and he promptly replied by settling his opponents in a ridiculously easy fashion.

Jadoo and Borax (the half-brother, by STenuous, to Boreas) were scratched for the Puketapu Handicap, one mile, leaving eight to range up for the discussion of the matter. A real good trial gallop that Nukurau had got through a few mornings before leaked out, and that pretty freely, which had the effect of making him start at an entirely false price. Ridden a bad-judged race the favorite had to succumb to Esperanza. Scotia’s elimination from the Racing Club Handicap left a field of eight to contest the matter. Castashore, with a stone more to carry than he had successfully scored with on the opening day and a couple of hundred yards less to go, started a boiling hot favorite. Wateratone, who had put up a good “go” on the training track over this distance and whose connections were extra jubilant about his ability to triumph, received next best attention at the punters’ hands. Te Hapuku, who had run second to Douglas in the October Handicap at Hastings last week with 91b less than he carried now, being the third selection. After a lot of time had been wasted at the post

and a false start thrown in, the contingent were sent on their errand. After settling down,'Pistol Grip carried his field along at a great pace to the four-furlong post, where Te Hapuku, Bush Rose, and Dotterell came at him, and sweeping into the bend the Maori-named colt could be seen in the van, with Bush Rose at his quarters and Dotterell just in front of Pistol Grip. Half way up the straight Hercock could be observed putting in real good work on Bush Rose, but Te Hapuku was going as strong as a lion and was not to be denied. The winner is a rare cut of a colt, and is by Dreadnought from the Albany mare Watercolor, and was bred by his owner (Mr Robinson) and ridden by his breeder’s son. The hearty cheers that greeted the colt as he was led back showed that, although the favorite had gone down, the public appreciated the colt’s brilliancy and determination.

When the numbers went aloft for the Caledonian Handicap it was seen that Alionora and Baccarat were the missing ones. Fearnought was picked as the proper solution of the difficulty, but the confidence of his supporters was greatly misplaced, for he could only get third place behind Whitirea and Amourex, the former of whom was the next beet backed after Fearnought. Missfire. Rhino, Rangipunehu, and Blackberry made up the field for the Hurdle Race, Maxim’s son receiving nearly twice as much attention fr im investors as Blackberry, who headed Rangipunehu by eighty odd pounds. Punters hit off the matter correctly, for the quartette finished in the order in which they were backed. When the horses returned to scale Mr R. McCulloch, the owner of Blackberry, entered a protest against the winner on the grounds of inconsistent running. After consideration by the stewards the protest was dismissed, but they considered that the owner of the second horse was not in a frivolous mood when he entered his protest, therefore they returned his protest deposit money. The solid pace set by Rangipunehu and Antares on the opening day doubtless broke up Missfire, who was terribly sore, and when you work out the respective time for the two events—-one a mile and three-quarters and the other a mile and a half—it will be seen that, taking furlong for furlong, Antares ran his race six seconds faster than Missfire accomplished his trip, and the ground was not near so clinging as it was on the opening day, besides which he met a pur of new ones in Rhino and Blackberry, as neither of the brace started in the First Hurdle Race. If Missfire’s exhibition on the first day had been such a tall one, why did not the stewards investigate the matter then ? It is most assuredly a curious fact throughout the land that it is only when a horse wins that a protest is entered. What I maintain is that if a horse shows bad form in a race his conduct ought to be enquired into, no matter what position he fills in the race. Stockville, whose exertions on the opening day had placed him on the sick list, was the only removal from the seven colored on the card for the Telephone Handicap, one mile. Nukurau, who had the services of his trainer (D. Wright) in the saddle and who, on that account, had to carry 31bs overweight—bringing his weight up to 8.1 —held a big lead in the investments on the machine ; Brennan had a trifle more than half the amount invested on him that was recorded in favor of Nukurau. From a good send-off Jadoo assumed control, leading her field by several lengths, Nukurau being always handy to the front of the other competitors. Once in the straight Wright set his mount going and, easily holding Jadoo when it came to racing, got the verdict by a long neck without much effort. The Grandstand Handicap, seven furlongs, wound up the festivities. Straybird went out a very warm choice, Nansen and Donovan falling in for the most attention after him. The first and second to pass the post, Castashore and Waterstone, were the outsiders of the crowd. Castashore romped home a good winner in Imin 29 2-ssec. Waterstone was a fair second and Nansen close up third The winner paid the biggest dividend (£8 18s) of the meeting.