Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW .AND. LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GAZETTE. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, September 21, 1899. SPORTING TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 478, 21 September 1899, Page 10

Sporting and Dramatic REVIEW .AND. LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GAZETTE. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Thursday, September 21, 1899. SPORTING TOPICS.

There are a number of horses in work in Gisborne for the Spring Meeting month. The A.J.C. Committee has notified jockeys that their costume must include a clean collar and a white tie.

A 14.2 pony (Minerva) carried list 51bs to victory at Kensington on September 6, and cut out the distance, four furlongs and one hundred yards, in 60 secs. Tauhei left Gisborne for Napier last week to fulfill her engagements there. She was in rare buckle, and our correspondent think that she should annex some of the events at the meeting.

The way in which the Avondale Club is prospering is truly surprising. Last year we thought that the Club had done wonders when the sum passed the totalisator on the first day of the meeting registered £3436, or nearly twice as much as on the corresponding day in the previous year. That wonderful rate of progress was almost maintained on Saturday when the receipts amounted to £6023. The fu 1 total for the two days last year was £7152. This makes it evident that the size of the totalisator house was not increased too soon.

Mr W. Armstrong has been appointed handicapper to the Wairarapa Racing Club for the ensuing season. Tommy Hodson was celebrating his fortyseventh birthday on Saturday. “ Seven’s the main ” was his warcry He was forty-seven years old, he rode Forty seven to victory in the Hack Handicap weighing 7.7, and his mount paid a dividend of £l7 7s !

Great was the triumph of the Avondale Jockey Club on Satuaday. Splendid weather, a big attendance, and excellent racing all combined to make the day’s gathering a big success. But there was one drawback to the complete enjoyment, for flaunting gaily in the summery breeze, above the judge’s box, was the French flag. Punters who lost their money, and there were a good many of them, felt disposed to haul down the obnoxious tricolour.

Lady Avon, the winner of the First Avondale Stakes, is the first two-year-old winner of the season. She is by Mr Walters’ imported St. Simon stallion, Soult, out of First Love First Love was got by Nordenfeldt out of Fishgirl (the dam of Swordfish II.), and was bred at the Glenora Stud Farm. She was bought at the annual yearling sale at Glenora in 1892 by the late Mr J. McNicol, of the Waikato. She was raced for a season or two by Mr Jack Booth, who subsequently took her over to Australia. When Mr Booth brought First Love back to Auckland Mr Walters persuaded the Ellerslie trainer to send the mare on a visit to Soult, and the result of the union is that sturdy little piece of good? Lady Avon.

Amongst Mr J. O. Evett’s many Avondale “ triumphs ” there was one bit of handicapping hardly up to the level expected of such a master in the art of weight adjustment. In the Avondale Stakes on Saturday a filly named Miscalculation did not like starting, and did not run at all prominently. St. Olga, however, led the forlorn hope when the field chased Lady Avon, and the St. Leger—Satanella filly was in second place for more than three furlongs. In the Juvenile Stakes, run yesterday, Miscalculation was allotted 7.0, and St Olga was gi«en 6.11. Obviously the name of the St. Hippo—Liquidation filly caused Mr Evett to make Miscalculation give St. Olga 31b. The best betting race at Avondale on Saturday was the Cup on which £l2lO was invested, and then followed the Flying Stakes withf£B7l. It will surprise those who frown on the ponies to know that the event for the little ’uns was the third most popular race of the day as £835 was invested, or just £l5O more than was speculated on the more classic event the Avondale Stakes which was subsidised with 150 sovs, while the ponies had to be content with 30 sovs. From this it would appear that it is not always the classic events that attract most interest or let us say speculation. Maiden plate handicaps, on which the handicapper is asked to do the impossible, that is to fairly handicap unknown horses, according to the Avondale figures, do not attract interest as there were only 371 investors on the first race although there were a dozen starters.

There was not very much work done at Ellerslie on Tuesday. The New Zealand Cup candidate, Explosion, sprinted over four furlongs with Kettledrum, the gelding having the best of the deal. Rosella went twice round on the tan, the first round at a steady pace and the second at three-quarter pace. The filly galloped resolutely, and has evidently quite recovered from her recent accident. Waiorongomai did some useful work, and St. Paul also worked steadily at half to three-quarter pace. Bluejacket and St. Elmo worked together once round the course, Bluejacket having all the best of matters. Several other horses were out, but in view of the Avondale engagements very little hard work was indulged in.

“We live in such rapid days,” says the “Special Commissioner ” in the London Sportsman, “ that trainers and owners are apt to condemn two-year-olds tco soon just because they do not show speed at once. I have heard of one or two of the Carbines declared to be slow, and not worth keeping in training. It will be well, however, not to condemn any such, prematurely. A friend writing to me from Australia on this subject says : 1 It is a great mistake to turn any Carbines out of training without persevering further. Here Carnage as a two-year old was the slowest colt they ever had at St. Albans. Lee-Metford (by Carbine), now a really good horse, as you know, was so bad that Jas. Wilson, jun., who trains him, wanted his owner to take him away, but he said, “ Give him two or three months more and try him further.” There are a lot of others just the same, so it is not wise to throw them out too soon.’ ” The suspension of Tod Sloan and two other jockeys for disobedience at the post is thus referred to by an English correspondent:— “ People may think that the sentence are severe, for the pecuniary loss to the jockerys will be considerable ; but it must be remembered that it is the duty of a jockey to obey the starter, and he knows the penalty for disobedience. As a rule delays at the starting-post are put down to the vagaries of the horses, thanks to what the Prince of Wales has termed ‘Mr Coventry’s good nature.’ But good nature has its limits, and the stewards of the Jockey Club have only done their duty in passing a severe sentences upon the offenders. The ouly excuse that has been urged on their behalf is that many other jockeys have been disobedient and have not been reported. A starter does not like to report a jockey, but an impudent disregard for orders on the part , of certain pampered mannikins must be punished, not only in justice to the public, but in justice to other jockeys who know how to behave themselves both in and out of the pigskin. The severity of the sentence should act as a warning, and cause them to understand that because a few owners choose to pet them they are not the people’s heroes which they fancy themselves to be.”

The appropriate name of Downpour has been bestowed upon Mutiny’s half-brother, the colt being by Waterfall. There are twenty-three Americans nominated for the English Derby of 1901, while there are thirteen fillies from the Land of the Stars and Stripes in the Oaks.

Mr J. Cress has purchased Mr C. R. Bidwill’s Flintlock—Medora gelding, Vgapuke, engaged in the next Wairarapa Guineas, to be run at the Taratahi meeting on 9th November.

The Sandringham Plate (Victoria) was recently won by Ideal (by St. Leger- —Bianca). Ideal was bought at the Wellington Park sale two years ago for 155 guineas. Robin won a Farmers’ Hunt Steeplechase near Wanganui the other day. He carried his owner, and the gallant gee toiled with 16st 121 b to victory !

Another addition to the sires of the Gisborne district is the Bedenburg carriage stallion, Belphin, who was bred at the celebrated Bedenburg Stud, Germany, he is a fine upstanding horse, good bone, and very docile' and is the class of horse badly needed in Gisborne. 1 At a meeting of the stewards of the Lower Valley Jockey Club, Mr John Martin was elected chairman of stewards. Messrs J. Martin, D. H. Johnson, A. G. Stewart, A. Sharp, J. Orr, F. Wall, A O. Considine, and T. Kennedy were appointed a Works Committee and Mr J. S. Cundy, starter, the appointment of handicapper being left over in the meantime. In England, where racecourse management, in the majority of cases, is admitted to be behind that on the best colonial courses, they are up to date in the ambulance business for both man and horse, as the following from a London paper will show: —“Most racecourse managements worthy of the name have gone in for accident rooms and ambulances, but Hurst Park is the first, we think, to come out with an appliance for bringing an injured horse into the veterinary box.” “Pakeha,” in The. Yeoman, says: —“J. Belcher’s New Zealand Cup candidate, Rose Plot, is one of the handsomest horses on the track. With a bit of strong work, he should annex one or two races before he leaves for Christchurch. Sedgebrook, another inmate of the stable, is.engaged at Bulls. The chestnut is very much on the big side, and I think it is a pity to hurry him in his work. Belcher has also Matarawa, who does not seem to improve much, and Punui, who does not show pace at present.” The odds of 100 to 1 was on offer against Gold Medallist in the Stewards Handicap at Good wood. Yet this horse once beat Multiform. The Sportsman describes Gold Medallist “ a powerful, lengthy chestnut, rather slack of loin.” It is scarcely correct, however, to describe a horse as powerful that is “ slack of loin.” Slackness of loin is generally regarded as an evidence of weakness, but that is a defect we do not remember noticing in Gold Medallist when he was here as a two or three-year-old. I Five Derby candidates were seen out at Caulfield on Sept. 2. Merriwee being the only one of the number to get a place. The St. Albans representative Revenue started second favorite for the Heatherlie Handicap, but though he was one of the first into the straight, he was badly beaten at the finish. Tremarden, who was well backed at 100 to 12 and 15 for the Derby before going to the post for the Memsie Stakes, only ran moderately in the last-mentioned race, in which Diffidence’s halt-brother, Merriwee, filled third place. Merriwee is spoken of as a very promising colt.

An American paper says that at the St. Louis, Mo., meeting a horse named Verify, owned by A. Cahn, was made a red-hot favorite for a race, but it could only get third to Fausturo, owned by J. C. Cahn, and there was a demonstration in consequence. The stewards examined the bookmakers’ sheets, but could find no evidence of fraud However, in view of the inconsistency of Verify, it was announced that his entry would not again be accepted, and it was further decreed that in future, where one of the two Cahn brothers had a horse in a race, the other would not be permitted to start a horse in the same race.

The prospects of the Northern Wairoa R,C. appear to be very satisfactory. At a meeting of the club held last week the statement of accounts showed the club to be in a healthy financial position, notwithstanding the heavy outgoings in improvements and preparation of the steeplechase course. A programme for the Summer Meeting was adopted, the total amount of prize money being £404. It was stated that with the totalisator the club could expend at least £BOO in December and about £4OO in March, but the meeting was unanimous in its determination to adhere to the North Auckland Racing Association until the system of election by all racing clubs in the district should be applied to metropolitan committees. ’

The well-known Australian racehorse, Paris, who has helped to build up the fame of the colonial thoroughbred in England has returned to Australia. Paris was by Grandmaster out of Enone, and as he is twelve years of age, and is a gelding his racing career, may be regarded as over, and he will probably ’spend the remainder of his days on the greenfields of “ Hairlah.” MrH.C. White is very fond of his “ big little ” horse, and that is pleasantly evinced by bringing him all the way from England to peacefully end his days in the luxuriant paddocks in which he first saw the light. This is not always the fate of the racehorse. For instance, Nimblefoot, the winner the Melbourne Cup in 1870, found his way to the shafts of a Melbourne cab, and was a tottering wreck when his breeder fortunately got into the cab that the old Panic gelding was tugging along the street. The breeder rescued him forthwith and sent him away from the scene of his misery to Tasmania where he died. Included in Paris’ list of victories are the Caulfield Cups of 1892 and 1894.

The operatic horse, Djin-Djin, has quite got over bis attack of fever in the feet, and he is now hitting out very freely in his work. It is extremely probable that Cranberry will go to England, and in consequence of that impression he has dropped out of the betting quotations on Victorian spring events.

Will-o’-the-Wisp, the Hawke’s Bay gelding (by Mystical out of Ripple), trained by Robinson, is in excellent fettle for spring engagements.

Hermosa, St. Elwyn’s elder sister, is showing much improved form on the Riccarton training track, and Murray Hobbs has high hopes that she will show some of her two year-old brilliance this spring.

At the settling over the A.J.C. meeting, on Tuesday, Mora, by Malua — White was heavily backed for the Melbourne Cup., Altogether £23,000 was secured at from 100’s to 3 to 5.

Gipsy Grand is standing this season at Elderslie Mr J. F. Reid’s stud farm at Oamaru. As several breeders have asked Mr Reid to reduce the fee the son of Grandmaster will this season be at the service of owners at a fee of ten guineas.

Sir George Clifford’s colt Glenogle has developed into a grand looking customer. He is moving along nicely at Riccarton, and should be seen to advantage at the Spring Meeting of the C.J.C.

The stallion Iroquois, who won the Epsom Derby and Doncaster St. Leger of 1881 for the American sportsman Pierre Lorillard, died recently at Illinois. Iroquois was sired by Leamington.

Fairymaid, the dam of Tolstoi, has this season produced a black colt to Stepniak. Several others of the Elderslie mares have already foaled. Pibroch, by Lochiel —Fallacy, has given birth to a chestnut filly by Stepniak.

Though bookmakers were allowed to bet at the South Canterbury Jockey Club’s recent meeting, some of them found that the punters were having a bit the best of the game, and wisely retired long before the last race was run. Despite the paddock talk that Record Reign was too big and short of a gallop or two he proved himself quite a match for the opposition in the Avondale Cup. The race was run in fairly good time, but the course was in grand going order. Bluejacket is evidently returning to his true form. He ran a good race on Saturday, even though it be alleged that Miss Delaval could have occupied second place had she been pushed. Bluejacket was not thoroughly wound up, but he ran an honest game colt.

Voltigeur 11. proved his gameness by making all the running in the Hurdle Race on Saturday and winning under punishment from Volcano. The latter seemed a bit bothered at the last jump or he must assuredly have outpaced the grey in the run home.

The defeat of St. Peter in the Flying Handicap on Saturday was a great blow to backers. The colt looked in splendid trim, and in his preliminary he went with any amount of dash, but in the race, after being upsides with firefly for nearly four-fifths of the journey he died away to nothing, Miss Delaval and St. Peter did not bear out their best two-year-old form in their first essays as three-year-olds. However, the former was not looking by any means at her best, and St. Peter may not be a sprinter—so it will not do to accept the Avondale form as strictly reliable. Hawke’s Bay running may throw some light on the sub ject of the best three-year-olds in rf uckland. At present Miss Delaval has come down from her pinnacle of supremacy Referring to the prospects of New Zealand Cup candidates “ Mazeppa” writes : — Fulmen is doing Al, and whatever part he may play in the race, it never can be alleged as an excuse for failure, if be does fail, that he has not had a careful preparation. M'Guinness has him in nice forward condition. Defiance, hurdler though he is, will probably be paid up for, and some think he will be the stable representative. This is a point, however, on which I have my doubts. Djin-Djin wants shoving along, but if he can be kept going he should be ready by the day. St. Lucia is, of course, knocked out, and this has caused backers to inquire more about her stable companion, Skobeloff, concerning whose chances I know little or nothing. My fancy is still Castashore or DjinDjin, with Tire next best, if his heels are all right, and of the three I much prefer Castashore. English files to hand confirm the cabled news of Newhaven’s breakdown, and, in referring to it, “ Vigilant,” of the London Sportsman, says - “I am sorry to learn that Newhaven 11. has broken down in the near foreleg, and may never run again. I believe that the mishap occurred fully a mile from home in the Goodwood Cup, though he seemed to walk away soundly enough after the race, and the mischief was not discovered until the evening. The story now is that he overpowered Blackwell in that curious gallop onWednesday morning, and his defeat by Merman is now fully explained, a defeat that was altogether unaccountable if the City and Suburban winner had been anything like himself. In some respects Merman has been a wonderfully lucky horse. Sharpies fairly outrode Wood in the Cesarewitch of 1897. The Rush had done no work when Merman defeated him in the Jockey Club Cup last back-end ; and now a break down on the part of his only dangerous opponent has given him the Goodwood Cup.”

It was whispered at Avondale on Wednesday that George Wright had put down a deposit to purchase Bluejacket, and rumor set down the price to be paid for the St. Leger —Antelope horse as 400 gs. George Wright has long been sweet on Bluejacket, just as he has a veneration for his dam, for “ Scotty ” declares that Antelope showed him the fastest six furlongs he has ever seen during his career.

Strathnairn has been suffering from paralysis, but is now on the road to recovery.

Rosella and Explosion have been nominated for the Racing Club Handicap and the Park Stakes to be run at the Napier Park Facing Club’s Spring Meeting. Seven New Zealand Cup candidates are nominated for the Napier Park Spring Handicap, while for the Park Stakes ten horses still in the Cup are entered.

We have to thank Mr A. E. Danvers, the secretary of the Napier Park Racing Club, for a copy of the tastefully got up book of the season’s programmes.

The Hon. H. Mosman’s three-year-old gelding Dutchman, by Regel, has been sold to an upcountry sportsman.

On Tuesday, Explosion, Rosella, Stepfast, and Hastings, Wright’s quartette had a go with the colors up. The Cup horse moved along in good style, while both Rosella and the two-year-old pleased the onlookers with their resolute style of galloping. The Wanganui trained Cup horses, Rubin and Roseplot, are doing good work on the tracks. Roseplot is working steadily, but the Tasman gelding is putting in some really excellent gallops. Harry Goodman has not entered Pitch and Toss for the Dunedin meeting. As he intends taking Motto and another to Riccarton shortly, and staying there for the Cup meeting, he is evidently going to give the Medallion mare every chance to win the big race.

The English Jockey Club at a recent meeting passed the following new rule : —“ That upon all racecourses having four or more days racing during the year—except those having only one fixture—there shall be at least one race confined to apprentices.”

Sportsmen, as a rule, are charitable, and a pleasant evidence of that is afforded by the fact that a subscription list, instituted in Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch by Messrs Gooseman and Stewart Waddell, for the benefit of tbe widow of J. Keane, has been liberally subscribed to. In Hawke’s Bay Mr Gooseman was especially successful, and during the week he forwarded a substantial sum to the widow.

Doncaster, says the Daily Telegraph, in the course of an interesting article on racecourse riots, has been the scene of more than one serious disturbance which might have produced most disastrous consequences. In the year 1854 the then Lord Derby started three colts, Boiardo, Acrobat, and Dervish, for the St. Leger, but none of them secured a place, although Boiardo started favourite. Acrobat, ridden by Sim Templeman, finished fifth, the winner being Knight of St George, who defeated Lord Zetland’s Ivan by a head. Two days later, in the Doncaster Stakes, Acrobat beat Ivan by a length, whereupon a most disgraceful scene occurred. Templeman was almost torn from the saddle, and escaped with his life only through the police rallying round him. John Scott, the trainer, who had watched the race from the rails overhanging the course, was seized by a lot of Barnsley and Sheffield roughs as he was returning to the weighing room. From the stewards’ stand Lord Derby looked down heloles-) upon the row, and in a few minutes John Scott might have lost his life or have been seriously maimed. Fortunately Harry Broome, the pugilist, was at hand to render assistance, and he knocked the rioters about like so many ninepins. Lord Derby had backed Boiardo for £lOOO in the Leger, and had not a penny on Acrobit for either race. His reputation was above suspicion, but the effect of this day’s work was never eradicated, and finally led to the noble owner’s abandonment of the turf. In the Leger of 1857 Blink Bonny, the winner of Derby and Oaks, started an even money favourite, and could only finish fourth. On the last day of the meeting, with odds of 4 to 1 on her, she won the Park Hill Stakes in a canter from two opponents. When Charlton, the jockey, returned to the enclosure, he was violently hooted and bus ied, and had to be protected by some of the r.ystanders. The weighing s’and was, however, invaded by a clamorous mob, which the police were almost powe less to restrain. t’Anson, the owner of Blink Bonny, sustained very rough treatment, and it was through the exertions of Tom Sayers and a few other sturdy spirits that serious mischief was averted. I’Anson offered to run Blink Bonny for the Cup the same afternoon, allowing the stewards to select their own jockey, but it was not necessary to entertain this proposition. Some 10 years ago there was another row at Doncaster, for which the running of Noble Chieftain was supposed to supply the excuse.