OTAGO.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 685, 23 April 1903, Page 15

OTAGO.

Dunedin, April 21. Several Dunedin-owned horses will compete at the Wellington Meeting, and it is to be hoped that better success will attend their efforts than was the case at Riccarton. Petrovna, St. Denis, Pampero, and Red Gauntlet made their journey North, and The Chaser and Pipi also crossed the water. The Matter has been nominated at Wanganui, and will, all going well, be found sporting silk a t other cross-country meetings in the North Island. At Riccarton last August, Pipi made a bold bid for victory in the National Steeplechase, and it was thought that his condition could

have been improved for that race if he had sported silk ai couple of times( before starting. In the big event at Riccarton this year he will be raced into condition, but lack of pace had more to do with last

year’s downfall than anything else, even allowing that his rider was unable to do justice to his mount. Petrovna was suffering from a mare’s affliction at Riccarton, and under the circumstahces raced very creditably. Many (myself amongst others,) blamed Godfrey . for making so much use of the mare in the early part of the event at Faster, but he told me afterwards that he was riding to instructions, and those orders probably CQst him the race, as :he mare only faded away in the last fifty yards. Petrovna may give a better display at Wellington. Pampero’s racing at Riccarton) should improve him, and he should prove hard to beat in the Thompson Handicap. In both the Easter he got boxed in the ruck, and in the Templeton Handicap he got anything but a clear rtin, but was travelling well at the finish. Pallas or Pampero should account for the Thompson Handicap between them. Red Gauntlet was badly ridden in the Easter, and taken over a lot of ground in the Templeton Handicap. He had the services of Jenkins in the’saddle, and looked all over a winner half-way up the straight, but collapsed in the last seventy or.eighty yards. St. Denis displayed his accustomed brilliancy for only a very brief period in his races, and his trainer had probably been too indulgent with the St. Clair gelding. He was strongly supported by his party forthe Templeton Handicap, but was well beaten at ove furlongs. H. Goodman, the well-known Dunedin trainer, picked the two Lady Lillians' to th'e extent of £lOO, and Mr Fookes, secretary of the Ashburton Racing Club, netted £5OO over the same combination. The Taieri Amateur Turf Club held a fairly successful meeting on Easter Monday, but nothing of any great moment oc- ‘ curved in connection with the meeting. Donna Rosa got away with a double in good style, and Casque, a good cut of a gelding by the Castor —Bangle horse Casket, also scored during the day.

Amongst the hotrses down to compete at the Timaru Meeting are two horses attached to Hyland’s Circus, in the shape of Hostage and Mishap. The first-named is a big upstanding grey by Wellesley, a full brother to the Panic horse Wellington, and Mishap is a bay gelding by Mistake. Both horses have won races in Australia.

Chattel, a gelding by Frying Pan, and the ’chaser Polly also belong to the same owner. The latter won the high jumping contest at the Midlemarch Show, but slightly injured herself in doing so. Webb, a young light-weight who came from- Australia with the Show, had a ride on the Hon. Geo. McLean’s Noblesse in a couple of races at the Taieri Meeting, and pleased the critics by the manner in which he handled his mount.