Sporting Topics

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 690, 28 May 1903, Page 12

Sporting Topics

(By “ Tile Judge.' 1 ;)

South African buyers are after Abundance. and (his owner has, in response to a request from Messrs H. Chisholm and Co., put a price on him. The Carbine gelding Quickshot won a mile and a-half selling race at Leicester, England on April 9, and was afterwards bought ip for no guineas. $ $ W • The Evening Wonder case has been adjourned till June 19 by the stewards of the South Australian Jockey Club, so as to give Mr J. Tennant time to proceed from New Zealand to attend the inquiry. Waimoe won both the Hack Flat events at Wanganui. Mr Robinson’s representative captured both races in.a very hollow style, paying a larger dividend on the second occasion than the first. The fou!r-vear-old son of Somnus and Watercolor is evidently one of the useful sort. * * * * Shrapnel Shell was very leniently . treat;ed by the handicapper in the Winter Oats at Wanganui. He carried six pounds overweight, but despite this increase in the poundage, won without an effort by two lengths. • • e • The hurdler Otairi, who will be a wellbacked competitor in the Grand National Hurdles next week, is named after his owner’s big station near Hunterville. Mr Wiri Tokena is not, as many might suppose, a Maori, but uses his own flame translated into the language as a racing .name. o < ♦ « The death is announced of the wellknown stallion, St. Swithin, the sire of Merloolas, Gnullo, Insulator, Trochon, Florin, and many ather winners. St. Swithin, who was located at the Yarrabee Stud, was bred in this colony, being by the imported ‘ Cadogan from the Traducer mare Malice. ♦ # # ♦ The injury to Dayntree in the Maiden Hurdles, at Takapuna. was of a rather serious nature, the near shoulder being badly hurt. This is a great pity, for the grey son of Castor is just the cut of a hurdle horse, and he was only making his debut at the game. Old Mars further added to his winning total on the second day at Wanganui when he rather easily carried off the May Hurdle Handicap. The performance has? had the effect of bringing Mr O’Rorke’s favourite into prominence again for the Grand National Hurdle Race, in which, despite a five pounds penalty, he is certain to play a , strong hand. • e « « The English Derby was set down for decision yesterday, but up to the time of going to press the cable announcing the result had not come to hand. Sir James Miller's colt Rock Sand promised to start about the hottest favourite on record, his most formidable opponents being the French horse Vicinius and Sir D. Cooper’s colt Flotsam. On form the first-named Britisher should win, but big f tVourites have often failed in the classic race at Epsom.

The New Zealander, Belle Cole, who is naw an inmate of H. Robinson’s stablein Sydney, was given a run in the Four-teen-two Handicap, at Kensington last week, and was backed down to the position of second favourite. The daughter of Lebel and Belle Cole finished out of a place.

During the week the cable brought the news of the death of the famous cricketer Arthur- Shrewsbury, and the fact is rendered sad when it is known that the great Nottingham batsman, owing to the suffering caused by an internal complaint, ended his own life. It is just seventeen years ago that I first inade Shrewsbury's acquaintance when travelling from Sydney to Melbourne with Shaw’s Third English Team, and subsequently when staying at the Old White Hart Hotel, in the Victorian capital, I got to know him very well. There seems to have been some fatality attaching to the members of that team, for at luMt three have since died by their own hands, while poor Briggs’ end is well known. A more cheerful lot of fellows at the tim? would have been hard to find, some of them being very musical. The unaccompanied part songs) by poor Scotton, Mordecai Sherwin, Barlow, and I think Bates, were well worth listening to. Shrewsbury was much looked up to by the other members, and at that time was at the very renith of his fame. A more finished batsman it has never been my lot to see, and his great innings of 232 against Victoria in 1887 was one of the finest displays of scientific batting that I have ever witnessed. Shrewsbury was a stylist, but never a slogger, most of his runs being •obtained by beautifully executed cuts or glances. For some years his batting seemed to be on the wane, but for the last two seasons it has shone out as brilliantly as ever. Cricketers the world over will regret the sad end of a man whose name will live long in the history of the sport.

The result of the Century Hurdle Handicap at Wanganui came as a great surprise to Aucklanders, where nothing but Otairi and Awahuri were backed to any extent. The race appears to have been a very exciting one all through, vhile the battle up the straight was keenly fcught out between the placed horses. The high-ly-thought-of Otairi failed in the last few strides, and suffered defeat by a neck at the hands of Merry Boy, with Awahuri two lengths off third. The winner, who ' was got by Merrie England from a Phantom mare, belongs to Messrs; Oswald and Jefferson, and was cleverly handled by McMorran.

As was generally expected, ficajlywag had matters all his own way in the Grandstand Steeplechase at Wanganui, and it is somewhat hard to imagine how the gelding came to return his supporters such a good dividend. Most people in Auckland thought that the bay son of Turquoise and Stella would have been .an, odds on chance in such a field. He simply cantered in by himself, history thuat repeating itself, for he also annexed the race last year in much the same hollow fashion.

Followers of our Canterbury correspondent’s selections can have come to no harm at Ashburton on the opening day, as he suggested four winners and one second, these including winners of both the big events.

Entries for the New Zealand Cup mush be made with Mr W. H. E. Wanklyn, secretary of the Canterbury Jockey Club, on or before Monday next, June 1, at 9 p.m., the entrance fee being isov. First acceptance of 2sovs is due on August 7, and second acceptance of 4sovs on October 23. Owing, to a clerical error this was made to appear as due on October 30, whereas it is due a week earlier. The final acceptance of Bsovs falls due on November 4.

Pallas further added to his winning list by winning the Ashburton County Stakes' from Cannie Chiel. The son of Chain Armour and Nellie carried lOst, and won by a length. The colt was, however, the subject of a somewhat unusual protest, it being alleged that he carried four pounds over-weight, (but failed to declare the same. After a lengthy consideration, the stewards decided to return the investors money, less the usual commission, and the question of the stakes money is to be decided at a meeting to be held later.

The following is a list of the winning payments made over the Takapuna J. C. meeting, Mr. M. Deeble, £335; Mr. J. George, £195 ; Mr. W. Walters, £l3O ; Mr. W. J. Barton, £9O; Mr. J. Arnaboldi, £9O ; Mr. L. Marshall, £9O ; Mr. N. Banks;, £9O ; Mr. F. McKenzie, £65 ; Mr. F. Zimmerman, £6O ; Mrs. T. Cotton, £55 ; Mr. R. Hannon, £55 ; Mr. H. Friedlander, £5O ; Messrs. R. and R. Duder, £5O ; Mr. J. C. Colbeck, £3O ; Mr. A. McMillan, £2O ; Mr. R.« Hynes, £lO ; Mr. M. Whitelaw, £lO ; Messrs. Davis and Mac- ■ manemin, £2O ; Mr, J. Reginald, £lO Mr. W. Howard, £10; Mr. J. Ellisdon, £lO • Mr. E. Cecil, £2O ; Mrs. J. Lennard £5 ; Mr. J. Jack; £lO ; Mr. J. Marshall, £lO ; total £1530..

A test case under the new gaming law in South Australia, which was passed to combat the growing evil of “ tote” shops in the city was heard at the Adelaide police court on May 8, when Sydney Ros- 1 man was charged with having being found in a place used for unlawful gaming. The defendant’s counsel, Mr. Anderson, obected to the information, cm the ground that it disclosed no offence, as it did not; contain the words “ without lawful ex-1 cuse.” The magistrate agreed with this, contention, and the information was dis-, missed. Frank Setaro was charged with ; being found on premises without lawful i excuse, and this case was heard on its, merits. It was dismissed, on the grounds ' that the premises were not used for gaming. ... *

Mr W. J. Stratton, the newly appointed secretary to the Hawkes’ Bay Jockey Club, was horn in London, and landed in New Plymouth -in 1893. Mr Stratton has gained considerable honours in the swimming world, says a Southern exchange. Besides winning numerous handicap races, he was placed in several championship events. In 1861 he finished second in the ibo yards championship of London, and was second the same year in the English salt water championship, 440 yards. The next year he was third in the 440 yards salt-water and third in the 500 yards championship of England,’ besides occupying a similar position in the championship of London. In the latter race the first three men finished within a fraction of a second of each other. In 1896 Mr Stratton was chosen the representative of Canterbury (N.Z.) in Australia, getting third place in the mile' championship. The following year he won the 220 yards championship’ of New Zealand, besides all the championships of Canterbury. Whilst in England in 1897 Mr Stratton accompanied a visiting team of swimmers to Brussels, where he secured second posi. tion in what was termed a “ championship of Europe,” being beaten by P. Cavill (Sydney), over a dis(ance of 600 metres. In 1897 he was awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society for saving life off the New Brighton beach.

A race in which every horse fell is a bit of a novelty, yet this, is what happened in the Altcar Four-year-old Steeplechase, of £2OO, decided over two and a-quarter miles, the runners being. Strasbourg, Falconbridge, Ambiguity, and Seesdon Prince. The last-named made the running until Ambiguity fell av the second fence in the country, and then came a cropper at the open ditch, which also proved too much for th,e favourite. Falconbridge then proceeded on his way alone, but at the fence beyond Valentine’s Brook turned a somersault, and Strasbourg being remounted, cantered home at his leisure.

The great motor rate from Paris to Madrid must have been an extraordinary spectacle, and it has certainly proved the utter folly of allowing these murderous vehicles to be allowed to run riot along the main roads. Before Bordeaux had been reached the fatalities had mounted up to eight, including two of the competitors, three drivers, a soldier, a woman and a child. The French and Spanish Governments thereupon stopped the race, and certainlv not before it was. time. What possible" benefit is to be derived from such an exhibition it is hard to say, but it certainly appeared to exercise an enormous fascination for the Parisians, for 300,000 people picnicked on Saturday night so that they could see the start of the 223 competitors.

‘The Rambler in Red,” in one of his contributions to the “ Sporting Magazine ” of 1835, describes “ & curious instance of the treatment in cases of dislocation of the neck recommended by Dr. Harrison.” The- Earl of Plymouth’s master of horse, Weeden, received from Squire Osr baldeston a hunter which the Earl had purchased for between £4OO and £5OO. The horse having been hunted the better part of the season by the hard-riding squire, reached his destination very stale about the legs, and requiring some more heroic remedy than merely rest ; and it was therefore decided to fire him. In cast-ing-the horse he struggled violently, and at last, with a desperate plunge, actually dislocated his neck. “In an instant his eyes turned in their sockets, and he lay at the last gasp. Weeden . . • . seizing the lying horse’s head and planting his feet against his shoulders, caused the men who were assisting to form a sort oi chain, each with his arms round the other’s waist, and then, being himself grasped in the same fashion, with a strong pull and a pull altogether back came the horse’s head into its proper berth with a report, to use* his own words, nke , c shot of a pistol.’ ” Like one just shaken out of a heavy sleep, the subject of Inis novel experiment stared at first wildly around him, but by taking a little blood from him and administering a cordial, in an hour he was 1 as well as if nothing had happened.

Messrs Betts and Perritt have perfected their new patent brake for vehicles, and there can be no doubt that if the invention comes into general use, which it should do ' on its merits, there will be a big decrease in the number of accidents caused by bolting horses. The idea of tile patent is so simple that it seems a matter for wonder that it has not been thought of before. On the driver wishing to leave his trap he simply uses a small handle, which brings a lever into play, and this controls a simple mechanical device. The latter takes the form of a roller, to which is attached a pair of extra reins. The harder the horse tries to bolt the stronger th,e pull on him, and it is impossible that he could go far with such a tremendous strain on his mouth. The patentees are manufacturing the new brakes, and they should prove invaluale for all classes of vehicles where it is necessary from time to time to leave the horse unattended to.

Sir Thomas Lipton’s big cutter Shamrock Illi, will make a start this week, for New' York, where she goes in quest of the America Cup. The voyage across will be made under jury rig, and the challenger will be accompanied by the fine steam yacht Erin. As the voyage across the “ herring pond.” should be accomplished in about eighteen days, the Irish cutter will have nearly seven weeks after refitting for trials with Shamrock 11. This should be ample to thoroughly tune her up to racing form. It is almost certain that the new cutter Reliance will be chosen to defend the Cup.

From one point of view the handicap: is an altogether absurd institution (says the “ Enclyclopedia of Sport for the result is simply and solely to show how far wrong the handicapper is in his estimate of the ability of the horses he weights. The winner comes in two lengths ahead of his field, and thereby demonstrates either that the adjuster of the weights regarded him as a 71b. or 101 b. worse animal than; he is, or else that he accepted the second as a 71b. or 101 b. better. A horse wins by a neck ; the handicapper is shown to be only a, couple of pounds or so wrong; but that is all the race has proved. Handicaps, however, are practically indispensible, for the reason that it takes more than the general stale of penalties and allowances to give the moderate animal a chance, and if racing were confined to the comparatively few good horses, the sport would be enormously circumscribed. That a handicapper should give general satisfaction is, of course, not for a moment expected, as there are many owners who do not really want a handicap with which no fault can be found, but a compilation of weights which gives their horses an advantage. Very palpable blunders, are however, not rare. They sometimes arise from carelessness in trusting to recollection, instead Of looking up form ; sometimes they are due to haste, a handicapper undertaking work which he cannot possibly do in the short time he can give to it, and not seldom they are a consequence of too close an adherence to bookform, with no special knowledge behind it. Thus, a horse may win by a neck,, and have 31b. in hand or 3st. ; and unless the handicapper sees the race, and is a judge

The Southern horses which will take part at the big meeting at Ellerslie have arrived. The Ngapuhi brought up quite a number on Tuesday, these including Battleaxe, Westguard, Awahuri, Lady Beil, Waiwera, Oingo, Crusoe, Sandy Bell, Otairi, Commonwealth, and Paritutu.

Torchon, a five-year-old grey mare by Albermarle from Real Lace, is a recent, arrival from Sydney, and is quartered at J. Rae’s stables. She is owned ly Mr L. H. Dariot.

The date for receiving uominat’Ons for the Wellington Racing Tub’s Winter Meeting has been altered Worn June r to June 8. The Parliament try Handicap and Winter Oats Handicap will be run over a distance of one mile, instead of seven furlongs.

I have to acknowledge receipt of the Annual Report and Balance Sheet of the Canterbury Jockey Club, which discloses a very satisfactory state of affairs. The revenue from nearly all sources shows an appreciable increase, the exception being in the Nominations and Acceptances, which show a reduction of £2BB, this be ing caused by the r?duction made in the entry and acceptance fees. The water supply has been completed and contracts have been entered into for increasing the stand accomodation. Eighteen gentlemen have been nominated for the office of stewards, and a similar number for that of committeemen.

The following, horses, now on a visit to-Auckland to dompefe at the big meeting at Ellerslie, are located at Charles Warren’s establishment Awahuri, Oingo, Westguard, Paria, Croupier, and Master Model. It will be a strange thing if some of the six mentioned do not account for several of the events.

Awahuri’s runaway victory in the Waganui Steeplechase has greatly i leieased the number of his admirers for the bag event next Saturday. Trus, Mi- Donnelly’s gelding had nothing muih to teat, but tihe great thing was that he successfully demonstrated his ability to tackle the big timber, a point concerning which there was a certain amount of doubt. It» is a toss up whether the son of Kaiwhaka or Cannongate will start favourite for the big race at Ellerslie.

The totalisator turnover at the recent Wanganui Jockey Club's meeting showed a considerable decrease, the sum o£ £12,916 going through, as against §14,33© last year. The same tale is to be told of the Takapuna Meeting, when the machine people handled £14071, as against £15,655 at the corresponding gathering last season. At the Southern meeting the decrease was caused by the very one-sided character of two or three of the events, which induced no betting, but at Takapuna the wretched weather was the prominent factor in the falling off in th© totalisator figures.

The £lO,OOO World’s Fair Handicap, to be ruin at St. Louis next year, did not fill as well as was anticipated. The nominations total eighty-seven, thirty-six owners being represented. However, the stake will be re-opened, and owners who feel so inclined can come in later on at an entry fee of £l5O. As the race is a handicap, it is l safe to say there will be no particular rush to get in at that figure. An endeavour was made to get a nomination from King Edward, but nothing of his is engaged so far.

All the ancient people, Egyptians, Canaanites, Assyrians, Aryans of the RigVeda, Umbrians, Celts, drove the hors© before they rode him, and speaking of the Sigynnae, the only trib® north of the Danube whose name he knew, said that they had small horses with large flat noses and very long hair, which# though not able to carry a man, were excellent under chariots —“ wherefore they used chariots.” Dio Cassius likewise says that the Britons used chariots in war, because their horses were “ small though active.” The description of the horsea of the Sigynnae tallies exactly with the abundant remains of the primitive horse of Europe, eaten in great quantities and delineated on antlers by the men of the Stone Age. He was a small animal about 10 hands high with a big head. Even after domestication he remained very small, as witness bits of bronze and home found in Swiss Lake dwellings, the shoes found aii Silchester, and in camps on the Roman wall, &c. Authorities are agreed that from this primitive horse has been developed the cart horses of :he Continent and Great Britain, whilst our blood horses have come from an Eastern stock of slight build and smart appearance.

* * * * The merits of Lord Clifden, who won the St. Leger in -1863, were so loudly and continuously insisted on by writers in the press, that Dr. Shorthbuse was goaded into the following expression of opinion in “ Sporting Life ” :—“ I have frequently heard it asserted that Lord Clifden will ‘ walk in ’ for the Leger. It is said that you may have a thing dinned into your ears so often,that, however incredible it may appear, you come to believe it at last. This is precisely my case. I do really and firmly believe that Lord Clifden will ‘ walk in ’ for the ; but it will be after some other animal has won it, and his lordship’s jockey, finding he has no chance, does not distress him by hoping and striving against hope. . . . Lord Clifden I hold in the most supreme contempt. He is the most splendid imp os- . \ tor of modern days. He has written up and written down, until I am sick of hearing his name mentioned, and I now mean to give him his quietus. Cf his ‘ magnificent appearance,’ his ‘ Jettiiug down,’ his ‘ filling out,’ and his ‘ super! condition,’. his ‘docility,’ and his other innumerable good qualities I am tired of seeing in print.” Nevertheless, Lord Clifden won the Leger, “ without effort by half a length,” in front of a field Of nineteen others.

I notice that a Southern paper takes much credit for arranging a match between the well-known pigeon shots, Messrs. C. Corrick and D. Fraser, and the paper also states that the shoot should certainly be held in Christchurch. As a matter of fact, My Gorrick’s challenge first appeared in the columns of the Sporting Review, and the Sydney sportsman definitly stated therein that he wished any match which might be arranged to take place at Ellerslie:. As the Ellerslie Gun Club’s Meeting will be held next month, there could be no better opportunity for the two rival shots to decide which is the better man.

The well-known stallion Cuirassier, by Musket—Frailty, is advertised by Messrs Duder Bros, as being for sale. Such a magnificently bred and successful sire should not go long without a purchaser. The well-known racehorse Takapuna, by St. Hippo—Anna, by Musket—Florin, by Traducer —Pupu, is also on the sale list.

forested that She first forfeits for the Avondale Guineas fall due on Friday, June 5 % Judging from the reply of Messrs Russell and Campbell, solicitors to the Harbour Board, the Takapuna Jockey Club will be unable to obtain the lease of Messrs Ruder Bros.’ property whicn ■was needed to enlarge the course. The legal firm wrote as follows “Re Duder Bros. Lease : We are asked to advise the Board with regard to proposals made on behalf of the Takapuna Jockey Club and Mr C. Thornes. As to the lat. for proposal, it cannot be entertained. Leases from the Board must take effect oh possession from the making of the lease, so that until surrender or determination of the existing terms the Board has no power. As to the club proposal to surrender the existing lease on condition that'it becomes the new lesee, it is impracticable on the lines proposed. It would be to evade improperly the provisions of the statutes were the Board to offer land for lease by public auction under conditions which would necessarily prevent anyone becoming a lessee except one particular person. The writer of the upon the club being declared the lessee out that it is not asking to be placed in any better position than any member of the public ; this cannot be so, because the granting of the new lease depends upon the club being d(clared the lessee, inasmuch as .without a surrender the Board cannot grant a lease at all. Consideration of the matter was deferred till the next meeting. * r * * • .. ■ ■ ' , • • ... . t j; Many people considered that Jack-o’-Lantern possessed more than an outside chance of annexing the big steeplechase ou Saturday. The son of Wonderful will not be a competitor however. ..... -X- . Z- ♦ The ponies Ukase, The Imp and Leyland have been shipped to South Africa via Wellington. * * * * When the entries are closed on Monday for the New Zealand Cup, lam afraid that the names of but few Aucklanders will be found among the list. We have apparently but one good three-year-old, while anything of any real class in the two-year-old rank has yet to make its appearance. * * * The Dunedin Meeting will be held on June 3 and 6. General Symonds and Lady Lillian are popular selections for the big evenft. The Brisbane £up, run on the second day of the Queensland Turf Club’s Autumn Meeting, was won by Jessie, who carried 7st 21b. She was followed home by Heronry, Bst, and Amber, 6st 131 b • There were eleven runners. Bridegroom, Bst 41b, being a warm favourite, at 2 to 1 against, while the winner was at two points longer. Jessie won by a length and a-half in the slow time of 3min 35| sec4C » i • * Those who knew the late Admiral Rous best have declared that he had no superior as a judge of horses, and that he would have made as good a trainer as he was a handicapper. To him Australia owes that grand old studbook landmark Rons' Emigrant, better known as Old Emigrant. He is described in the studbook as a “ black brown horse standing 15.3 imported to this State by the Hon. Caprain Rous, about 1828, with Theorem, and was one of the best sires ever imported to Australia.” Old Emigrant was the sire of Yattendon’s granddam and sire of the original Flora M’lvor, the ancestress of a long line of racehorses, among whom are those bright particular stars Trenton, Zalinski, and Havoc. Theorem, the, other horse imported by Captain Rous, was also a successful sire, who is found in many of the best Australian pedigrees. Having Emigrant and Theorem to recommend him to uSj we Australians have as much reason for respecting the judgment of Admiral Rous, as did his own countrymen. The Admiral was strongly opposed to whip and spur, and his opinion of these barbarous persuaders was set forth in the “ Times ” over 40 years ago : —“ With nine, horses out of io whip and spur are usually detrimental in a race. It isa bad compliment to a jockey to ask him to ride without them, because they are regarded an essential part of his costume, but he is popularly supposed to possess sufficient discretion not to make unwise usd of them. A light weight, however, ought: never be allowed spurs, for when he gets tired he hangs on by them. He should not have a whip either, unless the horse is known to be a slug, because; directly his mount is in trouble, the boy is thrown off his balance by using It, and he abandons the reins just when, to use*a common expression, ne ought to be holding the animal together.”