SPORTING TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 699, 30 July 1903, Page 5

SPORTING TOPICS.

First forfeits for the Melbourne Cup fall due on Monday, August 10.

The Wellington R.C. cleared nearly £5OO over the recent Winter Meeting.

The annual meeting of the members of the Auckland Racing Club will be held on Monday next, August 3, at 2 p.m.

The progeny of Stekniak, who heads the winning list of stallions this season, have won in all £27,374 to date.

Battleaxe is a pronounced favourite for the Grand National Hurdle, while Haydn is most fancied for the Steeplechase.

Mr Paterson has christened his Gipsy -Grand —Ambush filly, Unawares, and hit Soult—Problem filly, Solution. The latter is very neat.

Haydn is reported to be in great form, and is certain to give a good account of himself at Riccarton.

Nor’-West is not to. be sent South to -compete in the big event at Riccarton next month, for which race he has been scratched. t ,

The handicaps for the minor event®, to be decided on the first day of the New Zealand Grand National Meeting at Riccarton, ar® due to-morrow.

Mr Stead’s pair, Cruciform and Orloff, leave for Sydney to-morrow in charge of R. Mason. Jones will go over to ride the pair.

In the Eclipse Stakes, at Sandown Park, three of the five rurtners have been •old at one time or another for £61,000, And the Derby winner, Rock Sand, is not included.

Mr Wyflyard notifies all persons concerned that any outstanding accounts due to the Takapuna Jockey Club, unless paid on or before Friday, July 31, will be dealt with unden Rule 69 of the Rules of Racing.

The filly by Multiform from Aura, from whom much was expected, met with an injury during the week, which may prevent her from distinguishing herself on the track.

The Otaki Maori Racing Club has ap pointed Mr J. H. Pollock to the position of handicapper. Such an expert in the weight adjusting business is certain to give satisfaction. * * * *

The Carbine horse Carbuton, starting at 100 to 8, won the Monson Plate, six furlongs, at Lincoln (Eng.) on June 10. There were a dozen runners. Another Carbine in Gun Court wort a two miles welter at Lingfield on June 9. He was second favourite at 7 to 2 in a field of rix.

The French representatives, Maximum H. (Chalet —Urgence), made short work of the English horses he met in the Gold Cup, two and a-half miles, at Ascot. Rising Glass was favourite, '.but the Frenchman beat him in a canter.

The Trenton mare,, Cinder Ellen, who was once well known among the Sydney ponies, subsequently raced in India, and is now at the stud in the Old Country, has throwrt a colt foal to Bill of Portland. One of Cinder Ellen’s progeny is amongst the erack two-year-olds in Ireland this year.

Frailty was the dam of Trenton, Zalin«ki, Havoc, Niagara and Cuirassier, all horses of great note on the turf and at the stud. Good as they were (says the “ Sydney Mail ”) it is doubtful if one of them was an ounce better than Lancaster over any course. Personally, I should fancy Trenton to have been far superior to his younger relative. * * * *

The Avondale Jockey Club is out with its programme for the season, the bookbeing as usual neatly got up. By the way, it should not be forgotten that nominations for the Avondale Cup, Handicap Steeplechase, Plumpton Handicap, and Flying Stakes to be run at the Spring Meeting are due on Friday, August 14. ♦ ♦ * * Count Lehndorff, who, it is cabled, purchased Ard Patrick for 20,000 guineas, is the first Continental authority ort racehorse breeding, and is the.author of a remarkably well-written artd fascinating book entitled “ Horsebreeding Recollections,” which he published in English twenty years ago. The Count is a German, and an ardent disciple of Bruce Lowe. For many years he has had the control of the thoroughbreds belonging to the German Government, and has done nearly all the purchasing for the State for many years. His last big purchase was KirkconneU, a son of Royal Hampton, and winner of the Two Thousand Guineas in 1895.

Sir Rupert Clarke has returned to Melbourne from England. In his opinion Australian horses cannot hold their own with English horses over short distances, but in races over a mile they would stand good chances of distinguishing themselves. The Victorian baronet will be in Auckland in November, to take over his new schooner yacht now being built by Mr Charles Bailey.

Mr Morrin’s famous stud farm is being formed into a company, under the title of the Wellington Park Stud Company. Mr Morrin will act as managing director, and I understand the other gentlemen on the board will be the Hon. E. Mitchelson, Messrs S. Thorne George, H. 0. Nolan, Gorrie, and Darlow..

“ The luck of the game ” was forcibly demonstrated in connection with the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase. Before the day, four of the Messrs Miller’s five nominations’ had been withdrawn, and as Error, the only one of the five who was left in, had always been ridden by J i ekenson, Mooney, the best cross-country rider in Australia, was left without a mount. He got over the difficulty by riding Grafnell for another stable and winning ! Error was the last horse to finish.

When the last mail left England Sanfoin (with, the aid of Rock Sand) was at the head of the list of winning stallions, the three-year-old champion having won £11,250. St. Frusquin came next in order, and then followed Ayrshire, Juggler, Gallinule, Royal Hamptan, and Carbine. Ard Patrick’s two big victories should, however, have since brought his sire, St. Florian, to the top of the tree.

The Hon. E. Mitchelson, Messrs W. McLaughlin, L. D. Nathan, D. McLeod, R. H. Reid, R. Duder, W. D. Holgate, J. Marshall, and A. Kidd, M.H.R., are the gentlemen who have been nominated for the six seats on the Auckland Racing Club Committee, which have been rendered vacant according to the rules.

As giving some idea of the popularity of Ascot races, it may be mentioned that •this year the London and South-Western Railway ran no fewer than eighty-six special trains to Ascot on the opening day, and so great was the tax on the Company’s resources that foreign rolling stock borrowed from tbje Great Western, Great Northern, North London, Midland, and South-Eastern and Chatham Railways was pressed into the service. All the trains kept excellent time, and were despatched with the regularity of clockwork.

Mr J. J. Miller’s Annual Sporting Pamphlet is to hand, and is replete with a mass of information which seems invaluable to sportsmen of all classes. As usual the book contains the placed and unplaced performances of all horses! engaged in the New Zealand, Caulfield, and Melbourne Cups, entries for this year’s Derbies and the big two-year-old events, etc. As in addition all the records’ of athletic happenings are given, it is. small wonder the pamphlet is in such universal demand.

# ♦ .* * • A sporting match, in which a very considerable amount of interest, is being taken, w 11 be decided on the Domain, at. two o’clock, on Saturday afternoon next. The contestants will be G. Hill, of Dargaville, a well-known performer at the Public School Sports, and T. Edwards, a very smart Auckland middle distance runner. They are to race over a distance of half a mile for £25 aside, Mr P. Quinlan acting as stake holder. Hill is a fairly pronounced favourite for the go, and his supporters are very confident of success, but nothing will surprise me less than to find Edwards puts him down. j

Among the pictures accompanying this issue will be found some views taken during the week. These include a portrait of Cyrenian, the well-known St. Simon stallion. He is said to be a striking likeness of his famous sire, and is a bright bay in colour, with black points. A photograph of that good performer, Eton, is also shown, and he is referred to more fullv under “ Sporting Topics. Snapshots of the yearling sister to Lady Annie, and a few other youngsters also appear. A picture of the Tandem Club will recall to mind that club in the time of Lord Onslow, who was President, Dr. A. C. Purchas being Vice-President. Those in the group, reading from left to right, include Mr Ansenne, of Penrose, Dr. Purchas, and Mr Horace Walker, Mr 1. McLaughlin, Mr D. Stewart, and Mr Chatfield. A capital group is givert of those intrepid mariners, Captain Voss Mr H. Buckeridge, and Mr W. A. Donald, of the canoe Tilikum, now in Auckland. The lectures te the tent at Wellesley-street, in which most interesting particulars of the tiny cruiser’s long voyage are given, are proving very popular. A group is shown of the Grafton Association Team, which played last Saturday. Other pictures show a view in Logan Bros’, yard, with the cracks Moana and Rainbow hauled up for the winter. The various dramatic illustrations speak for themeelvee.

Mr A. F. Bradshaw has given notice to the V.R.C. that he will move, at the annual meeting of the dub, that horses must be registered, with name, age, colour, sex, marks, and brands described, before being allowed to race under V.R.C. rules. This would be a rather difficult task, but has been successfully achieved in the registration of greyhounds.

Writing of the death of the Mount Morgan stockholder, Mr T. S. Hall, a New Zealand writer falls into a bad blunder when he says “ Among the horses that successfully carried his colours were Lyndhurst, Proctor, Pirate, Sir Anthony, Honest Ned, Lauristioa, My Love and Yabba ! None of these belonged to Mr Hall.

The annual meeting of the Thames Jockey Club was well attended. The report presented congratulated the members on the sound financial position of the club. The net profit from all sources for the past year amounted to £355 5s 4d, and and the sum of £ll5O had been disbursed in stakes during the year. At present the club hae a sum .°f £600; on fixed deposit, and £569 7s id to the credit of current account, making a total credit balance of £1169 17s id. The totalisator receipts during the year showed a falling off of £165 17s when compared with the receipts for the previous year. Mention was made of the loss the club had sustained through the destruction of its grandstand and the adjacent cottage by fire, but the club had decided to build a new up-to-date grandstand, the plans and specifications for which had already been prepared, and its erection was to be proceeded with at an early date. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows : — President, Hon. Jas. McGowan; vice-pre-sident, Mr Alfred Smith ; treasurer, Mr C. J. Winder; judge, Mr Wm. Burton ; handicapper, Mr J. Chadwick; clerk of scalesi, Mr W. Taylor; starter, Mr Geo. Cutts ; clerk of Course, Mr J. Connolly ; timekeeper, Mr D. Twohill ; secretary, Mr W. H. Potts ; auditor, Mr H. G. Gillespie; committee, Messrs Winder, Menzies, Short, Taylor, Loughlin and Murphy. At a meeting of the committee held directly after, wards Mr R. R. Menzies was re-elected chairman for the ensuing year, and Messrs Winder, Bruce, Inglis, Loughlin, Twohill, and Milnes were elected stewards. The retiring course committee, viz., Messrs Winder, Menziesi, Burton, and Inglis, were re-elected.

The three gentlemen appointed by the Australian Jockey Club to act nsj Stipendiary Stewards do not seem to give satisfaction in the manner in which their duties are carried out. It appears) to have been made clear by a decision of the stipendiary stewards that if one horse bores another across pretty well the entire width of the course, the latter, in the event of being beaten, cannot succeed to the stake on a. protest for interference on any course to which their jurisdiction extends. Such a case occurred at Warwick Farm, when Famous bored right across the course. It seems to have been a Very glaring case, and a protest soon followed, but was promptly dismissed. But if the decision is to be accepted as a precedent (says “ The Daily Telegraph ”) the way will be paved for objectionable practices by unscrupulous jockeys. It has always been understood that if one horse so jostles another as to stop it from winning, the offender shall be disqualified, whether the interference is accidental or otherwise. The interference that the winner . subjected Lord Cardigan to was so palpable and so vigorous, without any intention of the riders, that it is reasonable to suppose the stewards were not in a position to see it ; hence their finding.

Among the illustrations this week appears a portrait of Eton, and seeing it reminds one what a fine performer was_ this near relative of Carbine. He had quite a string of victories to his credit, included among them being the A.R.C. Shorts which, with 7st 41b, he beat fukrteen runrtars ; the A.R.C. Trial Handicap, when he carried 7st 51b to victory in front of ten opponents ; the A.R.C. Railway Handicap, when carrying 7st lolb he showed the way to nine others. Eton proved successful in the Ascot Handicap, wherein, with Bst, he beat nine runrtars.; and the A.R.C. Autumn Stakes, when his poundage was Bst 71b, five horses finishing behind him. The son of Castor and Lady Walmsley also distinguished himself in the A.R.C. Flying Handicap, under Bst, defeating seven horses, and at Egmont, when he annexed the Waimate Plate, in which, with 7st 81b, he beat a dozen runners-, and the Normanby Stakes, which he won from five opponents. It is, perhaps, not generally realised what a big horse Eton is, but in reality he stands over 16 hands, and being a very massive and handsome horse, is a typical Musket, having thrown more to the dam than the sire. If he gets any good chances the Cambria Park, stallion should make a name for himself at the stud.

The well-known bookmaker, Mr Sam Allen, won the final of the Victorian Club’s billiard tournament at Melbourne. He was one of the favourites from the time of the appearance of the handicaps.

The Sultan of Johore has left Australia by the steamer Argus for Singapore. George Redfearn has gone with him as his private trainer, ' * * A * ' ’ " >

Since 1896 Ascetic’s progeny have won nearly £25,000 under National Hunt Rules in England. Ascetic has been dead about six years.

While the horses were being saddled for the Prix de Longchamps at the Paris Meeting on Sunday, M. Santos Dumont, with his balloon. No. 9, arrived from Neuilly and manoeuvred over the course, turning round, cutting “figures,” and finally alighting on the heathy when he received an ovation from the public. He remained on the heath for about five, minutes, and then, after circling round the course, returned home.

Ard Patrick’s defeat of the English Derby winner Rock Sand, no doubt considerably surprised the English critics, who were commencing to acclaim the three-year-old “the horse of the century,” and concerning whom a prominent London scribe expressed an opinion that he could beat any horse in fhe world at weight-for-age from a mile to a mile and a half. Mr Gubbins must be accounted a particularly lucky man to get hold of two such horses as Galtee More and Ard Pajrick from the same mare, Morganette, and, after winning a big sum in stakes with them, to sell one for £21,000, and the other for a thousand less.

Progress, a good horse in his day, joined the great majority a few days ago at the mature age of 26. He was bred by Mr C. B. Fisher, and was by Angler from Coquette, by Hercules. .His career of victory was rather spoilt by the great Grand Flaneur, who was foaled the same year. Progress first encountered Grand Flaneur in the V.R.C. Derby, and, though he started favourite, was easily beaten a length. Grand Flaneur did not compete in the Royal Park Stakes and Canterbury Plate, run at the same meeting, and Progress won each time, but he was second to the Derbv winner, in the Mares’ Produce Stakes. Progress won the Geelong Gold Cup and Mares’ Produce Stakes, registered a good second to Wellington in the Geelong Handicap ; and then, in the autumn, was second again at Flemington to Grand Flaneur in the St. Leger, third to Grand Flaneur ,and Sweetmeat in the Town Plate, aqd third to First Water in the Aurtralian Cup. The Town Plate was Grand Flaneur’s last race, and then Progress had a rare innings at the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting, taking in succession the St. Leger, Sydney Cup, Cumberland. Stakes, and A.J.C. Plate, and subsequently winning the Adelaide St. Leger and running second to Mata in the Queen’s Birthday Cup at Adelaide. As a 2-year-old Progress won the V.R.C. Port Phillip Stakes and A.J.C. Autumn Stakes. This concluded his racing career. Progress sired several useful horses, but he was not a great success at the stud.

The Eclipse Stakes, which gave rise to such a sensational race last week, was first run in 1886, when Mr Barclay s famous Bendigo won irta field of twelve, and since each winner has been of the highest class, as can be seen from the following list (there were no races in 1887 aa d 1890) :• —Orbit, Ayrshire (winner of the Two Thousand Guineas and the Derby), Surefoot (Two Thousand Guineas), Orme (won in 1892 and 1893), Isinglass (Two Thousand Guineas, Derby and St. Leger), Le Justicier, St. Frusquin (secortd in the Derby), Persimmon (Derby and St. Leger), Velasquez (second in the Derby), Flying Fox (Two Thousand Guineas, Derby and St. Leger), Diamond Jubilee (Two Thousand Guineas’, Derby and St. Leger), Epsom Lad and Cheers. The latter, who won last vear, by doing so added £9675 to the Duke of Devonshire’s banking account, The doings of the three placed horses are well known, Ard Patrick being last year’s Derby winner, Sceptre last year’s l Two Thousand, One Thousand, Oaks, and St. Leger winner, and Rock Sand, this year’s Derby winner. Ard Patrick was in the race last year, but was scratched just before the race, owing to having gone lame.

Mr M. Taylor, New Zealand Tattersail’s Club, Auckland, reports having laid the following trebles at £5OO to 5s on the Medboubne, Caulfiedd and New Zealand Cups Bright Beauty, Emir, Wairiki Bright Beauty, Emir, Lady Lillian Bright Beauty, Emir* Halberdier Bewitcher, Emir, Wairiki Possum, Murlagan, Great Gun Strathearn, Possum, Orloff War Chief . Billali, Orloff Undecided, Keys, Achilles •