Sporting Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 708, 1 October 1903, Page 7

Sporting Topics.

(By "The Judge.”)

Pearldiver was scratched for the New Zealand Cup on Tuesday afternoon.

Auckland Cup nominations are due tomorrow.

Locally Lady Lillian is quoted as an even favourite for the New Zealand Cup, with Wairiki at 7 to 1 against, but in the South Lady Zetland’s daughter is in pride of place. Shrapnel is next in demand at 10 to' 1, while next in order of favouritism come Pampero, Ringman and Kclbum.

L. H. Hewitt has received a cable asking him to ride Marvel Loch in the Caulfield Cup, but he has not come to a decision in the matter yet.

During the recent eight days’ racing on the IV. A. goldfields no less than £82,000 were invested on the totalisators. The profits to the three clubs are estimated at nearly £ 13,000. At the Kalgoorlie meeting £48,000 went through the totalisators in two days.

When the mail left England VV. Lane was still at the head of the list of winning jockeys. His average was 90 wins in 400 rides. Jit one week from Saturday to Saturday he had 29 mount®, and won on nine occasions.

Shoddy (Trenton—Chintz), winner of the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles of 1901, hurt his neck so badly when he fell in the Hurdle Race at Epsom (Melbourne) a fewdays ago that he had to be destroyed the following day.

Mr Price tells me that the Anteros mare Mantilla has produced a colt foal at Cambria Park to the imported St. (Simon horse Cyrenian. This is the first colt to make its appearance this season at Cambria Park, but as a number of the mares are overdue the foals may be expected to come along quickly now.

Carbine was represented by a good winner in England last month,' his son, Musqueton, who is out of Musa, winning the Hardwick Stakes from Sweet Duchess, Bass Rock, and two others. The result was somewhat of a surprise, because BassRock went out at 2 to 1 on, and the winner started at 100 to 14 against.

It is said that the Metropolitan favourite, Faithful, was very badly interfered with in the big Sydney race, and was never once given a chance to get out. If what one hears can be relied on (says the “ Town and Country Journal ”), some of the jockeys go out in a race with the sole intention of preventing the favourite winning if possible.

Among recent foalings are the following :—Mr J . Morrin’s Queen Cole, by King Cole —Rosalie, filly to Menschikoff ; Mr T. Morrin’s Harpist, bv Hotchkiss— Lyielinus, colt to Phoebus Apollo : Mr J. T Marshall’s Coalscuttle by King Cole — Florence, colt to Hotchkiss ; Mr W. Percival s Curassow, by Cuirassier—Rubinia, colt to Soult.

A very good record was achieved by W. Deeley at the Avondale Meeting. He rode Methuma in the Avondale Stakes, M-Uskcrdfile and on the second day, and was on Dolores in the Grandstand Handicap, and Sally Horner in the Pony event on the third day, thus piloting five winners at the meeting. Deeley rides with a very short rein and stretches out over his horse's withers. He, uses his| head too. a fact which was ’clearlv apparent when he handled Dolores. With ordinary luck he should have a very o-ood season.

While competing in the Welter Handicap, Rex came to his end on Saturday. He jumped off his mark very fast, and came round the bend at such speed that the race looked all over bar shouting. Once in the line for home Sceats took a look round for his opponents, and atthat moment his mount seemed to cross his feet and came down very heavily. The result was a broken leg, and a friendly bullet soon put the horse out of his pain. Rex was eleven years old at the time of his death, being got by St. I.eger from Jessie. Perhaps the’ best performance ever achieved by the che.tnut gelding was when he carried Bst 121 b to victory in the A.R.C. Easter Handicap of 1899. Ob that occasion he was giving 201 b to Bluejacket, 71b to Battleaxe, 151 b to Coronet, 191 b to St. Ursula, the field numbering thirteea : Rex won in a canter by three lengths (from Wairongomai, running the mile in a min 43 2-ssec.

After taking part at the Avondale meeting the horses Maro, Durable, and Toledo, were sent South on Sunday last.

At Sylvia Park, the Goldsborough— Songstress mare Cantatrice has produced a brown filly to Seaton Delaval, this bringing up this season’s foalings to six colts and five fillies.

Benzoin has dissapeared from the New Zealand Cup list, the scratching pen having been put through his name on Saturday.

Seaton Delaval has made a good start for the season with five.'winners at Avondale and three in the South. If he can keep this up the imported son of Melton and Rosedale will be very close to the top of the list of successful stallions this year.

Spalpeen gave further pointed proof at Avondale that, whatever may be his' demerits on the flat, he is a fair stamp of a hurdle horse. He won fairly comfortably on the second day, and I shall be much surprised if the son of Gossoon does not again get his name on the winning list before long.

The English sprinter, Sundridge, was in excellent form when the last mail left England, and at the Lewes Meeting, on August 7, carried 9st nib and won the De Warrenne Handicap (5 furlongs and a few yards;) in the fast time of 60 3-ssec. Subsequently a five-and-a-half furlongs match for £5OO aside and a £2OO cup was made between Sundridge, 9st lolb, and Le Blizon, 7st 121 b.

The following are the drawers of placed horses in Tattersail’s No. 2 Consultation on the Metropolitan Stakes, run at Randwick, N.S.W., September 14th, 1903, 50,000 subscribers at ss. each, fully subscribed :—lst —Marvel Loch, Frank Bull, Haystack Flat, Imbil Road, Gympie, Queensland, £4OOO ; 2nd —T.M.S., Alex. Mitchell, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, £1250, 3rd—Ossian, Ah Lo\. Tumut, N.S.W., £750. These amounts are net.

The following are the drawers of pla'ed horses in Tattersall’s No. 1 Consultation on the Metropolitan Stakes, run at Randwick, N.S.W., September 14th, 1903. 50,000 subscribers at ss. each, fully subscribed-:—lst—Marvel Loch, Huey and Devery, care of D. Devery, N.S. W., £4OOO ; 2nd —T.M.S., T. Bridges, care of T. Burns, Manchester Grove, Caulfield, Vic., £1250; 3rd—Ossian, Neanger Syndicate, care of Jeffries Bros., Eaglehawk, Vic., £750. These amounts are net.

A new rule, providing that any lessee of a horse, before entering it at registered meetings in the metropolitan district, must lodge with the secretary of the club a true copy of the lease or other document under -which he claims to be entitled to its possession or control, has been passed by the Australian Jockey Club Committee. The penalty for noncomplaiance is the invalidation of the entry, the forfeiture of the stakes, and the liability to fine or disqualification.

To-morrow (Friday) evening will be a busy one at the Auckland Racing Club office, for, in addition to entries for certain special events to be decided at the approaching Spring Meeting being due, nomination have also to be made for the Auckland Cup and othei- big handicaps of the Summer Meeting. I hope to see a record entry when the lists come to be made up.

Despite the fact that he only ran third i* the Avondale Stake®, Mr Evett summed up Kilmarnock as being a good deal better than anything- opposed to him in the Nursery Handicap on the second dav. In taking this view of the case the veteran handicapper was perfectly right, for the handsome black son of Simmer put down his six opponents in verv convincing style. Mr Friedlander's colt, will be seen to more advantage later on.

Mr O. F. Pilling presided at the annual meeting of the Te Arolia Jockey Club, on Friday evening. The balance-sheet shewed the receipts for the past season to have been £562 4s nd, the largest items being £l4B ios from the sale of privileges at the summer meeting and £ll5 ios as totalisator commission. The expenditure (the chief item being £383 paid in stal es at the two meetings held), amounted to £542 15s 6d. leavinig a credit balance of £l9 9s sd. Against this there were accounts to the amount of £69 ns 6d owing by the club. There was a sum of £44 16s owing to the club, consisting of unpaid nomination fees and overdue members’ subscriptions. It was agreed to request the Racing Conference to approve the alteration of the dates—February 15 and 17., 1904— which had been fixed for the next summer meeting to February 17 and 18, 1904. After discussion a’ proposition to again hold a hack meeting was carried, and the date was fixed for November 9, Kiag's Birthday.

The Auckland bred Siege Gun (Hotchkiss—Frailty), has been purchased for stud purposes by the Messrs Barnes, of Dyraaba, Richmond River.

Mr Charles Greenwood (" Hotspur ” of the London " Daily Telegraph ”) died in England just before the departure of the last mail. There have been few better known writers on turf topics.

The Wellington-bred mare by St. Leger from Hilda, who recently won a couple of races in England, will in future be known as “ Lady Saint." As she is a four-year-old, it has taken her owners plenty of time to think out a very poor name.

The Wallace colt Emir is said to be doing well at Ballarat, but if there is a return of the trouble which caused him to be thrown out of work a few weeks ago, he will be immediately struck out of the Victoria Derby and the Melbourne Cup.

According to Sir Robert Giffen, Jlie bookmakers of the British Empire benefit to the tune of £5,000,000 annually at their customers’ expense. Nice round figures these, but near enough as the matter is purely guesswork.

The American jockey D. Maher, who it was thought would not be seen in the saddle again this season, owing to injuries received ib a motor accident, rode a couple of winners at the York (Eng.) meeting on the 25th of August.

Perfection was in good form at the Rangitikei Meeting, winning the Spring Handicap on the opening day, and the September Handicap on the second day. She is a six-year-old bay mare by The Workman out of Caribou, and is owned bv Mr J. Paul.

The action in Sydney in which Frank M’Grath, horsetrainer, sought to recover £630 from Robert Henry Wormall, alleged to have been given to the defendant to invest on behalf of the plaintiff on Chippy Norton in the High-weight Handicap at the Anniversary Meeting at Randwick, resulted in a verdict for the full amount claimed.

The sum of £7689 was passed through the totalisator on the last day of the recent Avondale J.C. Spring Meeting, as against £5791 for the corresponding day last year, an inctease of £lB9B, while the total for the three days ran out to £19,661, as against £17,180 for the Spring Meeting of 1902, an increase of £2841.

An exciting cross-country race took place at Noumea lately in connection with the 50th anniversary fetes of New Caledonia. The distance vas seventy-five miles, and thirteen horses started. The race was won by Louis, ridden by Henry Martin, late of Mungiebundie Station, where Bel ah was bred. The time was shr Bmin. The horse belongs to M. Dezernaulds>, a well-known barrister of Noumea.

Sportsmen who are fond of a jaunt up to “ Hot-Water Land ” to attend the gatherings of the Rotorua Jockey Club will be glad to learn that there is every likelihood of there being- two days’ races this year during Carnival week, at which fair stakes will be given. Considerable improvements will be made to the track, and every inducement given to take horses to the meeting. The club is anxious to do al] in its power to study the convenience of raceownersi, and these latter should not stand in their own Light by failing to pay up. The fact of there being £3O owing to the club in this respect for one day's racing speaks for itself.. With fair treatment the country dub may be relied on to provide good stakes to be competed for.

Cordon Rouge was freely whispered about as a rod in pickle for the Electric Handicap/, and the colt pulled off the event in taking style, for Vulpine had a very big lead at the home turn, and it was a combination of courage and speed that enabled the winner to put down the speedy daughter of Reynard. < ’ordon Rouge _is a black colt by Soult—Lady Emmeline, and had only started twice previously. He won the Avondale Stakes ny a length from Kamo last, season, and with top weight, ran unplaced in the Nursery Handicap on the second dav of the meeting.

Even allowing that Ibex was the least hit lucky to win the Craven Plate (says the "Referee), his performance was an excellent one as the race was run at a terrific pace, anti though in difficulties a hundred yards from home, he battled on gamely to the end. His performance dispelled the idea that he could not go beyond a mile, and now he has plenty of backers for the Daulfield Cup, in which he has the luxurious weight (for him) of Bst 9]b. Possibly, with something chopping at him all the way, the mile and a half may find him out. but with ordinary luck he will give his supporters a good run for their money.

During the sixteen years that Mr G. G. Stea’d and his trainer Mason have, been associated the former has won in stakes alone the sum of £85,000 in this colony.

Handicaps for the first day's events of the Auckland Racing Club’s Spring Meeting are due to make their appearance on Monday, October 26, instead of the previous Friday, as appears in the programme.

Ranui broke his neck while competing at the Rangitikei Meeting. He was a five-year-old bay gelding by King John from a Somnus mare, but was only a moderate performer.

The two-year-old filly Pansy Blossom (by Hotchkiss —Pansy) was destined to have a very short racing 'career. In her second . race—the Nursery Handicap, at Avondale —the filly injured herself to such an extent that she had to be destroyed.

The Auckland Cup representative, Wairiki, had a good voyage down to Lyttelton and arrived safely. His appearance on the Riccarton tracks created a very favourable impression.

’The Spring Meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club will be commenced to-day and concluded to-morrow. The club has met with good outside support, no less than fifteen Wellington horses having been sent up to take part at the meeting. Racing will commence with the SpringStakes, for which Ringman and Shrapnel read well, while in the other events the following may figure prominently :—Wanganui Guineas Treadmill, Maiden Race Tirole, Hurdle Race Mourner or Waiwera, First Hack Hurdles The Dauber, Putiki Hack Race Handsome h'< se or Roseal, and Paratutu or Black Reynard in the Flying Handicap.

The Sydney Tattersall’s Handicap was run at Randwick, on Saturday, seven horses starting. The winner turned up in Mr J. Earnshaw’s four-year-old brown gelding Bruntwood, by Grat" on—Lovelock, who going out second favourite won by half a length from Bi ide groom and Naphio. lhe winner is in the Melbourne Cup with 7st 1 -lb opposite his narrie.

The Otahuhu Racing Club will bring off a meeting on the Otahuhu racecourse on Wednesday, October 14 (Labour Day). Six events will be run off, including a Saddle or Harness Trot. Nominations are due with Mr F. Yonge, the secretary, at the Star Hotel, Otahuhu, to-morrow (Friday), at 9 p.m,, while handicaps will appear on October 7. For the 'convenience of those wishing to attend the gathering a special train will leave Auckland at 12.20 p.m., and will return immediately after the last race. Full particulars of the various events will be found in our advertising columns.

I heard a well-known racing man, just prior to the Third Hack Handicap on Saturday, express the opinion that Noteorini couldn’t possibly win because Eton never g-ot a galloper yet. What he thought after Mr Hodge’s; gelding had simply spreadeagled the field I am unable to say, for the performance of the three-year-old son of Eton and Orini in winning by eight lengths was something of an eye-opener. Mr Price, manager of the Cambria Park Stud, looked a pleased man after the race, for he is a staunch believer in the ability of the son of Castor and Lady Walmsley to beget good ones.

The hoary adage that the early bird gets the worm is not always to be depended upon. No doubt those gentlemen who started backing Orloff last week for the New Zealand Cup were under the impression that they were getting in early, but the subsequent withdrawal of the .on of Siepniak (from all his C.J.C. engagements must have left them sorrowfully reflecting that it is not always good business attempting to forecast *an owner’s intentions. As Orloff was unable to compete in Sydney owing to his leg having filled, it is very difficult to see how the idea can have originated that put the supposed astute brigade £0 far astray.

An idea of the injurious effect which the betting shops about Melbourne are having on the attendances at race meetings held within the metropolitan radius may be gained by a visit to these shops on a race day (sqys " The Leader ”). During the past two years the shops have sprung up in large numbers in the city and suburbs, and Hie police appear to have not the slightest inclination to do their duty by putting a stop to them. On Saturday afternoon, when the Oaklands Hunt Club races were held at Moonee Valley, betting was in full swing in several crowded places situated in the heart of the city, aperations being conducted with an openness which/ was a striking indication of the immunity from official- interference which the proprietors ©f these shops enjov.