Sporting Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 736, 14 April 1904, Page 7

Sporting Topics.

(By “ The Judge.”)

Final payments for the New Zealand St. Leger Stakes and the North Island Challenge Stakes must be made by Thursday, April 14.

Avondale acceptances close with Mr Hayr, to-morrow, Friday evening.

Nominations for the Great Northern Hurdles, G.N. Steeplechase and Winter Steeplechase, to be run at the Winter Meeting of the Auckland Racing Club, are due with Mr W. Percival, on Friday, April 22, at 9 p.m.

General entries for the A.R.C. Winter Meeting are due on Friday, May 13, when acceptances for the G.N. Hurdles and G.N. Steeplechase must afso be made.

Nominations for the Winter Meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club are due with Mr F. Mofiatt, the secretary, on Friday, April 22, at 9 p.m.

Entries for the Jackson Stakes to be run at the Autumn Meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club, 1906, close with Mr F. Moffatt, on Friday, April 22, at 9 p.m.

Entries for the Wanganui Guineas to be run at the Spring Meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club, 1905, close with Mr F. Mofiatt, on Friday, April 22, at 9 p.m.

Mr Walker, of Palmerston North, has leased The Officer from the Hon. J. D. Ormond.

The Thames Jockey Club made a profit of £42 over the last meeting. The club is going in for improvements to the course.

Dick Cavill, the champion swimmer, left for Sydney on Monday, He will represent Australia at the St. Louis Exposition.

The cable states that Mr Spencer Gollan’s horse Australian Star won the Welter Handicap at the Alexandra Park Meeting.

The Avondale Jockey Club has, I am informed, appointed Mr E. Hankens to the position of starter.

All Sir George Clifford’s horses have been struck out of the handicap races at Wellington.

Regulation, who did so well at the Ellerslie Meeting, was sent south on Tuesday from Onehunga.

The Zealandia took south the filly by Seaton Delaval from Keepsake, which Mr Stead purchased at the break up of the Sylvia Park Stud.

The four-year-old bay horse Wellbeck (Perkin Warbeck II. —Reverie) has been purchased by Mr J. Buntley, of Oamaru, for 350 guineas.

The number of investors in “Tattersail’s” consultations appears to be steadily on the increase despite the somewhat childish legislation directed against the institution. Aucklanders have been quite as ready as investors in other parts of Australasia to try their luck, but for a long time past Dame Fortune has refused to smile on the Northeners. A stroke of luck, however, is now reported for a local investor, Mr Hardwick, who is engaged at the Remuera Station, having drawn Sweet Nell in the Sydney Cup, in which Sir Rupert Clarke’s filly ran third. The numerous supporters of “Tatt’s” in the Northern province will trust that this is but a foretaste of favours to come.

The six-year-old bay mare Baigneuse (St. AndreA—Flatter) broke her leg last week and had to be shot.

A member af the Victorian ring is said to have offered £l2OO for Gladsome.

Martian has been generally dropped upon as a good thing for the Thompson Handicap. Our Wellington correspondent prefers Shrapnel, who won last year.

The colts by Phoebus Apollo—chrysolite, Hotchkiss—Lady Augusta, and Hotchkiss—Janet, purchased at the recent stud sales in Auckland by a West Australian sportsman, were shipped on Monday by the Westralia.

Ten of the inmates of the Porirua stable are to be submitted to auction on the day prior to the Wellington Meeting. As will be seen in our advertising columns, these include Ostiak, Rawiri, Sea Lion, Clovelly, Whangamomona, Position, Sir Galahad, Elibank, Hamua, and the Stepniak—Ranee Numa colt.

To many people there is but one race meeting in the year really worth attending, and that is the winter fixture of the Auckland Racing Club, for at this gathering there is any amount of longdistance cross-country racing. To many sportsmen who love the game for its own sake, and not for the sake of the betting to be done, a single race for the “leppers” is worth all the rest of the programme put together. The A.R.C. has, as usual, put forward a particularly attractive bill-of-fare for the next reunion. The meeting will take place on Friday, June 3 (Prince of Wales’ birthday), June 8 and 11. On each day there will be seven items to be discussed, and the total stakes for the twenty-one events amounts to the more than respectable sum of £4OOO. On the opening day the chief event will be the Great Northern Hurdle Race, of 500 sovs, this being run on the first day this year, a step I have always advocated very strongly. The other events are the Maiden Steeplechase, of 100 sovs ; Maiden Welter, of 100 sovs ; Maiden Hurdles, of 100 sovs ; Cornwall Handicap, of 300 sovs ; Selling Steeplechase, of 100 sovs ; and Ladies’ Bracelet, of 100 sovs.

On the second day the star item is the Great Northern Steeplechase, of 750 sovs, in which very great interest will centre, while the other events to be run are the Orakei Hurdles, of 100 sovs ; Ranfurly Welter, of 100 sovs ; Remuera Hurdles, of 200 sovs ; Prince of Wales’ Handicap, of 300 sovs; Tally-ho Steeple, of 150 sovs ; and Ladies’ Bracelet Steeplechase, of 50 sovs.

The concluding day’s sport will be ushered in with the Tamaki Steeplechase, of 100 sovs ; the York Welter, of 250 sovs ; Winter Steeplechase, of 250 sovs ; Campbell Hurdles of 200 sovs ; Fitzroy Welter, of 100 sovs ; Pakuranga Steeplechase of 50 sovs ; and the Farewell Handicap, of 100 sovs. The whole programme, which is advertised in this issue, forms an attractive dish to. set before owners, and there is little doubt the response will be as liberal as of yore. Nominations for the G.N. Hurdles and Steeplechase and for the Winter Steeplechase are due on Friday, April 22, general entrv night being fixed for Mav 13.

Full particulars of the programme to be discussed at the Winter Meeting of the Takapuna Jockey Club will be found in our advertising columns. The meeting will take place on Saturday, May 21, and Tuesday, May 24, seven events being run on each day. These include the Maiden Hurdles, of 70 sovs, 1| miles ; Maiden Plate, of 65 sovs, seven furlongs ; First Pony Handicap, of 75 sovs, five furlongs ; Empire Handicap, of 200 sovs, 14 miles ; First Hurdles, of 150 sovs, two miles ; Maiden Steeplechase, of 100 sovs, 2| miles ; and Royal Handicap, of 100 sovs, five furlongs. On the second day, the items are the Pupuke Handicap, of 60 sovs, five furlongs ; Second Hurdles, of 100 sovs, miles ; Britannia Handicap, of 150 sovs, one mile ; Second Pony Handicap, of 75 sovs, six furlongs ; Victoria Handle?, of 100 sovs, six furlongs ; Steeplechase of 300 sovs, 3| miles ; and Welter Handicap, of 75 sovs, one mile. This is an attractive bill-of-fare, and one well worth the attention of owners, who no doubt will resnond very liberally to the invitation. General entries are due on April 22.

The success of the five shilling totalisator at Christchurch has induced the Wellington Racing Club to follow suit at the coming meeting, at least so says report.

The Dunedin quartette Canteen, Vladimir, Petrovna, and Ailsa will be sent North to take part in the Wellington meeting.

African papers chronicle the successes of several New Zealand ponies in the land of gold and diamonds. Lay land won the Lilliputian Handicap at Bloemfontein, carrying 8.11, and starting at 4to 1 ; The Imp won the Pony Purse with 7.9, and starting at 2 to 1 on, and the Galloway Plate, with 8.5, and starting at 4to 1 on ; and Sea Spray the Second Pony Purse, with 9.7, and starting at 6 to 4 on ; Ukase, with 7.9, ran second to Sea Spray. Fancy The Imp in a pony event with 7st 91b. How Aucklanders would have come at it to be sure.

Nominations for all events to be decided at the Winter Meeting of the Takapuna Jockey Club close with Mr R. Wynyard, the secretary, on Friday, April 22, at 9 p.m.

The programme of the Winter Meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club will be found in our advertising columns. The fixture will take place on May 24 and 25, when fourteen events will be run ofi. These include the Flying Stakes Handicap, of 125 sovs, six furlongs ; Grandstand Steeplechase, of 150 sovs, 2| miles ; Maiden Race,, of 70 sovs, six furlongs ; Century Hurdle Handicap, of 300 sovs, two miles ; First Hack Hurdles, of 80 sovs, miles ; Connolly Handicap, of 300 sovs, one mile ; Purua Hack, of 100 sovs, one mile. On the second day the races to be decided are the Winter Oats, of 150 sovs, one mile ; Wanganui Steeplechase, of 400 sovs, three miles ; Balgowrie Hack, of 70 sovs, one mile ; May Hurdles, of 125 sovs, two miles ; Second Hack Hurdles, of so sovs, one mile and five furlongs ; Final Steeplechase, of 100 sovs, two three miles ; Balgownie Hack, of 70 sovs, one mile. This is a programme which is varied enough to suit the most exacting, and as the races are well endowed, Mr Moffatt should receive liberal nominations from the various racing centres of the colony.

Describing Gladsome’s debut at Randwick, “Milroy” writes as follows “The Autumn Stakes turned out a race of exceptional interest, as was generally anticipated. The meeting ,of those three beautiful mares, Air Motor, Gladsome, and Sweet Nell, with Faithful and Raeburn thrown? in as make-weights, raised the sporting public to the tiptoe of excitement. Gladsome’s New Zealand reputation preceded her, and her behaviour on the training tracks here was watched and discussed with wide interest. When the saddling bell rang the beautiful daughter of Seaton Delaval came in for much gapeseed, ar when she left her stall she was fairl ,r mobbed by an admiring crowd. Air Motor and Sweet Nell, too, attracted great attention, while Faithful and Raeburn were generally ignored. But after the race the multitude hurried to overhaul Raeburn, which is proof that he made a good impression. A jockey, named Donovan, was brought all the way from New Zealand to ride Gladsome, and when the word was given he dashed away to win from jump to judge, but Lewis on Sweet Nell was not disposed to let him get a break, and kept the New Zealander close company. The pace was not very severe for the first half-mile, but, nevertheless, Air Motor stopped away in the rear 10 lengths behind the leaders, and did not move up until the pace was clapped on to full pressure. When Bracken starts in pursuit he found they could go as fast as his mount could. Sweet Nell went up to Gladsome at half-way, and began to force the Maorilander, but neither of them could get far away fror Raeburn. Turning for home Lewis set about Gladsome in full earnest, and at the distance Raeburn made a bold dash, but it was only a flash in the pan, for the two fillies gradually drew away from him, and settled down to an exciting and ding-dong finish, in which Lewis fairly outrode the New Zealand boy, who would have got much better results had he not lost his whip before the final question was put. Though beaten, Gladsome was far from being disgraced. The consensus of opinion was that she would have about got there had she been ridden with more judgment. However, Sweet Nell is a tough proposition for anything to take on. It must not be forgotten that she won the Caulfield Guineas and Cup, two races that will bear favourable comparison for class with anv Gladsome has captured.”