Sporting Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 740, 12 May 1904, Page 7

Sporting Topics.

(By

“The Judge.”)

Treadmill is reported to be amiss. * * * *

Acceptances for Takapuna are due tomorrow evening.

* * * * The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club’s Autumn Meeting will be continued to-day.

Vesper, the dam of Evening Wonder and Evening, has joined the.great majority.

The Ashburton County Racing Club’s Autumn Meeting commences to-day.

General entries for the Auckland Racing Club’s Winter Meeting are due to-morrow evening.

Mr D. Thompson gave four hundred guineas for Kremlin, who has joined Tilley’s stable at Fordell.

Acceptances for the Great Northern Hurdle Race and Steeplechase are due tomorrow evening.

The Gisborne Racing Club’s Steeplechase Meeting will take place on July 7 and 8.

The Soult —Lorelei horse Sandy, who was in great form at the Marlborough Meeting, only cost Mr Solomon thirty-five guineas.

Slow Tom is reported to be a most proficient ’chaser, his former owner, Miss Button, having frequently ridden him over country.

The Christchurch Racing Club put j£4299 through the totalisator in Saturday, an advance of £1416 on the corresponding meeting last year.

Acceptances for the first day’s events of the Wanganui Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting are due to-morrow evening.

Golden Castle won the Trial Plate at Lincoln on March 21. The winner was got by the Australian horse Aurum, who is considered by many to have been the best that Trenton ever sired.

There is plenty of material for some grand sport at the Takapuna Meeting, which will be commenced on May 21. If the scratching pen is not too freely used there should be some record fields.

A fair amount of "double betting on the two big jumping events of the A.R.C. Winter Meeting hasi taken place during the week. The favourite combinations are Up-to-Date and Haydn, Ilp-to-Date and Princess of Thule, Haydn and Haydn, and Slow Tom and Haydn. There has been virtually r.o straight-out betting.

Tattersall’s Consultations are as popular as ever judging by the fact that no less than three different sweeps have been drawn on the Adelaide Cup. We are advised that tickets in the next Caulfield and Melbourne Cups Consultations are iiow procurable.

The Takapuna Jockey Club has appointed Mr E. Hankens to the post of starter, rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr E. Cutts. Mr Hankens’ good work at the barrier at Avondale greatly impressed those who were present, , the general opinion being that he will prove as good as Mr O’Connor at the game.

The Chester Cup, of 2000 sovs, has this year fallen to Sandboy, who is a four-year-old by Ravensbury from Sandblast. He carried the very light impost •of 6s t 2ft;, and was followed home by Mark Time (Marco —Semitone) and Throway (Rightaway—Theale). Time was when the Chester Cup gave rise to a tremendous amount of betting long before the event, but the modern rich .stakes have robbed it of much of its former glory.

Another two-thousand-pounder, the Kempton Park Great Jubilee Handicap, has been Carried off by Mr Cunliffe’s curiously named Ypsilanti, a well-performed six-year-old bay horse by Galaor from Stefanette, who carried 9st to victory, the other places going to Lord Beresford’s Cerisier, 6st stb, and Mr Prentice’s General Cronje, 7st ioft).

The TakapUna racecourse is looking in first-class order, everything being bright and fresh. Everything will be in applepie condition when the curtain is rung up for the sport to commence on the 21st inst. The meeting is being greatly looked forward to, as in the opinion of many the jumping events are the only 'ones worth witnessing.

When the Polo Pony Society turned its attention to the preservation of our native breeds of ponies and the maintenance of their correct type they perhaps initiated one of the most important movements in modern horse-breeding (says a writer in the “London Sporting Times”). The polo pony may, or may not, be an exotic, but there is no doubt about the hardy ponies that wander at will about the hills of Wales, the Highlands of Scotland, the Cumberland fells, or the New Forest. They are hardy enough, and no horse can do as much work on so little food in proportion to their size as our native breeds of ponies. That they would have disappeared or been bred out of recognition, at any rate for some time, is unlikely, even if the Polo Pony Society come to the rescue. But it is obvious to any observant man that the improvement of these native breeds of ponies tended .in the direction of harness. It is the riding pony that is the special care of the Polo Pony Society, and I take leave to think that the riding pony is of national importance. For he is the best ; indeed, it would scarcely be too much to say much to say that he is the only foundation from which to breed remounts for mounted infantry. Those who have seen, as I have, the weights that these diminutive Exmoor and New Forest ponies can carry through a “ rounding up ” won’t require mucii persuading on that point.

People who are accustomed to read of Stockwell as the “ Emperor of stallions” hardly ever realise what a marvellous horse* he was (says “ Milroy ”). As a racehorse he was in the top class, and, despite of very coarse frame and “ leaded ” shoulders, he was one of the best stayers in an age of undoubted stayers. When he retired from the turf, there was a wide belief among breeders that he would fail as a sire because of his extraordinary coarseness and almost incestuous inbreeding to Penelope, and doubtless had any unlucky wight openly advocated inbreeding to him he would have been maltreated by the horse’s numerous detractors, but he was the greatest sire of all times, and his blood has stood inbreeding to a greater extent than that of any other other stallion except, perhaps, Vcltigeur and Touchstone. When Stockwell was sent to the stud his services were not freely availed of by outside breeders, but when his progeny demonstrated their excellence, the horse became the rage of the hour, and during his sixteen years of stud life he put up a record that has never been beaten. Beoffered to Mr Hurtle Fisher, but that fore he became; fashionable Stockwell was gentleman declined to deal, having had already secured Fisherman, after buying Leamington, whom he resold when Fisherman cropped up. Leamington went to America, where he made a name equal to that which Fisherman carved out for himself in Australia. In all the progeny of Stockwell have won 1148 races, included in the list being the Two Thousand Guineas (four times), One Thousand Guineas (thrice), the Derby (thrice), the Oaks (once), and the St. Lsger (six times). He was the sire of no less than 412 foals. 228 of whom won races.

One of the events on the card during a meeting at Stockton (England) in 1877 was a selling race, for which the numbers of seven runners appeared on the board. When the starter called over the names at the post, however, it was found that only half-a-dozen had assembled there, the missing one being Mr Deighton’s Mak’sicrar. Just as the field was about to go, however, the tardy one was seen making the best of his way towards the starter, but that official, resolving not to wait longer, gave the word, and the horses were despatched on their journey without him. Gwendoline was the winner, but as the jockeys filed past the judge’s box on returning to the weigh-ing-room a terrible discovery was made — the judge was not there ! Soon it was rumoured that the race would have to be run over again, and in the course of a few minutes came the explanation of the fiasco. The previous winner had been objected to by the jockey of the second on the ground of an alleged cross, and the several witnesses who were examined connplicated matters to such an extent that the man in the box was called upon to give evidence, with the result. that the affair took so long to decide that the engrossed official did not notice how the time had passed, and was thus not in his place to adjudicate upon the following event.’ When the horses started again for the race in question Gwendoline, on the strength of her easy victory, was made favourite at 5 to 2 on, while a lot of money went on Mak’siccar at tens. On finding that his animal had not taken part in the first contest, Mr Deighton helped himself to all the good prices that were to lie had, wisely arguing that he must be fresher than the others. Mak’siccar won rather easily, and landed for his party a sum that was simply due to the jockey failing to reach the post in time, for he never won another race.

New Zealand Cup entries are due on June 6.

Hadyn has been pleasing the track watchers at Ellerslie, and his winning prospects at the coming meeting are highly thought of.

The stake for the New Zealand Cup is to be increased to £2OOO, the winner receiving £l5OO, the second horse £3OO, and the third £2OO. It will lost an owner £2O in entrance fees etc., to start.

The Wanganui J.C. Winter Meeting promises to be a big success. Aucklanders will take even more interest in it than asual owing to the number of horses entered for the big event, who are also down to compete at the Ellerslie fixture.

Secretaries of country clubs would do well to bear in mind that they must submit the dates for their race meetings to the Metropolitan Club of the district prior to June 1. The latter will forward them to the Conference prior to June so.

The Australian! Jockey Club’s Autumn Meeting was a big affair, and a great success from a racing point of view. It is surprising to find that the fixture only resulted in a profit of £122. What a difference the totalisator would make on the other side.

The Ballarat trainer, James Scobie, who came oxer to Auckland with Sir Rupert Cfarke for the launching of the schooner La Carabine, and who met with a very severe accident on his return to Victoria, is reported to be almost himself again.

Spalpeen, who has been having a very easy time of it since Christmas, is at present a good deal above himself. It will be necessary to bustle along the Spalpeen horse if he is to keep up his series of victories. If really himself on the day, Mr Marshall’s horse will require a lot of beating, but at present his condition does not augur too well for the chestnut’s chance.

Mr Knight has set backers a stiff problem in the Takapuna Steeplechase, and at present it looks as though the winner will take some finding. On the G.N. Steeplechase handicaps the besttreated horse at the Shore is Hadyn, who is meeting everything in the race on several pounds better terms than will be the case at Ellerslie. Of course, he may not start at Takapuna, but should he do so, he will take a lot of beating.

Lady Laura seems to have had a particularly soft thing on in the Sydney Turf Club Handicap on Saturday, as she won by eight lengths from Barindi, Lamrock and eight others, the eleven furlongs being cut out in 2min- 25isec.

A very nice piece of handicapping was seen on Saturday in the Goodwood Handicap at Adelaide. There were sixteen runners, and the race resulted in a dead-heat between Latch Key and Phaedn. The pair ran it off, and so closely were they matched that Latch Key was only able to win by a bare head. The winner is a four-year-old bay mare by Padlock from Jess, and belongs to Mr Conway.

Watching steeplechasing, did it ever puzzle you how the riders escape so well as a rule from such awkward falls ? (asks “Surrey” in the Melbourne “Sportsman”). To my idea, the whole thing is summed up in one word —“condition.” A man following the game regularly can treat lightly a bounce on the ground that would end the esistence, probably, of another out of form. It is all very wonderful when you come to think of it. You see a rider carried in with, apparently, all the life pounded out of him. Presently, in walks the doctor. After examination, the man of medicine exclaims, “Only a ‘knockout ;’ slight concussion ; will be all right in a few minuter.” Sure enough the patient, after a while, stirs a little ; he opens his eyes, stares round for a while in wonder, and then he knows all about it. He understands that he has had another trip in the “ambulance.” Soon afser, he is walking about, or, perhaps, riding again the same afternoon ! But is there not a danger of these repeated concussions eventually affecting the brain permanently ? To the lay mind nothin seems more sure ; but, then, against this you see around any number of old cross-country men who, in their d; were “out” time after time, and they are still as rational as men could be. It stands to reason, though, that when it gets past concussion—laceration, and that kind of thing—there is always a trace remaining.

Florrie, the champion 14.2 pony of Australia, was purchased recently ny Messrs H. L. Mackellar and H. Smith for export to India with a view of winning the much coveted International Pony Stakes at Calcutta next December. Florrie is by Nobleman (im from Blue Metal’s dam.

Writing of the proposed mating of Wallace and La Carabine, a son and daughter of Carbine, which has been very generally condemned, the Victorian writer, “Reginald,” raises a rather interesting point concerning inbreeding : —One wonders had the wild horses in the ranges, away from man’s eye and hand, any natural laws of mating (he writes). Some of my readers have seen a mob of “brumbies,” as they are called, who roamed parts of this counrtry free as the wind, without let or hindrance. They must have bred back to each other to a great extent- But, whatever their own rules and regulations in this respect were, there can be no doubt that every lot you saw contained some slashing fine horses, and right good workers, too, when they were caught and tamed. The writer remembers seeing in the Riverina a rare saddle hack and buggy horse combined who was captured from a mob of brumbies. He had as much character as a thoroughbred, and once tamed, a girl could ride and guide him with a pair of laces, he was so tractable. Yet, as said, he belonged to a tribe of “outlaws” that had for years roamed the hills and plains, with scarce a sight of a human being. Of course, they all marked their origin to some “domesticated” animal, but their free life in the wilds, where the “controlling hand” was unknown, might, you would imagine, destroy all traces of the source from which they sprang—that is, in disposition at all events.

Madrigal’s good form at the last Ellerslie meeting- prepared Aucklanders to a certain extent for her victory in the Hawke’s Bay Cup yesterday. In the Buckland Handicap with the top-weight of Bst lOlb, Mr Lowry’s mare put down a big field, so that with 7st 13ft> the daughter of Stepniak and Madder was by no means harshly treated. It was considered that the extra distance might come against her, but she seems to have been able to stay it out all right. Fleka, who ran second, has been showing good form lately, and was much fancied by Aucklanders for the Southern race.

All lovers of a good horse will regret to hear that old Carlyon met with a serious accident while playing jin his paddock near Adelaide, and sustained injuries that are likely to end his life. Bar Projectile, Carlyon is the last of Chester’s great sons left in Australia. Carlyon was a; brilliant factor towards the great Chester boom in the late eighties, and was contemporary with Abercorn, Acme, and Cranbrook in 1888, when Payten carried all before him for the late Squire of Kirkham with his Chesters. Carlyon is by Chester, son of a Stockwell mare, from Moonstone, by Blair Athol, son of Stockwell. A steadier or more reliable old hunks never ate corn. It mattered not to him whether he met one or fifty opponents, or whether he was rihden behind or taken to the front. No matter what the programme was, it made no sort of difference to Carlyon, for he always did his best. Perhaps the best horse he ever got was Carlton, who won the Newmarket Handicap of 1897 for his sire’s old pilot and unswerving admirer, Tom Hales.

The result of tne Auturpp Handicap at the Hawke’s Bay Meeting yesterday was a big surprise, Noneen, who won, paying the nice dividend of £2l 13s. She is a four-year-old bay mare by Johnny Faa, and carried the minimum weight, one reason no doubt why she was completely overlooked.

Sardonyx was very stoutly backed at Avondale in the Flying Handicap, but getting badly away made no sort of a show. Yesterday the three-year-old son of Saiacen and Leolure proved good enough to account for the Maiden Hack Race, but. the opposition was very weak.

In the Hack Hurdles at Hawke’s Bay yesterday, nothing was much better fancied than Defoe, but the half-bro-ther to Moifaa had to put ujp with a defeat at the hands of Taniwa, a six-year-old bay gelding by Natator from Irene, who was only asked to carry 9st. His victory was a boil-over, for he paid the useful dividend of £l3 10s.

The feature of the Hawke’s Bay Cup was the disappointing running of Cannie Chiel, who figured among the “also started” brigade. Sir George Clifford’s horse was made favourite, but the solid pace seems to have found him out, for he finished a long way behind the winner.