OTAGO.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 741, 19 May 1904, Page 8

OTAGO.

Dunedin, May 17. The Ashburton Meeting, held last week, was a fairly successful gathering, and some interesting sport was witnessed during the two days. The attendance on the second day showed a slight fallir.. off on that of the opening day on account of the fact that very heavy rain was falling in Christchurch, which prevented many of the Northern sports journeying South. To show how prohibition has affected the town, it need only be remarked that the majority of the Southern visitors preferred to travel right through to Christchurch and do the meeting from that city by travelling up and down each day in preference to living in a town where every visitor is looked upon as a possible informer. The principal race on the first day was won by Secret Society, who traversed the journey of the race in excellent style, but he succumbed on the following day to Terrapin, partly owing to the fact that he got blocked when making his final effort, and partly because the Tempest gelding was kept a bit too far out of his ground before turning for home. ■ Amongst the riders who wore silk at the Ashburton Meeting were two Lilliputian. princes of the pigskin in V. Cotton and G. Cotton, sons of T. Cotton, who a number of years ago deserted Dunedin for Auckland. In the seventies and eighties the Cottons (J. and T.) were amongst the best known riders in the colony, and were a pair of daring horsemen on the flat and over fences. T. Cotton won the First D.J.C. Forbury Handicap, in 1871, on Catapult, and J. Cotton won the Second D.J.C. Birthday Handicap, in 1874, on Little Nell (by the way, James Cotton is still riding over fences this season). V. Cotton is a pronounced Sloanite, and has already won his spurs as a capable rider. He did not catch the judge’s eye as a winner at Ashburton, but his horseAFTER TWENTY-ONE YEARS, One would be inclined to believe that it would be impossible to cure a disease that had clutched its victim for twenty-one years. But Rheumo conquers chronic rheumatism. Mr E. M. Rudman, of Collingwood-street, Nelson, ■ writes : — “It gives me great pleasure to be able to say that by using your wonderful medicine Rheumo I have been completely cured of gout anh rheumatism, of which I have been a sufferer for the past twenty-one years. I may say I have not had the slightest symptoms for the past two years, and feel convinced it is a permanent cure.” Stocked in Auckland by H. King, chemist, Queen-street ; J. M. Jefferson, chemist, Queen-street and Upper Symondstreet ; J. W. Robinson, chemist, Parnell ; Graves Aickin, chemist, Queen-street, and sold by chemists and storekeepers at 2s 6d and 4s 6d per bottle. Wholesale agents, New Zealand Drug Co.

'■man sb ip created a very favourable impression on those who saw it for the first time. Lepanto, who was amongst the starters at the Ashburton Meeting last week, was brought from Australia as a yearling by ‘Mr D. O’Brien, but the youngster made his first appearance in the nomination of D. Mitchell, and scored his first win in 1897 in the D.J.C. Maiden Two-Year-Old .Handicap, in which he beat Visionary and La Heine. Lepanto has won several races, but has only shown moderate form •during his lengthy turf career. Goldspur was foaled in 1892, and made .his first appearance on the turf in 1596. Secret Society’s time, Smin 22 3-ssec, which he put up in the Ashburton Handicap, is only three-fifths of a second behind Kinglock’s Australian record over eleven furlongs. Miretta, the winner of the Selma Galloway Handicap on the first day of tne Ashburton Meeting, is a fairly smart filly. She is a three-year-old daughter of Musketry (Maxim —Flattery) and the Cadogan mate Wild Rose, who belongs to the Rame family as Red Rose, the dam of

Roseal. On Mohican’s form with Lady L.uban in the Grove Farm. Handicap he was highly fancied, and looked to have excellent winning prospects in '.he Juvenile Handicap, but Ability won easily and gave the son of Mauser no < hance. The South Canterbury Jockey Club will hold their Spring Meeting on September .7 and 8. Mr Sam Price informed the writer when in conversation a few days back that he Lad recently discovered the interesting fact that twenty-three years ago his brother, T. W. Price, purchased the grand .dam of Ribbonwood out of a pound for £l4, and subsequently put t er into training for hurdle racing. On discovering she was clever over fences the mare was afterwards put to Irvington, and the mating jjroduced the dam of the now famous Hibbonwodd. The Ashburton race book credited Cannonite with being by Chainshot out of Veno, and consequently a brother to Starshoot. Cannonite is out of Venus (a half-sister to Veno), and his breeding has been erroneously given in several ■volumes of the Turf Record. Mr L. C. Hazlett has purchased the brood mare Irish Girl, the daughter of .St. Clair and Lady Gertrude. It would not be surprising to find Irish Girl booked to Stepniak next season, as the offspring of such a mating would be bred on similar lines to the well-performed Vladimir.

The death is reported from Australia of Mikado 11., the son of Apremont and the English-bred mare Forget-me-Not, the daughter of King Lud (brother to King Cole), who has given us one of our •crack mares in Lady Zetland. The latter in turn produced Lady Lillian and Zetland prior to her death in 1902. Lady Lillian was expected to play a leading role at the finish of the Grove Farm Handicap, but was fortunate in being able to divide honours with Mohican, whose rider dropped his hands when within a couple of -strides of the winning post owing to mistaking a starting post for the one by which the man in the box ” records his verdict.

Mr J. B. Reid is the object of general sympathy among sportsmen for the unfortunate . circumstances which have deprived him of the stakes won by Gladsome when ridden by Jones. The North Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting, which is set down to take place on May 24 and 25, promises to be one of the most successful gatherings held in the white city for several years past.