OTAGO.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 747, 30 June 1904, Page 9

OTAGO.

Dunedin, June 29. A cable received from Melbourne yesterday by the writer says that the Monowai, which left here last week with a shipmentof valuable horses, experienced a bad passage, and that seven of the animals were lost on the voyage. Amongst them was the well-known racehorse Nihilist, who was one of the first of Stepniak’s stock to race. He was a well-bred and attractive-looking horse, and was to be placed on the Melbourne market as a stallion. During his turf career Nihilist won several races in good company. The one-time Dunedin trained hurdler, Evening Wonder, was amongst the starters at a recent Adelaide meeting, but ran last in this race.

R. Ellis, who has been identified with many of the past victories of St. Denis, Red Lancer, and other horses, recently received three new tenants for his boxes in the shape of a couple of geldings by Casket out of Tangi Maid, a sister to the New Zealand Cup winner Wolverine, and a half-sister by Captive to the wellperformed mare Flower o’ Clutha. St. Denis is also to be taken in hand again in the course of a few days. The Dunedin-owned horses V aldimir, Pampero, Blackstone, Blazer and Petrovna figure amongst the list of nominations received for the Winter Cup.

Mr J. Loughlin has opened a treble event book on the C.J.C. National Hurdles, Steeplechase and Winter Cup, and the ruling price is 200 to i any way not gone. Mr A. Moss has received a private cable from Melbourne stating that Canteen’s weight in the Caulfield Cup is 7st 131 b, and in the Melbourne Cup Bst. The Hon. Geo. McLean’s colt Sychem has been sent to Wellington, and is now an inmate of W. Davis’ stable. The change of scene may bring about a change of manners, but until that improvement is effected the colt’s public displays will never equal w r hat he has frequently shown in private, but declined to reproduce when carrying silk. Hostage, owned by Mr Hyland, the well-known circus proprietor, figures amongst the nominations for the C.J.C. Grand National Hurdles. The circus is at present wintering at Geraldine. Hostage was got by Wellesley (brother to the Panic horse Wellington), and should he go to the post he will not be the worst looking horse in the field, as he has taken high honours in the show ring. The Wellesley gelding has done a lot of racing in Australia, *and won several races at the back blocks meetings. At a committee meeting of the North Otago Jockey Club, held on Saturday last, the President (Mr C. W. Reid) presiding, it was resolved to hold the annual meeting on Wednesday, July 13, at 1.30 p.m., a sub-committee being appointed to draw up the annual report, the same to be published. The secretary reported that the profit over the Winter Meeting amounted to £250. It was resolved to vote the secretary a bonus of £2O, and that the committee record its appreciation of his work for the past year, the same to be recorded in the minutes.

The Victorian-bred hurdler Victor 11., Red Ronald (the half-brother to Red Lancer), and the Sou’-Wester geldinpSoutherly Buster are in the private sale list.

The American trotting stallion Del Paso, who was bred at the famous Rancho Del Paso Stud, California, by Mr J. B. Haggin, is advertised for private sale. Del Paso has sired some good performers, including George L., Jim, Xerxes, and Gossoon, and as he is a fine big upstanding horse of attractive appearance, he should command a ready sale.

It is almost impossible to gauge the value of fast jumping, as compared with pace in a race over big timber (writes “ Martindale,” in the “ Town and Country Journal”). Be a horse ever so fast, his pace is greatly discounted if he loses time at the obstacles. Skylark, for instance, in his recent races at Randwick, appeared to gain a couple of lengths at each fence, and as he is reputed to possess only a very moderate share of pace, his fast jumping doubtless enabled him to secure both second prizes. Presuming that he gained two lengths at every obstacle, it would mean an advantage of about forty lengths in the three mile race. The slowest jumper was probably Teamster, and it is difficult to estimate what Skylark gained on him when they were in the air. The main thing in a steeplechaser is fast fencing. This was long att) recognised by such experts as the late Tom Corrigan, J. Scobie, T. Wilson, Bob Howie, sen., and Alec. Taylor. At Dowling Forest it used to be the custom, and probably now is, in training to rattle ’chasers along at top pace over a few fences in front of which had been laid a roll of furze bush, to induce big take-offs. This treatment probably was responsible for the many successes gained by Ballarat stables in Nationals of the past.