Sport in Australia.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 792, 11 May 1905, Page 11

Sport in Australia.

(By

"Atlas.”)

Sydney, May 3. The last two days of the Autumn Meeting of the Australian Jockey Club completed the pronounced success of the meeting, which on all four days was favoured by fine weather, while the attendance must have numbered close on 90,000, and when the accounts have been made up, Mr Clibborn will be able to show a handsome credit bafance. There was little to interest New Zealand readers in the events on the last two days of the meeting, but the racing was q'uite as good on the Cup and Doncaster Hanhicap days, the fields being large and the finishes close and exciting. Backers continued to fail badly throughout the meeting, and the Autumn gathering will long be remembered as the bookmakers’ harvest. The Second Hurdle Race was won by Old Chappie, who was the biggest outsider in the field of six. The All Aged Stakes, one mile, brought out a field of five, and the event was looked upon as a good thing for Gladsome, who went out lat odds of G to 4 on, but she was beaten decisively by that brilliant colt Charles Stuart, Gladsome finishing four lengths behind him, with the Doncaster winner Famous third. The mile was cut out in the record time of Imin 38sec. The defeat of Charles Stuart on the first dav and his subsequent reversal of form, has caused Charles Stuart to be a much-talked of horse, and one enthusiast is reported to have already accepted £lOOO to £4O about his chance of winning the- V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup. In a field of twenty-six Fashoda won after a great finish with Gig, Marie Corelli being third. These horses were in the Doncaster Handicap, but finished nowhere, and 1 the time was,only.a quarter of a second slower than the big race. The Easter Stakes, for two-year-olds, saw Lady Wallace beat a field of nine, Istria being second, and North Head third. In the Cumberland Stakes, a weight-for-age event, two miles, there, were only three starters, Emir, Cherson, and Overdale, and 7 to 4 was laid on Emir, and he had no difficulty in running over Cherson in the great time of 3min sec, which is a record for weight-for-age events. Sixteen faced the barrier in the City Handicap, which was won after a good race by Marvel Loch, who was the favourite for the Doncaster Handicap, but finished just outside of a place. On this occasion she started at 10 to 1, and just managed to beat Nothos by a head.

On the last day of the meeting proceedings were opened with the Rous Handicap, for which Mack, who ran so. well in the Doncaster, was made a strong favourite in a field of eight, but backers were again wrong, as the favourite was just beaten by a head by Rosemead. The Place Handicap brought out another huge field with Loredano favourite at 6 to'. 1, but Long Tom, Cherson, Elvo, and Nothos all had solid support at 8 to 1. It was a good race to the distance, but here Long Tom asserted himself, and beat Marvel Loch home in 2min. 34sec, which constitutes a new Australian record for the mile and a-half. There was disappointment when Up-to-Date’s number was taken down for the Steeplechase, but the horse had been rather harshly treated by the handicapper, and, moreover, had given himself a bit of a knock in his first race. There was seven starters in Saturday’s event, Young Creswick being favourite at 5 to 2. For once backers were right, as Young Creswick won easily by a dozen lengths from Snowstorm and Marjorie. The A.J.C. Plate, three miles, was the last weight-for-age event of the meeting. There were only three starters, Emir, Signature, and Lord Fitzroy, and 10 to 1 on was what the bookmakers aske.d about Emir. The pace was solid, and Emir won in the end by thirty lengths from Signature in smin 24|sec, which is a record for the race. The Second Nursery Handicap fell to the Grafton colt Rowley, who went out second favourite. Twenty-one started in the Final Handicap with Fungus favourite. This was an unfortunate finish to an otherwise successful meeting. At the half-distance P.K. got to the front and passed the post a length and a-half in front of Graceton, with Lucknow third. On going to scale P.K.’s jockey was half a pound short, and Graceton was therefore declared the winner.

The principal prize winners at the A.J.C. Meeting were J. J. Macken, £2310 ; W. Austin, £1547 ; E. E. D. Clarke, £1530 ; Clark Bros., £1502 ; J. M’Master, £1290. The extraordinary sudden death of Mr C. Perry, the A.J.C. judbe, on Wed* nesday evening last, came as a shock to the sporting community. He performed his duty as judge at Randwick on Wednesday, and after dinner in the evening! he proposed to go out for a walk, when he was observed to stagger and fall. In a few minutes he was dead, death being the result of an effusion of blood on the brain.

Consequent upon the death of Mr Perry, Mr A. Wilson acted as judge on Saturday, while his brother, Mr F. Wilson, was appointed Clerk of the scales. The appointment of two such young men occasioned some surprise, and under the circumstances it is regarded as somewhat unfortunate that P.K. should have failed to weigh-in all right. He weigh-ed-out all right, and how, even with the bridle, he failed to weigh-in, seems inexplicable, especially as he carried no lead and had nothing to lose. In the Interstate bowling matches last week between N.S.W. and Victoria, the representatives of the latter Colony gained a victory by defeating their opponents two games out of three. An unseemly dispute has been going on as to who should’ accompany our champion swimmer to England. The lad all along was anxious that his old trainer, Mitchell, should go, but in face of that an attempt was- 1 made to appoint someone else, but it failed, and Mitchell will now accompany his protege.

The forthcoming Interstate rowing matches on the Parramatta are beginning to create a lot of interest. The date of the Stanbury-Towhs sculling match has been fixed for June, and both men are in work. The contest will probably take place on the Parramatta River. ■< ■

Dividend was injured in the Sydney Cup, and has since been spelled. The lawn tennis season was opened on Saturday. An active season is anticipated.

In the boxing match at the Gaiety on Saturday night between Lenton and Jessop, the former was knocked out in the twelfth round. Cherson has been sold to Colonel Kenneth Mackay to go to India. ,\He will be spelled for a couple of months before being sent to his new home. A. Neill defeated J. Blackmore in the eleventh round at the National Sporting Club last night. Dan Creedon and Billy M’Call are getting ready for their fight for the Australian Heavy-Weight Championship.