. . NOTES. . .

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 815, 19 October 1905, Page 7

. . NOTES. . .

(By

“The Judge.”)

A further payment for the New Zealand Cup is due to-morrow.

It is rumoured that Desdemona has found a new owner.

The Te Aroha J.C. meeting will t ake place on November 17 and 18.

Ben Blair has been taken up and put into active training again at his old quarters, Gall’s stables, Green Lane.

The Brigadiei - mare Sweet Alice has thrown a colt to Soult, so that the newcomer is a full brother to Soult.

Never in the history of the New Zealand Cup has the speculation been so limited. When Mr. Stead’s intentions are known, betting may improve.

The Major has changed hands since his defeat at Otahuhu. A well-known boniface is now the possessor of the bay.

The owner of La Cigale was in town last week, and has taken the filly home with him to Whangarei. She has been turned out since the summer. It is intended to hack the mare about for a few months before putting her into training again.

Kola Nip, the winner of the Otahuhu Cup, started five times last season, but the best effort on the part of the son of Soult was in getting second at the Takapuna meeting to Takaroa in the Pupnke Handicap.

The Soults were to the fore at the late Otahuhu meeting on Wednesday last. The Cup and Railway Handicap (the two principal events) were won by a son and daughter (Kola Nip and Lucrece) of Mr. W. Walters’ successful sire.

It is evident the Birkenheads are going to be gallopers. Cantor is the latest re presentative of the Hon. J. D. Ormond’s imported sire to score a winning bracket, Guitar’s young son winning the Nursery Handicap from end to end.

Mr. J. E. Henrys’ adjustments for the City Handicap and Manukau Hurdles appeared promptly to time. They will be found in another column. King Billy oi - Boomerang read best in the flat race, and Vexation and Inniskillen in the hurdle event.

Mahutonga scored a win in the Park Stakes, but it proved rather unpopular with punters, who accorded the big chestnut something in’the nature of a hostile demonstration. On the second day he was made a warm favourite for the Racing Club Handicap, but failed to run into a place. On this showing he can have no chance in the New Zealand Cup.

Mr. J. O. Evett being unfortunately still indisposed, Mr. Henrys will allot the handicaps for the approaching spring meeting of the Auckland Racing Club. Without wishing in any way to detract from Mr. Henrys’ work, it is a notorious fact that the Southern handicapper has already far too much work to do, while he can only judge the form of our horses on hearsay. Under the circumstances the committee would have given much more general satisfaction to owners had a local man been appointed.

The Dunedin Jockey Club’s Spring meeting proved only fairly successful, the fields ruling small throughout, while the attendance was only moderate.

For the winner of a race for which there were but six runners to return a dividend of £l5 18s is somewhat remarkable, yet such was the case with the pe-culiarly-named Ostachkof when he won the Barewood Welter at Dunedin last week.

The Napier Park Stakes looked to most people a really good thing for King Billy, who started a hot favourite, but the race once again proved that the theory held by many astute racing men is correct, viz., that a good three-year-old cannot give a smart two-year-old weight for age over a short course. Mr. Watt’s crack was trying to concede the son of Birkenhead more than weight for age, and he failed, as many a good one has failed Before when attempting a like task.

Maniopoto is still suffering from a cold, and has been eased in his work. The son of Soult has accordingly receded in the Melbourne Cup quotations.

Only once in its history has the Caulfield Cup been won by the favourite, and that was when Calma pulled off the race in 1883.

The Pinfire gelding Numa won a hurdle race at the Otaki meeting, but was ruled out for inconsistent running. An appeal against the decision has been lodged.

Mr. Watt’s English-bred colt Gazeley won a couple of races at Napier Park. The son of Grey Leg and Lygia accounted for the Trial Hack and Telephone Hack Handicaps, finishing out both races in the most workmanlike style.

A special general meeting of the A.R.C. will be held on the 30th to consider the recent resolution of the committee as to the expulsion of bookmakers from the Ellerslie course. As no less than 57 members signed the requisition calling for the meeting, it looks as though there was a reasonably good chance of the new resolution being rescinded. It is to be hoped so, anyway.

The Auckland Racing Club has purchased the Agricultural Society’s property at Ellerslie for £4150. This is a step the wisdom of which was strongly advocated in these columns some time ago, and the club is to be commended for making what should prove a good financial speculation.

Mr. Henrys has issued the weights for the City Handicap and Hurdles. Commencing with 9.2, the weight adjuster has not over-burdened Scotty. This consistent son of St. Leger ran well all through last season, only twice running out of a place, and finishing up by carrying 9.6, and running second in the Takapuna Cup, won by Strathavon (8.2). For the Hurdle Race the top weight, Inniskillen, if fit and well, should have no difficulty in landing the ducats.

Rumour has it that a couple of local trainers (Macmanemin and Thorpe) tried to get a Round Robin signed by the rest of the trainers to exclude onlookers on the Ellerslie racecourse while training was in full swing, but very few of the other trainers responded to the call.

The death is reported from Adelaide of the Australian Cup winner of 1891, Broken Hill. Since his retirement from the turf, Broken Hill has sired several winners.

Cinders, by Florizel 11. from Cinder Ellen, won the Canal Plate of bOOsovs at the Phoenix Park meeting, in Ireland, on August 26. Cinder Ellen is by Trenton, and was a good performer among the ponies and galloways in Sydney. She afterwards raced in India, and is now at the stud in Ireland.

“ ’Tis an ill wind that blows nobody good” was illustrated at the late Otahuhu meeting, when that good sport, H. B. Massey, received the stake for the Hurdle Race with Bachelor, who ran second to Te Papa, the latter being afterwards disqualified for being in the forfeit list.

The Sydney horse-trainers’ life in the sixties was not quite what it is to-day, with its various tracks at Randwick, Kensington, Moorefield, and Canterbury (says the “ Town and Country Journal.”) There was no track in Sydney or suburbs with the exception of the course proper at Randwick, and at a meeting of the Australian Jockey Club in 1860 it was proposed that horses should be granted the privilege of a single gallop on Randwick course once a week or fortnight, and to prevent the course being unduly cut up it was proposed all gallops should be in the presence of the race committee. Now, there are five tracks at Randwick alone; and still trainers grumble.

The A.R.C. have granted the following licenses:—Trainers: E. Hillary, H. McKenzie, T. W. Cotton, J. McKenzie, E. Allensby, H. Barr, W. Gosnell, W. McGee, D. J. Stewart, J. W. Stockley, C. Kean, H. Williams, G. Wright, and H. J. Hickton. Jockeys: J. O’Connell, A. Berry, W. Mobberly, E. Reid, E. Munro, F. Porter, H. Parkes, M. Quinton, A. Erickson, W. Gosnell, A. S. McKinnon, and G. Henderson. Gentlemen riders: Messrs. W. Mills and C. Dawson.

The Bobadil horse Boabdil has been backed for the Caulfield Cup to win £20,000.

Quarryman has been doing good work at Ellerslie, and his New Zealand Cup prospects are brightening daily.

Torah, who unexpectedly downed Gladsome in the Caulfield Stakes on Saturday, is looked upon as the best colt South Australia has turned out for some years.

The Wellington Spring Meeting takes place on Friday and Saturday. Our Wellington correspondent’s budget contains the latest training notes, and also selections for the first day’s events.

The Caulfield Cup will be decided next Saturday, and looks like providing a good race. Torah’s victory in the Caulfield Stakes has caused him to be made first favourite, and on form he must be terribly hard to beat. Boabdil has been supported for a lot of money, and he has a nice racing weight. Canteen has a handy impost, but ran very badly last Saturday. The consistent Marvel Loch should certainly run well. Although the favourite generally meets with defeat in the Caulfield Cup, I am inclined to think the places may go to Torah, Marvel Loch, and Boabdil;

In addition to the defeat of Cherry Lass, Mr. Hall-Walker experienced another reverse at Doncaster last month. His crack colt, Black Arrow, was sent out at 5 to 4 on for the Champagne Stakes of lOGOsovs, but failed to finish closer than fourth, the winner turning up in the Avington colt Achilles, whose starting price was 100 to 8.

The Baden Baden Grand Prize of 4000 sovs and a gold cup, was run for about the end of August, and won by the Flying Fox horse Gouvernant, who started equal favourite, with Macdonald 11. at 7 to 4.

The “ Special Commissioner” states that he has never known a horse in such absolutely world-wide demand as John o’ Gaunt. There scarcely is a civilised country in which someone does not want to buy him, and if Sir John Thursby needed 20,000 guineas—which he does not —there would not be the slightest difficulty in disposing of his horse for that sum, while, in case of a sale by auction, there are so many people wanting him that he would probably make a good deal more.

Although the police have not quite succeeded in suppressing shop betting in Sydney (writes “Pilot” in the “Referee”), they have caused a few establishments to close, and there is a falling-off in the business of those which continue open, ,as. the idea of being caught in a i aid is distasteful to the average citizf 7 n - , However, if the shops drop out. alleged “clubs” will take their place. « xl’ 11 d° for the proprietors of these clubs to assume that registration I s , entirely a bar to prosecution, as in Melbourne last' week a magistrate, in dealing with a case in which four men were charged with using a room in Bourke-street, for the purposes of betting fined the defendants £2O each, with £o 5s costs, . notwithstanding that the place was registered as a club. The maSxn 6 his decision on the grounds nn + th xl of betting was carried on at the club; that that was the pur--7\ Ch Xt was established; that a defendants acted as bookmakers; and that the people who resorted to it acted < ■ punters. Notice of appeal was given * * -

thf°Fn J’ a i d Q? r r lld Cicero we re left in the English St. Leger rather late, the f°™er only being withdrawn two days Vai rn °rJ day ’ before its deciinc, 1 d P r did not leave France owing to rough weather, and Cicero’s reone^f n h- T ? ro 1 ugh . t about by lameness, one of his hocks having given trouble for some time past. There were eight runners including a couple of French representatives m Nimay and Magon, both of whom are owned by M. Calliault. As flas only to be expected, with Vai d’Or and Cicero out of the way, Cherry Lass was a hot favourite, starting at 6 to 1 on, Llangibby being next in demand at 5 to 2 against, and then Polymelus and Challacombe at 10 to 1 and 100 to 6 respectively. The favourite ran well for the greater part of the journey, but tired towards the end, and Challacombe won easily by three lengths in the record time of 3mm 5 2-ssec, reducing Pretty Polly’s figures by two-fifths of a second. The French filly Nimay ran fourth. Challacombe was ridden by O. Madden, who had not previously scored a St. Leger

Ont Sydney correspondent writes that the ex-Aucklander Vulpine, after an absence from the tracks for some weeks, made her reappearance at the Rosebery Park Pony Meeting on Monday, and was •made second favourite in the FourteenThree Handicap, but failed to get a place. . . Revenue out of the Caulfield Cup and Dividend and Revenue out of the Melbourne Cup are the principal scratchings this week. The withdrawal of both horses has been expected for some time. Dividend has gone lame, and it is doubtful that he will ever stand a preparation again. He was one of the early fancies for the Melbourne Cup, and a considerable sum of money has been lost over him. . - It is just as well that New Zealanders should know that everything is not all right with Maniopoto. On Sunday he galloped once round the sand track at Flemington in 2min 32sec, but on Monday the cold from which he has recently been suffering seemed to be worse, and after working he was running at the nose and coughed repeatedly. In the level betting market on Monday there was very little doing, but Torah advanced to the position of first favourite for the Caulfield Cup, and Waroo also shortened in price. The following are the latest quotations : —Caulfield Cup : 7 to 1 v. Torah, 10 to 1 v. Waroo, 12 to 1 Step Out, 14 to 1 each v. Emir, Marvel Loch, Florin and Distraction, 20 to 1 each v. Maniopoto, Roller, Scot Free, Fabric and Rosemead. From 25 to 100 to 1 others. Melbourne Cup : 8 to 1 Maniopoto, 14 to 1 each Tartan and Gladsome, 10 to 1 each Emir, Waroo, and Fabric, 20 to 1 each Charles Stuart and Torah. From 25 to 100 to 1 others.