INTER – PROVINCIAL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 835, 8 March 1906, Page 8

INTER - PROVINCIAL.

(From Our Own Correspondents.)

CANTERBURY.

Christchurch, March 7.

Machine Gun was well backed in Christchurch for the Newmarket Handicap, while Gladsome, Medallist, Pendant and Duke of Milton also found many supporters. There was a great deal more betting on this race 1 his year than formerly. The best-performed horses this season who have an engagement in the C.J.C. Challenge Stakes are Isolt, Cuneform, Achilles, Porcelain, Kirremuir, Multifid, and Boomerang. Catherine Gordon has apparently gone right off. Her failures at the Egmont and Wanganui Meetings cost her backers a lot of money. With perhaps the exception of The Mohican, hurdle-racers in the South Island just now are a very poor lot. Savoury’s and Delaware’s form in the Wanganui Cup was much below expectations. the folowers of the stable going down badly. Porcelain was well backed in the Jackson Stakes, and had he got away with the field Hewitt is confident that the colt would have made a much better fight against Achilles. The favourite combination for the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps is Porcelain and Delaware. Porcelain has shown us that he can gallop, but so far Delaware has failed to reproduce his two-year-old form. I cannot understand why backers are selecting him for the Great Autumn.

The winner of the Hopeful Stakes at Flemington on Saturday is a half-brother t«, Calibre, Cavalry being by Menschikoff —Sunningdale. Delaware, Savoury, Stronghold, De Witte, Porcelain, Stratagem and Chryseis returned from Wanganui on Sunday. Chryseis was the only one of the party to score a win.

Catherine Gordon was snbi progress of the Wanganui Meeting to Mr. Currie for 250 guineas. This is a good price for mares, and her late owner, H. Friedlander, ought to feel satisfied with the result of the sale. The Banner gelding Speculate was sold last week to Messrs. McLean, of Dupedin. The price was somewhat in the vicinity of 100 guineas. Another Riccarton horse in Bayonet has found a new owner, J. R. McKenzie, actin-- on behalf of an Australian buyer, purchasing him for too guineas. Bayonet, who is bv Musketry, was, I hear, bought for stud purposes. When horses like Catherine Gordon,

Speculate and bayonet can command sucn prices as those given for them, there is not much fear of good ihoroughbreo stock falling in price. Maitaroff and Czarevna, both three-year-otds, with performances to recoinmend them, are still in the private sale list, their owner, H. Friedlander, havm s decided to reduce his stock.

HAWKE’S BAY.

March 7. Verny Collelo has accepted the position o' private trainer to Sir Wm. Russen, and has now quartered with this sport’s team Nadador and Corazon at Hastings. Arthur Goodwin, who for the past six years has filled the office of private trainer to Mr. T. H. Lowry, is shortly leaving that gentleman’s employ. Goodwin, who severs his connection with the blue and gold bearers some time next month, is open to accept a position as private or public educator, and his well-known ability and steady behaviour should stai d him in good stead in his pursuit for employment. At the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club Metropolitan meeting on Friday, March 2, there were present: Messrs. G. Hunter (in the chair), H. M. Campbell, J. McIvor, J. McVay, F. Logan, G. P. Donnelly, Sir W. Russell and the Hon. J. D Ormond. Correspondence. —From Mr. W. Robinson, relating to lease of Lady Warwick. The committee had no jurisdiction. From the Waiapu Racing Club, asking permission to issue a riding permit to a person who rode at an unregistered meeting.—Refused. From the Napier Park Racing Club, asking that certain defaulters’ names be posted. —Those in order agreed to. From the Petane Racing Club, stating that they had disqualified the gelding Philanthropist and the owner, R. Keefe, for 12 months for wrongful entry. —The chairman of the meeting attended, and after hearing evidence it was resolved to endorse the disqualification. From the Wairoa Racing Club, proposing to hold a Winter race meeting.—The committee had no power to allow the meeting. Programmes approved : Waipukurau Racing Club. April 16th. stakes St. Patrick’s Sports, March 15th (no totalisator), approved subject to stakes for the Pony Race being raised to Licenses were granted to: Jockeys—T. Green and A. Banks; trainers—A. E. Neale, J. Auhl, J. B. Miller and W. R. Jenkins; gentlemen riders— H. R. Gaisford and E. Amundsen. The secretary was instructed to write to the secretary of the Woodthorpe Racing Club, pointing out that a riding permit had been issued to a person not eligible, and asking an explanation. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. G. Hunter for the very handsome cup which will be presented to the winner of the Hawke’s Bay Cup, 1906, to be run on May 9th at Hastings.

The cup presented by Mr. George Hunter, president of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, was on view at the committee meeting of the club yesterday afternoon. It will be run for at the Autumn Meeting in May. The cup takes the form of a massive, sterling silver, three-handl-ed loving cup, of chaste and original design, with a beautiful model of a thoroughbred horse on each handle. OTAGO. Dunedin, March 7. The Tahuna Park Trotting Club concluded their Autumn Meeting last week, nnd the gathering must be set down as the most successful one ever held at the track, as not only was the sport of a distinctly higher quality than usual, but the financial returns show a profit of which is the highest yet made over one of our trotting fixtures. The chief feature was Fritz’s assault on time. Fritz again had the assistance of G. Grant, mounted 01 a “runner,” as a pacemaker, and although the track conditions were better than when he established 2min. iqsec. on the first day of the meeting, a fairly strong breeze which was in evidence did not tend to assist him in his record-making. Fritz went to his first half in imin.. 7 2-5 sec., and the full distance in 2min. 17 2-5 sec. The Voncleao gelding was steadied by Piper, when running over the last 50 or 60 yards, and finished well within himself, and much stronger than he did on the first day, when the track was heavy. The times taken by our representative for the different furlongs read : First furlong, iSsec. ; second, 34 2-5 sec. ; third, 5 1 3 - 5 sec - » fourth, imin. 7 2-5 sec. ; fifth, imin. 25sec. ; sixth, imin 41 1-5 » seventh, imin. 59 4-5 sec. 5 eighth, 2min. 17 2-5 sec. When Fritz pulled up after making his record the spectators grew enthusiastic, and gave three cheers for his owner, Mr. J. A. Buckland. An ovation was also accorded the driver (C. Piper) and the son of Vancleave, who was not very distressed by his efforts. Fritz, under favourable circumstances, could get close to his Australasian trotting record, as he is at present in fairly good order, and may improve a bit.

Verax, a stable companion of Fritz, who made a track record of 4min. 56sec. on the first day, reduced that mark to 4mm. 5 1 sec. when he won on the second day of the meeting, and judging by the times registered at the meeting the club have evidently reason to congratulate themselves on the improvements which they made to their track some time ago.

One of the times hung out in connection with a race on the second day of the Tahuna Park Meeting was questioned in a somewhat peppery manner by an unofficial clockist, who had timed one of the horses in the race. The pony Bellboy, who was got by Bellboy L., out of Maggie L., showed a good dash of pace in his races on the second day of the Tahuna Park Meeting, and if he were handled and geared by some of our prominent reinsmen there is no doubt he would prove capable of doing something out of the ordinary. Bellcar is one of the best saddle horses in sight at present, and should be heard of again as a winner before the season grows much older. Franz, who sired Francesca, the winner of the Advance Handicap at Tahuna Park, is a brother to the champion trotter Fritz.

Verax created a new track record for Tahuna Park when he went 4mm. sisec. in the Telephone Handicap, although he did not maintain a level gait throughout the race. Fritz also could have made a mark inside his 2min. 17 2-5 sec. had he been driven out in his match against time. Despite the fact that Machine Gun had considerably the worst of the weights with Gladsome in the Newmarket Handicap, some patriotic sports chanced their monev on the son of Rubina for the Flemington straight-away six furlongs on Saturday. Machine Gun was booked to meet Gladsome on 251 b. worse terms than when the latter defeated him out of a place over the seven furlongs course of the Futurity Stakes. In addition to giving the advertised purse and medal to the owner and driver of Fritz for successfully attacking the record of the Tahuna track, the club also presented Mr. Claude Piper with a gold bracelet as a memento of the event.

Many of the punters who patronised the Tahuna Park Meeting no doubt sincerely wished that California had kept his place on the map and never left the land of Stars and Stripes to be ultimately sent to seek track honours at Dunedin. California was started in three races, and each time the public stoutly supported the American colt, who, however, failed lamentably in each of his three essays. California is a particularly fine cut of a colt, and is about as handsome a harness horse as one could possibly find in the colonies, but although there is no doubt he has pace, he is at present a very poor stayer, and one is inclined to marvel how he put up jmin. igsec. at Christchurch. Even when he raced over a mile he gave a very poor and somewhat sour display, with the result that he never looked to have a winning chance. It was quite possible that his efforts earlier in the day had taken some of the steel out of him, as he showed no dash whatever, or else he is not sufficiently forward to show the latent powers which were imagined to be concealed uniio- 1-:- handsome exterior. WELLINGTON. March 4. Visitors to the Wanganui J.C. Races speak of the gathering as one of the best seen on that club’s racecourse. The victories of the Wellington-owned horses — Achilles, Exmoor, Black Reynard and Marguerite—were well received by those who loyally follow their fortunes. Backers of the double—Cup and Flying—as usual missed picking the winning double. The Cup favourites had been consistently supported with Ailsa, Ballarat and Achilles for the Flying, and the withdrawal of the latter pair made no difference to punters after the Cup favourites met with defeat. Many good judges have predicted that Boomerang was the best of Mr. Watts* pair of Merriwee colts over any distance, and seemingly their opinion bids fair to be verified, and already the son of Merriwee and Mousquetaire is spoken of as the most formidable rival that Mr. Stead’s fillv Isolt will meet for the New Zealand

St. Leger Stakes. Tom Quinliven had both Boomerang and Melodeon in the pink of condition, and had the elder horse not been nearly knocked over the rails after going about a mile in the Cup he probably would have run into a place. The Jackson Stakes was a most interesting contest. Achilles was considered by his party a “moral,” and it certainly looked all over bar hoisting his number, as the beautiful son of Medallion was at his best in point of condition. Mr. Stead’s colt Porcelain, however, had many admirers as he walked quietly about the saddling paddock. Porcelain is a lowset, powerful colt, with many good racing points, and had he not jumped back when the barrier flew up and lost several lengths he most probably would have beaten his formidable rival. His briliant dash at the end of such a solid-run race demonstrates that he is a coming champion. Mr. Stead’s other pair put up most ordinary performances, and Savoury undoubtedly is an over-rated colt. His three-year-old performance in the Members’ Handicap at the C.J.C Spring Meeting, 1904, has been kept rather too much in the foreground. Savoury certainly put up a time record for the race under notice, but the course must have been very fast on that day, as in the race immediately preceding, the Cressy Welter Handicap, Golden Vein with 10.6 in the saddle ran six furlongs in imin. The latter performance has never been repeated, and the time test as a guide to a horse’s merits is evidently of no real value to students of form.