NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 883, 7 February 1907, Page 5

NOTES.

(By

“The Judge.”)

The Middy, who carried a ton of commission money, ran in bandages at Takapuna, and after his preliminary could scarcely keep on his feet. ♦ * * • Mr. D. J. Lynch, who sold Freemount, is in treaty to purchase Autahi from Mr. J. W. Russell, the wellknown Vulcan Lane hotel proprietor. * * * ♦ ■ The weights for the Papakura annual meeting came out punctually to time, and Mr. W. Edwards seems to have pleased most of the owners. • ♦ ♦ * Mr. W. J. Lynch has disposed of his Freedom gelding Freemount, who has been purchased by Mr. Deeble, the Thames sportsman. One hundred guineas was paid for the useful looking brown. * * * * Mr. Geo. Hyde, the Grey street boniface, has purchased a colt by Soult — Joan of Arc. The son of Soult is to be added to the list. * * * * Rumour has it that the North Shore sportsman, Mr. E. W. Alison, threw in for a good win over the late T.J.C. Meeting. He is said to have picked the winning double each day, which paid £25, £273 10/, and £144 16/ respectively, besides supporting the winners of the T.J.C. and Summer Handicaps. » • • • By public advice received from Sydney both Apologue and Kilderkin are on the improve, and will be shortly put into active training. • « • ♦ Hautapu was looked upon as an absolute “moral” for the Waiwera Hurdles at Takapuna, and so it proved, for the little son of Mitiora was rever seriously asked to extend himself. On paper Soultfish might have beaten him, but Mr. McHugh’s gelding was a bit sore and could not gallop. * * * » Blackford has Black and Gold better now than the gelding ever was before. Despite the welter weight of 9st 101 b, he made hacks of the fielf in the Borough Handicap, finishing quite three lengths ahead of Hikuai. It would pay to send Black and Gold to Australia, where the dry air would suit him. * * * * Wauchope was made a warm favourite for the Marine Handicap at Takapuna on Saturday, and the good thing duly came off, the son of Freedom winning easily from Messrs. Duder’s filly Lira. By the way, I notice the race-books invariably spell this filly’s name Leira, which, of course, is incorrect. She is a daughter of Anna, and an anna is an Indian coin worth about one penny. The name Lira, therefore, is a suitable one, as a lira is an Italian coin worth about 9%d.

There are nineteen North Island horses in the C.J.C. Easter Handicap and sixteen in the Autumn Handicap. * * * * Odds of from 100 to 1 to 650 to 1 are on offer about the C.J.C. Easter and Autumn Handicaps double. Royal Blue, the winner of the Pahiatua Cup, is an aged bay gelding by Merrie England from One Eye, by Leos from Elfin Queen by Totara. * • ♦ * The Canterbury Jockey Club’s Summer Meeting will be commenced today. * • * * The Carbine horse Wargrave (winner of the Cesarewitch of 1904) is doing stud duty in England this season at a fee of 48sovs. A Whittaker and H. Gray did the best of the horsemen riding at the Takapuna meeting, each scoring four wins. ■<.’*** The totalisator figures at the Pahiatua meeting showed a falling off as compared with last year of £3023. Mr. D. Twohill has decided to send his recent purchase, Lady Nannie, over to Sydney to be trained by I. Earnshaw, the successful Randwick. trainer. B Handicaps for the Autumn Meeting of the Taranaki Jockey Club are due to appear on the 15th inst. This fixture should prove highly successful- . „ ♦ * * * Makikihi ran very consistently at the Pahiatua Meeting, getting third in the Cup on the opening day and winning the P.R.C. Handicap and the Grandstand Welter on the second day. She is a five-year-old brow" filly by St. Cyr from Prioress. It was generally thought that when Sir George Clifford purchased Lady Annie the mare would be relegated to the stud, but it would appear that E. Cutts thinks there is another race in Miss Annie’s daughter, as she has been put into work. The Messrs. Duder have taken up Devonport after a very long spell on the “ mud farm.” He looks as fat as a prize bull, and it will take some timo before he gets into racing trim again. - * * * * When La Annie got such a big break on the- field at the start of the Third Pony Handicap, it looked as though she would win easily, but that extra half furlong found her out, and the Cyrenian mare Cyrona beat her home comfortably, returning the nice dividend of £l4 16/. Messrs. Gabriel Lewis and Co. will offer at their Queen street Auction Mart on Friday, at noon, the privileges in connection with the approaching meeting of the Otahuhu Trotting Club. These consist of the publican’s booth, refreshment stall, etc. * * * * On paper Sonoma looked a fairly good thing for the Third Pony Handicap, but a bad start threw her out of court. She ran very gamely under severe punishment, but could never quite reach the two leaders. Owners should not forget that nominations for all events to be run at the South Auckland Meeting on March 2, close with Mr. R. J. Gwynne, the secretary, Hamilton, or with Mr. H. B. Massey, High-street, Auckland, at 9 p.m. on Friday next. * * * * The Leolantis mare Uranium is evidently very useful. She carried 9st. 21b, the top weight in the Welter Handicap, but made all the running, and won very easily by nearly three lengths. Quite a long string of victories have gone to the credit of Mr Bank’s mare this season. She met with an accident through a collision with a ’bus when returning to the wharf after the race. At the Haymarket on Friday at noon Messrs. Alfred Buckland and Sons will offer that exceptionally smart five-year-old mare Lucrece (Soult — Postmistress). Although only a little one she has won many good races in open company, and is as game a pony as ever looked through a bridle. There will also be submitted the four-year-old gelding Lucio, a full brother to Lucrece, a third to come under the hammer being Morahi. All are in good racing trim, and are for absolute sale, as the owner is giving up the game.

Nominations for the South Auckland Meeting are due to-morrow. J. Rae has taken Stromness and Uenuku to Gisborne. The Menschikoff colt The Serf will in future be known as Octoroon. * * * * Paritutu, who has been up in Auckland since the Christmas meeting, has been sent back to New Plymouth. The sum of £32,825 was handled at the totalisator during the Takapuna Meeting, an advance of no less than £7738 on last year’s figures. * * ♦ • Acceptances for the first day’s races of the Otahuhu Trotting Club close with Mr. F. D. Yonge on Friday at 9 p.m. * * • Consequent on the operations of the new Anti-Gambling Act in Victoria, Melbourne Tattersail’s Club has been wound up. » * * * Loch Fyne made a good attempt to turn the tables on Pierre in the Ponui Steeplechase, but he could not do it, the son of Muskapeer winning by a neck after a fine duel over three miles. • * • • The Devonport Handicap was really a duel between Omati and Miss Winnie. The latter got one of her customary good starts, and she led to within 50 yards of home, where Omati reached her and won fairly easily. . * * * • When the Australian horse FitzGrafton was beaten by Paddy’s Darling in the Cooch Behar Cup at Calcutta, he narrowly escaped falling over a dog half-way down the straight. He struck the dog with such force that it was killed. Mr. C. K. G. Billings, an American millionaire and trotting enthusiast, recently drove two exhibitions against time in waggon. He drove Major Delmar to a half-mile trotting record in Im, and Morning Star to a halfmile pacing record in 59 y 2 s. * * « « The Indian Grand National Steeplechase, of 7000 rupees, three miles, run at Tollygunge on New Year’s Day, was won by the Wallace mare Seclusion (10.2), who beat the deadheaters Kipling (11.2) and Olynthus (10.0) by a length. * * * * The celebrated English trainer, William Day, is on record as saying: “A good big horse may beat a good little one over a short course, or even at a mile or so; but I think at three or four miles a good little one would beat the best big one I ever saw.” * * * * The New Zealand jockey C. O’Neill, continues to have a bad time with his thigh, the bone of which had to be re-broken and re-set. He is still in the Melbourne Hospital, and the doctors are unable to say when he will be fit to leave. * * * ♦ The champion Achilles was bred by Mr. A. W. Nivison at the Tillimby stud, Patterson River, in 1900, and is now in his seventh year. He is by the Tocal sire Medallion from Nereid, by Goldsbrough from Sea Swallow (imp.), by See Saw, and was purchased as a yearling at the Randwick autumn sales on behalf of his present owner, Mr. J. Monk, of New Zealand, for 300 guineas. Up to date Achilles has won between eight and nine thousand pounds in stakes. * * * * At the Auckland Anniversary Regatta held last month in the Speed Motor Boat Race over a 10-knot course, the scratch boat Grey Witch won easily, going round the course in which were eight right angle turns, at a great pace in 39 minutes. Grey Witch gave Baby Lozier lOmin. start, and Slim Jim 2min lOsec. Immediately before Grey Witch overtook Baby Lozier and before half the course was run the latter stopped and gave up the race. Slim Jim pluckily stuck to it and finished in fine style about 8% minutes after Grey Witch. The Grey Witch’s time works out at about 18 miles an hour, which is a splendid record considering the state of the weather and the number of turns in the race. * * * * The first of a series of sports by gaslight will be run on Wednesday, February 20, at the new ground opposite Hancock’s Brewery, Khyber Pass. A £l5 Novice Handicap will be the first event, nominations for which close on Saturday, February 16. Full particulars may be obtained from Mr. W. Riley, the secretary, 15, Coombes’ Arcade, Queen-street.

J. Buchanan has gone to Gisborne to ride at the G.R.C. Meeting there. <• * * * The hurdler Irish is in work again, swimming being part of the curriculum. Very good entries have been received for the Poverty Bay Turf Club’s Summer Meeting. * * * * The French Jockey Club stewards have started a reform in racing colours, and their technical expert, Bran- ; coni, was instructed to prepare a - table of colours. The result is a list of 24 different colours with 35 ways of blending them, which permits of 26,950 different sets of silks. Seams, armlets, collars, and other unim- ' portant details of jackets will not be dignified with special colours, nor will vertical halving, with which only one colour is discernible on either side, be permitted. It is understood all owners will shortly be asked to select new colours based on the Branconi plan. Something of the sort is urgently wanted here. * * * « I doubt whether a better finish has ever been seen at Takapuna than in the Summer Handicap. Millie made the running, to 50yds from home when Le Beau passed her. The Leolantis gelding had his head in front twenty yards from home, but on the very post Syren and Landlock beat him, and the judge’s verdict was that Syren won by half a head from Landlock, who was half a head in front of Le Beau. Soultmaid was a head further off fourth, and Millie a head behind Soultmaid. If a race-goer wants anything better than that he must be a glutton. * * * * There is an old English saying that nothing is certain but death and the taxes (writes “Martindale”). They are a sure double in every country. When a man goes to the expense and trouble of insuring a racehorse he is acting wisely, but even then there may be a slip, and, if a person is insuring himself, his horse, or his house, my advice is always overhaul the policy with as much care as if you were buying a horse. An instance of how easily it is to lose at the insurance game, when you think that every precaution has been taken, was noted recently in France. It appears that a horse named Red Cedar had been insured for £lOOO prior to his taking part in a steeplechase at Auteuil. He fell at a jump, and was so badly injured that his recovery was considered more than problematic. He was, however, not killed on the spot, but died four days afterwards at his stable at Chantilly, where he had been taken in the horse ambulance. The contract was made verbally, but the policy forwarded afterwards contained the words: “The guarantee of the company commences when the horse has gone out on the track, but ceases when he leaves it.” Although it was admitted by the defendant company that the death of Red Cedar was solely attributable to the accident, the Court allowed the plea that the horse having been removed from the course, and having died in his trainer’s stable at Chantilly, their liability had ceased when he left the course. That owner’s luck was dead out. * * * * There is plenty of money to be won by jumpers in France, and between

.. MESSRS. BARNETT and GRANT report the following- quotations on the Easter and Autumn Handicaps:

hurdle races and steeplechases, Mr. E. Frischof won no less than £15,718 in prize-money last year. The most successful horse during the season was Fragilite, whose stake-winnings totalled £848.3; then coming Burgrave IL, £7583; Violin 11., £3887; Dandalo, £3827; Le Venin, £3516; and He d’Elbe, £2BlB. St. Damien did best among the sires, 29 of his progeny winning jumping races of a total value of £19,085; The Quack following with £9709. Both of these horses are English-bred. * > • < After the declaration of the second forfeit nineteen remain in the Northern Champagne Stakes, and seven in the G.N. Oaks. Downfall, Maranui, Lamsdorff, Moriarty, All Red, Bebington, Wallassey and Eona represent Southern stables in the first-named race, while Lady Nell, Martyrium, Mungista and Helen Portland are the visitors in the Oaks. ♦ • • « Handicaps for the Wanganui Cup and Flying Handicap are due to appear on February 16. The Special Commission on Horseracing in France has recommended that the percentage of public winnings of a horse going to breeders shall henceforth reach at least 5 per cent, of the total amount of the stakes given in flat-racing; that no two-year-olds shall be raced before the month of June of each year; that on no account shall there be more than two events for two-year-olds at any one meeting; and that under no circumstances shall the distance exceed five furlongs. In the interests, of horse-breeding and for the improvement of the horse, the percentage of winnings-system adopted in France is both wise and just. It is an inducement to breeders to maintain first-class studs, as the fear of low prices for promising animals is removed when the breeder is entitled to share in the horses winnings. THE OHINEMURI J.C. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual race meeting of the Ohinemuri Jockey Club will take place on the Paeroa Racecourse on Saturday and Monday, March 16 and 18. As usual, a comprehensive list of events has been compiled, particulars of which appear in our advertising columns. The items on the first day include the Shorts Handicap of 3 Oso vs, 4 furlongs; the Hurdles, of 40sovs, 2 miles; the Netherton Welter of 30sovs, 7 furlongs; the Karangahake Handicap of 3 Oso vs, 5 furlongs; the Ohinemuri Cup of 115sovs, 1% miles; the Komata Handicap of 25sovs, 7 furlongs; the Paeroa Steeplechase of 50sovs, miles; and the St. Patrick’s Handicap of 40sovs, 6 furlongs. On the second day the events will be the Waitekauri Plate of 35sovs, 5 furlongs; the Waikino Welter of 35sovs, 7 furlongs; the District Hurdles of 40sovs, 1% miles; Hikutaia Handicap of 25sovs, 6 furlongs; Paeroa Handicap of SOsovs, one mile; Flying Handicap of 30sovs, 4 furlongs; Tally-ho Steeplechase of 55sovs, 3 miles; the Final Handicap of 40sovs, 6 furlongs. This, for a country club, is a particularly wellendowed list, and should certainly draw a good entry. Nominations for all events close with Mr. H. Poland, secretary, at 9 p.m., on Friday, February 22.

II? 0 Bl ii2 to 03 Golden Knight Chryseis Zetland Sea King, Crichton, Thunderer, Stepdancer, Notos, Gazelly Red Gauntlet, Lapland, Buoeleueh, Fontenoy, Splendid Idea, Grenade, Moscow Sir Tristram, Eden, Signalman, Pink ’Un, Ghoorka, Blythemaid, Submarine, Armistice King Billy, Seal, Rock, Zimmerman, Achilles, Marguerite, Munjeet, Multifid, Cross Battery b> a ? o § J? B ° f & S ' ® B' o Easter Hd’cp. to Ot © to 8 Ot © 8 8 © © Cross Battery, Multifid. Splendid Idea, Achilles, Marguerite, Zimmerman Pink ’Un, Munjeet, Sir Tristram, King Billy Isolt co o © to o» o to 8 Q» © 8 ■ . co © Buccleuch, Submarine, Ballarat, Lady Annie, Sea King, llarita Clanchattan, Savoury, Signalman, Stronghold, Replete, Armee Soult o o CO 8 to s to © © 8 Fontenoy, Ghoorka, Red Gauntlet, Medallist Balsam, Crichton, Intelligence, Fireiron, Golden Cairn, Truce, Gazelly s © S © co • o © to bt © to © © Crt © Exmoor, Pas Seul, Petrovna, Moscow, Chryseis, Blythemaid, Don Orsino, Apollodoris 1 CJl 8 o © co © © to 8 Zetland, Red Mom, Landwern, Ivanoff, Helen Portland, Astrakan, Tessera s © § 8 I CO 8 Si © Harvest, Silk Web, Ouidaform, Salaam, Ziaro