CANTERBURY.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1121, 5 October 1911, Page 6

CANTERBURY.

(By Our Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, October 3. At the Australian Jockey Club’s spring meeting this year I thought New Zealand horses would have done better, but it is evidently not to be. Los Angelos, Culprit, ' Vice-Admiral, Bridge and all the younger division from this part of the world have failed and failed badly. Looking backwards one cannot help but think that the late owner of Multiform, Bonoform, and Cruciform knew a little more than some of the present day sportsmen who have thought fit to exploit Australian soil. The Los Angelos party—and they are fairly strong in Christchurch—* went down badly over the Epsom Handicap in which the son of San Francisco ran like a commoner, and when they tried to make amends for their losses by backing Vice-Admiral in the Metropolitan Handicap they had to be content with pale ale instead of the best Australian wine.

From Sydney I learn that the New Zealand contingent have had a very bad time. Surely horses of the calibre of Los Angelos, Bridge, Culprit, Vice-Admiral, Midnight Sun and even Genius are capable of winning their oats before returning to the home of their birth. Goldfinder is still favourite for the New Zealand Cup. Next in demand being Domino. The Cornet (68), who has never won a race of any consequence, has been backed for a lot of money. W. Whitta, who is fairly well known in racing circles, was fined £5O a few days ago for loitering in the vicinity of Ashburton racecourse. The racing at Geraldine showed that E. Murray-Aynsley promises to have a formidable team this season with Prim, Coroniform and Martine to represent him. This trio still hold their New Zealand Cup engagements and the best of the bunch should be hard to beat in the big race of the year. Canterbury is without a representative in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas this year, but will be represented in the Hastings Stakes by G. D. Greenwood’s Obligado colt Gnome, who has the reputation of being a fairly smart youngster.

Counterfeit, a Champagne Challenge Stakes winner, paid his supporters a handsome dividend in the Wanganui Guineas. How such a high-class, wellperformed filly went out at such long odds is one of the mysteries of the turf which no one can solve.