RACING INTELLIGENCE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3908, 29 January 1884, Page 3

RACING INTELLIGENCE.

(By Hirro.) I have b--foro me the handicaps for tho Taupo" ' tn d Wairoa mcc.;.. tra . For the Taupo-'Cup I see that Amazon i* award*" l , j, v weight. The mare is well enough bred, 'being by Anteros—Revoke, and foul' years olci. Sho has started seven or eight times, but as far as I can find has failed to score a win. Her best performance was when she ran second to Nonsense as a two-year-old in the Canterbury Nursery Handicap. She has never shown any form since, and frorh hef performances I should not think she could give Yankee four pounds. Zulu last year ran second to To Whetu in the r Taupo Hurdle Race, carrying Ost lllbs, and then won the Taupo Cup with Bst lib on his back. Ho is now awarded Bst 41b, so should, at any rate, be able to run into a good place. The rest of the horses, barring Blackheath, I know littlo or nothing of. By the-by, how is it that in the Taupo Cup there is only a difference of 24lbs between Yankee and Blackheath,-and in the Wairoa Handicap, a race of tho samo distance, there is a difference of 31 lbs ? Both handicaps are made by tho same party, and both appeared at the same time. A friend asked me the other day what was tho use of criticising handicaps, for, said he, where the handicap is mado the die is cast, and there is no altering it. Quite so, but from criticism a person may learn not to do things that aro bo palpably plain to auy observant person. I am afraid the handicapper must have been, in raciug phraseology, a "bit off color " when he compilod these two handicaps. In the Wairoa Handicap, if Badsworth is the Badsworth of old, or rather if hois fit, well, and sound, he should have no trouble in winning the race ; if not fit Tho Laird should have a good say iv it. Last year ho won the same raco with Ost 12lbs; he has now 6st 71bs. I doubt yft-thcr _».Jar_ies can give him 21bs in a two-mile raco. For the Wellington Cup thero aro ten horses left in out of 37 nominations. Vanguard is njade tho favourite in the betting. It must be from privatp trials, or irom the stable backing him, as I fail to see what he has ever done in public to make him so. It is very difficult to attempt to 'spot the winner, us several of tho hordes beloi-g to such very clever stables that to spot what should win, and what will win, aro two very different things. Had * Loonato not incurred his penalty I should have picked him as the best outsider. I believe Miss Juan's stable fancy her a bit. Shejis an aged mare by Don Juan —Potentate mare, and has only Ost 51bs to carry. She started seven times last year, and won six of herraces, but'had only second-rate company to meet. I believe that'if Welcome Jack, is wanted he will win, one of P. Martin's second. ' In my last notes I drew attention to the business that will be before the next meeting of tho Jockey Club. lam glad that I did so, aa it has caused the question to be discussed. Sonic think it would be foolish on the part of tho Agricultural and Pastoral Society to bind themselves furthor with the Jockey Club, and that it would bo more to the intorcst if both to separate. A piece of ground suitable for a course was pointed out to me, and that was a-patt of. Mr J. N. Williams* land, just beyond the • present racocourse. Ihereis no'doubt that should the club docide upon purchasing, '■ no better site could be procured,

[by telegraph.] ■ Wellington, This day

The following aro the weights declared by Mr J. O. Evett for tho first day's races of tho Wellington summer mooting:— Flying Stakes.—Welcome Jack, Ost 9lbs ; Mjscjiigf, fist fibs ; Salvage, §st Dibs ; Sir George, 7st I2ibsj ' Minerva, 7st (Jibs ; Kingask, 7st2lb_ ; Witionj, > (isfc VH|;; Consul, Gst 51bs : Orlando, ffet. ...Huxdle Handicap.—Clarence, 12st 41b.; Horcples, list "lbs ; Loch Lomand, lOst 6fb_;.Orio«.t, 9st 71bs; Scrutineer, Ost albs; Liability, 9st. . "' Steward's Handicap.— Welcome Jack, flat 9lbs! WiscWej, Ost e)ibs; Salvage, B.t

lOlbs; Vansuard, Sst 81bs ; Loonata, Sst olbjTimWliiffler, ost 21bs; Sir George, 7_t 12lbs; Libeller, 7st 81bs; Minerva, 7st Gibs ; The Poet, 7st 3lbs ; . Normanby, 7st; Administrator, Ost 71bs; Briar, 6st. The Hutt course is still in bad condition, and in some places there are pools of water. Men have, however, been engaged to drain tho bad spots. The severe weather lately has been very destructive to the booths.

There is little or no hotting on the Cup. Vanguard is still first favorite, but has not yet arrived, and there are rumors that he will bo absent. This morning all the horses did slow work except Salvage and Loch Lomond, the former went round thrice fast, but slowed down when he camo to the wet ground. Welcome Jack only did walking exercise. Clarence wont twice round at an easy pace, finishing fast. Normanby has arrived from New Plymouth, and, with Witiora and Refrigerator, was sent twice road at a fair pace.