CHRISTCHURCH RACES.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2720, 4 November 1871, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH RACES.

“The Druid,” in the Lyttelton Thne-i, gives the following “tips” for the principal events :

The entries on the whole may be considered satisfactory. Most of the events have quite an average number. The Maiden Plate, with which the meeting commences, has this year seven, two more than have entered for the last two years. They comprise —Sweetbriar, 5 yrs ; Barbarian, 3 yrs; Malice, 4 yrs ; Flying Fish, 3 yrs ; Patch, 4 yrs ; Gossip, 3 yrs; Defamation, 3 yrs. The first on the list was trained last year, but for some cause she never came to the post. She has very much improved since then, and has grown into a really fine mare, and goes in very good form. She will most likely run well, but I cannot from her breeding on her sire’s side give her a very prominent place ; none of his stock has ever proved a race-horse yet, so I shall not expect to see her amongst the first three. Malice is another of the Ft that last year went amiss, but has come out all the better for her rest, so that with her improved appearance, breeding, and style of going, I shall, bar all accidents, give her the preference for the Maiden Plate. Patch I cannot fancy has any claim'to run in the company he wjjl meet, 40 I Shall ptft him ppf of itj[at once and go on to Barbarian, Mr Morten’s Derby colt, a very handsome son of old Barbary and Traducer, with a very nice way,of moving, but in my idea much too small, and 1 am afraid he Will find the weight both in the Maiden and Derby too heavy for him this year. Flying Fish, if she starts for this, will prove one of the most dangerous ones ; and no doubt will be, well up, although Gossip own sister to old Backbiter is in the race, and is to my fancy one of the,nicest mares on the course, with perhaps a little to much knee action, but she gets over the ground in very good form, and must prpye a dangerpus rival in any compapy, as her brpthpp did bpfqre hpr. Defa : mation, another of Air JJnnfer's, f cappot look upon as meant for this race, as I find she is also in the Lottery Plate, the next race with six entries : —Lacenfeed, aged ; Alisa Fiat, G yrs ; Slander, Jaged ; Kpvy, 4 yrs j Southern Chief, aged j Defamation, 3 yrs. Laccufeed, [the Nelson flyer, as she is

called, has always proved herself worthy of the name whenever she has started with anything like a light weight on her back, amt ought, in this race, to make it pretty hot for them, although the weight is none of the lightest ; still the distance is only threequarters of a mile aud not a great way to carry it. I shall at this distance of time give her the first place, although Slander has always proved herself, both here and elsewhere, one of the right so t, aud looks fresh and well, but after all her knocking about I can’t fancy she is the mare she used to be. Envy comes next, and from her last year’s performances, will, no doubt, be a strong favourite, and deservedly so with many, as she then proved what she could do, and this year she is, I should say, twice the mare she was, having thickened out very much and otherwise improved, but 1 think the distance is too shoit for her, although she appears to be a very good starter, and I am afraid the starting will militate much against Miss Flat’s chance, who, this season, is a great improvement on last year in point of appearance, with, I am told, an improved way of starting ; if so, she will make it very dangerous for them, as she is by no means a slow mare and has placed several short races to her owner’s credit. Southern Chief, only lately taken up, cannot be in first-rate trim, but he has a very good turn of speed, and will no doubt, be well up at the finish. Defamation, the only three-year old in this race, ought to have every chance iu it, as she has all the pull in the weight and cannot be from her breeding and the confidence her owner has in her, a slow mare, or he would

not have entered her for the half-mile race. She ought to be one of the hot ones at the close, if not the actual winner. With all the horses in this race noted for their speed, it must be a very difficult thing to pick out the actual winner. Carefully considering all their performances, I am at present inclined to give the preference to Laceufeed. Now comes the Canterbury Cup. Would that I had 10 or 15 horses in it to write about instead of only the miserable lot of three. And why are the entries so few ? It cannot hs because the money is so litttle. It has been tried first of all with LIOJO added, aud then the starters never, except the first year, exceeded five or six ; then it was reduced to L3OO, and these last two or three years to L3OO, and the distance has been reduced from 3 to 2| miles, in the hope that more would enter, but without effect. My own impression is, that instead of making this race a weight for age race, the committee ought to make it a handicap, with a sweep of L2O—LS on nomination, L 5 on acceptance, the remaining LlO at the post, A good entry would result from it, and we very likely should have ten or fifteen come to the post (especially if the handicap was well made) instead of only three—Knol« tingley, Peeress, Flying Fish—the sole competitors for thy great race of New Zealand, Aud of this lot the old horse knottingley stands decidedly the favourite, and this year will have the assistance of the Flying Fish to make the running for him, so that he may be able to shake off the Peeress, and not let the Cup this year slip from him if all his owner and trainer can do cau help it; hut in spite of all these things I am a most decided admirer of the old mare, and shall, from my present observations, expect her to be the winner. As all these tips, however, aie given a week before the races come off, I may see reason to alter many of the winners before the events take place.

BETTING. CANTEHBURY CUP. 15 to 10 on Knottingley. Even agst Peeress. 30 to 10 agst Plying Fish, c J.C. HANDICAP, 3 to 1 on the Field. Malabar, Envy, and Peeress most enquired fqr. * ’’ LOTTERY PLATE. 2 to 1 agst Miss Flat and Lacenfeed. CUP AND C.J.C. HANDICAP. 50 to 8 agst Knottingley and Malabar. 50 to 8 agst Knottingley and Defamation, 50 to 8 agst 1 eeress and Malabar. 50 to 8 agst Peeress and Defamation. 50 to 8 agst Peeress and Septimus. 50 to 5 agst Knottingley and Septimus, and sought after.