SPORTING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3744, 22 February 1875, Page 2

SPORTING NOTES.

By Pegasus, THE DUNEDIN CUP. The date of our annual meeting is ap* preaching, so I commence the task of analysing the chances of the various horses which accepted for the big event, considering the prospects of each under the impost laid upon it and viewing them, where possible, under the light of previous public running. Mr Delamain’s Templeton, four years old, heads tholiat with Bst 12!b, having incurred a penalty of Tibs by winning the Auckland Cup on Boxing Day. He is so well known here by his performance s at our last annual meeting, running second to Lurliue for the Cup, and winning the Forbury and Flying Handicaps—the last two both in one day that any desorif tion is unnecessary. He is gifted with a -great turn of speed and his pluck is indomitable, as may bo scon by his deeds at the recent meetings in the various Provinces. At the Canterbury November pees he ran third to Tambourir.i and Traitor in the J.C. Handicap and the Cup, carrying the tamo weight as Traitor in each race, Sat and Bst .121b ,• Avon the Grand Stand Handicap, carrying Bst 61b, beating Yatterina, who gave him 41b j and repeated the trick in the Metropolitan Handicap, with 9st 11b, the mare carrying 21bs more. At Auckland Templeton, Bst lilbs, won the Cup, Tatterina, 9st, being again behind him ; and the noxt day he pulled off the Grand Stand Handicap with 9ab 51bs on his back, the mare, with 61ba less, being a bad third. The colt won od up bis conquering tour at the same meeting by winning the Town Plate, and is now, with his stable companion, Hercules, hard at work in the hands of Sam Haynes at Christ, church. “Sinbad” says he is as sound as a bell and much improved by his Northern trip. The first on the list of Templeton’s Cup opponents is Castaway, and Ave must back some considerable time to ci-mc. a.ross a contest between these two. In November 1873, Castaway ran second to Papapa for the Christchurch Derby, Templeton being third, Traitor and others in the rear; bat in April, 1574, ia the lit. Leger, Templeton was second to Kakapo, Castaway taking third place. Now 7 , these events about balance each other, and occurred so far back aa to furnish no criterion as to the respective merits of each horse at the present time—the one has been ever since in a state of almost incessant activity and hard work while the other has been living a retired life! Castaway has 2lba advantage in the rvughts but against this mutt be placed the difficulty of training him, owing to a bad leg. He is, however, porhnps better bred on the dinrs side, and,for this reason alone I shall, if he com s fit to the post, place him before Tern-pu-tbn, Going back to the previously-mea-Honed particulars of the la-tscason’s running, Traitor and Yatterina would appear to hold Temp.etou safe ; for only three months ag' the first named beat him twice at even Aveights and why saould the then defeated one turnround now and reverse the running, carrying 51bs more ? And he ia called upon to give. Yatterina JOlbs, whereas when he won bis leyeated victories over her she was giving

him from 2!bs to 41berc’pt on tb'> b st o". casiou, when the mare, in her tnrn, : reived Gibs. In this race she ran a bad l idrJ, and, taking into consideration her age and piospecta of getting stale and weighing them against Templeton’s vigor, stamina, and continued improvement, I am inclined to give the colt the preference— especially as he has saown by his Lite running that he can do .us two miles comfortably. As to his show against Traitor, barring accidents, I can c see that he has one, unless the difference in the condition of the two or tiio day M tiie race, be vr.aJy in Templeton’s favor. Mr Hciamamhorse met Atlas Hnvctim-s i-J.irch, beating him for fccoul pin, e in the Cup (recc.vmg I81bs), and for first in the Forbnry Handicap (with lUha the best of it) ; but ia the J. Handicap Atlas, .a ing him ran into third place, Tempktoa being last of the four starters. The latter is now asked to give the old horse 12:1.*, v Inch I 1 ok as impossible, if Atlas is fit. Spritsidi, giving him Ililbs, ran against Templeton when he won the Forbury Handicap, but was not placed. ! hey will now meet at a difference from that of 331b 3, SpVitsail receiving I Tibs and carrying lolbs below weight for age, while the colt is within 21bs of his weight for for age. This should certainly put him out of court with a mare of such staunchness as Sprits ail proved herself in last year’s Maiden Plate and Publicans’ Handicap. In the Auckland Town Plate, Templeton (9at) beat Ngaro (7st 21b) easily by two lengths, and now ho meets hereon 51bs better terms ; to that if the filly ran on her merits on that occasion, their positions are not likely to be reversed. To iSnnnambala he gave 271 l-s in the Canterbury Cup, and ran third, while she was beaten off; now he gives her 41b less, and she ia only 11b better off than him as regards weight for age. The Earl of Lynne is Templeton’s only remaining recent opponent, and be receives exactly two stone a lump of weight to throw away, even to a “rat,'* both being of the same age. As to the Australian horses, and the other Hew Zealanders, I cannot compare their chances with Templeton’s, beyond saying ■of the former that Right Bower is 251bs, Pertoba 221bs. and Flying Dutchman Ifilbs below weight for age. It will be seen that I reckon that Castaway, Traitor, Atlas, and Spritsail are better m than Templeton, but Mr Delamam has another horse entered—Hercules—who may represent the stable, and of him I shall write ia duo coarse. , i lr *l* 0n ’ 8 Castaway, four years, Bst iUlbs, 1 must unfortunately dismiss in fewer words, he having kept so secluded for uearly twelvc months. He is by Traci uccr out of Mermaid, and consequently full brother to l.urnne so no fault can be found with him on the score of breeding. He is entered as a nve-year-old, but is really only four years of age, having been foaled on July 23, 1871 • but our Jockey Club’s rules make ages of horses date from August 1 in each year, instead of July 1, as in Canterbury, Castaway therefore carries 4lbs. below weight for age and is iu 2lhs. better than Tempi©**, and dibs, worse thanT aitor. At Christchurch m November, 1873, ha ran Pipapa to half a length in the Derby, coming in before Ternpleton, Traitor, and others. This race was won iu 2min. 46sec. In March following he won the Wellington Cup, carrying 6at. 71b * 7^ ting j V elusion ’ Hatred (9M), Batter fist 71b) and Lnehinvar (sst 101b). Last April he ran third to Kakapo and Templeton forth© bt. Leger, suddenly slacking speed while running strongly, owing to having struck his leg. He then left the turl till the present time, his injuries being so great as seriously to interfere with his being trained, and time after time he has been entered for races only to be withdrawn. At last reports be waef' doing steady work and standing preparation* well uEUKr the care of G-oodycr, though it has been rumored that he has been put to the j- 116 “ a grandhoive, and, if sound on the I shall plump for him, taking no notice of his 31bs concession to Traitor; but may be he is only training for the ('hristchurch Autumn meeting, and will not favor us in March. The bookmakers seem to be working en some such idea, for they Jay freely against him, and 100 to 6 is not to be thrown at a horse ’ike Castaway if a likely starter.