SPORTING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 4021, 15 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

Concerning t.he Wairarapa race scandal the ' N. Z. Times' has received a letter from Mr R. Derritt, the trainer of Fishhook, in which he emphatically denies the truthfulness of the statement, of the 'Wiirarapa Standard.' He says Fishhook was given into his charge 1 o race at the vv airarapa on his merits, and it was considered that he had «n excellent chance from the fact that he met Korari upon 71b better terms than when he ran him within halt a length for the Curistc urch Plato (3min 44£ sec). He refers to the first day's racing to show that Kdrari on that day ran wide at the turn at which he next day bolted In reference to the Jockey Club Plat •, he eays :—" It must be remembered that Korari pulled up lame after the Wairarapa Stakes race, and m>»re than this, it roust havo been quite clear to anyone who saw him race at Ohristchurch or Wellington, tha 1 he was at Wairarapa at least 71b below form he was in either at Christchurch or Wellington. I saw Korari let out of his box the morning of the Jockey Club Plate nee. He was th°n lame, and I then thought Fishhook's chance

looked blighter than ever. Had Koran's friends been awara of th*B fact, I don't think they would h«ye been quite so sweet upon him. The tact is, Mr Kedwooii,who I am sure thought he could win, for once expected too much of his little horse under such trying citcumstancfs. At noon on the day of the race,my orders to Fishhook's jockey were given, viz., not to let Koraii more than a length to two lengths away from him if he could possibly help it, but if Korari did not make the pace fast he was to do so. The couire being about a mile round, the start was from the front of the stond. I was at the start. The starter stood on the inside and lon the outride of the course, close to the judge's box. and at the fail of the fUg I ran to the end of the rails towards the distance post. I brw then to ray surprise that Korari was quite eight lengths ahead, and therefore T started off for the quarter-of-a-mile post, waving my hat as I ran, in order to beckon my own boy on ; but, after great exertion, I could not get nearer than eighty yards to the course, and then I saw Korari bolt. Previously, I could not see that Korari intended to bolt, as I was running broadside on to him. Kishhook was Btill being held ; but I shouted out to the boy to let him go, which hj« did. Had I let the boy exercise his own judgment, I don't think Fishhook wou'd h&fe run off; but his bolting is easily accounted for by the strong temptation in front of him. Fis'ihook was very soon pulled on to the course again, and then went off at a steady Eice ; but Korari, who had quito overpowered is jockey, rau a«ainst the race-course gate, and the sudden stop was the cause of the jockey falling off. Ho was imm"diatuly put on again by Martin, Koran's trainer, who had been standing at the turn coming into the straight, and the horse was then cantered on to the

course, anil again put i<t top pace, but bia c'nance of catching: Fishhook was hopeless, as F shliook was by thi> time naif a mile ahead. On Korari coming round the second time he mado another determined bolt direct for the stable, which is only a out one hundred yards from the course. It is very tempting for a horse to bolt when running under difficulties aud being close pinched. Of my own character I have very little to say. But I may say I have been riding for over seven years, an t on nearly all the courses in New Zealand, and hul never had a protest en*ered against me. The statements made in the ' Standard ' are quite fake. I wis not lving down in the grass, nor did I chuck my hat up, nor was I the cause of Korari'a bolting. I had not a shilling w»th Mr Redwood, direct or indirect, and I am prepared to prove that both horses ran on their merits.' These are the statements which Deiritt makes, and the 'N. Z. 'limes' still thinks there should be an iuquiry. A newspaper controversy will in no w«y tend to clear up the matter. Both statements are before the stewards now, and they should make it their business to require proof as to which party is ritjht. If they decline to take the trouble, they will fail in their duty and will not deserve to be entrusted with the management of another race meeting.

During the two days racing at the recent Auckland meeting no less than seven of horses bolting occurred. Out of th >«e two are to be placed to the credit of Mr Redwood's Cocksure 1 , in the Grand Stand Ha- dioap and the OoBolation; and three to another of our Cap hoists, Tsiak W.ilton (a=! the Fanny Fisher colt has been appropriately named), who ran off the course in every rase hs started for—namely, the Derby, Publicans' Plate, nnd Consolation. All these bolts occurred at the same spot where there is no fence. The Hurdle R ice wag won by the old Otauro mare Medora, and she was thereu-on made a hot favorite for the next day's Steeplechase, but was scratched. It appears that Parawhenua started for the Cup but he could not get a place. Mr H. Prince lias bo ight Mr J. Buokland's bl g The aged, which ran third for the Auckland Hurdle Race and second fo- the Steeplecba e. 'or LSO, t> wh'ch figure is to be added L 25 if The Moose should win the Dunedin Steeplechase in Murch, l.r which he is to be ( ntered.

The following are the weigh's for the Marlb'>rough Cup, of 60 sovs, two miles, to be run on February 17, the second day of the meeting : -

Mr M'lvor'sbh Tlercules, 4 °rß ... 9 1 Mr War i'sb g Messrs and Fraser's br hj Sir Walter, 4 yrs 8 3 Mr Philli ,'s c m Ravenswing, 5 yrs ... 8 0 Mesirs Stevens n and Fraser's c Heringi, 4 y'B 7 12 Mr ,T. R binson's c e Magenta, aged ... 710 Mr J. = wart's bgD-cto-, agel 7 6 Messi a Stevenson and Fraser's g Tout... 7 2 Mr Rayner's o c Bank«r. 3 vrs 7 0 Mr H. Redwo d's be out of Sky bird,"" 3 yrs ." ft 5 Mr C. Redwood's c c Poncaster, 2 yrs... 6 5

The programme for the Canterbury Autumn Meetiasr har b en issued, nnd although a co y has not been forwarded to us, we have come across ole >'n a Christehnrch paper. The meeting is. as usual, to extend over two days, April 17 and 18 (Basher Mo 1 'ay and Tuesday), but there are several notable changes in the events themselves. On the first day th^r e ii no alteration in the Trial Plate of 100 sov», St. T.esor of 100 sovs, and Champagne Stakes of 100 so hut the St. G.orge's Handicap of 100 sovs is clinnered to the Tradesmen's Plate Handicap of 100 sots for 3yr olds and upwards. On the second day I find there is to bo no Hurd'e Race, and the Flying Stake* of l r )0 sovs *8 th? first ev nt. Last year, this was the Flying Handicap, now its name is changed an! it is made a weight for a?e race, with pena'ties for winners of weight for age races since November 1, 1875. The money for the Autumn Handicap is still kept at 300 sovs, but it is open only to three-year-olds and upward<, and is to be run over the St. Leger course instead of the mile and a-hnlf. TV Saline, Cv iry, and Conaola'ion races are the same as before.

Ihe i me forth* Timarn meeting, to be held on February 17 and 18, contains several a'terAtions. In the fir*t place the dvte is nearlv three months earlier than last ye*r, when it was hfld oa May 6 and 7. The Hurdle Race money is reduced from 40 sovs to 30 sovs ; the South Canterbury Handicap from 60 sovs to 50 sovs : the Novel Race from 50 sovs to 40 so vs ; the Handicap Hurdle If ace from 50 sovs to 40 sovs ; the Timaru Cup from 75 sjvs to 60 sovs; the Tradtsm-n's Handicap from 40 fovs to 30 sovs; and the Consolation from 25 sovs to 20 so vs. The Cup is to be run on the second day this year, and the big Handicap on the first day; and the u|> distance is increased from two miles and a-quarter to two miles and a-h»lf.

A. curious matter in dispute will probably be laid before the committee of the Duuedin Jockey Club. One of the local bookmakers had a book on the late Melbourne Champion Race, and was laying 50 to 1 against placing the first three. Some time between twelve and one o'clock on the morning that the news of the result arrived a backer of horses laid out a pound in this way, taking TSO to LI and choosing Richmond, Goldsb ough, and Maid oi All Work—which finished iu that order. This may possibly have been merely a lucky inspiration on the part of the backer, but the bookmaker has heard tlut the result of the race was known in town an hour before he kid the wager, and he therefore declines to 'part." Each party seems determined to btick to his own side of the case, and the Jockey Club's opinion will most lik ly be asked on it. There is not much betting just now on the Dunediu Cup, a pause being made until the 2lst inst., when the acceptances come out. Kory O'Moie is still at the head of the list, aud he promises in time to become as hot a favorite for this race as he was for the Christchurch J. C. Handicap. The following is an approximate list of odds :

Pegasus. The feat of paddling in a canoe from Winds' r lock to Westminister-bridge, a distance of miles, in hours and ten minutes, was p?r ormed by Mr B. 11. Rhys. A match between Jem Mace and Tom Allen, to fight a prize fight according to the London P.R. ruks, has been a ranged. It is to come < ff on May 20 at Chicago, and the stakes ate LI.OOO.

At a recent sale of the bloodstock belonging to the Marquis of Aylesford, Julius Caesar, a two-year-oil colt, by St. Albans out of JuMe, was sold for the enormous sum of L 3.300. He was purchased by the Duke of Westminster.

Recently Capt. Davison, R.N., while deerstalking in the forests of Scotland, came on three fine stags, when, with a single breechloading rifle, he shot tho first through the heart as he rose, and the other two in succession as they were running away, having to reload between each phot.

A grand trial of pedal speed has just been pulled off in Chicago. O'Leary and Weston were the walkiats. The form r t ccomplished Ihe unique feat of covering 500 miles in 142 hours, 27 minute* and 33 seconds. v\ eston made 450 miles in the same time. O'Leary's last mile was done in 13 min. 10 sec?.; Weston's in 26 min. 10 sees.

The feat of a bicycle ride from Vienna to Paris has been accomplished by a Frenchman named Laumaille'. The time occupied in the journey was twelve days and three hours ; aud the machine, after going over nearly 700 milws of ground, is pronounc«d " as fresh as a daisy," although the roads, from recent rains, were in a bad condition. A companion of M Laumnille U reported to have brokea down after about 600 miles of the trip were performed. CALEDONIAN ATHLETICS. Having before us report < of the northern meeting, held at Inverness last October, it is interesting to compare the figures made by the prifce-winuers at the Caledonian games there with those made in Dunedin andOamaru, at the New Year's Day gatherings. The following is the result, which we give in tabulated form :

Two women have started a barbershop in Titusville. \V e saw one woman start a barbershop once. She came in with a cowhide in her hand and said she was going to horsewhip the man who had been talking about her; and eight men with towels under their chins and lather on their faces hustled out of the chairs and started for the baok door on a run,

11 to 2 against Bory O'More (off) 10 to 1 , , Tattler (tk) 10 to 1 , Bight Bower (tk) 10 to I , , Cocksure (tk) 10 to 1 , Amohia (off) 10 to 1 , , Korari (off) 100 to 9 , , King Philip (tk) 100 to 9 , 100 to 8 , Daniel 0'Eourne (off) , Fishhook (tk) 100 to 8 , , Pungawerewero (off) 100 to 8 , Blair Athol (oft) 100 to 8 , Kauri (off) 100 to 7 , , Hercules (off) 100 to 7 , , Templeton (off) 100 to 6 , , Banolf (off) 100 to C , Gamecock (off) 100 to 5 , Banolf (off) 100 to 5 , Ngaro (off) 100 to 4 , Sonnambula (off) 100 to 4 , , Empress (tk) 100 to 4 , , Nabouchlish (tk) 100 to 3 , , Seabird (off) 100 to 2 Guy Fawkes (off) 100 to 2 to 1 any other.

Inver1 Oatnaru. din. ness. ft. in. ft. in. ft. in. Putting Heavy Ball ... 31 7 30 6i 34 10i Throwing Light Hammer 82 2| 103 7 08 3 Running Hi«h Leap 4 10 5 0 5 5| Pmtting Light Ball 34 4 48 9 Vaulting with Pole 8 11 10 1 9 1 Running Long Leap ... 16 2 17 3 21 5 Throwing Heavy Hammer 69 4 74 9