SPORTING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 4039, 5 February 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

During the week the committee of the Jockey Club visited and closely inspected the Fi rbury Course and i raining ground, the result of their investigation being that tan is to be laid down on the training ground twelve feet in width, and from three to six inches in dep'h. This increise in the width will be much appreciated by trainee, and altogether there w<ll be little fault to be found when this work is carried out.

The programme of the Oamaru races, fixed for March 2 and 3, shows upwards of LIOO is to be given in added money and an additional day’s racing. The Hurdle Race, Maiden Plate, and Members’ Plate remain as last year; but the N.O.T.C Handicap has been reduced from 100 sovs to 80 sovs. The new races are the Tradesmen’s Handicap of 35sovs, Novd Lace of 40sovs, Plying Handicap of 40 sovs. and Selling Hack Hurdle race of 20sovs. A very successful meeting may be anticipated Racing is kept up with spirit on the West Coast. Although Greymouth and okitika held meetings during the Christmas holidays they are now preparing their annual progi amines— Greymouth on St. Patrick’s Day, Hokitika on Easter Monday and Tuesday, Ahaura is also moving in regard to its annual meeting. At the Grey last year some valuable stakes were run for. including the J. C. Handicap of 200sovs, Gohdfields Handicap of 125 sovs, Borough Handicap of 50 sovs, and Dis tr.ct Handicap of 40 sovs ; while at Hokitika were the Westland Crip of 200 sovs, W. E. C. Handicap of 110 sovs, Stewards’ Handicap of 50^sovs, and Borough Handicap of 40 sovs. The entries for futuure events at the Auckland Club’s meetings hiave been published, and number as follows:—Champagne Stakes of 1876, four entries ; Champagne Stakes of 1877, tw-lve ; Mares’ Produce Stakes of 1878, ten • Derby of 1878, fifteen ; St. Leger of 1878, fourteen ; and Mares’ Produce Stakes of 1880, for which twenty-three mares are nominated. These latter include Peeress, Tatterina, Fanny Pnher, Waimea, and Wainui, served by Tracer • Pengi, served by Blue Boy ; and Hatred, Ladybird, and Marchioness, served bv Papapa. J The li-t of entries for the Christchurch Great Autumn Handicap, published by us in Wednesday’s issue, numbers twenty seven horses, as against eighteen last year. Of these eighteen, only six are to be found going in for the p ize a second time, viz.. Parawhenua (winner last ye-.r), Templeton, Right Bower, Ring Philip, 1 admor, ai d Guy Fawkes. Those who have d opped out are Castaway, Tam burini. Flying Dutrhrnam Traitor, Pert. be, Ngaio, W..ii.ui, Heicules, Sprit sail, Princess Mary, Septimus, and Yatterina. ’

A notification appears in the ‘ Australasian ’ that he compihr of the ‘ Turf Roister’ is cUt irons of obtaining full returns of the New Zealand meetings, m order tint they may be publish! d in the next volume, ift is to be hoped r> ew Zealand stcretarie will ta ,ke the hint and forward their returns as S' on as possible. Augur wiites as follows ;—‘ i iliore is some talk of a revision of the V.K C. weight-for-age scale being made, and :if it be true°iet us lit.po that the i e will be act inference of the Australi n racing clubs, so that we may have, a proper weight-fo) -age standard throughout Australia. It .does seem the jteigbt of absurdity tliat each < olony should have a scale of its own, ono differ ng from the other very materially, and 'the chib nde%of the several Colonies arc also dissimilar. It woulo be very easy to a p point a committee of six-say Messrs Scan- and A. Ihompson from New South Wales, Messis .Leonard and Power from Victi iria, Mr G BenSouth Australia, an d Mi- Miller or , . from fashas .nia —to frame a shale and a ct <de of rules that would satisfy tho majority of racing mon, and

the affairs of the turf would then go much more unoothly than they do at present. Of course, there are many who maintain that the Vic torian scale is equal to that of any other in existence, but I beg leave to doubt it; for r suits have proved hat, whenever a firs -class three year-old comes out, it is much moie than a match for the rr-t-class horses of from four to six years of age ” At the Beechworth meeting a fortnight ago there was a splendid r ce for the Members’ Stakes, two dead heats being run. Six hor es started, Snowd n and Hannah having the call in the betting; and a contest of a most exciting nature ensued, Hilda, Little King, Snowden, and Hannah running a terrific race, the judge being unable to separate the first-named two, while Snowden was only a neck behind them, with Hannah only a head in his rear. The owners of Hilda and Little King having agreed to run off before the ( Stakes, another exciting race ensued, the two running together nearly the whole way, and finishing so close together that the judge was unable to separate them. Not caring to run another trial, the owners agreed to divide the stakes. Some time ago Commodore, the winner of the A.J.C. St. Leger, and a two-year-old by King ton, who ran second in the Maribyrnong Plate, were sold to go to India. Commodore met with an accident, and did not run there, but the colt, as King of the West, carried all before him. Since then both horses have been shipped for England, and it is quite probable that one or the other will figure in some of the principal handicaps of the cud country. In its ‘‘Notices to < orrespondtnts,” the ‘Australasian’ says :—Kitchener wrote to the * Sport ng Life,’ in July, 1868, to say that his bodily weight when he rode Deer, in 1844, was 3st 7ib. He adds:—l dare say the rea'On th t then are so many disputes about my weight is b cause I rode at Ascot four years previ u ly to the Chester Cup, and then I was 2st 7ib.”

A billiard tournament for a silver cup worth (jOgmue.s, given by Mr Joe Thomps n, the Melbourne bo (kmaker, was com;fenced on January 19 at t' e Prince of Wales Hotel, Bourke street. The competition was confined t. ihe four lea ling players in Melbourne: Me s sH. H ines, S. G.imwnod, W. Fagm. and P. lilennister. The draw fi roi po >ents insured in AJr Haines being pitted a :ainst Mr Grimwood, aid Mr Fagan agai st Mr Glemster. Cau'ious tactics wer r adop'ed by eaca pliyer at the outset, Mr Hui es having a slight advantage. Mr Grim wool, however', warned to his work, and at 319 was level with hL opponent From tins stage Mr Haines fell off in his play, whilst his opposing “cue st” settled duwn and played a very steady ga'e, und scored 750 points the game —to Mr Haines’s 669. There was a very large attendance, including many prominent turfites, all of whom watched the game with great interest. Over this event some very heavy wagering took place. The second match was played on ihursday night. Mr Fagan was made the favorite for this event, two to one being laid that he beat Mr Gleimister. Exhibiting moie freedom in his play than his opponent, Mr Giennister headed Mr Fagan by nearly sixty points in the first hundred, and still incre tsing the lead, when the g me stood at 200 he was 101 points ahead. Fagan improve I greatly in his play, and when the third hundr-d was r ached the players were almost equal. At 649 they were equal for the last time, and when 700 had been announced Mr Fa'an was 20 points in advance, and he finally won the game by 43 points. In the final game, of 1,000 up, be ween Messrs Fagan and Grimwood, the former led off with a slight advantage, but was soon collared and passed by his opponent. At 200, Mr Grimwood was i 0 points ahead, and at 11 o’cl ck. Mr Grimwood was 612, and Mr Fagan 388. The breaks bad been all through in favor of Mr Grimwood. The latter thenimpioved in his play and began to catch his opponent, and at a quarter to 12 "’•lock the gams stood thus—Mr Grimwood, 565, Mr Fagan, 502. Eventually, Mr Grimwood won by 81 points. Messrs Ale ck and Sons, who made the table played on, presente ■ a_ handsome inlaid cue to the scorer of the highest team in the competition, and this was won by Mr Fagan with 47.

The latest English mws gives the following as the winter favorites for the Derby Mr A. Baltazzi's b c, by Buccaneer out of Mineral (bred in Hungary); Lord Lascelles’s Clanronald, by Blair Ath 1 out of Isilia; Mr Spencer’s Petrarch by Lord Clifdeo out of Laura; MrL. H. Houldsworth’a Springfield ; Lord Roseberry’s All Heart; Lord Zetland’s Hardrada ; and Skylark. The following is the latest bett.ng:— 15 to 2 against colt, by Buccaneer—Minera| (tk) 15 to 2 „ Skylark (off, after 700 to 100 tk). Bto 1 ~ Petrarch (tk). 400 to 30 ~ Hardrada (tk), 1000 to 60 each against Hardrada, AH Heart, and Forerunner (off, 1000 to 50 wanted). 100 even on Skylark, Mineral colt, Petrarch, Clanronald, and All Heart (tk).

The Liverpool Autumn Cup was won by Mr E. Howett’s b f Activity, 3 yrs 7st2lb, beating nineteen others. The same gentlem n’s colt Munden 4yrs,7stl2lb,ranfour hj. Thebettingat the start was 25 to 1 again-1 Activity, 40 to 1 against Munden, and 15 to 1 against the two coupled Mr iNicholl half owns the winner, and he and Mr Howett backed both horses heavily, singly and coupled. They have since given £SOO anda great treat to th" poor of Nottingham, their native town. F Archer and Morbey, who rode Activity and Murden re pectivi-ly, had each ■ 500 to nothing about their respective moun's (of which they saved £IOO with each other), and the trainer and stable lads were a’l libeially treated. Activity had previously started for twenty races, of which she won ten.

The skeleton of the old racing king Lexington, is being set up for the Smithsonian Institute at Washington, by Professor Ward, of Rochester, N. Y. Jeannie, the fastest trotting mare in the world, died recently at Fanner City, 111. Her last achievement on the turf was to trot three miles in 9 minutes 35 seconds.

The ‘J' umal de Florence,’ of Italy, relates the_ following curious story, for the truth of which it vouches :—Lord ,7. Seymour, an English nobleman, exceedingly fond of all kinds of sports, was, nanny years ago, a member of the Paris Jockey Club. One day, whilst passing the door of the club-house on horseback, he was called by Ferrey, a noted billiard-player, who chanced to be lolling out of the window, and invited to play a game. His lordship could ses no one bv to hold his horse. Suddenly he took a strange resolution. He turned the horse’s head toward the door, made the animal bound up the steps, and entered the billiard saloon. He took up a cue, and fought and won a match with Feney on horseback. It was an admirable sight to see the delicate tact with which the well-trained steed went round the table, and no less curious and exciting to watch the movements of the nobleman who, by his dexterity, won a large sum of money as the reward of skill.

A lew weeks since two famous boxers, Joe Coburn and Professor Wiliam Clark, met at the ‘ Clipper ’ office and posted 250d01. a-side for a sp rring match, which is to be decided at Turn r II li. 'lhe conditions are that the men shall spar for one hour, a round to be ended when either shall have received a clem hit on the fane. Blackened gloves will be used, and after each hit att-.n ants will immediately efface fine mark. IVlr Chari- s Ottignon hj s been d upon as r that these parties sparred at Mozait Hall .in 3863, with blackened gloves, to decide the question of pure sc encc be ween them. After the nineteenth round, the time agreed upon being up, the score stood eleven to ten > ninth in • obuio’s fav< r, and the friends of Prote-sor Clark have not stopped talking about the matter to tins day.