SPORTING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 4069, 11 March 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

Writing of this month’s race meeting on the West Coast “Sinbad” says:—“Hokitika starts with a nice little programme on the 10th and 11th March, giving L 350 in stakes. Then comes the Grey, with L4OO, and Westport follows the Grey, with L3OO added money. I am sorry that none of our owners have entered for the West Coast, but the journey is very expensive, and not, to put.it mildly, very good for race horses. In addition to this, one rule of our West Coast friends is rather hard on strangers. It is that three horses must be nominated for each racr, or the public money is withheld. There are at present but few horses running on the Coast, and often the only chance an outside owner has of ensuring a run for his horse is by entering two or three. This, when the stake is a small one, makes the game hardly worth the caudle. It is a thousand pities the West Coast Clubs fixed on a time which, though certainly theirs originally, now clashes with Dunedin. This season Mr Walters, of Auckland, will probably be almost the only outside owner running horses on the Coast. It only adds additional force to a suggestion recently made in these columns that a .caucus should be held of the different jockey clubs throughout New Zealand, to decide as far as possible on a regular date for the various meetings, to settle a fixed scale of weights, and other general business.”

The same writer reports that “ Sam Haines, who has .been for the last two or three years, training for Mr Delamain, has taken up his quarters near Mr J. Lunp’s, on the Riccarton road, and intends taking in one or two horses to train. The condition in which indorses always came to the post is a 'sufficient certificate of his training ability, and no doubt he will have his share of clients.”

In the action Redwood against Hugh Stafford and Andrew Richmond, to recover stakes won by the plaintiff at a race meeting in 1874, the Resident Magistrate decided that the Act 3 and 4, Victoria, relating to horse-racing, is not law in New Zealand; that all such matters are therefore regulated by Act 13, George 11., and by that law no stake for any le s amount than LSO can he recovered; and, further, that stewards of races are not liable for stakes, but that the plaintiff ought to have sued the stakeholder, who in this instance was William Stavert, and he had been so appointed by the Jockey Club, of which the plaintiff was a member; that one of the stewards who was sued was not a member of the Club at all f and that neither as stewards nor as members of the Club were the defendants liable. The sole remedy in this case was against the depository of the money.

. Count Castillings and Signor Bosi have purchased uiueteen fine stallions aud brood mares in Lincolnshire for King Victor Emmanuel. Among-them is the celebrated stallion Carlton, bred by Lord Hawke, by Stockwell out of Midsummer (by Melbourne). He is a dark cbesnut, sixteen hands high, and of great muscular power. A heavy price was given to Mr R. T. Davey* for him.

It is rumored that Mr John Walken has disposed of Blinkhoolie for 3,000 guineas. The stable of M. Charles Lafitte, who raced under the assumed name of Major Fridolin, has been broken up. Prices ruled low, Mambrin’s 19,700 francs being the best realised.

The 4 European Mail ’ says thatatthe Philadelphia Exhibition it is amusing to observe that prizes will be awarded at Philadelphia to horses which possess merits unappreciated, or at least unrewarded, on this side of the Atlantic, Thus we read that awards will be made for “ running horses having made fastest recordfor “ trotting stallions having trotted a *mile within two-thirty and for “ mares and geldings having trotted a mile within two-thirty-five. ” In England we are accustomed to make entire colts concede 31bs. to geldings and mares, whereas in the United States mares and geldings are asked to trot a mile within two-twenty-five, while stallions . are regarded as f ‘ up to proof ” if they can accomplish the same distance within two-thirty. It would not be easy to get together a synod of English racing men who would be willing to give a prize to “running horses having made fastest record.” We have bug ago satisfied ourselves that nothing can be more fallacious than the time test, and it is notorious that Bothwbll, who was little move than a plater' won the Two Thtfnsand Ginmaas in shorter time than Wert Australian, wfio ctfqjd have givhn toa 2Ub6 ud a ba4 they teeh

in tho same year. With the awards designed for trotting horses we do not presume to interfere; The honors of the trotting turf belong exclusively to the United States.; and Hir xm Woodroof wds probably Correct when he said that a three-minutes trotter is as rare and hard to" find in England as a twothirty trotted in the Great Republic. Other nations maybe tempted to compete at Philadelphia by sending thoroughbred horses or pur sang cattle across the Atlantic; but it is certain that our enterprising cousins will have the trotting classes all to themselves. Yet we confess that we sympathise with their determination to give prizes for fastwalking horses* Many of the best judges of horseflesh that these islands have produced were of opinion that if a horse could walk well he could do all things well. When Teddington, Aphrodite, Breba, The Ban, and Confessor were all yearlings together at Leybourne Grange, Sir Joseph Hawley’s stud groom, Tweed, told his master that Teddington would prove “the pick of the basket,” as he could outwalk all the others. Robert, the trainer of the Flying Dutchman and Van Tromp, was always a great believer in fast-walking racehorses. Every hunting man who has had occasion to jog home at night for twenty miles upon the back of a tired hunter is aware what a blessing it is to bestride a good walker and sprightly trotter instead of an -animal who “kicks a sixpence before him at every step.” Nothing is better known than that proficiency in certain gaits is not less hereditary in horses than are distinctive types of features in human families. Tench - stone and Orlando, the grandsire and sire of Teddington, were themselves famous walkers, and if the prizes for walking distributed at Philadelphia tend to draw the attention of English breeders to the development of excellence in this gate the Centennial will not be held in vain.

Blair Athol’s stock won LIB,OOO in stakes last season, Lord Clifden’s L 15,000; Parmesan’s and Macaroni’s Lll,oooeach. Spinaway started twelve times, winning her races and L 8,916 in stakes. The death is announced of Hannah, winner of the One Thousand Guineas, Oaks, and St. Leger in 1871. She was found dying in her box at Mentmore, after ha vine given birth to twin foals.

The ‘Era’ considers 4,looguineas a long price for Gang Forward, and says no doubt his strong resemblance to his great sire Stockwell has something to do with it. He was no better during his three-year-old season than Kaiser, and some pounds worse than the pair owned at that time by Mr Merry— Doncaster and Marie Stuart. During the past two seasons he did not very greatly distinguish himself, and in the amalgamated Queerrs Plate at Newmarket and the race for the Queen’s Hundred at Shrewsbury he appeared to lack stamina,

The great golf match for LSO a-side, between Mr Arthur Molesworth and Tom Morris, junr., which lasted seven days, was finished on December 7, at St. Andrew’s Links. The conditions were of a double nature—half* the stakes depending on whining most holes and half on winning most rounds (twelve rounds to be played), the amateur receiving a third. On the Ist December Morris was twelve holes and four 1 rounds to the good. On tie 3rd they played “square,” and the score was unaltered. In' spite of stormy weather on the 4th Mr Molesworth somewhat lessened his opponent’s lead, Morris being at the close of the day’s play nine in holes and two in rounds ahead. On the 6th the snow lay so thick on the green, and the wind blew so strongly that Morris was disinclined to proceed, but the umpire overruled this. At the finish, of the day Morris led by thirteen holes and two rounds. Tuesday was the last day of the contest. The eleventh round was halved, but in the twelfth and last Morris won the. match by eleven up, with ten to play. He also won by two rounds, and is thus the winner of both events. Considering that Mr Molesworth was a stranger tg St. Andrew’s Links, he played a very good game, especially in driving. Tom Morris is since dead. *

Jersey, America, boasts of a grand shot in John E, Loveland, jun., who recently killed forty-nine snipes in forty-two shots.

A pigeon, match, for 3,000 dollars a-side, has been arranged between General de Forest of New York, and General Grubb, ot Philadelphia, at 100 birds each, English rules, to come off at Baltimore. Considerable speculation is already entered into over the event.