SPORTING

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 25, 12 August 1884, Page 2

SPORTING

NOTKS BY '$JE*OCT,QN.'' Somnus has been sold to Mr Baker, of Foxton, and. will stand in that district during the ensuing season. Ho will be an undoubted acquisition and should pay his new owner excsedingly well. I 'believe bSs figure will be five guineas. -Thre«r hundred pounds was, I believe, the price given for him. Mr Fred Harrison wilUuMPe charge of Somnus during the season,, and Mr Baker is to be congratulated on his enterprise in bringing so good a horse to the district, as well as hay- \^ ing obtained the servics of so experi-r enced and popnlar a man to look-after him. ;;' '•; The secretary of the Feeding Jockey Club informs me that in future the, " Canterbury Times " -"New Zealand Referee." will be filed for the benefit of members of the club, and may be seen by them at any time at his office. The two papers mentioned are the two best . sporting, authorities, in the colony, and are presented to the club by their proprietors, whose liberality is to be commended. ,. '-'"' •*■ Mr T. Lawton has purchased a good-looking son of Janiter and Candour, and intends, giving breederd'in this district the benefit of his services. The horse is well-bred, sound, and just the stamp to get strong useful hackneys and hunters. As his fee will be a very moderate one, iJB, he should receive a fair share of support. The entries for the Hawke's Bay spring meeting close this evening and as the added money has been'considerably increased they should be num-rous. V '" ' More than one breeder in New Zear. land has been unlucky this year in having foals dropped prior t6 August Ist (the birthday of racehorses in this : country), notably the New Zealand Stud Company and Mr ''W. Walters, the former of whom suffered by Steppe — one of the best, if not their very best mares — having foaled a son to Anteros four days too soon, whilst Yatterina foaled to Leolinus the previous day. This is a heavy loss to both owners as neither can compete at weight-for-_ age in any two or three-year-old races. The only two non-acceptors for the New Zealand Cup that have been backed to win any money worth notice are Nonsense andTaiaroa, the former of whom was looked upon asf_ very good "goods" by a number »f backers. , r_ The Wanganui district seems fated to send horses south " incog." Tha last is a horse that has won several races in Canterbury as " Oeo " and is now protested against on account of r his having previously run on this coast as "Kally." It is to be: hoped if a swindle has been perpetrated it will be fully shown up and properly punished, but after the Grand National: Committee's action in the Clarence-Billy-go-by-em case, confidence wilT have to be " restored " (here,, at any rate) before it will be implicitly pfaced in the hands of some, at least, .of the leading clubs in the .other island* ... : -\ The " Eeferee " infers, in the last issue to hand, that the Wanganui Club, in proposing to form steeplechase rules of their own," "virtually pass a vote of " want of confidence " in the Grand National Committee. And high time too, say I. It's a great pity the Grand Committee' don't take the hint and resign a position they have done their best to'make ! ridiculous in the eyes of any true • sportsman by their undecided and ineffectual actions during the past season. In a recent amateur steeplechase at Windsor (England), four horses • started and all got safely round. The horse first past the. post was objected * to for going the wrong side of a post ; the objection being sustained, the rider of the second horse went to thescale but failed to draw the weight ; the third gentleman drew the weight all right but had failed to weigh oat before starting, and as. the fourth had adjourned to the paddock without passing the post at all, the race was declared void. Moral— "lt's never known till the numbers go up." --