SPORTING.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 360, 10 March 1902, Page 3

SPORTING.

V.R.C. MEETING

NEW ZEALAND HORSE WINS BIG STEEPLECHASE.

8y Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Melbourne, March 8.

The following are the results of tho concluding day’s races of the V.R.C. meeting:—

Aged Stakes.—Wakeful 1, Bonnie Chiel 2, Loyal 3. Betting : 6t04 on Wakeful. Won easily by three lengths. Time, 1.40-f. Nursery Handicap.—Bullion 1, Fishery 2, Latchkey 3. Betting : 6 to 4 Chatter, 5 to 1 Bullion. Won by a neck. Time, 1.17:[. Place Handicap.—Felicitous 1, Patronius 2, B’lagship 3. Betting: 7 to 4 Felicitous, 5 to 1 Hoop Iron. Won all out by a head. Flagship was three lengths away in third place. Time, 2.87;]. Steeplechase.— Kaimate 1, Error 2, Sealing Wax 3. Betting : oto 2 Chelsea, 4to 1 Kaimate and Error. The latter pair fought out a great race in the last half-mile, the New Zealand horse winning by half a length. Time, 6.58]-.

Loch Plate.—Blue Metal 1, Barbarossa 2, Wakeful 3. Betting : 6t04 on Wakeful, 4to 1 Blue Metal. Won easily by six lengths, there being throe lengths between second and third. Time, 3.7. Farewell Handicap.—Vanity Fair 1, Combat 2, Annotate 3. Betting : sto 1 Bruntwood and Combat, 7 to 1 Vanity Fair. Won by two and a-half lengths. Time, 1.41:].

An ancient soothsayer remarked that it is bettor to be born lucky than rich, but a Maori named Rich, who backed Waihora in the Maiden at Gisborne, and gathered in a 4123 dividend, reckons he is both.—Free Lance.

Craftsman, who ran two firsts, three seconds, and a third at tho Poverty Bay meeting, is a son of Billingsgate. He ran very consistently, and paid a tenner in one event. Boniface Harding's grey mare Tauhei had hard luck at both gatherings, but she carried heavy lead bags every time. Castor’s daughter ran three seconds and a third. Her stable mate, Matron, however, who ran out of a place in her previous engagements, got in out of the wet on the final day of the carnival, by picking up a couple of races. The disappointing Sylvanus also notched a double. This horse may prove to be equal to better things later on. He is halfbrother to Fabulist. Mr J. Clark’s Paria and Papatu, with whom he won three races, and scored a second, are full brothers, being by Albert—Flirt.—Lance. Patriotic betters who, despite his name, had a dash on hurdler Cronje at the Poverty Bay gatherings, had no sort of luck, as Missfire’s son ran three Cronje cau jump alright, and will probably get home some day when nobody’s looking.—Free Lance.