NEW ZEALAND METROPOLITAN MEETING.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 140, 13 November 1874, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND METROPOLITAN MEETING.

THIRD DAY.

Friday, November 13.

A fine sunshiny morning, with a strong nor'-wester blowing, ushered in the last day of the meeting. The general public having had three days' holidays-making, and being pretty well surfeited therewith, did not show up in very great numbers on the course, many of them being contented with the two days' racing that had gone before, and the fatigues of the show day as a wind up. The card for the day showed that five events had to be got through, though beforehand two of these were reduced to matches between two animals, the Hurdle Race and Selling Race having attracted an entry of two apiece. It is hardly worth any one's while to train a horse for a solitary £SO, which is all the inducement held out to owners of jumpers at the Christchurch meeting, and we think that the committee would do well to do one of the two things, either increase the prize to £IOO, with the stipulation that four horses, the property of different owners, should start, or the stake should not be given, or else leave the event out of the card altogether. It has always been a matter of surprise to us that the Selling Race never attracts a larger entry, and this year there are such a lot of "crocks" in training, that why such a chance of getting rid of a rank bad one should be neglected seems to us to be inexplicable. Ninety pounds more than reprerepresents the value of many of the animals that have figured at this meeting, and we can only suppose that owners will not take advantage of this race as a means of getting rid of a worthless brute, from the extraordinary infatuation which seems to possess the majority of men who own racehorses (!). We could mention half-a-dozen animals which have performed during the week who would be dear at £4O apiece, but their happy possessors "lay the flattering unction to their souls" that the cripples in question are worth from three to four times that sum apiece. If they continue to run them at any of the advertised meetings in New Zealand, they will, however, find that their banking account will not be replenished by the exertions of these sort of creatures, and that it costs no more to feed a good horse than a bad one.

The proceedings to-day opened with the Handicap Huedlk Race, of 50 sovs, added to a sweepstakes of 5 sovs each for acceptors. Entrance, 2 sovs, to go to the fund. Distance, two miles, over eight flights of hurdles. Mr F. Hedge's br g Theodore aged, 9st 1 libs carried lOst 71b ... (Owner) 1 Mr Lunn's gr m Alice Grey, 5 yrs, lOst 71bs (H. Lunn) 2 Betting—6 to 4on Theodore.

They were both together when the flag fell but the mare stopped and refused to start for several seconds giving Theodore a long lead which he held over the first hurdle and round the bottom turn, when Hedge allowed the mare to draw up to within three lengths of him. At the far side of the course they joined company and ran together round the top turn, jumping the last hurdles abreast, but the mare was pumped out and Theodore sailed away and won very easily by a clear length.

Time—4min 31sec. Christchurch Plate, of 150 sovs, added to a sweepstakes of 5 sovs each, to be paid by 1 p.m. on the day of the race. Entrance, 5 sovs, to go to the fund. Winners of £IOO to carry 71b extra; £2OO, lOlbs ; £3OO, Hlbs; Maidens at starting allowed for 3 yrs old, slbs ; 4 yrs, lOlbs ; 5 yrs and upwards, 141bs. Distance, two miles.

Mr Redwood's ch f Ngaro, 3 yrs, Gst Sib (A. Lyford) 1 Mr Nosworthy's b h Traitor, 4 yrs, Bst 21b (carried Sst Silb) ... (R.Ray) 2 Mr D. O'Brien's b g Tambourini, aged, 10st 111 b (including 141 b penalty) (Owner) 3 Betting—s to 4 on Traitor, 6 to 4 agst Ngaro, and 3 to 1 agst Tambourini. Traitor made the running at a strong pace the moment the flag had fallen, and kept going for some three quarters of a mile, when Ngaro went up and had a feeler, the two lying together for some distance, in fact, they turned into the straight run in for home locked together; at the distance both were at work, and a tremendous race home ensued, every one being in doubt as to which was the winner, until the judge's verdict was given in Ngaro's favor by a head. The weight stopped Tambourini, who was pulled off half a mile from home.

Metropolitan Handicap, of 100 sovs, added to a sweepstakes of 5 sovs each for acceptors. Entrance, 3 sovs, to go to the fund. Mr F. W. Delamain's be Templeton, 4 yrs, 9st lib (Hughes) 1

Mr P. Campbell's b c Tadmor, 3 yrs, 7st 71b (Richards) 2 Mr Barker's br f Remnant, 3 yrs, 6st 111 b (Smith) 3 Mr Walter's b m Yatterina, aged, 9st 31b (French) 0 Mr R. Redwood's b g Parawhenua, 5 yrs, Sst (carried Bst2lb ... (McGlashan) 0 Mr Redwood's ch f Rangi, 3 yrs, 6st 91b (T.yford) 0 Mr Delamain's b f The Belle, 3 yrs, 6st 41b > (Rowland) 0 Mr Hewe's ch g Exile, aged, Gst lib (S. Osborne) 0 Betting—6 to 4 agst Parawhenua and Yatterina; 2 to 1 agst Tadmor. After a number of false starts, in which Parawhenua, the Belle, and Yatterina were the most conspicuous, the flag fell to a good start. Parawhenua made the running, attended by Exile and the Belle, and the others all in cluster two or three lengths behind, with the exception of Rangi, who was never dangerous. As they came into the straight, Templeton and Tadmor began to come through their horses, and a fast run race home ended in Templeton's favor by a neck, Tadmor second, and Remnant third. Time, 2 min 48 sees.

The Selling Race, of 50 sovs. Entrance, 3 sovs, to go to the fund. Weight for age. The winner to be claimed for 40 sovs. If entered to be claimed at 30 sovs, lOlbs allowance ; if for 20 sovs. 2llbs allowance; if for 15 sovs, 281bs. Newmarket rules. Mr M. Studholme's b c. by Caledon— Zigzag, 3 yrs ... ... ... ... 1 Mr—i —b gNo Gentleman, aged ~, 2