SPORTING.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 265, 17 April 1875, Page 3

SPORTING.

The entries for the forthcoming Autumn Meeting have exceeded the expectations of nearly every one, and a most successful gathering should take place next week. I am informed that it is the intention of the Jockey Club to use the new course for racing on during this meeting, which I must say I consider a mistake, as I fancy that the young grass will be very tender, and also that the newly laid out track will cut up very much, more especially if we are visited with rain before the race days. One good sign about the meeting just at hand is that we have more visitors bringing horses to contend with our Canterbury animals than we have had for some time. Mr Redwood’s string of young ones, formidable both in numbers and quality, have arrived all safe, and are doing their work on the course ; George Cutts, the trainer for the Watt-cum-Farmer confederacy, has Ngaro and Parawhcnua under his charge. The owner of Princess Mary arrived yesterday, bringing with him his mare to run in some of the approaching races; and Mr Yeend has Rory O’More probably on the road by this time; while Captain Hutchison has had King Philip and Spritsail here for some days. Guy Fawkes also is located near Christchurch. Right Bower, Sir Tatton, Kildare, and Tommy Dodd have yet to arrive, but I believe they will all show up, and with so many visitors from afar speculation should be brisker than it is. Sweeps are already advertised for to-night by Messrs Millctt and Saunders, and a similar notice has emanated from Tattersall’s. The entries for the different events, though satisfactory in point of numbers, are rather puzzling. For instance, Bob Ray has Sonnarnbula in the Trial Plate, and she and her stable companion Tadmor also figure in the Leger, which is to be run on the same afternoon. If Sonnambula should be pulled out to run for the Trial, Bob will have to trust to Tadmor for the Leger, and if the Derby winner should manage to land this latter event, he will be saddled with a 71b penalty for the big race of the meeting, which won’t improve his chance much. It will be seen from this that until a little more is known of owners’ intentions it is not safe to express any opinion as to the chances of various animals engaged. With regard to the Champagne Stakes, I should not be surprised to see Daniel O’Rourke and Lough Neagh occupy the two first places. Daniel is a very nice little colt, and can go a rare good pace for a bit, he also jumps off well, and gets into his stride very quickly. Lough Neagh is in pretty good fettle, and though despised by the public will beat more than beat him, I am afraid Gilda is not up to much, but I hope that I may be wrong in my opinion, as there is no animal I should like to see win so much as the daughter of Ravensworth and Mermaid. For the St George’s Handicap there is a capital entry of thirteen, and amongst them is a two-year-ol d filly of Mr Redwood’s, named Twitter, by Towton, out, of.Skybird. The dam has

never thrown anything as yet that could get a yard over a mile if forced to gallop, and I doubt if Twitter is going to be an exception. There would appear to be some chance of a good hurdle race at last being seen on the Christchurch course, as the entry of seven are all of them old hands at the game, with the exception of Mousetrap, who, on his one appearance over sticks won cleverly enough. This race will give the handicapper a good deal of trouble to apportion the weights satisfactorily. It will be by no means an easy task to settle what impost is to be allotted to Rory O’More, one of the best hurdle racers that was ever turned out by Victoria, when he is meeting animals of the class that are engaged against him here. WEnderson,who accompanies the horse,is well known as being equally good both in jumping and flat races, and Rory will not have any the worst of the riding if he should go for the hurdle race here. For the Great Autumn Handicap ten have cried content, and Messrs Delamain and Watt have each two representatives in the race. Of the ten horses remaining in, Princess Mary, Hercules, and King Philip are engaged in the Trial Plate, and if either should win he will have to carry a 71bs penalty. This I think would put the chance of Hercules or King Philip out, but with regard to Princess Mary I am in the dark, and the addition of 71bs to her weight in the Handicap would not make her burden a crusher. I see no reason at present to alter my opinion that King Philip, with his original impost, must be very nearly winning the biggest race of the meeting, but if Capt. Hutchison chooses to throw away his chance of the Handicap for the sake of winning the Trial, I must desert the King and look elsewhere for the winner. If I thought that Castaway was likely to be in Mr Webb’s best form, I should not look further for the winner, but I am afraid the time at the horse’s trainer’s disposal has not been long enough to enable him to get Castaway into rea ly good fettle, and therefore I am reluctantly compelled to pass him over. If however on the day previous Castaway should go well for the bt George’s Handicap, I would advise mv readers not to let him run unbacked. Of the other animals engaged, I see no reason to alter my opinion, and though Templeton is sure to run a good horse, I really cannot believe it possible that he can carry 9st 71bs and win, though it is quite on the cards that he may get close up to the actual winner. On Tuesday next, however, I shall have more to say about the chances of the different horses.

Turning to Australia for sporting news, all Canterbury sportsmen must have been pleased at the result of the three-mile raee at the (Sydney meeting. That Lurline should polish off three such animals as The Diver, Goldsborough, and Melbourne, is a feat that her breeder and her different owners must be proud of. I suppose that we shall have a good number of excuses made by our Australian friends, but allowing that Goldsbrough was not quite himself, as his previous running at the meeting would seem to indicate, yet Melbourne was in good form enough, as his race for the Leger proved, and The Diver won the Cumberland Stakes easily enough. It was only natural that Melbourne should go away and try to cut his field down, as these tactics have always proved successful with this colt, and the fact of bis having such a tremendous lead, as is reported (twenty lengths) to have been the case at one time in the race, shows that the pace must have been merry. For those who believe in the time test the time of the race—viz., 6m 45s—is an argument that it must have been a fast race. We have not yet received full particulars of the meeting, but the telegraphic report from the Argus of the sth is satisfactory enough, though it does not give either the weights carried or the names of the jockeys engaged. However, probably Grubb would be on Melbourne, Ashworth on Goldsborough, Yeomans on The Diver, and Hales, who rode her in the Australian Cup, on the mare. Lurline now stands a long way top weight in the Adelaide Cup, and as her present owner hails from South Australia, she will probably go for that event, but 9st 31bs is too much to ask her to carry to victory in a handicap field, that will probably comprise some animals that have been specially saved for the race in question. If the old mare should win the Adelaide Cup, I should not wonder to see her kept in training for the 1500 sovs race, that is to form the principal feature at one of the meetings of the Victorian Racing Club next season.

HERMIT,