SPORTING.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1966, 12 June 1880, Page 3

SPORTING.

TIMARU STEEPLECHASES. The following are the weights for the Tally-ho Handicap: stf lb. st. lb. Agent 12 11 Shillelagh ... 10 6 Loneband ... 12 2 Little John ... 10 4 Clarence ... 11 10 Robin Hood ... 10 2 Royalty ... 10 9 Bellman ... 10 0 Ivanhoe ... 10 7 OAMARU J.C. STEEPLECHASES. [pee PBEBB ASSOCIATION SPECIAL WIEB ] OAMARU, June 11. The above were run off to-day and resulted as follows: — Handicap Steeplechase of 100 sovs. About three miles. Mr W. Clifford’s Clarence, list (T. Lyfoid) 1 Mr P. Butler's Agent, 13st 41b .. (H. Lunn) 2 Mr H. Schluter’a Little John, Oat {J. Armstrong) 3 Shillelagh, 10st ; Banjo, 10st 71b ; Grey Momns, 12st 71b ; and Loch Lomond, list, also started. Clarence was the only horse in the race who made no mistake, the others either falling or baulking. The race was won easily. The Agent fell at the second last fence from home, but he could not have won. Maiden Steeplechase of 50 sovs. About two and a-balf miles. Weight for age. Mr H. D. Bradley’s Miss Hungerford (Owner) 1 Mr S. G. Osborne’s Robin Hood (S. Osborne) 2 Mr J. Mackay’s Leap Tear (Owner) 3 Bellman, Isaac, Uncle Tom, Stella, and Nigel also started. Won easily by Miss Hungerford. , Selling Steeplechase of ?5 sovs.; about two miles. No weight under 1 Ost. Mr M ;Kay’s Leap Year ... (J. Cotton) 1 Mr t*. Butler’s Stella (P. McCoy) 2 Mr S. G. Osborne’s Johnny (S. Osborne) 3 Consolation Race of 30 sovs; about two miles. Mr H. Schluter’s Little John, list. (J. Armstrong) 1 Mr C. Ullings’s Maomi, 105t....(A. Mackay) 2 This race was won easily by the first horse. There were no serious accidents although there were a great number of spills. SPORTING NOTES. By Binbad. It is with very great regret that I have this week to record the death of Willie Hankins, the well-known steeplechase rider, from the effects of a fall received while riding Magic in the Hunt Club Cup at the last Grand National Meeting. It was during the season of 1878 79 that the deceased, through his wins withj The Agent, earned a name for himself as a capital cross-country jock, and good horse as the son of Oliver Cromwell undoubtedly is, I fancy that a great many of his victories were in no small measure due to Hankins’ perseverance and good riding. I remind owners that general entries and acceptances for the Timaru Steeplechase Meeting close on Tuesday next (the 15th instant), at 8 p.m. The weights for the Tally-ho Handicap are due to-day (Saturday). I also remind owners that acceptances and general entries for tho_ Wanganui Steeplechase meeting close to-night (Saturday) at 9 p.m. At a meeting of the Ashburton Steeplechase committee, held last Saturday night, the treasurer reported that there was a deficiency of £ls. The total amount subscribed by persons outside the committee amounted to £5 14s 6J, of which sum Mr Quill gave £3 3a. The Waimate Steeplechases, which came off on the 2nd, produced good fields, and in most of the events capital races. Of the eight that went to the post for the big handicap Clarence was made first favorite, but Connor could not get him to jump kindly, and Grey Momus eventually won comfortably from the veteran Ivanhoe, Royalty being a bad third. Clarence, who was capitally ridden by Tommy Lyford, carried off the Maiden, notwithstanding several refusals, and Pat McCoy had a winning mount with old Shillelagh in the County Steeplechase Oup, which the aged son of the Peer won by ten lengths from old Royalty. The meeting was brought to a close with the Consolation, in which Little John just got home in front of Lone Hand, who, in Prod Hedge’s hands, ran more kindly than he has yet done since his arrival in New Zealand. I learn from the “Timaru Herald," that Mr O. Goodman intends opening a training establishment close to Timaru, and that he has engaged the services of Charley Joyce, to whose riding, by the way, old Ivanhoe’s forward running in the Waimate Handicap, the other day, waa mainly due. At Wyndham, on the Queen’s Birthday, the principal event, the Wyndham Handicap, was appropriated by Mr Lunny, with the aid of Brunette, Testimonial and Patch being her immediate attendants at the finish.

Mr Lorillard has been in some measure compensated for the disqualification of Parole in the Liverpool Cup, by the victory of his 3-year-old colt, Wallenstein, in the Newmarket Handicap, which he won easily from, nine others. Wallenstein is by Waverley (son of the imported Australian), out of Lady Wallenstein, hy Lexington (the sire of Parole). In addition to The Baron and Harkaway, Mr Douglas took North with him on Saturday, Cascade and Sweetbriar (purchased by him from the Middle Park Company), and Maid of All Work, until recently an inmate of the Butsley stable. The programme of the Canterbury Jockey Club for the forthcoming Metropolitan meeting has been issued, and it is certainly by far the best the club has yet put out. The events of the first day consist of the Free Handicap of 100 sov», the Derby of 250 sots, the Canterbury JcckeyJOlub Handicap of 500 sots, the Welcome Stakes (for 2-year-olds) of 200 sots, and a Hack Race. These events are exactly similar to those of last year except that the sweep for , the Free Handicap has been, and 1 think very wisely, reduced from 5 sots to 2 sovs. The steeplechases on the second and third days have been erased from the programme, which, though these events are very popular with the general public, is a very wise stop. (November is quite the wrong time of the year for cross country work, and the repeated trials given these events by the club in their Spring programmes have nearly, I might say always, resulted in failures. In place of the Steeplechase on the second day, a Maiden Handicap of 100 bote has been substituted, which I think will prove a great success, and one of the conditions of this, as well as the Selling Plate on the third day, is that the horses engaged should be ridden by boys who have never won a race of the value of 25 sovs. This ia following the lead of the Jockey Club, and 1 believe the condition will bo inserted in at least one of the events in the forthcoming programme of the Victorian Racing Club. In this connection an Australian confrere makes the following sensible remarks: — “ It would give many a deserving lad, whose talents would never otherwise be recognised, a chance of emerging from obscurity. It would emancipate trainers and owners to a great extent from the thrall of the leading ookeys, much to the benefit of racing, as och one would have in his stable a lad with

; some experience of race riding, and competent to be given a mount on an emergency.” After the Maiden Plate comes the usual Bailway Plate of 100 sov ', followed by the Canterbury Cup of 500 sovs. Apropos of the big weight-for-age race, it may be as well to call attention to the fact that it will bo run for the first time under the new weight-for-age scale, which runs as follows—3yrs, 7st 61bs; 4yrs, 9at ; syrs, Oat 51b» g 6yrs and aged, 9st 61bs. Prom this it will be seen that the old horses meet the three-year-olds on far more favorable terms than has hitherto been the case. A Selling Bace of 50 sovs. comes next, the conditions of which are exactly the same as that usually run on the third day. The Tradesmen’s Handicap of 100 sovs., which is now called by its old name of the Grand Stand Handicap, is the fifth event, and a Selling Hack Race winds up the second day. The Christchurch Plate of 150 sovs. holds its usual place on third day’s events, but the penalties have been slightly altered. Instead of penalising all winners of weight-for-age races of over 200 sovs. from August Ist only the winners of the Cup and Derby have extra weight. The former will carry 71b., and the latter 51b., and of both 101 b. extra. The Metropolitan Handicap, always one of the best contested races of the meeting, has been, I am glad to see, raised to 150 sovs., while the Publicans’ Steeplechase has been replaced by the Spring Nursery Handicap for two-year-olds. This, like the Welcome, should bo in every respect a very interesting item. A Selling Plate of 50 sovs. follows, any horse to be claimed for 200 sovs., and sold after the race at the claiming price for 200 sovs. The proceeds, if any, to be divided between the second horse and the fund. A new item, a Flying Handicap of 100 sovs., for three-year-olds and upwards, leads on to the usual Consolation Stake, which has been raised from 40 sovs. to 50 sovs.

By latest English files I learn that Geraldine, one of the American team trained by W, Brown, at Newmarket, unfortunately broke her back while at exorcise and had to be destroyed on the spot. “Augur” informs us that “the oldest jockey in Australia died in Tasmania a short time ago. He will be remembered by Victorian visitors as ‘Jockey Brown,’ an aged man who used to relate amusing tales about racing in olden time. More than half a century ago ho arrived in Tasmania, and, amongst others, he rode for Sir Richard Dry’s father. I believe he also spent some of bis time in Victoria. At the time of his death the old fellow was eighty-six years of age.” Erom the same source I learn that Mr W. Filgato has had the bad luck to lose the services of Glenormiston through a breakdown, one of the horse’s logs having given way while preparing for the Birthday Cup. The son of Fireworks has proved a very useful animal to his present owner, who won the Adelaide Oup with him in 1878, and during the past season won the V.R.O. Midsummer and S.A.J.O. Handicaps. Recent telegrams inform us that the Grand Prix de Paris has been won by Mr Brewer's Robert the Devil (by Bertram —Cast-off) ; M. Desvignes’ Distingue (by Faublas—Demi Luna) being second; and Count de Lagrange’s Milan (by Le Sarazzin—Mdllo. Champigny), third. The winner will bo remembered as having run second in the recent Derby, and as Bend Or, his victor on that occasion, was not engaged in the Grand Prix, it is most probable that the son of Bertram started first favorite far the great French prize. Of Distingue’s previous running I can find no record, nor does she seem to be engaged in any other big event, while Milan’s performances last season were at Goodwood, in Julv, where he ran third to Brotherhood and Pappoose for the Molcomb Stakes (for two-year-olds), and at the Newmarket October Meeting, where he was unplaced in the Dewhurst Plate, won by Grace Cup. The International Billiard Match at Paris resulted in M. Vignaux, the French champion, being declared the winner by 882 points. During the last night’s play, Slosson, the American, made a break of 1103.

THE CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB HANDICAP OF 1880. LBr Sinbad.] In pursuance of my previously stated intention I propose to make a few remarks as to the relative paper merits of the various animals engaged in the Canterbury Jockey Club Handicap, the weights for which appeared on May Ist. As might have been expected the flyer Mata tops the list with Oat 81b, which, considering his performances, is a good fair weight. Remembering his Autumn Handicap running, whore, carrying the same weight as at present, he was only beaten half a length by Oamballo in 2min. 41sec., and his subsequent running at Timaru, where carrying the crushing impost of 10st he beat Betrayer at a difference of two stone over the same distance in 2min. 45secs., I cannot but think that with the weight allotted to him he will, fit and well, be uncommonly hard to beat. Fishhook (Ost 31bs) comes next. With regard to this horse I can only repeat the same remarks I made about him when writing on the Groat Autumn Handicap. He has been lately fired, and should ha stand his preparation, which I should rather doubt, he must, judging from past performances, be very dangerous. Those who saw his finish for this very race in 1878, when carrying a pound more than he is now credited with, he ran a close third to Maritana and Chancellor in 3min. 36isecs, will readily allow that if he can be brought sound to the post he will prove a very formidable opponent to even the redoubtable Mata. The speedy Foul Play is nicely in at 9st, a weight which he has completely proved himself master of on several occasions. His performance at the recent Autumn Meeting hardly came up to expectation, but it was quite manifest that he was short of work. As a criterion of his abilities, I prefer taking his Dunedin Cup running, on which occasion, giving Mata 31bs, ho sustained a defeat of little more than half a length. The distance of the handicap under notice is 220 yards less than the Dunedin Cup course, which is, if anything, in favor of the son of Fancy. Even allowing for Foul Play’s rather indifferent Christchurch performance subsequently, there can be no doubt that he is a dangerous animal, Oamballo at Ost has not, I should fancy, a ghost of a show with either of the foregoing; and though his Autumn Handicap performance showed that he could not only go fast but carry weight, I fancy the extra distance will prove fatal to him, not to say that, compared with many of his opponents, his weight is none too lenient. Le Loup, at Bst 91b, has been already spotted by some of the clever ones and backed accordingly. Their action in so doing can scarcely be on any public running of the horse under notice. So far, he has never proved himself a big horse over long distances, though over sprint courses he would, I am sure, be hard to beat anywhere. The reports about his private trials on the other side have, doubtless, a good deal of truth about them; but, apart from the fact of his temper being uncertain, until I see him finish home well at the end of two miles, I shall decline to have any strong opinion as to his capability for winning a race of this description. Maritana, at Bst 71bs, seems to mo much more like good goods. True it is that it can hardly be expected that the old mare can run for ever, and there are strong suspicions about her soundness, but it must bo remembered that with the same weight up last year she was only beaten a head by Chancellor, after a terrific race, in 3min. 39secs. It must be borne in mind that on this occasion Ray declared to win with Templeton, and it is only fair to presume that the mare did not come till the old horse was disposed of, and might therefore, under other circumstances, have been made more use of. Natator, who comes next, could not have been an easy horse for the handicappor to tackle. An exceptionally good performer as a two and three-year-old, he promised to have a very brilliant career, but going amiss, he scarcely performed at all during last season ; indeed, he only ran once at Dunedin, where, in the Publicans’ Handicap, for which he was a strong favorite, he never showed prominently in the race, finishing behind Luna and Billingsgate. I should scarcely imagine him to be the best of stayers, but he is a great raking horse, and one who ought to appear to great advantage as a flvo-yoar-old. His weight, all things considered, I should think a very fair one. Hornby, at Bst 51b, is meeting Foul Play on precisely the same terms as he did in the Metropolitan Handicap, on which occasion the colt, considering his severe performances of the two previous days, and the fact that he was not altogether himself, ran a moat determined race. There can be no question, however, that Derrett had something left in his horse , at the finish, and reckoning their respective weights on the scale of weight for age improvei ment, I should prefer the chances of the elder i horse. These remarks apply only to the pro-

sent handicap, for I consider Hornby, should he train on without accidents, likely to prove one of the best animals that over stripped on a colonial racecourse. Betrayer, who comes next, can best be judged through his performances with his old opponent Hornby. Their Canterbury Derby running would go far to prove that under big weights the son of Songster is the best of the two. In the Canterbury Cup the light weights under which they were running both were in favor of Betrayer, but it cannot bo denied that Ray held the son of Idalia too cheap and made a big mistake in cutting out the work from start to finish with both his representatives. Their Dunedin Cup running is not much of a criterion as Hornby was not wanted, and was besides in anything but good form. At Wanganui the two colts finished first and second for the big handicap, the winner, Betrayer, receiving two pounds from Hornby. Betrayer won by a head, and now they meet on exactly the same terms. This, at first sight, would hardly seem correct, but it must be remembered that the weights are higher, and no doubt Mr Lance considered —and I think very rightly under the circumstances —that as far as the two colts are concerned, they ought to finish together. Grip, another three-year-old, follows. His weight (Bst 31bs) is the same as that of Betrayer, and, so far as he is concerned, his owner has but little to complain of. This hardy son of Slanderer was the elect of the stable for the Dunedin Cup, in which he got home in front of both Betrayer and Hornby, who were both conceding him weight, but in the Legor, on the second day, he held Betrayer quite safe almost from the fall of the flag. Previous to this in the Canterbury Derby, and just off a voyage too, he had made it very merry for Hornby up to the last. He was scratched for all engagements at the Autumn Meeting, but I should say that fit and well he will be a very dangerous horse on the present occasion.