THE PAST RACING SEASON.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2007, 30 July 1880, Page 2

THE PAST RACING SEASON.

Br Sinead, ( Continued .) There seems to be a want of unanimity between the Greymouth and Westland Clubs, as their fixtures almost invariably clash. Their stakes are scarcely large enongh to tempt owners over from this side, and in the paucity of local horses this clashing of meetings is suicidal. The stakes at Oamara were scarcely on the liberal scale of the previous season, but under the circumstances, it waa very creditable to have got a two days' meeting up at all. A new jockey club has been formed, and I have no doubt that in the coming season the meeting will be worthy of the pristine days of North Otago. The Auckland meeting was decidedly the most successful ever held on the EUerslio course. The fields were good, the arrangements excellent, and it seems likely to be the precursor of many more successful ones. Here Laertes made his best performance since his advent to New Zealand b> running a very fair second to the aged Ariel in the Cup. The well bred little Libeller proved a trump card in the hands of Mr Walters, as he won the Maiden, Derby, and Auckland Plate, in the last-named of which he lowered the colours of both Templeton and Ariel, while Piseatorioue, Hippocampus, and Billingsgate all added their Quantum to the cheque Mr Walters had to draw. The white-legged Lara won a couple of good handicaps, and Lone Hand, after a very indifferent performance, scrambled home first in the only cross country event he has won in New Zealand. The Bangitikei meeting, on the same date, also seems to have been a great success, the representatives of Messrs Goodman and Horsfall appropriating most of the good things of the meeting. The last named gentleman won the big handicap by the aid of King Quail, who, if well brought out, is, I think, an uncommonly useful horse. A number of other smaller meetings took place about the same date, but amongst their details, I see nothing which requires much comment. The next meeting of any importance was that at Wellington, where the Cup, of course, formed the chief attraction. Here Foul Play for the first time showed that he could get two miles from end to end, and earned a 7ib penalty, which cost him the more important event for which ho ran so gamely in Dunedin. The W.R.C. Handicap fell to the pony Vampire, who was brought out by Mason fit to run for his life. This little son of The Barb here showed his ability to stay a distance when only lightly weighted. More unlikely things have happened than that he should again show this ability in the forthcoming big handicap at Christchurch. Talent, a son of Totara, won two or three events, and I fancy it his sire is well suited with mares ho will take a very high place amongst successful sires. At Wairarapa, always a pleasant little meeting, the representatives of Yaldhurst and Mr Butler had the best of it, Laertes consoling himself for not winning his usual Consolation by appropriating the chief event of the meetii-.g, and Lara carrying off the other two principal stakes. At Blenheim, Sir George, the colt who ran so well here for the Welcome Stakes, won the Sapling Stakes, while the highlybred Norseman won the Cup and R.C. Handicap. The big meeting at Dunedin was as usual very successful. The highly bred Sir Modred, who was in rare trim, got home nicely in front of four others for the Champagne, the most formidable of whom were The Governor and Leveller. The brother to Betrayer won very easily, but I fancy he will find both his immediate followers in this race very troublesome opponents on future occasions. The Cup was virtually a foregone conclusion for Mata, and though Titania was served up very warm, and ran a tremendous race, I do not think that Matthews, who piloted the big son of Daadshot, could ever have had much real anxiety as to the resnlt. Foul Play ran with great gameness and determination, and had it not been for his penalty, the stake might possibly have gone in another direction. The speedy son of Fancy however more than paid his expenses, for he carried off the Forbury and Flying Handicaps, and walked over for the D.J.C. Handicap, in which event the handicapper entertained a very small opinion of his abilities, an opinion which was not shared by the other owners. The Leger weights proved a bit too much for Betrayer, who had to succumb to Grip, who is far from a bad colt, but who from his curious action I should scarcely imagine to be the beet of stayers. The Hurdle races both fell to Scamp, a useful little horse, and Mr Butler landed a couple of stakes with Luna. The handicapper appears to have been again unfortunate in the introduced race, the Stewards’ Free Handicap, which, the moment the weights came out, was the most certain of certainties for Titania. The recently revived Southland Jockey Club held its inaugural meeting almost immediately after Dunedin, but, I regret to say, the fixture was not so successful as the efforts of the stewards deserved. The Yaldhurst and Goodman stables had nothing local of any importance to meet, and appropriated most of the events. It is to be hoped that next season the club will be more fortunate in their efforts to re-establish the popularity of racing in Southland.