SPORTING.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2129, 20 December 1880, Page 3

SPORTING.

D.J.C. RACES. [TBB PBEBB ASSOCIATION SPECIAL WIBB.J DUNEDIN, December 19. The following are the acceptances for the J.C. HANDICAP. Sylvanus I Sir Modred Titania J Hilarious Hornby | Lady Emma Governor j Foul Play Mischief I Natator To Lonp | Grip Volunteer J Virginia Water Bandwick I Luna Longlands J publicans’ handicap, Sylvanus Hilarious Vanduara Lady Emma Governor Natator Luna On Dit Bandwick Virginia Water Libeller Adamant Sir Modred Nautilus DUNEDIN CUP. Titania Bandwick Sylvanus Ariel Adamant Norseman King Quail Miss Domett Hornby Longlands Fishhook Sir Modred Governor Hilarious Mischief Lady Emma Le Loup Grip Luna On Dit Volunteer Virginia Water BPOBTING NOTES. Br SIHBAD. I have received from Mr E. A. Armstrong, the secretary of the Wairarapa Jockey Club, the programme of their annual meeting to be held on February XOlh and lltb. The items are very numerous, and run as follows:—First day. District Produce Stakes of 50 so vs. (for three-year-olds bred in the district); Wairarapa Stakes of 70 sovs (w.f.a,), two miles; Champagne Stakes of 50 sovs (closed) ; District Handicap of 40 sovs, and Corinthian Cup of 25 sovs. On the second day we have the Handicap Hurdle Baoe of 50 sovs; Maiden Plate of 40 aovs; Wairarapa J.C. Handicap of 100 sovs; Bailway Stakes of 25 sovs, and a Consolation Stake of 20 boys. There 'are ’three bock races, one of which is a handicap. General entries and nominations for handicaps must be made on or before 8 p.m. on Saturday, 29th January, The new rules of the Canterbury Jockey Club are now in the hands of the binder, and will be probably finished by the time these lines go to press. The Oamaru meeting seema to have passed off with only moderate success. Sylvanus won the Maiden, while the two handicaps went to Luna and Bandwick respectively. Little John won the Counties Plate. Small fields appear to have been the order of the day. On the second day matters seem to have been better. Bobin Hood won the Hurdle Bace, beating Little John, Milo, and old Shillelagh. Luna scored another win in the Flying Handicap, and Libeller took the Consolation. I learn from " Beacon” that Mr H. Goodman has sold Tera to Mr Kidd,'of Southland.

“ Beacon ” has done me the honour of writing about a column and a half on my unfortunate blindness in not being able to see the merits of the Dunedin Cup Handicap. I entirely deny making what “ Beacon ” calls “ an onslaught on him, nor do I think he can find anything in my remarks finding fault with his reviews of any race meeting ; but, in this connection, I can answer his question as to the nagging at other clubs. If “ Beacon ” will only look over the back sporting columns of the “ Witness ” for the last year, I really think, in the majority of the numbers, bo will find paragraphs from his pen which, to say the least of, do impute ill-motives. As to the actual merits of the handicap time will, no doubt, prove whether " Beacon ” or the present writer is correct.

I learn, though I will not guarantee the truth of the report, that we are likely, in the course of next year, to have quite an advent of trainers to the vicinity of the Christchurch course. Kean, I believe, expresses a great wish to bring his horses down here, and Goodman, I hear, expresses himself as anxious to train his horses here if he can make arrangements for a fitting establishment. I also hear that Dan O’Brien will put old Fishhook through his preparation on the same ground the veteran has done so much work on before.

The acceptances for the Heathcote meeting have now been published. Clarence should, I fancy, win the Hurdles and Luna the Onp. For the Trotting Race no less than thirteen have cried content, and the best judges seem to think that this event will be very closely contested. The district races have filled fairly, and I fancy the meeting will be in every respect a most successful one. At a committee meeting of the Christchurch Hunt Club, held during the week, it was decided to postpone the selection of the huntsman for a week or so, until farther particulars in reference to expenses could be obtained. Mr Egan stated that when recently in Melbourne Mr Clark had kindly offered him some red deer. If the Hunt Club wished he would write Mr Clark on the subject. The committee were most unanimous in their opinion as to the desirability of the proposed importation. The late 156-hour race between men and horses ended, an American paper records, in a victory for man. Byrne, a new pedestrian, who is scarcely twenty yet, scored 542 miles as his six-day record, and stopped on the Saturday night with a score of 578 miles. The leading horse finished ten miles behind him. The Chicago papers call the contest a “ great ” one of course, but the " New York Times” says they are quite in error in describing it as “ The first of the kind ever given.” Last October there was a similar contest in San Francisco, but then a horse won, with a six-day record of 559 miles. However, the list of such contests —we believe there have been others—is happily a brief one, and stepping outside of it there are authentic records of remarkable rides which are far more interesting than such objectless displays of grim endurance as the Chicago performance, In 1847 General J. O. Fremont and two companions covered 800 miles across a roadless and mountainous country, in 158 hours, only 100 of which were spent in the saddle. Of course they had a frequent change of horses, those not under saddle being driven ahead and lassoed when wanted. This is perhaps the most remarkable horseback ride on authentic record.

The following ingenious suggestion is made by a correspondent of the “ New York Herald ” :—“ You recently called attention to an evil which exists in connection with the racing tracks of both England and America, viz., the unfair riding of horses by faithless jockeys. There is unquestionably a deeprooted feeling in the minds of by far the larger number of the ordinary visitors to a race track that it is customary to manage certain races, in the interests of certain owners and betting men. One simple remedy is to increase the surveillance over the jockeys while riding a race, and to that end I beg leave to submit the following suggestions : —Erect one or more stands, to be used as points of observation during the progress of a race, and at each of those stands place some one who may be relied upon to direct and report any false riding or other suspicions action on the part of jockeys. The pulling of horses generally occurs on that part of the track furthest from the principal stands and where it is difficult to see what is going on ; the location of these observation stations around the course would effectually obviate this and tend to allay the suspicions of a great number of very respectable people, who will continue to take pleasure in seeing good horses run fair races.’’

Says “ Rapier,” in the “ Sporting and Dramatic News,” some time ago I gave some figures showing the amount of money that had been given to be run for at various English race meetings. The “ Saturday Review ” now publishes some interesting and carefully compiled statistics which agree with my correspondent’s calculations as far as his figures went, but go further into the subject

Last year more than £233,000 was given to be run for at various meetings in Great Britain and Ireland, at least £BOOO more than in 1878. Little, however, can bo judged as to the state of the turf by the increase or diminution of a few thousand pounds in the valne of stakes. The writer continues :—“ As regards the number of horses that have run during the year there has not been much difference for the last five years, the lowest number within that period which ran in one year having been 2054 and the highest 2113, Objectors to two year-old racing may be glad to hear that the number of horses of that age which took part in races diiriDg 1879 was fewer by twenty-nine than tliSgt of the previous year. Although the number of racehorses aged five or upwards was higher in 1879 than 1878, it is very noticeable that during the last three years there have not been half as many horses aged five or upwards running in public as there were daring a similar period ten years ago. Those who dislike short courses may not be pleased to know that last year a far larger sum of added money was given to races between five and six furlongs in length than for those of any other distance. It was to celling races of five or six furlongs, too, that the largest bulk of money was added. Beyond that distance the money added to selling races diminished at a wonderful ratio, decreasing rapidly from £32,000 at five or six furlongs, to £205 at two miles and upwards,” Some of these last facts are by ‘no means satisfactory in the opinion of those who do not regard the racecourse simply from the betting-ring point of view.