A PRELIMINARY SPIN WITH THE HANDICAP HORSES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1133, 15 March 1872, Page 2

A PRELIMINARY SPIN WITH THE HANDICAP HORSES.

[by augur.]

If the lazy lie-a-beds of Greymouth had only got up yesterday morning before break of day, and wended their way to tho race-course, they would have had an opportunity of judging of the comparaUve merits of the candidates for the handicap. I, nothing daunted, despite a fresh-blow-ing " barber," having heard a whisper the previous night that a gallop was to be indulged in, took care to rise with the lark, and, in company with two portly Bonifaces, not of the names of Brown or Robinson, got on to the course just about dawn. As I fully expected, the indefatigable Clerk of the Course, and that paragon of Stewards, Maclean, were there to see what state the horses were in, and also that no injury was done to the course, over which the horses were, for the first time, to be indulged in a lung-opener. If the stewards or owners themselves had picked out a suitable morning for the purpose for which they met, they could not have had one more desirable or more to their wishes. It was bracing without being cold, and the slight dew that had fallen during the night left a crisp silvery dampness upon the grass that would have been dispelled after half an hour's sunshine. Soon after daylight the several horses came upon the ground, and without much delay M ; Glashan stripped his pair, and took a rattle along t^ica round the course Of his two, Lacenfeed and Ronald, the former only is in the handicap, and has long been before the public, having performed with varied success for the last four years. She is a light built chesniit filly, bred by Mr Stafford, by Towton out of Symphony, the latter being by the im- , ported English horse Trumpet. She shows good quality, but I entertain very grave suspicions about her. staying powers. She has • never yet evinced a capacity for a distance, and, although she comes in j light, I dp not at all fancy she can live the length. However, there is this much to be said, that there is not a faster mare 1 in New Zealand for one and a-half miles, and with the difference of weight between her and Peeress she ought to be near the latter at the end of the race. Peeress next* stripped, preliminary to taking her breathing, and shewed as usual to perfection, every muscle standing out in bold relief from her glossy skin, while that was as clear and bright as a piece :of polished sandal wood. '; Her trainer, Cutts, has brought her to, a magnificent state of health up to the present moment, and if perfection of condition should bring the old mare to the front, to Cutts belongs every credit. That" she is a laster ami not easily shook off is generally known, and a look at her pedigree may prove interesting to the uninitiated. Peeress is by the Peer (English) out of Miss Rowe. The Peer is by Melbourne, out of Canijselli, by Touchstone, ( Miss Rowe (cojo-, nial) by Sir Hercules-, but of Miss Millar by You n<,' Wanderer out of an Arab mare. We thus have in her a strain of tho Waxy, Whalebone, Pot Bos and Ur.ville breed, the most fashionable in the world, and the one that now commands the greatest prices at all the great yearly sales in Eugland and on the Continent.' Her performances are well known to the public, and her last struggle with tpie game old Knottingley must still be frc3h|in j the memory of your readers. That she can ' Uariy weight is well" known, but whether

she can carry it sufficiently well and long against the company she is to meet has yet to be tried. For my ; part, t: cannot think she will win it, as weight will tell its tale, and 103t 71b is a steadier. Her heart, however, is in the right place, and. if she does pull through, I shall lift my hat to her and salute her with respectful veneration. Alongside of Peeress in going round was Misfortune, a chesnut mare by Towton out of .Regalia ; Tpwton,,by Melbourne out of Canizelli ; by Touchstone; Canizelli, dam of the • Marquis, winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, and now at present in Victoria. '.--.This mare has been pronounced to be and is without doubt the best bred mare in the Southern Hemisphere, combining the blood of all the Howards of the turf in her own immediate person. For breeding purposes aloue she would be most valuable in England, while here, when she is put to the stud, her progeny should be almost priceless. She is a light lengthy mare, well furnished iii arms and shoulders, and having plenty of good propelling power behind. Her age, six years, is all in her favor for her present task, and her weight, Bst 31b, is no more than she, can comfortably carry. She has a low slinging gait, and covers her ground quickly without much apparent effort, and- as her condition reflects every credit upon her trainer, Richards, I must confess I have a great fancy for her. It appears to me to be a moral for her, as she goe3 in at equal ages with Peeress, and 2st 4Jb less weight, and that upon a course which is all in her favor. Until she is defeated I can hardly see|how she can lose, and for the present I shall remain in the belief that this game daughter of Towton will carry her colors very near to the post on the 18th of March. • • :• ?: ■ ■

Economy did not show up, but this was not to be expected, as he was under the charge, of the "King of- the Perishera," and his ways are not as other people's ways at all, partaking more of the mole uhan the early lark that catcheth the worm. Joe deferred making his appearance with his pet till the afternoon, when he intended to take him a rattling stringer round the oval. The "old darkun" has got the colt into good condition, and if anything (good is in him it must be brought out now. He has age, he has had good care, and he has had two years' rest, J and these three things,. joined to excellent 1 training and a sound constitution, ought to bring him to the post at his weight, 7st 61b, one of the most dangerous horses in the race. Allowing all this, however, I cannot fancy him ; his actiou is too high and stilty, and he looks to me more fit for a show horse for the rajah, of an Indian principality where high stepping is the most valuable point, than a racehorse fit to meet the competitors against whom he is here pitted. Thinking, thus I cannot pin my faith to this son of Diomedes and Certainty, although I would much like to see his spirited owner pull one or two good plums of the rich pudding being cooked for them. The last horse that put in an appearance was the little Auckland wonder, Black Eagle. This horse is by Nutwith out of Nell Gwynne, an imported Sydney mare, and has been mak-' ing rather good time in the northern nie^ tropolia. He is aged and carries only 7st. When stripped he appeared in most excellent fettle, snowing evident signs of Palmer's care." He has- capital fore and hind quarters, is well furnished in the barrel, looking altogether what he is— a most strong and compact little horse, to all appearance intended by Nature to run a long race with untiring speed under a li»ht weight. His previous known performances are excellent, haying ran a mile with lOst. 71b., in lmin. 56sec, and also at weight-for-age, having ruu that game horse, the Flying Jib, two miles, to a head. His condition, as I have already said, is excellent, and on hi 3 coming in yesterday, after two and a.half miles had been covered, not a hair was turned or a glitter of his glossy coat dimmed. 1 He' is a. deter mined goer and never seems to tire, and his plucky owner, who is to ride him, seems very confident of being there, or thereabouts. The race will, I think, be a fast one from the commencement, and prove a determined struggle for supremacy, and as there are at" least three capital stayers among them, I shall from these three choose the- probable winner. Public performances, breeding, and conditian incline me to Misfortune, with Black Eagle second , aiid Peeress well up;; while I don't believe that as many lengths will separate the three.