SPORTING.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 9, 30 June 1887, Page 3

SPORTING.

NAPIER park races. rSnciAt to Standard. j Napier, Last Night. The following are the results of the Napier Park meeting. Tne attendance was very poor, as the weather waa wretched t—coaosAitos sasdicap—loo eovs. Sr.lsbury 1 Orwell 8 Clyde 3 —Dividend, £6 6s. , SAtrxa stixjlxch.se—2oo eovs, Mangaohane .. a it 1 Orient .. .. .. ;. 2 Borneo 3 —Dividend, £4 9a.

NOTES. The Evening News gives the following ancount of the recent Steeplechase Meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club :—The Steeplechaw meeting from a racing point of view, was all that the most ardent sportsman could wish. All the finishes were very close, especially that of the Selling Steeple, when Borneo won by half a head. The race for the SOOsovs. was indeed a fine one, all the horses jumping beautifully, except where the falls occurred. Denbigh came down in exactly the Same manner as she did in the Hurdle Race at the late Waipawa meeting, by jumping too toon, and coming on the top of the obstacle. Many were the exclamations of pity when the fell, as she had numerous admirers. However she jumped up and galloped round after the other horses, clearing every jump in grand style, which was a treat to witness. When the stone wall in the last round near the entrance to the straight was reached Mangahaone and Orient were together, and the excitement of the crowd knew no bounds, The latter fell, as also did Victor, who was elose behind him. Mangahaone had yet another obstacle to clear in the straight, and Owhaoko, his stable companion, started after him and got close on his heels. Both cleared the fence safely, and the two steeds who carried the silkworm's web for the one stable fought the race out, the black horse with the white foot, Mangahaone, bowling along to the front, bespattering Owhaoko and his jockey with the mud he kicked up, and winning by a length after a slashing race amid the cheers of • frantic and excited multitude. Says the News apropos of the late Hastings meeting:—The Hastings course was in very bad oondi*’ 0 ' 1 ow * n 8 to the late heavy rain, Abd I, iheomffiSn with the was surprised to few 1° “® s partnership with tneir riders during ‘ F ‘—only Denbigh, Orient and Victor com.^ w down, and these in a most trying race. Speaking of the recent football match between Hawke’s Bay and Wellington, the Napier correspondent of the Christchurch Press says On the whole the Wellington side had the best of the match, as their goal was never in such danger as their opponents. Warbrick's clean kicking was particularly noticeable on a slippery ground with an uncertain ball. The surety with which Taiaroa picked up the ball was also frequently remarked. Of the Wellington backs, Richardson and Sferlet undoubtedly did the most useful work, while Cooper showed a greater amount of dash and soreness than he was Credited with. Of the forwards, it is not proposed to distinguish any one specially, partly because they one and all played a good game, and partly because the amount of mud that adorned their persons made it almost impossible to discern one from the other. Over £5OOO bas been wagered upon the result of the forthcoming Victorian Club’s billiard tournament. This is re way the Melbourne Leader's London coirespondent jabbers about Hanlan. Hanlan, I believe, means serious business in his proposed match against Beach, I told you so a week or two ago. He cannot bear to be shelved in America, where the man who is champion to-day is a demi god, and no one will turn his head to look at the man who was champion for ten years but got defeated at last. You may depend on it that Ned Hanlan will do all he can to get even with Beach. I know what he is counting on, viz., that Beach having the start of him in years, will E- ds prime or get on that way, while his baa not finished his best innings. I that Hanlan will make a better show than he did before, but I cannot think that be can beat Beach. The Americans argue that Gaudaur is not really so good as Hanlan although he beat the Canadian. Then the half breed rowed Beach to a standstill, and he did, for when I asked Beach whether anything went wrong with his slide or stretcher, &C., to make him stop, this was on the night of the race, Beach said that bis reason for stopping waa that be could not go on any longer. On this form, if Hanlan is really better than Gaudaur, you can make the extbampion hold Beach safely. But they for* nt that Beach had been a bit careless for a day or two before meeting Gaudaur. He held his man too cheaply, and nearly lost the race through over-confidence. A London correspondent of the Argus has the following chatty account of some of the English plungers One of the biggest bookmakers is a B.P. layer. He has been dealing with a Scotchman, Wedderburn, a captain in the arti”ery, I believe, and, it is said, son-in-law of Sewing Machine Millionaire Singer, who died not long ago. Wedderburn appeared in the ring last back end, and began laying what we call enormous bets on presumed certainties, For instance, he laid (000 to 500 on a horse in a minor race. That won, but he went on and must have dropped a lot before the close of the season, By the way, there was a bigger plunger etui, a Frenchman, who, possessed with the idea that Ormonde was invincible, made enormous bets on all bis races after the St. Ledger. I saw him lay £13,500 to £5OO on Ormonde for one of the back end races at Newmarket. Wedderburn lost £4OOO, £2OOO to £4OO on one loser and £2OOO to £5OO on another at Kempton Park on Eaeter Monday, but came up to get his losses back at Newmarket. He did pretty well on Tuesday, though, of course, be was buying money too dearly till the Twenty-ninth Biennial on the Rowley Mile came on. Then he asked what waa favorite, and was told Jack O'Lantem, about whom he took £lOOO to £BOO. Blanchland, the colt on whom poor Fred Archer had bis last winning mount, was favorite really, and won anyhow, ridden by Webb. Wedderburn did not want to back any particular horse, he meant being on the favorite, and the deception cost him the difference between winning £lOOO and losing £BOO. Next day he was not present, but, among other startling price commissions, sent one of £3OOO for a trumpery little race with very fast horses, the Twenty-ninth Sale Stakes. Hie selection was Camaralzaman, between whom and Gosmore, late Teddesley, there was very little indeed to choose at the weights, taking 1886 form. The bookie who accepted the S.P. wager parcelled out some of it to one or two other worthies, who thought that by bluffing the market they could make Camaralzaman a raging hot favorite. They beat themselves, because when they offered to lay 10 to 1 bar one other fielders stepped in and took the odds. The game went on at gradually decreasing prices, till as little as 6 to 4 on Camaralzaman was accepted and 13 to 8 taken freely. This meant that instead of getting this 3000

at about 10 to 1 on the fielders stood about 1850 to the 3500, besides which they had actually been hedging 13 to 8 by laying from 10 to 1 to 7 to 4 against the non-favor-ite. The reason why their brother bookmakers were so eager so deal was that they thought the favorite would be stopped. As it happened he was not, and the sharp practitioners were left in the hole. They will break Wedderburn though if he goes on, even if he has the Ba-, k of England in his pocket. He bad a near squeak with this man, for the bookmakers did all B .hey could to secure their money be.ore the race.