SPORTING.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume I, Issue 89, 27 January 1880, Page 3

SPORTING.

A match between Mr J. Barry’s Colleen Bawm and Mr D. Henderson’s Omaka, one mile, for L 5 a side ; the mare to carry 9st and the gelding 12st, came off on Saturday last. Betting—3 to 2on the horse. The two got away to a good start, Omaka being the first to show in front, and continued to makethe running until entering the straight when the mare collared him, and raced him to the post, winning by a length and a half. A match was also got up between Mr J. Barry’s Gadfly and Mr D. Henderson’s Miss o‘Rorke, for half a mile. Both raced from the post, but on reaching the distance post the mare bolted and left Gadfly to win as he pleased. A sweepstakes was then got up between Mr Williams’ Dick, Mr Henderson’s Canary, and Mr Stevenson’s Unknown. They got away to a good start, but Unknown thought it better to take a short cut to the first "hollow, thereby securing a lead of 20 lengths ; the other two kept together, gradually overhauling the runaway, and nearly catching him at the distance post, when he again went in for short cuts; the two then raced home, Dick being able to stay the longest won easily.

“Vigilant,” in the Wellington Evening Post, has the following on the approaching Wellington meeting:— “ The excitement over the anuual race meeting is being slowly hut surely worked up. In a day or two we shall have all the principal candidates on the spot, and then the market movements on the Cup will no doubt asssume a more reliable tone. At present the only commissions that can be traced have been in connection with Lara, Hippocampus, Hailstorm, and Laertes, the last named having been backed yesterday by his owner to win £SOO. Lara is still very firm, and would be backed for a lot more at 5 to 1 ; but the layers decline to spring a fraction more than 100 to 25. There is a good deal of mystery in regard to Foul Play. It was expected by the clever ones that he would not accept, it being well known th.it he had been heavily

backed by his owner for the Dunedin Cup, and as far as is known at preseut no stabla money has been invested on him for Wellington. The bookmakers are very shy about inscribing his name, and his price is about 8 to 2, and not much to be got at that. A very little from the right people would send him up first favorite, although, as for that, it would not require a very out lay large to send anything up to that proud position in the present dearth of betting. The two best outsiders for anybody who likes to speculate on the off chance are York and Norseman. The Auckland horses have not yet arrived, but are expected daily. Mr Horsfall has brought King Quail, Randwick, and Ratcatcher. These with Hailstorm (who was landed from tho Patea this morning, in excellent condition), are the last arrivals. The Wanganui handicaps are fearfully picked to pieces, and owners are threatening all manner of vengeance on the handicapper, the least punishment being scratch everything. The acceptances are due on the 3rd February, and then the thinning-out will tell a tale. The principle gone upon by the framer of these eccentric handicaps ia difficult to discover. Take Lara and Hippocampus for instance. At Auckland in the Racing Club Handicap, Lara received 121bs from Hippocampus and beat him easily. The next day they met in the Steward’s Handicap at about level weights, and Hippocampus won “by a nose.” In the Wanganui Cup, Lara has to carry Bst 51b and Hippocampus 7st that is, the beaten horse has to give his conqueror 191 b. To take an equally ridiculous case, there is the same incongruity about the weighting of Libeller and Templeton. At Auckland the youngster carries 7st 71b and beats the “old-un” with 9st 71b up, and yet at Wanganui, over the same distance, and three months later, which is all in favor of the threo-year-old, Libeller receives no less than 3st. As far as the weights are concerned (although nowadays these have not much to do with a horse’s chance) Walters’ pair abovementioned, with Otupai. aged, 7st lib, and Balmoral, aged, 6st Sibs, are a long way the best in.