SPORTING MEMS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 109, 7 May 1875, Page 2

SPORTING MEMS.

We have received within the last few (leys Southern papers, giving particulars of the late C hrislcnurch Autumn Meeting, as also the meeting hel<i a' Ashburton the week following. The running at both more than justified our late remarks on handicapping, and the impropriety of throwtug u known great horse like Cas.laway, into a handicap lightly weighted b(cause he ran out of form some weeks previously. Nothing but (he favorable weight given Purawhenua — a very fast horse under a light impost — -prevented Mr Campbell "clearing the kitchen" at Christchurch, as he did the following week at Ashburton. Every oca who eaw the improvement which the brother of Lurline had made since the Dunedin races in March, foretold what a dangerous horse ho would provo at the weights assigned him, and he galloped over his opponents in all his races in the easiest possible maDnei even when carriug 7ibs penaUiep, save in the G.A.H., where the clipping son of Countess and Dionaedes. with n lighter impost ibnn his own, manage 1 to beat him.

Much of the interest in the Aahbur* ton meeting vas destroyed by the handicaps being Dearly the same as at Christchurch. Owners did not see the force of sending their horses fifty miles with a certainty of their being beaten, and Sonnatnbula was the only animal of repute that ventured on the journey — probably with some arrangement for expenses, which, with the Consolation Stakes of 15 soys she won, may have made it worth her owner's while to travel the distance. The success of Tommy Dodd at Ashburton, where he pulled off his nineteenth successive jumping race, carrying lOst lllbs, against Alice Grey, 4yrs, 9it 7lba, and Albatross, syrs, 9dt 4lbs, shows how good a horse he is. The impcrted steeplechaeer,Rory O'More, did not show there. Surely ho was not in his true form at Christchurcb. We expect to see him run very differently next year. Tommy Dodd is entered for the Kowai Hurdles and is handicapped at list 41bs, and will meet Alice Grey at 9st slbs, and Mousetrap at 9&t 3lbs. At the same meeting Guy Fawkes, 7et 51bs, will meet Tadmor at 7at, both three-year-olde, and Envy, aged, with Gat 11 lbs up. The decision of the stewards at Christchurch, disqualifying Mr Redwood's two-year-old colt Rauolf, for cannoning against Templeton, in the Flying Handicap, caused great dissatisfaction on the course. Mr Bedwood bad been compelled to put up a young and inexperienced jockey to ride the weight, and in the run ip, the boy lost his rein, and the colt, who was slightly leading, swerved against Templeton, but without interfering with his running. The stewards, standiug on the ■ letter of their rules, that one horse jostling another, whether intentional or accidental, must be disqualified, were met by Mr Redwood and his friends, armed with the authority of Admiral lious, that where such jostle is accidental, and did not affect the chance of the horse Winning, disqualification should not $ngue. Jt was a hopeless appeal to the stewards to revoke their decision, and the Flying Haudicap was another addition to the races in Canterbury taken from Mr Redwood, which most people believed he fairly won. After the Timaru Races on the 6th and 7th, will come a steeplechase meeting at Waimate, about thirty mile3 south of Timaru, on the 18^h instant. Four cross-country races will be run — two weight for age, and two handicaps —the public money given,, to be 265 sovs. The Queen's Birthday- will see a day's racing on the Forbury '.course at Dunedin, the Autumn Meeting at Auckland, and the Nelson Meeting. With regard to the latter, doubts have been entertained whether it will come off, but there is no question of the meeting being held. In a day or two the programme will be completed, and as the money received wKI bo paid to the Jockey Club's account a^iheßank, there will be no risk of its being again run off with. We hear of several horses preparing for the races, end there is every probability of the meeting being highly successful. The seven Towton colts from the Spring Creek stud, now in Canterbury, are greatly admired. Very competent j'dges speak of them as tha finest lot of youngsters they ever saw. Mr Redwood's price for the lot, with a two-year-old filly out of Skybird, is £1600. He has hod, we are informed, an offer £14,00 which be declined. We aro glad to hear tlTaJj Mr R. Farmer, of Hawke's Biy, who owns Papopo, will run him uext season it the leg which tho horse struck against a block of scoria on the Auckland course, will allow of his being trained. We should greatly like <o aee Papapa, Castaway, Ngaro, King Phillip, and the best of tie. three-year-olds, mjet next November In the Canterbury Cup. They would make the best field ever seen in Now Zealand, and the race would be sure to be &a exciting onp. Nguro must rot be judged of by her racing this autumn, as she has been notoriously amiss. With improved health she will run a great mare. She and Purawhenua passed through Nelson on Monday on their return to Auckland, in charge of George Cutts. Both arc engaged at the Autumn Meeting, ! but they had a sad knocking about in the Strait on Saturday evening— a bid preparation for their showing to advantage on tho 24th. We observe by the Australasian that Lurline had an exceedingly rough passage back to Melbourne from Sydney, and it was feared she had sprung the tendon of one of her fore legs. Although tho leg looked suspicious, it is hoped not to be so seriously injured as lit one time was supposed. We trust it will not interfere with her being sent to Adelaide to run for the Cup. Her last p9rformunoe in Sydney has stumped litr as the best mare that ever appeared on the Australian turf. The entries for the young stokes of tho A.J.C. have been published, and they show the squatters and other wealthy men of New South Wales to be thoroughly infused with a love for the glorious old English sport. For the Breeders Plate, a sweepstake of 20 BOVB each, 400 sovs added, there ere forty-ono entries; for the Champagne Stakes, a sweepstake of 20 sovs each, there are fifty-three; for the Darby, a sweepstake of 30 sovs, there are fiftythree; for the Legep, a sweepstake of 30 sovs, there,.!^ sixty-one; for cite Sire's Produce, a sweepstake of 10 Bovs, with 320 sovs added, there are one hundred and five; while for the Mare's Produce, a sweepstake of 10

sovs, with 100 BOVB added, there are two hundred and twenty-eight entries. Not bad this, for a colony. * Since the above was written we hap€ received a telegram of the first d/fy'fl racing at Timaru. Tommy Dodd was again successful over hurcHee, and Castaway of course won everything he ' started for.