SPORTING NOTES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 66, 7 March 1876, Page 4

SPORTING NOTES.

THE DUNEDIN CUP The autumn raping campaign is about to fairly commence, and owners ot horses will have busy times during fine"' ensuing three months. Wanganui, Oamaru, Westland, Inveroargitl, Dunedin, Greymouth, Weßtport, Christchurch, Oxford, Aahburton, Nelson, Waimati, Auckland, and a lot of lesser meetings will follow in quick succession, showing how widespread is the love of the fine oldf sport. The Duuedia meeting, however present excites most general interest, as the Cop is the greatest betting race in New Zealand. Amohia, as Texpeoted, is a hot favorite, at the short .oddspf 7 to 2, and I shall not be B^r,pi;Jße^T Jo . ccc her at even before starting! There was lately a rumor she was amiss, because she was confined to w,alkng exercise. A clumsy smith pricking irer in shoeing was the cause of th#irumor,' but rest for a day or two set her all right again. Having lately, for a week, had the privilege of seeing her take her morning gallops on the course in the Spring Creek paddocks. I can vouch that she is as well as her friends could wish, and, barring accidents, her winning the Dunedin Cup is as great a certainty as the success* of a horse can well be. Such is the opinion of her owner, who stands to win a large sum on her. With a Worse like Koran — undoubtedly the best three year old yet out— to lay alongside her, Mr Redwood cannot be far wrong ip his estimate of the filly's quality, and although be is often joked at " having something in his stable better than he ever had before," I think on this occasion this is not far from being the case. Amobia shows that beauty of outline and blood-like quality wJhjch ( so distinguishes the descendants of Sweatmeat. She is one of the long low sort, with plenty of power, and her beautiful style of going will make the layers of odds confoundedly uncomfortable when they see her take l^er preliminary gallop. Another great aft vantage she possesses is her placid temper which an unusually severe preparation has failed to ruffle. The filly lost her dam when a foal, and was brought up by hand, which also was ttie lot of that good little mare, Misfortune, the last of old Regalia's family. As_ Mr Redwood proposed shipping Ainohia and Koran at Picton in the Hawea on Thursday last, picking up Guy Fawkes and perhaps a maiden filly at Lyttelton, the whole, I hope, are now,, safely Btabled at Forbury. In the Jockey Club and Publicans' Handicaps, the relative weights in the Cup are generally adhered to for the best horses or what are supposed such, btft'in' the 'shorter distances (J.CH., If mile, and P.H., 1£ mile) the concessions of weights to the cocktails are greatly reduced. Thus Merry Monarch 1 and Gramecock, who in the Cup, if they staff, will carry each 55 lbs less than Daniel O'Rorke, have the concession reduced to 46lbs in the mile and threequarter race, and to 361bs in the mile and quarter. I will not criticise these handicaps in detail, but why little Daniel,' who concedes 81bs to Templeton in the Cup and lOlba id the J.C.H., should have this reduced to lib in the P-.H. is difficult to understand; or why the concessions made by the same colt to^ory.O'More in the three handicaps should be, respectively 331b8, 3Olbs, and 14-lbs!"* On the whole, it may be seen that the weights were carefully considered, but it ib impossible that the public should koow all the consideration's' which influenced a handicapper anxious to do justice to all the horses hejias.to deal with. I see the odds are

now only 7 to 2 agst. Amohia, who is followed by Rory O'More at 5 to 1; Korari, 7to 1 ; Bto 1 each agst Kinvr Phillip, Tattler, and Fishhook; 10 to 1 agst Daniel O'Rork^; 12 to 1 eaoh at(B,tlTe_tpleton and Right Bower; and 14 to 1 agst Gamecock. This would go to show; that a surprise is looked for from Rory O'More, and that the gelding is believed to have regained his old Victorian form. Should such be the case, be may upset all the potß. Notwithstanding his ill sucoess in New Zealand, his performances in Victoria weije creditable. At the V.R.C Autumn raeetingi 1874, Rory, then syrs old, with 9st 3IDB, ran second in the hurdle race;. ; toi Sir William Don, beating a field of eight. On the following day he ,r w6_: the Hopeful Stakes, 9st 3lbs, mi'le.' and half and distance, in 3 mins 3 gee?.? ;At Donny brook, he won the Maiden, beating a field of five. At Ballaraf he won the Autumn Handicap, 7st 1 lb, mile and a half, in 2nains 45secs, bep.ting, a field of four, after failing to gefe.a, place. in tbe hurdle race. On the day following he was unsuccessful in the^'Gr-titf Stand Stakes; as he was al8p ( . ft at, Ti Avoca the following week in the* Turf Club Handicap, in the Town Plate Handicap, and in tbe Consolation, but ran thircT in the first two and seoond ifa the third. At Bendigo, two months later, with lOst 91bs, he beat Gaffer Gfey, 9at 71bs, for places, and two others. At the Melbourne Hunt Club Meeting in May he won the Hurdle Race- of three miles, with the top weight of list, beating a field of si_i a__ finished his Victorian career ac tbe Geelong winter meeting by winning tbe Hurdle Race, list 7iba, two miles, again beating a field of six. Seeing the gelding gets 371bs allowance frqcn, Korari in the Cup, I do not wdnder'.nis chance is regarded by his friends as _ot utterly forlorn, though, l believe' be will never be in the race .after the first mile. Always supposing

Mr Redwood's pair of three-year-olds are right on the day, I believe they will finish first aod second, with Fishhook, Tattler, Daniel G'Rotke, and Cocksure well to the fore. Marlborough had a very successful metting on the 16ih and 17th ult. The principal feature was the success, of Banker, a three-year-old, trained by Mr Redwood for Mr Rayner. The horse ran badly last year, when only half broken and untrained, and was unsuccessful at Wellington in December. This created a prejudice against him, and there were no end of persons in Blenheim who vowed to eat the Banker if he won the Marlborough Cup. A neat little horse, of no great power but with good constitution and capital legs, he was brought to the post by Mr Redwood in the pink of condition, and to the surprise and disgust of his detractors, ran away with Handicap and Cup, making the running in both races without ever being caught. Mr Redwood was also successful with a useful sort of gelding, John Stoefel, by Bay Middleton, which he picked up at Wairarapa. The horse has a good turn of speed, and if he takes to jumping kindly, will be as likely an animal for hurdles or across country as I have seen for a long time. The pair have been sent to try their luck on the West Coast, where they will meet Mr Walterß's pair, Kingfisher and Isaac Walton, full brothers, and horses from Canterbury. The Marlborough Club tried tbe experiment of not going to the public for subscriptions, but charging two shillings at tbe gate for admission, and it proved, in newspaper phrase. " a great success." While in Marlborough I had often tbe privilege of seeing Mr Redwood's two-year-olds at their morning exercise. The most forward is Songster, tbe Teddington mare Skybird's last foal to Towton, and promising to be by far the best she has had. He was started for the Sapling S:akeß at the meetiog which it was not intended he should win, Mr Redwood, declaring to win with Donoaster, also trained by him. Songster was greatly admired for his make and shape, as well as his style of going, and an offer made to purchase bim for the south was declined. He is engaged in the Canterbury Champagne Stakes next month, and is a probable starter. Maroro, also by Towton out of Fair Agnes, a daughter of Phoebe, by St. Aubyn, is another handsome young gentleman, but without engagements. He has a good deal of power, capital action, and looks all over a racehorse. His dam was never trained, but the Bay Middleton blood of her sire having nicked so well with that of Sir Hercules io Kakapo and Korari, it is only reasonable to expect Maroro will maintain the repuatation of the family. But the really grand colt was Puriri, by Towton out of Waimea, which in the opinion of competent judges is the best colt tbe mare has ever bred. Though some time broken in, Puriri has only just gone into steady work, but he will not be raced this season. He promises to be a horse of immense power, has magnificent shoulders, splendid back and loins, rare quarters, with big hocks and knees, and great length from the stifle. He is worth entering for the next Metropolitan and Melbourne Cup, which it will be a pity he should miss. The other two year olds are less forward. Amongst the yearlings is a splendid filly, Wai-iti, sister to Puriri, who will certainly be heard of bye-and-bye. An important addition is about to be made to tbe etud horses of the colonioe, Gang-Forward having been purchased for tbe Hon T. Elder, of South Australia, for 4200 guineas. This fine son of Stockwell won the Two Thousand, Guineas, ran a dead beat with Kaiser for second place in the Derby, and after a good if not a brilliant 'subsequent turf career, left it as sound as the day he was foaled. He is a horse of great power, and from his breeding and constitution, calculated to do good service to the colonies. Cheval.