SPORTING NOTES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 110, 1 May 1876, Page 4

SPORTING NOTES.

THB^MTE'Cfilt^STbHrjß'cH AND ENSUING NELSOIJf>i.tBETiNGS.

The meeting at Riccarton, on Easter Monday and Tuesday, was moderately successful; !i ■'Thet weather, though' a little,. threatening on the morning of Moudfey)- Wi^ favorable, arid nbt' the less so for being a little cloudy, which was preferable to exposure' ft* thi| rays of a hot blazing atjn, accompanied tfy a fierce .nor'^e^'ter, ! such "as I have experienced on tbe Bame course earlier in the season. .But for a slight shower of rain which fell late in the afternoon of Tuesday, ihe, weather was all tbat cc-uld be desired. ;ii The attendance was far less than is customary at the spring meetings!,' which may be accounted foi 1 by the great interest then excited to witness tbe performances of the young horses brought out for the, Derby, and . the 51 <lf thb four-year-olds entered to contesil? the race fbr the Cup, 1 ahd whose running in the great weight-for-age race of the Spring is supposed to give a key to their probable success during -the ensuing season. The absence of JjkijiQS vfrojin: tbe course at the late meeting was very marked. The Grand Staqd,, vs-hich I have seen atrtbe Spring. Meetings crowded ■ with beauty- and* fashion I*,1 *, contained not a dozen repfeaenta s ii-v€?s !; 'bf Wb fair Bex. ' Do the ladies of ( Canterbury fancy • that, like birds, their plumage shows to best advantage Sumer is icumen in, and *Lhudb i ßing ! cuccu) and that, the moulting season is unfavorable to their charms ? Whatever . the cause, the absenoe of ladies from a scene where so much had been done to minister ? 'to 'their -enjoyment, even to' engaging the band of the Opera company, was much to be regretted. Tbe sport opened badly. The Trial Stakescff TOO soys, mile and a'quarter, weight for age, with penalties for winners of 100 soys and upwards since November 1, saw only Templeton and Rob t *Rdy7 tit the poßt, though seven horses we're, onl the card. Guy FaWkes^ who wqnlcj have had to, give Mr Delemain's'horse considerable weight, was scratched, aa also, was Hercules, similarly " i fiem_l_Beci i - 'for^winning a good stske at Napier' in Very, inferior company. Cloth of Gold, Ariel, and Fishhook who would each have oarried penalties as wirihersi bad also other game in view,^ahd ,i: the! p'en . was put. through their taaines T also. . When it was found * that !Templeton and Rob Roy were aloneoto start, 1 -the' odds were " fell the world to ai - China orange " on the Dunedin Cup winder of '75, and no takers, for the Highland cateran had no pretensions to. -bei called a racehorse, and . had been' beaten badly at some late country meetings where he. had figured. Judge, then, of the, astonishment when Rob got away with the lead, and oame home ap^easy winner,. Templeton. running like a cripple. The only person in whom the race appeared to excite no surprise-Was 'the gentleman who acts as huudicapper, at Canterbury. The letting of a horse Hke'Templeton into the Great' Autumn Handicap, witb Bst. 11 lbsA ;ha'd 'generally been regarded as an error in judgment, and the handicapper pointed to the horse's running in the T{ialj.Sta.kea.to -vindicate the estimate he had formed of him through his running at Dunedin. - The : next race, tbe Leger, was a walk over for Pungawerewere ; Daniel O'Rourke, the only horse qualified . to run save Mr. Delamain's second-filly, Folly Fanne, being reserved for the Handicap on the day followiog. ; The: Champagne Stake which followed, was a genuine race, and a very good one. Five two-year-old colts; entered the saddling-yard, where 'their form and chances of succees receiyed much criticism. Three of them were by. Traducer, and, two* by Towtort. ' The most' fancied" of the former was. the. colt v out pf Ada-r-rda.m of Magenta, although Dead Heat, out of tbat good littlb mare Misfortune, had numerous supporters. The third, Traducer, was - ia; great, raking; colt oil t of Tantrums— a ' mare of Sir Hercules' blood, 'Beiffg^a daughter of -Cossack. He looked as if he would cut a better figure when O ■thi--ee^ i or r -. four years old, when he may probably . run a good hdi-se. ;i Mr_ Redwood's pair were — Songs^/a'b'ay' edit out of Sky bird, and Marorbi 'a < chestnut out of Fair Agnes — a daiigh.br of St. Aubyn and Phoebe. These colts were much admired for .their great bone and substance, showing bow well they had beeu reared, and the native word, " Maroro," signifying strength, was a most appropriate name for the latter one. The son ot Sky bird is a very handsome youngster, . not of the fiatcatching eort, but a colt tbat will bear looking all over ; and, if lam not mistaken, will prove a real good borse next year. The Ada colt, ridden by Boy Ray, got away with, the lead by two or three length, and was never caught, though Dead Heat, who was last to get off, was close alongside of him at the finish, and. but for Ray's superior riding, would have won — for Bob has not his equal as a jockey iv New Zealand, particularly on a young horse. Songster would have been close up bad "be" not swerved across the course a d^zen lengths from the chair. The Tjade.manV Plate Handicap of 100 soys; i one* mile, saw a field of ten horses. The most noteworthy absentee was Ariel, engaged iv the G.A.H , for which he; was specially reserved; the stable -baying a strong opinion that it could repeat its last year's success, and again carry the great autumn prize to the North. d'The starters were Guy Fawkes, Bit lib; Perawhenua, Bst sib; Tadmor, 7af I'Slb; Hercules, 7at 9lb;

Fishhook, 7st 51b j Punga, 7st 51bj Elfin. King, 7st 31b; Tattler, .7atj The Chief, 6st; Wild Rose, sst 7lb. Fish-; hook* and Tadmor were the favorites, though niany supported Gay notwithstanding bi_i great' weight. There was .a; false 'start* and T-he Chief ran away with hia jockey for two miles before he could be stopped When the lot. were despatched they kept well together until entering the straight run, then Guy came to the front followed by Fishhook, and a most exciting finish ensued which resulted in a dead, heat ; Tadmor an indifferent third, and the remainder outpaced. When tbe bell summoned the horses to run the deciding heat, Guy alone appeared, so the stakes went to Mr Redwood, who had ;: refused to divide. The promise of sport was greatest for the second day, and thin was fully realised.. It opened with tbe Flying Stakes of 150 soya. for two-year-olds and upwards,- three-quarters of a mile. The three! Traducer colts who ran in the Champagne, saddled to try conclusions with older horses, as also did Songster, but Mr Redwood sent the latter back tp the stable when he saw that he was stiff in one of his hind legs. Guy Fawkes with 9st'Blb made alt the running and won easily, tbe Ada colt with a 6st lib boy on his baok instead of Ray, was seoond. After a Cavalry Race, won by a very good' mare named Phantom, came the Great Autumn Handicap, of 300 soys, Le'ger distance. Temple ton, who bad been backed heavily, and bought up in alllhe sweeps previoue to his* race on .the day preceding, was now not iv the betting, and Ariel was the favorite — Cloth of Gold and Right Bower getting support at long odds, as also did Daniel O'Rorke snd Fishhcok. Guy Fawkes was started in the interest of Ariel, and noi with any idea of going for the race, for j which his great weight was sup-* posed to afford him no chance. Templeton;, who ran without shoes, was no longer a cripple, but kept well with the! horses, who were all in a ruck for a mile, when Cloth of Gold and Fishhook cantoned and fell. Templeton now made a puah for the lead, which he soon got from Ariel, and Guy Fawkes Beeing the race in danger for the horße be was engaged to help, came too late on his own! behoof, aud could only finish third. The; Selling Stakes, was won by Parawhe'nua from a field of five horses; Hercules, as usual, showing temper, was left kicking at the post. The Consola-tion-Handicap was a good race between Cloth of Gold, Tattler, and Right Bower, uutil the former bolted, driving Tat iter, as he ran off, outside apoßt; so that although 'the' son of Deception .came in first, the stakes [were awarded tb Right Bower, by wbich 40 soys were secured by tbe Otago stable. The extraordinary differenoe in the running of Templeton on the first and second^ day,, could not ' fail to be the subject of much criticism. Many persons ;were satisfied that all was done on the square, the removal of the Bboes on toe second day fully explaining the different way in which the horße made use bf his feet. Those who loßt by him were! not so easily satisfied, and asked themselves and others how it wbb tbe horse was started for the Trial Stakes . when his trainer must have found at exercise that he was crippled by bis shoes? But no questions were asked, no enquiry made, though the stable purchasing the horse in sweeps on Monday evening for a mere song had a suspicious look. A remark to I this seffect was pretty general: — "It may be all right; but there would have been a precious row had it happened to an outside stable; and in that caee it would have been voted all wrong." The entries for the meeting on the Stoke course on Wednesday and Thursday, must be higly gratifying tb the gentlemen who interested themselves in getting it up. When the meeting was first talked of, numerous were the croakers who believed it must prove! a failure ..' through scarcity of h<jrsee. But what is the, case?. Twenty-eight horses sre entered to run— 'a far larger number than ever Before, entered for a Nelson meeting, Jand, to the best of my belief, tbe whole will come to the post. The .field for the steeplechase, eleven in number, will be the-lnrgest that ever started on a 'crosscountry journey. in New Zealand, even for. races pretentiously styled "Grand National,*" while every race promises a good show of horses as will be seen by the lists. The formidable Guy Faux {has not frightened owners from mooting him in a weight for age race of two miles, tbey calculating on "the &loriouß_ uncertainty of tbe turf," and that after the great amount of work the ( crack ' has done this season be will probably be somewhat stale. Bravo, I say, for pluck, and good honest racingspirit. I hope all will go well, and when another season comes round, I hope we shall have a course in a moro central situation, equally contiguous to the railway, and bn which there will be a , gallop for trainers. I hear more than one eitja for a course in the neighborhood of Richmond has been offered to tbe Club, and I trust that no time will be lost after the meeting in securing the moßt eligible one. The central position of Nelson will be sure to draw horses from bther Provinces to insure sport, if the programmes are fairly liberal. I hear that a telegraph station will be placed ion the course, so tbat the result pfevery race can be wired the moment it is over. Che val. i .i ■■fpag-ggii ii ii ..,,,

A Mpori, says the Taranaki Budget, after inquiring at a sbop in town the cost of a stamp to send a letter by post

purchased one. The stamp having been fixed on the envelope, the Maori said he would take another to put on the other comer. He was told it was quite unnecessary, as one stamp was sufficient, when he blurted out, " Napi, napi. "Wan-fc letter go quick, and want another stamp to make it hurry." M. Ireve has submitted to the French Academy a new system of with the object of diminishing the frequency of collisions. at sea, .He proposes to employ a signal which will permit the officer of the watch, oa perceiving a vessel a short distance ahead, to 'make known to those on board of hei* the tack on which he intends to pabs her, and that instaneously. The method by which this is to be accomplished consists in the use of a green or < red fire ignited by electricity, the means Of joining contact being close at hand. The green fire would show that thb helm is; put to starboard, and red that it is put to port. This is to avoid the danger of collision through both Teasels going on the same tack.