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Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 42, 20 April 1901, Page 15

By Seahorse.

WELLINGTON RACING CLUB. THE Thompson Handicap meeting commences on Thursday next at the Hutt. Acceptances, final payments, and general entnes are due on the 19th. • • • The Waiwetu Handicap, seven furlongs, last season produced a great surprise, when Aide-de-Camp paid eight supporters £78 12s each. This year Perfection, Scottish Minstrel, or Ngaparu may be found good enough to win. • • • Fakir, trained by J. Belcher, who ran third to Waterford in a hack handicap at Wanganui, is said to be a good thing for the Maiden Hack Race, distance five furlongs. The weights are Two-year-olds, 7st 31b, three-year-olds, Bst 61b, four-year-olds and upwards, 9st. Fakir, who is owned by the Wanganui lady who races under the name of Mr. Launceston, is a three-year-old colt by Catesby— Element. • • • Armoureux is the only previous winner of the Thompson Handicap engaged this year. Waiuku won the race on three occasions, but his sister (Okoari) has been unlucky enough to run into a place twice. On their Auckland running it looks as if Rosedla would beat the Taranaki mare. The light weighted Glenaladale won a mile race at Riccarton with a stone more on his back, and must be given an outside chance. Rosella looks the most likely winner. # The Grand National winner, The Guard, may make his reappearance in the Hurdles. The Southerner, Long Tom, who won a double at Riccarton last week, will take some beating. Vanquish and Right Metal may also run well. # # Ruamahanga showed some form in second-rate company at the Wairarapa meeting, and Mr. Evitt gave him the steadier of list 71b in the Welter Handicap, one mile and a furlong. As this is the only race he is in the first day, he is pretty sure to start. If the going is heavy, he will be hard to beat. Lady Bell and Magnificent are well in among the light weights. • « ♦ The rich North Island Challenge Stakes, of 300 soys., for two, three, and four-year-olds, seven furlongs, will probably not attract a large field. Advance was among those engaged, but his name will probably be missing when the acceptances appear on the 20th. He is also engaged in the Autumn Handicap, on the second day, but is hardly likely to be seen out at the meeting. The best of the two-year-olds (Nonette or Menschikoff) if they put in an appearance, should score. Mr. Stead also has the maiden Knight Errant, who will get in with the minimum of fast 101b, engaged. • • • The Hack Handicap, one mile, is sure to be the medium, of a great amount of gambling. The winner of the Maiden Hack Race has to carry 71b penalty. If the Marlborough Hack Challenge Stakes form was reliable, Skylark would have a big say. Cornea, at her best, is well treated. She may be found to be the best of the Hutt division. Jemima is very fast, but hot-headed, and unreliable. Valkyre ran a mile in a satisfactory manner at Tauherenikau. Whatever beats him will win. • * • The concluding event on the card is the Railway Handicap, six furlongs. The winner of any previous race during the day has to carry a penalty of 101b. Formosan, of the top weights, and Sentry and Osborne, of the light weights, should run well. La Carabine, champion. The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club has decided to withdraw the trainer's license granted to T. Quinlivan, senior, at the last meeting, on account of a misconception. The Avondale Jockey Club will hold its autumn meeting (20th and 27th instant) on the Ellerslie racecourse. The Waipawa County Racing Club (23rd and 24th instant) will race at Napier Park. The Avondale course is having alterations and improvements effected to it, and the Waipawa Club recently had the grandstand and other offices destroyed by fire.

The yearling full-sister to Nobility has been named Noblesse. Punters who support their fancy away from the course would like to find a dumb bookmaker. The New Zealand jumpers, Crusado and Volcano, did not uphold the reputation of Maorilanders at Randwick. The Hon. J. D. Ormond was not represented at Riccarton, did no good at Ellershe, and missed the Wellington nominations. R. Connop will have to find another name for his Waterfall — Parlour-maid filly Rere, Sir George Clifford having objected to it. Mr. Jas. Kennedy, the Wairarapa sport, who raced under the registered name of J. R. Sinclair, has left on a trip to England. The absence of Renown and Nobility from the New Zealand St. Leger spoilt what would otherwise have been an interesting contest. In the Doncaster Handicap, Wakeful equalled the record for a mile (lmin 39-jsec) put up by Djin Djin, at Randwick, in September, 1899. Dr. Cleghorn, formerly a well-known sport in the Blenheim district, and who recently returned form England, has decided to settle in Wanganui. First Blood and Bush Rose have been shaping satisfactorily in some hurdle practice at Napier Park, and should be useful in jumping races this winter. Ayrdale, who has some engagements at the Hutt next week, is a three-year-old bay gelding by Far Niente — Gymkhana, and was bred in New South Wales. The Hon. J. D. Ormond, who last autumn won the double with Ideal (Thompson Handicap) and Jabber (Autumn Handicap), is not represented this year. At the Kumara meeting, on Easter Monday, Will-o'-the-Wisp was twice beaten, carrying lOst 131 band list 41b. Abydos and Haria were the horses who finished in front of him. The totalisator turn-over on the first two days at Ellershe showed a falling oft of £500 compared with last year. The total put through at Riccarton for two days snowed an increase of £3023. Roseplot. the brother to Prologue, in J. Belchers stable, at Wanganui, is, a correspondent writes me, doing some good work on the track, and is greatly fancied for the Hack Race at the Hutt. Mr. G. G. Stead won one-third of the total stakes given at the C.J.C. meeting. Skobeleff and MenscMkoff (who ran two seconds) were the only horses he started at the meeting who were not successful. Acceptances for the first day of the Wellington Racing Club, entries for the Maiden Plate, and final payments for the New Zealand St. Leger Stakes and North Island Challenge Stakes were due on the 19th instant. There was no bid for Ismene (Dreadnought — Marion) when she was submitted at Riccarton, after winning the Addington Plate. She came up from the South on Friday last, and has probably been purchased privately. It was somewhat unfortunate that Sir Rupert Clarke missed the A.J.C. Champagne acceptance with United States. Scobie's other string (Hautvilliers) could only manage to get third to Ibex. Both colts carried lOlbs penalty. Boreas could not have been up to form at Ellerslie to be beaten by Battleaxe over a mile and a quarter. The latter is very useful up to a mile and a quarter. He showed some improvement on his recent form in the Century Stakes. The first and second North I&land Challenge Stakes were won by Mr. Stead's representatives, Screw Gun and Formosan. The race next week looks a fair thing for Menschikoff. Nonette is in such great form at present, that a contest between him and the Southern colt would be well worth seeing. Benefactor has been withdrawn from the Pacific Handicap, on the second day of the local meeting. Most likely he will be given a run in the Maiden Hack Race on the first day. Had he been left in the Pacific Handicap he would have been unable to start in the Hack Race. A win for the Hon. G. McLean at the Hutt would be very popular. For some reason or other — probably on account of the distance from horne — the "Zetland" spots are seldom unfurled on the Hutt course. When was the president of the Dunedin Jockey Club last represented at a local meeting, and by what horse? The Auoklanders, Cannongate, Record Reign, and Cavahero, would bo a nice team to take to Australia tins season for jumping races. In their absence, the Napier pair, Moifa and Torpina, should pay their way m this colony Social Pest, who won the Grand National Steeplechase two years ago, is being got ready. He was given a run in the Final Handicap at Riccarton last week.

Advance, who won about £1300 in stakes in Australia, is expected back on Wednesday next. The starting at Ellerslie and Feilding on Easter Monday was not up to Harry Piper's standard of excellence. The win of Dr. Paget, with Wai-iti, in the Patea Handicap, was very popular. The sporting medico also rode Clarion, when she ran third in the Final Handicap. Mr. J. H. Vincent, secretary of the Ashurst-Pohangina Racing Club, was the lucky drawer of San Fran in Tattersall's sweep on the Sydney Cup. His cheque amounted to £3096. Mr. E. Lucena, who owned Pokomoko and Nipapu, has a useful horse in Puanga (Sou'-wester — Early Bird mare). At Patea, on Easter Monday, he won the Hurdles — running a mile and a half, with list lib, in 3min— and Highweight Handicap. La Carabine has won the A.J.C. Plate two years in succession. The time on both occasions was particularly slow. Last year, when the three miles took smin 50^ sec to negotiate, the stake was reduced by one-half. On both occasions the daughter of Carbine put down a favourite. She has got to win the race next year to equal her sire's great record in the race. The performance of Rosella at Ellerslie last Saturday should make her go out a good favourite for the Thompson Handicap. It will be pretty difficult to find anything to beat her. The stable also has a sort of mortgage over the New Zealand St. Leger Stakes with Beddington. Last year's winner (Miss DelaveT) was bred at Sylvia Park, and the first winner (Altair) at Wellington Park.