SPORTING NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5136, 8 September 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

Full particulars of the progamme for the Dunedin November and March meetings have now reached me. The bills of fare are lengthy and liberal; that of the former contains twelve events, six each day, i.e., Maiden Plate, 11 miles, 40 sovs. St. Andrew’s Handicap, 2 miles, 100 sovs, and a 3 sovs sweep for the second horse’s benefit. Selling Bace, 11 miles, 40 sovs, usual conditions. Spring Handicap, 1J miles, 60 sovs. Trotting Handicap, always certain of a full entry in Dunedin. Benevolent Scurry. Handicap Hurdle, 2 miles and a distance, 60 sovs. President’s Handicap, 11 miles, 80 sovs. Bailway Plate, 35sovs, 1 mile and a distance. Stand Handicap, 50 sovs, 1J miles; and the usual Hack and Consolation Eaoes. Particulars of the March meeting shall appear next week. The club have wisely moved their fixture some weeks forward, making it for the 28th February and Ist and 2nd March, in place of the 23rd (and following days) of March. After the Grand National Meeting at Timaru four local steeplechasers were offered at auction; but nobody had been sufficiently impressed with their performances during the meeting, and the reserve price was not reached. Tho Canterbury Hunt Club offered the horses used this season for hunting purposes by their officials for sale on Saturday last; the result has not yet reached me. The horses were Te Kooti, Dan O’Connell, Hard Times, Frostfish, and Camellia, most of which have figured in jumping events, at some time or another, with moderate success. Two well-bred animals are shortly to be sold at Christchurch. They are expected to arrive there about the 15th instant, and are named Tregeagle and Gillie Callum; they are bred as follows : —Tregeagle, by Wild Dayrell —Silverhair, who has in her strains of Irish Birdeatcher and Touchstone blood. Gillie Callum, by The Barb—Bubiua, who is the dam of McCallum Mohr, Both these horses should when sold cause competition. Two new racing clubs have been formed—one at Tal Tapu, the other at Ashburton. Both acknowledge the Canterbury Jockey Club as their metropolitan club. The first named and the Little Eiver Club propose to amalgamate. The Ashburton Club has elected Mr. E. Coster as president, and resolved to hold one day’s spring racing on the 25th October.

A pigeon race is causing some interest in Christchurch. No less than twenty birds are entered, of which twelve or fourteen are expected to start. Tattersall’a at Christchurch has been renovated to such an extent as to be unrecognisable. 1 Mr. T. Markey, of Kowai Pass, Canterbury, has imported from Sydney two fine thoroughbreds. The Lyttelton Times gives the following information concerning them " ‘■Python, bred by the Hon. E. K. Cox, of Fernhill, is a bay 9 years old by Kyogle out of Nutout (dam of Dagworth and Hercules), by Pitsford, imported, out of Splendora, imported, by Emancipation, out of Tintoretto by Eeubeas out of Belinda by Beninborough. Kyogle by William Tell, imported sire of Archer, out of Cassandra, dam of Yattendon by Tros, imported, out of Alice Grey, by Eons' Emigrant, imported, out of Gulnare, imported. Hibernia, a chestnut colt 16 hands 1 inch, and four years old, purchased from Messrs. Knight and De Mestre, at Sydney, sou of Mail Train, who at five years old ran second to John Davis for the Northampton Stakes, one of the best races ever run in England; at six years old he won the gold vase at Ascot, beating Begalia (winner of the Oaks) and fourteen other good horses. Hibernia’s dam, Bolina, is an imported English mare foaled May 23, 1866, bred by Mr. C. E. Johnstone, by Marionette, dam Laverna, by Tom Tullooh, g dam Lizzie by Theou, g g dam Yolure by Muley Moloch, g g g dam Zenana, by Sultan, &c. Both horses have arrived in splendid condition, notwithstanding the late heavy weather, during which Mr. Markey felt considerably anxious about them. It is Mr. Markey’s intention to put both horses to the stud, but Hibernia will be put in training for the ensuing Autumn meeting. I am very -glad to see so many well-bred animals arriving in the colony, and hope that the enterprising importers ,will reap their rewards. The weights for the C. J.C. appear in another column, and appear to he as usual well adjusted. Of course critics find fault, equally of course these faults are as a rule different. I suppose that my few remarks on the subject will not ho approved of by all; but still I cannot conceive why Bribery should carry Safe. 121 b., whilst Puriri carries 31b. and Punga 10Ib. less, I cannot conceive that Bribery will accept; although fast, she has never done anything over a two-mile course, and certainly Guy at 9st. 121 b. is a far more probable representative of the' stable. Opawa gets weighted more in accordance with reputation than anything else, and is not likely to turn up as the winner with Bst. 61b. on his hock. Trump Card suffers for his Champagne performances, and the handioapper evidently considers the Derby purely a matter of health, when he makes him give from 71b. to 211 b. to the other three-year-olds engaged. Ouida, a representative of this province, is not badly used, whilst Bose of Denmark should be worthy of notice with only 6st. 51b. on her back; although the Dunedin Derby running is supposed to be all wrong, she is not badly in,

seeing that she ran third for that event, and now receives two stone four from the winner. The best in of the thirty-nine nominated, always excepting the three-year-olds, which never having seen I can’t write about (save from hearing) are, I consider, Puuga and Rose, of Denmark. Next to these I like the reliable old Guy and the speedy Fallacy. Still, owners of any decent three-year-olds have no reason to feel hardly treated, and the twenty animals of that age should among them play a prominent part in the race.

Woodlands has scored another valuable win. Prior to the race for the Guineas, he occupied a low place in the betting on the A.J.C. Derby, but of course the running for that event shortened his price materially.

FOOTBALL. ' The Dunedin team have returned home, and received the reception they deserved as the most successful visiting team as yet sent round the colony. The actual results of their play were as follows: —The Christchurch match was won by two tries to nothing; the Auckland match resulted in a draw ; the Nelson match was won by six goals and five tries to nothing ; the Wellington match by four goals and two tries to nothing; the Timaru match was won by two tries to nothing ; and Temuka came in for a beating by|one try, although, according to the accounts received, they made the hardiest fight of any—not even excepting Auckland. There is notlyng like cheek, and if Taranaki footballers assert themselves frequently as boldly as they did when trying to persuade Dunedin to play, they will obtain the reputation of being the best team in the colony, although they have not proved themselves so. They told the Dunedin men they considered themselves quite as good as either Christchurch or Auckland. Remembrance of the old proverb re much cry and little wool might do them good. The Merivale Club have lost their energetic secretary, Mr. D. Emden. Mr. M. Smith has been appointed in his place. The members of the Union (Dunedin) Football Club played Kaitangata, and beat them by two goals. The loosers played throughout for a draw, and were constantly touchingdown. The Dunedin men have been too much for Wellington. Football for this season is a thing of the past. AQUATICS. The various boating clubs are bestirring themselves. The Christchurch general meeting is to be held shortly. From the Lyttelton Times I gather that the Heathcete Club have had their boats and gear overhauled, and are confidently expected to win some events in their crack boat, the Heathcote. The Telegraph Club is in a had way, in consequence of the paucity of members. The Canterbury Club's prospects are promising. They have ordered from Salter (Oxford) three new boats —a four-oared outrigged and two stump pairoars. A worthy rival of this club is the Union, whose list of members was last year increased by 53 names. They last year erected a new shed, and have received from Home since last season a pair-oared gig, and two more of a similar class and a sculling skiff are expected shortly. From Dunedin comes the news of a four-oared gig being launched for the New Zealand Clothing Factory Club. The boat (by name Hie et Übique) is of local manufacture, being built by Mr. Patterson, of Pelichet Bay, and has as yet given much satisfaction. The Port Chalmers Club have also obtained a new boat (the Waterlily, a fouroar built by Edwards, of .Melbourne.) Coming home, little has as yet been done by our local clubs, although the Star boats are occasionally out, and the Dolly Varden crew have been seen practising occasionally. The sooner our men bestir themselves the better, for the Dolly Varden will have plenty to do ere they again win the Champion race ; and the Star Club has much to do in the way of recovering lost prestige. The latter club ought to occupy a more prominent position than it does, as it has plenty of boats, of members to man them, and as fine a shed as any iu New Zealand ; but like most Wellington clubs of any kind, there is a want of energy and unity.