IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 55

IN A NUTSHELL.

— Nominations for the Waimate meeting •re due on March. 2. — St. Joe and Leeside returned from. Tasmania, by this week's Melbourne boat. — 'Mr H. Piper was ill his best form last week, and effected some splendid starts. — First Pet gave a glimpse of a good gait after she got badly away in the Tahuna Park Handicap. — Tlie young stallion Pietermaritzbuig, by St. Simon, sold to go to the Argentine for 15,000g5, is dead. —It ia. reported in London, that Colonel Baiid reMaed an, offer of 32,00050vs for his colt Woolwinder. — Lapland is accused of being a whistler. and is unKkely to repeat the form he showed in the- last N.Z. Cup. — The New Zealand-bred Laoniseftrt won a jumpers' fiat ruee at the Rosehill meeting, neld on. February 6. —L. G..King has abandoned the idea of journeying to Melbourne, and leaves for the north this week. -Mr A. B, Whyte, secretary to the* Wellington Racing Club, was present at Wingatui on Duned-tni Cup Bay. — Thunderer ran very consistently in his races last week, and his w£n ni the Wingatui Handicap was well deserved. — The New Zealand-bred Dan Patch (2.11) "will attempt to break his record (put up last season) some time next Month. — The- general entries for the V.R.C. autumn meeting totalled 550, as against 543 last, year, 46$ in. 1906, amd 498 in 1905. — The Pigeon appeared -to- hold an excellent chance of success w&en she broke in the last quarter of the Tahunar Park Handicap, — Apollodsris was sore last week when carrying silk, and the game little son of Brisa woe consequently running under a double "handicap. —I&e> Stepniak— Hermosa gelding Oiyoi ■won* his race ok the first day of the D.J.C. meeting in a convincing manner, and should win again if he trains on. — Clanchattan did not run up to expectation* lest week. He was rumoured! to be asgood as Stratagem in. private. * In public, however, he was found wanting; — The Lard Rossrlyn gelding Erskine. who in addition to warning at Wißgatni showed good pace in otfeer r*ces-. was picked up by his present owaer at hack price. — It » understood that tfee "Weilingtcn Racing: Clut have paid the value of the stake won; by Suttee from a start effected before time to Messrs Harris and Solomon. — Jack Ashore' s race ift tbe Dutted&nlCup evidently took * good deU o£ the stesl^out of ?"T*, as his subsequent form was ooneiderabty below his first effort at the meeting. — Octave, who created a very favourable impression when running at -the Tapanui meeting, considerably impressed those at ."Wingatui by the brilliancy he displayed laat •week. — Notus put m • good run at the finisu of the .Anniversary Handicap, in which he ran second, to Sea King, but in the last bit he | lost, a bit of grormti- By running from the outside' to the- rails-. "— : Laresoine looked a- bit light when, she Btritoed* • on- • the* Jaat day of the Cup -meeting. She ia oniy a handful, and has been kept well into the collar since she raced et the D.J.C Christmas meeting. — Dabchick - -did • not have- anything to spare i*h«ni ehe woo. the City Stakes Handicap/ but she finished in- the resolute manner of a stayer. She reminds one a bit of Gladsome, and shows a lot of quality. — Walnut, who showed a- good deal of pace -when racing at the Tapanui meeting, -was with the leader* at the finish of the Trial Handicap at Tehuna Park, but he went up> and finished out of a- place. — Tirole. tha winner of the first day's Hurdles at the Cup sheeting-, was sold on Friday last at 25ga »t auction. He was sor* after both Ma races, and it is doubtful if ha 'will survive «notbar preparation. —Mr J. F. Buehanaß's Fireiron, by Benzoin—Fireside, which- wi» recently taken, to Melbourne: by D. J. Brk», dislocated a bone in one of his- fetlsefisT while running in the Sandown. Park Handicap on. February 12. — Grand- Stand was the hero- hurdler last week, and both his winning efforts were comfortably accomplished- On. the first day lie jumped a bit big, out he ' did not lose* znuab time at fences in his- subsequent race*. — St. Joe' was 1 one of the last four to finish in the Launcestog Cup. The winner carried 8.7, and ran the distance in 2.38 — a bit of form which was easily beyond the New Zealander,* who had to carry the heavy impost of 10.1. — Lnpulite was a pricked balloon after his match with Petsovna. In the betting with some of the fielders -the latter opened favourite, but weight of money ousted him from that position before the race was started. — A list of winning sires for the first half of the present season} published- by the Australasian-, places G-refton in the leading position with £11,497. -Poertamo is in second place with £11,249; while Wallace- is third •with £10,830. — The first day of the Tahuna P-ark Trotting- Club's meeting; -was a financial success. The- tot*lia»tOT returns- exceeded tbee* of the corresponding day of fast year's meeting, and in addition the chib- received 139g» in bookmakers' fees. — The northern hsndicapper (Mr J. H. Pollock) and Mr A. Janes (who adjusts the* weights for the Southland Racing Club) were present -at th« Zhraedin Cup meeting, and also attended the Talmna Part Trotting dub's meeting. _ , — Old St. Denis showed some of his old pace l«Et week, but railed to last out his races. He hopped out with The Seer on the last day, and was probably responsible for bringing about the latter's def«at, or at least he materially contributed towards that end. — Husbandman cantered home in the Champagne Stakes. He bad weak opposition, imt he looks susceptible to a vast amount of improvement; in fact, he is a. raking great colt, who will probably require another coupGvof seasons on him before he is fully furnirfied. — Hilarity ran two good races in the Dunedirt Cup and D.J.C. Handicap, but her showing on the last- day was on a par with her previous form. The manner in which she stayed out 10 furlongs was a bit of a surpris», and. she will win ova that distance .when, the opposition. i» not too strong. ,'ftynqfryrra tha winner of the two-year-old event on the concluding day of the Cup meeting* ia- gnawing into a -very handsome horae. He is * bit on the* leg,, but his chief fault lies wftk. his contracted feet. With eting. >ut of the gxotmd Be acted with much more freedom. 'than he did in the Champagne Stakett' — .The credit of converting Speculate into A D.J.C. Handicap winner belongs to a great extgnt - to W. Boddicomb, who got •tha gelding when. k« ms oat of form, ami built him into a -wanner. &. M'Donald took charge- of the horse at the conclusion of the Goto meeting, and has had him in his ■table since then. - ' . -o v — Sea King bs wct»n*« in *k° PuV

lieans' Handicap -auio* Ann|-we»aa«jL -Bhuidioai>^ gave Mr H. HiooH a turn of luck, aa Cross Battery and the first-named horse must have proved costly equines up to date. Sea Kint won both his races m good style, and finished well when he won over a mile. — Armaimento, the winner of the Dunedin Cup, cost his present owner lOOsovs. He was. sold out of W. Davis' 8 stable, which was one of the biggest thorna in the- S.P. merchants opera-ting when "No reply " was a popular method of speculating. Davis evidently entertained an angel unawares — a grave error for a clever man. — Judging by the manner in which he cavorted round the saddling paddock prior to running in the Publicans' Jiandicap, and also by -fee fact that he stopped badly inhis races, it wsouid appear that All Guns was a bit short of work hist week. He was improving aa he went along, and should baft useful member of his new trainer's team. — The three-year-old colt All Guns, by Pallas— Greek Maid* was purchased by M* "C. Machell " during the progress, of the racing at Winpatui on Saturday. The coifs price was £400, with an additional £100 out of the first win, and be is to be trained for future engagements by W. M'Donald, whofor some time acted as private trainer to the Hon. G. M'Lean. - Mr W. Quin. of Tapaoiux, who bred Lone Star, has twin three-year-old haHbror&era to the Stepniak geMine- Tbey w-are got by loiperator, a son of Gipsy G-ramd out of the Medallion raare Corolla. It is understood they are not to "be raced!, but will be used as- utility horses. Lcne Star showed form last week that would make plenty of people anxious> to. own either him or his relations. — The Tahuna Park Trotting Club's spotting notion of giving » gold medal to the owner of 'Durbar because it were under the impression that the 4min 27 2-ssec compiled by the- V&ocleve gelding on. Friday -last was a*tsack record, falls to the ground on account of the £bst that the- well-known, horse. Sir Hector holds that honour with 4mm 46 l-Seec to> Ms credit. It is understood that Sir Hector goes into* training again thisweek. — The 'only form, of sport I know of in the country (says an American writer), but seems to be absolutely dependent on betting is racing' the thoroughbred, and for this unhealthy- condition of affairs neither £&•> horse ' himself nor the- " sport of kings. " is responsible. It is the fault of the men who bave controlled its destinies, the insatiate greed of the pool room vampires, the hold that the unprincipled men. have been allowed to obtain. The sport itself is all that it shotdd* be,- and can furnish, pleasurable ex- , citement sufficient to gratify even the most blase spectator. Bacing the thoroughbred has. been mads s me*n» of gambling, yet it is not a gambling device, and millions of men and women have enjoyed it to the utmost witb never a thought of speculating. —If one rider more than another has ' fared well ip connection with the plums- of the turf drorißg the past 4jir.ee years (says- an. exchange), it is- T_ Cfaytort. Prior -to winning the Melbourne Cup os Acrasia -these seemed -a likelihood; of his services going right --out of demand, but that was- the turning point, ozzd since, thert everything has gone well [ with. him. His record for ther period is ait exceptional one-, including a* it does two 1 Melbourne Cups,- two- Caulfield Cups, two Derbies, four St. Legers, a TattersalFs Cup, ' Oarringtoß- Stakes, Anniversary Handicap, ■ and nnmerocs weight-for-age races. In. minor ' events, £ao+ he has held his own, and no ' presaat-day jockey is in a better position to state- the earning: possibilities of a successful rider on the- Australian turf. Clayton, as isgenerally known, .is one of the steady division; and, unlike many other jockeys who- did well in th» past, he will not, when his riding days aa» over, find 1 himself stranded. — The- following: is as American expert's opinion of. the hopples: — Hopples should be- j barred, because they bold the pacing' faorae , down. H» eunot break, and is- forced to- go . at* aa unnatural gait, and any amateur 'driver - can drive him a winning race, for with their- j aid an amateur . is- placed on. the same level as the expert. Such drivers as Geers and M'Henry won't use- them; in fact, all the best drivers in America condemn their use. Hopples «n» responsible for three-fourths of the accidents that occur on the race tracks of to-day. The horses fall when they bxeafc, and not only endanger the life of the driver, but those of every other man in. the race. The horse is forced to pace. He" cannot do anything; else. It prevents the racing game from becoming a science. The time will come, however; when, the man who does. not use the hopples will h*ve a greater value fixed on Hi« horses. Bacing will then be conducted from a scientific standpoint. It will be the driver *s much as the horse, and not a mere matter of machinery. -It will put the first-class trainer where he belongs, and will develop the driving and training business to a. degree nevqr before, known. —Mr James R. Keene, the foremost horseowner in America, and- a sportsman with an international reputation, is one of the greatest stack exchange gamblers in Wall street, but, though he always commands a powerful team of racehorses, and raoes in England and America, he does not bet. Recently he was interviewed by a London. Sportsman representative, and in respect to his last season's winnings and betting, said: "I got in stakes what you stated— £Bo,sl3. "j That was the Actual stakes alone. I may say I I never bet, in the gambling sense of the term, no^ matter what amyone says. I race purely for the love of the *port, end not far the money in. it. Certainly not for the- betting, which. I never indulge beyond th» very modest trifle on very, very /are occasions. Candidly, I could say I do not bet. I havesome very strong opinions on that subject," says the American sportsman, "but I do not know that I care to give them in detail now. I think, however,' we axe gradually improving, and we will continue to improve; but we want mote votaries of the- turf — we want them the same as in England. We vrant more- gentleman to become interested here, and maintain the sport on a high lerel — gentlemen who will race for the sport, and not for the mere money. Of course, it is very nice to win and to win money in stakes, but I would like to see moi* wealthy and independent gentlemen owning- here than at present. W« have- not very many to depend upon, and the Jockey Club baa a good deal to contend with."

— Trotting- is the national horse sport of America, and is* far in advance of horee-racing as a dean sport in that country. This is . wholly due; to . it being handled: and supported by the best American*, .who will not toletata the .crooks, as do so- many of the proprietary racxagr tracks.' These 'jtx» fhrea strong factors, sapping the vitality of American horse-racing. Proprietary ownership ot the : racecourses, /xofeasiaual bettwra^ .and. jockeys, who h»ve acquired monstrous liber- : ties, which they use to every advantage. Speaking of the latter to » London Sportsman interviewer last month, Mr James. R. Keens said : "I do not think it is a. question, of lightweights or continuous riding witn diem. They simply get into bad Hands, th«y are ftattered *nd petted *nd agolLed, and; just as soon as they should become useful they become wortWe». - We hum tombTe

with them and with others, but, as I have remarked, I t^ini*- we are improving-. I was, I may say, correctly quoted in the Sportsman after the Futurity, when I said that under similar circumstances in England my colt Colin would have been 10 to 1 on instead! of S to 2— -a price offered on account of the unfair tactics pursued here, especially by jockeys. Really no price could have represented Colin — he was so immeasurably superior to the others. The question of jockeys is a serious one." Colin was- the best two-year-old in America, and in his owner's opinion very I much superior as a three-year-old to any . English colt, and he characterised his ornis^sion from the English Derby entry as a piece of bad luck. — Happening to pick up an old " Racing Calendar" for the year 1898, I noticed (says " Martindiale ") that among the entries for the V.R.C. Derby of that year there were no fewer than 14 youngsters by Carbine. They were out of some of the best mares in Australia, as the following list -will prove: — Murata, by Carbine — Wilga; Holster, by Carbine — Cambric; Hampderr, by Carbine^ — Isis; I Carrara, by Carbine — Venice; Hephaestus, by j Carbine — Hera; Lee-Metford, by Carbine — Felicrtas; Marie Corelli, by Carbine — Vendetta; George Frederick, by Carbine — D*nae; Ashton, by Carbine — Georgic ; Battle Abbey, by Carbine — Rosary ; Carbelle, by Carbine — Tourbillon; Sensation, by Carbine-— Twinkle-; Rifleite, by Carbine — Ravenswing; and Pelessier, by Carbine — Duenna. Thus in one year 10 years ago we bad 12 colts and two fillies by a horse which, was generally regarded here as the best we ever produced 1 , and which has since sired a winner of the English Derby. IVnd yet we have had importations of Carbine's stock from. England lately. The question, at once arises, What has become of all oxer own locally-bred sons of Carbine ? Bead over the above list, and now many of the colts have kept the old horse's memory green? Except for a few small winners*, they seem to have disappeared altogether from, the first Sight. In the same race there were seven colts and four fillies by Trenton. The fiHies- are now valuable brood mares, but the colts have- all disappeared from, or rather have never reached, the winning sires' list, while imported horses are carrying all before them. This success of the imported horse is a constant puzzle to local breeders. After a generation or two the virility seema to go out of the locally- ' bred stallions, and their stock cannot hold their own, with, those by English importations. The figure system seems to have no cure for this.

bred stallions,

for this.