Sporting Odds and Ends.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 930, 30 March 1881, Page 6

Sporting Odds and Ends.

Mata goes to India after the Adelaide meeting. Grand Flaneur’s price for the Sydney Gold Cup is 8 to 1. Lord Falmouth’s filly Bal Gal has, it is said, met with an accident. Joseph Cannon is to have £2,000 a-year as private trainer to Lord Rosebery. Fred. Archer, it is stated, will not be able to ride lower than Bst 61bs. next season. Western Princess, by King of the Ring, has been purchasedin Melbourne to go to India. Darebin has been backed in the next V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup for a good stake at 1000 to 10. Grand Duchess broke her maiden at Napier. The mare won the Maiden Plate, which was worth 60sqvs. Robert the Devil and Bend Or are both engaged in most of the big events run on the English turf during the coming season. Since the death of the Duchess of Westminster, the Duke has gone into retirement. Bend Or now races in the name of Lord Allington, who has leased him for his racing career. Petronel, by Musket, and winner of the Two Thousand Guineas last year, is engaged in the City and Suburban Handicap, run at Epsom next month. The Indian Viceroy’s Cup (a race open to English, Cape, and Australian bred horses), one mile and threequarters, was won by the Australian horse Blue Light. It is not improbable (says the Australian Sportsman) that within the next few months we may find a batch of English horses trying their powers on the Australian turf. I see by telegrams from the South, that Hornby has been scratched for all his engagements at the forthcoming Canterbury Autumn Meeting. I suppose his feet are the trouble again. George Mann, who attended the renowned Voltigenr up to the time of his death, having looked after the horse for a period of eighteen years, recently died in the old country at the age of 73 years. A good many persons struck the double event—Cup and Hurdles—at the Henderson’s Mill races. Mr. Lennard, the owner of Kenilworth, had the colt in company with Lone Hand no less than six times, and of course won a good stake? “ Augur ” writes : “ I believe that although Mr. W. Long has not any intention of sending Grand Flaneur to England, he would be quite prepared to match his colt to run Robert the Devil, if the owner of ths latter

would consent to meet him half 'way, and have it decided at Bombay.” The skeleton head of the famous mare Blink Bonny has been presented to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society by Mr. W. I’Anson, of Malton. Mr. I Anson also presented a stirrup in which Blink Bonny had been ridden in the Derby and Oaks in 1859, and which was supposed to have been broken in the latter race. About £15,000 passed through the three totalisators at the Dunedin races. Of the 10 per cent, deducted before paying over on each race half went to the Jockey Club, which means an addition to their funds of the handsome sum of £750; while the machines themselves become the club’s sole property.—“ Beacon.” lhe amount won in racing stakes in England, including added money, in 1877, was nearly £195,000, and during the three following years this amount never ceased to grow ; until in 1880, it reached nearly £247,000. Despite this, there w’ere but 2026 horses stripped in 1880, which is less by 500 than the number raced in 1868, 1869, and 1870. The Melbourne Weekly Times says the pace for the last half-mile between Grand Flaneur and Progress in the St. Leger, “ was something terrible.” The time, 3mins. 16| secs., was the fastest on record in the Australian colonies, and it is said that Flaneur could have beaten the best English time if he had been pushed.