SPORTING.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 4, 3 November 1883, Page 4

SPORTING.

Csimnsnd -Santa Claus h&va been the iensational horses of the past few days, each having received substantial support for the Melbourne Cup, the former having been backed by his owner to win something like £30,000 and the latter by the stable to win ©ver £20,000. Calma is well known among facecourse habitues as the good-looking Yattedon colt that was fancied so much for the Derby last year ; but though he did not get a place in the contest for the blue riband, and was defeated by Belmont in the Maiden Plate, he partially retrieved his character in the Mare Produce Stakes, which he won cleverly. “ Beacon ” says j The most interesting batting transaction I ever heard of is the following “At the races the following remarkable incident occurred, although very few people noticed it: Two cab horses were Standing facing each other. One of them had a wisp of hay in his mouth, which the Owner had just given it. To the surprise of everybody the horse made no attempt to eat the hay, but seemed entirely absorbed in watching a race just then in progress. When the race was finished, and the numbers were up, and the nohle animal sighed deeply, shrugged his shoulders, and, with a courteous wink at the other horse, placed the hay upon the ground. Then the other horse smoled a smile like a young alligator, and began eating the hay. The second horse had won the bet!” [lt is perhaps scarcely necessary to say that the race-meeting in question was held in the United States.] •« Senex ■” writes : By invitation from Messrs Mason and Vallance I visited Yaldhurst on Wednesday afternoon, where Mr Martin has taken up his quarters with Tim Whiffler, Mischief, and Rubina, who arrived, from Napier on the previous day, Tim Whiffler I hud not seen since he won the Auckland Derby, nearly three years ago, and he does not appear to have grown in height since, but he has furnished into a very shapely, animal, with a nice round middle piece, and unquestionably sound limbs. He is in blooming health, and only requires a few winding-up gallops to land him in very fit at the post next month. Mischief has evidently done a lot of work this season, and being drawn rather fine represents a somewhat gaunt and ragged appearance, and with her big fiddle head set on to a long ewe neck is certainly not a picture of loveliness, but the mare is in rare trim, and those galloping points which have made her such a terror in the North are all thoroughly well developed. Rubina, the three-year-old daughter of Kingsborough and Etiquette, proved herself last year about the best of the two-year-olds who performed in the North. She is a bay filly, not very taking to the eye, being more remarkable for quantity than quality, but in point of condition she is all that her best friends could desire.