BENZON IN NEW ZEALAND.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 414, 26 October 1889, Page 3

BENZON IN NEW ZEALAND.

Our London correspondent supplies me with the following account of Benzoh's experiences in Now Zealand, taken from his recently issued book: — I went over from Melbourne to the Bluff in the s.e. WaiHora, and thence took train to Inyercargill and Dunedin. There we had some riding about and pigeonshooting" and sport generally up-country, but nothing very startling occurred, and I was glad to get back to Dunedin, where I went out to the Forbury and saw a Httie racing, which turned out rather disastrously, and necessitated a visit to a local money- louder ; this resulted in getting hold of £2.000. Then we got 'on to Timaru, where there was some decent hunting to bo got, but an I wan unused to jumping tlwir bdastly wire fences, I had some awful fall*. Morton had a row with a fellow who was playing card? with me, and on the next day wo went to Pareora, where we slept in a hut on sacks stuffed with straw. Afterwards we met some exceedingly nice people, and I had a match over hurdles with the master ot the hounds, a real good sportsman— Mr Armitage — who just did me by half-a-length. Thence we drove over to a place called (icraldine for a hunt, and had a rattling good lun of about thirty minutes. A few days afterwards we went to Ashburton, and then on to Chrfetchurch races, and I bought a horse, Doveridge, to run in the Hunt Cup Steeplechase. Of course, Morfcop and I had a difference of opinion over the matter ; lie wanted, me to go back to Timaru, but f preferred to stay wheie I was, for I was enjoying myself. He left without me, as I positively refused to get up at seven a.m. However, we met a few days afterwards at Waimate races, a very primitive but most enjoyable meeting. Here my illustrious eteed Robin Hood came in first, thanks to the jockeyship of Mr Alex. Boyle, brother to Captain Jim, and I presented ihe bracelet he won to a lady. After this, Morton wanted to go on at once to Fiji, of all places in the world, and I began to wonder where they would wish to cart me i off to next. However, wo quickly got over our little difference of opinion, and soon' after the eallant Robin Hood won a match j against Mile's Uncle Harry. I rode my I horso this time, and got him home by a neck, but a few days later on Uncle Harry beat my Edelweiss. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Christchurch. It was expensive, but this I was getting used to, for, what with backing my own horses and losing money at cards, I had to raise a great deal on my paper. Still, the folks were so good, so thoroughly English and hospitable, that I left that regular English city with more regret than I had on leaving any other New Zealand town. At last wo left, and went in the Rotorua for Wellington. There was a fearful crush * on board, and I had to square the chief steward to give mo up his cabin. Whilst on the sea there was a total eclipse of the sun, and though there was half a gale blowing we. all went up on deck to see it. Wellington ii not a great place, and had it not beeii for a friendly jeweller we should have

found it very dull at first. The show at the theatre was awfully weak. The weather, too, t was very bad, but we had some driving and riding, and there was un exhibition^ and m cricket match or two to go and look at. Still, I was glad to get out of the place, and to arrive 'at Napier, which, however, we were equally thankful to leave, which wo did in a few days, en route for Auckland. Tim city is not half a bad place. The people did not seem quite ho hospitable and warm* hearted as those in Christchurch, but still we had a good time.' Unfortunately there waa no racing gsing on, but I had the good fortune to meet Major Walmsloy, who gave me a most cordial invitation to go out to the Auckland Stud Company's farm and see the blood stock. We drove out the following morning, and y ere met by our genial host, who gave me a brief account of the objects for which the Stud Company was established, and an idea of the price that had been raised for their yearlings so far. We then walked down to the stallions' quarter?, where, first of all, Major Walmsley introduced me to old Mueket. On looking this grand old horse over, I wondered why English breeders ever allowed euch a magnificent specimen of the English racehorse to leave their shores. In addition to seeing Musket, there were paraded for our inspection two or three others, whose names I forget, and also some magnificent specimens of Clydesdale stallions. After inspecting these' we went out to the paddock, where, kneedeep in English grass, we saw a whole troop of brood mares! with foals running at foot. How Walmsley could pick one but fiom the other I know not, but it will suffice hero to say, that at a glance he could select all the colts from the fillies and tell me who they were and who they were from. In connection with my visit to the stud farm I can only say it was one of the most pleasant visits that I paid whilst in New Zealand. Before T leave the subject of New Zealand, I must draw attention to two things that struck me as being very remarkable in connection with racing in that country. The first is the size, bone, and substance of the Now Zealand horses, and the second the beneficial effects on racing of the machine known to most people in the colonies ai the '* totalisator." In France, I believe, this instrument is known as the " pari in it fuel," The bone and substance of the New Zealand racehorses is no doubt owing to the introduction in earlier days of the old Fisherman, Wha'ebone, and Sir Hercules blood. In later days the New Zealanders Mere fortunate enough to feecuie a stallion, whose absence English breeders must deplore — I mean the late Lord Glasgow's Musket. Throughout the length and breadth ( of the Australasian colonies, Mueket, when mated witii well-bred colonial mares, seems to have got stock that not only can gallop, but also stay to an extent that as far as I can ccc is unheard of in England. Sons of Musket, say for instance MartiniHenry, have shown their capabilities by not only winning the Victorian Derby (1£ miles) in the fastest time on record, but two days later, in the biggest Victorian handicap of the year, namely, the Melbourne Cup,. Martini-Henry comes out and wins that also. While alive, this horse was cer, tainly the Hormit of the Australian turf, and to this day his stock command enormous prices. In many other cases too numerous to mention here Australian horses' progeny, not only of first-rate English but also of colonial stallions, have shown their abilities to gallop and to stay in the words of the old saying "as long as a woman in a bonnet shop.*' The other point to which 1 referred was the action of the totalisator. This machine has had the effect of entirely ousting the ring from their position in the New Zeiilnnrl racing world, owing to its introduction by the various principal jockey clubs of that country. From time to time all the leading members of the New Zealand ring have found it to their interest to leave New Zealand and settle in Victoria, where, stiangely enough, the bookmakers command sufficient influence to prevent the Victorian Racing Club from using the instrument at Flemington. The advantages of using the total ieator are that you get an absolutely fair market rato of odds. Many of the New Zealand bookmakers tried to circumvent the authorities by laying totalisator prices, but the result was not encouraging — the Jockey Clube, who were deriving a revenue from the use of the machine, prosocuting them for betting on private property, and gaining in almoet every case a conviction ; thus, as I beforo said, most of the ring found their way over to Victoria.