KIRKHAM AND NARELLAN AT NEWMARKET.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 443, 5 February 1890, Page 5

KIRKHAM AND NARELLAN AT NEWMARKET.

An English correspondent sends the following, under date December 6, concerning the Hon. James White’s colts, Kirkham and Narellan, at present in training at Newmarket for the Epsom Derby : “ The Epsom Derby of late years has created very little interest, in a speculative sense, before Christmas, but the presence in this country of the Hon. James YVhite’s two colts has given rise to much talk upon the race, and the good and bad points of the strangers have been the subject, of discussion. , At Newmarket the critics have decided in-favour of Narellan l being the better of...the two ; ■ but little importance need be attached to this, as the question of superiority cannot be decided until the arrival, of the owner. It may be mentioned that their trainer, Matthew Dawson, has a nice sheltered gallop of one mile and a quarter underra belt of Scotch firs, so that, however seve e the weather, our visitors will have quite as good, if not a better, chance than many of taking healthy exercise. . Strong work,,of course is out of the question ,at present. In the meantime at the clubs where sportsmen most do congregate, Kirkham and Narellan have been the subject during the. week of many inquiries. The market , is very limited at present and although on Monday, and again on Tuesday, the two colts were backed coupled at the rate of 100 to 6, that price is probably exhausted. Mr Joe Thompson on Tuesday secured 5,000 to 300 from an amatuer about the pair, and other wagers have been made at the same odds. W hile' all attention is turned to the Derby as the race their owner, will.select' for them to take part in, it should not be overlooked that they have prevmus liabilities in the Two Thousand Guineas to be run for in April. Should they compete for this event. their ' prospects for the Derby might have a very different complexion.' Although-money is being sent over for in'vestment on the Epsom 1 race it cannot be said to be judicious, for it is certain that a waiting,policy , will pay the beßt. With the New iear fresh Joooks will be opened, and with extended competition abetter market will result.

- RINGMASTER IN ENGLAND. Writes a valued London —Right up to the last Messrs Savill an d Jones were sanguine of carrying off th® November Handicap at Manchester with Ringmaster. Personally, I could nob be confident, because I thought the little horse was put out of .it when the weights ’ were raised: As it turned out, anything might have won. All was a lottery. The course was in a horrible state—soft, boggy and rotten. While the race was being run there was a mist which obscured the view of the runners—2B they numbered —except for some3oo yards range. • While it was foggy .the atmosphere was also muggy. Take it generally, what with the formation of the course, which has two long bends, its spongy state and the fog-ladenair, everything was as unsatisfactory as might be. U nder the circumstances no fair account of the races can be written. Savill took the palm with Ringmaster as the best trained horse of the lot. After all was over Mr Savill said to me, “The jockeys must have been mad,” a pronouncement in which I entirely agree. As soon as the flag fell the whole lot raced for the turn.* After they got to the bend they kept up .the pace, and to anyone who took the trouble to think, it was a moral certainty that if by' luck or judgment one of them would steady his horse for half a mile or so before entering the straight he was almost bound to win. Luke, with Fallow Chat, happened to get badly away and later have a lob of horses hampering him. No more fire-away sorb of jockey than this west country man ever lived.; Accident made him do the right thing and in the end he landed easily by a length and a half from Conservator, with Phil, the uncertain beast, third, three lengths from the winner. Ringmaster was tenth. The time was 3min. 26 4-ssec.,and the stake value £1,444 15s. The attendance was grand, and betting better than usual. As I said before, the pace at which they started for over a mile killed nearly all, and I must explain that Fallow Chat’s easily winning is a comparative statement. All the lot were doing little more than crawling at last. We could nob see them till within 200 yards of the finish, and so fast did the fog gather that if* the start had been threequarters of an hour later we should nob have been able to distinguish colours at 50 yards distance. On the Friday morning Ringmaster was absolutely first favourite, but he occupied a false position owing to the market operations of R. H. Fry, the big bookmaker, who backed him for a lot of money and retired at a profit. It was easy to see that one man could not keep the horse at the best of the quotations for long, and he, of course, slid to 100 to 7.

The folio wing are the acceptances for the first day’s racing : THE WELLINGTON CUP. stlb stlb Dudu 8 TO- Whakatipu .. 610 Whisper .. .. 8 5 Cruiser .. .. 6 7 Kotuku .. ... 7 2 Sincerity .. 6 3 Cynisca .. .. 7 1 Trial Handicap, one mile. —Wanderer, Pursestring, Angler. Hurdle Race, two miles and a-quarter. Tornado, Waterfall, The Dove, Sir Garnet, Jenny. Welter Handicap, one mile and aquarter. Alcinous, Akatea, Leinster, Lancer, Orator, Angler, Sincerity. Telegraph Handicap, six furlongs.— Whisper, Alcinous, Lady Florin, Masthead, Strephon, Golden Crest, Leinster, Retina, Cruiser. Nursery Handicap, five furlongs.—Lady Mab, Topsy Turvy, Olive, Noisette, La Petite Fille.