SPORTING NEWS.

Te Aroha News, 15 February 1890, Page 5

SPORTING NEWS.

Auckland, Feb. 12. Tjie Egmonb Cup is run to-morrow. Patchwork and Montrose are the Auckland horses engaged. Occident and St. James are favourites for tho Dunedin Cup, run next Wednesday. Merrie England is next fancied. During yesterday Mr E. D. Halstead made a post mortem examination of the filly Mary. He opines that she died from strangulation of the intestines. Papers to hand by the s.s. Ringarooma state that Rudolph is in most demand for the Newmarket Handicap at 100 to 8. Consequence and Dreadnought are quoted at 100 to 6 each ; 100 to 5 Fishwife, John S., Apropos, and Gladstone. Dreadnought is most fancied for the Australian Cup, and 6 to 1 is the best offer on the field. The date fixed for the closing of tenders for the purchase of the N.Z. Stud Company’s establishment is the 20th March. According to a Wanganui paper, the Messrs Wilson Bros, priced a number of well-performed horses, but the prices asked by Wanganui owners were much in excess of the amount the Silver Kings cared to give. in Wanganui, Lady Florin is the favourite for the Cup. Rosebud, the winner of the Polo Cup at Ellerslie on Saturday, has won several racein and about Christchurch. She is by Cast away.

The gross amount of the stakes won in England during the last season under Newmarket rules was about £480,000.

It is proposed to hold the first coursing meeting of the season in Dunedin in April. Nominations for Auckland Tabtersall’s Club race meeting close on Friday night, with Mr Hayr.

Mr F. F. Dakin has been appointed to the office of judge to the Victoria Racing Club, during the absence of Mr R. S. Wakely in England. “ Spectator ” has been looking over the yearlings purchased by Mr Stead at the last Stud Company sale. He speaks highly of them, and concludes:—“Nordenfeldt promises to make as great, if not a greater, horse than his illustrious sire : there is no mistake his gets are exceptionally high-class in appearance.” Mr Frank Hill’s Wanganui-owned brown gelding Montrose, by Vasco di Gama out of Primrose, will in future be known as Montrose 11.

The Hon. J. White has taken to Melbourne Abercorn, Dreadnought, Singapore, Titan, Prelude, Utter, Rudolph, and Marco to represent him at the V.R.C. Autumn Meeting.

When some of the wiseacres of the turf prophesied that the totalisator would soon ruin racing in Queensland, they made a terrible mistake (remarks “ Augur ”), for ever since the instrument has been introduced to the land of the banana, the sport has gone steadilyaheaduntiltheQueensland Turf Club has not only considerably increased its stakes, but has also added a day to its spring and autumn meetings. Not only has it done this, but it has this season expended some thousands of pounds in erecting a very handsome grandstand and otherwise improving the course.

KIRKHAM AND NARELLAN’S ENGAGEMENTS. The published engagements of M r White’s three-year-olds, Kirkham and Narollan, for the English racing season, which opens on March 24th at Lincoln, are nine in number, viz. :—Hastings Plate, of lOsov each, with 500sov added, one mile, at Newmarket, Api’il29th ; the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes, April 30th ; the Newmarket Stakes, of l'J,ooosov, one mile and a quarter straight, at Newmarket, May 21st; the Derby, of 5.50050 v, June 4th; the Epsom Grand Prize, of 25sov each, With 1,20050 v added, about one mile and a quarter, June sth ; the Electric Stakes, of 2,ooosovs, five furlongs, at Sandown Park, Juno 13bh ; the Zetland Plate, of lOsovs each, with 500sovs added, one mile, at Newmarket, July 2nd ; Sussex Stakes, of 25sovs each, with 500sovs added, one mile, at Goodwood, July 30th ; and the St. Leger, at Doncaster, September 10th. Mr James White’s racing colours are registered with tho Jockey Club of England thus: “Light blue jacket, white waistcoat and sleeves, blue and whitecap.” AUSTRALIAN PATRIOTISM, Mr Wakley, the judge of the Victoria Placing Club, who has been granted 12 months’ leave of absence, recently made a sportsmanlike offer to Mr Norman Wilson in regard to Blue Mountain. He undertook to defray all expenses incidental to a trip to England, pay all entry moneys and sweeps, and return to Mr Wilson, the horse and every penny of his winnings. This patriotic overture can be better appreciated by those who are aware that Mr Wakley never bets. His sole ambition in approaching Mr Wilson on the subject was the desire to see our champion jumper shape over the Grand National Steeplechase course at Aintree, where the distance to be traversed (4 miles and 1,000 yards) and the number of fencea (30) to be negotiated would serve to show to the fullest advantage Blue Mountain’s three strong points—speed, stamina and all round jumping ability. Most Australians will regret that Mr YVilson did not see his way clear to permit the redoubtable son of Croagh Patrick a chance of seeking fresh honours on the historical battle grounds of old England ; but the Ballarat sportsman is too fond of his old favourite to lose sight of him, even during a temporary absence, and in all probability the crack will be specially reserved for the purpose of carrying the green spotted jacket and red cap at the next V.R.C. Grand National meeting at Flemington. THE GIMCRACK CLUB:

At the celebration of the 123rd annivereary of the Gimcrack Club in the city of York, on December 10, the Earl of Durham, whose action in the Chetwynd-Wood case will be fresh in the memory of most sporting men, referred to the position of the English Jockey Club as under:—“They are an irresponsible, self-elected body, governing a great public pastime, with no charter, and with no legal powers to enforce obedience to their rules. They exist only on sufferance, but will continue to exist so long as they jnspire public confidence in their capacity and integrity { bub should thqy fail to act in accordance wfth that sentiment it would be po diffipujt- task_ po destroy their authority. In old days ft would have been impossible tp oppose thejr jurisdiction, pr tp refuse tp acknowledge their authority, for their command of the racing at Newmarket gave them the practical command of the turf. Now there is a very different state of things.. We have a system of gatemoney meetings, and vast sums of money are offered for competition at Manchester, Sandown, Kempton, Leicester, etc. The inducement to run horses at Newmarket is nob a pecuniary one, and it would nob be , difficult fpr 3. combination of the managers PrsJ?Qse igeetmgg J bayp fpame their rules pqd po secui^e qw*>Bl* jbgfepy? rape of mg fee’ffey wlwth end' ifi defiance of fhg(r 1 rules, Tne Jnly refaliptlqu thg tjupkey . *“ ,, d make would be to warn such

Heath—an act that would very much resemble the folly of the man who cut off his nose to spite his face. _ I am no opponenb of the Jockey Club, nor is there any desire to take such a course as I have suggested would be possible, but the Jockey Club must remember that they are trustees of the turf, and that their responsibility is coequal with their powers. ” Later on, he alluded in the following terms to the sjstem in vogue of holding turf investigations—a system not unknown in Australia and New Zealand;—“l should prefer a little more publicity to be given to the meetings of the Jockey Club, and to the reasons and evidence which influence their actions and decisions. Why should not reporters be present at meetings of the Jockey Club? What is there so secret and mysterious about our deliberations ? Are we throned so high above common mortals that no profane eye is to watch our meetings, and no vulgar pen is to record tho words of wisdom that fall from our noble lips ? Are we to exercise aosolute power, and yet give no account of our stewardship ? Have we inspired such unlimited confidence in the past that we are to have boundless and irresponsible power in the future? I rather think that the functions of the Jockey Club should be to keep itself in touch with all classes of racing men, in order that it may remedy abuses, rectify mistakes, and initiate reforms.”