BITS OF TURF.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 469, 7 May 1890, Page 5

BITS OF TURF.

The conditions of the next Melbourne Cup are announced. With the 10,000 soys added it is now the richest subsidised race in the world. Auckland owners should not forget entries close on Monday, 2nd June. In future Autumn Meetings of the Auckland Racing Club, the St. Leger will be missing from the events, Tirailleur’s walkover last month being the concluding contest provided for. The added money of the Great Northern St. Leger in January next will be reduced to 500sovs, so when framing next season’s programme the A.R.C. will be enabled to apportion more money to handicaps. James Kean, the well-known trainer, expects to leave for Sydney about the end of the month. George Wright is endeavouring to cure Cissy of the irritability she shows on the racecourse, and with that view has had the mare in town during the week hacking her about Queen-street. Mr Percival tells me that the A.R.C. Autumn Meeting will result in a profit of over £IOO. If George Wright’s horses entered for the Sydney Turf Club Meeting on the 24th May receive fair treatment at the hands of Mr Scarr, some of the number will be shipped on Tuesday next. s The number of nominations received for the Great Northern Steeplechase since its inauguration are as follow :—IBBS, 24 ; 1886, 17; 1887, 22; 1888, 19; 1889, 13; 1890, 17.

What a wonderful old horse Nigger is ! The way in which he raced in the Welter Handicap at Avondale surprised those who know him best. He finished with great dash, and if his much-fired “leg” continues to stand, there is a good race or two in him yet. When Nigger was presented to “ Mr E. James,” no one would have dreamt of him being again successful or. the racecourse. Nigger is out of Kate, the dam of Mr R. Burke’s Belle. The’South Auckland Racing Club have nob yet settled the protest against St. Michael receiving the stakes in the Cup, lii which Mr Kean failed to put up a 51b penalty. To anyone conversant with the rules of racing, the action the Club should take is very plain. . South Australian Tattersall’s Club maintain the benevolent practice, which might be imitated in New Zealand, of handing over the fractions of totalisator dividends to public charities. Mr John Field, the veteran Tasmanian breeder, had a successful sale of blood stock at Deloraine on Easter Monday. A brown yearling colt by the Auckland-bred Musk Rose from Pandora (Malua’s sister) brought the top price of 200 gs, and a brown yearling filly by Musk Rose out of Idalia (dam of Kohai) fetched 148 gs. According to a Melbourne paper, Whakavvai is at present in the hands of Mr Allen, the vet., who only recently took four quarts of blood from the son of Leolinus. Mr Allen is not without hopes of being able, in due time, to turn Whakawai into a healthier condition than he has ever known since he arrived in Australia. “ Asmodeous ” has been looking over the 10 yearlings purchased by the Victorian syndicate from the Hon. J. White, of which Messrs W. Bailey and J. C. Bowdsn are the only known members. He has the greatest fancy for Stromboli, by Chester ! Etna ; Albemarle, by Chester —Angora ; [ Bengal, by Chester—Gymkana ; and Syraf cuse, by Martini-Henry—The Solent. The • Gymkana colt is Payten’s particular fancy. 5 Referring to Carbine’s deeds at the { A.J.C. Meeting, “Augur ’’writes “ You don’t see Carbine last one week and first the next, as is too often the case with many of our racehorses. But I hold to the opinion that First King was better, and that Abercorn was quite as good, and who knows but that The Barb and Fishhook would have had something to say at the finish if the whole of them could have been brought together fit and well on the one day?”