CAP AND JACKET

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 71, 21 January 1882, Page 292

CAP AND JACKET

MY NOTE BOOK,

By "Saul."

" Is Saul also amongst the prophets ?"

—Trump Yoss has broken down badly. — Spitzbevgen won the Shrewsbury Cup. — Sir Modred, Sonmus, Hilarious, and Idalium were expected to arrive, at Christchurch last Saturday in charge of Gfoodman. — The Southern .Bookmakers left by the Arawata or Thursday. — The difference in the form exhibited by Clarence in Auckland and at Cambridge has caused considerable talk in sporting circles. — The race cards at Cambridge were terrible. There were no distances on them, and other important information was also missing. — There has been very little speculation on the "Wellington Cup as yet, the only ones fancied being Grip, Piscutorious, and Lady Emma. — Dauphin, Libeller, and Chancellor are the favourites for the Dunedin Cup, and have been backed occasionally during the past week. — Clarence made a regular exhibition of his field in the Waikato Steeplechase and set people wondering how he managed to lose the Auckland event. — Cremorne realised 5,400 guineas at the late Mr Savile's sale in November, the Blue Riband winner of 1872 having been purchased by the Earl of Scarborough. — Mr Walton closed his plunging career in England at Liverpool Races, where he lost £-1000 on Buchanan in the Cup. He took £60,000 back with him, at least so he says. — At the Marton-Rangitikei Races the Graining and Lotteries Act put a stop to the usual games of chance, but £1277 went through the totalizator in one day. — Petronel, who has developed into a superb stayer of the true Musket pattern, Avon the Queen's Plate at Liverpool Autumn Meeting from Poulet, Victor Emanuel, Prestonpans, and two others. — Bend Or will not run again. He left the post for thft paddock at the end of the English racing season and by means of his racing prestige will command extensive patronage. Good judges prefer the chestnut to Robert the Devil as a sire. — Tim Whifiler was suffering from indifferent water and diet on the first day of the Cambridge Races, but on the second he grew better, and in the Publicans' Purse ran a good horse against Lara. — Maori's victory in the Cambridge Cup is ascribed to the half bottle of Walker's Scotch Whiskey, which the horse partook of prior to the start. This is the sort of tipple Edward Lewis sells. — The English racing season of 1881 was brought to a close at Manchester on November 27th, when Lord Alington's Gladstone, by Lecturer, out of Florence Aislabie, won the November Handicap of 1000 soys., beating Fortissimo, Petronel, and ten others. — Abe Hicken (says the Melbourne Sportsman) , who has so long stood at the head of the P.R. profession as an Al " middle weight," has turned Boniface and taken that convenient snuggery in Swanston-street, not far from the corner of Burke-street, formerly known as Cavanagh's Hotel. — It was the stranger who spoke. He was saying, (t I am one of those old-fashioned sportsmen who — " "Don't settle over the Auckland Meeting and aren't seen again till next Christmas ;" and then the air was thick with wine glasses and bottles, and the stranger's further remarks were lost on an unsympathetic world. — Young Reilly, who rode Navigator in the Normanby Stakes at the Melbourne Champion Meeting, and disobeyed orders hy passing his stable companion Solitude at the -winning post when that filly had been posted as the declared winner, has been summarily dismissed from Mr De Mestre's service, and the verdict of all racing men is, " served him right." — The Sportsman learns from a private but reliable source that Wheatear's Champion prospects were destroyed by a mishap at Albury, where he rested for a day on his journey from Sydney to Flemington. It seems that he wa3 sent out to stretch his legs after the long confinement in his travelling box, and suddenly " fancy ing his young self," he reared up, fell heavily, got away from the lad who had been on his back, and then had a bit of a " kicking match " amongst some stray horses. Had this little bit of by-play been known in Melbourne, wouldn't the son of Epigram have "just got pepper J" — At Melbourne Champion Meeting a young " sport " on the hill took 30 to 5 about a horse, and to his disgust immediately afterwards learned that the layer was a welsher. He consulted a friend as to what he had better do in the matter. The friend advised him to go to the welsher and say that he had discovered the odds laid were not nearly what they were betting in the Paddock, and ask for his money back again. This he did, and the welsher received him most affably. " Not proper odds, sir ?" he said. "Tarn very sorry ; put down 40 to 5 instead." " No," said the young " sport," firmly. " Well, then, 50 to 5." " No," replied the backer, " I want my money back.'' The welsher then turned to hia clerk and said, " Jim, give the gentleman the book, and let him write down what he likes." — It is said that " misfortunes never come singly," and the truth of the adage was verified when William Day recently met with a serious accident. The news of his mishap was circulated simultaneously with that of the death of William M'Donald, the lad who rode Foxhall for the Cesarewitch. William Day was the trainer of that famous animal, and when it transpired that he had broken his collar-bone and sustained fractures of two ribs, the apprehensions were that the trainer might succumb as the rider had done. Happily, however, he is progressing in the most favourable manner, and all fears of a fatal result are dispelled. It seems that the trainer was out on the Shipton Downs with Mr Eeene's horses when the animal that. he was riding fell, and the injuries aboye alluded to were i the result of the occurrence.

— There were 18 starters for the Liverpool Autumn Cup, (valued £935), run at Aintree on November 10th, the favourite being Buchanan, winner of the Lincolnshire Handicap, who had the nice weight of 7st lllbs to carry. Captain Machell's Valour, Mr Whittaker's Experiment, and Lord Wilton's Toastmaster, were also fancied, the betting at the start being 4 to 1 Buchanan, 9 to 2 Valour, 15 to 2 Experiment, 8 to 1 Toastmaster, 100 to 12 Post Obit, 100 to 7 Shinglass, 100 to 6 Piraeus, 20 to 1 Ercildoune, and 50 to 1 any other. The winner turned up in Captain Machell's second string, Piraeus, by TJncas — Maid of Athens, the outsider Wallcnstcin second and Toastmaster third. Time 2 mm. 27f sees. Buchanan fell and his rider Mac Donald was killed.