MY NOTE BOOK.

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 73, 4 February 1882, Page 324

MY NOTE BOOK.

By "Satxi."

"Is Saul also amongst the prophets ?"

— The Sydney G-olcl Cup has 79 nominations. — Robert the Devil has been sold Tio go to the stud for £8000. — The "Wellington Cup was mm yesterday (Thursday) too late for notice in this issue. .■;•• — " ShiLauncelob" selected Metir de Lys to "win the Wellington Cup with Grip second. — The sensational Duchess has been entered for the Australian Cup and so'has Progress. — Piscatorious is being trained at Wanganui, where French has Mr Walters' team. — The Gtrand National Steeplechase will be held at Ashburton this year. — The Peeress colt has been turned out, and will not sport silk again this season. — The famous Australian steeplechaser Prima Donna has broken down. —Next Christmas the Sydney Tattersall's Club Cup is to be worth £1000 instead of £500. — The value of the stakes run for on the one day Champion meeting of the V.E.C. was £3668. — The Canterbury Times of the 21st ult. contains an interesting article about the Auckland Stud Company's farm at GHen Orchard. — Billingsgate has been entered for the six furlongs Newmarket Handicap at the V.R.C. Autumn Meeting. —The Hellensville Cup resulted in a somewhat surprising "turn up." Maori was struck out witn. intention of leaving it a gift for Lara, but eHe rough ground didn't suit the " old un," and JSf or M won easily.

— Vacillation being in the great Edward Day's stable was backed pretty extensively at even money for the Maiden Plate at Hellensville. He ran last all the way. — Martindale who was lame before the Champion Stakes, is likely to get all right, as Kean has discovered the cause of his lameness, a small splint under the knee. — The nominations for the great events at the V.R.C. Autumn meeting are most satisfactory. The Australian Cup has 49 entries atid the Newmarket Handicap no less than 89. — A correspondent writes : Sir,— l observed a totalisator at Helen sville and wondered whether the proprietor had obtained permission from the Government to use it there. — I am, &c, Publican. " Spectator of the Yeoman, after reviewing the Wanganui Handicaps, says he expects the winner of the cup will spring from the following six .—Hailstone, Virginia Water, Somnus, Grand Duchess, Sir Modred and Grip. — Mr Fergusson's mare Lyra claims a winner in England, for I observe from the English papers that at the Manchester November meeting the Selling Handicap Plate (5 furlongs) was won by Lyric, who carried Bst 6lb to victory in front of seven others. Lyric is by Thunderbolt out of Lyra, and therefore full brother to the Hon. G\ M'Lean's colt Gorton. — Already speculation is beginning to grow strong on the next Derby at Epsom, although that event is fully six months off. The latest quotations were 5 to 1 agst Bruce, and 6 to 1 agst the American colt Gerald, The third favourite is Kingdom, son of Kingcraft and Light, by The Prime Minister, winner of the Plate at Sandown Park, whose figure is 100 to 8. Then comes Marclen, whose figure is 20 to 1. He is a son of Hermit and Barchettina, and has raced six times without winning. At 20 to 1 is also quoted Lord Cadogan's chestnut colt Carlyle, by Hermit from Scholiast, by Lord Lyon. — Hesperian — the late Randwick- Metropolitan winner, and the sensational hero of a misnomination for the the last Melbourne Cup, and of a subsequent disqualification through the MayoElastic fiasco — has become the property of Tom Brown, the successful trainer of Grand Flaneur, and other horses belonging to Mr William A. Long, he having given no less than 700 guineas for the speedy chestnut. — The Helens - " villains " who selected the rough stony, and dangerous course over which the meeting on Monday was run deserve " slating" properly. Everyone was disgusted, owners of horses especially. Fancy bringing a valuable beast here to run for a " tin-pot stake " said one, "why I wouldn't have brought my animal had I known it for twice the value of the Hellensville Cup." — Some fellows are born lucky, but others have to wait contentedly to see what Dame Fortune will do for them. Among the latter is Mr Alexander M'Gree, of Nelson, but he cannot complain of his treatment by the fickle goddess. He delights (says the Mail) in Mr Dick's hele noir, a sweej?, and no wonder, for with him to invest a pound is almost equivalent to ensuring some hundreds in return. In less than three years he has Avon three first prizes, three seconds, and five thirds, and now he has made another fine speculation, He put a pound or two into Goyder's Melbourne sweep of £3500, which was to be apportioned among three races at the late Victorian meeting — namely, the Champion Stakes, the Mid-summer Handicap, and the Three-year-old Handicap, and the latter of them was won by Pell Mell, which was drawn by the lucky Alick, who does not yet know the precise amount to which he is entitled, but is under the impression that after setting apart a liberal sum for the champagne in which his friends will be iuvitd to drink his health, a few hundreds will still be left to him for future investment. — The race for the Publicans' Purse at Helensville was as jjretty a contest as I have seen since the Panmure Cup, indeed it quite reminded me of that extraordinary and surprising " turn up." There were three on it — Maori, Vampire, and Flora ; and as Maori had (nominally) been kept for the race, we all thought we were going to be on a good thing. The bookmakers generosity was surprising. Jimmy Poole who is always anxious to lay a fail 1 price even though ifc may entail subsequent loss, was quite indefatigable in offering even money to anybody and everybody. One or two certainly were rude enough to wonder why 4 to 1 on was not asked, and by-and-bye this led to an enquiry about Vampire's price. To their astonishment backers were told 3 to 1 on a fact that at once revealed an interesting state of things. After this you may not be surprised to hear that Maori carried 71b. overweight and ran last all the way till entering the straight, when the horse for a few minutes looked as if he would win. But of course the old 'un didn't, in fact Vampire cantered in the easiest of winners, and, although the populace showed a good deal of feeling about the matter, the stewards took no action whatever.