A.R.C. SUMMER MEETING.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 226, 10 January 1885, Page 4

A.R.C. SUMMER MEETING.

The last two days' racing of the A.R.C. Summer Meeting passed off delightfully, if I except the fiasco over the steeples, which was greatly to be regretted from a sportsman's point of yiew. The racing all through, however, was very good, and in most cases the events were keenly contested. Of course, those events for which Welcome Jack started were looked upon as "foregone conclusions," and that people were right was proved by the easy way in which he disposed of his fields, satisfying everyone that he could have won the Cup in a hack canter if he had been sent. I am compelled by want of space to condense my notice of the races into as small a space as possible, and merely give " heads." The first event on the programme on New Year's Day was the Derby Stakes, for which Tigredia, Ugly Buck, Tetford, Woodnymph, and .Necklace were pulled out, and the former upheld \ her unbeaten record by winning easily, under j the able hands of Rudings, from Necklace and Tetford, my second and third tips : Ugly Buck being absolutely last, the cur that he is, asserting itself all through the race and he never tried a yard. Tigredia is a beautiful lengthy filly, and runs very game. The Selling Race brought out a field of six, including Youth, Pipi. Snake, The Painter, Castashore, and Revolver, and ended in a ■clever win for Revolver, who beat The Painter by two lengths, Snake being third ■well up. The big event of the day, the A.R.C. Handicap was a dead-un, so far as betting was concerned, any odds on Welcome Jack "being obtainable, in spite of his big top weight of 9st lOlbs. A semblance of interest was given it, however, by the plucky way little Carbineer stuck to Jack all the way, and raced him up the straight, showing good heart under the whip. Of course Wally •Clifford had Jack well in hand, and the moment he shook his head, he shot out like an indiarubber ball and won by f- length from the game young Musket colt Carbineer, Poet being third (clean out-paced), and JSformanby beaten off. The Publicans' Purse, the next xace, was made another moral for Jack, the books offering 10 to 1 on without takers. Mitrailleuse made a bit of a bid for it in the straight, and was coming very fast under the whip when the unfortunate accident happened by which poor John Patterson lost his life. What he was doing there will remain a mystery till Judgment Day ; but people will talk, and on this affair they say he had backed Mitrailleuse on the 'zator, and wanted to stop Jack ! but hit the wrong one. But of course that theory is set at rest by Stitchbury's evidence at the inquest, and it only remains to suppose that the poor man never saw the horses, and thought he had plenty of time to get across. The New Year's Gift for 2 and 3-year olds (6 furlongs) was a superb race, and was won as much by the jockey's skill as by the undoubted excellence * of that beautiful colt Thunderbolt, full brother to Necklace. The books made slander colt a great favorite, but in spite of liis wretched start, at the bend for home Sutherland brought his mount with a grand rush, as he did on Boxing "Day in the mud, and sailed in a winner by two lenghts. Rosebud, three-quarters of a length away, third. The Grand Stand Handicap brought put seven starters, and Sou'wester and Administrator were equal favourites in backers minds. One look at Libeller, however, satisfied. me that the little joker I said last • week would take a lot of beating in this race was in in it up to his Ccirs,

and lie repaid my confidence by winning from start to finish. Sou'wester, who ran a great horse under Bst 121bs, giving Libeller a stone and 21bs, was second, and it is greatly to the credit of young Smith, the jockey of Libeller, to state that he was Sou'wester's special boy, and had ridden him in all his exercise, only accepting the mount on Libeller at the last moment, and upsetting his own stable's j>ot by his honest riding. 1 wish we had a few more like him. The third days racing was equally good, if not better than the first. It commenced with the Newmarket Handicap, for which the good field of nine saddled up, including Sou'wester, Mitrailleuse, Ugly Buck, Fishwomau, Woodnymph, The Painter, Witiora, and Victoria. Mitrailleuse was made favourite, and justified the confidence reposed in her by winning cleverly from Woodnymph and Ugly Buck. The Nursery Handicap, in which the MusketSlander colt was asked to give Derringer 91bs, and Rosebud 171bs, produced a grand race. Again the Slander colt was made a hot favourite, but any sane man, taking a line through Thunderbolt, could see that Derringer must hold him safe, and failing him, Rosebud, with 9lbs off her back for a three-quarter length heating, gave a moral. However, the sheep followed their leader, and plunged recklessly on Slander colt, only to see him finish dreadfully distressed behind both Derringer and Rosebud. Sutherland again steering the winner. This popular and clever lightweight seems never more at home than on a good two-year-old, and 1 honestly believe he is 71bs better on a youngster than any other jock in New Zealand. A feature in this race was the wonderful straight way in which the young Muskets ran under the whip — not a swerve in one of them. The Auckland Plate was a good exercise galop for Welcome Jack, but was redeemed from its usual dreariness by the splendid struggle for second place between Ugly Buck and Minerva. The Buck would not try a yard for a mile and a half, but being humoured and petted, he commenced to go up, and catching YVattie in the last few strides after a desperate battle, forged ahead and copped second money. The Steeplechase was next on the cards, and after

a series of tumbles on the part of Alaric, The Lad, Barbary, New Year, Exchange, King, etc., old Clarence had to go up and do 'em, and he did it as he just can, easily, being well ridden by Lyford. But owing to a mistake on the part of the clerk of the course, and the absurd way the hurdles were put up, continuing the double jump as it were, instead of being diagonal to it, all the horses but Sunray went the wrong course, and the stewards decided that the race should be run over again on the following day (Saturday), when, after a splendid race, in which all but the first three came to grief, some more than once, Linwood, splendidly ridden by Sheenan, owner of The Lad, won from Sunray, whose jockey, Frewin, showed wretched judgment in not making the most of his lead when once in the straight, and was fairly worn down at the finish. Mr W. Weston, the well-known, bookmaker and owner of Linwood, won a neat £800 over his victory besides the stakes; while Mr H. W. Maxwell stood to win a cool thousand, and had Sunray been ridden at all, he would have pulled it off. Julia Ann was third, running a consistent mare, and her popular owner. Mr Brimblecombe, won a bit of place money over it. Clarence and The Lad were scratched. The Selling Race brought out The Painter, 9st 101 b ; Larry, 9st olbs; Revolver, Bst 51bs ; Nemesis, 6st lllbs. Revolver and Larry divided public favor. The former was a bit too good at the finish, and, with 121bs the best of the weights, won pretty comfortably from old Larry, with Nemesis third, and Painter heated off. The Free Handicap brought out a good field, and after a game struggle, Sou- wester ran heinea length a-head of Minerva and Fish woman, giving the former I2lbs, and the latter 2 stone, thus proving that the sou of Sea-Breeze is no slouch.