The Champion Stakes

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1821, 8 March 1884, Page 3

The Champion Stakes

This afternoon, at tlic V.E.C. Autumn Meeting held at, Flemington, tlic Champion Stakes will bo inn ioi, when the son of Musket will h.i\e to meet that giant Commotion at weight foi age. The son of Panic has undoubtedly pio\ed himself a gieat hoise, and hi-, wetoiy in the last Champion Stakes and thud in the Cup, with JOst lib up, must still be fre3h in the niindb of our teadeis. Martini-Henry, howc\ei, is all tlicie. .me l under the guidance of Tom Hales, the telegram this e\ening should announce that he has shown the Hon. Mr Peai son's great hoi sc the load home. Should the son of Musket succeed in achieving this victory, he will piovchimielf the urea test horse that has c\ ci mil in the Southern Hemisphere. Martini-Henry, by Musket from Syl\ i,i, bred by the Auckland Stud Company, first made Ins appeal. nice at tlu \' K.C. Spring meeting, when lie won the Dei by, Cup, and Mate's Pioducc Nfcikc-s, and at the V.R.C. Autunin meeting last Saturday won the St Leger (Stakes. Warrior in his tunning notes to the Otngo Witness of the gallop of the son of Musket sa\ s : — Mr White's colt oecmpanied by the chestnut foai-yeai -old Moipeth, canteied horn the s.n aping-sheds to the gate neai Mitchells Hotel (thicequarteisof a mile, ) when the pail mslied off at lacing speed. Ko sooiur weie they sent away than all the available time-test watihes on the giound weie brought requisition. Tommy Hales had charge of Maitim-Honry, and kept the colt well on the ran of the sand gallop (one mile ten chains eight links), whilst the stable boy hugged the inside as close as was sate f oi the lioi^c and him self. Passing the abba ton. s and si tapingsheds (neaily thice qu.u tcis ot a mile from the stnit) the clu'Stnut w is loading by half a length, the son of Musket pulling double, lhiles still keeping him well on the outside. Tinning the tiack near the mam load to Footsuay, where " Wanioi " was lying m Ambush, Hales allowed the colt a bit of Ins head, and he passed his stable chai>*piou without the least effbit, the boy bung haul at woilc ot Morpeth with tlic wlnp Haiti loi the remaindei of the distance pla\< d with Goldsbrough's son, allowing him to get away a length and then piwng him with ease, finishing by two lengths, one of the best trials ot speed that has e\ct been attempted on the Flemington tiaimng ttrack. Wliun tht New Zealand bud colt ■was pulled up ho app"aied none the worse foi his mile and tliicc quaitci spin, and no doubt, if (ailed upon could ha\e completed tin ee mik":, as he was so full of running. The gallop occupied 3 nun 19J sees. Commotion, by Panic fiom Evening Star, who, since he mid- hit> bow to the racing public — Daubing Derby— has achieved Wondeis. Likl all Panics stock, Commotion did not pcifoini as a two-year-old. His lhs>t wru was the Kail way Stakes, ]\ mile, when he earned 7st J "Jib. After which he lan thiid to D.uubin in the Marcs' Produce Stakes, second in Coriolanus' Champion Race, thiid in the Geeloug Gold Cup, be.it Pell Mell and and Darebin in the V.11.C. St Leger, won Town Plate (two miles) withSst 71b up, beating Wellington and Piogioss (3 mm. 34 sec.) ; dead heat foi second place with Bellachum and Polho in the S A J. C. Cup ; thiid in Hotham Handicap (!)&t olb) ; carried !)st olb to \ictoiy in the Veteran Stakes iU mile, 2mm 3S{ sees.) beating The Assyrian and Fust Watei ; won theCanteilnuy Plate (21 miles, 9?t, 4 mm. 3 sees ) ; Champion Race, (3 miles, 9st, 5 miv. 20 sees.), Port Philip Stakes (2^ milts), having to lace against the pick of Australia — Daiebin, Navigatoi, Sueet William, Guesswork, and Segenhoe — and thiid in last Cup. For mouths past Joe Monison has had old Co'innotion in training for this afternoon Champion Stakes, his o*ll er, Mr Pcaison, having backed lastyeaTs winnei foi a considerable sum. A few mornings ago Commotion supused all the touts by 1 mining two miles and a half in the fasted tune ever recorded by him on the tiaining ground. For the hist si\ fur longs Mi Pearson's champion was accompanied by the Feu d'Artitice colt, who made the pace very waim, the distance being compassed in I miv. 24 sec. \\ hen the milepost was reached the colt had shot his bolt, and the 1 mining was then taken up by the son of Vattendon (Cieswick). The pair ran so pnfectly for a mile and a-quarter that Joe Momson was 10 illy astonished at the pc foi manco of the latter. Anothei furlong, and Commotion had Cieswick knocked up, when Falkirk picked him np, md the pair finished the Champion Kace distance. I have for many yeais past bccii a constant visitor to the Flemington tunning tracks, but on no occasion h.u c I e\ cr witnessed a more evenly and finished three-mile gallop than that of Commotion's. His trainer's face was all o\er smiles when the 1883 hero enteied his sciaping-bo\. Should Commotion continue in such splendid fettle, it will take Martini all his time to beat him. — " Wan ioi," in the Otago Witness. 1 "

A very pretty song Ins been contributed under a pseudonym to Temple Bar by Mr Leonaid Huxley, a son of the president of the Royal Society. Mr Huxley distinguished himself at Oxfoid by his lenmrkable turn for verse. A descendant of G>n th, the author of " The Dispensay," Mr E. Garth-Thorn-ton, is going to make his debut as a novelist. His tale is entitled " Love and Duty." Mr Garth-Thointon is a journalist on the staff of the Sheffield Telegraph. Miss Thackeray might have added to her personal sketch of the Pcet Laureate the following little incident, which comes -from Copeuhagen. When asked to dine -»t the Palace, Mr Tennyson was unable 'to accept the invitation from the characteristic but sufficient reason that he had no dress coat with him. As an illustration of how American writers of fiction are rewarded, look at the fact that James ft. Osgood guarantees Mr Howells a sum of £1000 a-year, ) simply for the piivilege of publishing his novels in book form. This leaves the author free to make all lie can out 'qjf the magazines before his work goes ißto the hands of the regular publisher *t till. Some idea of the state of the shipbuilding trade at home may be gatheied from the fact that no less than 59 tenders were received for the construction of a new uteel steamer for Messrs Stone Brothers, pf Auckland.