SPORTING NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3064, 5 March 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

(Br Le Nord). At the Geelong races held on February sth, the erstwhile Auckland horse Orangeman won the steeplechase of 150 sovs, carrying list 51bs. Says the Leader : Ono is inclined to believe that the time has come for Volapuk or some other common name to reign supreme, when reading that in the Middle Park Plate run at Canterbury recently, the places were filled by Novengang, Stepniak, and Whakawatea, three real good jawbreakers for the ringinen, who were waging their hopeless fight against the totalisator. Mr S. H. Gollan has purchased a halfbrother to the late steeplechaser Sentinel, from Mr E. Collins, of Manawatu, for £100. He is a four-year-old by Randwick—Duchess, and will be trained to run over cross country. The English stallion Ormonde has only one two-year-old to perpetuate his fame at Home this year on the turf, Glenwood, who, race or not, will have a reputation from the fact of having been bought as a yearling in cold blood for five thousand pounds by Mr Singer. A two-year-old trotting record has been established by Senator L. Stanford's celt Arion, by Electioneer from Mauette, who covered" the mile in 2in. 10.?s, or within a quarter of a second of Suuol'a three-year-old record. Arion's performance, says The Spirit of the Times, is regarded by expert horsemen as the most extreme and astonishing of all the surprises that the science of breeding and art of training has yet. brought to light. It is safe to say that should his owner and breeder, Hon. Leland Stauford, see fit to part with liim, he would quickly bring more mouoy at auction or otherwise than any horse of any breed ever sold for. But to " the Governor " he ie worth more than to any other man, as a successor to his dead sire, Electioneer. Wakawatea's yearliDg brother, owned by Mr Hungerford, met with an accident recently, and had to be destroyed. [ Sir Modred was represented in America last year by 2t starters, who together earned 77,255d01. Sir Matthew was the most successful of the lot. A dispute concerning the ownership of Barefoot, the Standish Handicap winner, is likely to engage the attention of the Melbourne law courts shortly. Nearly 40 years ago, says a Sydney paper, n young mare named Una won a race at Tumut, and had twin foals the same night in Quilty's yards of that town. ... , w At Newmarket in April and May, 1758, for a wager of 200gs, Miss Pond rode one horse 1000 miles in 1000 successive hours. In a few weeks afterwards Mr Pond rode the same horse 1000 miles

in two-thirds of the time. Says "Ribbleden" : "The downfall of Pygmalion in the Standish Handicap was entirely due to the slovenly way that Mr Watson sent the horses away. Mr Watson has had a good inninas with the red flag, and bo man in a similar position has been more praised by the Press — praise that was thoroughly well deserved; but nowadays, it seems to me, he takes no pains to make a «ood start." The Sydney writer " Verax " says that the Welcome Jack youngsters showed excellent form at Tattersall's meeting. Mascara is by Welcome Jack—Algetia, and is a rattling good filly. Welcome Jack is one of the handsomest horses ever sent over from New Zealand, and will make a, great name at the stud. Rivula cut down her field in the Nursery Handicap like a real racer, and she will be heard of again. The Westlacd Club was recently made defendant in a court case. A Mr Lynch invested £5 on the Hokitika Handicap, intending to back Miss Ann. After the mare won, he applied for the dividend, and was being paid, when the clerk discovered that the tickets were on Tyrant. Mr Lynch subsequently sued for the dividend, claiming that he had been supplied with tickets he did not ask for. He Inst his case, of course. The Sydney Referee says that as an evidence of the manner in which some stewards do their duty, a circumstance which occurred a Tamworth (N.S.W.) is well worth relating. In the Opening Handicap, Zoedone looked all over a winner, but his rider (Davis) was seen to

give a tug at the reins, which almost threw the horse back on ita haunches. The result of the subsequent investigation was th*t the horse, owner and jockey were disqualified for the day ! It is, lays " Verax," current talk among the sports atGeelong that Zal'nski when in his paddock, attempted to jump a fence ; that he got a thorn or splinter in his forefoot, and there it remains to the present day, despite every eftort to find it. If this be so it will be a thousand pities, for to my way of thinking Zalinski is quite as good as Strathmore, if not better, over a short distance. Accordine to •'Castor," Mr P. Campbell has written out in regard to sending Home his mare Engagement (sister to Martini-Henry) now running at Midillepark. Engagement is one of the best bred matrons in the land, her two sons— a yearling by St. Georpe and a foal by Apremont—being full of promise. The latter from his etature might well be taken for a yearling, and is a particularly forward youngster. , „ . "Cranbrook" gires the following amusing item :—"On Christmas Day, at a little dinner given out Caulfield wav, the cork proved beyond the power of a trainer, who had tugged at it long and hard. 'Oh, hand it to ,' exclaimed another member of the profession, indicating a well-known jockey present. • Hβ is strong enough in the arms for anything.' What a grim smile went round the company when, eure enough, the cork at once yielded to the efforts of this powerful horseman ! Fact." —From America comes word that Fausta, a yearling filly pacer, got over a mile in 2min 22Jsec. Her quarters were —372 sec, lmin 13sec, lmin 48isec, 2min 22fsec. This certainly is a most wonderful record for a yearling. On the same day a pacer named Direct left a mile behind him in 2:nin 6sec, as the official time, although private watch-holders made it less. His quarters were-3»i aec for the first, 31J the second. 32? the third, and the final in 31Jsec. trou

Frou has broken ths world's yearling record made by Bell Bird-viz.. 2min26sec, she having out out the mile in 2mm 25Jsec. _ The Sydney Referee says :—Our trainers are constantly grumhling about the careless way in which racehorses are conveyed on the trains. Considering the amount contributed to the railway by owners and trainers, some consideration might be shown them in handling their horses. Only a week or two bank *ve saw a horse in James Swans stable severely bruised about the head, and asking the cause, the trainer said it was done through the horse being knocked about in the box on the train. Sudden jerks when the train pulls up throw the horse violently against the side of th« box and damages him at times considerably. One lnd in attendance on horse was nearly thrown under the horse's feet by one of these sudden stoppages. Again, the horses are kept too long ou the way when making a paltry journey, and coming from Warwick Farm it is often dark before they reach home. Racehorses are valuable property, aud should be regarded as such by the Railway Comniis' eioners and their employees.