Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Saturday 5 February 1887, page 3


Sporting Gossip.

[BT THE VAGKANT.] [

My Glen Innes racing friends received wonder-fully good entries for their meeting which is set down for March 10 and 17. For the Annexation Handicap 38 have nominated ; there are 14 in the Furracabad Stakes j the Dibbs Plate has attracted C2 entries, the President's Purse 29, the Separation Handicap 38. Among the nominations are many of the best Queensland and New South Wales per-formers, and the figures are plain evidence that large prizes ensure numerous nominations.

The racehorse Plover has been stolen from his ' owner's stables, Manning River.

Australian sportsmen will doubtless be glad to learn'that the Hon. W. B. Dalley intends to join the ranks of racing men, and with that object before bim has purchased a colt by Epigram from Bluo and White, which he has called Nuncio. Rumours are also current that he intends founding a large racing establishment shortly. The Hon. William is a most finished cator, so it is only in the natural order of things that his nags would have something to say in our equine battles.

i The Victorian horses Fish o' Silver, and Menotti have been taken to Hobart to fulfil engagements

there.

Following are,the acceptances for the New Eng-land Cup to be run on February IG :-Minoran, B.Y., Fair Ellen, Invader, Free Selector, Wah, Freedom, Malta, Redwing, Union Jack, "Sir John, Bay Dot, Stork, Buckthorne, Sir Walter, Midnight.

An up-country friend writes telling me that there was very fair sport at a little meeting held at Narrabri on the 20th January. The big event, prize Ü20, was won by Bluelight, carrying 7st 51b, and after being purchased by Mr. M. J. Burke he came out and landed the Flying Handicap of £10, with 9st 21b in the saddle. Bluelight was bred by Mr. Thomas Cook, at Turanville, is by The Works, and, like the majority of that useful sire's produce, has the gift of going. The Maiden Plate was cap-tured by Plover ; Raven pulled off the Hack Race, whilst Adjidonao humped 9st 101b to the front in the Forced Handicap.

Last week I gave some details of the weights allotted' in the Viceroy's Cup to be run for at Cal-cutta, and for which Lord Beresford's English colt Metal was a big favourite. Well, the race has been added to the things of the past, and many of my "punting" friends will groan when they learn that Despot (now Mercury) got home first. When owned by the Hon. James White, Despot was backed for pounds, shillings, and pence for every race in %vhich he started, but the grey son of Silverhair ntver did his backers a turn, and either fell down or was put down by some outsider. '" His erstwhile stable companion, Matchlock, last year's Australian champion, who was reported as having broken down, finished second, whilst two other colonials, Sting and Greville, ran a doad heat for third place. The time for the two miles, 3min* 40secs., was slow, but still fast enough to kill the gallant little Sting, for the horse dropped dead after passing the post. Sting wag by Grandmaster from Queen Bee (dam of Fraud), and was a great performer in the colonies and India, among his numerous victories being the Adelaide Cup and Hawkesbury Handicap. It is a somewhat remark-able circumstance that Waxy, a half brother of Sting, also dropped dead in Melbourne a couple of years back.

Mesara. Mitchell and O'Brien, of Maitland, have been appointed handicapped for the Wingham Grand Handicap of .£50, to take place on the 17th and 18th March. Entries close on Monday next.

The racehorse Major, a very good performer in Queensland, has joined Dan Lawson's string in

Sydney.

Crazy Jane and Paladin have been matched for £25 a-side to run C furlongs at Randwick on Mon-day. The horse is to carry 8st., whilst the mare will have a catch-weight.

Prince Charlie's son Lochiel, who is much farcied and backed for the Newmarket Handicap and Australian Cup, has left Hobart for Melbourne.

Mitrailleuse, who was erroneously reported as being scratched for the Newmarket Handicap, has

left New Zealand in company %vith the disap-, pointing Kingfish and Maxim for Melbourne.

Jack Connor, lately a resident of Newcastle, has, after much bluffing, succeededin arranging a GrawoRoman wrestling match, two falls out of three, for

Ü2O0 a-side and the championship with Tom

Cannon.

I Although Mr. Robert Wisdom, lato M.P., has for I a time at least declined to serve the electors of Morpeth m political warfare the sportsmen of the Raymond Terrace portion of the electorate have yet to thank his generosity, for a few days ago he forwarded a cheque for ¿625 to Mr. J. Kearney, treasurer for the Lower Hunter Turf Club, to assist that body. The L. H. T. C. have before this had to acknowledge Mr. Wisdom's liberality.

In Western Australia a few days ago First Prince and Téléphona ran a match over two miles, for ¿£200. The former, who was at one time an oc-cupant of the St. Alban's stable, won easily in 3

min. 43 i secs.

The Wallsend horse Adam had to rest satisfied with third place in the Moruya Cup, Sweetheart and Despair beating him.

In answer to the challenge of tho Adelaide ama-teur oarsman D. Green to Vi. G. Brett, of Sydney, to row for the championship, a trophy, and a side wager of ¿6100/ the Sydney man declines, on the ground that wagering is not allowed amongst ama-teurs. Brett is getting too old for the game now, and that may have something to do with the

refusal.

The Newcastle Sheffield Handicaps, which have been given np by Mr. Walter Sidney, have fallen into the management of the City Cricket Club, and the first of the new series has been advertised, with conditions similar to those which marked other Sheffields in the coaly city.

The Newcastle Jockey Club has received nomina-tions numerous enough to even make the usually serious face of the Secretary, Mr. A. A. Farthing, brighten into a smile. The weights are due about the 14th inst., and if Mr. Hannell is in his usual form he will succeed in pretty safely concealing the winner. The N. J. C. have taken time by the forelock and appropriated some dates in*the future for gather-

ings.

As I anticipated, William Tell has been made a very firm favourite for the Newmarket Handicap, a shade less than 10 to 1 being taken about him freely in Melbourne. The work is one of the least happy of Mr. Barnard's efforts, as by letting Kettle-drum's son in at 9st 121b3. he has practically extin-guished the chanceB of more than half the animals engaged. On paper the Swiss heio looks as good a thing as can be made, but it is probable there is something bottled up which will conquer him, What that good thing is I am sorry to say I do not at present know. In the Australian Cup the top weight, Trenton, must also have a show, but somehow I have a preference for Nelson, but lower down tht list I think there are three animals which are good enough to supply the winner,-providing of course that the money is on. I allude to Arsenal, Sardius, and Little John j Cyclops, too, is let in very light for such a well-bred horse. The first-named has certainly 181b. moro to put up than when he won the Mel-bourne Cup, but I am certain that Billy English had a lot up his sleeve when he steered him to victory in the great Spring handicap, and the son of Goldsbrough and Powder will fairly rovel in the distance. Sardius was as a three-year-old one of the best colts in the land, and Little John was highly thought of before the Melbourne Cup.

It is very probable that the recently arrived American flyer Myers will have to return home without getting on a iona Ade match over any of his pet distances, now that Malone has paid forfeit to him for their projected contest over 440 yards. Malone was so certain of beating Hutchens that when the Englishman so unexpectedly clipped his wings, and in the face of a not over good thin" with Samuels, he had enough and too much oí matches for a time, and so forfeited to the- Yankee.

As in the past the clerk of the weather continues to look with a gloomy face on race meetings in ¡ Maitland, and for the second time has thrown a

damper upon the gathering which was promoted to take place at Rutherford on Anniversary Day. The meeting was to have been held to-day, but the' rain came down with such persistency that the officials had perforce to postpone until the 11th instant,-Friday next.

An afternoon's sport will be held on the Albion Ground on February 25.

A match to run 100 yards for ¿810 a-side on the 19th instant has been arranged between two Maitlanders, R. Hammond and K. Stapleton.

The New Zealand wrestler, Harry Dunn, evi-dently thinks himself no dunce, for he has made a jimatch with Blackburn and Thomas, fall for fall 1 Cumberland style, tho best of nine falla, He is

I also ready to have a go with Cannon or Connors, in any of three or four fashion?.

757 races were run in Great Britain during 1886. It is Said that Mr. Unîmes, starter for tho Brisbane Club is to bo asked to wield the flag for Sydney Tattersall^ Club.

George Seale, the chnmpion amateur, a pupil of Foley's, knocked lumps off Pettingell, champion of New Zealand, in a glove fight to a finish in Sydney

on Wednesday night.

An innovation something sinrilar to Mr. Bond's idea of numbered saddle cloths will be tried at the Maitland Picnic race meeting. A figure corres-ponding to the horses' number on the card will be fastened to the jockey's left sleeve'by safety pins. The ideabas been tried and worked well in America.

It is said that Fred Stone, the American pedes-trian who ran Bob Watson in Maitland some years ago as Stone Davis, will shortly visit Australia

again.

The late proprietors of the stallion Prince Charlie which lately died in America are very unlucky. They purchased Kingcraft to replace Prince Charlie, but the horse died six days after leaving England.

The stallion Coir is dead.^.