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SPORTING.
WA. TURF CLUB ANNUAL MEETING.
CUP DAY.
Contrary to the prognostications of many
on Monday evening who prof-.-ssed to discern
in the appearance of-the sky the,forecast of
very unpropitioas weather for' the morrow,
the weather on the occasion of the opening
day of the annual race nueting oí the W.A.
Turi Club left little to be desired. Early
in the morning, tbo sky wore a somewhat
threatening appearance, hut abont ten o'clock,
the clouds lifted, and it seemed as though a
very favourable day was to be the result.
Such it turned out to be, the only drawback
being that after midday the wind became
very gusty, bat the dust which might
otnerwise have become exceedingly trouble-
some on the course in front of the grand
stand was kept well watered. From a
comparât! rely early hour in the morning
people were active in the city. Carriage
and trap3 filled with passengers were to
be seen driving at a smart pace along
Adelaide Terrace in the direction of
the Causeway, their oocnpants evidently
bent on a pleasant day's outing. A number
of horsemen were also seen travelling in the
same direction, and tho various busses and
other vehicles plying for hire were kept
busily engaged. A large number of persons
travelled by the trains which ran
hourly from 8 a m. till 2 p m, and the ferry
boats at the landing near the course wera
kept well cmployod. Most of the earlier
trains were crowded, especially the one
leaving at 10-50 a.m., when the nnmbsr of
passengers was so great that several open
trucks and sheep pens had to be put on, and
¡» good deal of merriment was evoked by the
sight of a crowd of human beings packed
into the sheep trucks, who retorted upon
their revilers by bleating in the most ap-
proved ovine style. Up at the ferry several
amusing episodes occurred. The navigation
of the river appeared to be anything bat
easy, at times, owing to the sandbanks with
which it abounds, and upon one occasion ow-
ing to the rope not bcinj thrown far enough
on to the land, the steamer had to move off
into the stream, until a vessel of
almost pre-bistorio appoaranco carno to
her assistance and conveyed the pas-
sengers to the landing. On the course, the
Bcene was very animated indeed. Carriages
and other vehicles were to bo seen drawn up
in different parta of the enclosure, and the
occupants of many of them busily preparing
for Inncheon. The inevitable midday tea
was not forgotten, atd several fires wore to
be seen whereat this homely beverage wa»
brewing. Most people, however, preferred
to levy upon tho various eflervescent, vinou3,
or spirituous beverages vended at the various
stalls and boeths.Tbe principal booths outside
the grand stand enclosure were Mr. Maggs',
where a placard invited the hungry to partake
of " R. Maggs' dinner," and the Court Hotel
booth, where you were assured by the
legend incribed on the sign board, " multuin
in parvo" was to be had witnin. Messrs
vVebb and Hills deserve much credit for the
magnificent lunch'served in the Grand Stand
¡Saloon. All who partook of toe meal were
satisfied, and those who remember the
wretched Inncheon last year, would be sur-
prised to see that suoh a change has taken
placo in citoring. The luncheon of today,
will be equal, it is understood, with that of
yesterJay. Inside the enclosure was stationed
the £l ticket totalizator which was
worked by the Club under Mr C D Long3-in's
superintendence, and ( right in front were
stationed a very small number of book-
makers, from amongst whom frequently
issued that cry of " tooter one-bar-one "
which is said to have so greatly puzzled
certain Japanese naval officers who visited
Melbourne some years ago, during race
time. In the larger enclosure was stationed
the cheaper totalizator, which was also
worked by the club, where the' 10s tickets
were disposed of, aud hard by, were three
wheels of fortune, the owners of wtich did a
remarkably good business. In addition to these
nice and easy methods of speculation, a sort
of old Aunt Sally was set up at one part of
the coarse, where the youngsters amused
themselves by competing for cocoa nnt3 at
" twopence a shy." After those fashions,
and also by the rogular methods of betting,
a good deal of speculation was indulged in,
and it ,was evident at the close of the day,
that not a few of those who had speculated
Had tempted the " blind jade " Fortune with
a considerable amount of success.
The number of spectators on the ground,
ilthongh less thau last year, was very largo,
specially m tlu afternoon, when thjr> mu,t
'vive been-over three thons ind present.
Amingst these thâre was, ot course, u large
proportion of ¿avenues, but the adults num-
bered considerably over two thousand. That
the male element suoald predominate on
'hese occasions is not to be wondered at,
äspecialiy in a colony whoro, as yet, the
gentler sex does not take that interest in rae
mg and its attendant gaieties which is no-
ticeable in other parts of the world,
there were, however, a goodly number of
a>lios on the coarse, and the bright dresses
beneath the shady trees, had a very
¿ay effect. The grand stand, during each
event, was crowded with spectators amongst
whom we noticed most of the leading in-
habitants of Perth. Fremantle and G-jildfq-d,
ind a, number of visitors from the Eastern
districts, Geraldton, and the North-West.
His Excellency the Governor and Lady
Broinie were present during the whole day,
and appeared to thoroughly enjoy the races,
and near the seats occupied by the vice-
regal party we noticed a large number of the
ladies of Perth and Fremantle, Some of the
costumes worn were oxceadingly pretty, cool
light-coloured dresses predominating, bat here
and there the sameness was agreeably varied
by darker colours of a very rich shade. The
effect thus prodncei was very charming
indeed, aud at times rendered the scene
under the roof of the stand very auimated
indeed. The M.R.V. Band were in atten-
dance daring the whole of the day, and
played a well-selected programme of mqsic,
which greatly added to the day s enjoyment.
After the second race was run, an adjourn-
ment was mmle for luncheon, and during tbe
recess His Excelienoy the Governor enter-
tained a number of friends at luncheon in
the dining-room of the grand stand
Nothing of any oonseqaenee ocourred to
mar the good order and do'orum with which
the day's proceedings were conducted. Some
allowance has, of course, to bo made on
these occasions for the excitement whioh
inevitably attends equine sports, bnt no
scenes of rowdiness occurred, two or
three fights which were commenced between
some angry disputants being nipped in the
bud. Notwithstanding that there was a,
good deal of liquor sold an the ground, very
little drunkenness was noticeable, and the
body of police on the ground, had comparat-
ively little to do to maintain order amongst
what, on the whole, was a very woll-oondac
ted concourse of spectators.
The train arrangements were, as usual,
very complete, aud were carried out most
satisfactorily. The only part of the transit
arrangements which might be cavilled, at were
-he facilities provided at the ferry where
occasionally some delay occurred in getting
.jass-r.g rs across. As a rule, however, the
lelay wis of little consequence, and the com-
plaints uttered by passengers wore only few
in number.
The betting on the Maiden Plate was coin
det. ly paralysed, owing to Footprint being
censidered a certainty- aqo¡ certainly she
was, for she won with the greatest of ease.
Valentine should have boen sent faster all
the way, as she could not be expected to
foot it with a thoroughbred at the finish.
For the Town Plate everything was scratch-
ed, excepting Duration and Gunpowder.
Of the others, Isonomy, Mirage, Fishmonger,
and Aim were reserved fp,r %he Cop, Pro-
gress and Jclioong not heing considered good
enough. Messrs.. Towton &_ Wallis, and
Locke, Bros.,the owners of the two competi-
tors, having an oye on the Perth Cup, de-
cided to ran a slow race, each considering
they could b2»t the other in the run home,
13 both horses are credited with a great turn
of foot. The publie were wrong in hooting
the horses as they passed the stand, for an
owner may run h,is horse at any pape he likes,
even stopping to give him a feed on tho wav,
so long as be rnns to win. The Stewards
asked the ri lera why tbey loitered over the
journey, but, correctly speaking, this
was entirely out of their province:
For the Selling Rice, Hermit was scratched,
being saved for the Railway Stakes. Gaylad
bad done some fast spins in training, and
was considered by some to have a fair show
of beating Hero, who started at odds of two
t> one on him. _ ùlr. Parke.-'s gelding made i c
play till rounding the turn for home, wliere j 1
the rider of " Herp-jmt tbe question, a d '. 1
gamely answering, the chestnut cat down ' 1
Gaylad and WOD as he^ liked. The Railway
States wa3 tho next fcaca on tho card, and
wonderful to relate no horses wore scratched
Ttiis was. without a d^ubt, the race of the
day, mostly all the horaes bein» fancied, but
Hermit, S ityr, on^ Jdlooag, carried most
money. Nimrod would "have run better, and
might hav-i won, but he W43 suffering from a
bad cold which militated tjer¡ously against
his chance of success. lilloong ran a game
maro but wants a little inore pace. The
winner was in excellent condition, and was
ridden by au artist who, saved him,
and rode bim home with a bit iu
hand. The Hack Race was rather
tame as both horses came from'., the same
stable.
All interest was now centred in the Perth
Cup, and of all the candidates Aim looked
the fittest, Fishmonger aud Mirage coming
next in point of condition. Tue son of St.
Albans had not a pound of superfluous weight
to carry, he being as hard and muscular as
they make them, in fact, a oredit to his
trainer and owner- Mr Macpherson had paid
great attention to his little nag, who, thon*h
rimal', looked the picture of a racehorse.
Duration was in far better train than he has
ever appear id in before, but was considered
to have too much weight too hump, in order
to win a fast run two mile race. The beauti-
ful Isonomy appeared as fat as a bullock, but
had many fanciers, for he is one of the most
shapely anim ils south of the Line. It was
expectod that oven with his want of condition
and tbe heavy weight allotted him, be wonld
show something of bis old form in spits of his
skaky timbers, but those who pinned their faith
011 bim were doom id to bitter disappoint-
ment. The handsome War Cry had bean
subjected to a loig course of carefnl train-
ing, and looked as fit as he could be expected
to look, considering that he has a game leg.
Ha ran brilliantly for naarly a mile and three
quarter?, and showed that had he had a
sound fore leg, he could nearly have won the
Cup. Simm)! lojked vary fi% but shows
no muscle. She ran consistently and
well, and fuily justified her owner's expecta-
tions. Urella was only in fair form to run
two miles, as she was lately thrown out of
work. Shev is a pretty mare, and must de-
velop into a clinker some day when she is fit.
Footprint is as handsome as paint/ but re-
quired a longer time to get her quita fit.
Ford is to be complimented on his magnifi-
cent display of horsemanship in the Cnp, for
he nursed his mount ra iniag nearly last till
about half a mile from borne, where h J came
np on tbe outside. Cntting down Duration,
he shot by War Cry and Hinemoa ; continu-
ing his rush he passed Fishmonger like an
arro* shooting from a bow, and maintaining
his advantage passed the post a popular
winner hy a length. After Aim was weighed
out correctly, the crowd gave three hearty
cheers for his sportsmanlike and popnlar
owner, Mr Rjtton.
Tne following are the amounts of the in
side Totalizator Dividends on the varions
races :-Maiden Plate, £1 8s ; Town Plate,
£1 7s; Sailing Rac<s £1 10s ; Railway
Stakes, £ i 4s; Perth Cup, £1 15s. At the
£1 Totalizator, iu the enclosure, ¿1,001 was
invested, and at the 10s machine ¿6510,
making a total of ¿£1,511.
The f »Rowing are tho results of the various
MAIDEN PLATE of 30 sovs. One-and-a-half
miles. Weight for age. Fi»r maiden
.horses, as defined by the W.A. Turf Club
Rules of Racing.
Footprint, 7st lllbs .. ... 1
Arab SreeJ, 8st.2
Valentine, 8st 131bs . 3
Even Footprint, 2 to 1 Valentine, 5 to 1
Arab Stead. Footprint got a little the best
of the start, and came first past the stand
with Arab Steed next, and then Valentine.
Arab Steed then took np the running with
Valentine second, but had receded to third
place as the horses came in sight at the ferry.
Arab Steed continued to lead till half way
along the river bank, when Footprint passed
him and won easily. Time, 2min 52sec.
TOWN PLATE of 50 SDVS. TWO miles
Weight for age.
Duration, Ost 51bs . 1
Gunpowder, 7st lllhs. 2
Even Duration, 3 to 1 Gunpowder. The
two horses cautired side by "ide till they
reached the three quarter mile post when
Duration commenced to go in earnest,
but was collared by the young horse at the
last turn, and a grand race home ensued, end-
ing ia Duration winning by half a longth.
No time taken.
JELLING RACE of 25 sovs. Que and a quarter
m les. If sold for £10, weight for a/e ;
and for avery ¿GIO rj locton in price, »o.
allowanco of 14lbs to be mide.
Hero, 7st 121bs.\
Gaylad, 5st 121bs . 2
Michael, 7st 121bs . 3
Hermit, 8st 12lb3 .sor.
Even Hero, 2 to 1 Gaylad, 5 to 1 Mia.iael
Gaylad led, with Michael second, to the ferry,
after which Hero began to come up and
qnickly passing Michael, caught GvyUd *r
tbe turn into the straight. The two thou
raced together till within thirty yards from
the ifcaud, when Hero sprang ahead and won
easily. Titni, 2«ins '¿li-iscs. Tiie winnor
was sold for £15 to Mr. Ga J. Parker.
RAILWAY STAKEJS of 100 sovs. Sscond horse
.£15 out of the Stake. A handicap for
West Australian bred horses. One and
a-qnarter miles.
Hermit, 8st lOlbs . 1
Jelloong, 8st3lbs l' . 2
Nimrod, 8st 31bs . 3
Lowlander, 8st ... ... ... 0
Skimmer, 8 it 3lbs . 0
Progress, 8it 3lbs . 0
Oberon, 8st .0
First King, 7st 71bs . 0
Valentine, 7st Jibs . Q
S,atyr ijst îïhs. ..'. ..' Q
Ijanter. 6st lQlbs ... '.., sar.
Banter would nqt leave the post,
0 to 4 Hermi1, 3 lo 2 Jellooqg 1 any odds
against the rest- After some difficulty the
horses were got off to a good start, Nimrod
and Hermit getting slightly the best of it.
Along the baok of the aoursa these two raced
togethor, a aouple of lengths ahead of the
others, who ware all together, Lowlander
bringing np th? rear. lu this order they
continued to the last turn, when Lowlan le1*
made a rush aud cimi to the front. A file
race between the field then ensued, all cony I (
iug in nearly together. Tjunet 2tnih ¿O^secs.
BJACK RACE of 10 sovs. Qna-and-a quarter
nuiles. Open to all horses, which have nat
been entarea) far a race at this meeting.
Minlmnm weight, 8st.
Randolph.. ... 1
Garnet .2
The old horse had an easy time from the
start, winning as he liked.
PEETH CUP.-A handicap of 300 says.
Second horse, 30 sovs j third horse, 20,
sovs ont of the stake. T.w.o. miles, 'tua
winner of a,ny handicap, race (races ex-
clusively, for West An^r-aliau-bred
horses escoptodl after- the declaration of
weights of tbe valus of ¿650, to carry a
pjnalty of 51bs ; and of .£100 or over, to
carry a penalty of 71bs.
Aim 7st 71bs (including 71b3
ponalty). \
Fishmonger 7at., ,. 2
Hùmmaa 7st ?lhs ." ... 3
Duration IQst 7lbs .,, ... 0
Isonomy lOst 71ba . 0
Gunpowder 63t lOlbs. 0
Urella 7st 2lba.0
Footprint 6st 71bs . 0
War Cry »st 31bs . 0,
Mirage 7st 71bs ... ... ..." 0
N,imro(J fst41ba .ii .'.', ... sor.
0 to 4 Aim, 3 to 1 Duration, Fishmonger,
and Isonomv, 10 to 1 against any other.
Urella wa3 the first to show at the ferry, tuen
War Cry, and Mirage. But all wero so olosj
together that the lead amounted to nothing.
Coming atong the river bank War Cry
assumed the lead and kept it, closely attended
by Fishmonger and Urella^ t\\\ he reached
the back of thq aotirsi^he te,3.t of the field
bains hunched, Ai"! showing up one of the
last. On the horses appearing in sight at
the Ferry, War Cry had fallen back and Fish-
monger was leading with Urella beBido bim.
At tin lasttnrn aU the field were together
with three exj?ption3 who fornwd abuauh by
themselves. Hero Aim and Hinemoa came
np and there was a fine race in which till the
las'; hnndred yards it seemed possible for any
On-i of the five or six to win. The race was
however won by Aim without difficulty.
Time, 3min 46secs. 'Ann is by St. Albans
i out of Foimb-ill, by Ventnor from Catspaw,
j by Bea Isman from Typhoon. Ventnor by
! Buccaneer from Maid of Derwent. St Albans
' by Bl lir Athol from Pandora, by Cotherstone
! Irom Polydora. Blair Athol by Stockwell
' from Blink Bonny.
W. A. T. C.
We are requested by the Secretaiy cf the
W.A. Turf Club to draw attention to the
fact that the following entry for the Ladies j
Purse has inadvertently been oinraitted from
the Official Programme, viz :
0. Mr Towton's eli h Lowlander, 4 years, j
Ost Olbs. '
BETTING.
Owing to the victories of Aim and his ex-
pected wins to-day, the betting market is !
completely paralysed, the bookmakers all j
being struck have cried a go.
TIPS FOR TO-DAY.
(BY BUCEPHALUS.)
DERBY :
Aim .
Fishmonger ...
Gunpowder .
LADIES' PURSE :
1
2
3
Hermit.
Jelloong
First King
CITY PURSE :
1
2
3
First King .
Hero ...
Valentine .
1
2
. ii
QUEEN'S PLATE :
Aim .
Fishmonger .
FLYING STAKE.S :
Mirage ... .
1
2
1
TODAY'S RACING.
The trains from Perth, Guildford, and
Fremantle to the raee-ooars» will leave their
respective stations to-day at the same hoars j
as in yesterday's time table.
To prevent any misunderstanding on the j
part of intending visitors to the course we
have been requests J to state that while it is
suggested that they should purchase their J
tickets at Mr Guthrie's before leaving for the
course, in order to prevent any delay, the
tickets may be obtained on the course.
$