TURF GOSSIP.

[By Hippona]

By cable this week comes the unpleasant news that Nordenfeldt has strained one of his forelegs, and it U doubtful if he will see the post at the forthcoming V.R.C. Autumn Meeting. This is indeed hard luck for his owner, for there can be no mistaking the fact that had the son of Musket trained on, he had a rosy chance of landing the double of Australian Cup and Champion Stakes. Strange to say, fate seems to be againat the Hon. J. White placing the great three-mile race to his credit, for he has never yet succeeded in adding it to his many turf triumphs, not withstanding thefact that on several occasions his representatives have looked next to a moral. Mr Erett appears to have framed a pretty equitable handicap for the two principal events of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club Autumn Meeting, but.to find a fault,!" think he has been rather hareh in awarding Stoneyhurst Bstslb in the Napier Handicap, and at the weight!}, th&re must bo sovoral lower down tho list who can bent him. Pearl (Sat) and Derringor (7sb 101b) at present look to mo the bvo best usod horses in tho handicap, but there will bo quite time p.mugh to talk about picking the winner later on. The first forfeit for the Australian Cup fell due last week. Tho following are the names of those who remain in : — at. lb. St. lb. Malua .. ~9 9 Winchester .. 7 C Shoot Anchor ..9 3 Stornawny .. 75 Sardiua .. ..8 13 Uralla .. 7 5 Grace Darling .. 8 11 Israelites .. ..7 4 Duration .. !. 8 9 Kuroclydon ..7 1 Welcome Jack .. 8 7 Cerise and Blue.. «13 Mozart ~ ..8 5 Remits .. .. Cll Nordenfeldt .. 8 5 Tho Jewel 610 OffColoUr ..8 1 Montnidfe .. 610 Coronet .. ..84 New York 610 Moonahoe ..8 3 Qakleigh .. .. « 8 Kit Nubbles .. S 2 Affluence .. ..88 Honeydcto w 8 1 Kbhai .. ..0 8 SilvorKing ..8 0 Chiide Harold ..0 8 B.rltishor .. ..8 0 Merman .. ..6 6 Liverpool.. .. 7 13 Burrilda .. ..6 4 Don Quixote „ 712 First Princo . li 2 Thunderbolt .. 711 Ditto .. ..62 Minerra .. .. 711 Yellow Hammer a 0 Matchlock .. 7 9 Verbena .. 0 0 Plausiblo .. ..7 7 Hunter .. ..6 0 Sandal .... 7 7

Advices from Dunedin state that Mr J. Marshall's team are in good health and progressing satisfactorily with their prepa rations. The correspondent of tho "Canterbury Times" thus chronicles their doings

one morning recently :—Chaafe oponed the ball by sending Necklace, Turquoise and Derringer a strong gallop for a little moro than the Cup distance, and all three went well. Necklace led throughout, but as the pace was not at top, this fact is not of much significance. Good judgee here are beginning to think it quite possible, however, that Necklace may be dangerous, for she is looked on as a certain starter. Old Commotion* host of admirers will be sorry to hear that he will not be saddled up for this year's Champion Stakes, the pen having been run through his name. Among the others struck out of tbe great weight forage race are Arsenal, Lord Wilton, The Teacher, King of the Gipsies, and Fryingpan. Writes "Mazeppa:"—A paragraph in tho daily papers gives the number of monoy orders paid in the DUnedin postal district for the past year as 34,758, as against 43,017 for 1884. It is a reasonable supposition that the bulk of the 8,259 decrease arises from the suppression of consultations. These affairs, it will be remembered, were knocked on the head at the beginning of November. The Idas to tbe revenue for a whole year over the entire colony will be seen to be something alarming when the returns for 1886 come to be made Up. From frapier I learn that the horse who paid the sensational totalisator dividend of £'306 at the Town and Suburban Meeting •rejoices in the name of Crummy, and is owned by aMr Maddieon. He had started in a Hack Hurdle Race'in tho early part of the afternoon, but was unable to gain a place. In the race that he won, the Fire Brigade Handicap Flat Race, there were 13 starters, and ho romped home hard held. The lucky ticket on the totalisator was held by a company of four, and one of the local papers.in referring to the matter, says it transpired afterwards that nearly every other person on the ground had known before the race started that Crummy would win, but for some reason or other they omitted to buy a ticket.

The promising colt Too Soon, by Anteros —Steppe, that was purchased by Mr W. I yons at the recent N.Z. Stud Company's Bile, haß been broken in by M. Carmody, and is being ridden daily. The Hurdle Race on the first day of the Wellington Racing Club Meeting, won by Secretary,was a chapter of accidents. In the first place, Claude bolted into the river be-

fore the start, and capered about there for fully a quarter of an hour. These pranks he supplemented by running Faugh-a-Bal-lagh off at the first hurdle. Then Mammock bolted, first on the course and then off it, and finally Director, when showing up very prominently, wasknockedoffthe last hurdle by The Druid.

From the training notes in thejlasfc" Aug.

tralasian" to hand I clip the following concerning the Hon. W. Robinson's team: — Thunderbolt, Winchester, and Liverpool have beenstridingalonga little moro stoutly. Tho two former appear to be suffering occasionally from rheumatism, and certainly fail to bear out the high opinions formed of them on their arrival at Flemington last spring. Liverpool is on the improve, though albeit not so much in appearance as in the Handicapper's estimation, Glimmer being but of alight assistance to him in his work.

Mr J. Enko left for Dunedip on Thursday. His partner Mr R. May, will transact all business on his behalf during his absence. That worthy old sportsman and father of the New Zealand turf, Mr Henry Redwood, is writing a book upon the history of racing in the colony. His own recollections alone should prove as interesting to the public this side of the world as the Greville Memoirs wore on the other. Tho book ehould have a great eale.

In recording tho training at Iliccarton, '" Action ' has tho followinc among !ii.« notes last week : —The best eallop was that of Dan O'Brien's trio^-Trenton, Tasnian, and Hermitage—who did half-speed exercise for a mile, and then increasing the pace, covered a mile and a half strong, Hermitage who_ galloped in much improved style, having the best of the spin. Trenton, lam pleased to say, is getting over the footsoreness which Has been troubling him of late,

and when he pulled up [only the slightest sign of lameness could be discerned. R. Derritt has returned to Melbourne The Dunedin Jockey Club have altered their totaliaator rules in connection with the payment of dividends in cases of dead heats. The total money will how be halved and paid out pro raid bet\veen tho investors on each horse. In the race for the Hutt Park Handicap, won by Miss Dargon, Alick Sutherland, Rudings, Skirving, and Qeorgo Williams, the riders of Pasha, Marion, Revolver, and Rubezahl, wore each fined £2 for disobedience at the starting post. Two fancy wagers have come under my observation (writes "Vigilant"). A hundred pounds lovel was laid the Hon. White's horses would beat thoso of Mr Whitting' ham in the Newmarket Handicap, one to win, the backer of the blue and white being a prominent Victorian owner As the Mordialloc stable have four horses engaged in the six furlong race, while Mr White has ODly a couple, the backer of tho black and gold appears to have a bit the best of the bet. Tho other wager was somewhat more singular. A Sydney bookmaker took two hundred to sixteon and backed the three Yodishera—The IsraeJito, Tho Levite, and Ishmael—against tho field in tho Newmarket Handicap. Tho " Roferoe" of last week publishos a list of the wins of tho principal jockeys in New Zealand last season. They are as follows: — Derritt .. 11l mounts 52 wins . Sharpo 95 „ 3:S ~ White !)l , 33 „ Uudings 78 ~ 21 „ Stratford 77 ~ 1!) „ Clifford G5 , 21 , A.Sutherland (Vi ~ 22 ~ Brown 55 „ 15 „ J. Cotton 52 , 18 „ A. Woods -17 „ 20 „ T. Shoonan 15 ~ 21 ~ Wattio 12 „ 111 „ Huxtablo .... .. 12 11 , G.Williams *> „ 7 „ C. Hobbs 39 ~ IS „ A.Bycrs 37 „ M „ Vaile 31! „ 8 „ Cofhrane .. .. ..33 „ 5 „ Rivers, junr 32 „ IS „ T.Taylor 31 „ 9 „ J. Taggart 31 „ 11 „ Blaekmoro 81 ~ 7 ~ A. MoKny 30 „ JO „ A. Lyford 31 ~ 8 „ McCormick 29 ~ 17 „ John Kean 29 ~ 7 ~ Edßecumbo 26 „ 8 „ Purdliam 26 „ 8 ~ Stewart 25 „ 8 „ Laing 25 „ G „ Rae 23 „ 5 „ Myors 23 „ I „ Hill 23 „ U ~ Thorpe 22 ~ 1 ~ Lawson a I , 3 Hickey 21 „ 7 M. Allen !>l „ (i „ Bradley 21 , 3 T. Cotton "0 9 Lagor 20 „ 1 „ Lnughlin 20 , 6 ~ Dent 20 „ 2 „ Tho shocking death of Iluht, the steeplechaso jockey, will, says the "MolboHrno Argue," make tho Geelonrf races bo re membered for years to corao Although he had ridden publicly littlo moro than four years, Huht had already attained tho reputation of being one of tho clovorest) as well as the most fearless, of cross-country riders in Australia At the same time he was one of tho unluckiest, and those who only hoar of it now will be surprised to find that on three successive Saturdays he was thrown. A fortnight previously Chester 11. fell with him in the Victorian Club Steeplechase at Flemingfcon; and tho next Saturday saw him apparently so soriously iujured on Moscow in tho Steeplechase at Elfrtarnwick Pjirk as to necessitate his removal to the hospital,whence he wasdischarged in time to steer Sinking Fund to victory in the Geelong Hurdle Race on Thursday. Two days later he mounted Patchwork for his fatal ride. Iluht was a general favourite, not simply for his prowess in tho saddle, but for his modest and respectable bearing, his honesty, and steady irreproacbablo conduct. His paronts are well to-do German colonists resident in tho neighbourhood of Albury, and some timo back ho accompanied them on a trip to the Fatherland. Huiit.l may mentiou.was tho former owner of Granville, killed at the last Otahuhu Meeting Tho members of the Victorian Club, Melbourne, entertained Mr Robert Howott, tho English bookmaker, atdinnor on tho evo of his returning to the old eouutry. Tho only drawback to a pleasant eveninc was the fain of the Chairman Mr Joseph Thompson, being seized with a fit towards the conclusion, but ho is reported to be all right aga:». The Hon. Jas. White's team has received an addition in thß four-yoar ; old Galatea, by Epigram Gazolle, bred in Queensland, who won the Shorts Handicap at Brisbane last season, Laurel is said to1 have completely broken down, and will never again appear on the turf. It is understood that a sinow of tho off fore-leg has been broken,.

The Melbourne bookmakers are beginning to object to the pi'jetico which has become almost general of exacting a feo for tho privilogo of plying their calling on countiy race-courses, and this led tj an enieute on tho second day at Geelong botwoen the authorities'and Mr B. Thompson. This is the version of tho affair repartud by the Melbourne " Argus " : -Some excitement waa occasioned on the Goelong couiso on Saturday owing to tho action of tho stewards in ejecting Mr B. Thompson from the stand enclosure, Mr Thompson was in the ring offering to bet on tho first raco, but did not book a wager. Tho stewards demanded the fee charged for all bookmakers, which Mr Thompson refused to pay, as he was not on the course on the first day of tho meating He, however, tendered half the amount, which tho stewards had refused to to accept, and as he did not leave whon desired to do so, he was ejected from the stand enclosure by the police. Mr Thompson said that he had not made a bet, and he offered to refrain from betting if permitted to remain in the stand enclosure, but this proposition was not acceded to. The Geelong racecourse, it may be mentiot ed, ia the property of debenture holders. At a recent weeding-out sale of.Mr C. J. Merry's horses in London, Prince 10, by Prince Charlie, was disposed of for 2,000 guineas. That is a high price for a two-year-old that is pot engaged in any of the great three-year-old contests.

They do big things in the way of racing in America. Our Yankeo cousinß advertise a two-year-old stake worth £6,(300, with 2,000 guineas added, to be run over the Coney Island Club course during tho Autumn Mooting of 1888. Thoro is a chance for somo venturesome English turfite to cross the Atlantic and avenge the defeats inflicted upon the English horses by Iroquois and Foxhall.

The " Australasian" in alluding to the victory of Leori in the Cliristchurch Midsummer Handicap, mentions that Tom Osbqrne, who recentlyanivedfrom England, and is now training horses near Melbourne, states that next to Kincsem and Springfield, Leolinus, owned by the New Zealand Stud Company, was the best horse ho ever rode.

The amount of stakes run for in England during the past year made a total of nearly half a million of money. Captain Machell has made a proposal to the atewarda of the English Jockey Club that in all races apprentice? ehall be allowed to ride, and those that have never ridden a winner be allowed 71b. The Eclipse Stakes, to be run at Sandown Park in 1888, has closed with Is 2 subBcribera. An English paper says "the best patrons of the sport in England havo taken nominations, and the foreign countries are also well represented.to say nothing of Australia having a candidate." The Stake is one of the richfst ever projected. The English racing season of '85 (writes our London correspondent:) will bo re membered principally for its magnificent two-year-olds. Such a series of high-class flyers as Minting, Ormonde, Sftraband, Tlie Bard, Philosophy, Bread Knife, Kouiial, and Modwena have not boon deeri out for years ; iv fact, one of the oldest and best known tipsters in his Derby analysis says:-" Since the winter of 1863, the year preceding Blair Athol's victories at Epsom and Doncaster, I have never had to review such a number of good two-year-olds." These Derby analyses, published every winter, are rather amusing reading. Laßt year, of course, the prophets "hit the pea," every tout in his article predicting "Melton or Paradox" even as early as January. This time they are noteo unanimous. " Ormonde or Minting" is of course the usual tip, but a great many stand " The Bard," and several eeem to have a sneaking likeness for Mr Peck's "Murdoch." None of them, curiously enough, fancy Saraband, although the coifc figures in the betting at much the same price