Turf Topic

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 36, 9 March 1901, Page 16

Turf Topic

By Seahorse.

Paladin, will trouble Harry Piper no more. Sir Edgar Vincent has changed ScrewGun's name to Seringapatam. Two dead heats m two days is a good performance Mr. J. E. Henrys put up at Woodville. Dew drop made her first appearance in open company in the Woodville Cup, but was outclassed. Black* ing (Westraere — K^™* 1 * have been pui chased bcfoie the Woodville meeting for £25. The autumn meeting of the Mabterton Racing Club will be held on Thursday and Friday next. Murmur made a very poor show at Woodville, finishing last on both occabions that he was started. A three-year-old half-sister (by Gipsy King) to The Guard, was recently sold at Hawera for U guineas. Tortulla only took part in the Cup at Dunedin, and showed no improvement on her Taranaki Cup form. Harry Piper is said to be among the applicants for the position of starter to the Manawatu Racing Club. Boreas was supported locally for the Brunswick Stakes, in which he took part at Flemington last Saturday. At the Maniototo meeting, Stepina and Visionary, two of the progeny of Stepniak, won five races between them. Illumination scored for her new owner in a Belling race worth £40 at JJinedin. She paid £7 3s, and was bought in for £70. Hotu makes his first appearance in his new owner's colours in the Westport Cud in which he has been awarded 9st 101b. The time put up by Menschikoff at Riccarton would have won the. Newmarket Handicap with something to spare. Mr Stead has won the Dunedin Champagne Stakes on four occasions, and Derntt has ridden the winner eight times. Mr Stead is said to have received £2">o for Formosan, a very fair price for the fast, but somewhat uncertain, gelding. By an accident in the Dunedin Cup, Mr Victor Harris lost the services of Paladin one of the most useful handicap horses in the colony. In the Hurdle Race on the second day at Woodville, Wonderland Voltigeur. Somnus and Wanderer had no less than eleven representatives. The official time for the Woodville Cup was 2mins 14 l-ssec. The pace was solid throughout, and several reliable Avatches made it 2min lOsec. During the three days of the recent Takapuna meeting £25,914 was put through the totalisator, which is a record for a suburban meeing in the colony. Had Advance got home in the Newmarket last Saturday, it is estimated that between £50,000 and £60,000 would have been won by Maonland sportsmen. Mr. Stead did not provide for two starters in the Railway Plate at Dunedin. Consequently, when Men&chikoff walked over he only received half the stake. Nonne started first favourite in a selli"" race at Dunedin, and ran unplaced. The winner (Bizarre) was purchased by H. A. Beatty (owner of Norine) for £21. Among the entries for the Ohinemun Jockey Club's meeting this month is a horse called Dichruimchurch. Surely Sir Geo. Clifford would never stand a name like that Tom Cameron will probably be appointed starter for the next meeting of the Manawatu Racing Club. The Palmerston people have had enough of amateur starters. The two-year-old Diplomat (Stepniak Adulation), half-brother to Bracelet, recently purchased from Mr. G. G. Stead is now a member of J. Gravestock's Clareville team. L H Hewitt has no intention of leaving the colony at present, so he informs our representative. He rode for the Hon. George McLean, Mr. G. G. Stead, and other owners at Dunedin, and will be riding for the Yaldhurst owner at Waneranui and Hawke's Bay this menth. Hewitt wrote six winners at Dunedin and will easily top the list of winning horsemen for the season.

United States is a half-brother^ to Hova, and cost Sir Rupert Clarke /00 guineas, as a yearling. Fulminate is a halt-brother to the A.J.C. Metropolitan Stakes winner, Projectile. The field for the Wellington Racing Club's Secretary Stakes will be a large one. Among the "also started' division will be sporting writers, racing club secretaries, horse owners, etc. The veteran grey gelding Voltigeur 11. placed £300 to Mr. F. B. Rosss credit by his successes at Takapuna. On his recent form, Voltigeur 11. is good enough to take across to Randwick. It is stated that Mr. R. Orr refused an oiler of £.3000 for Maltster. How much is Clean Sweep— who beat the son of Bill of Portland fair and square at weight-for-age, in fast time — worth 9 Osborne, who was severely injured while running at the Taranki meeting last season, made his re-appearance at Woodville. He was raced in winkers, in a small field, and was one of the last to finish. Mr. J. F. Clark, secretary of the Reefton Jockey Club, is among the applicants for the position of secretary to the Wellington Racing Club. West Coast racing should be a good recommendation. The veteran horseman ' Bob" Derritt was sufficiently improved in health to take part in the Dunedin Jockey Club's meeting last week. He was on Menschikoff in the Champagne, and also scored on Red Gauntlet in the City Stakes. Jupiter lias proved a most useful horse to the Messrs. Ellis. Last week he won the valuable Otago Cup and D.J.C. Handicap, and the previous season secured the Provincial Handicap at the winter meeting. Fred Gentry, formerly a well-known trainer and rider in the Blenheim district, where he was connected with Jim, Refrigerator, Oceola, and others, recently returned to Christchurch, after an absence of several years in Australia. In the Flying Hack Handicap, on the first day ot the Woodville meeting, T. Wilson (on Gipsy Jack) and G. Price (on Blackwing) both threw themselves on the horse's neck as the post was passed, in the hope to catch the judge's eye. The judge declared a dead heat. Although the performance put up by Advance in the Newmarket Handicap was a brilliant one, that of Fulminate, who met the Ponrua champion on 4lbs worse terms than weight-tor-age, was better still. Wakeful was meeting them on 321bs and 281bs better than w.f.a. respectively. Sir George Clifford sent Windwhistle to Dunedin to chase Menschikoff in the Champagne Stakes. Terrapin (Clanranald—Teredina), which scored in the Maiden Plato formerly carried the "blue and gold cheques," but is now trained by Geo. Hope for Mr. J. A. Holmes. The Takapuna handicapper, Mr. W. Knight, set punters some severe tasks, as the following dividends paid will show — Highlander £15 Is and £19 14s ; Delia Rose £24 and £36 15s, Telephone 11. £38 11s and £41 lbs, Motor £20 14s and £11 15s, Corvette £51 and £54 6s. Messrs. Wanklyn and Matheson are disposing of their horses Myra, Pastime, Rimu, and Sir Kitchener. Mr. Wanklyn, who is a brother to the C.J.C. secretary was present at the Woodville meeting. He started Rimu on the first day, but was dissatisfied with the manner in which he was ridden, and withdrew him on the se"cond day. Mr. D. Thomson sold Will-o'-the-Wisp after the Egmont meeting, delivery to be given after Woodville. If this owner was unlucky at Taranaki and Egmont, where he acted as runner-up in the two principal events, he had the best of good fortune at Woodville, where he received half a stake (£ll7 10) which nearly every other person on the course considered should have gone to the owner of Battleaxe. R. S. Henry, who was disqualified for life at Masterton, in connection with the Ethel "ringing-in" case, has been similarly dealt with by the Chiltern (Victoria) Racing Club, for his connection with the ringing in of a bay or brown mare Gooramadda (which has been proved to be identical with Music and Melody), in a galloway handicap at the club's meeting last New Year's Day. Photooranhs of Ethel have been sent across to find out whether the latest "ring in" is identical with the Auckland pony Cupid. At the annual meeting of members of the Woodville Jockey Club, Messrs. Buchanan and Hartgill were nominated for the office- of judge, and the latter was defeated by a small majority. At both the spring and autumn meetings something harmened in connection with the judging which caused unpleasantness. It is safe to assert that if Mr. Hartgill stands at the next general meeting the majority of club members will be on his side. Perhaps Mr. Buchanan will see his way to resign in favour of such a well-known and competent official. The one necessary qualification Mr. Buchanan appears to lack is confidence.

Scobie's stable provided first and second horses (La Carabine and Clean Sweep) in the weight-for-age Essendon Stakes at Flemington; also the Sire 6 Produce Stakes winner (United States). Heiress made her first appearance in Free Holmes' name at the Poverty Bay meeting. She managed to run two seconds, but will have to show improved form to have any chance of success at the West Coast meetings this month. Nobility, who won the Egmont Cup and Atkinson Memorial Stakes, had not run since the Otaki meeting last May, where, as a two-year-old, he won two back events. One was a maiden plate, w.f.a., at which scale two-year-olds have all the best of older horses in the autumn. This year the Otaki Club has made the Maiden Plate for three-year-olds and upwards. Laureate, Advance's two-year-old brother, won a Maiden Plate at Otaki last spring, and there is nothing to debar juveniles competing in the Maiden Hack Race at Masterton next month. The Hutt trainers did fairly well at the Woodville meeting. Queen's Guard only started in the Cup, in which she paid the good price of £11 ss. A. Shearsby hasljeen having a pretty good time lately with Fashion, West Guard, and the grey mare. J. Armstrong scored twice with Gipsy Jack (including a dead heat), and got a good price on both occasions. Art Jewel was only started once, in the Hurdles on the second day. The pace was pretty solid, and he will be able to keep with them when a little more experienced. Dewdrop was started once each day, and in a snort race was ridden into a place. Osborne made his reappearance after a lengthy retirement, caused by an accident. The stakes were pretty evenly distributed. The Wairarapa, Napier, and Wanganui contingents each got their share. Mr. J. E. Henrys' handicapping brought about two dead heats and several close finishes. In Harry Piper's absence, Mr. T. Cameron was entrusted Avith the starting, and did well.