Turf Topic

By SilYerspur.

Pomua is m good luck, and ni.u be worth backing at Auckland. Muscovite looks verj well in the Manawatu Cup at 7st 121b Benefaotoi and Ringlet should iace prommenth at Lowei Valle\ on Boxing Daj. Malatua will probablj go to the stud shortly He is said to be affected m the wind. la, by Toipedo — Rnulet, is a histclass galloper, and is one of the sort that is worth following R. Macnamara, the Victorian jockey, us a good ndor, and should be in great request among oi\ ners in this colom Mr. Ormond is about getting sick ot Reliance. He does not appear to be of much account, but he may impro\e Mr. D. J Price has, purchased the trotter Mis.s Beklon, by Ha Ha— Man Beldon, for 4100 She is a natural pacer. Two giey mares won at Woodville, Mr. Major's Onutae scoring m the Ruahine Welter, and paying a, fair dividend She appears to be on the improve. Dan O'Brien is now reported to ha\ e decided to take a hotel m the New Plymouth district. The southern sportsman is about the best paragraphed man m the colony he is always credited with being about to do something, but he never does it. The most surprised man on the Feiklmg racecourse lately was a Wellington butcher, who dropped three folded notes near the machine, w hen fossicking for matcheb Missing the boodle later on, he ran back to where he had been standing and found the monev quietly awaiting its owner Formula, mv selection foi the Auckland C'up, got galloped on at the Takapuna meeting and may not be herself at the A R C. gathering. However, if she is not, Djin Dim, the Wellington Gup winner, or St Michael, mav furnish the winner. Cruciform should win the six furlong event, and Mr Stead's other horses the classic events Wheie a good many backeis went wrong in the last Melbourn Cup was that they would not take upon trust private credentials against public performance But it has transpired that Revenue was almost as good as publicly tried He was taken away from the home track to an adjacent one, and the colours were put up on him and others so that all that was wanting to complete the deception were an improvised crowd and a bra«s band It was near enough for Revenue, however. The chestnut gelding Fleka who won three races at Woodville, belongs to Mr. W. Rathbone, of Waipawa, and is bj that speedy horse St Andrew out of Flatter He is consequently half-bro-ther to Blarnev Tanella, and Palaver and should prove himself a good horse- in open classes. He has now won the allotted monev in hack races, and will have to compete wdth better class horses Fleka is of a very useful stamp and should turn out one of the best. He is well bred enough in all conscience, and is possessed of a good turn of foot The famous Wellington Park yeailings will be offered for sale at Auckland on January 3rd, when thirty thoroughbred yearlings will be catalogued for public disposal From the world-famed pastures neai the northern capital some of the most celebrated colonial horses have been turned out by Mr Mornn, who possesses the best of sires and mares and is known in breeding circles the world over The colts and fillies this \eai aio said to be somew hat above the avei aee and the Wellington Park stud-mastoi expects to secure higher prices than lie 1 last year. The sires Hotchkiss (.1 son of Musket) and Castor are resnonsnble for the majority of the lots and the progeny of the first-named should bring good prices The Musket blood ha« been in ereat demand for years past and that of Castoi has also been in favour, while the progeny of ]o<-s,p>r known sires at the same stud is Tadual'v comink into favour, owing to the success of their «-tock The mares at the WelMneton Park stud are the best in Australasia, a fact well known to every turfite who takes an interest in the game and good prices should be realised nevt month when the vounersteis aie offered for sale Tt is likelv I undeistand that a number will be bought on behalf of Australian sportsmen.

Convcn ha& been re-named Inspan He is trained at Hastings, by J Maher. The late jockt-s Tom Haley's estate panned out ery poorly after all. He k't a foitune slip thiougli his hand* when he sold the New Zealand Cup winnei Lochiel, who pro\ ed so succe&stul at the stud. Gipsv Queen, who donned Motor m the Summer Handicap, on the second da.j at Woodville, is by Gipsj King out of the coastal mare VoJtarma, who lias tin own some good horses. Gipsy Queen paid eight guineafe. and I believe some of the coastal people had a veiy good win The man' was asked to cam a icn light weight m list 121b and won \ei\ comfortabh Muscovite, the southerner was (juite neglected on the machine and would have paid a good di\ idend had he got home The nehly-endowed Impenal Produce Stakes, of 20o7so\ s, six furlongs, at th< Kempton Park Octobei meeting, was secured bv Ard-Patnek, a half-brother (b> St. Flonan) to Galtee Moie. ArdPatnck, who, like his famous half-bro-ther, was bied bv his ow nei Mr. J Gubbins, at the Bruree stud, county Limerick is a powerful and massivelybuilt youngster and found heavy support clown to ct en mone-\ for the Pioduce Stakes. On the owning dav of the Newmarket October meeting, ArdPatrick further distinguished himself bA winning the ("learn ell Stakes ArdPatriek is' engaged in the classic events of the coming season The Woodville Handicap wmnei Queen's Guard — won the last Woodville Cup. She. is a, grey mare b} Vanguard horn Juhet, and can get over the giound all right when not over-buiden-<>d with weight Bill Davis had bad luck with Motoi , who ran second on both days. He onh lost b} a nose on the first day, and a great man} people thought he should have won. The maigin was> certainly a nairow one but the grey mare had most m hei at the finish, and when Wilson made his run he caught the Hutt hoi so at even stride and iust got home. In England, in 1848, a foal was bom, the offspring of the Bai on and Pocahontas, and it was bought by John Day It w a& called Cambodes and there w as no possible shadow of doubt that the voung one roared desperate]} Next vear an own brother appealed and was, bv letter, offered to Mr I)a-\ who replied that the one he had \\ as such a bad i oarer that he did not think it worth while to go and se<? the new amval The i ejected one proved to be the sue of three Derby w inners, of thiee Oaks winners, of six St Leger winners and he won the St. Leger himself Tins horse was the great Stockwell and the case emphatically proves that with reference to roaring no haid and fast theory can be maintained Colonials who Aisit England aie nevei favourably impressed with the Home lace tracks No doubt for comfort; it would be very hard to beat the leading race tracks in the colonies What is more, the charges made foi admission are fixed at such a reasonable rate that everybody is able to attend who feels disposed to do so. The popular ownei of Berry Jerry recently returned from a trip to thei Old Countrv, and in a chat with the Wagsa scribe ' Tim Whiffler," thinks that the best English gallopers are a better class than ours While admitting the great galloping abilitv possessed bv the the descendants of Galopin, Mr Leitch is very emphatic m the opinion that the fashionable strain of blood is very hierhly strung The maioritv of them, Mr. Leitch states are dirtv shifty brutes that no reliance can be placed in.