BITS OF TURF.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 175, 26 July 1890, Page 3

BITS OF TURF.

After running four " seconds" at the V.R.C. Grand National Meeting, ib is rather hard on J. Rae to lose from his hands Titokowaru and Donald, whom the cable apprises have been sold by auction. I hear, though, thab when Rao left here his patrons, who found tho sinews of war for the horses named, led him to understand they would sell after the meeting jusb concluded.

A race meeting takes place at Caulfield this afternoon. Orangeman, Ticokowaru, and Donald figure among tho entries. What a farce touting is. Ellerslie, the V.R.C. Grand National winner, was reported to be out of all condition, and it is said thufc his oivner only started him to win a wager made some months ago that ho could name a certain starter for the race. His trainer and those who saw Ellerslie do his work said that he had no possible show. He was ridden by a Ballafab butcher boy named Stanley.

Major George 13 expected to return to Auckland at the end of September. George Wrighb had another addition made to his lengthy string this week, " Mr J. C. Davis" plaoimr in his hands four rising two-year-olds that have been located at Whitford Park.

In a half-crown totalisator in .Adelaide, a solitary investor on Ellerslie, the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race winner, received £32 10s for a place.

Latest accounts say Carbine and Titan are doing well at Flemington, and so is Singapore.

George Laing, the New Zealand jockey, had both his collar-bones broken in the V.R.C. Maiden Sbeeplecha_. He was riding Waiter, and the horse fell with him.

Fearless 11., the winner of the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase, was sired by a horse named Postmasber.

Ib is becoming quite fashionable to breed mares in the spring and race them until well into the fall in America. * .

The Melbourne papers condemn Koss Keaton's riding of Donald in bhe V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race. He droppod his whip during the race.

Tridenbine, by Somnus from Matilda, won bhe two principal handicaps ab the Clarence River races. This four-year-old i 3 engaged in tho Hawkesbury Grand Handicap, County Purse and Caulfield Cup, for which her weights, exclusive of penalties, are only 6&t Gib, 6st 111b and 6st 121b respectively. The Hawko's Bay" Jockey Club are proposing to fhake their Spring Meeting the "big" gathering of the season in future,. instead of the autumn.

There are great complaints at the bad state of the Flemington training tracks. Only two of the thousands of amateur tipsters who tried their hands ab the game, tipped the winners of the first two oiifc of the bhree events in the Melbourne "Sportsman " £50 coupon on the V.R.C. Grand National Meeting. One of these had Sir Joshua going for him in the third event — the Grand National Steeplechase — and Titokowaru carried the fortunes of the other, so the paper had a " skinner." Mr W. R. Wilson, who is about bo send a cougJe of his horses to England, will send his own trainer with them. Ib was originally intended to place them under the care of Mr Savill, who has been driving Ringmaster along ; bub Mr Wilson now believes that if he sends his own trainer he can get more pace out of bhe horses than a man who is a stranger to them, no matter how good a trainer he may be. We have been apprised, by cable of the victory of Mr Daniel Cooper's filly, Melody, in the valuable Woodcote Stakes, at Epsom, lasb month. The A"sbralianowned filly started afc 100 to 8 in a field of 12. Simooian, the favouribe, started at 5 to 2; Melody made bhe whole of the running, and defeated thg great Simooian by three lengths. Tho net value of tho V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race stake to bhe winner is 1,47550 v. ... The V.R.C. Grand National Hurdle Race (says a Melbourne paper) had a spiceof pleasantry about ib, namely, the £50 a-sjde match between Tradition and King Billy, on one to finish furthest. It was fairly a match between the pair inside the distance, and they finished at a wide gap behind tho placed borses, Tradition winning the wager by a neck only. Gprrigan rode Tradition. When the mail left T, Loates was at the bead of winning jockeys in England wibh 42 wins out of 2Q5 mounts,

The filly and MartiniHen rvrr-Regreb filly, have been leased by Mr W. R. Wilpon to Mr G, Woodford, and bhey will be trained by Mr R. Clifford, of Melbpurne,, ;,