TUFTS OF TURF.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 35, 11 February 1891, Page 3

TUFTS OF TURF.

Prime Warden has been supported this jy&ek to win the Dunedin Cup at 4 to 1. The best price the local pencillers offer against Hilda is 2 to 1. The Auckland Racing Club Committee havethrownouttheprogrammesubmittedto them for a race-meeting at Lake Takapuna, and aiso the race programme proposed to be run in connection with the butchers' picnic. The Northern Steamship Company announce excursion fares to the Egmont races, which take place nexc week. The s.s. Gairloeh leaves Onehunga on Monday next for New Plymouth, and return tickets (including rail fare) will be issued at the cheap rate of £2 10s. The Takapuna Jockey Club paid away £902 108 in stakes over their Summer Meeting. Mr B. Thompson, Mr H. Tonks, and .Mr J. McHugh head the list of winners, their cheques totting up to £123 10s each. Mr W. Proffitt has lost by death his jumping horse Raven. He was an aged son of Fleur de Lis and Charity Girl, and in the Hawke's Bay district he won several races. Nominations for the Pakuranga Hunt Club Meeting, to be held on the Ellerslie racecourse, close with Mr Hayr on Friday night next. Mr P. Glenisfeer, a well-known Sydney penciller, Mr George Adams, the big sweep promoter of Sydney, and Mr T. M. Alcock, the Australian Jockey Club time-keeper, have been holiday-making in Auckland for several days past. They left for Sydney last evening. The crack Christchurch trotting mare Calista has been purchased by Mr D. O'Brien for £200, and will probably be taken to Australia. Papers to hand by the s.s. Mararoa state that Bungebah still remains a firm favourite for the Newmarket Handicap, but wagering on the event is quiet. The following are the quotations :— Newmarket Handicap, Run Saturday, 28th February. 100 to 7 agst Bungebah 100 — 5 Marvel 100-4 Teksum 100 — 4 Merriment 100 — 4 Newton 100 — 3 Churchill 100 — 3 Pygmalion 100 — 3 Fernando 100 — 3 Matador 100 — 3 -— Cooramin 100 — 3 —- Too Soon Australian Cup, Run Tuesday, 3rd March. 4 to 1 agst Greygown 10 — 1 Megaphone Ruseleyaiad Bungebah are top-weights in the Oakleigh handicap, 5i furlongs, each being awarded 9st 71b. Teksum has 9st 41b, and Too Soon 9st 3lb. Mr E. S. Chapman ("Augur" of the " Australasian ") is confined to his bed by sickness, his condition being somewhat serious. Melbourne papera state that Manton is : again in work, and looks well. It is to be hoped that the son of Tres Deuce will stand i ft preparation. I

Melbourne papers to hand last night State Cuirassier is looking big and mellow, and does plenty of work. Churchill has been steadily improving. W nmbrel haß been doing plenty of strong work. Carbine is a mountain of muscle, and all going well with bi_ up to the Champion time, he will probably present as well-trained an appearance as on the day he covered himself in o-lory in the accomplishment of his mammoth lOst 51b feat. Bendigo looks and goes really well. Megaphone was doing walking exercise ab last advices. The colt severely sprained the muscles of his Quarters, hence his absence from the track. Zalinski, Mr W. R. Wilson's half-brother to Trenton, has been nominated for some of the V.R.C. two-year-old events to be run ab the forthcoming Autumn Meeting. Carbine's name appears among one weighb-for-age entries. Tarcoola, Portland, and Tantallon have each incurred a 101b penalty for the Australian Cup, and Highborn 141b. Portland is also penalised 10lb in the Newmarket Handicap. The Yeoman, who won the V. K.O. Ijranct National Hurdle Race in 1887, and ran third in Mentor's Melbourne Cup, has been presented by Mr Samuel G. Cook to Mr W R. Wilson, and the squire of St. Albans will use the son of The Englishman and Springtime as a hack. , The Canterbury Jockey Club will this year have a small balance on the right side over their Midsummer Meeting. In former years there has always been a loss. From Napier i learn thab St. Andrew has not broken down. The dates for bhe principal events of the nexb English racing season, which will commence ab Lincoln on March 16, have already been fixed. The Grand National will be run on March 20, the Two Thousand on April 29, and the Epsom Derby on May 27. Guy Fawkes, ridden by W. Habfield, ran third bo Bushman in tho Steeplechase at Rosehill (Sydney) on the 31sb January. Repose (by Apremonb—Hammock) appropriated the Rosehill Handicap, beating a good field. The veteran Gamecock, who is now eleven years old, and won the Liverpool Grand National in 1887, was successful in the Middlesex Steeplechase at Kernpton Park on December 3. The New Zealand horse Sir Modred stands second in the list of winning sires in America during the last season. St. Blaise, the Epsom Derby winner of 1883, heads the list. "I wonder," says " Cranbrook, "how some of the welshers who frequent some of our racecourses would acb had they persons like the following to deal with :—The Shah of Persia, whenever he has a bet, places two guards with drawn scimitars beside the book-maker. Tho Shah won'b take less than 20 to 1 about anything, and the layer invariably pays out." A writer in the Sydney " Daily Telegraph " say 3: There is scarcely a day passes bub whab some one asks me. " Why do you nob more fully comment, upon the outrageous cases of pulling witnessed everywhere ?" And he goes on to explain that the law of libel i 9 so severe that sporting writers dare nob freely express opinions. This ia only one half of the reason ; the other half is that it is almost impossible to prove your charges. Suppose in a field of ten horses only two are "on bhe job," ibis more than likely thab bhe owners of bhe other eight are "standing in " with them. You see the eight stiff 'nns giving an artistic exhibition of how not to do it, and you draw attention to it. Where are you going to get your corroborative evidence from"? Nob from the owners of bhe eighb stiff 'uns ; nob from the stewards, who are probably mixed up with some of bhe owners of bhe horses. Unless a case is so flagranb | and barefaced that the stewards are bound Ito take notice of it, it is far better for the sporting scribe to hold his whisht. Meanwhile "roping" is carried on to au unbelievable extent. I clip the following items from the Riccarton letter published in last week's " New Zealand Referee" :— " Though Florrie won the Middle Park Plato.she had a great opponent in Palliser. That horse took my eye as Boon aa he came, on the course, and the improvement he has made since the early spring is wonderful. He is certainly fit now, and he was not then, but beyond that he seems to be a horse that will gradually improve with age after the time many brilliant'racers begin to deteriorate. Prime Warden, who won the Midsummer Stakes, seems to be a second Sultan. The way he won could leave no doubt aboub his quality, and can he stay as well as Sultan he will have a big say in the Dunedin Cup. He is greatly fancied for bhab race about here." An English paper has worked out an interesting table bo show the results of placing £10 on the mounts of each of the principal jockeys during bhe past season. A follower of Wabcs on this system would have won £409, of S. Loates £148, and of Webb £127, bub all the other horsemen would havo landed their admirers in trouble. Mr Matthew O'Shannasy's recently-im-ported five English thoroughbred mares have left Flemington for one of their owner's stations. That gentleman has chosen Trenkon to mate with two of them, and in the event of his not being able to get two others served by Chester they may also visit the son of Musket. The fifth mare will visit NewmiHSter. Ab present they are all in foal to English sires. Ab the Calcubta second extra meeting, held on December 13, Cupola (a brother to Gardenia) and the New Zealand-bred horse Escapade ran a dead heab in the Fort Stakes, and afterwards divided the stakes. The beaten division comprised the English horses Lord Harry, Lutzen,and Sb. Swithin, and the Anstralian Cyclops, Lady's Maid, Success, Bugler, Sir George, Entally, Minnehaha, and Yule Tide. The Corinbhian Stakes wenb to the English mare Stepaside, who beab the Australian horses Barrister, Vidette. and Traveller easily. In. the December Stakes, Moorhouse, with odds of 2 to 1 on him, was beaten by another Australian, Miladi ; Knightsbridge, Marquee, and the English representatives Giddy Girl and Lord Harry finishing behind tho pair.