THE Racing World.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 78, 1 April 1905, Page 11

THE Racing World.

By "WtHaefaODe." . . 1,, , _,„

11ACING FIXTURES. April 5 and S—Avoudale J.C. Autumn April 4 —Akaroa County R.C. Annual Anril 5 and G —Mauawatu It.C. Autumn April S and 30 —Rceftou J.C. Autumn April 12 aud 13—Soutland It.C. Autumn April 12 aud 13—South Canterbury J.C. Antrum n April 13 and 14—Masterton H.C. Autumn April _'_ and 24—Wairarapa It.C. Autumn April 22, 24, 25—Auckland R.C. Autnrnn April '22, 24, 20. and 29—Australian Jockey Clubs Autumn (Done-aster Handicap and Sydney Cup) April 22, 24, 2b', aud 20—Australian Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting April 24 and 25—Canterbury J.C. Autumn Melbourne "Sporting and Dramatic" mentions that amongst. Melbourne's many advertising tipsters, who are flourishing just now, is a lady. She has been turf advisin;* in a qniet way for some time, and, flushed with her snecess in picking them, has launcheS out lv a bolder way. Her Newmarket Handicap forecast was Independence. From the Sydney "Bulletin:" How some racehorses are found. Little while back at Corowa (N.S.W.) storekeeper had a nag running iv a delivery van, and sold him because he got uncontrollable occasionally. Purchaser discovered the auim.il had pace, and trained him,. with the result that he shaped at a recerit country meeting (Boorbam races* and easily beat a lot of fancled ones, though left at the post at the start. The Johannesburg "Star"' reports that Mr I'iccione has challenged Mr Sol. Green to race Pippermint against Gladsome, over a mile and a quarter, at weight for age. and offers "to lay £10!000 to £5000 on the 'grey. "It is probably fortunate for Mr i'iccione," cays the writer, "that there .is little likelihood of the match taking place. Gladsome having many valuable engagements in : Aiusti-a'Ka.'" PippercniAH is o South American bred crack, that has, so far been a pronounced failure in South Africa.

A writer iv America, who recently saw the once great Tod Sloan at St. Louis, says that he has aged very perceptibly, aud he has not now the supple and elastic look of the average rider. To a stranger, he would probably appear it bit blase, slightly uppish, with a mild aristocratic smarts.; a wee specimen of partially faded fashionable humanity, and if compelled to talk he would surely sny: "Me. Tod Sloan, my dear bay, who used to hobuob with dozens of the crowned heads of Europe." The writer believes that.Tod. will settle down to steady riding. He. has uot ridden iv America for about five years.

A New York paper states that the lightweight jockey S. Dickson, who is under contract to ride in France for Mr Yauderbilt, was sent away from Hot Springs recently by Judge Murphy. Not in the way that a jockey is generally sent away from a track by the presiding judge, but sent home to keep ihim tfnom exposing him self too much to inclement weather. The little fellow was earning the riding honours of the meeting, but after riding three wimiors one afternoon he had to he carried to the scales with a high fever. Then Mr Murphy, who was instrumental, in getting the Vanderbilt engagement for tho boy, insisted that he quit riding and go home until "he was well.

A new haudicapper had been appointed for a country race, meeting, aud the day after the handicaps were published a friend, who knew the tribulations of 'hamlicappers generally, approached him with a grin. "Well," he said, "how have your handicaps been received?" "Fine," replied the handieapper: "there was no grnnibling from anybody:" - The friend stood aghast. "No grumbling," he cried.

"I never knew a case where there wasn't grumbling. How have you managed?" The haudicapper smiled the smile of the successful man, "Easy," he replied. "1 took 'em each aside quietly before the handicaps came out, and let 'em understand that the man who grumbled would get a 101b penalty next time."

The Resident Corespondent at Newmarket of t he London "Sporting Chronicle" has formed a highly favourable 'opinion of Lord Uosebery's Derby candidate. Cicero, whom ho describes as having made much pro-

gress during the winter, having .filled out into a splendid specimen of thoroughbred. This contradicts the expressions of some writers who had declared the colt had not developed any. lie says: "If 1 am any judge Cicero will, when seen in public, be pronounced the beau ideal of a likely Derby winner. None but a biassed critic could describe Lord Hoseberry's co, t as other thau a nicely-sized, racing like animal, and as his fore-legs have nothiug more upon tbein than what are termed 'Yorkshire boots,' constructed from pieces of woollen cloth, to fit around his' ankle joints, as a preventative against hitting the inside of his joints—the colt being a playful, highspirited animal nt exercise—l regard him as being undoubtedly one of the soundest, best-limbed classic candidates there is in training. In short, my belief is that Cicero's name will be enrolled on the list of winners of the Blue Biband."

As is generally known, two punters "look the knock" for big money ou Newmarket: Aiay, says Melbourne "Sporting Judge." One of them, who recently arrived with a companion from Fuglaud, was with the latter staying at a leading hotel in the city, and ou the Monday sent the latter to the club to receive from about the only man (a leading Sydneyite) lie had to collect from. When tho big bookie, who unsuspectingly handed over about £350. discovered what had happened, he sought the services of a prominent detective, aud with him visited the hotel. thinking probably they would bounce from the receiver what he had collected. But it was quite tbe other way. and instead of quaking in his shoes on being confronted with the detective, he gave him and the bookie a sound rating. In fact, started "throwing dirt." It was the backing by this punter of Medallist en tbe course that brought- the gelding lo favouritism at one time for the Newmarket. Now, if Medallist had won, what a different tale there would he to tell. At least one bookmaker stood the .backer referred to for about £400. Because he is the brother of a wealthy West Australian they took him on trust.

"There is ample warrant for the statement." says an Australian exchange, "that the failure of the authorities to satisfactorily deal with the question of shop and street betting is- responsible for a large increase in gambling in the principal country districts, as well as in the metropolis. JJalinrat and Bendigo are noteworthy centres in which the evil has lately been allowed to grow to abnormal proportions.- In a centrally situated building in Bendigo on any afternoon that tli-ere is a race meeting iv Melbourne bookmkers caji be found loudly calling the odds in the midst of hundreds of backers. Telegrams are received at short intervals from the course announcing the starters, the prices offered by the bookmakers in the paddock, and the results of each race, and, with this information as a basis, gambling goes ou briskly until the result of the last face is known. The authorities maintain that: they have no power to stop these proceedings, and a ludicrous cnaiuieatarj upon the helnlcss condition of the officials as regards the checking of open gambling is provided by the fact that constables are present at each assembly, but merely to prevent any breaches of the law that may be the outcome "of mob excitement.''

The feeliug that the expenses of sending horses to race meetings are very largely in excess of what they ought reasonably to be is moving several owners to address a memorial to the Jockey Club on the snbject Lord Carnarvon is taking a promineut part in the movement, aud the ruling body of the Turf are to lie asked to use their -Teat influence to obtain a reduction in the charges made for the carriage of horses and boys by nearly all the rallwav companies, and the charges for stabling of horses and lodging of boys at race meetings, lt .is poiuted out that the railway companies are. of course, perfectly within their rights iti making the charges they do, but as far as the memorialists are aware no organised appeal has ever yet been made to them on the subject, with the view of securing mere ge-a-eroas treat-

ment, and the owners are strongly of opinion that, it the matter were represented to them hy a body officially so influential as t'ne Jockey Club, considerable concessions might lie obtained. With regard to stabHug, it is the opinion that, stabling for horses and lodging for boys .should be provided free at all nice meetings. This might cause hardship in Ihe case of some of the smaller meetings, if- a rule to this effect were made to apply universally, but they consider a maximum charge might ho fixed by the Jockey Club, and in that way some protection would be afforded to owners against the extortionate charges now levied. The Melbourne correspondent of file "Otago Witness" writes as follows: —If dead people, ever do turn in their graves, poor old George Adams must certainly have "squirmed" last Saturady morning, when the Methodist Conference of Victoria and Tasmania were discussing Tat' tersall's consultations, and passing a resolution calling upon the Commonwealth authorities to suppress them. The Key. 11. Worrall, of Tasmania (like his cricketing- cousin. ".lack." of the same ilk), was specially "aggressive." knocking the old "tie tiiortlilu nil nisi bonum" axiom into complete smithereens. During the course of his invective he launched forth as follows:—"Men who were placed in Parliament to make laws were no longer worthy of confidence if they permit ted themselves to be forced into what he (the .speaker) regarded as an unrighteous position by a gambler's gold, aud the post-mortem generosity of Mr George Adams. The law in Tasmania had giveu perpetuity to •Tattersall,' and nil restrictions had been removed from him. Children hist tall enough to place, their coins on hi.s counter were allowed to go iv and invest their money. Schoolboys making purchases In stationers' shops had 'Tattersall s circulars wrapped round the articles they bought. The thing was -of the devil, devilish.' and . Methodism should stand, up against it." Phe-e-w! What price for high "postmortem generosity" ? An English writer pens the following on the subject of accidents to racehorses:— • if we take the British Tnif lv a comprehensive survey we shall ilnd that comparatively few horses have come to what may be called a "bad end." The twiu -sports of steeplechaslug and hurdle racing exact a considerable toll; but. the professional life of an animal "ou the vat" is generally unattended by auy terrible climax. When we bear in mind the risks which many animals run, we ought not lo be a little surprised that this is so. Of course the greater number of accidents ou racecourses arise from the neglect of .some elementary precaution on the part of the executive, or because human beings, with uo consideration for themselves, or anybody else, will insist: upon crossing the race track when, they have no business to. For any man with leisure time it is bothamazing and instructive to read through old sporting books and see what a large total of calamities have arisen from this cause. Now the-jockey was injured, then the horse, then the fool who.crossed the course—occasionally all three. Illsks connected with the transit of horses are also observation that there must be considervery great. We know from experience a.nd able danger in .wailking s.eeds through the streets of crowded towns upon a race dny. -Not many years ago, .an unfortunate animal named Red.Kin.**, after beiug run into by a cab -at Derby, was afterwards killed on a little West Country ■ track through a horseman who. should have been "keeping, the course to make himself a\ nuisance aud an obstruction whereby a col- V lision was caused. About eight years ago \ some horses were killed, and the boys attending them severely injured, owing to a railway accident between Leicester and Newmarket. L'Afl'icalne, the steeplechaser, who afterwards met his fate in a steeplechase In France, was in an accident, on the railway while on his way to Liverpool to run for the Grand National, for which he had been heavily backed; and Gang Forward-, - .-who., was.. nearly flrst favourite for the St. Leger- of IS7.'J. was equally unfortunate, aud. could not run. Fortune on the turf is varied, and the fact that there . isuo'royal..road to success is emphasised by the. racing fortune of His Majesty King Edward VII. lv 181)0— Persimmon's year—the King was close to the front with £26,819. In IS'J'J his horses only won stakes-to-the-value of £2181), but in 1900, when Diamond Jubilee and Ambush If. were successful iv winniug the double—Derby and Grand National—he won £20,385. Last season £3105 was the total of three victories, and the better things which were hoped for this year have not arrived, though Chatsworth. has won thrice. £1100 in all, and should make a useful four-year-old. Uis Majesty started the season with eight good-looking two-year-olds, of whom ouly one, Roseinarket, not a Persimmon or a Florizel, but a sou of Orion and Rose Madder, has succeeded in winning races—the City Plate at Manchester, £17(1, and a Breeders'- Stakes of £567 at Newmarket; and he has beeu four times beaten ou three occasions out of a place. Penshaw (Persimmon —Vanei has run once, badly, Carstone (Persimmon. —La Caroline) has also run once, and finished a bad third in a field of five to Pamtlete and .Egypt. Periameles (Persimmoti —Leveret) cannot win selling races. X,**, was sold some time ago, as was Polltelv (Persimmon—Courtly), who has descendeij; to the lowest ranks. Last time out he finished a poor fifth to a winner that was sold after tho race for I.OOgs. L.-i l'aii (Perslmmmou— Loadamia) has not run, nor has Cornflower (Persimmon—Whcatly), nor an unnamed daughter of Florizel .11. aud Spyglass. Except the two last mentioned, all the others were heavily engaged, and their forfeits must amount to a considerable sum. La Pais aud Carstone having been in such races its the Prince of Wales' Stakes, at Goodwood, a sweepstake of 200 soys each subscription;, the Buckeuharu Stakes of ."lOOsovs each, half forfeit; the Boscawen of lOOsovs each. Three out of four of the two-year-olds have proved specially tlisappoiutiug. Some good-looking « yearlings bred at Sandringhani will carry •. the royal colours next season, and it can only be hoped that they will make good cessors! G I*' ll "™* ot «»elr jpredcAn instance of an expensive traced" is Mr connecUon with Shillelagh, a horse who, in 18-32, achieved hoi„~ % S w SS °, f vlct «ries, the'last time rfiSS ,*• fester. On the day after the , thls ,. v nll "-; c * Porter called out lloises for the South come this way.*' lliat involved their passing a lot of iron , fiwh S f_£tXs , upon - the « ro «nd. and Shil- \ „ S : saltlod5 altlod by the screaming of a passing engine, lumped among the obstacles , ,1 d ,. wa f so "'i'lred that he died in three # A . ver " l , 1 ct for £101)0 damages was &M* teed t0 £30 ~* considerable margin of difference, and a.palpable I'njuswhU 0 , l - S , off °^ of , a piece ot - horseflesh which might, easily have brought him iv Li ar Jl lum1 um °i mc ? ney in stakes ami bets 'T*. hv . ed . Xhe most sensational fatal incident of horse transit, however was afforded by the strange ease of Klarikoff, a bay colt by Do Clare out of Uraslna H?\l.Ji S ? i w °-. lr < , -" - -old won the' Municipal Doncastep September Meeting afterwards ran second.-to Mr Merry's I'ol.estoue in the Triennial Produce Stakes at tlie Newmarket First October, and sub-' senuen ly carried off the Criterion nt the Houghton. The following year-l8(U-i c was favourite for the Two Thousand n which he was beaten by Diophantiis"i l Kettledrum who finished first and "ecmu and then he ran unplaced in the Dertv kl-iril-ofl was the.ptxWty of "Mt ffi ward" but, ou the Saturday before he ran for the Derby, the fete Lord St. Vincent purchased a half, share of him for MuS g, i! t "t aS Vu Greatl >' fancied for the LeTr which then gave rfse to'a great deal %t betting before the (day. the colt was being reserved for that Jjvent; and on the ISth of June. ISUI. wasfdespatchod by a mid 1- r train from King's Cross to Malton Ue never arrived at' his destination for l.etween Retford afid Bnwtrey the van caught Are, and the mfortuuate occupant was Burned to death. Some boys who Wore travelling managed to escape, thoti-rh ir is related that the fire destroyed Mr and Sirs .Tohu Scott's wearing apparel, together with many han-isome presents of iewellerv which had been bestowed upon M> eminent, trainer by patrons ot* More over, the whole ot w-ml robe, together, with £60Ji* J *bsnJ-note.s, .r )er > shed in.the; travel f O J liorses has-muchjjWntiroved within tbe 1-isr thirty years_,:-se**VhenroDe «ees what loss would Incurred hadvsucb a h».7, as Donovato been '»n<_yj__(- cat- off before - the Duke tadHwon ■XSSiW with is tempted to ; ttiatluck counts ill $omei*lae>ln everr/relatlooaaip at life. ro * v ' - .-'-- _-___S.