TURF GOSSIP

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 65, 16 March 1907, Page 11

TURF GOSSIP

In a letter declining to accept the presidentship of the "League of Sportsmen," Sir Edward Holroyd wrote:—"With the main object of your league 1 am entirely in accord. I deeply deplore, and I shail always, as far as I can, oppose the growing tendency of the State to interfere with the liberty of the individual iv the ordinary details of private life. - '

ahe Correctional Tribunal in Paris recently passed sentences, varying from fifty franc fines to three months' imprisonment, on fourteen persons charged with being concerned in the riots at Longchamps racecourse on October 14 last. Some of the accused were given the benefit of the First Offenders' Act. two were handed over to their relatives as having acted indiscreetly, aud two were discharged.

Careful people who ; do not bet but like a mild speculation in the hope of P»akmg a rise will agree with.-'Terlinga" when he says what follows: "A local horse won the Hobart Cup. In view of the wav the drawers of horses in Tattersall's sweeps were bounced into sharing with owners, I was glad to hear that none of -the eight horses which had sweep money ran into places. The 'pressure' brought *to hear on the lucky drawers of probable starters was rataer too strong. I read in a Melbourne paper one day that So-and-So would accept for the Hobart Cup, but that the horse would not go over unless sweep money was forthcoming Surely this wa s carrying stand-and-deliver methods beyond reasonaote limits.

The great rock on which the American racing thoroughbred is splitting to-day is beyond question, that of the curious and fearfully exhaustive method of modern front-running training for horses at all distances, even up to two miles (says a f ew York writer). It has reduced trainins; to mechanics. It was always easier to train a horse for sprints thau for a distance. Today, if a man knows a horse fairly well, how to keep him in health, to distinguish which is muscle, flesh, or fat, it really seems all that is requisite to make a "trainer." He has only to send his charges fast, short "bursts" so long as they eat well. and. like a child with toys, cast •them out as they break, looking to the racing Santa Clans for new ones. Not at Christmas, but any old day in the year.

Mr H. Dix.sou, the owner of the Melbourne Cup winner Poseidon, is a passenger from England by the K.M.s. Ophir, which arrived at Fremantle on the Ist March. Inan interview with the representative of the

"Evening News," Mr Dixson said English racing, so far as the public was concerned, was fifty years behind Australia. They had no numbered saddle cloths. The starting-gate was inferior and badly worked. This was largely responsible for the feeling among sporting writers against mechanical starting. Referring to Australian horses in England, he' said. Noctuiforai had been at terrible disappbnitment to Mr Buchanan. His want of success somewhat prejudiced' English racing men against Australian stock, as the horse left Australia with the reputation as the finest three-year-old horse seen for years. His miserable failure each time he raced, a I though looking in magnificent condition, was considered to be due to lack of acclimatisation.-

Personally, as an , all-round racehorse, I think we have had but one Carbine. We have yet to find ( says "Arthurian, " in the "Leader") a winner of two successive Sydney Cups with over weight for age on, fail only to the winner iv the Melbourne Cup with 10.0, and hi the next year, in a field of 3S, establish a record with 10.5. giving "tons" of weight to everything in the race. To my mind that was the greatest handicap performance ever'done by a racehorse. Carbine's truly wonderful career was not a ease of "where ail are blind the one-eyed man is king," for he gained his victories, not in depleted weight-for-age fields, nor was he "farmed" to capture classic events. But he rarely had the trappings of war off from a two-year old till his sixth year, carrying imposts greater than his adversaries, and sharing Ihe stress and difficulties of our biggest handicaps at a time when good racehorses were far more plentiful than now.

The following reminiscence of the late Admiral Kous is from the "Piuk-Un":—"We were one of the small group of reporters that watched the affair from a little platform immediately under the Stewards' Stand, opposite the winning post. Presently Admiral Rous put nis head out of the window, and in his best "Ahoy!" quarter deck style addressed us in tones of considable vehemence, "I wish you .gentlemen of the Tress,' lie said, 'to take notice from mc that the running of —— in this race is one of the most brutal things I ever witnessed. I consider that Mr. has been guilty of a most unjustifiable act, calculated to degrade the turf and cause a public scandal. The declaration he made was Infamous, and violatedd every sportsmanlike instinct.' 'Yes, Admiral,' we replied, 'we will say all that if you will only .promise to come and see ns wl.en we are in prison, afterwards.' The old man laughed, and said that perhaps his language was a tl'lfl_ae_—.- "

season's champion race mare, lias c—a_ge_ hands, and Is now the property of a Mr Stotesbury, and may probably contest the race for the (Sold Cup at the niattaee meeting held at —level—— -- For the past two years millionaire Billing-, wuo.owns tho champion gelding Major Delmar, lm 51.55. has not entered -h—_ for tire <-olcl Cup, as he considered the Major outclassed the field, and his presence would rob the race of Interest. With Sweet Marie entered. Mr Bil'ings -will have something to meet who has a winning chance, and the novel sight will be seen of these two giants ot tbe trotting: track competing at an amateur meeting for a trophy, without any betting ot entrance fee to the track. The new owner of Sweet Marie is credited with tbe intention of sending his stable to England for tbe great borse show next June, when the English public will have the oportnnity of seeing- Sweet Marie and some of the greatest trotters on earth perform. Millionaire Vanderbilt is sending across £100,000 worth of horses and vehicles for exhibition. - -

(By .WHALEBONE.)

The first thoroughbred to be sold for a sum far in excess of the preconceived value, of any horse was Kangaroo, for whom the Marquis of Hastings gave 12,000gns to ."Mr Henry" (one of the noms-de-course adopt- J ed by Mr Fadwick), the son of Hobbie . Noble and Yarra Yarra then being a young j three-year-old. That figure was not ex- ■ ceeded until the Middle Park Plate Stud was dispersed in 1872. Then the eleven- ■ year-old stallion Blair Athol was sold for I 12,500gn5. Not until 1875 did there occur! another rise in the price. That was when i the late Duke of Westminster acquired the j five-year-old Doneaster for 14,000gns from ■ the late Mr Robert Peck, who had bought ! the horse earlier in that year for 10,000gns. i In buying Doneaster his Grace secured, per- i haps, the greatest bargain ever ma-dc in | horseflesh. Entirely to the son of Stock- j well and Marigold did the Eaton Stud owe ! its subsequent potency, for he was the sire ' of Bend Or. from whom in direct descent j came Ormonde. Orme, and Flying Fox. | Fifteen years c-.apsec before the price of, Doneaster was equalled; in 1800 St. Gatieu : was bought for 14,000gns. Since then ', prices have continued to rise. Ko sooner had the late Sir J. B. Maple bought the ' triple-crown hero of 1891, Common, for lo.OOOgns, than these figures were capped, by the.purchase of St. Blaise for 20,000gns. • when he was put up to auction in the States. So the prices advanced until at I the sale of the late Duke of Westminster's horses M. E. Blanc .raised the record to 37,500gn5, at which the then four-year- j old Flying Fox was knocked down to him. j That was indeed a record sale, for the ' yearling Sceptre fetched 10,000gns, the highest price previously paid for one of, that age having been GOOOgns for Childwick. _ When a four-year-old Sceptre was resold for 25,000gn5. At that sale, too, Duke of Westminster changed hands, and he as n two-year-old was transferred for 21 OOOgns. ' Later fabulous amounts were realised by-I Diamond Jubilee (30,00Qgns) and Cyllene! (SO.OOQgns), - -___: i

Statistics tahen at the Deauville (French) yearling sales cast v light on the future of racing in France (says an exchange) where the "Mutuals," or C-rovernment lottery, has replaced the open Turf market. Iv former times, aud under other conditions, the average of t> or 7 per cent of unsold yearlings was considered very high, but an analysis of the recent sales proves that only 37 per cent, of the youngsters sent to auction found purchasers. With such a number of blanks in the lottery of breeding, there is less aud less encouragement for private enterprise, and those who have established studs refrain from making any further purchases with a View of introducing fresh blood, lv Germany there-are. certain classes of owners —the aristocrat, who, animated by the motto, ."noblesse oblige," registers his colours and takes over the stud which has been left him by his forefathers who followed the king of sports; the plutocrat who stands on the fringe of that society which comes to his level on the Turf, where all men are equal, and who can afford to indulge iv a hobby which gives him position aud permits him to share a certain amouut of that halo which surrounds an owner of racehorses. Then comes the questionable owner, whose wits have been sharpened by a desire to make money out of racing, and who can gauge to a nicety the apathy of stewards and the gullibility of backers at the "Totalisator."

In the colonies we hay . some fine stables, but probably very few fit to be compared with what are properly styled the "equine palaces" of America. Sir. Alfred Vanderbilt has recently built a stable at his country seat, Oakland Farms. Newport. R. 1., which will accommodate 100 horses, and for the perfect comfort of man and horse is said to be unbeatable. On the second floor of the stable are .the rooms of the head coachman, including parlour, bedroom and bath and fifteen other rooms for the grooms, and their dining-room, kitchen and sittingroom. The training room is a splendid structure. It is built in old English style and the interior is carved buttonwood. The riding ring is _sooft long and 100 ft wide, and the promenade will easily accommodate two thousand spectators. Stairways lead to the boxes, where a perfect view can. be had of the scene below. The riding ring cau be illuminated at night by fifteen arc and -six hundred incandescent lamps, and here any kind of entertainment can be held, from a social tea to a grand ball or a society circus. At one end of the riding school is the trophy room, which holds the many cups,. pieces of plate, and the ribbons won by the stable at the various horse shows. This room is 100 x 60, and is most beautifully and artistically furnished. Then there are cloak rooms, dressing rooms, a magnificent swimming pool _0 x 30, of pure white marble, with marble floor and tiled walls and ceilings, and it is possible to have a Turkish bath, a shower, a vapour, or a sea bath. Under the same roof is a squash court and a billiard room. Then there are Mr: Vanderbilt's private offices, reception rooms,, the oflice of his secretary, and a super!) smoking-room. Over the trophy-room is the library, 100 x 60.

Says ''Arthurian" in the "Melbourne Leader - ':—"The purchase of Carbine by, that exemplary sportsman, the late D. S. Wallace, was attended with a streak of fortune, as the following will show. When the colt was put in the ring after his defeat in the Derby by Ensign—a defeat entirely brought about by the united circumstance of Hales's masterly horsemanship and the imperfect condition of the great Maorilander—a well-known figure of the time, Mr. John Clark, of Glenroy, determined to purchase him at any cost. Examining him critically in the box prior to the colt entering the'ring, Mr. Clark's iu'dour was s'omewiiat chilled upon discovering the Dlemlshed hock. But he still determined to have him, more especially when Messrs. Heywood and Cockroft expressed a strong desire to share in the purchase.- Just at this moment that patient and gentle horseman, Michael O'Brien, came up and earnestly urged Mr. Clark to abandon the idea and .to purchase Tradition instead. The quietvoiced 'Mick' prevailed, and the big son of Richmond fell to the bid of his-new, owner at 3050 guineas. Clark's confrere, the impetuous Cockroft, was still mad upon getting Carbine, and stoutly began to bid with this object. His friends, thinking they were acting to His advantage, called him from the ring side for a moment to deliberate. That moment sealed the fate of the purchase, for the hammer fell to the bid cC Donald Wallace. Cockroft was frantic, and with, gleams of anger spitting trom his eyes like sparks from an anvil he hurled words at Clark that one would search in vain for in any dictionary, 'Clark, I'll never forgive you. You fool, had we bought Carbine as well as Tradition, we had tho Australian turf at our fast.' A remark Napoleonic in character, and pregnant with, foresight and truth"

A writer in the "Thoroughbred Record, 1 * who appears to have a fair knowledge, discourses' as follows on doping horses:— "No one is likely to be caught in tne .act of doping ii racehorse," said a prominent Eng'ish veterinarian tbe other day, "be.C(HISe tllv fIVSe is so small that it can. be administered under the very eyes .loner Ijel-ore' ttie race- *__.___. ttie \d_ses <vr_s not t___e__ U__ely to . V>e .under surv-eill-raeG-a two-grain powCer on His tongue in a darkened stall at 1 o'clock. The.drug takes effect in about 30 minutes, and the animal breaks out into a sweat i_e i— rubbed _owu, cooled out, and done up as l_ lie M come in from morning work. Eyerj, effort i_ mad.c.to keep him quiet -until .post time, but lie -very ol"te3_ torsaka out again, and is again cooled out. The doped horse never takes any warming up work, and this fact affords the best means I know of for linding him out. He is moved slowlyto- the starting-point,- great caro being .taken to prevent him. from becoming excited until the flag is dropped. Then a kick and a dig -will do tie "work, and in an instant the full force of the dope is felt, stimulating the animal to run the race of Ms life. After the race an antidote is usually given, but It is sometimes well along in the night before the excited horse regains his normal condition. The strain on the nervous system is terrific. For this reason 'dope horses' have short careers as a rule, and are of little value for breeding purposes."

The Earl of Durham made some interesting references to legislators and sport at .the annual meeting of the W_ars.de Golf iClub at Sunderland, England. H e sa id that a certain statesman some time a<*o spoke of ; his ambition to turn the pleasure fields of England into the treasure fields of En<*- ; land. He hoped they were not goin<* to , turn their pleasure fields iut o treasure j fields, or at any rate to get rid of them to j satisfy certain ambitious politicians I He thought politicians, like "cobblers. ; should stick to the last. There was no ob- ! jectiou to politicians playing golf or to j golfers taking part in politics, but there I were objections to politicians inWferinz ■ with the affairs of golf clubs. The riahpeople to manage the latter wer " „.««« who played the game. He objected to initerference- with the sports -of the people .They were not confined to the.rich h,f. gratified all classes of the comm a __y S it would be a great pity if j^J'^ idone to curtail the amii.emeut_.f-i! ■ people. b VL iUe iln football; or in any oth.-.,. snn .. f t „ a ■ people who were watching were oCf _-ton ally inclined to have a wager on the S?" , and he saw no great crime in it either al .though he seldom betted him,... ... -act that there were some pewK_- _- j fools enough not to be abl. t?£ k *I»™*1»™* their money was no reason .4 _T_* c J?t ol politicians should wish to the sport of the majority H_. . ere , yrlth whatever sport- th™-preferred t*p Ped '"?* ! remember they must try to Sff-t!. 001 * 1 good standai-d and a hi"h shL _ lntilm a .thought it was Vpara_io U T ,mno'. d h€ ! that those who we're intere ste _ aP .,. ta ._ c sports, those -who. managed .?_! ,n the should not be interfered with P P _°.- S ' , mentary faddists who knew $*> „££"■; ; the subject, and who wanted f7 ?!.. % ° r with a man's employment in «_?.,". ter £f re I some foolfc-t aecmietfr__o_, j f 1 t0 stOD money,. **JIVWa «9-* .ifisfcog -their