TURF GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 237, 3 October 1908, Page 13

TURF GOSSIP.

(BY WHALEBONE.)

Mehari is the best two-year-Old iv France, . and he is eugaged iv the English Derby ' next year. j "In these times of unsettled local eondl- ' tions. one does not know to what ends owners may lie put to protect their interests. It is possible that I may send « some of my stable to England, but I have ' made no arrangements for training qtiatters for an extensive English campaign. ' lv fact, I look for better conditions in tins ■ country next year thau we have at present.'' Mr .7. 11. Keene is credited with the above I iv the "Xew York Telegraph.'* The tinkering that is going on with racing in America is likely to be of advantage ' to the English Turf, says the "Sporting Times." and the tirst fruits of this arc on- I sen-able in the entry for the National ! - Breeders' Stakes at Sandowu Park, which | is the richest two-year-eld race in this \ country. For this event we have yet to ' : receive particulars of sixty mares that have : been named in New York, the total contribution of the Yankees to the stake amountina ', to close ou a hundred. I The age of a horse cannot always be told i , by looking at bis teeth. After the eighth year, the horse gets no more new teeth, so that this method is useless for a horse more than eight years old. As soon as the ; set of teeth is complete, however, a wrinkle begins to appear on the edge of the lower eyelid; ami another wrinkle is added eacu year; so that, to get the age of a horse , more than eight years old, you must count the teeth plus the wrinkles. We cannot see (says tbe "Australasian") ' that Sir George. Clifford need worry about bookmakers keeping horses. For one thing he cannot stop it. Of that there is no doubt whatever. We have had bookmaker owners in Australia for years past, and lis long as they race their horses openly, we cannot see that there is any objection to them. Their horses are rim quite as fairly as those of the average owner. That a big speculator should own hordes secretly is not right. It gives him too great an advantage in the battle for money. According to a leading article in tho "Australasian." reports from Melbourne as to the betting done there are not to be trusted. That paper says; — "The Epsom Handicap and Metropolitan are said to be creating a good deal of betting; but we (lo not attach much importance to the stories, , about horses being backed nowadays. BetI tlug before the'day is very limited, and it so often happens that tile report that so-and-so has been hacked — or 'talked about' — is followed by the announcement that so-and-so has been scratched."A little while back there was some talk of the necessity of appointing stipendiary stewards in England, and, according to recent colonial visitors to that country, they are badly needed there, as all sorts of"things —such as running iv working shoes—are quietly passed over. However, the following from the peu of "Rapier" suggests that some of the trainers have been going to even greater lengths than usual and badly need pulling up: -Now that the stewards are paying attention to the riding they really might extend the field of their operations aud examine a little into the bigger scandal of horses' running. I cannot imagine anything that would have a more salutary effect than for the stewards to open their eyes, see what is occasionally so very visible, and without any fuss simply warn off oue of the 'hot' trainers who scarcely pretend that their horses are, as a rule, 'put.' The recent performances of certain animals have bepu in such marked contrast that it would have beeu no more than reasonable if their trainers had been pressiugly invited to explain the variation. . . Things arc deplorably lax, lax all round." Romance of racing is in extremes, or even worse (says a Southern writer). The turf Ls peopled by all sorts and conditions of men—good, bad, and better—(better off , than on it for the tnrf's sake) —and one was In evidence at Ashburton. A strenuous battle for supremacy was fought out between Field (Sun and Chief Bochiel iv the. principal event on the second day of the | meeting. Romance would say: "As they I fan locked together stride for stride into j the straight, the cries from their partisans ! rent the air. For a moment Monkey Puzzle ' j threatened danger, but the telling strides ' of the leaders quickly caused him to call i peeeavi. On cam-e the others locked together, and st raining every muscle and sinews; outstretched necks taut with the lust of battle, with the jockeys riding as if ; their very life hung on the issue. Field (tun—Fic-e-e-elil (fun. yelled some, and Chief Loch-i-e-e! vociferously others, as the horses gallantly fought each other for vie-1 i tory. Field Gun. Field dun, Field Gun. FieT Gun! you cow! rang high above the din | a s they dashed past the post; and as the I j numbers shot up proclaiming Field Gun's | victory, a sport who had got ou the cream ' | of the market rapped his held glasses into ; his case, and said to all who cared to listen: "That he thought the crimson sou of a sausage was going to get beat." 11l America the idea obtains that the jockeys now riding in that country are not up to the standard of those of a few years ago. Dealing with this subject, a New York writer remarks that Notter aud E. Dugan arc in a class by themselves, j but neither can be considered a finished I horseman. He adds that in the days of , i Hayward. McLaughlin. Garrison. Maher, ! Tnral, and l'eakes horses ran for form, 1 ! aud that is something they seldom do now. ! The start settles the race now, not the condition nor quality of the horse. Unless a horse gets off iv front he has no euance. for the jockey on him does not knowenough about pace to make up hip grouud where he ought to, but goes at it hammer and tongs, and tries to get iv front in the first quarter as if his whole life depended upon it. Seemingly it is a -. ase of win from start to finish with American riders, and that, too, seems to be the trouble with their English copyists. At least, the following, from the pen of "Vigilant," of the Londou "Sportsman," lends itself to that idea. "The copyists of the American methods have, perhaps, erred on l be side of exaggeratioa. whether as regards crouch or length of stirrup, and as regards knowledge of pace have still much to learn, for iv most instances the supreme idea is. at any rate, to win somewhere, if not where the money is actually paid. It seems to fe a ease of get off tirst and make every post a winning post if possible, and as regards equality at starting that is all rubbish, and more than one jockey could be instanced who owed his quick beginnings—and so much the more to his credit—to the fact that, without committing any apparent offence, he is clever enough always to have his horse more or less on the move, and consequently in action." However, the "indiffereut jockeys" cry is one that, will be heard as long as racing continues. Says the "Australasian": Next year English owners will have further opposition from Americans. The stoppage of betting' on racecourses in New York has practically I put an end to racing in that State, aud, I as a protest, some wealthy Americans are going to transfer their horses In England and France. Presumably, oue object of this move is to bring home to the people the loss the country must iueur through the thousands and thousands spent in running these immense breeding and racing establishments being spent abroad instead of at i home. There may lie trouble over this Ame- ] rican invasion. Mr August Belmont, the President of the New York Jockey Club, and Mr .1. It. Keene will be welcomed in England: but the Jockey Club stewards! have had more than enough of the American professional racing man and his tricky ways. This class of owner certainly will ' not be encouraged. A few years back a good many American trainers got a footing in England, and the in-and-out runuiug of their horses caused the suspicion that they were resorting to the "dope." Nothing was ever proved against anyone in this respect: but the Jockey Club stewards gradually got rid of the American professionals, and the probabilities are Unit they will be very careful as to which Americans they let hi again. The action of Messrs Keene and j Belruont in shipping their studs to England reminds us of w hai happened iv Soutu.

Australia when Parliament repealed the lutalisator Act iv l&ji. This meant stopplug racing, just as the prohibition of betting civ a racecourse means putting an end to racing iv N ,, w y olk Tb( , >SA jChad taken entries for several young stakes, which they were bound to run off. and the committee adopted the rather extraordinary course of borrowing Flemiiigton, and running the Adelaide Cup meeting there. Jn three years time ihe people ot South Australia had realised what no-racing meant tv the community, aud the totalisator waa legalised, Vuiler Ihe heading "A South Arriean Opinion of the Starting Gate," a London paper publishes an interview with Mr E. A. Ilalliwell. who has for 13 years been a starter in various parts of South Africa. Asked which he considered the best, the walk-up or the staud-sti;i start, he an- ' swered: "I do not agree wilh the walk-up start, because if you have such a start you might as well revert to the old method" of the flag. My system is t>. make the good horses stand still, the restless and vicious ones I put behind, leaving an opening for them to come up. When the bad ones come up iv line, and are about a length behind those already standing still, the signal is given, and in Oil cases out of 100 I get the field oil' like men off the mark. 1 consider that about a length when a horse is on a slow move is a fair allowance to make as against those horses which are standing up to the tar*." Regarding the different characteristics of the starting gate, he said: "Personally. I have a strong objection to any gate whose action causes the tape to fly in front of the horses. The great merit of the gate used at Tullontein. Johannesburg, is that it has only one tape—obviously an advantage; for the- less a horse sees the less fear is instilled' ir.to him. But a greater merit still is tn be found in the fact that the machine flies up so quickly and noiselessly, the tape going over the horses' heads, and in the seventh ?f a second is at rest again. The machine is perfectly noiseless."' Mr Halliwell said the practice ■<>£ having a platform for the starter is an undesirable one. At Turffontein the starter is practically hidden from view, only his head and shoulders being visible, so as not to frighten ihe horses. The' lever is" so placed that the jockeys canot see the starter pull it. He thought the lever preferable to the electric button. The rule in England as regards starting lays down that every horse must start from a stand. "In my opinion." said Mr Halliwell. "this is a moral impossibility, because in nine cases out of ten you cannot get your lield to stand Still. In South Africa we have what is, in my opinion, a better rule, for it. gives the starter discretion to start his lield. either from a standstill or a walk, and in this, I think, lies the secret of a successful, even start. Of course, your starter must bo a man well up to his work —quick of eye, aud must not hesitate a fraction of a second once he has the field in line or as near so as possible." Last" year, when the Turf Guardian Society was established, we expressed the opinion (says the "Sporting Times") that such an institution, if managed on straightforward and business-like lines, protecting the interests of both layers and backers, would be of great benefit. The particular object of the society is to prevent fraudulent transactions between commission agents and backers, and we are -glad to see that it is receiving the support of the right people. On the register of members are the names of Mr. Henry Slowburn, iun.» Mr. It. Moore, Mr. Joe Thompson, Mr. K. C. Irish, Mr. AY. Schlesuigcr. Mr. Charles Giles, and many equally sound men in the provinces. The general committee is composed of agents of high standing at the clubs and iv the ring. We learn that no commission agent is admitted as a member without the approval of the general committee, and it is essential that each member shall honourably meet his liabilities. Backers can report any complaint against a member of the society, and such complaints will be impartially investigated by the committee in. the presence of all parties concerned, and the interests of backers are safeguarded at these investigations by the presence of representatives of the leading sporting papers. The scheme has been most carefully thought out. and it is to be hoped that mushroom tnrf accountants, as well as a class of dishonest backers, will be stamped out by. the prompt aud vigorous action of the society. No person in the service of the society has ever been directly or indirectly connected with the business of bookmaking, and every member of the staff is prohibited from betting. If it can succeed in doing all that it aims at, the Turf Guardian Society, will become a great institution, and membership shonld convey a guarantee in the sporting world similar tn that given in the city by membership of the .stock Elxchange. There is room for snch a society in New; Zealand. Mr. Ouillermo Taats, the manager of the stud for which Cyllene and l'oiar Star were bougtit. has giveu an English writer some information respecting, the Ojo de Aqua Stud, and iH-eeding and racing iv the Argentine. The Ojo de Aqua Stnd is a farm three miles square (nine square miles), lying about 350 miles south of Buenos Aires. Many of the paddocks cover an area of 200 acres! It was established seventeen years ago, though the proprietors had previously carried on tho breeding of bloodstock elsewhere. The first stallion imported by the stud was Gay Hermit, a son of Hermit. He died three years ago. lie proved himself a treasure. Mares !by him are among the most circcessfnl I breeders in the Argentine. Tihey have 30 of them at Ojo de Aqua. Then came StilI etto, by Bcaudesert; next Kendal, now 23 years of age; then Pietermaritebnrg, who i'.iod on January 1 last from tumours in the intestines, caused, It is bettered, by fltes; and now Cyllene and Polar Star. And, by, the way, the two last named have been insured for £31.000, Cyllene for £31,000 and l'oiar Star for £20.000. "There- are DO brood mares at Ojo de Aqua, so that it ia obvious that an enormous capital is sunk in the farm and its stock. But if the outlay is heavy, so is the return substantial. At Bueuos Aires last year the stud sold 37 yeaplings, and they made an average of just short of £1000. That is a figure calculated to make breeders' months water, the more so when it is explained that the youngsters were not all by fashionable sires. It would I litis seem that Cyllene and Polar Star cannot faii to turn out great business propositions. When Kendal was bought for £8000 be was said to be a dear bargain, for he was iS years old at the time. As a matter ot fact lie has got his purchase money back over and over again. From the breedings point »f the view the Argentine seems, mr deed, to be an El Dorado. And what is ihi*. secret of it all? Simply that racing ont there can be made a profitable pursuit. There is no prize of less vahie tban £300! The entry fees and forfeits are very trtflrngl The money comes from the totalisator. Ten per cent is deducted from the money invested at the totalisators, and the Jocke-V ■Club gets seven-tenths of it. Mr. Pants is the owner of one of the most important racing stables in the Argentine. Three times he has won tie Derby at Buenos Aires, twice his horse has finished second, and on i two or three occasions his colours—cerise. j green cap—have been carried into third place. Last year Mr. Paats won stakes to the value of £21.000, although no single I prize amounted to more than £1000. Fid •has been racing for 11 years, and during that piyiod his winnings average £ll>.(>00 per annum. The Argentine Derhy is worth £4riOO to the winner, and £400 is allotted to the second horse. It is in conteniplatjo-i to offer an international prize of £10.000 or £12 000 .in 1910. the entries for which will close withI ill a short time of the race. The contest ' will take place in Oetobet 1 . am] it is hoped to attract some English and French horses of classic catiDro. I -