TURF GOSSIP

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 271, 13 November 1909, Page 15

TURF GOSSIP

Says an Exchange, Haw different is the i excitement in Sydney over the Cup compared with the old days when the betting shops were In full swing. Wow, there used to be some excitement In tliose days. Madame Melba, emulating dear Lady de Bathe, has registered her colours, and Is coming racing—It is to b e hoped under hor operatic cognomen. Her lawful surname has an unhappy significance in racing men's ears. It is "Armstrong!" "Do you accept tips?" asked th e diner, wiping his moustache. "Yes, sir," replied the expectant waiter. A small piece of rustling paper was thrust into his hand. When, in due time, he unfolded his treasure to ascertain the value of It, this is what he read: "Lady Lucy for th e Cup!" "Personally, I have always been in favour of the totnllsntor, aud, as a private member. ■Introduced a bill mere than once providing for its adoption,•• said the Premier of Victoria, when referring to a suggestion made by Mr W. H. Croker. a member of the V.R.C. Committee; but in answer to a question, Mr Murray said he did not think It would be the slightest good Introducing such a bill in the present Legislative Assembly, as It would have no hope of passing. This, the Premier stated, was the strength of a general knowledge of members' views. Writing of improvements on English racecourses, a London confrere writes:—ln more directions than the incieased value of the, stakes have 'the Stewards of the Jockey Club been showing a fatherly concern in the Doncaster Meeting. They have expressed dissatisfaction with the antique and \ ramshackle buildings, and are urging tbe. Race Committee to literally set their house in order. They .have also demanded an improved sprint track, and not before time, seeing that the course on which are run the Champagne .Stakes and the Portland Plate is the wickedest In England. And they should further demand a sloping of the rings in order that visitors may see more of the racing 'than a fleeting glimpse of a jeekoy's hat discloses. I «m quite aware that for the Doncaster ratepayer the Town Moor is supposed to be a Tom Tiddler's ground. However, all the gold and sliver It yields cannot be ear-marked for the rates. At adjacent York some £30,000 have been expended on Improvements. If York can do tha-t son of thing, Do.icaster should easily foot a bill twice that size; and as the "corporate fathers" will willy-nilly have to po In for extensive alterations and repairs, they might as well set about the business in a gracious spirit. Thus an American writer:—-The general confidence in racing prosperity In America is shown by the prices of yearlings. e»nt In by W. O. B. McDonougli. of California (who bought Ormonde), and H. T. Oxnard (Hie sngnr magnate, buyer of many Eugllsh nmres) brought nn average of £152 for 43 head, this being the highest average for any sale this year. Other good prices realised during the week was .Tohn Dyment. giving £1000 for a colt by the French stallion Adam—Roman Gold, while Tl O'Brien bought an Inflexible—Gold, Lace colt for £400. Of course the suits under the Hughes Law against racing men have not yet been carried to Hie extreme final court -(and there Is no sign on the horizon that they will be), and equ&lly of course the Reformers are still pestering Governor Hughe? with details, and complaints, of the awful "gambling" and "law breaking" at the I races, but beyond directing the attention of local police to these reports, and receiving a reply that they are false, nothing has been done. I fancy nothing will be'dene. It was "politics" from beginning to end, with the Low and Order grandmothers whooping at the head of the procession, and —as usual —thinking the L. and O. wa« the real show. The Calcutta Turf CluT> nave got a new handlcapper (says an English exchange), ■and from TV-hat one knows and sees of him he is making them all sit up-a bit. Some of the gay bloods, who have been accustomed to the old regime, under which they ■have been allowed to go on "waiting;" and getting nothing for doing so In the way of a rude and unpleasant ahock. are somewhat staggered at the new official's methods! He has a very penetrating eye for a stiff "un, and he has made some of the boys quite nervous! They h.tve now an uncomfortable I feelins that he Is seeing farther Hrrou.ch ! -the brick wall -than they desire. •Mγ. GrifI frths. for that Is the gentleman's name, ■tails from the colonies, and the lot he -had to deal with there were not ',-xnctly Bible lambs! He will do a great deal of good. for things have too long been allowed to jgo on in a happy-go-lucky manner. Some of J the things that 'have been done were stag- | gerlng In their bravery, and succeeded, as all brave actions deserve to succeed! But why the perpetrators were not spotted and punished one could never make out. All ithls will now be altered, as we have, a man who is n perfect Sherlock Holmes, and he can deduce a bucket of water or a dope from the very slenderest materials! Says an Indian correspondent to a London weekly: "Of racing news there Is little or none. The Poona entries are TMg, and in the first-class races the percentage of English horses Is very high, wihleh once again draws attention -to tlhe fn<:t that the exorbitant Australian is killing the goose ■that uaed to lay him euch a "U-β crop of golden eggs. The 'Indian raoshorse owner was that gcose. He is now wiser. Horses ere almost 'unprocurable in Australia at anything like a moderate figure, and, as our racing statistics show. It is far cheaper to go to England for out requirements and pick up cheap horses. Anything with fair plating form behind It will more than pay for Itself in India with any luck at all; but, on the other 'hand, the price of an expensive horse takes a bit of getting back, aa our first-class events are not well endowed. The class of horse that pays Is 'the thin? *ha* has cost £300 or £400 and .has shown a fair bit of form. There are I scores of these horses in 'India at this I moment standing their owners in nothing, and still going on bringing grist to the mill. So much Impressed with the possibill- , ties of a good itnrnover In this particular jllne of dealing has one well-known Ausjtrallan dealer and Importer become tihat ihe has cut his native land nnd transferred himself to Great 'Britain. This is one Mr. O. M. D. Bell, who has made a name for himself in India as a most successful importer of thoroughbred pony stock from the colonies, his selections having scored A long list of successes In the principal small pony race In India, the Lucknow Civil Service Cup. He has now gone Home and is Intending, so I hear, to buy for the Indian market. It will probably pay him well to do this, as he does not Intend to confine ills attentions solely to racing stock, but also to polo ponies." I forget If I stated that the latest Turf surprise was the statement ,that in fnture the Jockey Club would deal with evildoers In the open at the time the offence Is committed, snys the American correspondent ■lExlle." Xo longer will that body wait and watch until some minor Item gives a hold, and then, "biff," the man goes down for the count, -with the public never knowing what for or why. The Turf Star Chamber Is to be abolished. Close watch is to be kept ou tight and loose bandages, non-elastic and elastic webbing, the use or non-use of blinkers, etc., etc. All of which surveillance has been common to the west nnd.south for long years, and all of which our people here-In the east have frowned dawn upon, not giving any logical excuse for the frown. It has been an easy thing to cover a horse's legs with cotton wool, and then cover it with a flannel bandace. the tendons being rendered partially Inert and the free circulation of blood prevented. Thus a horse would run a furlong or two. and then slow down as naturally as possible. This being only one of many tricks that has made every expert man mating a wager find it absolutely necessary to go Into the paddock and look his horse over as it finally-started for the post before he could logically trust himself to make a wager. if the .Tockey Club carries this plan out, tind If it takes the initiative, it will h e a great thing for our racing, but I am afraid I must wait and see before I believe, the more so that two days after the announcement (In the most prominent "dally" In this city) a horse was backed from* long odds down to a short price, and won rompIng. This horse was a good performer In California in the early spring, and, two weeks ngo. running at Saratoga, was nit able to raise an exercise gallop. When it wo v scores of men who know the workings ot the "inner circle" played it to win, without the slightest suspicion of "form" on which to base such enterprise. Apparently npt a question was asked: " '

—a -H-T WHALEBONE.)

nnri R n P ,. ier, ",> lD x. the "Illustrated SUOrHnjf story i m , Xc \ S, " tells aa llffe Mr Wlgan. Captain Forester »ud Mr a»d. taking jhem altogether: they known on theTnrt. r It would Ten' der as nneasy If we were running ahorse in a. race to know that they fancied one of theirs. The four gentlemen agreed to toss for choice of the lots. and It fellto Cap££ I-orester to make th e first selection Hβ is Master of the Quorn. and his a fin* JrJrV £u P - Ue PitcLed upon Placidus. a colt by Cyllene. ont of Jean's Folly; that has yet to win a race. He is, however .very pood looking, and probably has a future The next choire came to Mr Cunllffe andl naturally, as he does not seem to know howto so -wrong, h e got the best, hi, choice was Charles OWlalley. Then came -if T g . a "-, wl i° " h °PP ed " (this joke is not ■manos It seems strung, for a rich man •who is keen on winning tn e Derby that'he Khould sell, or otherwise dispose of hi* chances. In .his flrst speech, 1° the Glri* crack dinner. Col. Hall Walkei related that the old proverb of "Cherehez fc femnie" •I entered into his connection with the Turf ' "~"X- W W e tnke a hand in this?" said Mrs ;i Hall Ualker when she witnessed tie tbusiasin that thp victory of • Persimmon in the Derby of ISOG excited, and out of that remark came perhaps the most snoces*. I ful stud of the present day, with one Derby ■ winner, and perhaps two, to its credit. ",* Mr. J. '.'Baron." owner of the A.'JC. Derby winner Prince Foote, is dissatisfied with the result of .the Caulfleld Guineas, being-certain of the ability of the son of Sir. Foote to beat Malt King over any distance. "It has always beeii my desire to hare a welght-for-age horse," he remarked when Interviewed recently. "I have got one now,' he continued, '-and, having set my seal on Prince Foote asU sire, I am not going to run any unnecessary risk in losin* Mm. At the time Mr. "Earon" was waitIng for his Mr. Frank MeGrath, to , talk over the future engagements of the colt. His inclination rwas not to start Princrt Foote In either of the Cups, but on thivti i point no definite statement was made. Mr "Baron," however, dwelt on the fact that I he had lost Superb (winner of the Doncaater Handicap of ISO") as the result of an accident in the Caulfleld Cup. Ttecently hie English importation, King Berry, was killed in a race in Sydney. The fear was entertained by Mr. "Baron" that Prince Foot* wouM not meet with a clear passage In the V.X.C. -Derby, and he expressed the hope that .the stewards will give the matter their attention. "My colt," tie rsald, '.'wa« ■blocked three times in the A..T.C. Derby I engaged McCarthy to ride him In that-"race 12 months in advance, which shows that 1 ■had a pretty good opinion of .ho.w was going to turn out. McCarthy 'could not get down to the weight on Saturday, but he will have the mount in the Derby. Several tempting offers have been made for Prilice Foote, Including one of 3000gns; but money, ■cannot buy the horse, to use Mr. "Baron's" words. Prince Foote now stands 15 hande 2JIn .having grown an inch in the last six months, and is declared ,to be "as kind as, a child." The owner strongly contests the statement that Prince Foote is essentially'a stayer, and lacks sprinting ability.". "Wai* until he meets -Maltine and all the cracks in" the'All-Aged Stakes nest autumn,'." Jn* says. " • Bayardo's success in the St. Leger placed Mr. Fairie at the head of the list of winning owners In England when the mail left. Following is the order of. the principal positions on the list up 'to that tlme:-^ - ; ' Races— " r * *'" "- ""' • , '". ~.~Won£~£l. Mr. Fairie . .1......... 11 .28,148 H.M. the King ..■ .■ 12 19,704 ! Mr. a. B: Joel ."..".....'...■.:.-..:' 22 1X,0f58 Lord Kosebery '...n. ft.. 8^440 ! Messrs L. Robinson and W. Clark 12 8,507 Mr. W. 11. Walker .. J. J.... '.."..'"i1.''8,052 ! •Mγ. A. F. Bcssett ..; ..;..' 12 7.311 ! Mr. A. Bailey ..: '...;....:.' 3'"'7,ltf* Mr. -L.de [Rothschild. vn« ( 16--.--6,r71 Mr. H. Lytham ........; 16 , §,=j3o Lord Howard de Wojden ...... 13. 5,884 1 Sir W. C. Cooper-:...-. .•.-. '.- 6- r>;7fi3 '■ The principal horses-,in--the winning. :11st ■ ranged as follows:— ,!'•'-- '.' '■'* ',' '*'•' - . - Kaces-.' Won. ,:.£ v Bayardo. 3yrs, b "c, By Bay Ronald ! — GiUlcia .-.-;.; .6 ,20,6«e ; Minora, 3yrs, br c, by Cyllene-r! ..." .",:! 1 'Mother Siegel .......■..•..-. 5 14,896 ' Xeil Gbw,~ 2yrs, , eh' c, by ' ■Chelandry ....*....... -3" J,ISI Dark Ronald, 4yrs, br\c; by Baj 7T-" 1 Ronald—Darkle .'2CZZ.. 3- 7,100 Electra, 3yrs, eh f, by Eager— -1 . sirenia ..„■.-..::.::::::'.:.'..,:v 2 .5,1*0 Perola, 3yrs,-chf, by Persimmon •*- ----' —Edmee :...\.. .>.... 1 4,9W , Lemberg, 2yrs, b c, by Cyllene— ; Galicia ...; ...-. v.r.- 3 i 3,888 ;. White Eagle, 4yrs, eh. c, by Galll- ; nule—Merry Gal .".. Z 3,879 ; Louvlers,, 3yrs, b.c,,by. . .... ; St. Louvalne ....■ '.;. S - 3,BTT ' Green-back, 2yrs, b c,\by St. Frnsr. .'...'"1 . quln—'BTergreem ■..-..... 5 3,57? : Admiral Hawke, 2yrs, eh. c, by " . 'Gallluule—Admiration ..... ..3 . 3,510 i CargiH, syrs, b h, by •- -r" . -Gallnne .'. '. ..". .I". '."J 2 " '3,418 J Bomba, 3yrs, b c, , by Carbine—St. --.-•;—f!*; . . Xeophjte , .—l. .'i.i .1.-T3,4ai Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, In* the-course'of - a recent article, declares himself 'strongly > against horse racing, for -which "Rapier," 1 of the "Sporting and Dramatic "News," , • chided him as follows:— "I -uave a.respect i for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but his .dislike . of racing is not tempered by much ?Eno.w- ----• ledge of It. •As for the sport Improving th» - breed of ihora.es. ,iie is 'told that.the " pains in other directions would produce in- • finitely more fruit, and generally "useful re« t suits. . Well. Sir Arthiir' shall. not bellexe I what he Is told- by the maker of this state- ■ ment, for there is not, arid cannot be,, any ■ possible way in -which the' merit of .race- ■ horses can be ascertained except that of i submitting them to a thorough preparation, l and to the ordeal of the race. I presume h* I understands the value of thbroughbre* - blood for other purposes besides racing; J that Is too big a subject..to discuss In;ai i note. L*t him ask hunting men and caval- > ry officers. Here, again, is a remark which s betrays a sad lack of comprehension. "Skill t and judgment,' he says, 'are shown,- no doubt, by the professional jockeys, but. I think it may be argued that in nine cases r out of ten the best horse wins, and would ! have equally won coujd his head be kepi, i straight had there been a dummy on hie ■ back." 'Of course, It inny be argued;"but t the argument displays total ignorance of--1 racing. Can Sir Arthur really suppose that , owners of horses who have had long and In* ! tlmate acquaintances with racing would pay t the sums they do to secure the best jockeys > if it were a fact that in nine cases out of i ten jockeyship did not affect—did not prac-; 1 ticall.v account for,—results? .1 have before - now told how the late Prince Soltyioff aski ed mc to negotiate for flrst call on Morny ; Cannon, and told mc he would not mini i giving £5000 a year if ihe could not get him ■ for less, adding, 'I have only eight.or tea ■ horses, but when they run I want them toi be well ridden. , Morny Cannon will, recoli lect the incident Now, Prince Soltykof? l really understood racing. So did Mr Abing- ! ton, as Ihe continually proved by himself » winning races against the best professionals. •" If, therefore, he did not understand the 5 value of jockeyship. who could? And hes gave Watts a retainer of £5000 a year.. t Does Sir Arthur know that year after year i the best jockeys have a "steady average o ; I something lite twenty-five per cent o? t races won? How does he account for that? ' It is true that the best jockeys are often . on the best horses, but the retainers frei quently oblige them to get up on hopclesj I animals, who start at long odds in face nf, • the deserved prestige of their riders. Sir • Arthur does not like racing. Optl.. con?e-----i quently, does not go to see it. and If he did. ' not being familiar with the nicotics of - jockeyship he would not appreciate- tho. i skill which Maher, Wootton. and .■>. few—«. > very few—of the others continually display. : This appreciation only comes with nspe.-I-----i enced observation; to some -habitual raco- ■ goers it never seems to come at nil: but it £ the skill did not exist it is very i that owners -who do appreciate it would hot i pay the prlcee they do to obtain it for thai* horses, ' . ." .:. ..',, «,_, -<w ■V