TURF GOSSIP

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 137, 10 June 1911, Page 15

TURF GOSSIP

ttj WHALEBONE.*

The biggest races don't always fall to the best sportsmen!

In the West Indies neatly all the race horse owners are either solicitors or barristers.

If those in commerciaUmi would only take a few lessons from the racing man they would Indeed realise what honour and principle are, says an Engliih exchange.

According to some ot tbe Old Country writers, it Is certain 'that 'before the present season closes totalisator betting will be given a trial on English racecourses. It might, hut perhaps it would he safe to bet against such a. .happening.

Wootton, the trainer, is extremely lncky to have two boys right in the front rank of jockeys, and with his own experience and the knowledge they can impart to him, there is no man breathing who should have a better grasp of the form, says an English paper.

A "bit' from the Old Country: "Most of the jockeys in .Australia and New Zealand take things all round. They think nothing of riding on the flat and over a country on the same day, and" when little Cootes —who is now with Wootton —won the Cup Hurdle at Flemington on Blue Rock, he could easily do 6.10.

Ac?ording to a return recently Issued, there -were 572 foals and yearlings <6T foals and 505 yearlin.js) sold in England last year, these being the produce of 173 different sires. The foals realised 10,762g5., aud the yearlings 141,975g5., at an average of 160*gs. and 281gs. respectively. A colt toy St. Frusquin from Glare headed the sales at 4000gS.

Sunstar the English Derby .winner, holds the following engagements this year: Hurst Park Yearling Plate, 9.10; Home-bred Three-year-old Cup, Gatwick, 9.7; Prince of Wales Stakes, Ascot. 9.5; Ascot Derby, 9.6; .Rous Memorial Stakes, Ascot, 8.5; Hardwicke Stakes, Ascot, 8.8; Lingfield Park Stakes, 9.7: King George Stakes, Goodwood, 9.3; and St. Leger, 9.0.

The prices paid out for a place by the totalisator at meetings in South Africa would delight the "each* way" boys in New Zealand. A recent example was over a filly named Post Card, who won a race, and £105 6/ was the return for a sovereign place investment, although the winning price was only £47 6/, due to the fact that her owner had another in the race.

Truly some men who go racing are literally "hangers on" to anybody and everybody who happens to be prominent or successful at the moment! They seem to fasten themselves on to whichever owner or trainer has just had a winner, or has just bought a horse, or is, in some way or other, associated with the moment. They have no personal concern whatever in what is taking place, and positively cannot be shaken off, soon becoming recognised nuisances'.

A singular contretemps occurred in connection with Bloodstone's running for the Grand International Steeplechase, 3i miles, at Sandown .Park, 'England, on April 22. Passing the stands the second time two leads (weighing about 211b) slipped out .of the saddle-cloth, and to prevent them falling to the ground Chadwick had to carry them in his left hand for nearly a mile and a-half. Horse and jockey were thus badly handicapped, and it to quite possible that Bloodstone might have won had not the unfortunate accident supervened. He finished third, and Chadwick was completely exhausted on dismounting.

It is not often that a esse ends so happily as did that as to the ownership of Kathnally, the well known English steeplechaser. The famous Irish sportsman, Mr John Watson, ou his death-bed made a present of the horse to his life-long friend Mr Oliver Jones, and likewise mentioned It In his will. Mrs Watson, however, who had a separate estate, claimed that she bred the noise, and he was hers. The matter has been settled by Mr Jones taking him at £400. Mrs Watson's counsel, says the

"Sporting Chronicle," "thought Mr Jones had met the case fairly, and having regard to what had been said the parties would leave Court without the slightest aspersion of any kind upon them on either side."

Further news Is to hand concerning the death of Herendale at Canning Park, W.A., the owner of which. It will be remembered, was disqualified for life l>y the stipendiary stewards on the ground that his mare had been doped, and in his report the veterinary surgeon who made a post mortem examination on the mare, stated that he had found a puncture wound in the neck such as might be made by a hyperdermic syringe used to inject strychnine. It is now surmised that the actual cause of death was the injection of air into a blood vessel. This travelled lv the natural course of circulation to the heart, and so brought about the mare's end.

In the course of his comments upon the death of Flying Fox, the "Special Commissioner" of the Sportsman writes as follows:—"No one—not even John Porter— knows how good Flying Fox was, and I write this because I am sure Mr Porter would have told the late Dnke of Westminster if he had known. The Duke certainly did not know, for speaking to his late Grace about some two-year-old—l forget what—l asked him if it promised well, and he replied: 'We don't as yet kt.jw much about him.' This was in the paddock at Newmarket, and Flying Fox, who had just won a race which was never in doubt, was led past us, and I said, 'You don't know much about that one either?' 'No,' said the Duke, 'that's quite true; we don't. He has won his trials as easily as his races, and no one knows how good he is.' "

Mr A. A. Apcar has been winning all the' big events in India this season, while in contrast. Mr Galstaun, the leading owner iv India, has experienced nothing but most extraoidinary ill-luck. His purchase of Prince Rupert at a big price with the ide» of winning the Viceroy's Cup—for which the horse started a hot favourite—proved an expensive failure, the four-year-old being unplaced; while the Ariette filly, which, although only a pony, won several selling races in England, has as yet failed to score. Prince Rupeit has won a small race, but Mr Galstaun's most successful animal was Tangaroa, who was in England last year, and ran very poorly, utterly failing to reproduce his real, or what may be termed, his Indian form. Since his return there he has won three races In succession, and again proved himself to be the fastest spiafl- I ter In training. J.

At the Norfolk (Virginia) meeting, oa April 14, In the first race, a 3J furlongs affair, the start was made on a turn. The well known American jockey Dugan, who had the mount on Black Branch, bad an outside position, and when the barrier was sprung he immediately cut across to the Inside, piling his field np against the fence, which resulted In three horses falling, one of which (Whin) was killed. Three jockeys were seriously hurt, one having his leg broken. Starte Cassidy said that Dugan, was wholly to blame for the accident. Dugan was suspended for the remainder of the meeting. Bergen, who rode John Marra in the same race, was also suspended.

Times bare changed (says a London scribe) since the days not so long sine* when French owners interested in the classic races on-tbeir own side of .the water, more particular/ the 'Prix dv Jockey Club, and the Grand Prix de Paris, ignored their home talent, and p?id extravagant tfees for the services of the best of the English jockeys. Nowadays the boot is on the other leg, and comparatively small as was -the Two Thousand Guineas field it was found necessary to requisition a couple of experts from the other, side of the Channel in G. Stern and O'Neill, the respective riders of Sunstar and Seaforth, each the property of a millionaire, and in the circumstances it seems strange -that with so much at stake Mr. J. B. Joel and Mr. Dermot McCalmont do not protect their in--•terests with the best talent available for money, especially the gentleman firstnamed, who has year after year a long string of 'high-clas3 horses engaged in all ■the most important -races in the Calendar. There is no denying the dearth of firstclass horsemen at the present time,sand it is humiliating to think that the two best are "foreigners," if, indeed, that description be permissible fi respect of an -.American and an Australian. It is a woeful admission of decadence, and difficult to account for, but none the less challenges contradiction. Mr August Belmont, chairman of the New. York Jockey Club, when asked recently, whether there remained any hope for racing, dictated a statement as follows:— "Every good American would like his country to have the best of everything, especially that which is produced in competition. The American racehorse was gradually working its way to equality with the English thoroughbred, if not to preeminence, but the crusade of the last five years has crippled the American breeder to such an extent that he cannot to-day hope for more than accidental success for years to come. "In trying to destroy public bookmaking, in which they have justifiable support, the reformers have gone too far and have injured a great industry and a popular sport. "Those who are responsible for this situation gained the confidence and support ot many by a disavowal of hostility to racing itself, and an expression of admiration for the horse. I am now convinced that it was hypocrisy, and that they have accomplished what they really sought—the destruction of racing. "It is to be hoped, however, that wisdom wiU prevail and that the rehabilitation of racing soon will become possible. "The racecourse is the testing ground for the breeders' guidance. Our army officers testify constantly to the widespread injury to the efficiency of the army the destruction of racing is working, and I am sure General Grant will subscribe to this opinion."

Sportsmen at all in touch with the turf in England will not be surprised at the intelligence conveyed by cable that a aectloa of the Tacing public did not take kindly to the prospect of Mr J. B. Joel winning the Derby with Sunstar. Mr Joel Is said to play the game fairly, but lie is not popular on the racecourse, despite his immense wealth, and that unwholesome fact has .been brought home to him on more than one occasion. After his prosecution of Mr R. S. Sievier, Mr Joel's success on the race* course was the subject of a hostile demonstration, while one in Mr Sievier'e colour* was received quite the other way. -Mr Joel is a rich man, but he is not a "big" matt according to the racecourse acceptance of the term, and if the crowd cannot cheer the King's colours, and the chance did not present itself this year, they must have success by a popular owner to rouse the racing enthusiasm in them. But still It is safe to say that when Sunstar won the Derby he would be cheered by many thousands of people. The multitude would be

"on the favourite." and In that case the pocket would speak. For many years past the English Derby has been won by mett whose efforts made for the good. of racing; The late Kins won three times, the Duke ot Portland, Sir J. -Miller, Sir F. Johnstone, Lords Bradford, Rosebery, Duke of Westminster, Mr X,. de Rothschild, and other such also participated. But the fact that victory by Sunstar was unpopular with a big section may not make the honours less welcome to Mr Joel, though it is quite certain that the success ot other ownert would be more popular.

In France further experiments are being

I made in connection -with starting, and a, | new scheme was given a trial at MaiaonsLafitte recently. The method was a sue- ' cess, too, as In one race twenty-seven horses and in another twenty i horses were dispatched on, as nearly a« j possible, level terms. According to an ex- | change > the starting posts are fitted wita, | wheels, describing a semi-circle, which at , a given signal throws up a thin red cord 'which bars the course to Indicate the line | behind which the horse 3 are drawn up. j This cord has 'been named the "lining ribbon"-, a single cord, red In colour, to avoifl j the white. Two starters are employed. I One is on a raised platform about ten J yards behind the post and outside the course. His duty consists in seeing that I the jockeys take their horses up to the cord and are .on level terms* -when he springs the cord. The otlier steward has also a raised platform, about fifty yard* from the start, and also outside the coarse, but built so as to give 'him an excellent - view of the respective positions ot 'the horses when the cord is sprang by hli assistant. If he is satisfied that the lot are away on level terms he drops the red flag 'he holds, and the start Is good; if not, the llag still held up signals for the joekeye to pull up and return to the start. It is claimed that this system does a-way with flying starts, and there is no danger ot horses being left at the post, hut thongi ft is added that it obviates the use of the starting machine, I cannot quite agree with •that, seeing rhat the horses still have to | be lined up to a barrier of some kind, even though it is only a single cord. V