TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 254, 24 October 1914, Page 14

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.)

R. Wootton's stable had a run of 'luck just before the last anail left, and during the fourteen days he saddled nine vrinneis.

Sir Ches. Xugent's Fair Passenger was S.t on the card at Manchester (Eng.) tccently—a number not -often seen in the frame at any meeting.

Several horses bought by Huron Trutzschler for the Germans were commandeered by the Government at Holyhead on August S, on the day they were clue to sail.

The following notice was posted in the "Weighing room at the Manchester (Eng.) mieeiing:—"Jfo horses the property of Germans or Austrians can run at the meeting, by order of the stewards."

There are those who hold jockeys' licenses -who might do worse than establish a troop of Bantam Cavalry (says nn English writer). Then, when they returned, some of them inisht be able to ride.

All the horses which '"li-.-d been sent to Spa, Belgium, for tlio 'horse --how have been seized and carried oil' by the Germans. They included, bet-ides Belgian -Hid French horses, those belonging to Italian.; and Enjrlish, and represented some of the 'best show horses in the world.

The programme of the Taaranaki Jockey Club for tlie 1914-1.. season provides ifor an increase of stakes of £500, making the total for the seiujon A' 4415. The -progTa-mme for -tlie Ci-ris-t-maus- meeting remains as previously so far as the is takes are concerned.

Some of the Tiding tit W'ingatui (says in Dunedin writer) was not altogether devoid of suspdeion, and it would not -lave been surprising t>> tfi-ul the carpet occupied after some of the events on the programme. Probably one or two were -lsked a. question: hut. if: so, there was a considerable amount ml" secrecy observed in the matter.

Mr. John Thompson, owner of the Widden (N.-S.W.) stud, and part-owner of the premier stallion Maltster, died recently in a Sydney private hospital. Mr. Thompson came down for the races, but was stricken down with hemorrhage of the brain and was at once removed to a hospital. Ho never regained consciousness nctr rec.'gnised the members of his family, who were all with him to the last.

Iv his book of reminiscences as to the rival merits of the American and old English style of race-riding, S. Darling, the well known English trainer, prefers the Amer'san seat on a free horse, but gives it us.his opinion that on a sluggish animal there is no ef.mparision between the present style' and that of George Fordham, John Osborne, Archer, and others of the old school. He pays, however, r. handsome tribute to the ability of such exponents of the American seat as Sloan, Maher, and Frank Wootton.

Tlie English trainer R. Denmau, who is at present located in France, wrote to the. English '•Sportsman" shortly after the war broke out as follows:— You will see by my address that I am a long way from homo, or, rather, from M. Edmond Blanc's establishment at La Fouilleuse, near St. Cloud. M. Blanc, through the kindness of the Minister of War, was granted a special train, in which I have brought his racehorses, two stallions (Ajax and Verwood), and some of his niost valuable brood marcs, down here to .Sonant le Pin, close to the great' depot Of the French' Government, which is nattied Haras de" Pin, and I hope wo are in a place of safety, with so much valuable stock of racing blood. 1 shall never forget the thing 3 I saw in coming down here. Horses in training, yearlingsi brood marcs, and foals, which had been on the way for some days, were all trailing along the roads to some place or other for safety. It was pitiful to see the poor little foals lying down by the roadside to rest, tired and worn out. Under my windows about a dozen marcs, foals, and yearlings belonging to M. Henriquet, of the Old England, Paris, are eating from a little grass-plot as they take a brief test lefore continuing their journey. I hope nature will soon provide the poor animals with a place of refuge, wuich, however, is very difficult to find. The military measures are; very strict. I got away from Lit Fouilleuso, but not without much difficulty, taking a- few valuables, and leaving everything else behind. I hope for the best, and that the Germans will never reiach Paris. We hear on all sides that they are a cruel lot, and that they respect nobody and nothing.

In a recent issue of "The Sportsman" the "Special Commissioner" makes some interesting comments on thick-winded horses, "file authority quoted says:— "Highly-tried two-year-olds often disappoint, and some never win at all.—such, for instance, as .303, whom I snw beat all the rest of Lord Crewe'a and the Duke of Portland's two-year-olds years ago— but Sea Eagle's trial was at a later period in the year, and I think we may fairly anticipate that sn ■ will give a much better show the next time she runs, though she is just a lithe, whippy little filly, not very likely to make much of a three-year old. On the other hand. Bedfern, the winner of the National Breeders' Produce Stakes, is a son of St: Denis, whom buyers would not look at in tlie ring nt Newmarket the same week, because, like most of the Agnes family, he is thick-winded. Surely this is absurd folly. ' The respiratory trouble — if trouble it be—from which tliia family suffers does not stop their winning over long distances. Lily Ague- went two miles easily when notoriously wrong in her wind, and it may be doubted whether Ormonde's wind infirmity ever stopped him. St. Denis himself won the Princess of Wales' Slakes, and could cover two miles readily enough. In short, I believe tlie Agnes family arc of the kind properly called thick-winded, and they train clean ami sound on an adequate amount of work. It was certainly so with Sceptre, who wanted a strong gallop even on the morning of a race to get her really Teady, and, if I remember rightly, she was well galloped before Mr. Loach arrived to examine her for Sir W. Bass, who was about buying her. She was sound enough, of course, but she had to have the cobwebs' "blown away from her respiratory arrangement*-,'*

Prank Wootton, who trains Nazdar for his father, was fined £5 for not declaring the correct weight for the horse in the Muswell Plate at Alexandra Park (Eng.) recently. The weight on the card was Ost 6Tb, which was, of course, correct, but Donoghue weighed out Bst 131b, which alteration was notified on the board, and the horse was on his way to the post when he was brought back and his jockey weighed out afresh.

In order to settle -the much-vexed question as to the lowest weight carried by Kitchener (says an 'English exchange) we reprint a letter received from that jockey as far hack as 1804, and the letter rea-ds:—"The lowest weight il ever rode in any public race was at lAecot, in the year 1840, where I rode a filly by 'Nonsense, carrying 3st 7Tb, but bodily weight was 2st lib; tbheretfore the rest of the weight was made up with a heavy saddle and cloths, iit was in the same race when Henry Bell won, and was presented to the Queen. The filly belonged to General Windham, and was trained .by Captain Beec-ier, at the Hippodrome, at Bayswater."

It has become practically a certainty now that Polymelus will win the Winning Stallions Championship for the current English season. 'Black Jester's victory in the St. Legcr has carried the son of Cyllene far ahead of his nearest attendant, Sundridge. which, at the momenu has very little to spare from tlie steadily advancing Spearmi>-. Ciceromar and Catiline have enabled Cicero to effect a useful improvement, while Lady of Asi;_ carries Santoi into closer touch with that prolific sire of winners, William the Third. Kedfern's triumph in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster places St. Denis right up amongst the leaders, and of the remainder Chancer, Symington, St. Amant, Simon Square, and Count Schonrberg indicate the best results.

Clontaft has put up a great record over hurdles in Australia during the last few months. Prior to Easter he had raced last season without a win, but at the autumn meeting of the Australian Jockey Club he scored under lOst 21b, winning again a few days later, when carrying list. On returning to Melbourne lie won another race at Caulfield, and after scoring in a Jumpers' Flat Race in the winter, wound up the season with an easy victory in the Grand National Hurdle Handicap, with list 41b in the saddle. He has had a quiST time since then, but his success last week, under 12st 31b, shows him up very attractively, and it is evident that he is right at the top of the hurdlers of Australia at the present time. Clontaft's sire, Godwin, is by the imported horse Tostig.

The English St. Leger was run in recoTd time, 3.2 2-5, for the mile six furlongs and 1352 yds. ' The previous best was when Night Hawk won last year. The fast time, says an English writer, was probably the outcome of .the rasping pace set by Kennymore, who piloted his field till a quarter of a mile from home, where he was done with. The connections of Sir John Thursby's colt aver that the son of John o' Gaunt is not at his best when making his own running, though probably Templeman considered it advisable to make the best use of the sligh. advantage that he secured at the start. Kennymore ran in blinkers for the first time. The field was also the largest for 53 years. Three owners had more than one runner, including Sir John Thursby, whose horses Kennymore and Cressingham finished second and third.

In giving their decision that racing should proceed in England during the war, the Stewards of -the English Jockey Club were careful to point out that they had not so far encouraged racing for the sake of those who attended the meetings merely for amusement, hut because, after careful investigation, they were convinced that its cessation would have th© immediate effect of throwing out of work a large number of people. Figures were also quoted showing how many there are dependent on racing and the breeding of racehorses for a livelihood, and these, added to the expression of opinion that the interests of the nation would be best served 'by such people being retained in their usual vocations instead of being forced to apply for relief to funds which will be urgently needed in other directions, proved an unanswerable argument. Hence the decision to carry on whatever the local conditrons permitted was a unanimous one

Commenting on the English St. Leger, an English .writer says: "At last we have the exact measure of Kennymore. Templeman and the horse got on well together, and before the starting "ate the animal's conduct waa exemplary. While others were prancing about he stood ready -to jump off, and when growing restless from the delay, the jockey's hand 3aid gently on his neck put him in good heart again. I had a careful look at Kennymore in the paddock and thought him drawn mudi finer than he was on Derby Day. He looked perfectly trained, and his quarters were hard with muscle. He was. certainly "the workman" of the field. All sorts of extravagant stories were going round about his trial with The Curragh, it being said that he could give the four-year-old 2Mb. If he could beat hrm at even weights I thought it would be good enough to win this Leger, for there was not anything'of much'account to beat. To improve his chance he drew No. 1 on the inside; he jumped off readily and took the field along at a cracking pace. I said before they had gone lialf way that it was going to be the fastest Leger I had ever seen. Beforo getting to the Rifle Butts two horses —Peter the Hermit and Courageous—had tried unsuccessfully to wrest the lead froni him, but at each challenge Kennymore drew further away. Then Hapsburg had a "go" at him, and it looked for a brief moment, on coming into the straight, that Sir Emost Cassel's gatmo little horse had got his head in front, hut -it was only for "a brief moment." Kennymore drew out again, but bis effort to beat Hapsburg probably coat him .the race,- for .when the black jacket and red cap was seen drawing to tlie front in the centre of the cottrac Templeman had to take up his whip. Kennymore responded as best jhe could, but Black , r cster was the fresher horse, and the issue w?s soon placed beyond doubt. Black .Tester. lam given to understand, wa6 well hacked by his connections, but the. public would not have him at any price. They dcI clincd to believe that he could stay the' course"