TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 67, 18 March 1916, Page 16

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.)

John Osbo-rn, the famous jockey, cele hrated his S3rd birthday at the beginning of January. He still ridee work.

According to my own experience, says an English trainer, roaring is frequently developed by errors of feeding and training.

Lord Rosebery's aiare Signorinetta, winner of the Derby and Oaks in 190S, foaled at Durdans Stud recently a bay colt by Cicero. Both the mare and ioal are doing well. Signorinetta was purchased by Lord Rosebery from Chevalier Ginistrelli in 1911 after she had failed to reach a big reserve put upon her at the Newmarket December Bales.

Mr. J. Timms, owner of Cherubini, i 6 a railway contractor, who has sunk a fortune in racing, but the son of Martian is the first winner (twice) he has owned. He gave 2000 guineas for Naxberrr, -who went wrong on the eve of the Melbourne Cup, and a similar amount for Di Gama, who also failed to train on. After euch an exasperating run of ill-luck, Cherubini at 170 guineas may betoken a radical change of fortune.

In connection with the disqualification of Fil d'Ecosse, at the Birmingham December Meeting in 1914, an interesting point was decided by Judge Smith recently at West Bromwich County Court. .Yellow Chat was also disqualified, and Alfred Lomas, turf agent, sued William Lewis Sumley, fruiterer, for £10. It was stated that defendant took £8 to £2 from the plaintiff about Fil d'Ecosse, and ■when the horse passed the post first received the £10. Subsequently Fil d'Ecosse was disqualified, and the raoe awarded to Yellow Chat. Nine days later ■Mark Minor was declared winner. Plaintiff alleged that he paid out on the three, and had succeeded in getting back only a portion of the money wrongly paid. The defendant had promised to repay but had not done so. Defendant urged tiin. there was money owins; to him from other bookmakers, and thereupon his Honor observed: '"It would come if it was due from a bookmaker. They always pay." His Honor, on the ground that the dispute was not over the wagering contract, but related to a mistake of fact as to which horse had won, gave judgment for the plaintiff.

In England, as in New Zealand, sportsmeu have to pay deirly for everything, and in this connection an English writer says:—No body of men are so persistently and ruthlessly imposed upon aa owners of racehorses. They are charged t-e most exorbitant prices, and in return receive anything but the best goods. Take as an instance the charges for stabling at such places as Doncneter, Epsom and so forth. It is next to highway robbery. The residents of these places having accommodation for man or horse are nothing but passive pickpockets. To take a house for the four days' racing, and this applies to Ascot, Goodwood and many other ''sporting" ct-nt r es, an owner, and no le=s the racing public, is asked to p.iy somewhere in the region of the whole year's rent. It is much the same with apartments, while the hotels double and in cases quadruple their ordinary charges for rooms. Provincial flymen and taxicab drivers cast the legal tariff to hades, and extort what they can according to tho credulity of their fare. H is time these matters were remedied, and it is possible that the Racehorse Breeders, Owners and Trainers' Association may take the matter up. In the event of a reasonable but no less munificent offer for accommodation being refused the placing of the house or stables on the black list and boycotting them would soon have a salutary effect, and the Association is in a position to carry this through.

I should have thought, says an English writer, that however dimitcd were the opportunities of genuine stayers to prove themselves last year, there could iave been no question as to which horse ■was entitled to the distinction, so far as it could be claimed. I am requested, however, to state the case from my own point of view, and .have little hesitation in awarding the palm to Son-in-Law. My correspondent may, of couree, be justified in his choice of the "triple-crown" Jiero, Pommern, but, easily as Mr. Sol Joel's good colt carried off the September Stakes, he surely comes within tiie "not-iproven" category, though in writing thus I am far from suggesting that the Bon of Polymelue is anything but .1 fine stayer.

The case, of Son-in-law, however, is totally different, as Sir Abe Bailey's colt earned laurele as a three-year-old in the Goodwood Cup, in which he defeated At Last and three others, and if he had only Hjad the plodding Uondovar to beat in the Jockey Club Cup he could not have accomplished his task more easily. It ■was deft for last year's Cesarewitoh, however, to bring out the son 'of Dark Ronald and Mother-in-law in hie true colours, and few people who witnessed the race for the big Newmarket handicap will ever forget the impression his viutory made upon them. It was not so much tha* the colt won the CesaTewitch as that he did so after having been, the subject of much hostile criticism on account of a seriously-interrupted preparation, and ailso after having gone down to the in the most unattractive fashion conceivable. How the colt surmounted all such difficulties ia now a matter of history. Son-in-Law'e second victory in the Jockey Club Cup wae achieved even more easily than ibhe previous one; in which, as already related, he had 1 only Gondovar to beat. Last October he was opposed by Laniue, winner of the Jockey Club Stakes, and a couple of earlier Cesarewiteh winners in Warlingham and Fiz-Yiima, as well as a good-claee three-year-old in Gadabout. It will be reiiiembered fh-at the betting between Son-iu-Lavv and Lanius was verj eloee, and that the former, although lie cantered past the stands more freely than on Oairewiteh day, did not give entire satisfaction in thie direction. Coming Luck, however, it wae a very different matter, as he drew out about half a mile from home to win in the easiest jioisible fashion by four lengths from 1/anhis. Son-in-Law'e style of galloping may mot be exactly attractive, but it ;e effective enough, which, after all, is the main consideration. In a year, therefore, when many of the chief long-dis-tance events had to be abandoned, he is dearly entitled to be regarded as the biat stayer. I

Prior to winning the V.R.C. St. Leger Patrobas 'had won about £12,500 in prize money in return for the 300gns he cost in the sale ring as a yearling, and of that sum £10,275 accrued at the Melbourne Cup meeting. As tlie V.8..C. St. Leger victory represents well over another £1000, Patrobas seems destined to take his place among the most notable stake earners on the Australian turf. His chief engagements at the current V.E.C. Autumn Meeting tire: Australian Cup, C. M. Lloyd States, Loch Plate, and King's Plate, while ihe is among the entrants for A.J.C. St. Leger and Sydney Cup, and it seems to be purely a matter of health for him to increase his winnings to a large extent before the season closes.

They do say (it may be scandal) that a -well known sportsman mode a firm bid for an "also ran" at a meeting t'other day, for lie is nothing if not an optimist. The wretched owner etood gazing disconsolately at the wretched thread-papery ibunch of bones after the verdict, "ran nowhere," when the philanthropist approached. "Cheer up!" he cried joyously—for he had had a good win. "Tell you what I'll do; I'll give you a fiver for Mm if you bring him round to my place ou Sunday morning." "But what if you're not in?" temporised the proud owner, hope chining once more in his eyes." "Oh, shove him under the door!" replied the turf magnate joyously. And co the long dark day wore slowly on.

The Melbourne writer, "Terlinga," in a recent issue of the "Australasian," chronicles the death of La Carabine. The information was conveyed to him by JasScobie, and it seems surprising that nothing was heard previously of such an event, the famous mare having passed away about three months ago. In referring to the daughter of Carbine, the Melbourne scribe has the following:—"La Carabine was a great stayer, with two

"champions" to her credit, and Bue grew to lie a grand specimen of the thoroughbied. Mr. Matheiv O'Skannassy brnd her on the Murray. When he was on a trip to Kngland in the nineties, Mr. O'Shaiinasey was on the look-out for a few a'ares. He had (so 1 have been told) the luck to make the acquaintance of Mat Dawson, the famous trainer; and, more fortunately still, "old. -Mat" took a fancy to the stalwart Australian, and undertook to pick out the required mares. Two of the selection were Barley and Orotava, the dams respectively of Malster and La Carabine, who were both bred by Mr. O'Shannassy. La Carabine was leased to Mr. Herbert Power, who had little luck with her. As a two-year-old she was kept for the Doncaster Handicap, and backed down to 0 to 1. After going to Sydney ehe did a trial— Hopscotch was said to have been in it— which was considered unbeatable, but La Carabine got oil badly, and was never in the hunt. She came with a paralvßiug run at the end of a Nursery on tho second day, and just beat Nor-East a hot favourite. That was the end of her usefulness as far as Mr. Power was concerned. When Mr. O'Shannassy died, La Carabine went up for Bale, and Mr. McDonald gave 210gs for her on account 'of Mr. W. fi. Wilson. After a spell she came out and won the Australian Cup and Sydney Cup, but was just a3 disappointing in the Doncaster and Toorak as she had been when backed for mile races in earlier days. La Carabine must have shown good trials over ehort courses, but in n race she did not run up to them, and in bei earlier days, at all events, she was called names, but ac a matter of fact a gamer mare never looked through r bridle. The trouble was that she could not begin quickly enough to win ehort races. In her first Champion—run on a very hot day—Advance undoubtedly had "the heels of her," and entering tbe straight it looked any odds on him, but the old mare struggled on and =n, until finally she got to him, and won. She was literally staggering when ehe came back to scale, and Seobie was advised to ; 'get her under the bose quickly" or he would lose her. While Mr. Wilson was laid up for the last time, La Carabine v/as sent to Adelaide, where she should have won at least one of the two Cups. I did not see the Adelaide Cup, but I did see the Birthday Cup, and have no hesitation in Baying that any etable-boy capable of steering her could have won on her by fifty yards. Aβ it was, her rider got her wedged in between Paul Try and Gunga-din, and, although she was carrying them at the finish, she failed to push them apart, and was beaten. After Mr. Wilson's death, Sir Rupert Clarke gave 1.250gs for La Carabine, and she won Jiim the Champion Stakes twice, and various other races. She started racing as a two-year-old, and the let-up she got as a four-year-old was her only spell until she wae put out of training, after winning her second Champion at seven years. At the etud she and Sir Rupert Clarke's other hardworked mare, Sweet Nell, were both failures, but in this respect they did not differ from other famous race mares, njio came just after them. Probably Ipidi, one of La Carabine's foals, which won tho South Australian Stakes, was pretty good, but his legs failed. Little Pretty Peg won a race or two, but aa a brood mare La Carabine was a failure, and she died at her owner's place near Euperswood.