TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 194, 14 August 1920, Page 18

TURF NOTES.

i (By WHAtEHOXE.) I ' ' ! Racing Ik's never been so popular in England says an exchange, as it is now, and if prominent stabies pursued an open ana straightforward poik-y instead !of creating "mysteries' , it would be all the better for the future of the "great I game." I When Fox, the English jockey, greeted '■the l-'iancu-AmurU-au frink O'-Neill ho 'tended wsme very friendly and valuable 'advice, by ravin.': "If you are riding in ! the licrby and y.-.-.i cannot get your nor.-'- 1 in Iront, keep your head well down nulling round Tatteiiham Corner, '(Vtherwi-e you will be blinded by the .stones and "dust .-cut up by the horses lin iront of you." Frank O'Neill appreciated the advice, and thanked Fox: for it after be had won on Spion. Kop. The wav the jockeys rode in France left a great impression, comments an Knglich authority. A race migtit have 'been seme mechanical toy, so clean did tlnv all rid-, and when rounding a bend the' horsemanship was perfect. At some, of these points, always at tiie turn *<jr (■home, en oliUial i≤ tnere to watch the I riding, and bad luck to him wiio i=; re- ■ ported. He stands down —there is no callini; of evidence; the official's report jis the verdict. The jockeys are aware of tliis, some iro.ni personal experience jto their disadvantage, the result being i that each rider looks to his horse and j Jiiri horse alone ,when rounding for home. lie is not screaming at someone else, he swings the bend in one position, and the whole field come into the straight as if mechanically propelled. England might well adopt the practice I which jfcas .succeeded so excellently— namely, a fearless and knowledgable official at the turn for the winning post. Commenting on the race for the Hardwicke Stakes, ran recently, an English j writer says:—Friday's race recalls to my memory the year Ormonde, Bendigu land Minting competed for it, and tne first-named won by a neck. Oie heans and reads a lot of gush abou , . "horses of the century." but 1 cannot help thinking that this year's three-year-olds, for instance, are quite a<s good as those of many a past vintage year. It suffices ! when one reflects that the great Orjmonde—at the pace he won his Derby—■ • would have been two or three hundred I yards behind iSpion ivop, in the time ha I won this year! Would Ormonde have I won his Derby had there been an j Abbot's Trace and Spion Kop in his race? 1 venture to think not. Ameri-jt-an jockeyship has. in this respect, renidered great scrviefts to the Kuropeau I Turf. It was the pace they set from I the start: the way they kept it up, I which won so many races for Moan, the I Reill's. and others when they came hero. j Thus an English writer: The rotten [starting which has in Kngland been =uch lan unpleasantly conspicuous feature this season require the close attention of j the powers that he. Everybody is jtalking about it, and we think "the limit, lis n ached when jockeys complain that I they have not had a fair chance. Doubt-jlet-e the jo.keys in lodging these eom■piaints are fur trouble. Jt is . ; ihp business of thp stewards to protect ■! the ollicial .-•■ tarter who is doing his ;hest whatever that may be. UtruTwieu things would become chaotic. We are 'nut holding a brief for anybody, but it :s absolutely certain that unless an improvement takes place in the "starting" raeinjr will become next to impossible. -N.li.idy but fools will dare to bet. We. must confess that we i> It some s\ mpathy for M-. i-.. Kennedy at NVwbury when he protested to the stewards after his highly tried two-year-old -Mileskis was lei; standing still" at the post. A mint of money must have been lost over tiiat unfortunate contretemps. No wonder there was weeping and wailing and gnashing- of teeth. ' Presumably tiie*o things wi.l happen again. Nevert.'.e.ess the question >•.; fair starting i- a ' very .-cr:oii* matter. , I ' I It lran.--p;res tlm Donnghue, \\Uo ' rode Spion Kop in the (.rand i'lix. complained after the raiv that a set w;io made against his mini!:; by some of the other ,-iders. but ,:,y.; „„ Knglish wrii.-r: Much has bee:, B-rilson and more spok-u . about .«!»jou Hup and the (irand l'ri.v. It • c:m he summo.l up in a few word-. ' i 1,,10^''",, ; ' s ' : '"' orl ;i:i -.- f>CN-Minn rode ;;e n!!pos.Mb:e p.ixiti'i,i< im:i-inalHe. ' If'.^i lil, ' ""-,;tc!: »n Li,- far , f the cou.-..-, »'iien Spion Kop uh5,,,,,, 1v ~. ■ ' n!J b - V - himi " :f Wil!l "" :l ;l'-ad taken hi, moi-ut' n;l't"'w !'""ah -i- « eier.r six f.irlongs r.i a tropin- .-,,.', ■'-'- in front of him. 7<.» P rmf-t h, vo ""'•'■■ R«t hr chinjr tn the rails. aiiowH In pass him. and go h ope rF s| -mangle,;. The ~n i y ■ni^^ rr .,,'.. s P i ,"n •\»]. suil.'red v.a- crratr-.l In- his ri.l. ■ [ h wxi h»me within dUtanrP. 'nl'l 'hestraight he sat ;ln ,l rode'in a "■"".or wh ,h has m . vor ~„ „ *' r ™* nt lookerV Ut : C . rai 7 , - ttn loiHll.u..i,ia«r." j™ and ihr u-o r,;.,^ l^-;: a short head frlfin V,X". °"- V" - V '"' ! '■'■' t s yn>£atlij was cs^rcescd.