TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 16, 19 January 1924, Page 21

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.) • E. Gardner, the English jockey, has '' signed a contract ac iirst horseman for j next season to Sir William Cooke, and I the Aga Khan will have second claim on ' his services, George Hulme being first jockey for the Indian owner. Rumours to the effect that F. Bullock j is likely to retire from the saddle at the I end of the season are unfounded, as J Bullock informs the "Sporting Life" j that he lias no intention of retiring, and | has arranged to continue to ride for Lord : Astor and others by whom he has been engaged during this season. An American sportsman recently approached Mr. James Daly, manager of I the Leopardstown Club, Dublin, claiming to have authority on behalf of the owner of Zev to bring that colt to Ireland and engage him in a match at Leopardstown against any horse in training in Ireland. Mr. Daly could not accept the proposal, and pointed out that it was for the owner of Zev or his agent to issue the challenge to Irish owners, and that with them rested the onus of either entertaining or declining the proposition. Frank Bullock, when the last mail left England was winding up the season in great style. He won four races at the j Newmarket meeting in November, while | he recorded two further successes at I Liverpool. The first of these was on the eveigreen Felim, while he later won the Knoweley Nursery on the greatlyimproved Caravel. In this nursery Purple Shade sustained his first defeat after four winning essays. Caravel, who is a son of Cicero—My Dear, is sufficiently well bred for anything, and with ordinary luck should make a name for himself. At the Bradford City Police Court recently it was stated on behalf of the Public Prosecutor that a London bookmaker had refunded £ISI which had been lost by betting by Leonard Glaister, a former wool merchant, who was sentfneed to twelve months' hard labour for offences under the Bankruptcy Act. It was stated that, while insolvent, Glaister made heavy bets with Mr. Douglas Stuart, the well-known Turf commission agent, and that, after correspondence with the Official Receiver, Mr. Stuart promptly refunded the sum mentioned for the benefit of Glaister's creditors. An American sporting paper decided that it would be a good idea to apply the science of astrology to the selection of -probable winners. The result was that an astrologer was added to the tipsterial staff. He told readers what planets were favourable to certain trainers e.iid owners on different days of the week, most favourable birthday anniversaries, the dates on which it was probable the planet 3 would be most antagonistic to backers, and lots more information of the same kind. The astrologer <had quite a long run, but at latest, his contributions were miseing. Either lie came to the conclusion that he could do better than 'by selling his scientific knowledge for a. salary; or else results suggested to his newspaper employers that astrology gave readere no more winners than the ordinary way oi selection. If anyone could turn astrology to genuine account in trying for winners, there would certainly be no need for him to work for newspapers. Eldorado who won the Holiday Hanpdicap at Kandwick recently, " traces back to Instep. He is by All Black from Auraria's daughter, by Pistol, her dam Auraria being by Trenton from Aura, by Richmond from Instep, by Lord Clifden. Antartie and Gold Shrine two other winners out of Auraria's daughter, have only been sprinters, but they are by St. Anton. Eldorado gave promise as a young horse of being a good stayer, and although he has taken a long time to come to hand, his owner's patience looks like being rewarded. Auraria's Daughter was ncr, and is a sister to Princess Aura, the dam of Lady Aura, Fitness and Smiles, while her dam, Auraria. was a wonderful gallojKT, and is a sister to the defunct Airrum, and also Aurous, the grandam of Desert Gold, Egypt, and Croesus. Going back further, "Eldorado is related to Golden Hop and Dunolly, but. of course, his most famous relative is Desert Gold, to whom he is practically a brother in blood. At the fiftieth anniversary meeting at Auteuil fParis) recently' the champion French steeplechaser Heros XTI. fell at the last fence when lie had the Prix dv Cinquantenaire won, and. breaking a fetlock, had to be destroyed. The jump was an easy one, and it was thought the horse must have fallen as a result of landing on an uneven piece of ground. Ridden by G. Parfreinent, Heros XII. would have "won tho Grand Steeplechase de Paris, of 1021, but for taking the wrong course. However, he won the following year, and last June was third in that race. Strangely enough about a couple of hours before H-pros XII. was killed, a portrait of the late George Parfrement fwho rode him in the 1021 Grand Steeplechase) was unveiled in the owners' room in the stand, the jubilee meeting beinji thought a fitting occasion. Heros XII. was an eight-year-old geldin<r. by Ex Voto from Historienne. He first came into prominence in l!>20, and subsequently won mojfc French steeplechases of note. Elliott and Donoghtte day by day formed part of the bill of fare for racing folk during the last few weeks of the season, and it must be admitted that the rivalry of the pair for first place at the head of the winning ijofkcys T list for tlio sea=nn was an interesting feature of its closing stages. When Donoghue went to America to take a ham! in the ill-starred Papyrus adventure he jeopardised his prospects of fortifying the position he held for nine consecutive years, ami there seemed every likelihood of Elliott ultimately claiming priority. But 'both had none of tho best of "luck lately, and while Donoghue was debarred from riding on November 24 through the collapse of the Manchester Meeting, Elliott's journey to Linsrfield was productive of in wfnning result. Thus the call of "89 all" a few days previously stood to the end, and the upshot is a dead-heat —iin unprecedented occurrence in connection with a year's riding. In addition to his disappointment at Castle Irwell Donoghue was handicapped comparatively early in the season by riding no fewer than 3S consecutive loser?, an. adverse experience he had no_t previously encountered.

In Auckland recently, when dismissing the appeal of a man against a Eentenee Dl two months' imprisonment imposed on him for laying tbe odds. Mr. Justice Reed said 'bookmaking was one of tbe greatest curses in New Zealand, and responsible for as much crime as liquor. He had no sympathy whatever with ■nch offenders. The learned judge maybe right, says ''Pilot,' , in tae "Sydney Referee," but it is difficult to believe that i≤ such an influence for evil in New Zealand as he evidently believes. According to the law it is supposed to be non-existent. There will be no more flat racing in the Paris district until next spring. In the meantime interest will be transferred to the Riviera, while Paris will be restricted to jumping and trotting. ■Students of form have been completely nonplussed during the closing meetings when outsiders had a rare, time. The curtain was rung down at St. Cloud in November, when the surprise of the day proved to be L'Yser IV.. who, starting at 50 to 1, won the sprint for two-year-olds by a length. But this price is dwarfed by the odds returned against Voila. Tout, winner of a selling plate at Maisons-Laffiee. who started at 176 to 1. In the South of France the animal had. recently won a race and been placed in two others, but Parisians thought so little of iiis chance that lie was allowed to run unbacked, except, it ia whispered, by the stable. To be exact, tbe parimutuel paid 1775fr 50c for each lOfr stake or over £22 for 2/G. This is a record for the year, although before the war over 6000fr was paid for a lOfr ticket. There are stories of rich harvests made by the connections ol these outsiders, but it is also said that one horse in winning a handicap at odds of over 30 to 1 surprised his owner as much as it did the public. r » One of the principal results of the past season is the prestige which, has been derived by French bloodstock from the triumphs of Epinard. At the end of the war French breeders had much lost ground to recover, and this fact increases in importance the success of the French champion. Apart from Epinard. who was not entered for the classics, the outstanding colt in France is Xassine, i who, despite a five months' absence from racing due to an injured leg whidh kept him out of the Derby, has demonstrated his superiority over the other colts. In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, when lie returned after his prolonoged absence, he easily got the better of Filibert de Savoie, who in the Grand Prix had similarly beaten Le Capucin, the French Derby winner. Perhaps the most disappointed owner is Captain Cohn. At the start of the season his stable showed wonderful form, and he had great hopes of winning some classic races. Sir Cnllahad, who made a speed record at Longchamp as a two-year-old, won the French Two Thousand Guineas, but afterwards suffered an amazing collapse, and, although he has run frequently since, has alway3 disappointed. Among the fillies, Quoi, winner of the French Oaks, has held her own, although much was expected at one time of the wayward Anna Bolena, but, like her stable companion, Sir Gallahad, she flattered only to deceive. By reason of his lavish and consistent patronage no supporter of the Turf is more deserving of the smiles of Fortune than Lord Derby, and general satisfaction will be felt at the fact that he heads the list of winning owners for 1923, says the "Sportsman." Tranquil shines out as the bright particular star among the contributors to the substantial sum down to his . name, and, as a "classic" winner, brings special honour with the money she earned. We Btand too near immediate events to appreciate the pretty perspective her three-year-old career will make in the future, when it will constitute a little epic, and folks be told how after scoring at Newbury she ■won the One Thousand Guineas, failed in the Oaks, and at Ascot, and was then sent for change of air and environment to Wantage and placed in charge of Charles Morton; how she was keyed up by him and won the St. Leger, incidentally copying tne example of her sire; how she failed again at Newmarket, subsequently wiped out that i defeat "with further victories, and finished the season by being generally acclaimed the best of her year. Whatever may be her future fortunes she will have made a striking mark in racing records, and be an acquisition when the time comes for her to join the matrons of Knowsley. Among other horses doing duty for Lord Derby. Pharos made a bold bid for the Blue Riband, but found Papyrus too good for him, and he was unable to win the Cambridgeshire, for which he was go well backed. But such disappointments are incidental to racing, and there were some compensations. Silurian and Moabite brought grist to to the mill, and among others to assist were Sierra Leone, Sansovino, and Halycon. Although one regretted to see the wonderfully speedy Slumtaz Mahal defeated at Kempton it showed us, says an English writer, that the daughter of The Tetrarch had her limitations: in other words, like so many phenomenally 6peedy animals, she failed to s'.ay in deep pomp, ami though it U probably true that she was not in th» form she showed earlier in th« season, she would not have been started her trainer considered her equal to the task in hand. Maybe Mnmtaz _ Mann I will reappear next season like a gientefs refreshed, and again carry all before her, but the chances are that she will do nothing of the kind, and it will not surprise mc if she never wins anouT nice, which almost equivalent tn saying that she may nnt be seen on a racecourse again. T have m> solid •round for this suggestion, but whrn once a filly of her stamp begins to lose her form it is always on the <-arrt< phe may never regain it. Purple Shade, who was thought by many \-.-> bo on", of the best of his a-je. failed noticeably towards the end of tin' season, and though he may not be; po smart as iva? generally thought the fact that- he is not engaged in any of the elastics poftens the disappointment. Thus Dioi phon is entitled to the position of winter • tavourite for tie Derby, but although :he won four out of five races he did ; nothing to supjrest superlative merit. I Nevertheless, Diophon's performance-* I were uniformly jiood, for if failed to <rive Woodend a ftonc for tiie lloi-- ! ful .Stakes he wiped that dufeat out by | winning the Middle Park Stakes rather cleverly from Plack (received 101b) am! I Knight of the Garter [level;, harin~ behind, among others. Bucks I {received 71b>, Hurstwoo-1 (received :71b), and Woodend.