TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 21

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.)

Lord Westmorland was probably gratied, when, in his colours, Grenhurst scored his third win in succession in i■* the Uxbridge Steeplechase at Kompton ' last month, for his lordship trains the horse himself at his scat in Linconshire. Grenhurst bore evidence of his very careful schooling. The American Jockey Club has officially credited Zev with winning 286,573 ' dollars during his turf career. This . settles the controversy regarding the ' monetary comparison between Zev and i Isinglass, the English thoroughbred, who , holds the record with the amount of j. 201.275 dollars. The English Grand National winner,!, Music nail, which ran in the Quorn Hunt j: Steeplechase at Leicester in December,;, looked wonderfully well. He got the], course without breaking down, but had j; no chance against the favourite, Turkey Buzzard, to which he finished second. Lord Derby, who headed the list of . winning owners in England, has, for the third year in succession, given to the British Legion 5 per cent of his gross race winnings. The sum this year amounts : : to £2000, and is to be administered by the benevolent department of the i British Lesion for the benefit of Lancashire ex-Service men. Some extraordinary, not tn say eX'r.T'n'3nt, stories are going the rounds of the American and Capadian papers as the outcome of the Zev-Papyrus match (says the "Sportsman"). Names of ; prominent persons connected with the • English turf as owners, bookmakers, . commission agents, and jockeys are , mentioned without any disguise, and . charges of conspiracy and sharp prac- • tice are being bandied about almost wholesale. . At Kempton Park on December 1 Mr. R. S. Sievier lodged a complaint to the stewards against Mr. M. Shutt for having used abusive language. Mr. Sievier further asked the stewards to see Mr. Shutt and himself in order to avoid a breach of the peace. The stewards heard the complaint in the presence of Mr. Sievier and Mr. Shutt, Mr. Shutt apologised to the stewards, who severely censured him for his language and behaviour, and cautioned him as to his conduct in future. When an owner gives a name to a horse which is suggestive of a winning career, the animal's performances in public are often the reverse. The nomenclature of Sure Gain, however, has proved a happy choice, as the colt has been one of the most consistent two-year-old platers of the past season in England. Sure gain, which ran his 22nd race on November 28, dead-heated with Oshkosh for the Apprentices' Plate at Lin afield, this being his fourth win, omitting once when he was disqualified. The son of Gainsborough has also been second six times, third on four occasions, and fourth four times. The Princp of Wales is taking a great j interest in National Hunt racing. His Royal Highness witnessed the racing at Kempton Park last month, and then went on to Leicester just in time to watch the saddling of Lord Westmorland's Grenhurst for the Broxhills Steeplechase. No horse could have carried himself better than the son of Op- | pressor —Royal Mary, which has proved j himself to be a clever jumper. The royal ! visitor showed considerable interest in I the gelding, and in due course walked i across the course to see him negotiate I the waterjump. Grenhurst cleared this I | obstacle in fine style, but he took-ofl I too soon at the next fence, and disposed j iof his rider. This was a fresh experience for the chestnut, who had scored thrice off the reel. According to rumour there is a possiI bility of the French crack Epinard I making the trip to America next season, notwithstanding the failure of Papyrus lat Belmont Park. The story is to the I eft'ect that if the mountain will not go Ito Mahomet, then Mahomet must go to the mountain. In other words, if American owners fight shy of the risk of sending one or other of their champions to France to meet Epinard, the j owner of the Stewards' Cup winner may I decide to send his colt across the Atlan-1 i tic to oppose the American animal. M. Pierre Wertheimer was to visit the | I States last month, when he would meet ' Mr. Sinclair, the owner of Zev. and endeavour to arrange for the challenge race to take place in France. If this I idea is turned down then. as said. Epinard may eventually find his way to America. Before the inauguration of tbe Catwick meetings in England over thirty I years asro there were regular fixtures at I Woodside, Croydon, but the site of tbe I old racecourse is now transformed into I a snmrt residential district. The older members of the racing community were recently reminded of the Woodside era Iby the decision of the Croydon Handicap Hurdle, which used to he an event lof first-rate importance. Among those I who rode at the old meeting were Lord ! "Marcus Beresfnrd, Mr. Arthur Coventry, who later acted as starter. .lames dewitt. Robert )'Anson. "Dick" Marsh, "Joe" Cannon, and "Jack" Jones, father ,j of the Eire's jockey. Of the old-timers above named only Marsh and Cannon are still alive. 'March, of cour.e, has I charge of His Majesty's horses, but 'Cannon is living in well earned retireI ment. Sir Hugo (unliffe-Owen. who. Accom | panied by his wife, went to f'ilina on |. business visit last month, has sold ,'the five-year-old Ea.lehawk to. Colonel Noblett and Mr. Holliday Hartley as a ■stallion. A handsome bay by SpparImint out of Countess Zia. and therefore I half-brother to The Panther (now in the Argentine), and to Bliuidhaoiinch, . Eaglehawk will stand at the wellappointed Bingham Lodge Stud near i Chard. Somerset. The fee to be charged . for his services has not yet been definitely fixed, bul it will be moderate . enough to ensure a full list of mares. Eaglehawk won nearly C4OOO in stakes, one of the races lie won being tho Liveri pool Gup. He is. of course, closely related to the St. Leger winner, Royal Lancer, whoso dam. Royal Favour, is three-parts sister to Countess Zia. The , female line goes back to Fermia, the dam of St. Serf, and the grandam of Ayrshire. Violet, the grandam of Meiton, was sister to Fermia.

It is stated in France that Town Guard may represent the Argcutine—a country in which he has never set foot — in the much-discussed "international race" in Paris next May. Land of Song died too soon. Evidently his stock improve with age. Sonora (Land of Song*—Polyhgy) is one of the best spr ; ters in Victoria Last, month Glen Song (Land of Song—Glenluce) won the Chelmsford Handicap, one mile, at Randwick. A. Whalley, whose last mount of the season was a winning one, this being jlnverveigh in the Lancashire Nursery at I Manchester, hopes to be able to get (down to Tst 101b next year. Not having ( fixed up any engagement, Whalley will (ride as a free lance for the 1924 campaign. It is not often that the winner of A race like the National Breeders' Produce ; Stakes is found competing in a hurdle ; event a couple of years later. But one (of the runners in the Hants Hurdle at j Newbury was Polyhistor, who in 1021 won the big Sandowu event and other races, in one of which he actually gave weight and an easy beating of Lady Juror. He finished last over the hurdles. At the Dublin City Sessions recently, before the Recorder, among the clairu- ■ ants for damage to property was Michael I Beary, the jockey, whose address was given as the Carlton Hotel, London. Bery claimed £229 for personal effectlost or destroyed in the Geesala Hotel tluring the fighting in Dublin last yearThe property consisted of ten suits of clothes, hunting kit, etc. He was awarded £200. The King will also have one or two hurdlers to race this season. Recently Bennet rode Joss-house over some tice hurdles, and the norse seemed to enjoy the work, and with the badtempered Bowman converted to reason by the veterinary, he should be one of the most likely of all a bit later in th« season. The Australian State revenue from racecourses for' the last six months was considerably less than that of the same period last year. The totalisator yielded £11,425 less —£110,712 as against £122,137. Racecourses admission tax amounted to £03.707, a decrease of £8306. Betting taxes, however, brought in a slightly higher amount, £05,282 being collected, as against £04,339. For December, all of the figures were lower than those of the same month last year, the decreases being: Betting taxes. £1632; totalisator, £4268; racecourses admission tax, £2925. Twenty-seven of Swynford's 73 winners last season were successful as two-year-olds. Compared with the record* of many stallions, this is not a big proportion, but it is all that could reasonably be expected. Swynford himself was a stayer, and many of his offspring are stayers. It is the sires of sprinters who get the early maturing sort who shine as juveniles. Excluding the two-year-olds (Sansovino and Ihe Hippolyte filly) this year's runners by Swynford have won 2G races, the average distance of which was nearly I<H furlongs. Up to the end of the 1922 season the average distance of the races won by his stock was 9i furlongs. The achievements of Tranquil, Silurian, and Bold and Bad raised the average to the higher figure this year. M. Ranucci, a leading patron of the French Turf, has just purchased at the j Curragh Mr. C. T. Wallis' Vesington iStar, by Flying Orb, who was the cliam- ! pion two-year-old of the past season |in Ireland. The colt won all four races jiu which he ran, and he has changed ! hands at a record price for a horse in | training in Ireland. It is not permisjsible (says an English -writer) to disj close the sum given for him, but it may be mentioned that before his purchase the highest-priced horse sold out of aa Irish stable was Irish Hope, who waa bought by Mr. Macomber for £6000. At the. same time that the agent of M. Ranucci bought Vesington Star he a©» quired Mr. Jas J. Murphy's two-year* old, Valclar. one of the best-looking of his age, and a useful winner. A substantial consideration was paid for that son of Clarissimus. Dr. Bill, who claims a most aristocratic pedigree, being by Comedy King I (imp.) from Gladsome, was resurrected lot the Oaklands Hack and Trotting I Club's meeting (Tasmania)) on Boxing Day, and created a surprise by winning the Dulvcrton Handicap, of about 8i furlongs with 11.2. Dr. Bill has had a chequered career. Bred at the Shipley I (Vie) Stud by Mr. Sol. Green, he was I one of the first draft of yearlings sent ' into the sale ring, and failed to find a buyer. Subsequently he was bought privately, and then found his way to Tasmania, where, failing to make good, he became a policeman's hack. Having ' done a bit in the Force, he came back to racing, and was once successful, only t to again fall into the hands of the 1 police. Ho did duty around Port Arthur. ' Another owner securing him, he was r nominated for tbe Oaklands Boxing Day j meeting, and pulled off the stake > . I -Swynford. son of John o' Gaunt. ti beads' the list of stallions ibis year with n. ja. total nearly £2000 bigger than I Tracery's, and morn than _T50i.10 better .than that of The Tetrareh. who is third, a It is the first time Tx> rd Derby's horse .has occupied this exalted position (says r the special commissioner!. He got near q| to it in 1921, when be finished third to llPolymelus and Winstar. In 1910 he was . Ififth, and in 191*. and again last yea., tjhc was sixth. This is a very saf i-f:i.-----Itorv record, beean-c he has had runners iin onlY eight seasons. To date !ford has been represented ™ the I urr by 73 individual winners or ISO r;iec<i , Worth £122,4.>(. If the slakes were 1 apportioned equally among the winners, 1 each of them would be credited with t £1077. H is. therefore, interesting to - find that his :t9 winning .'..lts (including . two or three geldings) have an average , of £1497. and that the uverug his ."4 successful fillies is iI.SH.'S. The lift .' colts and geldings have won ILI race. - Hint £5!»,407, an.l tbe :i-l fillies 07 riuo 1 and £04,040. No colt by Swynford has • won a classic race, whereas four of his • fillies have captured live- of those events —Ferry, Bcltina, and Tranquil the Dim Thousand Guineas, and Keysoe and Tranquil the St. I.eger. The rcsull of • the St. I.eger settled the stallion championship this year. The prize was worth ; a little over" JIIO.OOO. If, therefore. i Papyrus had won it instead of Tranquil : Tracery's total would have been £4.i.000 odd. and Swynford's only £27,000, which would have sufficed to place liira only fifth in the list.