TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 76, 29 March 1924, Page 21

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBOKE.I

In Perth recently Mr. P. A. Connolly donated the two-year-old colt Murad (Jolly Beggar—Muraline) to the Ugly Men's Association, which is disposing of the youngster by art union.

English owners do not hesitate in putting high-priced purchases to hurdling if they do not come up to expectations on the flat. The winners at Leicester included the four-year-old Count Tracy (Tracery-Countess Zia), who pulled oif a Maiden Hurdle. Count Tracy, who is a brother to The Panther, cost Sir H. Cun-liffe-Owcn SOOOgns as a yearling, and is still owned by him. This was Count Tracy's first win of any kind.

Mr. Ben Cliaffey, owner of Accarak and Whittier, recently bought the V.R-C. St. Leger winner, Sandringham, from Mr. L. K. 8. Mackinnon, chairman of the V.R.C. The sale was effected privately, through the agency of Messrs. Adanison, Mackinnon, and Cox, and the price paid for the colt was high. §andringham is by Woorak, for whose stock Mr. Chaffey has a liking, and he has done well in the sons of that sire in Accarak and Whittier.

As a rule, our two-year-olds put up an interesting rare, but tie Juvenile Handicap at. Moorfield was an exception (says the "Australasian"). There was a field ;of 20, with Ble-d'Or, a daughter of Buckj wheat and Golden .Slipper, favourite. She is a somewhat fractious young lady, and lost whatever chance she had through playing up at the barrier. To win she would have had to put up a first-class performance, as the lightly backed Maudry, first out, was a winner at every post, finishing up with a four lengths' lead of Royal Crown and Doreen.

The Rockhampton J.C. disqualified a. jockey named E. 11. Rowland for six months, but an appeal to the Central Queensland Racing Association resulted in that body reversing the decision. However, the R.J.C. committee, acting under their rules, subsequently sent a letter to Re-land saying he would not be allowed into Callaghan Park. In consequence Rowland ""has issued a writ against W. B. Dawbarn, secretary of the R.J.C, as representing that body. He claims the right to be admitted to Callaghan Park in his business as a jockey, and also asks for £1000 damages.

Bookmakers are not eupposed to operate in France, but they are doing so to such an extent that they are affecting the totalisator turnover. In consequence a Parliamentary committee has been inquiring into the matter, and has already announced some of its conclusions. One opinion expressed was that more inspectors should be appointed, and that they should be awarded a percentage of money seized by them in connection with illicit betting. Alterations in I the present Act are recommended, to strengthen the law. The committee has reported favourably on opening branches of the pari-mutuel in Paris and all big cities.

J. Dodd has now won three races in succession on the useful Scalino, and no one could have ridden a more confident race than he did on the son of Volta in the Chandos Hurdle Race at Warwick recently (says "Sporting Life"). Dodd has had a somewhat remarkable career, for after serving his time with W. Baker at Collingbourne, he went to sea in the merchant service. During the war his vessel was mined off the Dogger Bank, and he lost all his possessions. After ■this experience he returned home, and has I for some time assisted his father in I training the horses at East Hendred.

The Tracery horse Monarch, who was a brilliant two-year-old, and whose bad luck in running , into minor places in important races as a four-year-old was remarkable, has commenced stud duty in England. Aα his fee is only £48 it would seem that a horse must now have very high breeding and racing credentials to command a three figure fee at his first season at the stud in the Old Country. The 191!) Two Thousand Guineas winner, St. Louis (hv Louvois), is also advertised at a £4s" fee, while Bucks Hussar (by Son-in-Law), who won the 1922 Jockey Club Cup, 2i miles, at Xcivmarket, beating the St. Leger winner Koyal Lancer, only commands a nine guineas fee, and dams of winners are taken free.

Shrapnel has not been a, lucky horse for F. J. ilarsden. He just missed winning the A.J.C. Derby, and, on going to Melbourne, was so far from being himself when he ran in the Victoria Derby that he did not reproduce anything like his Sydney form. Slight poisoning of one of his leg 3 prevented him going South for the recent V.R.C. meeting, and though he shook off that trouble, his feet have given so much cause for anxiety that his trainer has decided not to persevere with him for the coining A.J.C. meeting. Shrapnel will be spelled at his owner's stables, and if his" progress is not entirely satisfactory, he may , not be trained again before next autumn. Shortly before Christmas F. Marsden was looking forward to a good autumn v-ith Furious. Prince Cox and Shrapnel. The last-mentioned two are amiss. und Furious dead, facts further emphasising the disappointments associated with racing. }

The question of whether the Liverpool Grand National course is really stiff is a question often discussed abroad. The jumps are certainly high and when so few horses finish in {he Orand National the natural suggestion is that thy are very severe. However, it is evidently the pace more than the stillness of the jumps that bothers the runners, as, in discussing the course, Augur wrote as follows in the "London Sporting Life , ': "Recently I drew attention to the number of horses which had run prominently, time after time, in the Grand National, in proof that thp the country had no terrors for the accomplished fencer, especially if sdeh an animal be ridden by a tactful, robusthearted jockey. When we find a party of fox-catchers, amateur ridden, able to get the full course, as was the ease on the concluding afternoon at the last Spring meeting, it is apparently 'the pace that kills' the wrnning chances of a proportion of those which take part in the big event each year, and although the race had been won by a policy of going boldly ahead, as in years when Cloister, Grudon, and Sunloch scored, I rather prefer to see my horse somewhere about the head of the second <>'• ' •> for a circuit or so.' .

Last year inmates of H. S. Persse's stable at Stockbridge, Kngland. won 42 races of the value of over £25,000, and, judging by the team at Chattis Hill for the coming flat racing season, another good time is in store for the stable. There are very few old horses at Chattis Hill, over half the animals in the stable being two-year-olds, while the majority of the others are only in their second season. However, most of last season'e successful animals are still in the string.

Audax wrote as follows in a recent issue of the "Horse and Hound": "I was looking through our list of the successful sires of jumpers in England during the season 1923, when it struck mc howbad the once all-conquering male line of Newminster is now doing. The first one in the list that goes back to the St. Leger winner of 1851 is Junior, and he stands seventeenth. The six leaders all trace to Lord Zetland's good horse Vedette, who won the Two Thousand Guineas of 1857, and five of them come through St. Simon, much the best horse of this line, and probably about the champion of his or any other generation of racehorse, although that, of course, is a matter of opinion."

News comes from Australia of the death of George Frederick. Another link with Carbine has gone, as he was about the only son of Carbine left at the stud in the Commonwealth. Circle is the only mare, and she ceased to breed sevenll years ago. George Frederick was a * handsome horse in his racing days, but he was not quite as good as he looked, says an Australian writer. As a matter of fact lie was much better in private than in public. It is as a sire, however, that he is best remembered. He was at the Waterview stud, owned by Mr. Scliolz, for the greater part of his life, .but he seldom saw a thoroughbred mare. Nearly everything mated with him had a short pedigree. In the circumstances he achieved wonders, as there were innumerable winners by him.

The death is announced of the wellknown French sportsman, Prince A. d'Arenberg, a member of the French Jockey Clubs, and who as president of the Societe d'Encouragement was also an honorary member of the English Jockey Club. For many years Prince d'Arenberg raced in partnership with the Comte de Juigne, in whose name the horses ran. but when the count died in 1900 Prince d'Arenberg ran the horses in his own name and used the same colours—yellow and red hoops. The partnership existed before 1870 with a very modest contingent, but arter the Franco-German War it developed considerably. Wtih Montargis they won the Cambridgeshire in 1873, while Jongleur triumphed in the Criterion Stakes in 187G, and also won the French Derby the following year. Jongleur was beaten by Saint Chxistophe ;in the Grand Prix de Paris.

All .hopes of seeing the Newcastle champion, Beauford, performing at tiie A.J.C. Autumn meeting have been shattered (says an Australian writer). .Beauford. will not race again this year, if at all. This news, which will come as a keen disappointment to racegoers, wag announced by S. Killick, Beauford's trainer. Killick stated that Beauford had strained the back tendon of hi? foreleg while at work recently. It was a recurrence of the trouble from which the champion had suffered when he was defeated by The Hawk in theHUI Stakes at Ro'sehill last year. Instead of improving, the leg became worse, and Killick has been compelled to abandon all hopes of racing Beauford again this year. He also stated that whether the champion would ever start again was entirely problematical. The leg would be treated and Beauford would be turned out for at least six month-:. Killick added that he had never had the champion looking so big and strong, and it was bitter disappointment that Beauford should have met with this misfortune.

Mr. Richard McKenna tlie well-known shipper, returned to Melbourne recently from one of his periodical trips to Tnd'a He states'tlie racing season in Calcutta, which terminates this month, has hren a successful one, though, as in other countries, there is a growing s-carcity of money in Tndia. Rostrum won the Metropolitan in great style with 9.2. and iwithin 51b of the best English sprinter in India, which is high praise indeed for the former Victorian horse. The stayer,a.t present racing in the East are a poor lot, the ancient Orange William, -whifh won the King Emperor's Cup. Viceroy's Cup. Carmichael Cup, and Prince of Wales Plate—the latter a handicap, i" which he carried 10.5—-standing hpad and shoulders above all others. The Melbourne boy. Morris, rode Orange William in all his races". Other Australian jockeys who did wpII at Calcutta include A. C. Walker. Dohie, and Townsend. Mr. J. C. C.nlstaun. one of the leading owners, paid the crack English jockey, Steve Dunohue. a retainer of £2300 for tie short season, yet Donahue won only two races for him. Donohue renewed his acquaintance with old Mavfowl, on which he won a race in Ireland years ago. Miiwfowl won three Viceroy's Cups, and dead-heated for another. He has long since been pensioned off, and is about 19 years old.

Tt ia to be noted that several horses are this year starting their stud careers (says the special commissioner of the London "Sportsman' , ). Anion? tlio be Srinnprs are. Bucks Dilicomv. Franklin, Blandforil. and Royal Lamer. All five are proved stayers. Having reCard to the vast number of stallions w have at the stud with a tendency to fret only sprinters or milers. it is most satisfactory to find that the ranks of thp stayers are being strengthened in this war. We in this country cannot afford to follow the practice nowadays adopted in many parts of the world of sacrificing everything to speed. There will never be a lack of sires of sprinters, because speed is dominant over stamina. Stallions that transmit the speed character? may be left to look after them-dve* It is the stayers we have to shield and encourage. Some fifteen years asjo T drew attention to the ragiredncss of tinfees charged for stallion services. Tt if still manifest. Look down a list of fees and you will come across such charee* as £24 19/. 9}gs. £9 10. fn 10/fl, £49 15/. £11 10/, £19~ S/fl, £49 1/. They look, and really are. absurd, but are necessary because of our antiouated method of drawing up the conditions relating to produce races. Allowances are jiranted to entries pot by stallions whose fees are less than £50. "£25. £20, or £10. as the case may be. In order to take advantage of these concessions stallion owners fix feee at fimiree just. below the sums named in the conditions.