TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 188, 9 August 1924, Page 21

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.)

The English horse, Prestonzrange, who is trained by Lou Robertson, was hacked for the Caulfield Cup in Sydney last week, lie is now absolute favourite for that race, and if be shows good form in the next month or so i= likely to touch a short price. "Audax" writes in "Horse and FTound": Purple Shade, one of our bes' sprinters, was, 1 believe, walked forty miles prior to being offered for sale as a yearling in Dublin, and was so tired wliea he got there that he lay down exhausted in the paddock. Rose Prince, who won the Alexandra Stakes at Ascot recently, in some unaccountable manner got out of his box on the previous night, and was found wandering round the stable yard. He was, however, none the worse for the escapade, and got the better of a stirring finish with Keror.

The Y.R.O. distributed in prizemoney and sweepstakes £103,103 last season, an increase of £4310 on the previous year's iiiures, which is a record. The club raced on fifteen days, and the highest amount was disbursed during the spring meeting, when for four days' racing the agxrc3ate was ,C-i:S,ltiO," inclusive of a .€2OO trophy, presented to tho owner of the winner of the Melbourne Cup.

Tho display of tbe French horse (.'olden Boss when winning the King's Stand Stakes at Ascot recently is said to have been a particularly thrilling , one. as he practically made every yard of the running. It is just possible he would have had more to do had ficila not commenced slowly, but this does not detract from the merit of the performance. As this- is his last season of racing, it is hardly likely that Goldon Bos 3 will be defeated in this country (saj'S '"Sporting Life").

The rising two-year-olds are beginning to move along at Randwick, and recently several youngsters were dispatched out of the barrier for educational purposes (says the "Referee"). However, from all accounts, several Melbourne youngsters are very forward, and Yin O'Neill, who won the fillies' division of the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes for the last two years with Lady Reynard and Flying Wynne, has a couple of fliers. A youngster in his stable by Red Dennis is reported to be able to gallop fast, as is the Quantock —Polaris filly, and a filly by The Welkin, and a colt by Wolaroi from Ladylove, who has been aptly named Romeo.

[ A sort of coincidence, which was genI erally remarked upon in Kniland, lies lin the fact that Master Rol>ert won the I Liverpool (.'rand National last March, and a "Master Bob" won the Paris Grand Steeplechase, its Krenc'.i equivai lent, on Sunday, June 22. i Mr. Tercy Miller told "Cardigan" that that <;ood mare Sue, who, it will lie remembered, won a CSiincraek Stakes, foaled a colt foal to Macpie on July 24. .As the youngster, under tl.e rules ■of racing, was a year old on August 1. it is hard luck, as it will not be a!>le to be sold as a yearling, and will always be at a disadvantage when racing. I A couple of Randwiek-trained horses J greatly in favour for the Epsom HandiI cap and Metropolitan are Mr. "J. . Baron's" pair. Wallace Mortlake and j Wallace Armstrong. Both are members of Albert AVood's team, and they have. been specially prepared for the A.J.C. , spring meeting (says '•Poseidon"). The ! ex-jockey has had his own time to get I the horses ready and they appear to be lin exceptionally good condition and fit Jto race any time now. Both Wallaces are maidens, though each has been placed jat Kandwick. Wallace Mortlake is the j more substantial of the pair and looks ; like playing a prominent part in the disj tance events. Wallace Armstrong gives j the appearance of being more at home !in shorter events, but should get a mile lat least.

Three years ago Illuminator created one of the traditional Ascot surprises by winning the Koyal Hunt Cup at very long odds. On June IS last Dinkie, starting at a like price, just succeeded in preventing His Majesty's Weathervane from scoring for tlie second consecutive year, and thereby establishing a record in connection with the race. Dinkie is owned by Mrs. "Bob" Jeffrey, whose husband has long been a familiar figure in Tattersall's. Dinkie was one of the triple dead-heaters at Windsor last autumn, the others being Dumas and Marvex. He was ridden by W. E. Jarvis' apprentice Alford, who went to considerable pains to do the weight. Hβ has now scored six successes, and may fairly be regarded as one of the most promising of the numerous smart boy riders at present winning their spurs in England.

Few of the old-established races are so full of romance as the Northumberland Plate, and there has been no more romantic success than that achieved recently by Jazz Band, a horse bred and trained by his owner, a once wellknown amateur rider in the North, Mr. Adam Scott, on his own fine estate, which is situated at the foot of the Cheviots in the far North (remarke "The Sportsman"). It had been Mr. Scott's life ambition to win the NortQumberland Plate, and the crowd now gave hie winner a reception such as 13 seldom seen away from Epsom or

Liverpool. Mrs. Scott led Jazz Band in, and it was only with difficulty that the horse was prevented from breaking away from her in the tumult. Fortunately he is one of the most docile, as he is one of the gamest animals in training. Les Paddington was scratched from the Australian Hurdles and Steeplechase last week, as his trainer considers that the handicapper has too high an opinion of him. P. Power had hopes of again landing the double with Les Paddington, and thought the handicapper would frame the weights on the low scale, as was done in the Grand National. As the Paddington gelding was allotted 12.S in the Australian Hurdle and 13.2 in the Australian Steeplechase, Power contends that the heavy weights and the long distances of the races may be too much for the horse, and he would not. risk a breakdown. Les Paddington ha 3 thoroughly recovered from the injuries received when he hit the first obstacle and lost his rider in the £2000 steeplechase at Randwick, in June. He has been working at Kensington during the last month, and has put on a lot of cpn<lition. Power stated that he did not intend to try him over jumps for some months, but would give him plenty of I chances to earn his feed on the flat.

The latest English mail brings English statistics from the beginning of the season to June C inclusive. Lord Derby heads the winning owners' list, with five winning horses of six races, valued at £13,G55. Sir Edward Hulton runs Lord Derby close, and his horses have -won fifteen races worth £12,273. The Aga Khan, Lord Rosebery, and Mr. Sol Joel are others well up in the winning owners' list. Sa:nsovino heads the winning horses' list, and his two wins, which include the Derby, credited him with. £11.931. Diophon's Two Thousand Guineas was worth £10,315, and Straitlace's Oaks £8654. Plack is next on the list, attended by Rugeley (by Rossendale), with £2993. Swynford heads the winning sires with £13,854, and others well up in the list include Son-in-Law, Grand Parade, Hurry on, Pommern, Polymelus. Lembcrg, Gay Crusader, Sunstar, Tracery, Cylgad, Rossendale and : Rock Flint. * Lord Derby is at the i head of the winning breeders, just in ' front of Lord D'Abernon, with Lady Sykes, owner of the famous Seldmere Stud, next.

A very ingenious ruse (writes a correspondent of "Sporting Life") has recently come to light, in which one bookmaker at least has been victimised. The circumstances, as given to mc by the bookmaker himself, are as follows: —"In the north-west district of London there is a turf commission agent who advertises in the usual way inviting clients to open accounts with him. His offices are situate next door to a jeweller's shop, which closes at one o'clock on Thursday afternoon. The punter was allowed I betting facilities up to £5 a week, commissions being either sent by telegram or letter. Provided the letter was timed before the race it was in order. The punteV only operated on Thursdays. On. I that day he sent himself a letter adj dressed in pencil. It bore a postmark ! antecedent to the 3 o'clock race. The I pencelled address was then carefully I rubbed out and the commission agent's j name substituted, the bet recorded being £2 10/ each way on a horse that was known to have won the 3 o'clock race at 7 to 1. The letter was subsequently placed in the jeweller's post box,, next door to the agent's oflice. The following morn ing the letter was sent in iby the jeweller's assistant, with the exI planation that the postman had evidently left it at the wrong address in error. The bookmaker paid out on the first occasion, as everything was in i order, and it was quite possible for the postman to have made a mistake, but when it occurred again he asked the punter to call for a settlement, which the latter refused to do, and it was sub- . sequently ascertained that the addrese Jjie used was an accommodation addreaa."