TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 192, 15 August 1925, Page 25

TURF NOTES.

(By "WHALEBONE."I

Lord Astor's colt Bright ELnight, by Gay Crusader—Suny Jane, has finished his racing career, and was sent to his owner's stud a few weeks ago. Bright Knight ran second in the Two Thousand Guineas to Diophon, but will be best remembered for his sensational defeat of his stable companion St. Germans, with which Lord Astor declared to win, in the March Stakes at Newmarket this year.

Frank Bullock had a peculiar experience at Sandown Park on June 26. After finishing second on Earlstown in the Wadham Selling Plate, he got into conversation with Sir William Cooke, for whom he was riding in the following event. In the end he omitted to weigh in, and he was called before the stewards. He explained the circumstances, and the explanation was accepted. All the same, the stewards fined Bullock £20 for his forgetfulness.

Although he may never have the same effortless action of his sister, Saucy Sue, Swift and Sure is improving with experience, and is settling down sensibly. On his first outing in public he gave a lot of trouble at the gate, and was 6low to strike off. .In the Exeter Stakes at Newmarket last month ,(says an English writer) he could not have behaved better at the post, and did nothing wrong in running, though Pharan outpaced him a little to begin with, and Bullock had to shake his mount up. Lord Astor's colt then put in some telling work and won comfortably. The race will have done Swift and Sure an immensity of good, and it also showed him up in the light of a stayer.

Though he has been quietly treated since his successful South Australian campaign in the autumn, The Night Patrol is now daily in evidence on the tracks, and no fault can be found with his appearance (says a Melbourne writer). The Governor's horse has a healthy appearance and there is every indication that he is wintering in an entirely satisfactory manner. He Bhould be quite ready to tackle serious business again when the first of his spring engagements falls due- A definite programme has hardly been fixed yet for The Night Patrol, but it may include another vißit to Sydney. It would be most interesting to see the Stedfast horse in opposition to Gloaming in the rich Craven Plate at Randwick. The distance of this w.f.a. event is a mile and a quarter, and this should be within The Night Patrol's compass. The Memsie Stakes at Caulfield early in September may, however, engage The Night Patrol's attention before Randwick is seriously thought of. Bolet Satan, of the same team, continues at good striding work. The strapping chestnut has earned the reputation of a stayer, and he certainly looks the . part. Scobie's chief Derby hope, Petunia, bears an attractive appearance. The comparatively easy time he has had co far this winter has left The Welkin colt in good order to start serious work for the spring, with all its important engagements.

Several of the mares that Mr. E. E. D. Clarke originally purchased in England to mate with The Welkin did well with the Flying Fox horse, says the "Globe." One of them is Cape Hatteras, dam of the Geelong Cup winner, Glaxy, Cape Hatteras, a daughter of William the 111., hag been most consistent at the stud. As far as can be remembered the first of her progeny was the chestnut filly Hathor. J. Scobie tried Hathor highly for the Debutant Stakes, but she went down before her stable companion, Spica, another daughter of The Welkin. The late Mr. Sam Mackay then purchased Hathor, and she won an important juvenile event in West Australia, but she was not much heard of afterwards. Later representatives of Cape Hatteras, including Glaxy, were Skysail, Cape Sky, Smoky (dam of Smoke Bomb), and Sea Cliff. Skysail was probably the best of the family. He could stay, as could also Cape Sky. It is known that J. Scobie entertained a high opinion of Skysail, but he proved a difficult horse to* train, and on that account he, perhaps, never showed his true form. Skysail galloped well enough in private to prove that he was quite out of the ordinary. Cape Hatteras came prominently into the picture again recently when her grandson, Smoke Bomb, won the Murrumbeena Handicap at Caulfleld. Smoke-Bomb is the result of the mating of a mare by The Welkin with Carbine' 9 grandson. Spearhead, and it is highly satisfactory to find daughters of the Flying Fox horse producing horses with an inclination to stay. It gives much hope for the future of the Flying Fox family.

There are some queer happenings chronicled on the turf, but few can be more remarkable than the birth story of West Wimmera, who won the Godfrey Watson Steeplechase at Caulfleld recently. According to the owner, Mr. Don Mcßae, the gelding was got by a two-year-old from a mare of the same age. Hold Up and Miss Shifter, sire and dam of West Wimmera, were running in adjoining paddocks in the Horsham district. The colt found a weakness in the dividing fence, and one day when the owner of the filly was passing he noticed the two youngsters in one paddock. No significance was attached to the incident, and the colt was taken back to his own enclosure and the fence mended. Later the filly was observed to be in foal. She was raced, and even won an event in Horsham while in that condition. In time Miss Shifter dropped a colt foal, but as she was considered too young to have the care of it, the youngster was taken away and placed under the maternal wing of a draught mare. A foal belonging to this mare wa9 sacrificed so that the other might live. The idea worked out all right. The foal became attached to its unwieldy parent, and the mare bestowed as much attention on the adopted foal as if it had been her own. There was some curiosity as to how the offspring of this unique alliance would fare. He was not a particularly robust-looking foal hut, given plenty of time, developed into a fair sort of a horse with plenty of bone and substance. He was allowed to run about the paddocks for a year or two, and it was as a four-year-old that he made his appearance on the turf under- the name of West Wimmera. In the nomination of H. Cook, the gelding was started in a trial weigbt-for-age J event at the Horsham St Patrick's Day races, and to the great joy of his owner, he won, beating Bell Hurrah and Fairlawn. The last-named subsequently turned out a very fair performer » ** e l

Pitchoury, which finished second in the French Derby, was offered for sale by auction in Paris, but was withdrawn at 1,150,000 francs, about £10,000. Pitchoury's 6table companion, Si Si, was 3old f0r'302,000 francs.

It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. The accident to Donoghue and others in the Grand Prix was reflected at the cashing-in office in Paris of the Longchamp course on June 29. It is usually crowded with ticket-holders after a Grand Prix, This week, however (says the Paris edition of the "New York Herald"), the place was practically deserted. The 15,181,760 francs, less 11 per cent tax, bet on the race went to a very limited number of investors compared with what there would have been if one of the favourites had been in the money. Like Gloaming, on his elevated plana among racehorses, Carmray on his much lower one declines to admit the truth of the old saying, "Youth will be served" (says the "Sun"). In less than three weeks' time he will be 12 years of age, yet at Moorefield recently, in his brilliant run, he made hacks of his younger opponents. He had been doing the same thing in the same way for years, thanks largely to the judicious management of his owner-trainer, A. G. Papworth. Year after year Carmray has had his spell in midsummer, and has been brought in just when the cracks are going into the ,mddock, so that races 'become less hard to win. Even then his owner has not asked him to fly high. Generally a race a.t Menangle to 'begin with, then a mile welter, or even a mile and a-quarter on one of the suburban courses. Once in 1922 he ran second in a novice handicap at Randwick, but he has never got far away from the minimum. About his best win was a Farm Stakes at Warwick Farm, when he was dignified by having the great Albert Wood in the saddle; but then Papworth, who evidently does not believe in taking undue risks when he fancies the old gelding, has invariahly had the best of riders for him. Carmray must have been a payable propositionHe did not win his first race at Coonam'ble till he was four years of age. The fact that he did not Btart the serious business of racing till then probably accounts for his soundness at 12.

Lord D'Abernon recently has had the misfortune to lose his famous brood mare Donnetta. She was the dam of the One Thousand Guineas winner Diadem, the Two Thousand Guineas winner Diophon, and also of Diadumenos, which is the sire of a large number of winners. Donnetta's death occurred at the Egerton House stud a few hours after she had foaled a good bay colt by Grand Parade. The foal, which is an own brother to Diophon, is alive and doing well. Donnetta was twenty-five years old. During her racing career she won the Kempton Park "Jubilee" and the Duke of York Handicap.

'' >< H. GOLDFINCH,

F.I the well-known Auckland For some time past he has been riding for the Williamson stable, being first horseman to Mr. H Friedlander. His principal successes have been on Te Kara when that gelding dead-heated with muraahi in the Auckland Cup, Colonel Soult in the Avondale Cup, Gazique in the Avondale Autumn Handicap and Duo in the Great Northern St. Leger. He has ridden the winners of numerous other races, and altogether is one of the most able horsemen in the Dominion.

Manacre has rejoined R. Cameron's team at Caulfleld. This colt has been spelling since his return from Sydney, where he performed unsuccessfully at the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting.

It is only a few months since tlie New Zealand jockey, Ashley Reed, accepted a retainer to ride for Mr. A. T. Creswick, but twice since then he has defeated horses owned by Mr. Creswick (says the Sydney "Sportsman"). On each occasion he has not been able to ride Mr. Creswick's horses as he could not make the weight. That being so, he obtained permisison to ride for an outside owner. The first time that he beat one of Mr. Creswick's horses was at Epsom, when he rode Beeline and defeated Graball by a head. Just recently he rode Bridge of Doon for Fred Doran. and succeeded in defeating Lady Yarrien, who is owned by Mr. Creswick, by a neck. After these two unenviable experiences it will not be surprising if Mr. Creswick refuses, for the future, to allow Reed to ride for outside owners when he has a horse in the race.

At the London Bankruptcy Court oni June 23, application was made on behalf of Robert Standish Sievier, described as lately carrying on business at 30, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, and residing at Fitzroy House, Newmarket, for his order of discharge. The Official Receiver reported that the liabilities to rank for dividend were £138,954, and that his assets had realised £30. The debtor, who had failed on three previous occasions, had since his last failure in 189J been a journalist, and had also trained racehorses. In 1904 he commenced publishing "The Winning Post," which for a time was a financial success, and brought him in an income of about £10,000. He attributed his failure mainly to the war, which had the effect of depriving him of an income of £10,000 from the "Winning Post," to an illness which lasted two years, and to money he had advanced to the "Winning Post." The Registrar said in Decemberlast the Court granted an order, subject to the judgment for £500, conditionally upon the executors of one Blacklock standing aside for the benefit of the other creditors. He now found that the executors had lodged a proof of debt for £187,000, and it followed that they would insist on a share of the dividend, the result being that the total liabilities amounted to £204,000, instead of £138,000 as returned by the debtor. Having reviewed the case, the Registrar upheld an allegation .by the « Receiver that Mr. Sievier had failed to make a full and true disclosure of Ins indebtedness, and had concealed the fact that Mr. Blacklock had recovered a judgment for £33,908 and costs against him. The view of the Court was that the Official Receiver's allegations of misconduct had been fully established. His Honor characterised the case as a serious and difficult one, and suspended discharge for four yeara,