TURF NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 282, 28 November 1925, Page 25

TURF NOTES.

(By WHALEBONE.)

It is unusual for an ex-A.J.C. stipeA diary steward to fall foul of men who, less than twelve months before, were hia confreres (says a Sydney writer). This unique situation was brought about at Warwick Farm recently, when Mr. 0. W. L. Murchison had to pay fl for running his mare Spurnaus in wroqg colours in the Prospect Handicap.

Heroic's two-year-old brother, Thra» cian, has improved with each run, and as he was second to Cyanatc in tha Flemington Stakes at Flemington ou Saturday, it may not be long before ho is a winner. As a yearling Mr. A. T. Creswick sold him to Mr. J. Cortccit, and he was to have raced as Liberty Bond. On being repurchased by Mr, Creswick his name was changed to Thracian, and though he may never quite reach the standard of Heroic, it is prac* tically certain he will repay racing.

It is not often that marcs return to the racecourse after being retired to the paddock, though the great Signorinu. and the lesser known Xenie were among the few exceptions. Another ia Thelma put in ' an appearance for tha Aquarium Selling Handicap Plate at Brighton, England, on September 28, and though no\y ten years of age, tho mare had sufficient speed to run tho favourite, Bengal, out of it after Donoghue's mount had led for the greater part of the way. The performance of Thelma, however, did not greatly impress, and there was no bid for her when she was put-up for sale. During her stud career Thelma had four foals. Her last victory prior to that mentioned was recorded in 1922.

The largest field on record for the Melbourne Cup was that which faced the starter in 1890, in which 39 sported silk, and Carbine, .ridden by R. Ramagc, put up his weight-carrying record by winning with lOst 51b in the saddle. That record still stands. There was 3B starters in 1895, when Aurari. carried Mr. D. James' colours to victory. Thirty-five horses have gone to the post on two occasions, while the smallest field to contest the race wa's that of 1863, when seven only attended at the starting point, and Banker proved the winner. When the Cup was first run in 1861, there were seventeen Archer proving successful.. Archer again won the event the following year 'by defeating nineteen others. T" Archer belongs the distinction of being the only; horse to win two Melbourne Cups. The largest Cup field during the last twenty, years was seen out in 1911, in which year The Parisian captured the stake for Mr. T. F. Kirby, the starters on that occasion numbering 33. When King Ingoda scored in 1922 the contestants numbered 32.

Judge. Curlewis' ideas on racing will get him into, a deal of financial trouble if ho ever becomes a hacker (says •Pilot",). dDuring the hearing of a case at rthe District Court in Sydney tho other day it was stated'thnt some people had put the names of the horses engaged in a race into a hat, and backed the ono whose name came out first. It won, too. This caused the learned (but not iv racing) judge, to remark: "That verifies my theory: The person who throws the horses' names out of a hat to pick a winner, has as much chance as the experti who studies the performances, and who makes his selections from his knowledge of the racing. I am quite sure of that.'* Well, the first horse out of the hat occasionally does win, but if, as already remarked, Judge Curlewis should go in for betting, and adopts that method of trying to find winners, the bookmakers will welcome his custom. The judge knows very much more about law than about racing, and, to quote his own words, "I am quite sure of that." In racing, as in law, there are degrees of knowledge, and bookmakers are always better pleased to bet with the man who picks his winners out of a hat than tho one who is guided by performances, condition, and the trainer's opinion of th« horse's chance. '

Half-bred, ponies do not stand much! chance nowadays in the four teen-two and. under events in Sydney (says ■Poseidon"). A few years ago they used to win their share of races, but at the present time there are too many Magpies and Wooraks in the fields ta make things, comfortable for them. Soma of the fourteen-twos can boast of pedigrees as good as any in the land. Look at (Josie Melville, tiie four-year-old Magpie marc, which won the first division of the 14.2 Handicap at Ascot recently. Her dam, Quite Alright, ia a half-sister to Amounis' dam, Loved One, and is a grand-daughter of Chand Bee Bee, who produced the Melbourne. Cup winner Piastre. Camden Belle, who ran second to Josie Melville, is by tho Newmarket winner Polycrates, from the brilliant mare Tressady Belle, winner of numerous races for J. Killian< who elso owns her daughter. La Carezza., who finished third, is by one of tho sires of the moment, Rossendale, and her dam is a Carbine mare. Class in breeding also told in the second division of the 14.2 Handicap, which went to Flying Belle, a handsome black maro by Woorak from .Belle Sauvage, by Bobadil from the Newmarket winner, Queen of Scots. No wonder these midgets can gallop.

For a horse that has been described as tho greatest since Carbine, Windbag failed badly in the Melbourne Stakes (says a Sydney writer). He was always at odds on. As usual, Heroic wa3 obstinate at the barrier, and continually turned his back to the machine. They were in line when the barrier was released, but Heroic and Windbag ran it down and lost about four lengths. Whittier set off as the pacemaker from Pantheon. Showing his great pace, Heroio was third inside two furlongs. Windbag improved his position at the six furlongs, and was with Heroic. A furlong further on Whittier and Pantheon were nearly on terms entering the straight, with Windbag and Heroic closo behind, and Pilliewinkie about a length still furthoc in the rear, last. Pantheon had Whittier's measure just inside tho distance. Windbag looked beaten, but Pilliewinkio came with a brilliant run, and catching Pantheon near homo beat tho English

I horse by a neck, with Windbag half » length away. The crowd wa3 too surprised to cheer the gallant effort of the winner. The time lowered the course record held by Even Song b3' a quarter of a second. Sir Samuel Honlern backed Pilliewinkie at 100 to 6. One thousand to £200 was laid Heroic, while f 650 to £40» and £600 to £400 were laid on Windbag, ___■