POST AND PADDOCK.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8964, 30 November 1894, Page 2

POST AND PADDOCK.

" Weekly Press and Kef eree." The Musket blood was strongly in evidence at the -V.E.C. Meeting, and the success of the firet o£ the Carbines has to bo specially noted. It is quite fitting that one of his youngsters should flr«st score on the sward where the champion acquired 1 his chief fame, and in a race which the sire twice annexed. That € trbine should beget racehorses of merit was only in the nature of things, and in Wallace it would appear he has a worthy son. The Trentone and Nordeufeidt's having already made great names, people look to their continued success, and do not have to look in vain. The record of the four days at Flemington denotes liow well they are sustaining the created reputations. Escutcheonisanocher sou of Musket that i* going to leave his mark, as likewise is his full brother, Musk Hose, who has been doing stud duty in Tasmania. The triumphs of the young Maxims at the C.J.G. meeting make it all the more to be deplored that the great son of Musket should have died so prematurely. Our American cousins, whsn they read their Referkk and learn of the furtlier deeds of : Biue Fire and the debut of Safeguard as a winner, will have additional proof of the lo%s they have sustained, and it can be taken for granted that the stock Maxim has left will be greatly cherished. It U strange how prejudices spring up against a sire if he does not &• once realise the i expectation formed in regard to him ; and the hastily-formed bias viniehes into thin air if early failure is speedily turned into ! success. Thus it is with Maxim. When ' his etocfc first appeared on a racecourse and did nob wiu detractors arose— the youngsters were bad jointed, coarse and "self-willed. They are none of these thinge now : the bent hocks and muscular quarters give them driving power, their stoutness enables them to carry weight, and any little fractioisness exhibited is merely anxiety to becin and vanquish opposition. Seriously speaking, however, the Maxims have demonstrated that they have had transmitted to them the racing qualities of the sire. Through his daughters Apremont seeine destined to acquire a greater stud fame than will attain to biro from his progeny of the first generation. And still, with such performers as was Cynisca and Sultan, and as is Prime Warden and Wakawatea, the merits of the royally brad Frenchman cannot be ignored. His daughters, however, ar.e wonderful winnerproducers, and they apparently nick well with all the representatives of leading families we have. At the Metropolitan gathering at Riccarton, the success of the Apremont. stock was very marked, the damsof Safeguard, Gol<i«'<i Fleece, Mount Royal, Chaos and Watch word (all winners) being by him/ It is only a question of time when the Apremont mares will be much sought after. George Smith, the youngster who rode Impulse, to victory in the New Zealand Cup, has a bright future ia store for him , should he avoid the perils that beset a , jockey's path, and is not carried away by 1 i the great measure of success he has I attained daring the present season. The [ number of jockeys that can survive euc- , cess is unfortunately small. The myority r of them, after they ride home in front of I a field or two, are apt to imagine them* 1 selves rezular Archers, and pat down the ,' attainment of winning honours solely to L their prowess in the saddle ! They disdain J afterwards to be taught anything in the I way of horsemanship, and the hints that • better men could and would give them are quite disregarded. Let it be hoped young Smith and other of the newr aspirants will be wiser In their generation. , . The history of the last few New " Zealand Cups should presumably wean ;, the balk of backers from supporting horses '- i for the-big handicap weeks and months' a J before the decision of the race. Indeed, q ; except for the owners of horees engaged, s who desire.to win a big stake atid :who ? may be supposed to know something tangible in respect to the relative chance of their nominations, it seems the veriest folly to take book odds. This is quite apparent when the machine figures show that nearly every fancied candidate, not ,j only this year but in preceding ones, ~, would : return more from the totalizator than the prices obtainable months prior to the' contest. It has been urged that, If backers' money went into the machine, the odds would be reduced. Such i* contention does not hold good, inase much as the additional investments y would be just as widely distributed as the ft sums that were put on. Another £100 or it soon Saracen, Au Revoir, Rosefeldt and d Lottie, and smaller figures put to the i* totals ot the others, and the result would be the same. And even if the price receivable was a point or two lest—and in most cases it is quite the other way—it need hardly be pointed out how much better it ? is to accept the shorter odd* on the actual \ day. This is altogtther apart from the X j "de*d ones" that many must per force »* ' back if endeavouring to spot the winner d before the field goes Co the post. If post f betting does not come more into favour it i, only show 3 the unwisdom of followers of •r the game. )* The recent public displays of Clanranald i. at Riccarton made it quite apparent that y the handsome descendant of Doncasier ! " has lost much of that brilliancy which marked him daring his three and four-year-old career. The horse was, to every appearance, fit and well when racing the other day, and the inference to be drawn is that training him for long distance events has taken the edge off his speed. Clan* ranald has failed a« a stayer, and it is nob at all likely that for the future any attempt will be made to train him for long courses.. _^