TUFTS OF TURF.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9132, 17 June 1895, Page 2

TUFTS OF TURF.

" Weekly Press and Keferee.'

By the Editorial Scissors.

" The owner of Coala (says the Sydney Riferec) won a fair stake at a good average price, by the succesi of the horse at Warwick Farm, and feels more than aver convinced of the failure of the totalizator to satisfy the requirements of owners, most other New Zealand ownera agreed that the midline is only really successful in building uo the funds of race clubs privileged to U3e it." Ie is a woader the owner of Coala then does not stay in Sydney altogether. A correspondent writes:—The following, which is from the Lincoln Gazette of March 39th last, shows what happened to T. Loate3, the popular jockey, afcer riding four winners and three placers at the last Lincoln Spring Meeting, held on March 25th, 26-uh, and 27ch last. Ie also proves that there is at least one honest cabman left in the world :—A Jocke? and his Pocket Book. — After the races on Weduesday, Mr T. Loates, the well-known jockey, chartered a cab, in order io reach the Great Northern Railway Station at Lincoln as qoi -kly as possible. He seems to have been in such a hurry that he left in the hansom a pocket-book, bearing bis initiate, and, moreover, containing three £100 notes, one £50, two £10, and two £5 Bank of Eagiand noies, a £10 Newmarket bank note, and a cheque for £10. After his day's work the cabman, Geo. Cullen, of 10 The Park, found the book, and took it to the Police-office, where, some time after, a telegram was received from the owner, describing its conrents, bub omitting to mention one of the £100 notes. The m >ney and book have been returned to the popular jockey, who, it is hoped, will not forget the honest cabman. The cbeers which greeted the victory o£ old Tommy TittJemouse in the HighWeight Selling Handicap at Gosforth Park (says a London writer on April 17bh) may be more easily imtgined than described. This, as most of the world know*, is the last horse poor Fred Archer rode— nearly nine years ago. "Tommy" was by no means a young 'un then, and he has evidently not tired of the game yet, for he struggled yesterday like a hero, and although there was no bid for him afcerwards, Mr Whipp may be able to get another race ouc of him. And then? Surely not the cab yard ? 1 trust not.

One or t wo of the leading jockeys wanted the mount on Wild Man From Borneo in the Grand N*ional very much, but Mr "Joe " Widger told them that if he could not ride the Wild Sinn there were plenty of other Widgere who could do so. Hie triumph is rendered more remarkable by the fact that "Joe" is somewhat shortsighted.

With the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase within easy vision, attention is drawn to the fact that there are no good steeplechasers in training. Maoriland is likely to be represented by a strong contingent, and now will be its chance to score remarks a Sydney paper.

At one time racing was conducted so primitively in Scotland, that at a meeting at Perth, on one occasion, a countryman rushed excitedly Io the judge and asked what had won, saying, apologetically, " There's a lad outside with some bets on."

Reporting an Auckland Country Meeting a local paper remarked :—" Ingarans;i ha 3 without a doubt won his last race. The old hero of many a battle was very stiff last Saturday." What did the writer wish to be inferred ?

Thus the same reporter :—" Sulky who started first favourite with Chance It was nowhere, but in the second Pony Race, when only four tickets were on him, he sees fit to win by 2 lengths easily. A protest wai immediately entered for inconsistent running, which was upheld, and the rider was disqualified for three months." The italics are ours.

A New Zealander, writing to the Sydney Kcferce, says:—" There is no mistake about Mannlicher being a good one, but I don'c think that hi* victories here prove him to be a champion, because I think, had it been good, solid Roing, Gipsy Grand would have beaten him in the Champagne Stakes. The going was a perfect bog. Mannlicher is a little, nuggety sort, while Gipsy Grand is such another colt as Right Honourable was, a big, long-striding chap, who got fairly tangled in the mud. Musketry is also a nice colt, so is Euroclydon, but all the two-year-olde in work would not make one good field at Randwick. . . . Kulaineandßarnardo, who won the hurdle races, are two beauties. I would like to have them at Randwick."

For many years patt, as. some of our readers will be aware, a fund has existed in Germany for the purchase of thoroughbreds in England and France, which are afterwards sold at a, loss in Germany to German breeders, and upon the condition that neither the mares nor their produce are sold to leave the country. The money constituting this fund i> obtained by means of a lottery; but of late years, since the introduction of the form of betting known as the "totalizer," a percentage is deducted by the Government, which aroos to swell the lottery .fund. The result has

Deem tliat for some time put Count

ai lo folic; tniir Diirotiaioi m i

scale* cgivinp? sab sldtea to private breeders who are desirous of importit'2 high-class stallions Iα return for which subsidies they acquire the ri^bt to have » certaio number of free services. It was Iα this way that such sires as IClsbar, Goaverneur, and Gbaribert were imported; but the main object of the fund is to acquire mares likely to breed good stock, and the Government thinks so highly of the work done by the Fund, especially in improving the supply of cavalry horses, tb&t it has for some time past given it an " import" premium of £450. Iα the year 188S the Fund purchased, mainly in England, mares which were re-sold in Germany at a loss of £5000, and it was the same again in ISB9. since which the difference between the total price paid for mares and that realised when sold again has been stili more con•iderabie. The sums granted towards the purchase of Charibert and Gouverneur were £2300 and £2300, while of the brood mares purchased in England it will suffice to quote the names of Vitarba, White Poppy, Formidable, Empress Queen, Gioire de Dijon, Ste. Alvere, Hyeres, and Luciennes tor those who are at all conversant with thoroughbreds in IS lgl&nd to see that the Germane are determined to hare " only one quality—the best."