"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9723, 10 May 1897, Page 2

"SPECTATOR'S" NOTE BOOK.

tThe death of the South Australian sire Neckc.rsgat, from the imported mare Miss Giraffe, by the imported sire Talk o' the Rill, is a leading item of stud news, as Neokersgat has ranked amongst the successful sires for some years past. Portsea, winner of the Champion Stakes, Australian Cup, an - Bagot Handicap; Destiny, Ascot Yale Stakes winner; Newstead, winner "of the Maribyrnong Plate ; Dunlop, winner of the Melbourne Cup; Sedition, wlfo appropriated the Newmarket Handicap; -Lord Hopetoun and Montalto, who: each scored in the V.R.C. Foal Stakes; Madelina and Annealey, who each landed the Caulfield .Guineas, were his chief successful big (honours representatives. His stock, however, won numerous races all over Australia, and there can be no doubt he was a good horse, being well up the list of winning sires for many seasons past. In 1894, with twenty winners of forty races, he atood third on the list to Newmmster and Trenton, and was seventh and eighth respectively in 1893 and 1892. During the past five years, not counting the current season, his stock won one hundred and eighty-nine races in Australia and a total of £24,597, but this does not nearly represent the total earnings of his progeny. Reverting to the question of the treatment of the jockey Stevens by the Patea Jockey Qub referred to in these columns last week, I may say that I have every sympathy with' all clubs which try to conduct their meetIngs in a creditable manner, as the Patea Jockey Club have always done, and it is not in any carping spirit of criticism that I have Deferred to this matter. It appears to mc that tire club have pursued a very unwise course in refusing Stevens permission to ride. What is a license given by a metropolitan club to a jockey for, if its intended use can be revoked at the caprice of any subordinate club. Licenses are issued annually, , BQ that the conduct of jockeys may come pnder review in the intervals, and in the event of questionable practices being brought under the notice of the governing bodies, they are empowered to refuse to renew the applications, and to punish accordingly. Minor clubs may arrogate to themselves atmilar authority, but metropolitan rule would count for naught were such a course permissible. Writing last week, juet before the acceptances closed for the Wanganui Club's Winter Meeting, I selected Mutiny as one likely to show u> advantage in the chief event, the Wanganui Steeplechase. He, however, was not accepted for, probably because his companion, Tiritea, was treated to a greater weight tbau his recent form over hurdles entitled him to. St. Simon's owner waa probably not satisfied with the way he ehapedovertheEllcrsliecourse. Gipsy Prince is, however, nominated for the Trial Steeplechase. I was not surprised to see Kaftoa drop out of the Suburban Steeplechase, nor Tally-Ho out of the Hurdle Race, but the defection of Secrecy points to something being amiss with the daughter of Foul Slot. Errand Boy, I presume, has not St over the soreness he showed before • Autumn Meeting of the Wanganui J.C. That may be the reason for hie absence from the Flying Handicap. Lorelei's stable companion, Titoki, at the weights was to he preferred. Had Sedgebrook not met with the accident he did, I fancy more than three would have dropped out of that " !!£t*. ■™ s y B °wshot being handicapped of, the son of Louis dOr, lw.- A ;!« ler .-««»■ Leda being placed *™J? tJjt-.hoTW, in a six furiong ™~f' . , n° m >n&tiona for the hack eh««« Unte, * *° d *•» Pinal Steeple«t?rf™ re *^ ryfa,r - «». who has been in !r lrem s nt *« "oro* time, figures amongst recently wW* **"£* «» HawWe Bay way Borne of the**, however, may aethfwj

forward in condition. It is rather early, ia the season for horses that have not been in Tommission to show their best form over country, but it is to be hoped that some useful horses will come from the hunters' ranks, as there is a dearth of good 'chasers just now. Booties will be back in New Zealand ere these notes go to press. Annually, for some years past, we have been informed by cable of resolutions that have been passed by the leading racing institution of Victoria favouring the nitro* duction of the totalisator, but somehow all previous attempts to influence Parliament to legalise the same system of speculation as has been in vogue for over sixteen years in New Zealand have failed. Numerous reasons have been assigned why Victorian law makers have been opposed to the totalisator, and'it has.been urged by some that the influence of the bookmakers hae been too strong, by others, that heavy betting owners had done what they could to prevent the passing of any measure having .for its object the legalisation of the machine. The strongest objection lias probably come from a section of the house opposed to gambling in any form, and those who believe that the " automaton bookmaker" would come as a boon and a blessing to the racing clubs and the main body of speculators, and who hold that the en-operative system of speculation is the more preferable, have been in a minority. Whether • the friends of the totalisator will succeed in their object next session, or whether the Victorian Parliament will decide to let things remain a3 they are, can only be conjectured, though many influential men who desire the change hold, and with apparently the fullest belief in their convictions, that the greater consideration that haa been given to the betting ?[uestion will result in the next motion in svonr of the totalisator being carried. We shall see. The Canterbury Jockey Club, it transpiree, made" a profit over their Autumn Meeting amounting to about £200, instead of a loss as, was previously reported. Last year, when the weather was unfavourable, there was a lose. When it is taken into account that some hundreds of intending visitors were weather bound up North, and that the stakes at the meeting this year were increased by something like £200, the result ie highly satisfactory. By the way, at the eight days' racing held by the Canterbury Jockey Club during the season now drawing to a close, the sum of £86,952 has been passed through the totalisators, giving an average of a little short of £11,000 per day. The Government tax amounts to over £1300 and the C.J. C. have received just on £5400 from the same source.

I am surprised that my remarks in reference to the breeding of Waiuku should have called forth a letter from Mr J. J. Russell, containing an accusation that I had gone out of my way to cast a slur upon the pedigree of that fine horse. As mo3t people know, it is customary, when horses win important races, to tabulate for reference their pedigrees in the Rkfkrkb columns, particularly when such winners are likely to be used for stud ptn-poses. In the case of Waiuku there was a lack of data, so that I could not supply the information, and it occurred to mc that it was good subject for comment that both Waiuku, winner of the C.J.C.'s Great Autumn Handicap, and Goldapur, winner of the Easter Handicap at Riccarton, were horses whose pedigrees were somewhat obscure. When Newhavep won the Melbourne Cup I took the trouble to look up his ancestral lines, not with any idea of casting a slur upon that flyer, but for the purpose of showing what exceptionally good horses there are at times whose breeding cannot be fully traced. Liberator, who has a remarkable record, is known to be by Betrayer, but his dam's breeding has never been ascertained. Numerous instances of what breeders are in the habit of calling horses of chance or " chance horses" can be unearthed, horses about which the Stud Book is silent. This may continue to be the ease for years to come. Carbine got what many believe to be hie hardest fought battle from a horse whose pedigree, like that of ■ Newhaven, would nob find a place in the English Stud Book. It is perhaps unfortunate that the blanks in Waiuku's pedigree cannot be filled up, but the fact of him not being a Sfcnd .Book horse need not be suppressed; Some day we may leirn more x>t the breeding of Mr S. McGuiness's fine horse, the lines of whose pedigree, as indicated by Mr Russell in his letter, which appears elsewhere, read:— . \ ■' ■■..-'"• ■-■,:;:,_-, wj£iv&-Vi.~' v'"" "" '

There are no records, so far as I have been able to ascertain, of successes achieved on the turf by the maternal side of the family, but everyone up Auckland way swears by the Dainty Ariel family, good old Riddlesworth bipod being worth untold gold in the eyes of most breeders throughout New Zealand. The Pacific strain is good also, and the crosses of Mueket and St. Leger in themselves would be sufficient for some people when seen in a horse of the individuality of Waiuku. And novr let mc pursue the same course in the case of the other chance horse to which I had t© refer when writing my comments on the C. J.C. Autumn.Meeting. This was Goldspur, who, like Waiuku, has since been further distinguishing himself at Wellington. Here are the head lines oi hie pedigree:— GOLDS PUB.

Thia ia undoubtedly far and away the fastest and best horse that Rubezahl has left. Rosespur's side has not been, bo far, a distinguished one, that is through Rosemary. Twinkle was got by an Arab. The Croupier; mare was from a mare of unknown pedigree, though Ranee, it maybe remarked, left a useful horse in Leo, who won the Australian Champion Stakes in 1873. This, however, calls to mind the fact that that event has been won by several horses whose pedigrees would not come out well uuder the analytical microscope.

A friend who was at Te Mahanga, Hawke's Bay, recently writes :—"■ When down at Mr Douglas's I noticed the thoroughbred stallions Torpedo, Quilt, Strep , hon and Hiko all running in the same paddock. Strange to say, they appear to be on most iriendly terms with each other. They all looked the picture of health. Mr Douglas is perhaps the only studmavter in the world who allows his stallions such freedom. What a pity more owners do not follow his example. Then there would not be such a thing as a maneater. Stallions locked up nearly all day must naturally become savage. Of coarse the Te Mahanga stallions are all in boxes at night. The paddock in which they run is surrounded by plantations." I may say that 1 have commented on this fact before, but the practice has been followed in other parts of the colony, not, I admit, with such high claee stock, but still with valuable horses. The great risk is when they are first turned out. They fight fiercely on- occasions, and the experiment is attended with a certain amount of risk. It would be a grand sight to see Castor, Cuirassier, Hotchkies, and St. Leger running together at famous Wellington Park no doubt, or Carbine and St. Simon at Welbeck in England. Snapshots of the first meetings of these equines would sell at a premium as readily amongst sportsmen as pictures of the battle between Fitzsimmona and Corbett would. A fight between two stallions in good condition is a sight to behold. I have seen some good battles . between horses , brought ia from different runs at mustering

time, but it i* surprising how well they do mate up when enjoying their freedom. After the first few pitched battles, when one or other comes off victorious, they appear to make.. friend*. I have no doubt that even Mr Douglas's horses have some marks to certify to first encounters.

For years past New Zealand bred horses have played a prominent part in the decision of Australian juinpiug. races,. and iv none more frequently perhaps than in the steeplechase events held upon the Bandwick (N.S.W.) course. Not that the country iv itself is very formidable. That cannot bo the reason, nor can il be said that all the competitors from this colony have been of a very high class. Clarence, Mikado, and Mutiny certainly are the beat that have upheld the colony's nama on the other side, and a very good trio too, but second and even third raters have had their share of luck at Randwick. Somehow, I fancy it must be in a great measure due to the schooling our our horses get that they succeed so well and so frequently in Australia. 'J , he ground at Randwick has always been looked upon as false, and clevor horses have succeeded when the faster ones failed through" blundering. In proportion to the number of starters there have been more accidents in crosscountry events at Randwick than ani'where else in Australia, where racing of that particular kind is fostered.

A correspondent writing mc from Wellington says that Sylvia Park is very bis still in condition, but appears to be sound again, and should win a good race when got into proper racing shape. Like Waiuku, he wants racing into condition. A lot of the horses that ran at the meeting were dead out of form, Barahot being one that appeared quite out of sorts,, though he ran one decent race. The prominent horses at Riccarton maintained their form well, Waiuku and Goldspur to all appearances being well ahead of most of the competitors. St. Paul was in rare form too. Mannlicher did not act at all well on the Hutt Park course, and was, indeed, a long way below his two-year-old form. Pom Pom was in improved form, but the going did not suit him too well* There is not a wide difference between some of the hacks and the best of the racehorses, after some half dozen of the latter are taken out of the calculation. The hack fields were voted about the best seen out for a long time.

Handicaps supposed to commence at a high scale of weights appear more numerous in the programmes of racing clube in the autumn and winter months than is the ca3e in the spring of the year, but some of these so-called welter and high-weight races fail to come up to the welters that were once in vogue when owners almost invariably rode their own horses. When handicaps appear commencing with the maximum of lOst 7lb, one' is tempted to ask the question, What is a welter race? According to the weight-for-age scale, two stone orer the standard scale is now deemed welter weight - for - age. Thus an aged horse this month might have to carry list 31b, a weight that in high weight handicaps is rarely put upon horses at our Metropolitan Meetings, excepting at winter gatherings, and then,-indeed, very few are called upon to , carry so much. There is, and has oeen for a long time,' a tendency to keep the weights low upon horses well able to carry them, but in pony racing the Itandicappers are not so slow to make the imposts so correspondingly light. It was only the other w«ek that Mr Eyett handicapped a field of*some nineteen horse?, commencing at 7st 10lb and finishing at 6st 71b. The horses were certainly an indifferent lot, but owners had great difficulty in getting riders at the weights'allotted to their horses, even though t)ie rape was, run at a Metropolitan Meeting, and indeed some of them had to put up over-weight in order to get boys. If the horses in the particular event referred ■to ' wereC'sb "much of a .muchness" that there was really reason to suppose they could all be brought together within the range 0f,J.71b, surely it would have been as well to.have -started the handicap on a higher scale and kept the weights up all round. In, his handicaps for the second day of the Wellington B.C. Meeting, the necessity of starting on a much higher scale forced itself upon the weight adjuster, the presence of Goldgpur and Waiuku in different ; events being responsible for the wide i*a.nge taken. There ; is one thing to be said in favour of Haying -high weightJipndic,ap3 or they are sometimes called, and that is our amateurs can get,chances'6'f riding that, only coraeto them on rare occatfioiia ; indeed,- amateurs have few chances of : composing 'owing to the scarcity of races in which the weights are upon a scale that will permit of them taking part. The amateur really gets very few opportunities of riding, fewer than might be expected in a country in which ifc is so often boasted that so large a proportion of owners race for the sport. With the exception- of a few races at the winter and hunt club fixtures in different parts of the colony, the weights are seldom arranged upon a basis that will permit of amateurs, unless they are much below the average scale of weights, securing a mount. There are plenty of amateurs who would be only too pleased to see their ranks better catered for in this respect.

MCBRKT [AID .K3 BE Hiss Ariel Sluskot I Atlantis Donciater a o ft I I • J. o s> o * o I I £ o : I I a si • ■ *] i* II 8 1 1 as IT 1 !l •35.5. §3 •s'S 5

ROSB8F0B RuBBZAHIi lera&ry Hotspur Fairyland Seesaw I o i g. 3 I o s* 3 a. o 5 8 s> a. m it o g a I I! -It ft n ii ss--4 § i" eg a, o s