TUFTS OF TURF.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9879, 9 November 1897, Page 2

TUFTS OF TURF.

" Weekly Press and Referee. , *

[By thk Editokial Scissors.]

" Vigilant " writing in the London Sportman of September 15th says :—" I believe I am correct in saying that we shall see Aurum in England at the conclusion of his three-year-old engagements." An/I again : "On figures Merman is probably the finest bred horae in the world."

Writing on the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News of September 18th, " Ranger" remarks:—lt is only in the last few years that we have seen Australian-bred horses running in this country, and yet at the present moment there are two trained here who will probably tako their own part in the two big back-end handicaps. I refer to the five-year-oil Merman, who is in the Cfaarcv.iteh, with 7st 51b, and Maluma, who is the same age, and has 7st to carry in th.c Cambridgeshire. It is impossible to get any line ot the relative form of English aud Australian horses, but Merman need nob be a good horse to win with his weight, if he can stiy, as mpst of the Australian horses oan, and hie form with Carllon Grange at Lewes must give him a decided chance. Maluma had a very bad voyage and has been seriously mniss since she landed here, but she was a good clas3 mare in her own country, and if she has come back to her best form by the 27th, of next month, it will take a good one to beat her. I should not be ab all surprised to see them both wiu.—[Merman won his race, Ed.]

One of the lucky punting division in America(he has won this season £60,000) is Pittsburg Phil, otherwise Mr George E. Smith. He defines his system of betting as follows ; " If you want to win money by tuvf betting have ho superstitions, no system, no aeb rules or ideas. Shun professional touts and the tips they offer to sell as you would shun the plague. Try to form an intelligent judgment as to the respective merits of the horses and of their jockeys on. that particular day and track, and then don't be afraid to back it. Never own any racehorses yourself. If you do it will certainly influence yon judgment."

J Mr "Jack" Gubbins on the Derby day I was attended by his faithful henchman and fellow-countryman, Garry Moore, and they watched the race together. " Where's he now, Garry ?" asked Mr G.ubbins, and Garry said that he was all right. And then Mr Gubbins raised his own glasses, but could see nothing. "There's something wrong with these glasses; they shake so," 'he said. "And where's he now, Garry?" "They are out of sight. But—here they ! are again I He's going -wel\—but—er—have you given your jockey any orders ?" " Devil a bit.' " was the answer, " except that I told him not to win by any ot his damned •heads! , "

" Anglo - Australian " in the London Standard says:—" C'uatling witli the very populai- gentleman who runs one of our largest proprietary racecourses here he re-

marked, ' Certainly, the starting machine will be adopted some day; but. "Charley Smith " is an awfully good fellow, and we • don't like to interfere with him. , Ther ■ I principal reason urged α-gixinet it when triedt iJ at Newmarket the otlior day was that it ■ j startled the homes. Certainly it would if -.seen for the first time. Even a saddle 1 i frightens a young horse when hefiratseeait; j but is that any reason why tho saddle should Ii be abandoned ? To mo it is nioet exasperating , }to witness the number of false starts that I 1 take place at almost evoiy meeting, and alj beoause of the considerativo nature that objects to alter an antiquated system of our -.forefathers. On my asking one. wortfiy sportsman why such things were,, his reply consoled mc somewhat : "Wβ are so dashed conservative, don't you know I' A much smaller question is that of numbered saddle-cloths ; but their adoption would be wonderfully conducive of the pleasure of the ordinary race-goer. I met the other day a steward of one of the Iriuh lueetiugei and hiti account of the trial of the saddle-oloth was most interesting : ' Ono of our stewards had been to Australia for a trip, and he oamo back iull of the way they did things over there. He insisted on our trying numbered saddle-cloths, and the,,; idea forked splendidly until we wanted No. 13; but, by Jove, sir, No. 13 was a mile away under a horse in a ditch. And that spoiled the whole thing. . It had not dawned on these worthy gentlemen that the clothe could be duplicated or triplicated at a cost of ten shillings per dozen. Apparently, the only reasons that oan be. urged against these improvements are—l. That No. 13 was under a horse a milo away; 2. 'Wβ are so dashed conservative;' and 3. 'You could not distinguish a number when a horse was a mile off.' This hut'; was urged by the editor of one of principal sporting magazines, in a ronenft issue. Talking these matters over with a , gallant colonel of Hussars, who had visited Australia, and who advocated reforms herei I said, " These innovations, that are so obviously desirable, why are they not adopted ?" His reply was simply, 'My dear boy, you don't know these countrymenof youra. , I suppose he is right. TheAustralian, who is always anxious to learn from England, ia still behind in many things. Briefly, the priucipal disadvant-" ages he labours ' under ' are perhaps: I — (1) Training—the general condition oi trained raoehorsos would appoar to this country; (2), Joskcyahip—l have no hesitation in. stating that the bost of the English jockeys are a few pounds ahead of ■ their Antipodean brrthron ; and (3),, the most important of all, ( the general tone of the turf. From' whispers I have heard, this may not be altogether, what OUO would desire here, but it is infinitely superior to that of Australia, where it ft. a common thins; to hear some well-informed man remark, ' There is only one trier. , And that in a field of a dozen or more. The gist ' of this letter briefly is that each country has something to learn from tho other; and that this will be accomplished eventually there is no question, but 1 do protest against such a dreadful waste of time in dealing with simple pz'oposifcions."

Some members of the English Prese livfli to a green old age, a veteran member of. the Fourth Estate recently retired, and in h{a ; connecticu a pleasant little scene ' waa' enacted in the roporters' room on the St. ; Leger day (says a London exchange). $&'&'; Corayns Cole, the veteran representative 61 the Field, bade farewell to the " ReporteraV Room," and Mv Greenwood ("Hotepac"), on behalf of his fellow journalists, took the v occasion to present him with a amatt toWea ol regard, accompanied by words that Mr Cole would value even more than the present. Mr Cole, we believe, is in hie eightieth year. • I Not long ago we told a story of now when he was a school boy at Bath he played tmant and went to see the raceg. On coming up on the following dfiy to be birched he was pardoned by the courtly master because the King's horse had won. That horse was Maria, who won the Somersetshire Stakes of 1828 for His Majesty King George the Fourth. It has been truthfully said of Mr Cole that during his long career on the Presf he never wrote an unkind word of any man, ; nor would he think one unless it was of someone who had not acted wp to his idea. -;■ of what a gentleman should do. Wherever ? ; there is a sporting Englishman the work of Mr Cole is known, more especially in India', : where his contributions to the Pioneer, ; which ceased some time ago, caused him to be looked upon by men, unknown to hiinfar, and wide, as a friend.