TURF GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19646, 15 June 1929, Page 18

TURF GOSSIP.

Nominations for the Wellington Racing Club's Winter Meeting will closo at 9 p.m. on Monday. Nominations for the Ashburton County Racing Club's Winter Meeting will close at 5 p.m. on Monday. Sir George Clifford yesterday disposed of the three-vcar-old filly Prickles to Mr W. J. Blake, a new-comer to the ranks of owners of gallopers. Prickles will in future be trained by R. W r . King at Iliccarton. The ex-Riccarton gelding Crossbow, who was paying close on the century when he ran a close third on the concluding day at the Dunedin Meeting, is advertised for sale in this issue. He is engaged at the South Canterbury Meeting next week, and will be seen to better advantage under welter weights than wa-s the case with a light horseman up at "Wingatui. Winsome Boy has been sent tf> Oamnru for a spell with the hope that he will be able to do duty as a hack, but the nature of bis leg ailment definitely precludes him ever being trained again.

A horse named Glendhu had his first start of the season at the EgmontWanganui Hunt Meeting on Saturday last. It was naturally thought this was Mr C. F. Vallance's representative Olyn Dhu, but such was not the ca«e, for they are different animals. This surmlies another instance of the public suffering bv the similarity which is far too prevalent in the nnming of horses racing in New Zealand Latest advice from Auckland is to tho effect that it is quite likelv that Roman Abbey and Tinokoa will run their next races in Australia. Mr ". Hannon is considering the prospects of an Australian trip with the two geMings. Roman Ab v ey is engaged in Ihe V.R.C, Grand National Hurdle Race and V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase. Trainer J. Butler, of Stratford, has done so well with Pouma, Yoma. and Seatown, that many wonder from whence he came (says a Taranaki writer). As a matter of fact Butler had made a great success of training trotting horses before competing against the trainers of gallopers, and in his hands the straight-out trotter Airana brought off more big "coups" than have any of the gallopers trained bv Butler.

The next leading event to be decided on the English turf is the Ascot Gold cup, which race comes up for decision on the 20th inst. The American colt Heigh Count, who was transported to England with quite a ish of trumpets and the Ascot Gold Cuo marked off as his special mission, failed so pronouncedly in his two first 1 engagements on soil that his prospects of capturing the great twomile race at Ascot have been considerably dimmed. An interesting entry for the Ascot Gold Cup is the French, bred colt, Cri de Guerre, who figures in the nomination of Lord Derhv. Cri de Guerre won the Grand Prix de Paris last vear, at which period he was owned hv T,ord Derby and the late Mr Ogden Mills. It is evidently recognised that in order to guard against "ringing-in" an addition to the rules governing racing in New Zealand is neecssary, and the following proposed new rule will be submitted at the forthcoming meeting of the New Zealand Racing Conference:—"No horse that has been taken out of New Zealand and is brought back shall run in any race until the owner has lodged with the secretary of the Conference the original New Zealand Stud Book certificate or certificate of pedigree issued for such horse with the certificate of identity on the back thereof completed. There shall also be lodged with the secretary a certificate of identification signed by a veterinary surgeon in Now Zealand who has examined the horse after its return." ]

When Sir Roseberry broke down in South Australia last year it was deemed unlikely that toe would aorain stand a preparation. The veteran has. however, apparently come round all right, for private advices received in Auckland state that he won a steeplechase event last Saturday. Sir Roseberry, who was best known in New Zealnnd by reason of his dual victory in the Great Northern Hurdle Rac<* and Great Northern Steenlechase of 1925, is now in his twelfth year, so that he is well advanced in years. The Stonyhur*t-bred Vesperus, a gelding by Autmnnus from Glenrnvlet, who won the Douro Cup in 1927, is among those carded for the Napier Park and Hawke's Bay Meetings. He has not raced since last season, when he accounted for the Water'ea Cuo at the Marlborough Meeting at Trentham and later won the Autumn Handicap, nine furlongs, and the Burke Memorial Stakes, one mile and a quarter at the Hawke'a Bay Autumn Meeting, besides being placed in other events. If there is anything that arouses the wrath of Mvles Connoll. erstwhil° leading jockey of Sydney, it is the boy who persistently has a cigarette in his mouth. "Thev are absolute dopes." he savs, "and 1 do not know how they expect to make competent jockeys." Elicit, who unfortunately met with an accident prior to the Great Northern Meeting, has again entered the active list under the guidance of Mrs A. McDonald, at Awapuni. The aged gelding Rouex has been put into work again by J. Hastie, at Awapuni

FAMOUS HORSE. LEAVING FOR JAPAN. (BRITISH OFTICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, June 13. Mr Jack Joel has sold his seven-year-old horse Priory Park, which will go to Japan. The career of Priory Park has been one of the romances of the Turf. He was bred from mediocre stock by Mr Howard Butcher, of Chichester, who trained him and entered him for the Derby. Priory Park failed in the D;rb\ and later was bought by Mr Joel. For Mr Joel he has achieved remarkable success, winning the Lincolnshire Handicap, the Stewards' Cup at Good wood, the City and Suburban Handicap, and the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot.