SPORT AND PASTIME.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 28, 2 February 1907, Page 14

SPORT AND PASTIME.

The Turf. [Bt "The Blade."] RACING FIXTURES. SEASON 1906-7. Fob. 7 and B—Gisoorne8 — Gisoorne R.C. Summer Feb. 7 and 9— Canterbury J:C. Summer Feb. 13 and 14 — Egmont R.C.s Summer Feb. 14 and 15— Poverty Bay T.C.s Annual Feb. 20, 21, and 23— Dunedm J.C. Autumn Feb. 20 and 21— Woodville District J.C. Autumn Peb.> 27 and 28 — Taranaki J.C. Autumn. March 6 and 7 — Dannevirke J.C. Annual. March 8 and 9 — Wanganui J.C. Autumn March 9— Waihi J.C. Annual. March 13 and 14 — Napier Park R.C. Autumn. March 13 and 14 — Stratford R.C. Annual March 15 and 16^ — lologa Bay J.C. Annual!. 'March 16 and 18 — Greymouth J.C. Autumn. ilarch 30 and April 1, 3 and 6' — Australian J.C.s Autumn. April 1 and 2 — Feilding J.C. Easter Meeting. April 1, 2,_and 6 — Auckland R.C. Autumn DATES OF COMING EVENTS. Pehruary 20 — Dunedin Cup. March B— Wanganui Cup. April I—Great1 — Great Northern Champagne! Stakes. April 2— Great Northern Oaks. AUSTRALIA. March 2— V.R.C. St. Leger. March 2 — Newmarket Handicap. March 7 — Australian Cup. March 9^ — Champion Stakes. March 30— A. J.C. St. Leger. March 30 — Doncaster Handicap. | April I— Sydney Cup. AN INTERESTING RECORD. Horse breeding is a proverbial lottery, «nd no better instance cf this could be supplied than by- glancing at and contracting the wide dissimilarity of the performances of Achilles and his blood relatives. His full brothers, Sea Lion and Achillean, have not up to the present won a race, nor given any encouragement to their* owners that they are likely 'to do so. Dora Grey, his full sister, who cost a large sum as a yearling, has accounted for only a couple of five furlong. _ events at Melbourne suburban courses." This. filly can muster up a tremendous pace for ?boat four furlongs, hub then stops to a walk. The majority of the Medallions are horses of moods; when good and in the humour they are ver*- good, but brilliancy rather than stamina is their fbrte. Achilles' dam, Nereid, is a descendant of See Saw, a great English miler. When thoroughly prepared for the fray, Achilles, like his great classical namesake, is almost invulnerable, and can win over long-distance courses, provided he has not to concede excessive weight to good average handicap - horses. His brace of victories at Trentham in the Wellington Cup and Racing Club Handicap — were achieved against probably the weakest fields in point of qualit"- that have ever contested such important races. 'Apa, who filled second place, is merely an honest plugger, possessing one pace only, and Eden, .who filled third berth, is many removes from first-clasp, besides which, not having beeu raced enough, the lacked the necessary seasoned condition. Again-, other contestants, such as Mystification and Douche, were far from being in their best form, and thus Achilles' path was smoothed It is evident that the average quality of onr present lot of handicap horses may be indicated as merely useful, and we have struck a' lean year. If Achilles can be kept as muscular and blooming as he was at the conclusion of the Trentham meeting, he may score again ia an important handicap before the curtain js rung down on this season's racing. However, if he fails to credit his owner with another handicap, tho gallant son of Medallion and Nereid has proved a profitable purchase for his owner, who no doubt would be delighted to again secure three yearlmg 3 with the galloping ability and sound constitutions of Achilleg, Ghoorka, and Exmoor (purchased by Mr. Prosser at the Sydney yearling sales of 190). j The undernoted table shows the winnings of Achilles to date.

In analysing the performances of Mr 'Monk's champion, it will be found thai as a two-year-old he met with defeat on one occasion only, and that was in his first race, when Helen Faucit finished in front of him in the Pioneer Handicap at Riccarton in the spring of 1901. Then followed easy victories in the Juvenile Stakes at Manawatu; Nursery r Juvenile and Fitzherbert Handicaps at Wellington summer meeting, 1902. He did not, experiemoe a single defeat as a three-year-old, his winniag sequence commencing with the Wanganmi Guineas, and culminating with the Century Stakes at Auckland. The intermediate wins comprised the Juvenile Plates and Jubilee Cup at the Canterbury Jockey Club spring meeting (in the last of which, in receipt of 61b, he defeated Cruciform), the Wellington Stakes, the Middle Park Plate (where he met a foeman worthy of his steel in Machine Gun) ; and Hawke» Bay Stakes. It make& strange reading when one thinks of the subsequent career of the rmrners-up in the Hawkes Bay Stakes, Gold Dust and Bandmaster,' both of •whom proved comparatively useless on the flat, and were relegated to hack hurdling; yet in their younger days they were apparently highly esteemed Achilles was next prepared for his first important handicap, and he will probably never put up a better performance than when he carried 9st 61b in the New Zealand Cap as a four-year-old, to Canteen 7st 121 b, and Wairiki 9st 21b, being beaten in 3min 27 l-ssec, the fastest time yet recorded over this distance. Wairiki the next year did a trial at Flemington which Fielder, his j ■trainer, declared to bo good enough to i win nineteen Melbourne Cups out of twenty. Achilles quickly compensated his owner in part for his disappointment be securing the Jubilee Cup and the Jackson Stakes later on in the autumn, Machine Gun for the second time succumbing. His five-year-old career was variegated — successive defeats at Christcfanrch in the Electric Plate and Jubilee Cup, wheTO bo'ih Machine Gun and Cruciform to some extent ' sqared their account with the chestnut, and unplaced performances with 9»t 121 b and 9st 91b respectively, in the Wellington Cup and Racing Club Handicap, being relieved by wins in the Jackson Stakes at VVanganoi, and Challenge Stakes at Trentham. In this last he conceded Machine Gun three pounds and a beating, and in the light of after events it will be seen that the task set him of giving no less than 241 b to Nightfall in the Wellington Cnp was an impossible one. In the autumn he failed, to present Machine Gun with 21b ovei six furlongs, the event being the Mauawatu Stakes j.

but he atoned for this by conceding 281 b to a good colt ia Sungod in the Canterbury Jockey Club Challenge tSakes, run over a furlong further. This wound up his five-year-old programme. In the spring of 1905 he failed in four consecutive handicaps, his reverses being sustained in the Wellington Handicap, 9s? 101 b; Pearce Handicap, 9st 71b; New Zealand Cup. 9st 81b (won by Noctuiform, 7st 81b); Jockey Club Handicap, 9st 91b. ' Then followed a notable second in the Wellington 'Cup, when with 9st 61b he just failed to present all but 3st to Ropa, and unplaced with 9st 111 b to Letherm in the Racing Club Handicap two days later. After this sequence of defeats, his connections wistely kept him at weight-for-age events, and tne handsome chestnut repaid them by capturing four of these in succession, and in the Canterbury Jockey Club Challenge Stakes he carried the welter weight of lOst lib. In heavy going he failed to carry 9st 9h> to victory in the Autumn Handicap at Trentham, Lyrist, in receipt of 341 b, defeating him. Thus ended his labours as a six-year-old, and his doughty deeds this present season are too fresh in tho memory to need comment. Epitomisea nis performances are as follows :—: —

HANDICAPPERS' DIFFICULTIES. One of the most difficult tasks set a handicapper is to frame his adjustments in such an equitable manner that ho can conscientiously feel ho has given every entrant a reasonable chanco of success. Theoretically this is the purport of a handicap, and the business of a handicapper to secure such a result In practice, however, it is found virtually impossible to give effect to this ideal. To do so means the imposition of crushing ' burdens on good horses m order thai* [ moderate! may haio some remote proßJiect of winning. The public undoubtedy wants to sco tlio best, horses competing, yet owners of inferior gallopers which cost just as much to nominate and help the programme in tho absenco of better class horses, deserve consideration. Now, with the limited range of three stone which the handicapper is conventionally bound to, this cannot be expected, and tbo problea in how e»& this situation be dealt, with. An instance of the inequitable system novr prevailing is furnished by the Ruapehu Hack Race at the recent Trent Lam meeting, for which no less than thirty-flve horses of a very wide range of ability were handicapped within tho limited range of forty pounds. With the best intentions in the world the handicapper must have known that the majority of the entrants had no possible chance where the range of weight was so reduced, and it is not surprising that this fine entry of thirty svo resulted in an acceptance of seventeen only In other words, much useful galloping material was wasted. The fact must be recognised that hack races at metropolitan meetings draw a better class of horses than formerly, and leading owners, such as Sir Geo. Clifford, Hon. J. D. Ormond, and Mr. J. Monk, are found nominating for these events. It is evident that owners of inferior animals are thus quite put out of court unless some plan can be worked whereby their interests can be studied. I think it would be an excellent idea to give a inal to the system of divided handicaps so popular and effective in Victoria. The handicapper then, with the bogey off his mind of good horses not accepting, can commence his handicaps, say, two stone higher, or at all events with a range of four stone. For example, the Buapehu Hack Handicap could have been started with the top weight list., and all horses weighed at more than 9st would comprise the first division, or Plate, as it is termed on the other side; then those horses handicapped at 9st and under form the second division, or Parse. After the handicap is cut in two paits in this manner tho weight* aro tueu «un out in the ordinary way with a 6st 71b minimum or top weight not less than 9st. It is optional for the owner of & horse handicapped in the Pnrsb to tdcut to start in the Plate at the minimum weight, thus giving a chance to lightlyframed animals that cannot carry weight even in poor company The midsummer meeting of the Wellington Racing Club is suitable for an innovation of this character, hurdle races being, as I have previously mentioned, in disfavour at that time of the year with owners and trainers, and these dividea handicaps for hacks might prove, a welcome substitute and at the same time solve a difficulty experienced by every handicapper. SAN FRANCISCO'S PROGENY. The galloping ability of Golden Gate. Elevation, and Downfall has directed attention to the progeny of San Francisco, who was a beautifully-bred horse, being by St. Simon-Isabel, and therefor* full brother to St. Frusquin, who ran Persimmon to a head in a memorabl« Derby. It will be remembered that San Francisco was imported by the Messre. Nathan, of Auckland, and after serving for a couple of seasons was sold at the break up of theh stud to * N«vf Sown Wales breeder in Mr. Macdonald, owner of Lady Wallace. In addition to the thrjee colts mentioned above thero are still a few of the San Francisco's that have yet to sport silk. Some of them are so attractively bred that it will bo disappointing if they do nob score in any company, however good. A great bargain must have been secured when San Fernando, a chestnut colt out of Sybil, the grand-dam of Gladsome and half sister to the famous St. Leger, was obtained for the modest outlay of thirty-five guineas. Another of thi« family that should have the knack of galloping is Sir Frisco, also his sister Insco Maid, both out of Waitemata, the grand dam of Solution. The black filly Culmination is a three-year-old tiatcr to Elevation, and she may develop form which will draft her out of the hack ranks, in which she figures at prosent with little success. Others of tho family that haveyet to win their spuru are Carmonia, whose dam, Campania, also begot Master Delaval and Delania ; Los Angelos, a Yaldhurst colt, where Seal Rock keeps him company ; and Friskie, a chestnut colt (out of Lady Moth), now racing in AucUand. Thm list touches upon nearly all the San Franciscos in New Zealand. AUSTRALIAN RACING. So many good New Zealand horses have recently been exported to Australia that the handicaps for tho leading events over there in tho autumn possesses greater interest to us this year. One of the greatest sprint rac^s decided in Victoria is tho Oakleigh Plate, run over a distance of five and a half fnrlongs, about a fortnight before the Newmarket Handicap, which race it now almost rivals in importance. I append the weights allotted to N«w Zealand horses Solution 9.13, Cuneiform 9.9, Menschikoff 9.2, Ellis 8.3, Grenadier (SoultHotcherina) 8.3, Tom Moore 7.7, Captain Shannon 7.5, Beresina 7.3, Winchester 6.13. WANTED— LIGHT-WEIGHT JOCKEYS. The .scarcity of capable light-woight joe. keys is made very apparent whenever a field of more than average dimensions goes to the poet, and on glancing through tho book of the recent races at Trentham I notice 4&at no Ims than sixteen horses

that figured at the foot of handicaps were compelled to carry overweight in order that riders could be procured. A bandicapper's work is often rendered ineffective when overweight has to be carried, which practically amounts to penalising the horse unless an exceptionally clever jockey is obtained as a set-off. I was pleased to see the workmanlike manner in which little L. Murfitt aitd H. Price handled their mounts and both th«se boys should have a bright future. Oth<r light-weights who can ride in the neighbourhood of 7st, and have good finishing powers, are L. Wilson and G. A. Pine. It might, therefore, strengthen' our Racing Clubs' programmes if occasionally a genuine welter handicap with minimum weight of not lees than 9st is included, so that horses of bone and substance can have the benefit of strong and capable jockeys.

Age. 2 3 4 5 6 aged Starts. 5 8 5 8 11 6 Ist. 4 8 2 3 4 4 2nd. 1 0 0 2 3 1 3rd. 1 ' 0. 0 1 1 0 0 Unpl'c' 0 0 0 2 4 1 41 25 7 2 7

(Season. £ 1901 — Two as a' two-year-old _ 615 1902— Three as a three-year-old ™ 2685 1905— Four as a four-year-old _ 950 1905— Five as a five-year-old H . 1335 1905— Six as a sir-year-old ... 1745 3906— Seven as ag«d ,*, 1725 Total _ _;88955