THE TURF.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 59, 11 March 1909, Page 2

THE TURF.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Gold "Lace was generally regarded as being more at home over sprinters' courses, but she showed by her Dannevirke Cup win that middle distances suit her better. The Gold Reef filly is a three-year-old, and her success may be the beginning of a winning sequence for horses of her age, as so far this season they have been singularly unsuccessful in handicaps. However, now we are getting near the back end of the season, an improvement in the running of Uia three-year-olds may be confidently anticipated, and this particularly applies to the fillies. To revert to Gold Lace : this strongly built stocky brown daughter of Gold Reef won three fair races out of her six essays as a two-year-old. Ettrly in the spring of this season, Rae had tried her to be practically a- certainty for the C.J.C. Maiden Plate, but Artillerie proved too good a finisher, and the Hawkes Bay filly was beaten by a neck in very fast time. Another sfjerling performance which Gold Lace put up was her great fight with Aborigine and Kopu in the Hawkes Bay Guineas. Taken up to Ellerslie for the Cup meeting, Mr. Donnelly's filly ran several times in sixfurlorig races, but without catching the judge's eye, anoTvery few credited her with tho ability to win the Dannevirke Cup, even with her light weight. The critics fancy that Hatch rode too confidently on Sandstream. The time was so good, however, that later running will almost certainly confirm the placings. Also, it must not be forgotten that it is invariably all over when Hatch changes from the crouch to the upright ppsition. Sandstream was no doubt doing his best. Again, the appfi'cation of\Jhe whip is resented by a generous horse, a\id a really capable rider caD always tell with his hands and knees when his mount is beginning to fail. Hatch probably knew Sandstream could go no faster, and rode him confidently as a bluff. Maiora has turned out a fortunate purchase for J. M'Lauglilin, and the G-reenmeadows trainer displayed keen judgment when he secured the little Soult gelding for 250 guineas last December from H. Hickey. He has already won iour races with him, and on yesterday's form the sturdy brown will be very hard to beat in any seven-fur-long welter races in which his weight is not prohibitive. It ia worth a careful note that the Napier Park handicapper, who saw both Cockatoo and Maiora run at Gisborne, makes the former concede M'Laughlin's horse 101b over seven furlongs. The man of weights and measures makes mistakes, now and then, in his estimates, but as a rule he hits the bulls-eye more often than owners and trainers care to acknowledge. Aboriginal is costing his backers a lot of coin, but with Maiora out of the way they would have got a farr amount on account back in the Tamaki Welter. Oliver rode the black one of his very best races, saving every foot of ground, but even this artist in the pigskin could nofc land it. Aboriginal is a horse of singularly docile disposition, and follows his owner-trainer about like a big dog. Wairarapa people even go so far as to say that Aboriginal will walk upstairs. If this is so, one of these days there will be some excitement rather out of the ordinary, for such a precocious horse may take umbrage at Judge Hartgill's failure to hoist his number on top, and, like Mark Twain's cow, might climb into the box and assault and batter this popular racecourse official. Aberbrothock, Vi, and Hipporofla were all well bacKed winners. Vis -win has mulct her in a lOlbs penalty for the Napier Cup, bringing her weight up to 7.5, whilst Gold Lace moves up from 7.3 to 7.13 in the same event. Aberbrothock will in future be trained, along with the other members of Mr. D. Buick's team, by A. Neale, who has had a fair amount of experience both as rider and trainer. It will be interesting to see how Vi shapes over the mile and a furlong of the Autumn Handicap. Her dam, Armada, was stoutly bred, and Vi has evidently inherited a fair measure of stamina. The racing clubs disclaim any responsibility whenever bookmakers repudiate their liabilities. This is merely a quibble, and the clubs would be studying thoir own interests by insisting upon some evidence of financial stability before issuing licenses to each and every applicant. It is astonishing how quickly a punter sickens of the racing game 'if he is balanced once or twice, and this in the long run means loss of revenue to the clubs. It is not suggested that the safeguards should be so autocratic as to prevent new fielders coming into the game. Competition is an excellent thing in- bookmaking, and anything approaching a trust regulating the odds -s to be strongly deprecated. Not that! there is much fear of that, as the totalisator is always an^active competitor for business. The Dannevirke incident, where a bookmaker apparently took undue risks with Vi, ought to cause tho whole question of the licensing bookmakers to be taken up by the Racing Conference/ with a view to the framing of suitable regulations, both in the interests of the betting public and the decent section of bookmakers. Two of Parera's progeny, in Boan- j erges and Nyland, won consecutive races yesterday, Hatch' s> consistent followers drawing a royal dividend on the latter. Boanerges is by Pilgrim's Progress, and he is a colt that bids fair to train on. He is a quick beginner, and his breeding on tho sire's side will help him get a distance. Parera has produced winners to Soult, Finland, and Pilgrim's Progress, but B6angeres is the pick of the lot. Kirsty, who, unluckily for Mr. C. E: Major, wrenched the oblique muscle of her knee, just' when she was galloping in most impressive style, is making a good recovery, and may be all right in time to be given a. run at the New Plymouth meeting on 24th March. There j is not much of Kirsty, who is a light- ! fleshed mare, but she is as game as they \ are made, well-behaved and kindly at the past, and a wonderfully good beginner. It is to be hoped that Kirsty will score a race or two before her owner, one of the best all-round sports, j leaves for his trip to England. That there is good tnonev in ponies is proved by the price winch Indian buyers are prepared to pay for anything speedy and smart. Tnlcc Balgownie's case. Her Auckland owner let her go for 10 guineas, much to her trainer's chagrin ; for her Wellington owner the Phoebus Apollo filly did' yeoman service, and was sold for 600 guineas. When she got under the 14 hands. standard in India she again changed owners, the trifle of 2000 guineas being the inducement on this occasion. Tckahurangi may be given a chance in open company over five furlongs in his next attempt. Very often it is easier to win an open sprint than it ia to win a Similar event among the hncks. Just to mention a few, Courier, Maiora, Sir Antrim, Roosevelt, Vi, Effort, Merrivonia, and Longner. A glance at those names explains why so many wellbacked hacks of the Seatondale and Advantage class have failed to land the L -"-" L ~- -'M-b.e psychological moment.

Mr. St. J. Buckley lias apparently reconsidered his decision to give up racing. All Red's owner has bought tho yearling sister to Master Soult, and this promising youngster will be given to J. H. Prosser to train, and mention of tlie Porirua trainer reminds me that Exmoor now races in the cardinal and amber hoops, Mr. T. Monk having mado a present of the big Grafton gelding to Mr. Prosser just previous to the last Trentham meeting. Nominations for the Masterfeon Racing Club's autumn meeting close this evening at 9.30 p.m.