THE TURF.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 97, 24 April 1912, Page 4

THE TURF.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Sir Bedivere.) . The Sires' Produce Stakes, which will •be -decided at Awapuni ito-morrow, will be the Manawatu Stakes, over again, with, these differences: (1) That, the crack two-year-olds will meet under a considerably higher scale of weights, and (2) that Ermengarde, Brown Owl, and^Bon Ton will receive a 91b allowance oii account of their respective dams having not produced a winner up to the tiro* of closing of entry- for the race. Neither of the two last-named has' earned the extreme penalty, and the conditions will therefore be much in their favour. , B. Koops, who rode Vanguard to victory in the Onkaparinga Steeplechase, thus described the race to a representative of the South Australian • Register, and it would appear that Vanguard has something of a history: "I -was on the best horse in Australia, and it was never in doatrt.. Some have asked me why Vanguard dropped back going up the hill the second time round. Well, that was my fault. I took a pull because Tramp was on my wheel and was making, my mount bolt. I thought there was nothing to do but to take a hold of Vanguard "and let the other fellow go to the front. At the next jump the grey flew past Tramp, and I said to myself, ' All right, you beauty, you can go to 'the' front.' That was the end of the race. We had over a round to go,- but the little grey was pulling so hard that it would have been madness to take another hold. So 1 let him go, and you saw how he sailed home.." In. answer to the question where Vanguard came -from, Koap* said: "I believe he was hacked pretty well all over New South Wales by a sundowner, and there are not many sheep hurdlee in that part of the country that he has not jumped. Finally he was sold foi £15 to a man , w ( ho saw^ that he was something out 'of the ordinary, and the latter, just to add insult to injury. played the sundowner; poker for tfic fifteen quid and- beat- him.; 'Mr. Quinn picked him up at auction later for some thing over £lOO^and,- my word, he got a bargain." "Phaston," of the Auckland Herald has compiled the following interestin,' table of the highest-priced yearlings ye* sold in Australasia i— _ . Gne Positano — Jacinth colt (Orcus) ... 305t Newminster— Primrose colt (Lord Randolph) ... 2300 Nordenfeldtr— Frailty colt (Havoc)... 220 C Grafton— Gold Dust colt (Calaverite) 210 C Maltster — Lady Grafton colt (Duke James) < ... * w 2100 Nordenfeldt— Frailty colt (Mousqueiaire.) , 2025 Manbyrnong— The Fawn colt (Segenhoe) : 2000 Maribyrnong — The Fawn colt (Warwick) 2000 Sir Foot©— Etra Weenie filly (Lady Joan) 2000 Grafton— Lady Trenton colt (Sudbury) 1750 Maltster — Winkfield's Lass colt (Malt Field) 1750 Sir Foote— Wiglemar colt (Master Foote) ... ■ 1600 Positano — Jacinth colt .(Jacamar) ... 1600 Maltster— Lady 'Trenton colt ... 1600 Castor—Frailty colt (Astronomer)... 1575 King of the Ring — Mischief filly - '(Petrea) :.. ..'. ... ... 1550 Grafton— Silver Coin colt (Ecuador) 1500 Maltster— Lady Loch filly (Maltee) 1500 Grafton— Scotch Mary colt (lolaire) 1420 Hotchkiss — Rose of Wellington colt (Royal Artillery) 1400 Ayr Laddie-^-Lady Trenton colt (Kilbride) 1300 Musket— Sylvia colt (MartiniHanry)y foal 1250 Muskeg-Onyx colt (Nordenfeldt) ...,1250 Hotchkoae — Formo colt (Monoform) 1200 Musket— Sylvia filly (Forest Queen) 1100 Wallace— Sweet Alice colt (Charles Stuart) 1100 Soult— Rose and White coE (Seddon) 1100 Many of these, it will be noted, did very little good either on the Turf or at the stud." The best bargain of the lot was unquestionably the Onyx colt, who subsequently came ;to be known as Nordenfeldt. Paisano ie getting through a nice preparation on the Gisborne tracks, and his name will no doubt figure among the entries for the Great Northern and Grand National Hurdlee. During the A.J.C Autumn Meeting Trafalgar added three more weight-for-age races to his record, his wins this season now totalling 10, and during the whole of his career 23 for 56 starts. He has only won three handicaps, and until last spring less than a mile and a half was generally reckoned too short for him in w.f.a. races in Sydney or Melbourne. At Flemington, however, he upset calculations by winning the Melbourne Stakes, one mile and a quarter, and at Caulfield recently he was successful at nine furlongs. Despite his development of sprinting ability so late in hi* career (says "Pilot" of the Referee), he etays as well as ever, and with his machine-like action can still make all hie own running and win at two or three miles. As questions on the subject are constantly coming to hand, I append all hie placed performances :—: — AT THREE YEARS. '£ Fhwt, V.R.C. Stand Handicap 100 Third V.R.C. Carnival Handicap 50 First, V.R.C. Spring Handicap 301 Third, Williamstown Cup ... 100 First, Loch Plate 401 Third, Champion Stakes 100 First, A.J.C. Autumn Stakes ... 808 First, Sydney Cup ... ' 2,486 Second, Cumberland Stakes ... 200 First, A.J.C. Plate 763 Second, S.A.J.C. (Adelaide) Elder fitakea ... . v , .40

AT FOUR YEARS. First, A.J.C. Spring Stakes ... 793 First, Randwick Plate 778 Second, Melbourne Stakes ... 200 Second, C. B. Fisher Plate ... 100 Third, A.J.C. Autumn Stakes... 100 Second, Cumberland Stakes ... 200 Third, A.J.C. Plate 100 AT FIVE YEARS. . First, Randwick Plate 781 Third, Melbourne Stakes , 100 Second, Melbourne Cup 1,200 Second, C. B. Fisher Plate ... 100 Second, V.A.T.C. St. George Stakes 100 Second, Essendon Stakes 150 First, Champion Stakes 763 Second, A.J.C. Autumn Stakes... 200 First, Cumberland Stakes ... 767 First, A.J.C. Plate 1,104 First, S.A.J.C. Elder Stakes ... 250 AT SIX YEARS. First, A.J.C. Randwick Plate- ... 798 First Melbourne Stakes ' 804 First, C. B. Fisher Plate ... 635 1 First, V.A.T.C. St. George Stakes 500 First, Essendon Stakes ... ... 788 First, Loch Plate 506 First, Champion Stakes 758 First A.J.C. Autumn Stakes ... 819 First, Cumberland Stake*... ... 743 First,- A.J.C.- Plate ,„ ... 1,114 Total 20,603 Trafalgar started at odds on for nine of his winning races, and there was no betting at all on one^ — the recent Champion Stakes — such a certainty did it look for him. It was announced a little while back that Trafalgar might be retired to the stud during the coming season,-. Jbut evidently his owners have no such intention, for J. ,E. Pjke has already been engaged to ride, him -.in his spring engagements. Thoroughly sound and only rising seven, the champion looks' good for a lot moro money in weight-for-age races. i , ,Mr. Geo. Currie' let five of his yearlings •go at the Randwick sales for 820gris. ■ Among them^ was the Soult — Keepsake (S£ Leger— Bangle) filly, who reahsed"32ogns and goes into W. Hickenbotham's stable. At this figure she was a great bargain, for she is a beautifullybalanced yearling, with all the makings of a high-class performer. Ermengarde will not race again this season after the conclusion of the Manawatu meeting. Sh« is to forego her Hawkes 'Bay Stakes'- engagement. Aberbrotb "^ who recently recovered from an injury • to one of his shoulders, sprung a : tendon, whilst galloping on Thurs.day last, and Mr. Buick has ,decided.to finally retire-him from the Turf. The Vaseb — Madder'colt purchased by Mr. Highden at the Chrietchurch yearling sales, ( and whose jaw was found to be broken,' is now in regular exercise at Awapuni.