THE TURF

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 27, 1 February 1924, Page 10

THE TURF

NOTES 4ND COMMENTS

(BI " SIR LANCELOT.")

Gloaming's trainer, R. J; Mason, who has been spending a short holiday in the HawTces Bay district since the Wellington Meeting, returned South last night. While at Napier Mr. Mason inspected some of the young stock bred by Mr. W. G. Stead. -

Pilliewinkie and Many Kittle are being kept going at Riccarton, and, may next compete at the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting, provided their owner and trainer- considers they are reasonably handicapped.

Motley, Parody, Enare, Gloaming, and Merit were successful on their only appearance at. Trentham.

Mr. L. C> Hazlett, who has held the imported stallion Tractor under lease for the past two seasons, has completed ttjg purchase of that son of The Tetrarch and Gravitation, reports "The Post's" Dunedin correspondent. The figure paid for the horse was 1750 guineas. Tractor is leaving very promising-looking stock, and it is pleasing to note that he is to be retained in the district.

The English-bred Solferino, who has won a good position on the sires' list in New Zealand, holds a place with bargains of the sale ring. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Solferino was sent up to auction in England, when he.was bought by Mr. J. B. Eeid for 420 guineas. In the first five seasons they raced, Solferino's descendants captured over £49,000 in stakes, and his record will receive a big addition as the result of this season's operations. ; Form was remarkably consistent at the Wellington Eyeing Club's Meeting last week. Carawock registered two firsts and a second"; Vagabond, a second and two thirds; Glentruin, two seconds; Nigger Minstrel, one first and one third; Lady Bentinck, ons first, one second, and one third; Penelophon, two firsts; Ihapotoa,. one first 5 and one second; Lovesign, one first and one third; Roseday, one second'\and two thirds; Gold Light, one first, one second, and one third; Civility, one first and one third; Last Oust, one second and two thirds; •Tukia, one second and one third; and Prince Ferouz, two seconds. A well-trained, natty-looking cob, named Red Mac, weighed out for the Suburban Steeplechase on the opening day at Gore and reference to the racecard showed him to be by Cardinal Beaufort, from. Flora. Beaufort, from Flora Macdonald. This well-bred jumper negotiated his fences well, but slowly, and finished a long way back ("Comet" writes). He looked as if he would make an ideal lady's hunter. Red Mac is Flora Macdonald's first foal, and was born in 1916. .

■ The New Zealand-bred geldiftg The Hawk will apparently be provided with plenty 'of opportunities to extend his wining record in Australia during the coming autumn, for he> figures among the entrants for the Oafieigh Plate, Caulfield Futurity Stakes, Newmarket Handicap, Doncaeter Handicap, and Sydney Cup. It will be interesting to learn when notes come to be compared in connection with the coming fixtures as to whpther The Hawk would have proved a good speculation at the sum (SOOOgns) recently asked for him. '\There have been many important developments in the racing and breeding industry in Ireland in. recent years, but none more important than that which I.am now in a position to announce," writes the Irish correspondent of a Lond°n * exchange. "My announcement is that. H.H. Aga Khan has acquired from Captain Greer the Curragh properties at Sheshoon Turf Lodge and Whitehall for the purpose of breeding hia own horses, many of which are 'likely to run in Ireland.. The A'ga Khan's purchases involve about 400 acres of the very best land. Captain Greer has, of course, been an extensive and successful breeder, and he has maintained his stud on up-to-date lines, so that his successor has been very fortunate to find an ideal location for his. enterprise. I understand that the reason for Captain Greer's sale of his stud farms was that he has found his time fully occupied with the National Stud at Tully, of which he is director. Npt .since Colonel W. Hall-Walker (now Lord Wavertree), of Gateacre, bought the Tully property, which, since its transference to the British Government, has been known as the National Stud, has there been a more-important transaction than that completed by the Aga Khan, whose decision to breed his horses in Ireland was, no doubt, influenced by the fact that his flying two-year-old of the past season, Mumtaz Mahal, is Irish bred on either side of her pedigree. She was got by The Tetrach out of Lady Josephine, by Sundridge out of Americus Girl, by Gallinule, and Gallinule, it may be noted, was the property of Cap-' tain Greer, who bought him for the small price of 500 soys."

The Wanganui-owned Orchid (Absurd —GJadiole) has been engaged at thff Dunedin Autumn Meeting next week. Landbird, who was one of the uhBuccessful performers in the hurdle races at Takapuna, is a brother to Chimera, by Finland—Landrail. He is owned by the well-known trainer J. H. Jefford, but is trained in'the Waikato by T. Morris. Landbird had had no previous raciiig experience, so he may improve,

Mr. P. A. Connolly won £2555 in stakes at the ' recent Perth Cup Meeting, . but, unless he appeals, and ig successful, that amount will not cover the costs of the case in which the jockey, T. Darcy, was awarded £700 damages against him in -Perth for alleged libel. The. evidence was of a most contradictory nature (says an Australian writer), positive statements %iade by one side being absolutely denied by the other. At different times Mr. Connolly has made statements that reflected badly on the, state of the Turf in West Australia, and these have been resented by many racing men over there. He has had the opportunity of proving some of his charges in the law Courts, and it must have been a shock for him when the jury decided that so far as Darcy was concerned, the matter complained of was defamatory; that he (Connolly) was actuated by malice; and that the, libel was untrue in substance and fact.

About the most interesting bit of evidence in the Darcy v. Connolly case in Perth was the allegation by J. J. O'Mara (trainer for Mr. Connolly) that when he was clerk of the scales' at Belmont Park in 1915 Darcy proposed to give him a parcel of quicksilver weighing 151b at the barrier, and have it handed back to him (Darcy) when the i horses pulled up after the race. This, of course, meant that the horse ridden by Darcy would carry 151b less than its proper weight. O'Mara said he was offered £200 to fall in with the suggestion, in which he alleged a man named Fred Wheeler was also concerned. Darcy flatly denied O'Mara's statement, and the latter was somewhat surprised when in Court he was shown a large ginger beer bottle full of quicksilver, and was told that, inclusive of the bottle, -the weight was only Wjlb. He evidently had no idea of the bulkiness of the parcel he was asked to handle. Wheeler said it was impossible for him to have had anything to do with the proposal, as he was not in Perth at the timo negotiations were aaid to be going on. A iriused photograph of Lurluie (Tra-

ducer—Mermaid), reproduced from one of Mr. Fred Woodliouse's paintings, hangs on the Wall of the dining-room at the accommodation house at Trentham racecourse. Mr. 11. J. Mason, the wellknown trainer, won the first Dunedin Cup on Lurline in 1874, and, sitting there with Mr. W. M'Conkey, who served his time with Mr. Mason, at the late Mr. Henry Redwood's ' -establishment, the picture brought back memories of the past. Nothing in the Dominion could gallop with Lurline, who won two Canterbury Cups. She also proved a champion in Australia, where she won the Australian Cup, Adelaide Cup, and three miles weight-for-age races at Randwick and Adelaide. It may not be generally known that Mr. M'Conkey accompanied Camballo and Mata to the other side.. The latter was an oldtime champion gelding by Dead Shot — Raupo, and won two Dunedin Cups. On Mata's return from Australia, where he made Turf history, he, won a selling race at Forbury, and was' sold for about £40. A few years later Mr. Mason attended a Nelson meeting with a small team. Spade Guinea won the Cup and the big race the second day. The useful grey gelding Peter Osbeck won the hurdle race the first/ day, being ridden by Mr. M'Conkey; and with his owner-trainer in the saddle ran third in the Ladies'. Purse on the second day to Teddy Yuile, a useful sprinter, who- won a, weight-for-age race on the first day. The only member of the team that failed to win was Weasel, who was not much account. The late Percy White did the riding, and \von five races at the meeting. In those days they used to travel to Auckland by boat up the West Coast. The team called in at New Plymouth, where Peter Osbeck won a flat race and ran , second in another, also in a hurdle race. At ElJerslie, in the autumn, Peter Osbeck won the hurdle race, and Spade' Guinea the Easter and Autumn Handicaps. 'Rocket,' a smart sprinter by Anteros, won a weight-for-age race over, six furlongs.