THE TURF

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 141, 16 June 1924, Page 10

THE TURF

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(8? "SIR LANCELOT.")

Riccarton trainer J M'Combe made a fair start at Canterbury Park on Sat-

urday with Geranial and Xhe Cheat, both of whom have shown winning form in the South Island this season. Geranial was successful, and The Cheat ran third to Chatterbox, an improving filly by imported Magpie.

At a committee- meeting of the Martou Jockey Club it was decided to give £3450 in stakes at the Spring Meeting in September. The following programme was adopted: Trial Race, 150 soys, five furlongs; Hack Hurdles, 170 soys, one mile and a half; Spring .Hack Handicap, 1/0 soys, eight and a half furlongs; Marton Handicap (open), 270 soys, one mile and a • quarter; Hack Steeplechase, 190 soys, about two miles and a half; Electric Hack Handicap, 150 soys, six furlongs; Railway Handicap (open), 210 soys, six furlongs; Tutaenui Hack Welter Handicap, 160 soys, seven . furlongs.

The following are the nominations for the principal events at the Hawkes Bay Winter Meeting:—Hawkes Bay Hurdles Handicap, one mile and threequarters.—Alteration, En Itoute, Antler, Nukumai, Kohu, Jovial, Eirka, Landbird, Vagabond, Tenterfield, Prince Rufus, Merry Bells, Maunga, Admiral Codrington, Woden, Ore Ore. Hawkes Bay Steeplechase, three miles.—San Forte, Te Maire, First Line, Gang Awa, Mahuru, Silk llein, Kipling, Birka, Sturdee, Killard, Taihape, Passin' Through, Buckeye, Red Cent, Zeus, Oak Rose, Merry Q.ueen. The Winter Meeting of the Wellington Racing Club will be held on Wednesday and Saturday, 9th and 12th July, the dates originally fixed.

On account of the wet state of the weather at Trentliam on Saturday morning, the tracks were closed, and no fast work was done.

Mr. J. E. Gleadow, secretary of the Napier Park Racing Club, who has been rather seriously ill, is now making satisfactory progress towa.rds recovery.' Mr. H. Shellam is carrying out the duties of acting-secretary, at the coming meeting. DieT; arrived bsvit at Trentham from Auckland on Saturday last. Although ho failed to win, he ran a good race in each of the two principal cross-country events, finishing third on both occasions. He won 350 soys in stake money, which will more than pajr the expenses of the trip. C. Pritchard has decided to give him a let-up, and he will,not fulfil his engagement in the Napier Steeplechase, Ilis next appearance will be at Trentham, where he was successful in the cross-country event at the Fleet Meeting. First Line was the only other horse that finished in the Sailors' Steeplechase. - The other starters included Carawoek, who has since shown good form at Randwiek, and Sir Rosebery, who did well at EUerslie. There was only a pound between Sir Rosebery and Dick at Trentham, but at Auckland the first-named conceded nearly two stone and a beating in the Winter Steeplechase.

Mr. Arthur Way has been appointed delegate for the Marton Jockey Club at the conference of country clubs, to be held in Wellington on 9th July. The Dunedin Jockey Club paid £7551 is 8d in Government taxes in connection with the recent Winter Meeting. Vindictive is to make his first appearance in a hurdle race at Napier Park. He is not regarded by his trainer as a good horse in bad going. It is generally on tho heavy side at Napier Park in the winter season.

C. T. Gorlby has eleven of his team in the Melbourne Cup, including the New ZeaJand-bred horse King's Trumpeter, Bonaparte, and Witness Box. The name of the latter has been changed to Affirm. L. Robertson has seven engaged, including four New Zealandcis. They include Volhynia, the halfbrother to Sasanof, who has not been hurried, and Mars, the Martian—Bronze youngster, who will race as a gelding. In discussing the next Australian Jockey Club Derby prospects, " Snowden," in the " Australasian," after summing up home-bred possibilities, concluded : "New Zealandtrs have developed a most awe-inspiring custom of swooping down on A.J.C. Derby spoils, and apparently it matters little to them whether it is a favourite of the Biplane or Gloaming stamp, or rough 'uns such as Cupidon or Ballymena. So we had better keep our weather eye on their nominations, of whichthey have several. If they have anything much better than Nigger Minstrel appears to be, then our best are in_ for a hard fight. Biplane and Gloaming were each bred in Victoria and Nigger Minstrel went as close to it as possible, though I don't know whether he ever saw the light of day here. When Mr. E. J. Watt sent All Biack from New Zealand to Mr. Ben Chaffey's stud at Sherwood Park, just outside Melbourne, Mr. T. H. Lowry sent Desert Gold's dam, Aurarius, to revisit the sire of her great daughter lne trip was attended with far more success than the venture of the late Fiancis Foy when he sent Playaway und other mares from New South Wales to France to be mated with crack sires over there. Desert Gold was a most brilliant mare, and- it took stout stayers of the Poitrel or Wallace Isinglass standard to run her down at a mile and a half or over. Maltster did i:ot get many genuine stayers or dams oi stayers, but All Black apparently suits Aurarius well. '. Therefore, if Nigger Minstrel is up to full concert pitch at Randwick in the spring our best Australian may be compelled to play second fiddle. Nigger Minstrel is also engaged in the Caulfield Guineas and Victoria Derby, but past experience bp.s shown that such entries are generally made as a sort of insurance policy in case anything unforeseen turns np, as was the caso in 1917, when Biplane carried Mr. Greenwood's colours with distinction in (he Victoria Derby and Linlifchgow Stakes." Tho late Percy Coffey, whose death occurred at Hawora recently, was a wellknown trainer up the Coast. He was associated with Mr. J. Casseriey and among tho successful performers he trained was Compass (Daystar—Mainboon), a successful hurdle performer ■.\ho won the Grand National Hurdles at Riccarton.

Mr. John Fleming, whose death occurred on Wednesday, was at one time i prominent figure in the racing world. Vlthough Adamant won tho Dnnedin Cup of 1883 in the nomination of Mr. 0. Kirby, he was really owned by Mr. Fleming, who landed a rather remarkable bet about tho win from Abe Snider, -who was then leader of the ring. Adamant was ridden by W. Sharped ivho rode at 6.7, and who was afterwards recognised as one of the best horseman ever seen in New Zealand. Adamant was trained by Mr. James who is still in Dunedin. The late Mr.' Fleming afterwards owned several horses, including Gipsy Bang, whom he lost through being outbid after the colt had \ron a two-jear-old soiling raqji at

Forbury Park by the late Mr. Dan O'Brien. Amongst other horses Mr. Fleming owned was Arline, one of the first horses trained by J. Ruttledge, a longestablished and most capable trainer at Wingatiii. It is rather interesting to note that Mr. Fleming also owned a well-known trotter of the day in Duchtss, which was ridded and trained by Mr. George Smith, who, with the late M. J. Poole, was the first to adopt the crouch seat on a trotter or any other* racehorse. This was away back in the early '80's of last century. The late Mr. Sthn Fleming was for several years officially associated with the Dunedin Jockey Club when Forbury Park meetings were deservedly recognised as second to none in New Zealand both from a sporting and market point of view. The late Mr. Fleming was one of the last links connecting the Dunedin Jockey Glub with the days when it really ranked as the second to no club in New Zealand.