THE TURF.

Evening Star, Issue 12399, 12 January 1905, Page 3

THE TURF.

G0re~—....... January 18 and 19. Wellington -January 21 and 23. Foxton— -January 23 and 24,

[Gossip Bs Old Identiti.]

It is said that when Plying Fox arrived nt the Jardy Stud and was boxed in tho sires’ quarters there was little or no .change out of a million francs (£40,000), and yet he had nothing save bis blood and past racing career to recommend him. M. Edmond Blanc took the risk, and, now that his three-year-olds have been seen out, he has won tire record sum of £52,886.

The American champion mare Lou Dillon broke the world’s unpaced mile trotting record of 2min Ijsec at Memphis (Term.) on November 11. Driven by Millard Sanders, and with a runner at her side, she got over 'the distance in 2min Isec. The first quarter was put post in 30sec, and the halfmile in 59Jscc. The runner challenged the mare in the turn for home, and she passed the three-quarters post in. Ixain 30sec. When weD lengthened out for the flight to the wire, Lou Dillon slightly faltered, hut paajed tho judge’s stand in 2min Isec. The reared is disputed by Mr E. E. Smathers, the prominent trotting owner, who says that be deputed a couple of well-known men to take the time, and they made it 2min 2ssec. It is improbable, however, that Mr Smothers's statement will stand in the way of Lou Dillon being officially credited with the record.

In his delightful book ‘Sixty Years on the Turf,’ George Hodgman devotes an interesting chapter to the late Sir Henry Hawkins, whom he knew in his early barrister days, also in the days of his prosperity. Hodgman once sued a railway company for the loss of a horse named Shillelagh, and Sir Henry Hawkins was against his old friend in the trial. Hodgman -won, but the railway company appealed for. another trial and succeeded. Then Hodgman went to the Pull Court for the rubber, and on the day of the trial he met Sir Henry, who told him that he “ hadn’t a 1.000 to 1 chance.” Lord Chief Justice Cockbum presided at this appeal, and his juniors delivered their judgment, first going solid for the railway company, hut the Chief Justice, who came last, went just as solidly for Hodgman, who, however, lost by a 2 to 1 majority. After the trial Sir Henry approached Hodgman jocularly with “I told you it was 1,000 to 1 against you.” “Yes,” replied the imperturbable turf man, “ but if the old ! un had spoken first it would have been 1,000 to 1 on me.”

Now York turf writers glory in the fact that am American turfman, with an Ameri-tan-bred horse will attempt the winning of the English Derby this year. August Belmont, chairman of the Jockey dub, is the gentleman referred to, and the nag to which he pins his faith is Lord Hastings. Lord Hastings is at present in England with other horses owned by Mr Belmont. Harry Payne Whitney, son of the late W. C. Whitney, who returned from the other side a couple of months ago, described Lord Hastings a a the best American-bred colt in the English lists and on English ground since the time of St. Blaise and Foxtail. Lord Hastings is by Hastings out of Lady Yiolet, and is a foil brother to Lord of the Vale and Lord of the VaJW.

As showing; how English'blood has been scoring on American courses, a New York ■paper mentions that of the 172 important stakes decided last year 88 were won by colts and fillies of direct imported blood, as follows; Goldfinch 15, Meddler 9, Articling 8, Ben Strome 7, Golden Garter 7, St. Satien 5, Order 4, Omus 4, Star Baby 3, Gold Crest 3, Hermenoe 5, Melton 3, Candlemas 2, BapaJlo 2, Watercress 2, Woolsthorpe 2, and one each for Demonio, Esher.-Horo-scope, Knight of the Thistle, Kantaka, Prestonpans, .Sorcerer, Top Gallant, The Friar, and Sandringham. Of the horses to finish 1, 2, 3, no less fhy* 345 of the possible 516 positions were filled with direct English blood. RACING IN THE OLD COUNTRY. [From Our Special Correspondent, j LONDON, December 2. The flat-race season of 1904 came to a wematnre end last Friday, the intervenion of Frost, Blizzard, and Fog causing the aoandonment of the remaining fixtures, including the Manchester meeting. So, somewhat earlier than usual, we are able to sum up the results of the year's “ legitimate " sport on the turf. As usual, a glimpse at the winning owners of the season discloses at once the fact that it has been this year very much as of yore—“ To him that hath/’ etc. Thanks to the victory of Rocksand in one of the £IO,OOO stakes, Sir James Miller heads the list for the second year in succession, his total this time being £27,928, this being over £3,000 in excess >f his gains last year. Pretty Polly has iron £18,440 of the £19,899 standing to Major Eustace Loderis credit, and he is second on the list instead of third, as last year, having changed places with Mr L. De Rothschild, whose winnings this season aggregate £17,032, as against 818,836 last year. To the former total the peculiar-tempered Derby winner St. Amant has contributed no less . than £11,750. The millionaire Duke of Portland, who had a wretched run of luck last season, has come to the front again this, and with £13,099 to his name stands fourth on the list, closely followed by Lord Carnarvon with £12,143; whilst Lord Rosebery and Mr F. Alexander bear each other still closer company, their winnings being £10,122 and £lO,llß respectively.

For the fourth time in his career as a jockey,- that fine rider Otto Madden heads the list of the winning jockeys, with a total of successful mounts equal to that »f his 1898 record of 161. Possibly he owes his premiership this year to the terrible accident which overtook his great rival, W Lane, early in September. At that lime Lane headed Madden by nine points with 124 wins—a record that has proved good enough to retain for him the second place in the list. Still, Madden deserves the honor he has gained, for there is no more reliable horseman in the business at present, and as a finisher he has no superiors among his contemporaries, H Danny” Maher, the popular Yankee jockey, has materially improved on his last year’s figures, and kands third on the list with 115 wins, and his percentage (24.89) is considerably better than that of Lane, Mauuen,' - or any other jockey, Lane being second with 21.8 and Madden third with 20.40, no other rider having achieved equal to twenty wins per 100 mounts. E. Wheatley, with eightyfonr successes, comes fourth, but the striking feature of the season has been the success in their first year of two clever apprentices, E. Sharpies and W. Saxby, the horsemanship exhibited by the lastnamed having been particularly meritorious. M. Cannon has had 329 mounts, scored on forty-seven occasions, as against 349 mounts and fifty-three successes in 1903.

Turn we now to the winning trainers of the season. Last year G. Blackwell easily headed the list with a total of over £34,’00, but though he has won thirty-one races’ worth over £30,000, for his patrons he has been displaced from the post of honor bv tlr P. P. Gilpin, whose horses have won lorty-four races, of the value of £35,659 153. There is a big drop down to the third m the list, who is none other than John Porter, who, thanks chiefly to Barley Dale’s winnings of £10,410, is credited with nearlv £20,000. P. Gremil, with forty-five S to his Stable’s credit, is fourth, with £ls, 504, just ahead of W. Robinson, who has captured forty-one events, worth £15,141, whilst Fallon and Hayhoe’s horses have credited their respective stables with £14,963 and £14,566, and Percy Peck has turned out winners of £12,768. ' The credit of tunring out the greatest number of winners, however, belongs to W. Elsey, who has during the season taken seventynine races. But he is only eleventh on the list of winning trainers, with a total of £IO,OOO, his specialty being “little fish,” the average value of the stakes won by his horses being about £126. . Now we .come to the money-spinners

themselves. It was a duel between Minot Eustace Loder’s three-ye*r-old Pretty Polly (Gallinule-Admiration) and Sir James MilItf’s four-year-old Derby winner Rockaand (Sainfoin-Rpquebrune) for pride of place among (be winning horses of the season, and but for her unaccountable defeat in the Prix du Conseil in France the filly would .have won. As it is, though she had no £IO,GOO race credited to her, she makes a good second, Rocksand’s five wine being worth £19,719,, whilst Pretty Pdly’s seven victories enriched her owner to the extent of £13,440. St. Amant (three years) comes third on the list, with £11,750, the son of St. Prnsquin and Loverule having home the “blue and yellow” livery to victory only once after he had placed the Derby to Mr L. De Rothschild’s credit. The Duke of Portland’s three-year-old Darley Dale (St. Simon-Ismay), though not within a stone of a first-class animal, has been lucky enough to credit his noble owner with a couple of races worth £10,410, which places the colt fourth on the list; and Lord Rosebery’s two-year-old colt CScero (CylleneGas) comes fifth, having won five races worth £8,591 without tasting defeat. In conclusion brief mention may be made of the principal winning stallions of the year. The most successful was Pretty Polly’s parent, Gallrnulc (Isonomy-Moorhen), who has gone one better than he did last year, when he ran' a good second to St. Frusquin, with £26,478 to' 1 his stock’s credit. This year seventeen of Gallinule’s progeny have won thirty-four races, worth £30,105, to which total Pretty Polly has contributed £18.440. Sanfoin (Spring-field-Sanda) stands next on the list, his stock having won fourteen' races, worth £21.929, but to that amount Rocksand alone contributed over £19,000. Third comes old St. Simon, who after a poor season last year comes up smiling this with fifteen wins to his credit and a total of £17,576, Barley Dale’s contribution thereto being over £IO,OOO. St. Simon’s son St. Frusquin, thanks to St. Amant, runs* hi a sire cloce with nineteen wins and an aggregate of £17,341, and Cyllene, chiefly owing to Cicero’s winnings, takes fifth place, his stock having won twenty-six races worth £15,547. Ayrshire takes pride of place in the matter of actual wins, twenty of his offspring having annexed fortv-five races, of a total value of £15,468. Of the Antipodean sires of stock running in England there is little to choose between Musket’s sons Trenton and Carbine, for while the former is the sire of ten winners of thirteen races, worth £4,550, ten of Carbine’s get have won between them sixteen events, of the total value of £4,480. The other stallions known to you come out very indifferently. Derringer and Chain Shot are each credited with oqe winner of a rice worth a modest £IOO, Merman figures in the list as the sire of a winner of two races worth £236, Aurum IT. a; the sire of the victor in a race worth £l9O, and Australian Peer of the winner of a solitary event worth £273. Bill of Portland may later do credit to his sire (St. Simon) on this side of the water, but only two of his progeny have won races this year, the value of the stakes being £635.