THE TURF

Evening Star, Issue 17085, 2 July 1919, Page 2

THE TURF

[Gossip by Old Identity.] The nominations received for the principal events at the Grand National Meeting must be considered satisfactory. The total for six races is 220, compared with 239 in 1916, that being the latest full comparison, as in tho two intervening years the meeting was restricted to two i clays. The quality is quite first-class. The Steeplechase has attracted Bon Rave, Master Strowan, Master Lupin, Polthogue, Waimai, and Foeman, and I can't think of many good ones that are missing. Mr Ct. D. Greenwood has nominated Gloaming, Afterglow, and Karo for the Winter Gup, probably on the chance of their not being able to got away to Sydney. ‘Dunedin- trained horses engaged in the chief events at Eiccarton are Morecombe, Lochella-, Graftella, Linden, Don Pacifico. Hot Air, Multiplication, ami Palisade. Silvorspire is out for a lengthy spell. The Canterbury Owners’ , and Breeders’ Association recently tool: a ballot as to whether the yards or'the seconds system should be used in trotting. The voting was 52 for seconds system, and 22 for the yards system. Messrs E. J. Monro and G. S. .Simpson are to visit Wellington on July 11 to place the views of the association before trio Trotting Conference. Otago will certainly vote the other way, and it is possible” that Auckland will also go for the yards system. Canterbury is a bit behind the limes in this matter. As to tho fiasco in tho Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase, the ‘Dominion’ reports: At the first fence Vacuum ran off, and at the back double the first time Foeman and Ormsby ran off. while Polthogue fell at tire stone wall the second time. This left only Bon Reve and Styrax in the race, but the" top weight fell at the double the last time round, while Styrax refused the stone wall. Meanwhile Bon Reve was remounted byJp. Flynn, and won easily, but he could nofulraw the weight. Polthogue and Vacuum were remounted, but the latter would not take on the stone wall. Polthogue foil again, but was remounted and completed the course in time to win. Later on Styrax got over and came in for second money. The country is not more difficult than in previous years, and neither was the going very heavy. A Toronto paper mentions that Inferno, the former Seagram Turf crack, was dissected. at the Ontario Veterinary College, and the heart and skeleton of the great racer arc to be preserved by the college. Inferno’s heart weighed 17 pounds, and it will give an idea of where ho got his gameness. The average horses on tho farm has a heart weighing about seven pounds, while the average racer’s tips the scales bewen 12 and 13 pounds. Pocthlyn, the Liverpool Grand National pinner, has started in 25 races for 12 wins, three seconds and one third. lie has fallen twice during his career. Tho resumption of racing in France on Monday, May 5, was a triumph. It is thought the crowd was as large as it used to bo on the greatest clay. Tha receipts were imposing: 96,000 francs admission, jind 1,603,405 francs at the Pari-Mutuel. It was the fear of the diversion from war loan of such sums as this that prevented an earlier resumption of racing. Orhy, the sire of the Derby winner, Grand Parade, was an exceptionally fast horse, but was troubled with very poor hoofs, which caused him at two years of age to put up some disappointing displays in public after being highly tiled in private. His first vacs was at Leopardstown, Ireland, in the Londonderry Plate, for which ho started at 3 to 1 on, and was beaten by two lengths and a short head by Gleg and Affiant. In a private trial for tills race Orby was pitted against two good handicap horses, one a five, and tho other a four-year-old. Orby was asked to give the _ older horse 141b and the other 281b, and he won pulling 'up, yet was beaten easily by a colt of his own age in the race at level weights. The trial horse which had 281b allowance from Orhy when the latter won, met Orby’s conqueror a month before the Londonderry Plate, and gavo him 141b and a beating by two lengths and a-half. “The glorious uncertainty” with a vengeance! Orby’s next start at two years also resulted in a third, and he did not race again until he was a three-year-old, when he won four races out of his five starts, which included the Epsom Derby. That was the last of him on tho turf, which resulted in four wins and two thirds out of seven races, for £7,840. C. Christie shipped Graftella, Grafton Tot, and Lochella on the Alokoia to-day, and he goes with them to Wellington. After tho Wellington meeting he will come hack as tar as Christchurch and wait there for tha Grand National, and visit" Waimato if possible. As an unauthorised guess I should say that Master Lupin, Polthogue, Coalition, and Foeman are a likely quartet in the Wellington Steeplechase, bo far as weights are a guide. Hogan’s team for Wellington consist of Caltna, Kilkce, Redshire, and Dardanelles. Multiplication, recently sold at mtctimi to Air H. W. Allen, has gone into J. Ellis's stable. ‘ Lyttelton Times,’ writing about the falling of every horse in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase, says; The occurrence will probably produce a crop of stories concerning incidents in jumping races. One peculiar occurrence, that already has been recalled, took place at Oaniaru many years ago, when tho Grand National Steeplechase' was decided there. Tho field included two old-time champions in Clarence and The ylgont. The latter (ridden by Mill. Limn) fell when leading, and Clarence (F. Hedge) won from Sailor Boy. After weighing in Hedge caught Tho Agent, and, jumping tho remaining fences safely, got second money through Sailor Boy being disqualified for not completing the course*. Tho North Otago Jockey Club, in their annual report, say something about the proposals which arise out of the position created by the. burning of the stewards’ stand: It is considered by tho committee that the timo has arrived to bring forward and adopt some complete and up-to-date scheme for the laying-out of the enclosures. With this object in view, your committee have been in communication with Messrs Luttrell Bros., who are at present engaged in bringing out three or four different schemes for the laying out of the club’s enclosures. -Such a scheme may run ultimately into £10,009, but the immediate requirements of the club will fall far short of that amount. A method of financing tho project has been placed in the hands of tho copimitteo. The incoming committee will have tho whole position to review, and have the matter carried out in some way or other. Before our next summer meeting takes place it will be the duty of tho committee to have the immediate” requirements of the club seen to. A conference between tho Oaniaru Trotting Chib, tho North Otago Jockey Club, and the racecourse reserve trustees has already been held, and it is hoped that it will he possible for both clubs to race on the racecourse reserve, thus saving a double set of appointments within a short distance of each other.