THE TURF

Evening Star, Issue 17921, 17 March 1922, Page 2

THE TURF

Gossip bt Old Identity

Racing men aro usually of generous mind, but some aro incessantly suspicious of pullings and dopings and all sorts of tilings. 1 have hoard it said that General Retain was wailing for a modified weight and a big stake. This horse supplied the answer to that suspicion by winning with 12.9 at Waimato yesterday. I once heard the crowd challenge tho running of a horse that to my certain knowledge was going for three-fourths of the whole sum invested in the totalizator on a metropolitan course. did I know? I put on the money for tho owner, and ho was riding tho horse himself. The punter who trios to pick “ dead ’uns” is likely to faro far worse than tho punter who assumes that every horse is a trier. That is ray sincere opinion. A gelding byCTynolish has joined George Reed’s stable.

The - Forbury Trotting Club will give £5,000 in stakes at its meeting on the 4th and 6th May. Chief race each day, £BOO ; class, 4.36.

Tho steeplechase horse Gay Boy was recently sold in Napier by auction for 60 guineas, Mr O. J. Stevens being his new owner.

Murray Hobbs has left for England, and intends being absent about twelve months. Insurrection is back again on the tracks at Trcntbam, and, says “Glencoe,” looks to have benefited greatly by his short spell. Ho is to race at tho coming Wellington meeting, and also atAwapuni and Riccarton.

After tho two-year-old Polytheist had lost tho Federal Stakes at Caulfield for weighing in short, his owner, E. A. Connolly, refused an offer of 4,000 guineas for tho colt. The nominations for the Trcntbam Gold Cup include Amythas, Gloaming, Foo Chow, and the three-year olds Winning Hit, Pluto, and Palestrina. Coalition has been nominated for two flat ©vents at Wellington.

The two-year-old filly Epitaph, who has been off tho scene since th® beginning of January, claims engagements in both the juvenile handicaps at Trentham next month.

Gasbag's running in tho Napier Cup points to his coming bade to form. Occasionally jockeys riding in flat races fail to wear skull-caps as required by the rules. R. S. Bagby did not wear one when riding Viyella in tho Sapling Stakes on tho -hrst day at Napier Park, and tho omission cost him £4.

Hector Gray arrived ,in England on February 27, all well, after a good trim This will give him plenty of time to got into form before tho season opens. Gloaming has earned the maximum penalty of 141 b in the North Island Challenge Stakes, and the best of his opponents are in a similar position.

Island, who won two races at Marlborough meeting, is a four-year-old by Finland—All’s Well, by Hotchkiss from the Seaton Delaval maro Miss Annie.

Is Eurythmic as good a horse ns Carbine was? “Beacon,” in the Melbourne ‘Leader,’ an experienced and reliable writer, will not have it. Here is bis argument, or part of it: “ When Eurythmic equals Carbine’s Melbourne Cup performance I shall ungrudgingly hand him tho palm. Carrying 10.5, and with a bound-up foot, Carbine beat a horso like Highborn, who, with only 6.8 on his back, had been tried to bo almost unbeatable. Carbine not only beat Highborn, but bad the race won three furlongs from home. Highborn, tho horso to whom Carbine gave 3.11 and nearly a three lengths’ beating, a few months later had won four good races, including tho Sydney Cup with 9.3. Though staying"was his forte, Carbine was good over all distances. Ho carried the record weight for a throe-year-old, 9,0, in the Sydney Cup. Approaching the home turn, Carbine was nearly knocked down—his nose touched the ground. Entering the straight ho was at the tail of tho field, yet with a brilliant run ho got up in time to beat Melos, to whom he was conceding 121 b, a head, with Abercorn, ono of the greatest horses that has graced the Australian turf, two lengths away, third, with 9.4 on his fonr-ycar-old back. Reverting to the Futurity Stakes, is it not

possible that wo aro over-rating Eurythmic’s performance? It was really a welter race. Every horse with any pretension to ‘class’ was penalised close up to tho winner. In fact,' Eurytbmio was meeting them all on better terms than would i -'-ve been tho ease had the race been a i andicap.”

■ “Phaeton” writes: With Eurythmic creating a fresh record as a stake winner in Australasia, many minds will be directed to tho burse that bolds the world’s record under that heading. England claims tho credit of top score with Isinglass, who came on tho scone twenty-eight yean; back, and who piled up tho great total of £57,455, which was tho result of eleven victories and a second that went down to his credit in four seasons’ racing. The following is a list of tho leading siakowinners in the two hemispheres: —England.—

Isinglass, by Isonomy £57,455 Donovan, by Galopin Rock Sand, by Sainfoin 45,613 Flying Fox, by Ormo ... 40,006 Ayrshire, by Hampton 35,915 Persimmon, by St. Simon ... 54,706 La Flecho, by St. Simon ... Pretty Polly, by GaUimuti 37,597 Sceptre, by Persimmon 38,200 Ormo, by Bend Or 34.626 St. Frusquin, by St. Simon ... 39,950 Diamond Jubilee, by St. Simon ... 29,185 Ormonde, by Bend Or 28,165

—Australasia.Eurythmic, by Eudorus 32,616 Carbine, by Musket 29,626 Cetigne, by Grafton 27,206 Poitrol, by St. Alwyne 27,017 Gloaming, by The Welkin ... ... 25,983 Desert Gold, by All Black 23,133 Trafalgar, by Wallace 22,111 Sasanof, by Martian 20,770 Wolaroi, by Kenilworth ... ... 20,016 Poseidon, by Posita.no ... 19,496 Artilleryman, by Comedy King ... 17,833 Carlita, by Charlemagne 17,559 Amongst tho great English winners quoted above, La Flecho and Sceptre arc tho only ones that were paraded in the sale ring when yearlings, tho former being bought for 5,500 guineas and the latter for 10,COO guineas. Tho remainder were all bred by their owners and wire colors they carried. Turning to the AusiraU,inbred division, it is interesting to rote that eight of tho number were sold under, the hammer when yearlings^-the lot to go before the auctioneers including Carbine {620 guineas). Getigne (200 guineas), Gloaming (230 guineas), Sasanof (400 guineas), Poseidon (500 guineas), Carlita (125 guineas), and Artilleryman (I,OCO guineas). Corn Riga was tiring at the end of the Waimato Cup, hut lasted long enough to land tho money for Mr Gardiner, and incidentally spoil a fairly heavily haded double. Bella Lake’s defeat of Battle Seero in tho President’s Handicap was also a. gtdsend to the double-event merchants.

Many Kittle, tho two-year-old that paid tho biggest dividend of tire day at Waimatc, is by Winkle—Sunglow.