THE TURF

Evening Star, Issue 18533, 16 January 1924, Page 10

THE TURF

Gossip ex Old Identity In tho days when most _of us wero younger Wo used to criticise handicaps and dogmatise about handicappers’ work, particularly in respect to trotting races. Greater wisdom prevails now. Mr Brinkman is one of the handicappers who have taught us to be careful. His adjustments, right through the period of his practice, have been so good that even the experts nowadays look on a race prospectively as not depending so much on a yard or two either way as on the relative fitness of the competing horses. Such being the position, all I have to say about the handicaps for the 31st inst. is that wo are sure of good fields, and that Child Pointer, Whispering Willie, and Great Hope seem to me a likely trio for tho Dunedin Cup. We may get nearer to it after the acceptances appear. Hector Gray, who has come back to New Zealand, has brought his wife with him, but left their thirteen-year-old son in Switzerland for health reasons. Meantime he is applying for a riding license in New Zealand, and will be ready for mounts at tho Wellington meeting. Ho told a ‘ Press ’ interviewer that in England the courses are pood, and so far as he knew there was only one (Alexandra Park) that did not have a straight stretch of a mile. This was a tremendous advantage to the horses, riders, and public, as the turn common to all New Zealand courses was eliminated except in tho distance events In races up to a mile a horse that drew number one position finished in number one position, and a horse that drew number ten finished in number ten. These conditions did away with bumping and crowding. Winning fees were only £5, but most of tho owners supplemented that amount very considerably. The average fee received by a successful jockey was equal to about 12 per cent, of the stake. It was nothing for the owner of the winner of a selling race to give his jockey £IOO. “ Sir Modred ” writes: That good mare Silver Peak is back in Invercargill and is looking in the best of health, but it appears as if she has been in trouble behind. It is stated that she got into a wire fence in Oamarn and the mishap has left its imprint. Mr W. Stone’s mare is again under the care of F. W. Ellis. It has often been claimed that wind has been responsible for some of the Canterbury racing records. Here is another one, says a northern writer. Tire stud horse. Long Range, along with his groom, J. Binnie', and a hack the latter was riding, were blown over a wire fence at Woodgrove on Friday, when the nor’-west gale was at its height. Fortunately all three escaped with nothing more serious than scratches. A playful little zephyr that blows a couple o! horses over a wire fence is the sort of thing that is better at long range.

The death is reported of Sir Otway, the four-year-old brother to Surveyor, that was owned in Auckland and trained by C. Gieseler, at Wingatui. For conversing together prior to a race, tho Queensland Trotting Club fined a bookmaker’s clerk and a jockey £25 each.

■ Spanner faced the starter in four races at Firongia, a picnic meeting in the Waikato district, during the holiday season, but his rider (a change was tried after two events) succeeded in getting away from the barrier but once. In this race he won by nearly the length of the straight. Etta, the little daughter of Martian— Linda that Mr D. Wilson bred at the Taieri, recently ran second in an important ’•ace at Sydney. She is now owned bv "Miss Muriel. 5 ’ Lilypond, winner of the West Australian Derby, is by Lilyveil from Coolan Dhu. He was sold as a yearling at -130 gs. _ Motley may not take part in the Wellington Stakes. It should be a neat go between the well-performed Eillocra and the _ three-year-old fillies Parody and Ttrlda. They have all earned the maximum penalty of 141 b. Wellington acceptances are due this evening Rose day will pay up for the Cup if he keeps well. His presence will not affright any others that are eager for this stake, since he has the steadier of 9.7. But he is a good horse, and may be equal to the task. I should like to know Arthur Wilson’s opinion on the point, but he is no orator. The Messrs White are gradually getting back some of the 4,500 gs paid for Golden Slipper at the Stead dispersal sale in 1908. At Sydney Tattersall’s races on December 29 they won the Juvenile Stakes, of fiOOsovs, with Gojden Voice, one of her grandsons.

The Viceroy’s Cup, run in India on Boxing Day, was won by Orange William, ridden by R. Morris. Vale of York was second, and Sweet Adare third. Ten horses ran, and Orange William won by three-quarters of a length, with Sweet Adare a length and three-quarters further back. The time, 2min 59 2-ssec, constituted a record for the race.

Riders in the Wellington Cup are already being named—R. S. Bagby for Marqueteur, J. O’Shea for Sunart, H. Wiggins for Zouave, and W. S. Bagby for Muraahi, if they start. Among the horses likely to be seen out at the FoTbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting are four American-bred ones in Peterwah, Real Guy, Early Harvester, and Brigand.

• The total amount paid to the Government .as the result of the four days of racing and three days’ trotting a.t Auckland aggregated £49,149 18s Bd. Sir George Clifford has three representatives in the D.J.C. Champagne Stakes—namely, Gamcbag, Deep Drive, and Rag Fair.’ The last-named, who has not yet sported silk, is a daughter of Bozon'ian and Gallantry. A well-known owner began to give the American riding instructions: “For the first quarter of a qiile you remain nearly last; then you move up to sixth position, Half a mile from home you become third; at the distance you ’"’ “ Cut it out, cut it out,” interrupted the man in the saddle; ‘‘if your jockey can ride he don’t need ins.tmct.ions. If he can’t, they’re no use to him.” Freddy Voight is again in New Zealand', having returned from England by the Rotorua, and ho is applying for a "riding license ‘ ° J. Bryce’s bracketed pair, Pakoti and Ahnriri, was the favorite pick for the New Zealand Trotting Gold Cup at Wellington. Vera Logan at first showed the way, then Dolly Dillon; but at the turn for homo Locanda Mac assumed the lead, and defeated Dolly Dillon by four lengths, with Fancy Boy two lengths further back. Harry Audubon and Ahuriri fourth and fifth respectively. The special to the 1 Press ’ reports that the winner, Locanda Mac, paced a fine race. Ho is a five-year-old gelding by Brent Locanda from an Advance mare, and this was his host race to date. Dollv Dillon made a bold showing, and beat Fancy Boy for second money, but will have to improve to possess a chance in the principal events at Forbnry Park. Fancy Boy stayed out the two miles fairly well; but as" the son of Galindo is getting back on a tight mark his future tasks look hard. Alter being a long wav back in the early stages of the race, Harry Audubon finished fourth, and on his showing should soon win a stake. The journey'was too far for Vera Logan and Her Ladvship. The backmarkers, Ahuriri and Stormy, went good races; but Pakoti was pulled up and" did not finish. S. G. Wars attended the Cromwell races, and left Distant Shot up country, but brought back The Beau for training at Wingatui. The Beau is by Solferino. Motley is again in work at Wanganui. El Dorado, who carried Mr E. J. Watt’s colors to victors' at Rand-wick recently, is practically a full-brother in blood to the famous Dv-ert Gobi. Whirlpool, the dam of Droeki, is also the dam of Qharybdis. the dam of Master Sandstone. CTarybdis was soM by “Mr T. Mantill ” when she was carrying Master Sandstone for the moderate price of £6O. Limelight, Muraahi, Mark Time, and Zouave have admirers for the Wellington Cup, and Merry Day, who with 7.8 ran Rapine to a neck in this race last year, seems to be well in at 7.10. Parody ip- in favor for the Telegraph Handicap.