THE TURF

Evening Star, Issue 18979, 29 June 1925, Page 4

THE TURF

[Gossip nr Old Identity.] K Follower of tho Sport ” writes to suggest that if the Forbury Trotting Club Rets a permit for a special race meeting during the visit of the American fleet it should put on the program mo a Free For All, so as to give the American men the chance of seeing some of the best of our trotting Horses. I think it a good idea. Such of the top-notchors as are in commission are sure to be produced at oilier places, and it would (be a bad advertisement jflf Dunedin to show them only second and third-raters. If the club does institute a race of the sort, however, it may be wise to have a condition that so many start or no race. We don't "’ant to see a big stake walked over for. Bonnie Winkie has not broken down in tho sense of ending his racing career. Me ricked a joint at "this month's races, hut tho rest has done him good, for he is not a bit, lame now, and Mr Fisher is in hopes that he will stand all right after the six months’ spell that is arranged for. When Bonnie does retire we shall remember him as tho horse that made Gasbag break the two and a-quarter mile record, and in doing so break himself. A Dunedin horse that has, I fear, finally gone out is General Advance. Charles Christie, the trainer, was very patient with this horse, and gradually got him to the stage at which nothing but a race could prove whether ho could stand or not. That being the position early this mouth, Mr li. Aclou-Adams, the owner', decided upon applying the acid in the Jumpers’ Flat rime at Wingat ii. If the horse came through the test all right. lie was to be prepared fur the Caulfield National. But lie did not, ami ne is out, tor i' while, at any rate. I think ho Had the makings of a brilliant National horse if he had kept sound. Mr Acton-Adams tells me that he has nothing of much consequence in training now, but he is looking forwaid with interest to tho debut next season of two youngsters out of Lisp. One, is the three-year-old gelding Tholomon, son of Solferino; the other is a two-year-old filly named Luthy. I understand I hat other names submitted for this pair were not acceptable to tho nomenclature authority of the Facing Conference; hence the choosing of names the only merit of which is that they carry the lisp and thus indicate the dam.

Cornflower is out of work and running loose on tho farm of the owner, Mr William Gardiner, at I’apakaio. It is to he hoped that during the spell some means mav be devised to make her tractable a, :1m post. A hard mouth is the cause of :ho trouble. She knows that she lias to be humored, and plays up accordingly. It is a pitv, because she is about as speedy is any "that she is pitted against. Urn mly horse that Mr Gardiner now has m raining is the two-year-old gelding by Paper Money from Mezza. Ho has gone ■nto Charles Gieseler’s stable. Ever so maiiv New Zealand sports who ire making a trip to Sydney tins winter, ncluding one or two from Dunedin, are (reaming of the possibility of collecting heir holiday expenses by backing Many kittle and i’illiewinkie, the pair that H. ■A 7 . King has taken over for winter racng. I hope, for the sake of the owneis md the trainer, also tor tho sake of these trusting hackers, that good luck xvill at.ond the horses. But there are some fairish racers over there, and travelling is 1 1 wavs liable to bring about accidents, md,*in addition, the Sydney bookmakers ire not reckless about odds, so I for one would rather look on than invest to any serious extent. Tim value of the last English Derby ;n Mr H. R. Motriss, owner of Manna, was £10,725, In addition the breeder of .he, winner received £SOO, tire owner oi ilm second horse £4OO, and the owner of ,ho third £2OO. This made the total value of the stake £11,855, of which only £3,000 was added money, so that in forfeits and sweepstakes owners subscribed nearly 74 per cent. W 7 .' Scobie, who was injured at the Dunedin’ Jockey Club Meeting, is schooling iiorses at Uiccartoii. It is reported that the lark of patron-;n-e, bestowed on the 2,ooosovs stakes attached to the hurdles and steeplechase run. at Randwick may be responsible for their being dropped, R. J. Mason lias such an uneMrny wav’ of’winning Derbies (writes “ Posoiloii,” of Sydney ‘ Sun ’), that any rising three-year-olds ho brings across in eany winter arouse no end ot curiosity. This trip Mason has with him Lucinda, an untried two-year-old by Martian from Lady Lucy, that Mr Greenwood purchased as a yearling for 160 gs. , Kuknnie ran a good race in the Biaclc.■nfiold Handicap at the Banks Peninsula races and Jubilant, who won. beat her mponents so decisively, without the least iiispicion of a fluke, as to quite revive (he faith in her that backers had before her mtunm defeats. The ‘Press says: >-ho can bo marked off as a possible for any of the big handicaps yet to ho decided this winter.” AVhat about the, \\ imei Cup ? During the course of the, recent Queensland Turf Club .Meeting', at Brisbane, J. O’Shea was fined £2O for improper conduct. The officials were not communicative regarding the matter, but it is rumored that there, was some suggestion about O’Shea not being allowed to ride until, according to reports, they were informed that if there was to bo no O'Shea there would be no Te Kara.

“ Sir Modrcd,” of Invercargill, reports that U. M'Kay’s elder horses have been eased up for tho winter, Radial having had his injured shoulder treated to a blistering, while Cujiidon has been fired in case the injury he met with in training should develop in a serious manner. M‘Kay has Apache’s rising two-year-old brother hacking about the roads, and the youngster has filled out and grown up of laic, while it is pleasing to find that he is one of the sensible kind and does not get unduly excited at strange sights or sounds.

Cara week started favorite for tho Napier Steeplechase, San Forte and Buckeye next in demand. Carawock blundered hvicc and then fell at the hencoop. San Forte and FirohligM led, Eerie joined them at about half the journey. She was nearly down at the wall, seven furlongs from home, but recovered her position, and in the run homo won without being' hard pressed, giving a really good display barring the one fault. San lorte had to be ridden out to beat Fireblight for second money. T Eerie, who was bred by Air I*. L. Stead, and bis now owned by Mr E. J. Mnrtagh, is an aged marc, by the imported English horse Nassau, from Mountain Dream, by Mountain King—Moorooroo, by Trenton —Nightmare, by Panic. This is a very stout pedigree. Mr Byron Moore, whose death at Melbourne is announced this week, was, as secretary of tho V.R.0., one of the foremost racing men in yet not a racing mail at all in the ordinary acceptation of the terra. He was a commercial man of high standing, and merely liked racing, which is quite different Lem making it a hobby. I met him in Melbourne half a lifetime ago, at :ho time v,Hen the banks suspended payment, mid or. the memorable morning when that (lisas'ev was announced he escorted me by private entrance ii t, two or three of those establishments where I saw the inside of the upheaval. Confidentially he informed vim that his greatest pleasure was chinch miff; awl he presented me witn a hock of double chants, his own composition, trecently published. Upon this circumstance I may relate a little joke which perhaps I have told before—if so, never mind. The landlady of the house at which I was staying, knowing before I went out that I proposed to present my introduction to Bryon Moore, asked when I returned if I had done so. I replied that I had spent an hour or two with that gentleman in the city, that he had taken me to Flemiimton, and that he had given me a book

Of double chants. Perhaps my relating of the-visit was foggy, perhaps the lady was thinking more of her household duties than of my story—any way she caught hold tightly as I mentioned double chants, and inquired: “Do tell me what he gave you for the Australian Cup. I have got a sure thing for the Newmarket, hut I sTSmld like to know what he fancies for the long race.” An important question to bo bought before the Racing Conference at its meeting next month is as to creating another metropolitan club by cutting off from the jurisdiction of the Dunedin Jockey Club the counties of Southland, Wallace, Fiord, and Lake, and erecting these into a separate metropolitan to he known as the Southland Racing Club. On the face of the matter, without, going deeply into it, I think the suggestion is a good one, in that il would make easier the working of a very largo and scattered area. I see no reason why the division should not bo r/’Vned in a friendly way. Southland !*'.l Otau'o are on the most neighborly terms —their interests are more than over the same now that the high cost of travelling makes owners shy of sending their horses great distances—and I feel sure that.the two would not fall out if each takes a share of the administration. “ Phaeton ” rewrites the story of how Despised furnished a champion surprise in the Great. Northern Steeplechase of 1893. The, tale, may be thus summarised: After competing unsuccessfully in th.; Takapuna, Steeplechase, Despised was submitted, to auction. The bidding failed to reach the, reserve (lOOgs), and lie was passed in, but sold privately on the same afternoon to the late Mr T. Wyley. The question of accepting in the big race then came up, and. had it not been for the fact that the late Mr Willie Cavorhiil, who had Despised running for him in a double, offering to pay the acceptance fee, the chances arc that the horse would have been allowed to drop out. Despised failed in the Malden Steeplechase, run on the, first day, and his Groat Northern prospects fell to zero. When speculation on the race closed he was the greatest outsider. In the first round Despised came down at, the stonewall at the head of the straight, hut Koss Heaton quickly remounted, and ho was in the lead when the third round came to be undertaken, and led up to the, post-and-rail fence at the top of the hill, where ho fell. When Despised fell the second time he passed quite from view, and when lie loomed up at the last hurdle, romping in an easy winner, those present could scarcely believe their eyes.