TURF

Evening Star, Issue 19061, 2 October 1925, Page 4

TURF

[Gossip by Oid Idektity-3

Can’t say to-day aßytlnng worth say. ing about running at the D.J.C- hpms Meeting, because the. acceptances are not due till this evening. . . , About thirty Riccarton-tramedi horses are expected on Saturday and and H. Lorigan is to bring C&Jucl, Eonmark, and Morning Gut. George Murray Aynsjey is to VL with Footfall, Starmist, and Goldstep. Tiff is doubtful. He has had kidn y trouble, and G.A. will wait to see how this horse gets on. . ■ As a matter of weight Tiff 15 re “ garded as leniently treated in the Mosgiel Handicap at the D.J.C. Spring Meeting. So he is, considered in the light of the New Zealand Cup cap. for in the Mosgiel he is only 81b higner than in the two-mile race at Riccarton, whilst Deucalion and KiJtane are each 161 b up, and Loughrea and Count Cnvour 111 b up. But I remember that in the Mosgiel Handicap a year ago Tiff was placed third, with 7.0, and Loughrea (10.2) second, and, even if Tiff did actually beat Loughrea m that race—and I am sure he did ho is no chuck-in now with Loughrea at 61b less. If Tiff is the improved horse he is said to bo he will be dangerous, but no certainty. Money Order, one _of the Dunedin Guineas candidates, is credited with having an uncommon burst of speed. Whether he will see out the mile it pressed is another matter. The scratching of Mr W. T. Hazlett 3 horses for the Dunedin Spring Meeting may be taken as an indication that the owner is not pleased with the weighting. But Mr Hazlett has not “taken the huff,” for Father O’Flynn was despatched south to race in the Guineas, at the same time as his stable mates were withdrawn, and cam© to Duneoiu in the cargo steamer Kahika, arriving yesterday. He is quartered at Jii’4 Rutledge’s stables. John O’Shea, who_ died last week at a private hospital in Auckland, was born at Thames thirty years ago, and grow up to be one of the finest of pur jockeys, “ Carbine ” writes of him s Brilliant out of the barrier, good all through a race, and very difficult to defeat in a hard finish, he had all the skill necessary for success in his profession. Ho had a great natural seat and perfect hands, but his most valuable gift was his judgment of pace, which was almost uncanny. He stood alone as an artist in riding waiting races "In front. One of the first to realise this was Hector Gray, who some little time ago in the course of a conversation about riders said that time after time he had ridden in races in which O’Shea took his mount to the front, and in the straight when Gray attempted to get the drop on him just went away again at the right moment* and landed his horse first past the post. Gray considered O’Shea New Zealand ’i best horseman. One of his most extra-' ordinary feats was performed at Trentham, when he took Surveyor, with 8.3 on Ilia back, to the front and kept him there over the whole of the mile and a-half journey of the last Wellington Shea won the Auckland Cup on Balboa and Te Kara; the Great ISorthern Derby on Estlnnd ; the Royal Stakes on Soltano, Desert Gold, and Hvmestra; the New Zealand Cup on Warstep; the New Zealand Derby on Desert Gold; the Hawke’s Bay Cup on Multifual; the Hawke’s Bay Guineas on Desert Gold; the Awaptmi Cup twice on Desert Gold; the Wanganui Cup on Colonel Soult; the North Island Challenge Stakes twice on Desert Gold; and the Wellington Cup on Surveyor _ The manner of O’Shea’s death is deplorable—pneumonia as the result of a chill at Dannevirke. But it is a wonder that jockeys do not oftener catch fatal chills in the long parades between weighing and starting. In wet and cold weather riders ought to be protected m some war, either by oikknis the preliminary gallops and the waiting or by shortening the parades. Oiie of O’Shea’s brothers, M. D, O’Shea, was killed at Ellerslie when Peter Amans fell in the Hurdle Race on. New Year’s Day, 1924. Income was favorite for the Avondale Cup, and Star Banger, the winner, was the outsider. Ho outstayed the others. Being a Martian that is no surprise. Jack Lowe broke him in, and always said he would turn c&fe well. Prior to Avondale, however, he had won only twice—in a trial plate and in a hack race. Ho was in the New Zealand Cup at the minimum, been rehandicapped, mercifully, at 7.10. Phaola, winner of the Avondale Stakes, is by the English-bred sire Catmint (son of Carbine’s son Spearmint) out of Hyades, a sister to Hymestra. Tnnadees was going great guns m the last half mile of the Plumpton Handlcap, which h© won at Avondale, andnuf information is that ho is a stayer. If so. ho will be dangerous in the Netf Zealand Cup at his rehandicap of 8.4„ Ho has won four of his last five races. That’s the sort. At one time we used to regard the Geraldine Cup as a pointer to the New Zealand Cup. or its predecessor the C.J.O. Handicap. Is Deucalion’s win last week going to guide us this yearr Possible. There were only twelve tickets on Frisco Mail in the President’s Handicap at Geraldine, and he paid a sensational dividend for running second. The New Zealand mare Lovesign (Nassau—Formal), now at Sydney, is out of work, and it is'probable she will go to the stud without doing any further racing. She has nearly always been nasty at the post. Gloaming, Haze, and Lucinda, the racers that Dick Mason has brought back from Sydney, are in forward condition, and apparently can be rcaclv for racing soon. , Lucinda is in work again. , ,1 -iv c Haze’s trouble was the filling or a foreleg through striking it in a gnjbp. He seems to bo sound on that limb now, and musi be held in respect tor the New Zealand Cup. Bachelor Gay’s record for the season up to the end of the Geraldine meeting, was six starts, threewins, three seconds. And the last inn was with 11.3.3, a weighty plaster for a young four-year-old. The wonderful old sire Martian is still in good health, though ho id, of course, showing signs or advancing years (writes “Argus”). Ho ha# been withdrawn from public service, but Mr J. F. Buchanan intends to use the Martagou horse for some of Ills own imported mares this season. Inquiries have been made concerning the alleged doping of horses at the last Trentham meeting, and so far nothing has been ascertained to support the suggestion of any such occurrence (writes “Vedette”). Hutch Star Stranger, a winner at Avondale. Ho is a throe-year-old by Martian from Star Lady, by Demosthenes, and he is in the Now Zealand Derby. Count Cavour and R>J W ink aio liked as much as any of iba New Zealand Cup candidates. Heather Lad’s running at Geraldine made him friends.

The imported horse Masketoon .is being freely discussed in coimenicn with the New Zealand Cup, a nu) in which he finished third ijsc year. Boadicea, by Clarencenx from Peronilla, has finished her Facing ca’-ee:, and is to be mated with the* imported horse Night Raid. Sir George Chtiord has lose nNbroodmare Counterfeit, by Treadmill from the Trenton mare Delusi/c, Amongst 'he races she ''in were the C.J C. Champagne Sh-kes and Oliallm ge Stakes, D.J.C. Champagne Stakes, Wanganui Guineas, New Zealand St, Leger, New Zealand Oaks, Great

Northern Derby and Oaks, and the G. G. Stead Memorial Gold Gup. The D.J.C. book of programmes tor tho treason, just compiled by Mr Harry James, shows that £25,150 will be raced for. The book contains some very interesting particulars about tho club and its course. Tho sum of £5,450 will bo raced for at the Forbury Trotting Club’s spring meeting. Automaton, winner of the two-year-old handicap at Avondale, is sister to Antomne. Llewellyn was marked off at Ellcrsho as a jumper above tho average, and he showed by his double win at the Avondale meeting that he has gone on tho right way since. Next jumping seaton (says “ The Watcher ”) Llewellyn should accomplish something really out of the ordinary. Wo shall probably not see Rillewinkie again in Now Zealand. He is good enough to stay in Australia, and is now. owned by a man who can afford to keep him there, win or lose. George Young rode a winner at Tattersall’s races on September 12, beiim on Feathernest when he deadrheated in a welter handicap, one mile! Feathernest was one of the outsiders in the betting. Young was on Admetus in tho Chelmsford Stakes.

Very hearty congratulations to Charles Gieseler on his wonderful performance at Kurow in providing the winners of the whole of the five flat races. About five years ago there were men who wanted to pay big money for the Prudent King horse Easter Week, but recently (says “ Poisedon ”) Mr Ken. Austin had to accept one guinea bids, and the horse who was once thought a champion was sold for llgs.