RACING NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22578, 20 February 1937, Page 27

RACING NOTES

RACING. February 22. —Woodville D.J.C. February 22. —Waikato R.C. i’ cbinary Zo, 27.—'Gore R.C. February 27. —Waiapu R.C. February 27.—Opunake R.C. _ February 27, March I.—Te Aroha J.C. March 4, 6.—Napier Park R.C. March 6.—Banks Peninsula R.C. March 6.—Rangitikei R.C. March 12, 13.—Cromwell J.C. March 11, 13. —Wellington R.C. March 13.—Birchwood Hunt. March -13, 17.—Ohinemuri J.C. March 19, 20.—Pahiatua R.C. March 20.—Stratford R.C, March. 20.—Otautau R.C,

THE NEW ZEALAND TURF ITS: ORIGIN and early history The following particulars of the origin and early history of the New Zealand turf are taken from the ‘ Turf Register, 1875-76,’ compiled and published by the late Mr Charles Elliott, who was also the founder, and editor for a number of years, of the ‘ New Zealand Stud Book.’ After referring to the difficult task it would have been at that date to write the early history of the English turf, he says:—

" In New Zealand the task of writing the early history of its turf is not attended with a like difficulty. It is scarcely 40 years _ since the _ horse was first introduced info Maoriland, and many persons .are living whose arrival here was; anterior, to that of the horse, and thete are others who have f watched with interest the development of the sport from its infancy. The publication of a “ register ” of racing is the proper occasion for bringing together its past leading incidents, as in the * Register ’ will be found its future history.- ■ ■ - - . “ Previous to 1838, the horse, I believe,' was unknown in New Zealand. When the settlement of Wellington was founded, sheep and cattle, for feeding the immigrants, were brought from New South' Wales, and. horses were-- introduced with other live stock..- The first thoroughbred horse. ' landed in Wellington has left a name which will never be forgotten in New Zealand racing annals. Figaro,’bred by.'; Mr T. Icely, of dooming, New South Wales, was by the imported Operator, from a mare by the imported Theorem, whoso dam was by the imported Camerton. Operator by Emilios. Tins, is all we know of his breeding, butr as the stud of Mr Icely was at that,.time one of the most celebrated for thoroughbred horses in Australia, it is tolerably certain the Camerton mare referred to was nine bred, though her pedigree has not been preserved. Figaro’s stock, from their great excellence, were always in request in Wellington, but it was to the lucky chance of Mr H. A. Thompson, who .arrived in Wellington from England in December, 1841, or January, 1842, bringing \sitn. him.,a_remarkably pure thoroughbred mare,_ also by Emilins, that New Zealand is indebted for a strain of blood which for stoutness has never been surpassed. The representative of this double., cross of Emilius blood was II Barbiere, foaled in Nelson, where Mr Thomson came to reside, and became the first police magistrate. ‘ r An incident occurred between Wellington and Nelson to the vessel in which this gentleman, accompanied by his mare, was a passenger, which put . in peril the future projenitor of some of New Zealand’s stoutest horses. The Brougham, a small barque of 300 tons, under charter to the New Zealand Company, employed to bring over to Nelson from Wellington Colonel Wakefield, the company’s principal agent, and being aware, from the report of Commodore D’Urville,"of a French surveying ex-, pedition that bad lately _ visited New, Zealand, that, a passage existed between Cook Strait and Blind Bay, which considerably shortened the voyage between the two ports, the captain ; of the Brougham steered for the French Pass instead of proceeding round. Stephen and D’Urville Islands, without any knowledge of the tides or' other dangers that awaited him. The Brougham, entering the channel with a strong tide, was caught in eddies and cast upon the reef, where she remained eight hours with one fathom of water on one side of her and seven on the other. Mr Thompson was the most excitable of men, as afterwards was painfully exhibited in the tragedy of the Wairau massacre, precipitated, if not altogether caused, by his intemperate passion. Although Mr Thompson was on board, all his thoughts were given to his mare. Raving like a maniac, he shouted, ‘ Oh! My mare! My mare! Where’s a hatchet? Cut away the masts! ’ An old sailor at the helm turned his quid of tobacco, and, with a look of stoical contempt, replied, ‘ Cut away my ! ’ I leave the reader to conclude the sentence, merely observing the concluding word is not in use in polite society. “ The anniversary of arrival of the first settlers in their particular locality , were the first holidays taken by settlers i throughout New Zealand, and, as a rule, wherever it was possible to find a course, a horse race was a prominent feature of the day’s sport. At Wellington, on the strip of ‘ beach ’ between the sea and the stores and dwellings of the inhabitants, the races were held in early days; and in Nelson, on the first anniversary, among other sports was a hurdle race through the fern and flax, uphill and downhill—the course commencing near where Panama House now stands, proceeding up the hill in front of the Lutheran Church, then known I as ‘ The Barn,’ the residence of Mr 1 Tuckett. engineer to the settlement, then through the acre on which stand the residences of Judge Broad and Mr Gully, and onward to the old cemetery; then, taking a sweep round, ascended the hill, to descend on the other side and cross Examiner street, and onward to near Hardy street, where there was a short level run home to the starting post. The first course on which races were ran at Wellington was sufficiently bad, with ugly ditches to cross, but I question whether, except in a ride for life, horses were ever raced over such dangerous ground as Mr Duppa rode Quilp and Mr Thompson Slyboots on Nelson’s first anniversary. The same passion for a horse race is shown on the goldfields. Wherever there are Englishmen and horses a horse race is the popular pastime, though the animals are only _ beasts of burden, employed for packing provisions. As communities increase m numbers and wealth .the character of these races improve. Proper courses are found, better horses are pro-1 cured, and convenient stands are I erected, until a race meeting in a colony |

[Bv St. Claib.]

The only other thoroughbred imported for the next few years was Glendon, a bay horse bred by Messrs Scott, of Glendon, in New South Wales, got by Cap-a-pie, dam Griselda. by Dover out of Gertrude, imported by Messrs Clifford and Weld in 1847. In 1852_ Mr G. Dnppa imported from Tasmania two mares—Miss Millar, a mare that will long be remembered as the dam of Miss Rowe (the only other foal she bred was by a cart horse), and is the grand-dam of that well-known mare Pearess, etc. The other mare was Vesta, got by Lucifer. This mare was the dam of Ultima. In the early part of next year Mr Henry Redwood imported from New South Wales a horse named St. George, who has left no

TROTTING. March 5, 6.—lnvercargill Trotting Club March 6.—Wellington Trotting Club. March 13.—Wanganui Trotting Club. March 13. —Timaru Trotting Club. March 17.—Wyndham Trotting Club. March 20.—Cheviot‘Trotting Club. March 20. —Wanganui Trotting Club. March 27, 29.—Hawera Trotting Club. March 27, 31. —N.Z. Metropolitan Trotting Club. April 3. —Taranaki Trotting Club. April B.—Reeflon Trotting Club. April 10.—Roxburgh Trotting Club. April 10.—Ashburton Trotting Club. April 10.—Thames Trotting Club. April 17.—Manawatu Trotting Club.

compares not unfavourably with the average of country meetings in Great Britain. “ While the inherent love of horse racing showed itself in every community of Englishmen who landed in New Zealand—whether on the stormy beach of Port Nicholson, the steaming banks of the Waimati, the placid shores of Blind Bay, at chilly Scotch Dunedin, with its appropriate 1 good whisky climate,’ or on the open and breezy plains of Cau- | terbury—the same passion has been ex- | hibited, and as towns and villages have sprung up, whether on goldfields or in ‘ pastoral or agricultural districts, wherever a course could be obtained and horses were at hand, there races were held. Going back to my text, the turf in New Zealand received its first iniI petus from Nelson, for there it was that j racing was first placed upon a satisfactory footing, a good course provided, thoroughbreds imported for racing and breeding, and horses trained and brought out to race in something approaching ‘condition.’ The course at Stoke, four miles from Nelson, was first

used on.' February 3. 1845, when Gipsy , 4yrs, 9sfc 101 b, by Emigrant, beat the then formidable Quilp, aged, 12st 31b ■ in- the Forced Handicap and a smart . gelding named llaffen in the Scurry. At the next .anniversary Gipsy had again her own way, and won the two prin|.cipal races so easily as’ to deprive them of all interest, but which was gratified to the full in a hurdle race of heats won by Paddy, a remarkably clevei Galloway, beating Supplejack and Black Buck. The first heat was taken by Black Buck, the second by Paddy, the third by Supplejack, the deciding heat being taken by the Irishman. " It was not until the year 1848 that racing on the beach was abandoned in Wellington, and a course formed' at Burnham Water, south-west of the city. This, though an improvement, was not satisfactory, and the following year a course was got at the Hutt, and for a few years there were meetings on both, one held on January 22 (Anniversary DajO and the other, at the Hutt, early in February. At Auckland the races in the early days were held at Epsom, but a new course in the same neighbourhood has been formed within the last two or three years at considerable expense. At Canterbury a large reserve was made for a racecourse when the settlement was formed, which wa; of a great advantage to the Jockey Club when instituted. At Otago there was no ground naturally suitable for a racecourse within easy distance of Dunedin, and when its goldfields gave it a marvellous start and it was determined to hold a great race meeting in 1863 (the Australasian Champion Race, three miles, won by Ladybird) a course could not be got nearer than Taieri, with some nine miles of execrable roads. The Jockey Club, finding a meeting so held would never be popular, abandoned the attempt, wisely husbanding their resources to get a course nearer town. The reclamation of a sjvamp lying between the city and Ocean Beach eventually enabled them to succeed,, and Dunedin has now a fair racecourse within three miles of the town. Greymouth is another instance of perseverance in overcoming difficulties to obtain a racecourse, crowned with success. At Marlborough races were first held in January, 1854, on a course near Renwicktown, but that site was found to be too far from the centre of population. Races were held on different sites, but only on sufferance, until 1873, when the Jockey Club leased a reserve from the Crown on the western side of the Taylor River, about two miles from Blenheim, and which, with a little more outlay will make one of the best courses in New Zealand. Napier has held race meetings for several years, and Wanganui bids fair not to be left behind by older clubs. “ The first thoroughbred stallions brought to the colony from England were iEthen and Liddlesworth, imported to Wellington by the Hon. H. Petre in 1843. The former was shortly afterwards sent to Sydney, where he did good service .at the stud, and, returning to New Zealand in 1857, died at Auckland in 1859. Riddlesworth remained at Wellington until 1857, ■vvhen he was sent to Nelson, where he died in 1861. As there was an of thoroughbred mares in. Wellington, Mr St. Hill, about 1851, imported a mare, Althaea, from the celebrated stud of Mr M‘Arthur, of New South Wales, expressly to breed from Riddlesworth, and it is only by her stock the horse will be remembered. She bred a large number of foals, but the only one that made his mark on the turf was Dainty Ariel, who is now at the stud. (Dainty Ariel was the sire of Ariel, winner of the Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap in 1876). “ To New South Wales,this colony is chiefly indebted for its racehorses. In 1846 Gipsy, a thoroughbred mare, six years old, by Emigrant, was landed in Nelson from Sydney, but nothing was known of her dam. She was trained for the Nelson meeting in 1847, when she defeated St. Barbiere, then four years old, at weight-for-age, but the horse was grossly fat. At the meeting in the following year the horse turned the tables _ when properly trained. The mare is mentioned not for her turf performances, but as the dam and grand-dam of several good animals. Her first foal was a colt by II Barbiere, who ran fairly; then followed Gipsy Queen. Litella, and Lingara by the same horse, Zingaree by Glendpn, and Meg Merrilies by St. George. Gipsy Queen was the dam of Calumny, 'Backbiter, and other good horses.

mark behind him, also the mares Woodstock (dam of Phoebe, Wildrake, etc.), Symphony, Spray (dam of Wetsail, Stormbird, Belle of the Isle, and many other good horses), and several other well-bred mares. In the fallowing year Mr Redwood paid another visit to New South Wales, and brought back with him that renowned horse Sir Hercules, Glaneus, and several well-bred colts, also that equally renowned old mare Flora M'lvor, a mare that has done more for the New Zealand turf than any ever yet imported), and her daughter Flora Zoe, and Chloe, besides a_ number of other mares including Finesse (dam of Revoke), Moth (dam of Ladybird, Emma, Pancake, and many others). “ In later years to Messrs Harris and James, of Canterbury, is New Zealand chiefly indebted to the importation of bloodstock, for to them is due the introduction in 1862 of Mermaid, dam of Lurline, Castaway, Malice, etc., all by Traduccr, who they imported at the same time, besides several other wellbred mares; and to Mr E. Moorbouse, who in 1859 imported The Peer, the sire of Manuka, Peeress, etc." Writing of Ladybird, Mr Elliot says; “ When she first appeared on the kelson track she was stigmatised as the ‘ butchers’ hack, 1 and I remember Mr Redwood being chaffed for training her, but he had sufficient good stuff in bis stable, in Waimea and Revoke, not to know that he had a wonderfully good little mare. She won several _ races at the meeting of 1862, and finished a good third in the threemile race to Ultima and Revoke, and I think had the boy ridden her to ■ orders she must have won. She was let to Mr H. Stafford for the Christchurch meeting, as her owner, Mr H. Redwood, was laid up with an illness and not able to go with her. She suffered defeat from that good colt Golden Cloud after some very close encounters. Ladybird was then handed back to Mr Redwood, who took her to Dunedin for the Champagne Race, along with Waimea, which race she won (ridden by Joe Redwood), Mormon, who was then considered the best horse in Australia, and who started for the race at 2 to 1 on. second. I shall never forget the looks of the Australians when their crack was beaten. She won two other races at the meeting and was taken hack to New Zealand. At the commencement of the following racing season she was sent to Auckland, where she defeated all competitors, she was then taken back to Christchurch. where she, was again defeated by Golden Cloud on the first day of the meeting, but beat him on the following day.” Ladybird won f he Cbamnamie Race at Riccarton t’e fallowing season. f"d broke down in the same race next year. TIMARU TROTS NOMINATIONS _ Nominations for the Timaru Trotting Club’s meeting and final payments for the N.Z. Trotting Stakes close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday next.

JOTTINGS The Executive Committee of the Racing Conference has approved of the D.J.C. changing the dates of its winter meeting to June 9, 10, and 12. Nominations for the Wellington Racing Club’s Autumn Meeting will dose at 5 p.m. next Wednesday. Ridden by 11. Jennings, Nocturnus performed spectacularly when he jumped two brush fences ami the sod wall at Riccarton on Thursday. He is practically bade to .racing form, and lie will be among the fittest steeplechasers when he has to race in Southland at Easter. High Speed, who recently rejoined A. S. Ellis's stable, is being prepared for Easter racing also, but he has such a burly appearance at present that his trainer looks as if he will have difficulty in producing High Speed in forward racing condition so early. Francis Drake is reported to be looking better than ever, and his work at Woodville has been most pleasing to his connections. Mr Frank Armstrong’s colt will next be under silk in the North Island Challenge Stakes, to be run |at Trentham next month. It is possible that this race will bring together the North Island’s best colt and Haughty Winner, who is at preesnt recognised as the best colt in the South Isalnd. Such a meeting would bo looked forward to with tremendous enthusiasm, as there exists a friendly rivalry between North Island and South Island racegoers as to which can produce the best of the season. Should Francis Drake and Haughty Winner meet their respective weights will be 7.12 and 7.7. Mr 6. Hutter, of Auckland, has disposed of Seafox to Mr A. Ferguson, of Dunedin, and Seafox will be sent south next week, probably in company with Heloise and Pink Robe, which horses J. S. Shaw, intends to race at the Gore Meeting.