SOME NOTES ON RACING AND RACERS.

Feilding Star, 5 April 1909, Page 4

SOME NOTES ON RACING AND RACERS.

Jos. Prosser will take All Red and Lady Medallist through to Auckland :o-day, and, ,by the same train, Duart, who has been at Trentham for )sme months, is returning to Auckland. , . . , Master Douglas, who was injured tvhile contesting a hurdle race at the Auckland Cup meeting, is again in work at Palmerston. The owner of the chestnut gelding by St. Paul, which won the Wanganui Cup umler the name of Kilmarnock, has been called upon to select anew title for his horse. This he has done, and Sir Prize is the name selected tor St. Paul's son. The high-priced Golden Slipper is reported to be training on satisfactorily, and hopes are entertained that she- will reproduce the briliancy she displayed at Riccarton last autumn, when she won the C.J.C. Champagne Stakes and Challenge Stakes. R. Cameron, who went to Australia to ride Mr G. F. Moore's horses, lias received such a handsome offer of a retainer from a Victorian owner that he has decided to take up his residence in Melbourne. He will probably pay a short visit to New Zealand after the Easter meetings, and then return to Australia for good. Waimaria tried to crack the field up in the First Hack Hurdles at Masterton, and at one stage of the journey had a lead of over a chain, bu the disappointing Porirua prad could oiily walk the last half-mile and gained second place only because the others were a wretchedly poor lot. — "Moturoa" in the New Plymouth Daily News. While at Ellerslie on Saturday (writes "Phaeton") I caught sight of Tamainupo. The Soulit gelding looks well, and should he continue to go on the right way his owner will no doubt bo encouraged to attack the Easter Handicap, in which Tamainupo figures with 7st 131 b. Tamainupo, it may be remarked, holds the seven-furlongs record for Ellerslie with lmin 26 4-ssecs. Statistics in the Irish book Calendar show that in the matter of stake money distributed on the Irish turf, a record was established last year, when, although the number of races run was 30 less than in the previous season ,the amount won totalled £63,---483, which beats the previous best by £2357. In all, 1146 horses carried silk, made up of 157 two-year-olds, 147 three-year-olds, 193 four-year-olds, and 649 horses of maturer years. By way of comparison, it is worthy of note that in 1894, when the stake money was" only £41,313, 1448 horses ran, or nearly 25 per cent, more than competed in 1908 for £63,483. The announcement that Mr G. P. Donncl'ly had despatched Gold Seal to London by the s.s. Athenic with a view to racing the New Zealand horse in jumping races in the Old Country, it need hardly be said (remarks "Phaeton" in the Auckland News) is an event calculated to stir up enthusiasm, and that the Hawke's Bay sportsman may be rewarded for his courage is a wish that I am sure will commend itself wisely to all New Zealanders. Gold fecal, who is rising 10 years, is a brown geflding by the Bend Or horse Gold' Reef froni the Ascot mare Seal Brown. At the C.J.C. meeting, held at Riccarton in Augiust last, Gold Seal figured! amongst the contestants for the N.Z. Grand National Steeplechase, and' under 9st 71b ho came home third to Eurus (lOst 21b) and Le Beau (lOst lib). On the second day of the Riccarton gathering, Gold! Seal (9st 131 b) met a field of nine opponents in the Beaufort Steeplechase, which included Eurus and Le Beau, and ho won his race in a meritorious manner. AM. going well with Gold' Seal, Mr Donnelly may have the satisfaction of seeing his colours carried when the next Liverpool Grand National comes up for decision. 'At Manaia (writes the Taranaki News' scribe, "Moturoa") there were straight-going pencillers, and there were the worst of the "scaling push" in painful evidence. Three bookmakers laid liberal odds against Clonpett in. the Scurry, and, of course, did a roaring trade. Straight-out bets and "doubles" were freefly taken and in due course the "hot-stuffs" landed the stakes. The mugs went round to collect, and were brazenly offered their money bafck — nothing more ! Then the fun commenced and only the timely intervention of the police prevented some act of violence being wrecked upon the welshers. These swindlers went on the course with no earthly chance of paying their possible losses, with nothing but daylight robbery as their sole aim and object, and it is the greatest wonder that they didn't finish up in the morgue. Advices, to hand from Sydney state that Poseidon has been thrown out of work, and that his turf career can ibe regarded as closed. Thai Poseidon is entitled to a place with the most noteworthy horses that have graced the Australasian turf the following table showing the respective stake earnings of Carbine and Poseidon at corresponding periods is ample proof: —

Carbine Poseidon £ £ As a. two-year-old ... 1,155 185} As a three-year-old ... 6,401 13,890 As a four-year-old ... 6,384 5,871 As a five-year-old ... 15,686 — £29,626 £19,946*