THE TURF.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 235, 11 September 1924, Page 2

THE TURF.

FIXTUBES. Sept. 11, 13.—Wanganui J.C. Sept. 17.—Dannevirke R.C. Sept. 18—Dannevirke Hunt Club| Sept. 19, 20—Ashburton County R.C. Sept. 20, 22—Avondale R.C. Sept. 20, 22.—Otaki Maori R.C. Sept. 24- — Manawatu Hunt Club. Sept. 25, 26.—Geraldine R.C. Sept. 27 —Napier Park R.C. Oct. I.—Hawke’s Bay J.C. FOR TWELVE MONTHS. ROYAL DESPATCH” DISQUALIFIED Sydney, Sept. 10. The stipendiary stewards to-day dealt with the case of Royal Despatch, previously adjourned to enable Mr. Knight (owner) to be present to show cause why the horse should not be dealt with. No evidence was called, but Mr. Knight reiterated what he said in New Zealand that nothing had occurred to shake his confidence in his trainer, F. D. Jones. The stewards decided to disqualify Royal Despatch for twelve months. In arriving at this decision, the stewards were influenced by the contention that the owner must be taken to be responsible for the actions of his employees. Although they considered Mr. Knight was in no way implicated in the case, they took the view that he should be penalised to the extent of losing the services of his horse. Mr. Knight has given notice of appeal to the A.J.C. Committee. The appeal will probably be dealt with to-morrow. “COFFIN ST. LEGER.” EPIDEMIC OF COUGHING.

London, Sept. 9. There has been a series of sensations preceding the St. Leger. which is likely to go down in history as the coffin St. Leger. An epidemic of coughing sweeping the principal stables has caused the scratching ot Straightlace, the Oaks winner, Hurstwood and Bright Knight. It has afflicted Sansovino, the Derby winner, and to-day spread to Polyphontes, Salmon Trout and Lord Astor’s Saint Germans. Five out of ten horses from the Alan ton stables are affected. Detestre, trainer of Polyphontes, says there has been nothing like the epidemic in his 30 years’ racing experience.—(A. and N.Z.) NOTES FROM RAND WICK. Sydney, Sept. 10. Nigger Minstrel has been scratched for the Chelmsford Stakes. The Cypher is improving and is doing light exercise, including walking on the turf. . Killochra will be shipped to New Zealand this week. The jockey, Bagby, is also returning. Bathos has been scratched for the Epsom and Cantala Stakes. Farceur was incorrectly reported to have been scratched for the Chelmsford Stakes. HAWKE’S BAY JOCKEY CLUB. A reminder is given that nominations for all handicap events of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club’s spring meeting'and forefeits for the Hawke’s Bay Guineas close with the secretary, Mr. H. S. Kloss, to-morrow at 8 p.m. WAIPAWA RACING CLUB. Nominations for all handicap events for the Waipawa County Racing Club’s annual Labour Day meeting on December 27th.. close with the secretary (Mr. H. C. Collett) P. 0. Box 60, Waipawa. on Monday. October 6th., at 8.15 p.m. NOTES. Nominations for the Hawke’s Bay, Napier Park, and Pakuranga, (Auckland) Hunt meetings are due to-mor-row, 12th inst., when also the Dannevirke Hunt Club, the Dannevirke Racing Club ,the Otaki Maori Racing Club, and the Avondale Jockey Club take acceptances for their meetings. Forfeits for the Hawke’s Bay Guineas are also due on the same date. Mr George Spriggens is donating a sterling silver cup to go to the owner of the winner of the next Rangitikei Cup.

The first foaling reported from Air J. F. Buchanan’s Kinloch stud this season is a colt by Paladin, from Waterspray, the dam of PillieWinkie and Sprinkler. The present-day jockey, even in this little country, has to do some rapid travelling. Boy Reed, who was riding, work on the tracks at Wanganui on Tuesday morning, left for Auckland in the afternoon to school Mr A. B. Williams’ two-year-old at Avondale yesterday. He was to leave for Wanganui again by last night’s express to fulfil several riding engagements to-day. While G. Nixon, an apprentive attached to W. Rayner’s stable, at Wanganui, was riding Adavaie on the way to the course on Tuesday, the filly suddenly wheeled round, dislodging the boy, who was hung up in the irons and dragged a few yards, with the result that he had a leg badly injured, possibly broken, just above the knee. The lad was conveyed to the hospital. The Solferino—Stardancer mare Limelight winner of the last Great Autumn Handicap, is strongly fancied in the South Island for the N.Z. Cup, for which she is being specially prepared. On Tuesday last, jumping away from the mile disc, she galloped in her nice even style the whole way, th© watch showing Imin 42sec as she reached the post. It was a good gallop. The Martian—Lady Disdain 4-year-old gelding Tiff is being given a chance in the N.Z. Cup by Southern writers, for which he, too. is being got ready. On Tuesday inorning at Riccarton he ran over a mile in good style, crossing the lino in 1.42 2-5, a really good preliminary gallop. The same morning Palestrina and Tresham cantered a couple of furlongs. The latter had a slight advantage as they jumped away from the six furlongs peg, but the mare, who was on th© outside, had the colt fully extended and doing his best as they finished in Imin 15 2-ssec. It was the best gallop of the morning over the distance

The Wanganui Guineas was instituted in 1898, and to-day’s race marks its 27th running. Recalling the first contest for the Guineas—which replaced on the programme the race pre, viously run under the style of the Wanganui Derby—“ Achilles” of the “Herald” writes:—“lt fs hard to realise that twenty-six years have s pefl their course since Tigress placed the first race for the Wanganui Guineas to

William Russell, Tigress was ridden the credit of Captain Sir) by Percy White, who was one of the finest riders ever produced in the Dominion. What a treat it wag Jo see him and Wally Clifford riding. were two wonderfully fine horsemen ' —and how cleverly they nursed their , mounts and fairly lifted them along over the last bit —gaining victory by sheer horsemanship in thrilling finishes.” t i ‘ ‘ A report was recently circulated to j the effect that Razzle Dazzle was caus-' ing her trainer some anxiety, but it is now stated that she is training on quite staisfactorily, and is likely to bo seen out at the Avondale meeting.” Stuart Waddell will be glad to get this bit of news from a southern paper. Unfortunately, however, a confusion of Razzle Dazzle and her sister Dazzling Light is apparent. A Sydney exchange received last night says that the New Zealand jockey, G. Young, has had five mounts since he arrived from the Dominion on this occasion, and has won twice on Sunstroke, and won again at Gosford on Alertful. It is also thought that he would be on Blackaddcr when, as cabled, the latter won at the Warwick Farm meeting on Saturday last. Young’s win on Alertful in the Flying Handicap at Gosford would probably be fairly profitable to the horse’s connections, ror, although the stake was only £5O, he started at a highly remun ; erative price in what is described as “a ; remarkable betting race,” such aggregate wagers as £lOOO to £lOO being so- I cured without greatly disturbing the odch and at the start the shortest price wan 4to 1. Half a furlong from the ' post Alertful drew almosf level with the favourite, Bal Witte and Black Hawk, and although the last-named headed Bal Witte, Alertful, jn turn cut down Black Hawk and won by a neck. Mr G. D. Greenwood’s cast-off Vespucci (Varco-Faraway) seems to have found his level in N.S.W. country meetings. He scored another win at Murrumbridge last week in the Highweight Handicap, 7 furlongs, for which he started favourite, though carrying topweight, 9.12. ; _ .| From to-day’s cable message it ap-; pears that the further sitting on the Royal Dispatch case was one of the A.J.C. stipendiary stewards and not of the committee, and that it was held merely to decide the fate of the horse, which has now also been disqualified for al2 month. Against this decision the owner, Mr H. A. Knight, is appealing to the committee. In connection with the case of Jones and McCartcn the following extract from comment by “Cardigan,” in the Sydney “Referee,” may prove of interest, though its purport in summarised form was (embodied in earlier cable messages: —“Jones, prior to the race on August 11 wrote to several of his friends in New Zealand, and also the owner, Air Knight, and advised them that ho thought Royal Despatch had a fair chance, and informed them of the amounts that he intended investing. When the stewards questioned the running of the horse. Jones thought of the letters he had written, and mentioned that he would have the letters sent back. This was done and they arrived per registered packet. Jores did not open the packet of letters, but immdiately took them to the A.J.C. office, where the secretary, after consultation with his committee, opened the letters, and gave them back to Jones, saying at the same time that the committe had no doubt as to their bonaficles. The stipendiary stewards (Messrs Higgins, Hayes and Coombcs) were satisfied that the backing of Royal Despntch was genuine ,and informed the committee to that effect. McCarten was disqualified because the three stipendiary stewards were of the opinion that he did not allow Royal Despatch to do his best. It is said that the stewards took the view that as Jones was perfectly satisfied with the riding of Royal Despatch, which they regarded as unsatisfactory, then he must suffer the same fate as McCarten, and was an ac-csj-ory to wrong doing. It is reported or*.very reliable authority that the New Zealand Racing Conference cabled the A.J.C. prior to the appeal and asked that a transcript of the evidence coucwjcoring the disqualifications be sent

to thefli. ” Another Australian turf sensation .nay possibly arise out of the incident Jius described in a Melbourne wire ippeairing in a Sydney paper just to land:—“lt is a long time since an amateur rider had received such a nostile demonstration as - did Mr. Claude Grice when he won the Yarra Glen and Lilydale Hunt Cup on Scooter at Moonee Valley on Wednesday. When Scooter passed an easy winner the crowd on the flat began hooting. Patrons in the grandstand enclosure joined in the demonstration, while the occupants of the members’ reserve made a counter demonstration by cheering the rider. In the Oaklands Hunt Cup a week previously Scooter was last early and jumped badly. He made up a lot of ground after going a round."but he then began to lose ground, and eventually finished a bad last, many lengths behind Wamba, who was a furlong behind the third horse. On that form there was no encouragement to fancy Scooter for the Hunt Cun, but he was always rather firm in the betting. There appeared to be a fairly general opinion that the gelding would do much better than in Tiis previous outing. So it ! proved, for Scooter, going with a lot of dash and displaying a great improvement in his jumping, disputed the lead from the start until the second last fence with Skyrocket, and then drew ahead to win comfortably. The stipendiary stewards instituted an inquiry into the two performances. After hearing the evidence of Mr. Grioe, who is a part owner of Scooter and also trains the gelding, and of Mr. .1. L. Byrne, his partner in the horse, the stewards decided to report the matter to the A 7 .R.C. committee under rule 19M as a case of inconsistent running. Rule 19M empowers the stewards to report within 14 days after the holding of any race meeting to the V.R.C. committee the running of any horse at such meeting which in their ! judgment is inconsistent with any pre* i vious or subsequent performance of ; such horse at any time either on the same or any other course.”