Turf Topics.

Free Lance, Volume VI, Issue 308, 26 May 1906, Page 21

Turf Topics.

By "The Tout."

MR J Plotter, -while at Blenheim, 'puicnawed a nice colt, bred) by Ma- T Shannon, and full brotner to Prelude. The P«°J*?' X understand, was made on behalf of Mr. R. T . Turnbull a patron at the P«£ rua stable, and owner or the h or*e Bans whom Lance readers will iem 2er won the hrst race that took place on the Tientham racecourse. Mr. R. W. Pateraon, owner _of : the has mare to Sydney for the A.J.C. V>e purchaser of Starshoot, Mr. J. w Umten,ds taking the horse to Aw>tralia. Melodeon, another somewhat "rn-and-out" customer, who recently won some good stakes for Mr. &. J • Watt, has also been sold to an Australian buyer. The Worses will not be much missed by lollowers of racing. There seems to be a good demand for New Zealand's cast-otis in Australia. Savoury, Delaware, and 1 several otner well-known horses have recently been sold to buyers across the water. lne Yaldtot pair proved «Pjn«JJ horses to their owner, as although they weie seldom over-burdened with weight, they consistently faded to catch the eye of the judge Mr. Stead, however, only raced them in. important handicaps, and evidently does not desire to own animals that require placing m seoond-class company before they can secure a stake. There is little doubt but that Savoury and Delaware judiciously placed will pay their way m Australia. The rumouied departure of Messrs. A Hall and JL>. Thompson's, team or jumpers for Sydney seems to have been Somewhat premature. The bulk of the above-named owners' Horses claim engagements at the Otaki Maori race meeting, and also at the Hawk© 6 Bay winter steepleonase meeting. It is more than probable that Hall wall not begin hie Australian •campaign until the middle of July. This will enable his team to race at Napier Park and Trentham m addition to their present engagements . The Poiirua pan, Exmoor and Waitarere will, all going well, proceed to Auckland after the Wanganui fixture. Wa'itarere's owner discontinued his horse's engagement in the Great Northern Steeplechase owing to his not holding as high an opinion, of Waitarere as Mr. Mor&e. Waitaieie, who us a maiden over steep lechasei country, will probably be given a run. at EUershe in some of the minor events. He should stand a chance in a maiden steeplechase. The pations of Frank Higgott't, stable contemplate a trip to the A.R.C. winter meeiting. Mocassin, Hydrant, and Shrapnel Shell have been freely nominated. The farmer pair may be given a run in the Great Northern steeple and hurdle events. The performance of Higgott's charges at Wanganui should assist their owners to decide as to their Auckland prospects. The class of horses to be met with at Eller&he are of a higher standard than those engaged at Wanganui, and horses defeated at the latter-named meeting seldom ea.vn their oats at an Auckland w inter meeting. • • • The stewards of the Otaki Maori Racing Club are oreatly pleased to find that leading horse-owneis are recognising their efforts to promote a good class of racing. The substantial addition' recently made to thelw stakes has induced a number of owners who follow racing as a pastime to ensage their horses at the Otaki meeting. It can be said of the Maori executive that not one of the-honorary officials has any interest in horses e,;igaiged ait theiT meetings, and an entire absence ■of Maori stewards' bettimp: with the totalisator is insisted upon by the native chieftains under whose auspicesi the racing is carried on. Ma,ny members of the executive are keen -judges of racing, and their mode of conducting the racing compares favourably with that of many country cratw.

Mention of the Otaki meeting reminds me that at the urgent request of owner-, who assisted, at the club's .spring meeting a starting gate will be provided for the forthcoming meeting. The club's starter was under the impression that he .could effect equitable starts with the flag, but m thus re•spect he failed. With an up-to-date starting barrier the,re should' be no dissatisfaction in future. Racegoers will be pleased to note that Mr. Ross Allens tine mare, Ballarat, is likely to be again seen witb the colours up. Her trainer has engaged her in the sprint, events at the Otaki Racing Club's meeting. Ballarat was one. of those who suffered at the club's last meeting owing to being absolutely left at the, post. Mr. Allen'?, mare carried, a large proportion of the totalisator investments, and the incident was a most regrettable one. • • • Whakawatea, a New Zealand-bied sixteen-year-old ioa of the French-bred horse, Ap reman t, has lasted well. He was pensioned off some tame ago. He waiaf again up, with 7st 71b, and started in a flying handicap, at Queanbeyan, New South Wales, which he won, in the eariy part of this month. Whakawatea was always oonsideied a very sound-Legged, horse.. George Fordham, the famous English jockey, when quite a mite, riding a remarkably fine race, won the Cambridgeshire Stakes on a horse named Little David. The latter's owner rewarded Fordham for his victory by presenting him with a Bible and a gold-mounted whip bearing the inscription, "Honesty is the best policy" — a contrast to the handsome bonuses given in these days to successful jockeys. The scale of fees allowed' jockeys m Russia would; not suit some of our colonial "Archers." The Moscow racing authorities have fixed the following jockeys' fees : 20® for each losing ride for duly licensed riders, 6s for ''home riders" (riders attached! to stables), 2s for apprentices. But, then, Russia us noted' for it il liberality to the workers. In Victoria recently a horse was sold by auction for a penny. It happened thus : An auctioneer who was selling horses that had) been impounded put up one crock which failed to elicit a bid. Noticing a rabbit-trapper present, he offered to accept his b.d of a shilling. The trapper replied! that if he had a shilling he would! prefer to have a beer, and said: 'Til gave you all the money I have for him." "Done!" said the kniight of the hammer, whereupon the trapped- handed over a solitary "brown," and became possessed of a real live horse. Mr. S. H. Gol'lan, the well-known New Zealandter, who sold Moifaa to the King, is still doing a little racing in England. During March last he won a selling hurdle race at Hurst Park with Ma earthy More a five-year-old son of the New Zealand-bred' mare, Bessie Macarthy. Torpointy, a eon of the New Zea-land-bred Trenton, nearly gained distinction in England recently. He filled the role of runner-up for the Chester Cup, one of the longest-dis-tance races of the English turf. With no Achilles to meet, the Yaldhurst colt, Porcelain, had an easy victory in the Hawke's Bay Stakes. Zimmerman, with only 101b less weight, was the best of the two-year-olds that were pitted against Porcelain. Mosuow, with 71b leas than Zimmerman, was third. Porcelain has started three times, winning the Hawke's Bay Stakes and running second to Achilles for the Jackson Stakes at Wanganui and for the C.J.C. Challenge Stakes. Mr. George Payne, an ex-Weilling-tonian, and now a Chnstchurch Boniface, has recently sold Tarole to the Canterbury sportsman, Mr. R. 0. Campbell. The price is stated to have been £250. Tirole is a wellbred horse, being a relative of the New Zealand Cup winner, Tirant d'E&u, and other good! performers bred by Mr. S. H. GoJlan, at Hawke'6 Bay. Tirole is expected to win at the Oamaru meeting. Halberdier, who won the New Zeailand 1 Cup two years ago, is again in work. His owner, Mr. Bennett, has allowed the M>n of Cuirassier a long lespite

from work, and it ifi hie intention to now give Halberdier a long, steady preparation in view of spring events. Man jess, a useful little handicap horse, that was. disqualified, with his rider and trainer, twelve months ago, made his le-appearance at the recent Ashburotni meeting. Manjess ran a decent race behind) Assegai on the second diay, but has two other displays were not up to his previous season's form, and he piobably ife a long way below his best form, at presetnt. Som spirited betting is going on in, connection with the Great Northern Steeplechase and Hurdle Race. The veteran, Haydn, is favourite for tine steeplechase, and Comfort, Exmoor, Waiwera, and Aka Aka are fancied for tihe huTdile event. The conclusion of the Wanganui steeplechase meeting will probably lead to further developments, and .some pronounced favourites will be established.

Nasty little ooughs and colds Quickly make you ill: Drive you to a legal man About your final will. Better far to cure the cold With Woods' Peppermint Cure, Than live to be a burden Which you could not endure.