TURF TOPICS.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 817, 25 February 1916, Page 29

TURF TOPICS.

By Torpedo

Nelson Jockey Club's Cup Meeting. MR. J. E. Henrys has allotted the weights for the Nelson Meeting, the entries for which show an improvement on previous years, both in quality and class. The Nelson Oup, a race surrounded by many old and pleasant associations, has an entry list of 14, of which Montana is top with 9.0. As the Cup is oyer a mile, this weight is not excessive, and the top-weight, consiuering that others of any pretentions are close up in the scale, should have an excellent chance of doing the trick. Two that I have the greatest respect for are Want, with 7.13, and Immer, with 8.9. The latter has been eased up in her work lately, with a view to freshening her up a bit, and she always seems to do her best across the Straits. Goldstream is an undoubtedly good horse over a mile, and will take a lot of beating with 8.12, as weight doesn't trouble the Porirua nag to any great, extent. There are a couple of good hacks in the Hope Hack Handicap, of seven furlongs. I refer to Heeltap (9.13) and Rongdra (9.9), both recent winners in decent company. There are' twelve weighted in this event, and if the two named go to the post, they shotdd beat more than beat them, especially the latter. There are ten in the Grandstand Handicap, but, as some of them have prior engagements, it is more than likely that this race will provide the smallest field of the day. Mount Victoria has taken out another tourist ticket, and as he knows quite a lot about Nelson and its environments, it's more than probable that he will do his best, and it will have to be at his best to beat Heather (8.13) —the mare is giving Mount Victoria a stone and a pound. Hymettius, if as good as of yore, should simply fly in with 6.13. The second leg of the double, the Telegraph Handicap, of five furlongs, has been well patronised, no less than 21 having been nominated. Samisen is top with 9.9, Heeltap being given 71b less. Trainer's half-sistei, Pall Mall, is as well treated as any with 7.10, but in a five-furlong flutter there's no time to do a step dance as the tapes go up. Out from the mark sharply whatever would catch her and win would beat all the rest of the field, and locally-owned Excitement might be capable of doing it. In the Welter Hack, of seven furlongs, Marsinah is tofp with the steadier of 10.13 —just enough, I should say, to stop the Wellington-owned mare from going over. Rongora looks dangerous with 9.4, if not started in the Hope Handicap, but she is good enough to win the two. * # * * Dannevirke Autumn Meeting. Splendid acceptances have been received for this meting, there not being a weak field on the programme. In the President's Handicap, of six furlongs, that good horse, Rewi Poto, has only 9.5—1 say only advisedly, because at his best he is capable of carrying a,nother half-stone and winning, but, if no better than he was at Trentham, when prior to the race he looked as if he had rushed out of a barber's shop when it was on fire, possibly the pick of the bunch are Avon Park with 8.13, and Black Ada with 6.13. Anything that beats them should win. The Tahoraiti Hack Welter, of seven furlongs, has some good cattle engaged, of whom the handicapper assesses Bunting the best with 9.13. I have a warm regard for Paraoa, with 9.8, and I am not going to overlook the chance of Lady Nolan, with 8.12, despite this mare's consecutive failures. I'll still look to her to display a clean pair of heels one of these fine days. # •» * # The Dunedin Cup Meeting, just coneluded, was the most successful held for a number of years. The weather was

favourable, and the field of hgher quality than usual, whilst totalisator investS,o n n S r, for the three da y s totalled £60,b«8 10s, compared with £67,334 for last years meeting—a proof that cannie Dunedin is curtailing its expenditure. The Invercargill trainer, Hogan, had a royal time, winning the two principal races of the meeting (Dunedin Cup and Jockey Club Handicap) with Rorke's Drift, and Magdala also accounted for a couple of leading events during the meeting. My selection for the Cup (Ardenvohr) was only snuffed out in the last stride by Rorke's Drift. Good judges aver that the former should have won. -fcjmerson's superior horsemanship landed the stake. Ogier, on whom Southern sports put their tin, ran disappointingly in the Cup and subsequent events, and Snub let down a large number of Christchurch heads in similar fashion. " Flingot, a competitor in the hurdle events at the Wanganui Meeting, is 13 years old. He is galloping and jumping well, and as he will have the services of "Tartar" Julian, he might give some of the younger competitors something to be going on with. Panmure's success at Dunedin incurred a penalty at Wanganui, which would have made a "prohibitive impost, therefore the Highden horse's name was missing from the final acceptances. Tiuopai won her third successive Te Kuiti Cup, and then went on and won the Waikato Handicap on Saturday. She is a most consistent performer, and must show a big profit. United Service, winner of the Midsummer Handicap, showed no form at all in Dunedin engagements, although leniently treated. A horse sold out of the Levin pound for £5 10s last month, proves to be a thoroughbred worth at least £50. Oldtimers will recollect a horse named Two Bob running and winning races —he was bought out of a pound for that sum. Then there was the Otago goldfields crack Knickerbocker Sam. He was bought out of a pound for two or three pounds, afterwards sweeping the board from Blacks to Queenstown, both on the flat and over fences. Deeley's injured shoulder having given away, he has had_to take a brief respite from riding, and in the meantime O'Shea has been riding winners, with the result at time of writing he is two wins ahead of the Auckland crack. Ben will get to work at Wanganui, and it will be interesting to watch the contest between the two for supremacy. Emerson and Bell are close handy.

Rumoured in Sydney that the Holman Government is contemplating appointing Mr. H. D. Mcintosh, principal of the Rickards Vaudeville Ci?cuit, to a seat in the New South Wales Iregislatihe Council. How about Premier Massey giving Mr. John Fuller, senr.. a seat in New Zealand's "old man's refuge?"