TOTALISATOR TURF TOPICS

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 849, 13 October 1916, Page 18

TOTALISATOR TURF TOPICS

By Torpedo.

MR, Bert- Coyle's adjustments for the various events at the forthcoming Wellington Spring Meeting are available. - . ~ There is a big field engaged in the Hack and" Hunters' Steeplechase, two miles and a-half, and,, if ever Pond Memory is not going to be a memory of the past, she ,has npw been given the opportunity .with the handy ' weight of 9.9. The top-weight, Ruatangata, is . not unduly burdened with 10.12. Mr. JE 1 . Armstrong's pair, Critic and The Hound, have been expected, for, some time, but have. le± their backers down badly. Whichever of. the pair is started should be worth watching. The Rimu-taka Handicap, of seven furlongs, has "only" .41 horses engaged, therefore I had. better wait for the acceptances before - hazarding an opinion. Rio' 7.2, Coral King 7.0, and Captain Gldssop 6.12, if successful, would probably, prove big dividend payera. -

The Taita Handicap, of four furlongs, also lias-a. .big entry. I always like Ormond's youngsters, aitd Stuart Waddell has a penchant for ' short , sprints. Hymeona 7.13, Lingerie 8.9 and Chuckle 7.9 should be hard nuts to crack.

The Wellington Handicap, first leg of the double, is a very open race. Colonel Soult is top of the list with 9.3, a not too formidable poundage for such a good one x over -the distance. . Taringamuta will have heaps of followers with 51b. less./. The pick of the handicap appears to be the southern-owned New Zealand Cup. favourite, Fiery Cross, with 7.11. This horse is very well, and has demon-

strated his ability to go fast and do a journey. Probably he will be hot stuff on the day. There are some who claim that Want- has a chance in the New Zealand Cup—if so, 6.7 is a. featherweight for Wellington. Sir Alba is a iieddy that should pay a price ere long, so keep him in your mind. Multiplication is well in with 7.11, and will be ain early selection.

: In the October Handicap, of five furlongs, some swallow catchers are engaged. Hylatus tops the list with 9.8, and can be relied upon to hop out quickly and make the pace a cracker. So can Goklbearing 7.9, and Hymenaeus 7.0. ...

The Wainui Handicap, of one- mile, looks & goo-d; thing for sucli a, miler as Heeitap with 8.0, seeing that Merry Roe is top-woigh"t with 9.12, and Rewi Poto 9.7. Ladoguer 8.7 is some galloper over the dista.nce, and will, if started, be well supported on the day.

The Shorts Handicap, six furlongs, is the second leg of the double, and early backers will have a job to sort out the winnei. -Chortle is top-weight with 9.12', a weight tliat -shouldn't stop such a. brilliant horse. Menelaus with 6.12 will find support, as will also Hyginas 8.0, and Lady Black 6.7. Bimeter with 8.10 should be worth watching.

I will have an opportunity in next, week's notes of narrowing my 'selection? down to two or three in each event.

I notice that Charlie Carmont, nephew of Trainer Fred of thai; ilk, had his first go over fences the other day and came a cropper. He's foolish to run risks until superfluous flesh necessitates his supplementing his riding with fencing work. The lad is a handy weight, with good head and hands, his riding on Simon Frisco at Randwick against Australia's cracks proving such to be the case.

A well-known sporting scribe had to stand up against a hot trade at a recent meeting, when a trainer gave him a tongue lashing in front of a crowd. A handy door which stood ajar was almost too small for the scribe to retreat through

A cablegram states that Mr. Stead's horses have been in the hands of a. different trainer since last week. Strange if the lucky Avinner of the other day expects more for his money. There ap-

pears to be more than meets the eye in such a change.

Local punters went for Bee to gather money in the Metropolitan on Saturday, but the going was heavy at Randwick, and the best she could do was to swim into sixth place. She'll do better yet.

Sea Lord keeps winning his races and paying fairly long prices as prices go nowadays.- Just another instance of a horse being well and his connections going out for the goose., whilst other half-ready neddies are out to fool the public and the handicappei\

Nioomar, the Auckland' hurdler, has fallen, in his last two essays, and his numerous supporters did a double flipflap along with him.

Stewart Waddell is fond of setting one or two of his chickens to crow in their, own barnyard, and Saturday saw borne out by Hyginas landing the goods in the Final Handicap at the Hawke's Bay Meeting, beating Zeus, who had started earlier in the day, by a narrow margin.

Haumakaka appears to be a. light of yesterday, or many other days. In at the minimum with 6.10 in the Spring Handicap at Hawke's Bay Meeting, he wasn't started, being reserved for the Waipata Hack' Handicap, in which he wasn't sighted with 10.6. I reckon there is coming -a day in the near future when this horse will show better form and will pay a good price in a leading handicap—that is, if what I have been told about a recent trial is correct.

There is_ a,, breath of scandal floating through the punters' trenches anent a punter who allegedly started i.n-a. moderate sort of way and by judicious betting, combined with advice from one of our leading jockeys, who doubtless gets a cut, has raked in a cool thousand or two from the "Tommies/' and then started "tick" betting, afterwards refusing to face the barrier on settlement day. It is said that he has been scratched for all future engagements by the Wool Kings.

The remarks concerning the existence of a jockey ring made by a well-known liorseowner at the recent meeting of the Wellington Racing Club, has evidently set some folk ' thinking. A southern writer calls on the Racing Conference to take up the matter with a view to stringent action.

"Horse Tamer" sends the following interesting par regarding a long-lived horse:—"l say, 'Torpedo,' that wasn't a bad one about the train, horse in your Jast, but I can go one better about the age. We have had a dapple grey pony in our family for 36 years, and he is still going strong, although blind in one eye, and tail almost gone. My youngest son of nine years is at present giving him a morning gallop. He was'got by the imported Carver out of Red Pine, and lias proved a great stayer—he lias stayed on our verandah 36 years. AYe are going to give him another coat of paint at Christmas."

I- reckon that we should change the title - "Sport of Kings" to "Sport of Kings"' Just ask a. well-known horseowner in Wellington.

l. len y° u read the handicaps fo-r the \\ ellington races you musn't- say they have got you in a knot; say that they've got yon in a "Coy]e."

s Tis said that Taringamutu can catch swallows on the track of a morning.

All the cow-spankers in the Taranaki district are going to be on Welcome an the _ New Zealand Cup. The prevailing opinion is that the November event is to be Star Rose over again. TS ell, good', luck to'the Taranaki punters —-they are loyal, at any rate, and a big win might bring down the price of butter (?)

Dunedin races take place to-day and to-mori-ow > . Interest centres in the principal event owing to a number of New Zealand Cup candidates being engaged including the ruling favourite for" the Cup, Rorke's Drift. The Wellington owner, Mr. "Whitney" is represented by Rose Pink and Trentham Rose, who will both have followers. A valued southern sport has kindly sent me a list of horses likely to run well in their respective engagements: Hurdles. —Kings way. Maungatau Handicap. — Deviation, Moneymaker. Dunedin Stakes.—Trentham Rose, Kilrea. Mosgiel Handicap, one mile and a-quarter.—Ri.ngform, Battle Eve. Dunedin Guineas, one mile. —Good Hope, Rockbound. Electric Handicap. six furlongs.— Clynelish, Pyjama. Taioma. Handicap, six furlongs.—. Aaland. Placid. Trial Plate, six furlongs.—Lone Pine and Ascalaphus.