TURF GOSSIP.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 24

TURF GOSSIP.

BY THE CIIIEL

EW ZEALAND NOTES

In. lead of the usual point-to-point fixture the Christcburch Hunt Club have agreed to have a small programme of races to bo held at Riccarton. Breaking-in is now going on up and down the Coast. Most of the joungstcrs have had their initial lesson. 'l'lie ejection of the bookies is always followed up by an iocrea.se in the receipts of the machine. Major George states his intention of retiring shortly from the turf. Chainshot has gone to England. Why doesn't Joe Paul run any horses at Wanganui r 1 Hasn't he got over his row with that Club yet? The privileges in connection with tho Egmont Racing Club's winter meeting realised =£229 10s. Some more of Mr Gollan's horses are going Homo shortly, probably Mousquetaire, Pounamu, Sternchascr, and The Possible. When are wo going to have five and tenshilling tickets on tho machine ? Why must I always put on a pound when I want a half ticket ? An interesting letter appeared in tho Lyttclton Times lately from Mr J. E. Charlton a well-known veterinary surgeon of Christchurch, which we quote;— "The

popular belief still exists, it is interesting to bote, even in the nineteenth century, that horses with fractured legs cannot be cured. The medical practitioners at Masterton are experimenting with a view to ascertaining whether repair will follow fracture of the horse's leg. During the past eight or nine years numerous such fractures have come under my notice, and I am perfectly satisfied that, provided no articulation be involved and that proper treatment be adopted, fracture affecting bones of ahorse's leg will invariably bo followed by speedy and satisfactory union and repair. No doubt many a valuable animal has been needlessly sacrificed to the * popular belief,' a horse-owners erroneously concluding that treatment of fracture would be useless."

The whole of Mr P. Butler's horse.? were offered for sale at Tattersall's on Saturday week last, including Au Revoir, Liberator, Padlock, Salvo, Medicus, Cannonball and Venom. 111-health is the cause of Mr Butler's temporary retirement.

Apropos of forestalling, writes the Sydney Bulletin :— " When big books were the vogue in Maoriland, two smarties with some ready money rushed a certain horse for a handicap, got.. Jow thousands and made him favourite. The owner, being well-nigh 'broke,' had to start the neddy, who won. Not a copper was laid him by tho clever pair. That owner, however, now relates, apparently with grim satisfaction, how one of the two died in Maoriland through drink, while his mate perished on a parched and thirsty Australian plain for tho want of it."

Ebor 11., by York Beeswing, has changed hands, a Wanganui man being the purchaser. The horse will still remain in Homes' stable.

Tho reason given by tho West Coast Times for declining the temptation to tip the winners at tho Westland race meeting was that "it is criminal to speculate on an uncertainty/'

Ballinger has boon suggested as a namo for the Chainshot—Sylph filly.

Barman, by Somnus out of Barmaid, lias been purchased by Mr J. Taggart and brought down to the Hutt. Tho price paid is said to bo less than .£IOO.

Gillie will take a lot of beating for tho Wanganui Steeplechase. Ho has been well treated there, and if he is taken up, as ho probably will be, he will bo ridden by Mr Aynsley.

Sodgebrook, with 7st 71b, has got in vory light for tho Wanganui Plying, while Rossall, in tho big money, has got enough to bury him in lOst 71Ij.

It has been rumoured that Dauntless will have something to say about tho New Zealand Cup.

Wallace is favourito for tho next Melbourne Cup. lie has completely recovered from his gruelling at|tho Australian Jockey Club's meeting.

Mr Cutis' yearlings have been receiving a few lessons lately.

How very few Musket-bred horses becomo junipers.

Tho Dunedin Amateur Trotting Club is now defunct.

So old Prime Warden has left the turf. At last his caroer is finished. Tho good old horse has done a lot of work—and brilliant work at that —in his time.

"Bookies" of the " mushroom " order are always an objectionable class. They are generally dishonest and need watching. They have a trick of starting the "balancing" business towards the end of a day's racing.

Dick Wheeler has a two-year-old brother of Waterbury's upinllawera. lie is rather a small boast for his ago, but more eventempered than the old horse.

At Napier Park, Zaccho, Hilda 11. and Quoonsborough have been doing good hard work over the timber.

Donald McKinnon, Bombardier nndTiritea are favourites for the Grand National Stoeplechaso with tho bookies.

Barnato is showing great form at liiccarton, ho will lie dangerous if he keeps sound because, besides being a good jumper, ho has lots of foot.

Hippomones is being backed for the Birthday Cup freely here, says a Dunedin correspondent.

It would bo well if tho Jockey Clubs would notify some of our so-called amateur riders that tlry had better apply for tho usual license. BOUND THE WORLD. The V.R.C. hr.ve decided on a Grand National Meeting in July. The Steeple will be a sweepstake of 20 sovs. with 10u0 sovs added. The Hurdle will be a sweep of 10 govs and GOO sovs added. The total money value of the prizes will be £2900.

Cabin Boy, the winner of the V.K.C. St Leger, has been sold to a Queensland tportS' man.

The jumper Ballyhooley has not done any good in Australia. He will como back to New Zealand shortly.

There was a pood exhibition of sport at the Canterbury Park Races. In the Handicap Albicore won only by a short head from

Little Lamb, with Crackle only another head behind,

Ebor won a hurdle race in England for Mr Gollan some time before he won the Great Staffordshire Steeplechase.

The big racing season in Victoria and New South Wales having ended, says " Asmodeus" in the Leader, nothing more will be seen of the crack two-year-olds until "the flowers that bloom in the spring, trada" show np once more.

Tho two leading performers Newhaven and Coil have retired without making it clear which is the better of tlie twain. Bald form and figures are more favourable to Xewhaven, seeing that he has defeated his rival four times out of six, but on the other hand family recommendations arc all in favour of Coil, whose pedigree bristles with Derby associations, so that there will be much interest centred in these two performers next year.

The Flemington course was the scene of what may be termed a doubtful apology for a steeplechase at the April meeting. The race was nothing short of n fiasco. It would have been safer to have had no steeplechase at all than such au exhibition. There were only four competitors, all of which came to grief, Rarretta falling twice and gaining

second money. .At one part of the race there was no race, for the simple reason that all tho horses fel'. Triangle fell at the first fence, Flat-iron came to grief at the fer.ee near the mile post, Barrelta was doing a little ground-surveying at the stouo wall, while Abbotsford was being chased round the course by his rider. LSarretta being set going a Becond time came a second cropper at the second last fence, and was then passed by Abbotsford, who won by a comfortable hundred yards.

An alteration has been made in the conditions of tho Melbourne Cup race—only winners of £IOO and upwards will become liable to penalties.

At the ISenalla races (Victoria) on the loth April, a hone named " Nnnqnamnonparatua " won the Maiden Hurdle Race, ft was a wonder, says " Reviewer," that a name like that didn't trip him up. He is out of The one-eyod Mare, by The Cheese.

A Rand wick lady visitor, an attractive moving picture, with cobwebby tresses of shimmering gold, approached a noted jock, tho other day and told him she'd drawn his mount in a sweep. Mr Colours thought it was Tattersall's sweep, but it turned out to he a half-crown swindle. Nathless, she hoped'• he'd lay back until the finish and then como up aud win." It Bounded like telling a barber to go and get his 'air cut.— Bulletin.

There is a general idea that fo be " in the know" on the turf is almost to ensure a fortune (says an English writer). A greater fallacy never was known ; and, paradoxical as it may seem, the man who knows the least is the man who knows the most. A great trainer, who has over and over again won great races on which hundreds of thousands of pounds were betted, might be supposed to be well "in the know." [ cannot, how* ever, call to rniud a single instance of a trainer who was a rich man, as the term " rich man " is understood. The greatest of nil the trainers was John Scott, whose will did not add much to the Exchequer. There are a few instances of trainers who died worth twenty or thirty thousand pounds, but that is a mere flea-bite looking at the money that passed through their hands every year, and the savings represented less than £IOOO per annum, No trainer ever died what 1 call a rich man. John Day died worth nothing, and he had for years one of the greatest stables in the kingdom. Joseph Dawson, who had a big stable full of horses, left about £30,000 behind him, £20,000. of which was laid out, on Bedford Lodge, which produces an annual rental of nearly €2OO l. The late Alec Taylor, who trained a Derby winner as long ago as 1801, and was for a lime believed to be abnormally rich, accumulated only about £"{0,000. What men who are still living are worth it would be impertinent on my part, to speculate upon, but I put only two or three over £30,000,

'The recent census returns show in the United States 15,000,000 horses, to feed which the Government estimates that there is annually an expenditure of 1,500,000,000 dollars.

Is Lightning a gelding or a colt.' When he won at Caullield lie appeared as a gelding ; at the Victoria Racing Club's April Meeting lately he figured as a colt.

An electric saddle is the latest device brought into play in America so as to make slow horses run fast, and it has got several people into trouble at New Orleans. It appears that a coup was contemplated by means of this new-fashioned saddle, but the scheme fell through by reason of somebody stealing the saddle, and substituting another in its place. For this ho was arrested. In the meantime the racing governors, getting wind of the affair, held an inquiry, after which they made known the following edict: —" A person known as Charles Ticknor is ruled off the turf for bringing on to the grounds of tho club an implement of swindling, called an electric saddle, for the purpose of defrauding the patrons of the track." This is nearly as cruel as the electric spur that was tried in Yankeelaud, but the inhuman wretches mixed up in this were also promptly bowled out.

Mr Dan O'Brien has decided to sell his entire establishment before returning to New Zealand.

The English racing season is beginning to unfold the form of several fancied candidates for the important events. Mr Leopold de Rothschild appears to be commanding a continued lease of success with his stable representatives. With the St. Simon colt, St. Frusquin, he has won the coveted Two Thousand Guineas, beating Love Wisely

(by Wisdom) and Labrador (by Sheen). St. Frusquin had a very successful career as a two-year-old, and at the close of last season became a favourite both for the event he won and tho Derby. The Prince of Wales has won the One Thousand Guineas with Thais, a filly bred by her owner by St. Serf ison of St. Simon) from Poetry, by Petrarch from Music, by Stockwell. The Ally is engaged in the Oaks, and seems destined to carry the purple and gold jacket of the heir to the English Throne prominently again during the season.

The Sportsman published a short biography and portrait of 'Mr George Yowles, the veteran handicapper, in last week's issue.

Santa Maria, the runner-up in the One Thousand Guineas, is the horse that carried off the Prince of Wales' Stakes, worth 3000 guineas, last season at Goodwood.

Hickey, who went home with Mr Gollan's team, has been trying his hand at English mounts as well. He rode Romeo in a hurdle race at Sandown p ark lately. His mount, however, was not placed.

Fabulist, the Auckland throe-year-old, is being tried over tho sticks up there. He's not a bad 'un either.

The Manchester Sporting Chronicle says the story of an attempt being made to nobble Rory O'More, the favourite for tho Grand National, is not true.

"Asmodeus," in tho Lender, speaking of stern enforcement of turf rules on the other side, says that tho stewards of tho Australian Jockey Clubs havo instituted a stern object lesson in turf morality. The readjusting and tightening of girths, and the many characteristic little preliminaries incidental to all Australian racecourses between horse, jockey, trainer or owner, after the former has left the saddling paddock (and not infrequently after he has done his preliminary), are formalities not regarded with favour by tho executive turf tribunal in the sister colony, and for reasons best known to themselves, but which would not be difficult to guess, somo months ago the A.J.C, passed a legulation prohibiting any communication between jockey and trainer or owner once the former has left the saddling paddock with his horso. This new edict seems to havo been violated at Randwick lately for the first time, and being a punishable offence "under tho act" one of the culprits was visited with six months' disqualification. This seems a very severe sentence for a jockey being found guilty of merely exchanging a few words with tho trainer after the horso had left tho bitter's hands.

Portsea and Patron aro to retire and bo usod for stud purposes.

Tho Coolgardio people aro fo havo tho luxury of a raco meeting. This will havo some effect on the'prieo of fast camels, which havo hitherto provided "a bit of racing." The stakes aro to total £IOOO, the principal event being the Coolgardio Cup of £SOO.

The following poem appeared hi tho Sportsman as a tip for Hova in tho Adelaide Cup. Unfortunately ho was scratched :■— "The Adelaide Cur; OK, The Son of Inoomar." BY " f'ORTKKA," In a fair and sunny country, by the southern breezes fanned, Onco there lived a lovely creature known to all as Happy Land. Suitors near full long had sought her, others journeyed from afar, But the one to win and wed her was tho gallant Ingomar I

Peacefully the years flowed onward, and they had a little son Who took part in equine contests, somo he lost and some he won. In the great Newmarket even favourites' backers got a jar For 'twas won without an effort by the son of Ingomar !

Then, when he was two years older, for the Caulfield Cup he'd try ; Well his backers knew that he would strive his best for viet'ry. Gold they freely piled upon him ; then, " They dtiimo whero they are," For on the morning of the race was scratched the son of Ingomar !

Then succeeded all the row the disappointed backer makes, Rut again he donned the silk and carried off the Melbourne Stakes From a held of live Cup horses, well wo know how good they are, Then first favourite for the Cup wo saw the son of Ingomar !

Brilliant was tho mighty concourse that flocked to Flemington Cup Day, World-famous were tho equino heroes, gallant black and sturdy bay ; From oast, wu*t, north and south they'd gath-red near and far, None surpassed, in grace and brilliance, Hova, son of Ingomar !

"Go !" The fateful word was given, what a splendid race ensued, With what intense and wild excitement was the seething crowd endued, When from the closely serried ranks of that desp'rato 04111110 war, Still full of running, out emerged tho son of Ingomar !

Loud they choer'd him as tho winner, then a hush fell on tho crowd, And another name was shouted, louder yet and yet more loud. Yes ! another steed was fated gallant Hova's luck to mar, Auraria, upon the post, just boat the son of Ingomar!

Now away our hero's journeyed to the regions of the west, Thoro 'gainst worthy foc3 ho struggles, racing gamely at his host. Swifcly soon the wires aro winging, east and west, the news afar: "Adolaide-The Cup just won by HOVA, son pf Ingomar!"