TURF GOSSIP.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1264, 21 May 1896, Page 25

TURF GOSSIP.

BY THE CIIIEL. NEW ZEALAND NOTES. Young Cheviot is again at work at Ashburton. Acone and Panoply have not jumped at Ellerslio yet. The English Derby will be run on the third of June. How about Salvo Shot for the Dunedin Maiden Stakes ? Koport says that Musket has bro on down once more. Miss Nelson and St. Hilda aro shaping well over the stick?. Mr Jorgenson says that Strathbraan will journey to Wanganui. Mainstay and Fire King are both doing good work down south. Acceptances for the Wanganui Jockey Club’s Meeting have closed. The five Yaldhurst yearlings have all been broken at lliccarton lately. The Northern people say that Paddy O’Rourke is jumping very well indeed. Hop Garden h spoken of as a probablo winner of the Auckland Grand National. There was some ill feeling over the ejection of the bookies from the Napier Parkcourse. The annual meeting of members of the Canterbury Jockey Club will be held on Friday. • • • * Mr L. D. Nathan, the owner of St.Hippo, left Auckland for the Old Country last Saturday. Wall, the rider of Tenby in the Hurdles on the second day at|Napier, got Lis shoulder fractured. Webley, another nominee for the Auckland steeple, has cut his foot badly while jumping. Bona Fide, Saluto and Austral are at present in Wanganui waiting for the meeting there.

Hopeful is not doing so well in his schooling over big fences. 110 seems inclined to baulk. Out of 8G horses nominated for four events in the Dunedin Birthday Meeting only 49 accepted. Gillie has left tho South for Wanganui. He has been showing somo beautiful form on tho Riccarton course. Tho betting on the Wanganui double (Steeplechase and Winter Oats) is 100 to 3 to 100 to 1. Gondolier pulled up lame in the Napier Steeplechase, and will not bo raced again for some time. Magazine is having a spell, and Baruardo is getting through a lot of work and doing bettor every day. • • • • Messrs Barnett and Grant, tho wellknown Dunedin bookmakers, have removed to Christchurch. Tho Sydney horse Jack O’ Lantern, by Marvellous, has been sold and will be shipped to India. Primo Warden has gone into C. WynnWilliams’ hands to bo schooled for hurdle racing down in Christchurch. Midas, full brother to Morrio England, has been put into work again and is bocoming a most excellent jumper. Lady Zetland ha 3 not boon shaping quito so well during tho autumn. There is a suspicion that she is getting worn out. Only 15G permits for tho totalisator will be issued this year, therefore country clubs should mako early application. Tho number of registered trniners at weak is only 259 in comparison with 489 who escape, that is to say for every 5 that pay 9 do not. The report that Prime Warden has finished his career must be a mistake, because I hear that ho is being tried over the fences. Martyrdom, who ran third in the May Handicap at Napier Park, was supposed to have been put to hurdles, but her owner contradicts this.

Liberator has changed hands once more ; be has been purchased by Mr V. Harris for 150 guineas. The old horse is now in charge of Fred Holmes. There are twenty-one yearlings being handled and worked about Elleislie, so that Auckland will be well supplied with two-year-olds next year. It is funny to read the list of nominations for tho Otaki Hack Meeting, and see how many “ would-be ” racehorses have got back into their class again. Someono said the other day that ho fancied The Artist for the Wanganui Winter Oats. Upon enquiries it has been found that he is in jjreat form.—_

A writer in tho Canterbury Times says that the Ace has been shipped to Sydney. This is not correct. Some hitch having occurred, he is still in Wellington. There are twenty-four stallions entered for the Canterbury Trotting Club’s meeting, and of these seventeen aro winners and seven are in the stallion race. Dead Shot, who died at Auckland last week, will bo remembered as paying the sensational .£135 dividend in the Nursery race at tho Auckland Summer Meeting last year. Among the new members proposed for election at tho forthcoming annual meeting of tho Canterbury Jockey Club is Mrs E. C. J. Stevens. She will bo the first lady member of a jockey club in Now Zealand.

One hundred to four is said to bo tho best price on offer against what are styled fancy picks in tho Now Zealand Cup. And there are said to be takers ! Wonders will never cease,

Owners and trainers aro this early advised to look up the programme for the Auckland Racing Club’s Steeplechase Meeting. They will notice that nominatons close for the minor events, such as Maiden Hurdles and Steeplechases, Welter Handicaps, Ac., on Friday, May 29th.

Umslopogaas has got in at lost and Acone at 10st 51b, which I think is just about their measure. Old Kapua is there under list Blb and ho will bo within coooe at the finish. Fabulist at lOst 71b has got quite enough. It always struck me that this horsejwas over-rated.

Tho totes never ask for odds, said someone, who had been plucked by the machine, hut take your money and pay a dividend. For all that the business is very odd. A horse pays a Jll 18s dividend, that is to say ho must have started at 10 to 9. Where do you find the flaw there ?

The folly of investing on these city totes will never become apparent to some of the innocents who aro victimised. They plank down their money in pure ignorance, and tho “ runner ” gets all the fun, and money too. Three-fourths of the horses entered do not start, and ho pays a dividend on tho remainder. How tho extra cash is absorbed the unfortunate backers never find out.

A very usual mode of practising their little tricks with some “ bookies ” is this : People in tho adjacent towns aro written to, a forecast is given of tho horses that will start and tho odds given against each. Somo innocents, who are honoured with a personal letter couched in respectful terms, fall into tho trap and are fleeced.

A splendid list of nominations has been received for tho Masterton-Opaki Jockey Club’s Mooting, to bo held on tho 29th of this month. Tho list is a record for tho club, no loss than 116 entries being received, besides tho Maiden Race. There aro 30 nominations for the Scurry Handicap alone, and 32 for tho Flying, tho stakes for which has now been increased to £OO.

At tho South Australian Jockey Club’s Autumn Carnival, on 2nd inst., in the Elder Stakes of one milo and a furlong, Ilova (9st lib, James Hayes) and Warpaint, winner of tho Adelaide Cup (9st lib, E. Power), ran a dead heat; time, lmin 58j see. In the run-off, Warpaint went to tho front and remained there to tho distance, whore Ilova overhauled him and won by a length ; time, 2min.

Mr Evott has declared tho weights for tho Grand National Hurdles and tho Great Northern Steeplechase, and a grand set of horses they aro. Mr Evott has again shown his handicapping powers, and although it would be foolishness to tip before the acceptances, yet I think that tho old veteran top weights in tho G. N. Hurdles, Dante and Liberator, will bo all thoro at the finish.

11l tho Great Northern Stooplechaso I would not be inclined to tip, although I have Gillie again under my eye. Thero are a great crowd of good horses to run if only half of them accept. 1 see Ballyhooloy is back and has got tho fairly light impost of lost 71b ; Liberator has 2st 21b more to carry and list lib more than Waituna. Mutiny and Tiritca, the inseparables, are weighted atl2st(iib and Donald McKinnon at 12st 21b. There aro a round dozen of 9st Tib’s at the tail.

Mr It. E.Mcßaoof Manaia.ahorse-brcedor of 23 years standing, has had, perhaps, more ill luck than any breeder on tho coast. Old Dead Shot, ono of our best and greatest Hires, died just when his stock were beginning to’show up; Morpheus was kicked by a mare that bad been left tied in tho paddock so badly that it is impossible that ho can recover; while not long ago Mr Mcßae lost Volunteer, who got his jaw broken by a draught horse. Volunteer was one of tho best jumpers in tho North Island. It is to be hoped that tho tido will turn and that Mr Mcßae will have no more ill luck at his heels.

To the Geraldine Trotting Club falls the task of instituting the first prosecution in a criminal court for a turf oflence, says “Mazeppa.” This method of dealing with “ ringers ” has been talkod about for somo time. It is now to be tested, and on tho issue depends very much more than tho settlement of tho particular question before tho court. What we want to know is whether among the innumerable intricacies of our many-sided laws there is any loophole which prevents prosecutions of this nature from succeeding. Lawyers say that no such bar exists, but it is a

matter of every-day experience for lawyers j t« bo mistaken, and tho point is what the , magistrate will say. Should he discover ; some heretofore hidden obstacle, surely, the Legislature will speedily remove it. j

In last week’s Mail I remarked on the way in which some “ gentlemen jocks ” carried on business, and said they ought to be compelled to take out a license like their professional brethren. lam glad therefore to see that in a recent number of the Sydney Bulletin, which has just come to hand, that very much the same kind of thing is advocated. Speaking of the disqualification of an English jockey, tho Bulletin says —“ However the disqualification of ono of tho gontlemoD would do a world of good, for, taking them all round, they are about as crooked as you make ’em and quito put professionals in the shade for downright roguery.” This is an article with which I entirely agree. Gentleman jockeys are becoming a regular nuisance on the turf and the sooner they are abolished the better.

I can understand, says “Reviewer,” speaking in tho Sporting Review, the enthusiasm that would be displayed by the Egmont sports when Booties was declared tho winner of tho Egmont Steeplechase. A more honest horse never crossed a fence, and his owner, Mr E. Shove (and I must include his brother), are true sportsmen. They enjoy racing—principally cross-country racing—for the sport they can derive from it. When wo find all those who have worked for Messrs Shove Bros. (L refer more particularly to those who have to look after the horses) speaking in the highest terms of praise of them wo may ho sure they are jolly good fellows, and those who ride for them do not have long to wait for their riding fee. As soon as their jockey dismounts he is paid for his work.

Tips by “Tho Chiel” for tho Wanganui Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting: — The Flying should prove a moral for Tho Workman 1 Strathbraan 2 Marino Tho Open Steeplechase— Gillie 1 Sir Athol - Booties 3 For tho Hunters’ Steeplechase— Seddon 1 Awarua 2 Charlio J For tho Trial Steeple— Freeborn 1 Raupo 2 Narrate 3 For tho Winter Oats Handicap I take— Waiuku 1 St. Laura 2 Sedgobrook 3 Acceptances will close for tho Final Steeplechase an hour before the race starts. The Hack Flat will ho a hard one, hut the heavy weight Kanaka should not be far off.