TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 3002, 14 December 1896, Page 4

TURF TOPICS.

?" “ oiiverspOr,” in N.2. Mall. That sensational turf scandal cabled over from Melbourne roads like a passage from a sporting novel. If th.e facts are as stated it was a very neatly worked swindle, and the alleged olerernose of the owner mast have cost the bookie interested a nice sum. It isn’t very surprising that the bookie should have eagerly snapped up the offer of stiffening a favourite, more especially os it was a well-known performer, and the meeting was a big one with plenty of betting money available, His eagerness to lay the dead 'un caused suspicion to be directed towards the animal, and when he told his brother metallicians about the little arrangement they rushed in to get some of the spoil and secrecy Was then out of the question. Mutters of ..this sort are bound to leak or later; and this ease proved no, exception. The.sight of a “ dead ’un Winning must have given the layers a groat shock; and the owner and trainer, ho doubt iiettbd a good sum. Two Heads ate always better than Otie; and the trainer’s horse-disguising idea was very sWebl in its way. The bookmaker could not have been very well acquainted With the ailimal hb “ lioilgHt ” or he would not Have heed deceived by a coat ot piLint; There is a certain element of humour about dosing an animal, for a race fot WHieK He .Was never •ntBWo, Hut bddkie Was appatently satisfied and paid over a good cheque to the owner for the pri vilogo ot being able to lay the supposed “dead ’un’’ to an Unsdapeotlng public. The layer ilei'or deedmt of being taken in in such a baro-taoed fashion, and now that attention Has been called to the case some interesting disclosures may likely be made in regard, to other swindling incidents. The apathy displayed by the V.E.C. is somewhat remark; able. The committed mlist hayfi kndwd about the matter, particularly Ha it had been common talk in Melbourne'sportihg circles ever since the Clip Meeting! T(ie paper that has drawn attention.,to the matter has .performed a public duty. In cases of this sort thebe is always danger df a libel ilotioii being brought against a journal that is too candid, and whether it wins or not the coats bill is always heavy. The action ot Hayes against the Australasian was a case in point/ It is a great pity the press isn’t at liberty to expose the many turf swindles that come under its notice ; the sport would be much cleaner, and the interests of the public would be better conserved. Colonial newspapers are not as outspoken as those ot America,! A man who expresses his opinion out hern has to pay for it; . • The win of Mahaki in the St. Andrew’s Handicap at ifeilding was. lioconlpliihod in rather hot time, 2min, ,38 S-Hsecs .being very fast for that course. Steppe’s son wasn’t at his beat when he raced at thie Hutt; if was apparent that ho would be in better form later on, but it vfaa npt altogether expected that Ho would crop up so soon'. Eeda was the more fancied .toy the race in question, but could iiot : catch the black in the finishing drive up the straight. He was giving Davis’ mare tea pounds, and although ho may be that much above her I think Leda will improve a great deal in the near future. Eip Van Winkle is about due for a race soon. He’ ran third, and would have paid a nice dividend had he annexed the stake. The pace was a trifle too much for him, I fancy. A lot of money was invested on Lorelei in Wellington, ,but she never had any say in the race at a,ll. Errand Boy was fancied after his running at the Hutt to Armilla, but he didn’t look so well as he did in Wellington, and shaped i aono too well in his race. -..He ran fourth’juet in front of Swift. On the second day Leda got homo in the Manchester Handicap, of a quarter mile less, and sent a good sum of money to Wellington backers. Lorelei was Once again backed here, but had to bo satisfied with second, while Eip Van Winkle chased them in. . The finish was a close one and at one time the stake appeared to be destined for Wanganui. Doubles were the order at Feilding, Glettelg winning both hurdle races, Gold Cup the Shorts and the Plying, and Titoki two hack races. Glcnelg was very fit, and astone extra on the second day didn’t extinguish his chance. Eangipai gave him a hot battle on the second occasion, however, and he was returned by only halt a length. Jack Eollo brought Erairie Grass Up from Hawke’s Bay, but he failed to score. He was almost neglected in the machine on the second day. Conscript had nothing to complain of in the matter of weight, hut was not deemed to have any sort of a chance. On the second day there were only 15 oh him. Napoleon was the public fancy, hut he could do no better than l third. There were a pretty good lot .of hacks saddled at Feilding, including some that raced at the Hutt recently. Titoki is by Puriri—Brown Leaf, and doesn’t seem to mind a hit ot weight. . Return, second on the first day, beat Emerald on the day following.’ and a' couple of Wellington sports who had a fiver on him got/ a pleasanf dividend of *S7 10s. ■ Jack Belcher had more bad luck with Sedgebrook, but managed to get a win with the grey, Ascot Vale, by Ascot —Waitotara. Slumber, the Danevirke mare, raced well enough to get second. , She is not quite fit yet, and maybe due fora race in a very short time. Light, Who carried 9st 2lb behind the pair mentioned, was just in front of a bunched up field, of which Indian Shot was the beat fancied. ' ' r ' , Had ho been, ridden differently Aqua-, fortis might have won’ both hack hurdle events at Fielding. Ho was kept back in. his first race, and came like a bullet out of. a gun when it was too late, almost dead heating Bn Evant for second place. Next day people tumbled to his -ability and made'him favourite with the result that he won by three lengths in a field of seven, and paid very little. The Hawke’s Bay mare Erena was second. . . - The Woodville Eacing Club intends enlarging the totalisator house on its course, and erecting a platform for the convience of the public outside the enclosure. It is also intended to top dress the course and fill in the stalls. The cliib’s next meeting will be held on the 2nd and 3rd February. Mr Harry Piper has been ip-' pointed starter, and two totalisators are to be used.

There were only five starters for. the Sandhurst (Vic.) Cup this year, but four were well backed, Bose Koblo being- the outsider of the party. Homespun was most in demand, but 2 to 1 was freely offered on the field. ’ Cohort tried to win from end to end, but in the last hundred yards tired to nothing, and Kallara came away and won rather comfortably from Canoona. Homespun was . going welt at the finish, but was kept rather far out of his ground, and the best he could do was to obtain « good third. Kallara is trained at Ballarat. On the same day the Christchurch mare, Golden Fleece,' by Stoneyhurst—Golden Crest, heat Jubilant and five others in the Miners Handicap Flat race. She won by four lengths, her starting price being 11 to 2. The Wanganuibred chestnut. Vagrant, by Gipsv Kang—‘ Barbara, led all the way in the Watson Plate, and won without an effort by four lengths. . Totalisator speculation in France during the ’OS season totalled .£3,520,000, and the 7 per cent, prescribed by law produced .£150,000, out of which tho societies entitled to 4 per cent, took ,£203,000,