THE TURF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14381, 26 November 1908, Page 10

THE TURF.

Bi Sentinel. •. ' ■

.» • THE D.J.C. SUMMER MEETING.; ■ ' Tho growing popularity of our Christmas meeting, is evidenced by tho splendid nominations which woro received on Friday last for tho next Wingatui gathering, and if a lengthy list of names can bo taken as a reliable criterion, tho D.J.C. summer iiieet'in» of 1908 premises to bo tho best ever held it that period of tho year at our racing headquarters. Tho meeting is favourably situated oh tho racing calendar, •as there is not much to clash against it in the South Island, arrd for this reason the meeting is sure to make further progress with the aid of sufficiently attractive programme's. Tho Southland Racing Club would also greatly assist their own and the Wingatui meeting iif their programmes could be made strong enough to attract , owners from the north, as the two meetings would furnish.a nice little round of racing at tin; festive season. The'Otago Handicap, of 200sovs, one mile and a; quarter, - has attracted an entry of 16, and ,an several in tho list have performed credit--1 Ably quite recently a good race should f be furnished. The St. Andrew's Handicap , lias also filled well with an entry of 21, > and a fairly good class of horse is engaged ■ ( in both of the prinoipal ' events. The Federal Handicap and Grand Stand Han- ( dicap; which are tho "Newmarkets" of the programme, have also attracted a very pleasing rc-sponso from horscowncrs—a. remark which also applies to the welters and hfick events. It is particularly gratifying to , find'tho hurdle races filling so well, and it ' is to bo hoped a fair percentage of those engaged will be found at the post. The two-year-old events have filled better than usual, and, taken all round, the club with "ordinary luck should hold a record Christmas gathering. The handicaps for •the firit day aro duo on Monday, Deceirtbcr 14, and acceptances must be declared on i Friday, December 18, on which date entries are 'also duo for the Trial Stakes and Farewell Handicap. ' THE TAHUNA PARK MEETING. Numerically the acceptances received for the first day of the Tahuna Park Trotthlg Club's spring mooting, to oommeuce • on Saturday next, compare favourably with tho list of horses nominated, and tho average strength of the fields promises to be rather higher than usudl. That being so, it senium safe to predict that visitors' to Tahuna Park will see some interesting sport, although large fields do not necessarily mean that exciting racing is ■ based upon that, alone. Iri fact, a small field well brought together is much more interesting as a • racing spectacle than one containing a largo number of horses spread all over the traok. The Domain Handicap, which is the chief event on the card, but which will have & comparatively smaJl field,, is likely .to i arouse' more .interest than any other event ( .decided during the day. The two' single ; milo dashes—Stewards' and St. Kilda, Handicaps—should also provo productive of something interesting; whilst, tho Musselburgh Handicap, to be decided over tho iinusual distance of' two and a-half mites, should give tho backmarkcrs time to malcu a finish with those out in front of the . handicap. Tho first race is timed (o start it 1.15 each da.y, and amplo facilities will he on hand for conveyance to tho course. : IN A NUTSHELIi. . — Solution has foaled'a colt to the English ! lorso Challenger. — The Seer is now a. member of Jarvis's team at the Forbury. —It is reported that Mr G. P. Donnelly , values Gold'Laco at lOOOsdvs. .■'- 1 Nominations for the Lake .County Jockey ' Club's meeting are due on the 28th inst. — Nominations aro due on December 9 for the Vincent Jockey Club's.'annual meeting. ' — Nominations for the Cromwell Jockey Club annual meeting are due on December 9. — Nominations for the Southland ; Racing Club's summer meeting are due on December i 11. ' — Apiongsl the winners at a recent Queensland meeting was a couple of Birkenhead's . stock. —Battler, the dam of Nautiform, has produced a sister to the Welcome Stakes •winner. ' — Soultline was recently sold privately in Melbourne for 1000 guineas to Mr S. P. M ,: Kay. . '' ■ • — The' majority of the big fielders operat- ; ing over the carnival week, at Christchurch lost, money. — A complimentary ticket fox the South Canterbury spring • meeting, and acknowledged iritli thanks. : . — A complimentary ticket for the Ashburton Trotting. Club's meeting is to hand, and acknowledged withlhanks. — Complimentary tickets are to hand for th e Tahuna' Park Trotting Club's meeting, and tfr'e acknowledged with thanks. — A rumour .is current that .the walk-up 'I start is to be given a trial by the stewards of the, Jockey Club in .England. ;. —L. ll'. Hewitt has been, engaged to xide as first jockey . for Prince Hohenlohe Aehiingen in Germany and Austria-Hungary, jrffext season. "—California, who a few weeks back was rated as one of the best 'horses in the colony, •is allowed 121b from Zimmerman in tho Auckland Cup. •—Hauraki (Phoebus'Apollo—Musket Maid) and Ellis (Hotchkiss—Edith Cureton) were i amongst the winners at a recent West All's- ; t'ralian meeting. • , I —The Wnikouaiti Racing Clnb has issued a programme carrying 22osovs in prise money csv their annual meeting. The Waikouaiti Cup is to be worth 40sovs. , . , — A copy of the Manawatu Kacing Club's programme lor the present season'is to hand, and acknowledged with thanks. The club ?ill ;disburse £9380 in stakes during the year. —..Ihe Dunedin Jockey Club have received splendid- nominations for their summer' mcetj ing, and with ordinary luck the gathering should be tho best Christmas meeting held up' to da's at Wingatui. Emir has finally bid good-bye to the l'lvcecourse. He broke down in the V.lt.C. Handicap, and will now be pensioned off. ■Uuring his turf career Emir captured 12 races, but never won a handicap event, „ -■— Cruciform, who was purchased at tho sale of the late Mr G. (r. Stead's horses in New Zealand by Mr J. V. Smith for 1350g5, has, at Bundoora (Victoria), foaled a colt to imported Ch'arlcmagno (son o! St. Simon). . Ihq importance of the thoroughbred industry in Mew South Wales may be gauged I by the fact that of the total of £22,233 distributed iu stakes at the V.Ii.C. soring meet- . rag, horses bred in that State capiurcd £16.280. — Signor, who failed to conceed Downfall 61b in the New Zealand Cup, is rated as a 61b bstler horse than the latter vfi the Auckland Cup, handicap. At Fcilding, in the St. Andrew's Handicap, they aro placed on equal terms over a milo and n-ha!f. — Tbc secretary ,of the V.R.C. cstiiucics, though full returns are not yet in, that there Has a slight falling off in the attendance''on each of the four days.of the Cup mcc'.in". as compared with corresponding days last year. The profit on the spring meetiii" of 1907 was £11,460, but will not reach that "sum on this occasion. " : -According to latest Amorican' fi'ps' to i band a new record for six furlongs around, a turn was made by Nimbus ct. Empire City' ' race track on August 18, when he covered the distance in lmin 111-ssec. made by both Hosoben and Colonel Bob. Nimbus won very easily, which stamps his performance as the i more wonderful. -Small wonder that horsemen (says an exchange)- are clamouring in America that the i s andards -for jmcers a nd trotter, should be made mu<;h faster. Although the racin»seic o n was not near.v over .in September V,t" 30 trotters had put up records from 2u,in 4?* ec ° m r,rV n o . loscc i *"« a . ' ,8 ? ncm hwl Pacca from lniin f>9Jeer> to Qmin 10?ec. , -The celebrated sire Perth, bv War Daiice -Primrose Dame, who won during his racing career £31.2,10, and whose stock'to jR 1 . .France hadwon over £40,000, succumbed- to an attack oi inflammation of the kidneva on Wtobor G. A few days previously his owner, 2' TT U ' !f fu?cd 811 offer of £20,030 from the Austrian Government for the ?on of AVnr Dance. -During the N.Z. Cup meeting tho totalisator registered £68.515. as against !»«' years total of £93.133: At the trotting meting £41.432 was recorded, or £1210 less than last year. At both courses o handsome revenue was received from fte bookmakers whose fees considerably more than counterbalance the shrinkage in the )ota'i«atofigure?. . -Tile V.R.C. ; _ Committee inquired, at tbo request of Jfr ono of the owners, . into the running of Pink 'Un' in the Melbourne Slakes. After bearing''tho explanation of the jockey, F, -Williams, who rode ' Pink 'Un in the race named, and the statement of Mr Nettlefold, the committee decided that Sufficient facte had; not been placed before them on which action could .be taken. — The result of the local option' poll will not .be welcomed by tho racing- clubs who will.'lose the revenue formerly derived from the sale of the book privileges. This will press particularly hard on the Tuapeka County Jockey- Clnb, which was galvanised info lifo some two of three seasons ago by generous donations from the Lawrence publicans. The money contributed was in a great measure responsible tor the formation of the new course at Lawrencc. — Tho goßsipa have it. say 3 Vanity Fair, that in the immediate future it is the intention of the English Government to Dut forward legislation dealing with betting. Hecent occurrences in America have placed before our eyes a warning of the disastrous effects produced by drastio and haatily-oon-eiivad legislation for the suppression of bet-

ting there. Racecourses are closing their ;< gatcs, thousands of people arc thrown out! of employment, and Wood stock is becoming 11 drug in the market, and a'heavy blow hea been dealt at tlio development of the thoroughbred horse.' »The breeding of blood stock in this country is neither more nor less then ft national industry, in which huge sums of money are engaged. — After Lord Nolan won the Melbourne Cup ho-was treated to a good long drink of champagne. This reminds one of the Fordham story about giving a liorso some of the best. Fordham was engaged to ride a horse, M'd just before getting into the saddle he was handed ft bottle of raro old port, which ho promptly, with the assistance of the trainer, put out of sight. After the race the owner, in congratulating Fordham on winning, remarked: "That wine must have dojle the horse a lot of good to make him run such a. great race." Fordham replied that the.wine no doubt had something to do with the win, but it was carried on top of the saddle and not underneath it. — The Auckland course is. according to comparative times, slower than Riccarton, and consequently more trying than the latter track, because, if horses are running at top on one course, and can only rccord slow time, . whilst on the other fast times are recorded with a corresponding amount of exertion, it stands to reason that • the slow track ia the more severe on sv non-stayer. As a. matter of fact, the Riccarton straight appears tn h e 011 the down grade. For this reason Armlet, who failed over six furlongs in the Stewards' Handicap, is not with a rise of 3lb likely to be seen to bettet advantage in the Railway Handicap than she was over a' similar distance at Riccarton. To show, however, that this is not ii oommon opinion, it need only be mentibned that the filly is one of the favourites for the Auckland races. — The passing of the Ganiing Act appears to have done no end of good to racing in Victoria in the way of increased attendances at. the race meetings, If rumour is to be relied upon (says an' Australian paper), the authorities are ■ not nearly so strict in putting down actual betting outside the race" meetings as they might te. They are very strict with the newspapers, not a line in which can 1 be written giving the least idea or hint respecting wogoring. One editor was called over the coals the other day for allowing a. paragranh to appear in which it was stated lhat a horse wa9 fancied for a certain race. Yet one can hear of horses being backed with others than members of the betting clubs. It is an absurd law that prohibits the publication of the odds.