THE TURF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16538, 11 November 1915, Page 8

THE TURF.

Br Smrrnutt. CUP DAY. ; Cup Day at Riocarton. attracted a large attendance, and speculation exceeded last •year's figures. The track was a bit on the slow aide as the result of rain over-night, but-improved as the day -wore on. The "" Stewards' Handicap -was run in record time for the race, although it did not reaoh tho track .record. Tho racing proved interesting throughout the day, but the efforts of backcrs to find winners was not generally successful, as, remarkable to relate, a favourite did not even gain a place during the day. Under tho circumstances the increase i in the amount of investments is- all the more-inotable, and apparently there is still plenty of money about. The field parading for the Cup did not look a particularly strong, one in quality or numbers. Sinapis looked biggish and short of work. Rinaldo also looked a shade on the big side. Warstep looked very well to tho eye, and so did Indigo and the winner Tangihou, who bora a well-seasoned appearance. Multiply and Blackall both looked well strung up, and Goldstream and Midnight Star had apparently undergone a sound preparation. Tho field ran in close order throughout the race, except that Goldstream dropped right out yf it as they were turning for home. , War3tep was always well placed, and looked to hold a great chance as she led towards the distance. A little later, however, Jones, drew .the whip on the mare to resist Tangihou's. challenge; but, although tho topweight made a gallant response, and struggled on to tho last, Tangihou "drew ;! away from her, and in the last few strides Blackall and Multiply cut her out of a place. Indigo and Rinaldo both ran disappoint- • ingly,; and the former failed to stay on as well as what might be expected from him on previous form. It is rafher notable that none .of the placed lot had ever done anything Ito warrant one giving them a good chance in the Cup. Tangihou would' have taken a good deal of beating at the weights; but Blackall might have been more troublesome if _ better placed as the field entered the. straight. One could not wish to see a finer-looking lot of young horses than the field Comprising the parade for the "Welcome Stakes. . All the youngsters havo plenty of size and quality; and whilst breeders are producing such stock there is . no danger of deterioration of tho thoroughbred. Several imported sires were represented in the field; but the sire and grandsire of tho winner were both bred in the The race itself was somewhat disappointing, as, after a long delay at the .post, Sweet Tipperary quickly ran to a good lead, :! and really made a one-horse race of it, Tho winner is a well-grown, racylooking filly that was picked 1 up at the cheap.'price of sQgns as a yearling. Hyttus did not- get away too well, and this was the- result of his disinclination to face the barrier. Both he and Thestius were finishr ing well behind the placed lot; but Sweet Tipperary won very decisively, and main- \ stained a good margin' in her favour- from start ; to finish. The field that coloured on the card for the Stewards' Handicap was one of the largest that has ever faiced a starter in this country. They apparently • got well away; but it is difficult, or prac- . tically impossible, to judge a start on the new six-furlong course The tra,ck gives a good-chance to a good horse; but, nevertheless,, anything drawing; an outside position has a very difficult task in getting a good position in the run to the home turn when such a. large field has' to be encountered. It is very doubtful if anything could have (>eaten Croesus at the weights, as he won too well to leave much doubt on that point. had to start from the extreme outside,.'and that fact did not help her chance, h First Glance was noticed fairly wide out as theyswung into the straight, and' hence her position at the finish was a , performance. Bee was one of the unlucky ones, as she got a bad passage in the early - Part of tho race, and with more luck in that • respect must have been closer up. The Dunedin horse Robert Bell did not finish \ among the first seven or eight.

— Maro Antony is a useful sort that should win races. | —Mr J. B. Reid bred Tangihot. the winner of the New Zealand Cup. — Find horn received a bad passage in the early'stages of the Spring Plate. —; Margarine, who acted as runner-up to Charleville, is a sisteT to Martius. — Meltchikoff ia proving himself a better horse than public opinion allows him to be. — A hot pace in the Stewards' Handicap promptly settled the chance of most of the field. — Bee wae galloped on during the, apace. ior. the Stewards' Handicap, * but only received mild .injury. " — Midnight Star broke down after reaching the straight at the finish of the New Zealand Cup. ' — Moddite is not a beauty to look at, but he baa a good deal hidden merit under a plain exterior. — Rockbound is a fine cut of a two-year-old, artjl one that should win further distinction on' the turf. % -— Down was made faff too much use of in the Spring Plate, and did not have a finish loft in the run home. — Multurn in Parvo and Countess Tolstoi both ran well in the _ Riccarton Welter, and

. appear to bo on the improve. ' — Hyginas looked to have a good chance " in; the Stewards', but' was unlucky to draw 1 art outside place at the barrier. r- Royal Fusilier gave himself a good "ad." by siring the winner and a placegetter in the Stewards' Handicap. — The two Kilbroneys, Kilboyne and Kilbrogan, looked like two colts that will be served by time and see a better day. —Crib looked really well when going out for the Spring Hurdles, and is just the type oK horse to win distinction over timber. Nvstad looked one of the most forward youngsters that stripped for the Welcome Stakes. He gallops fast, and is a very likely sort.

i— Multiply looked, hard and seasoned whei) he' went out for the Cup, and his condition no doubt helped him to stay on at the finish of; the race. Naupata was (/ravelling well in the Spring Hurdles until about a furlong from home, when Moddite and Art cut him out ne'- they ran from the last fence. — Art stripped a shade on the big 6ide ' on- the first day of _ the Cup meeting, and it will not be surprising to find him doing bejtteT as the meeting progresses. ' 4— Indigo simply seetned to fail in the Cup through laclc of merit. He looked thoroughly fit and well, and there is apparently no excuse to be offered for his defeat. )1_ The Hymettius—Enna two-year-old Hyttus is said to be a particularly smart ydnngst'Sr, hut in the 'Welcome Stakes spoilt ■ / Ins chance by fnactiousness at the barrier. One ? could not give any of the placed lot in the Cup a chance on previous form. They were, however, bred to stay, and looked if they- had been subjected to a good preparation for the race. j— Excuses of or.o sort and another were rrJado for Rinaldo's defeat in the Cup, but not quite look as if he £ot through al'tound Cup preparation. Einaldo may do better over a shorter course. — Tlis ' All Black filly Dribble "races as if she can,, stay. After beginning slowly in the Spring Plate she was making up ground ; Tace, and put up a creditable performance to gain a place. — Robert Bell and Derby Day carried far more support in the Stewards than their previous form warranted. Sometimes punters nro. so .partial to a good outside chance that they make it start at a false price. ' —There was a long delay at the start of ■ tho Welcome Stakes, and two of the principal contributors to that state of affairs were" Hyttus and Sweet Tipperary. At the. ' Tele'ape of the barrier tho latter got well away, but the former was slow to move out. — BUcknll fell back towards the tail of the' field after being prominent in the early ptafces of the Cup. He was one of the last info, tho straight, and was finishing well when he'cut Multiply out of second money. — When "casting an e'te™ over the Welcome • Stakes' field as tho youngsters were in the birdcage. it struck the writer that taking it all Tonnd it was one of the best musters of likely Darts that has ever carried silk in the race. — Gunrest wa-e credited with doine a good enllop, and was a quiet tip for the Riccarton WfitoT, but tho class seemed to be a. bit too superior for him. Tho fact of him being fancied may be worth remembering on future occasions. — After tho Spring Hurdles the rider of Moddite was fined for boring in on Art as. they ran from the last fence. The' interference made, no difference to the result, as , Moddite w»s finishing much stronger than the others. i — Rinaldo is said to have shown a disinI clination to leave Warstep as they ran together during the Cud race, and so his gallantry and amour spoilt his chance. He, however, looked a bit too big to see out a solid two miles. I-: —If Warstep had not been one of the : * "opposite sex" she might have won the Cup. The trials and temperament of the weaker eex* undergone as a matter of nature did notassist "to fight out a battle over two miles under a big weig'it. — Bonny Dream was sent out a good solid favouritn for the Apprentices' Handicap, but faijed to finish in the first six. As a two-vear-old she displayed a good turn of speed, and tho fact of her being fancied by the v stable is eome'thin'g that may be worth retaining in th? memory. r —Daylight. Bill seemed to lack pace, and could not gallop with the field in the Spring Hurdles. Racing over the big fences does not : help to polish the brilliancy of the average horse, and ihis scms to. be the case ?. with the Stronghold gelding. Bivalve, tho dam of the N«w Zealand ' ( Cup 'rianv, iru bred by ISx J. B. Beid at

the EMerslie stud. She is a half-sister to Dowaham, Rockbound, Sea King, and Savanna, the dam of San Sevaro. .a wellknown performer at Wingatui in her day.

— Indigo looked very well to the eve when he went out for the Cup. and as far as appearance is concerned nothing looked bettor than he, Warstep, and Tangihcm. His performance under the circumstances of being apparently well set for his task was most disappointing. — Mountain Dream presented a far more seasoned appearance art Riccarton than she did when winning at Wingatui. After being prominent in the early stages she commenced to drop away towards the business end of the journey. At Wingatui she stayed on well in bad going. — The public went eolidly for Battle Eve in.the Riccarton Welter, but the best he could do was a fair fourth. What can be classed as a fairly good three-year-old not infrequently fails when raced under welter weights in the spring of the year amongst open company.

— Apart from the smart gallop recorded in connection with the Stewards' Handicap the Riccarton track appeared to be a bit on the slow side. The Stewards' Handicap was run in record time for the race. Warstep established the previous record when she won in lmin 13sec in 1913.

— Tangihou is a member of a prolific family that has produced winners over all distances. He belongs to the Mermaid tribe, and was got by St. Ambrose from Bivalve, she by the Maxim horse 'Musketry from Scfvshell, by Chainshot—Nautilus, by Traducer — Waterwitch. Downham and Hockbound are half-brothers to the Cup winner. — The Cup horse is usually engaged in the Metropolitan, but Tangihou was not nominated, and figured in the Criterion' run .over seven furlongs. It is seldom that a horse trained for a distanco shines up over a short course, and in recent years Soldiers' Chorus is one of the few to do so.

— Croesus won the Stewards', and won it well, by drawing away at the business end of the trip. He outstayed and beat for speed anything the field could produce, and so read well handicapped for the Criterion in meeting Three on sl'o, Tete-a-tete on 9lb, First Glance on 9lb, Bee on 9lb worse terms, with, of course, a difference, represented at a higher scale of weights.

— Sinapis did not look in condition to see out two miles when she went into the birdcage to parade for the Cup. She ran well up to the turn, and if she stands up to her work it would not be surprising to find her a winner in the near future. She, however, sports a bandage on one of her front legs, and Tienco may not stand up to business. - —Aurarius enhanced her reputation as a producer of speed when Croesus wojtf the Stewards'. Pew mares in the Stud Book can claim progeny such as Croesus, Desert Gold, and Egypt, in three consecutive years. Such res lilts show what-a mine of wealth a good brood mare can be when they earn the title of being a fountain of speed and stamina. — A good deal of money came for Blackall in the Cup. It was his well-seasoned appearance that attracted public fancy, and this, on top of being bred on staying lines, in addition to being an inmate of a dangerous stable, no doubt drew money for him. He appears to brush his hocks when galloping, and to the writer he presented the appearance of being one very likely to improve with age. — The North Otago limestone district played a prominent part in the production of winners on the card at the opening day of the Cup meeting. ' Shawno, a North Otago mare, is the dam of Sedd-el-Bahr. Menschikoff, the sire of Meltchikoff, was bred in the district. Tangihou's dam and himself came from the same country, and so also did Charleville, the winner of the final event on the card.

— A smart filly in Disdainful never showed up in the Welcome Stakes; but that result is no doubt due to a matter of condition rather than lack of merit. She contracted a cold after winning the Dunedin Stakes, and in consequence had to be stopped in lier work. Disdainful, all going well, will yet demonstrate herself as a young lady of exceptional speed; but,.of course, condition is required for its demonstration. — Stepniak, Multiform, and Martian are the only horses to win tße Canterbury Cup and sire subsequent winners during the long history of years extending from 1866, when the first race was run, to the present day. Traducer and Musket are writ large over the records of the race. Traducer sired eight winners, and his son, Vanguard, got another in Advance. Musket sired four winners, and his descendants got. nine more winners of thev most important long-distance w.f.a. event on the New Zealand Racing Calender.

—If the stable had elected to start Snub the Martian gelding, might have just about won the Cup. Snub-has been- galloped with Warstep, and had shewn himself able to stay . with her over a good mile and a-half. C6nditions and a light weight won the day for the placed lot finishing in front of Warstep, and it was here that Snub might save saved 'the situation. It is ' understood that the reason why Snub was withdrawn was due to the fact that his owner had always informed hisJr jenda, that the mare,,would be the stable representative if everything 'Went well' with her, but- that a; final would not be arrived at until the day of the race. With weather and track conditions favourable the top weight seemed to have an excellent Chance of success, and was just beaten by the light weight brigade in the last half furlong. Snub m%lit have stayed on under his. easy burden, and if the stable missed with the first barrel the second might have saved the situation.

—; Some wero inclined to regard Sweet Tipperary win in the Welcome Stakes as a fluke, but the fact cannot ba overlooked that she. was in front from the rise of the barrier, and nothing got near her afterwards. Perhaps she got rather well away owing to playing up a bit-prior to the start, and nipped out on the move; but no matter how one may. attempt to discount the performance the evidence of brilliancy always remains. She was bred 1 by Mr 6. P. Donnelly, who, a few days ago, put forward a patriotic suggestion of a practical nature by offering land and t stock to fix up returned soldiers with ,tho ;-object of providing for their future welfare. Sweet Tipperary was got by King's Guest from Golden "Rail, by. Gold Reef— Pearlshot, by Torpedo—Peari ' Powder,, by Capti'vator—Pearl Ash. She was picked up at 50gns as a yearling, and furnishes evidence that prospective racing merit coveted by a yearling is not always measured by the depth of a dip into the purße. — Quite at ;her best War step might have jron the Clip.. She must have suffered and lost power as' it were by her trip to Dunedin, where she went off her feed, and lightened up considerably. Nevertheless she ran a great but-unlucky race at Wingatui, but in view of her more important engagement ahead would have been probably all the better without the gallop under the circumstances. Her track work prior 1o the Cup seemed satisfactory, and the gallop over 12 furlongs with Snub during the early part of the week suggested that the crack mare was quite in good shape. She looked in-good order in the birdcage, "but had been suffering from sexual troubles. In the actual race a slow run over the first half seemed likely to help her chance, and she . turned into the straight looking all over a winner. Inside the distance the mare was still in : charge, but a littjp later Jones was at .her, and , drew his whip when Tangihou challenged. Waretep' struggled on gamely,, but in. the last few strides she was beaten out of a i place. She ran a fine race, and if defeated was" by no means disgraced.. Her-performance under the weight stands as one of ']•" best performances ever seen in the Dominion.