TURF TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 48

TURF TOPICS.

Tt is said that the Australians "do deariy Jove a lord," but perhaps nei.t t-t a scion pi the British anstocracv they admire a food sportsman, a«d (=ays an exchange). sthat being so, the appointment of Colonel SHarry M'Calmont, although "only a comknoner," to succeed Lord Hopetoun as r (Gave«ior-General of Australia would be a (popular one, provided that gentleman took linear as much interest in the Australian ! l»turf during his resideaee here as be does tin English racing affairs. Colonel M'Oalinnont, who fought in the Boer War, owned jart least one of the beat horses that ever carried silk. That was Isinglast. who iwon the Two Thousand fiuiuea?, Derby, iand St. Leger. besides other races : but Jthough last season was not a good one for Jthat gentleman's colours — light blue and scarlet quartered, with white cap — they won tetakes of the value of £2773 ss. Colonel fM'Calxnnnt's Ising-lass achieved the proud 'idistinction of winning more money in prizes !than any other hors,e. He ran through four Reasons, and a iropriated 11 races, of the /value of £57.455. The nearest to that total jjwas Donovan's £55,153, but ho on'y went "through two season-. When the late Mr Henry Feist, "Hotjspur" of the London Daily Telegraph, {first made his appearance as a turf writer, file was very enthusiastic, and managed to acquire more information than any other 'jserrbe of the time, though he was occateionally "'stuffed " The favourite for a cer ♦tain important handicap belonged to a Mr \Joneb. who fuu'.id that he had been forecalled. He therofore mad© up his mind !«to "run r>. bye" with him. and trust to come pother occasion for landinsr a coup. Tn ordfr ho do this without attracting the attention W all and sundry, he determined to run khe animal in a small race, and pet him Jbadly beaten. This he accordingly did. /Young Feist coukl not understand the crack toeing defeated 111 such an insignificant event, and asked the owner to tell him the iroasou. Jones called him on one side. '"Didn't you see anything?'' he said, in a Bnysterious manner. "Xo," replied Feist 'innocently. "Well, lie put his foot in a Irabbit-hole," Jones seriouflv told him "And, would you behe\e it' 1 the owner afterwards said, "that Young Feet went fend put it in his paper, and in italics, too ' JWeIJ, I never had a horse beaten in a race Afterwards but people would say to me, • Did he put hie foot in a rabbit -hole, Mr JOJM**' "-

Though all admit his skill, his tact, and his genius, few, if any, of Captain Machell's 'biographers credit him with much consideration for his fellow race-goers, yet the following, which has never appeared in print, i» absolutely true, says an English paper. Two hours or so before the Derby of 1867 the Captain went up to ClaiJie Head and asked him the price of Hermit. "Lord," cried Charlie, fairly astonished, "you dca't mean to say you fancy that ! Why. it stands to lose me eight thoii. laid in the winter, and not now worth the cost covering." "Nonsense, Head, it will ■win," said the Captain quietly, '"and it is your own fault if you lose anything." 'More quietly than was his merry wont, Charlie hopped off his bland and picked up 1000 to 15 eight time--. The "Special Commit skner" of the London Sportsman thinks that the Jockey Club of England would do well to reciprocate the courtesy extended under V.R C rules to English racing stcck in Australia. \ .R-C. ■rules make allowances m the standard [weight-forage .to all horsrs sired north of the line, and foaled between January 1 and August 1. Thus it is possible to run an imported thoroughbred in Australia 111 weight-forage races with a fair chance of Buccess, so far as the weights go : but in 4he Old Country, the "Spccia. Commissioner" says, '"we do not give tho Australians .1 similar chance, and when the late Mr .Tames White tried his lutk for the Epsom Derby he had to breed Kirkham and Narellan to English time, -which is the wrong season of the year at the Antipodes— as if we were to have foals dropped m. October or Novem'l>er. Naturally, young stock bred in this. abnormal fashion cornel not be expected to thrive properly. Of course, later on Australian horses are n'l right enough, but from our big two and three-year-old races they are practically excluded. They would really tie two-year-olds when running for our Derby, and an allowance of lO'.b would he none too much. Similarly, an Koglith-bred colt running for the V.R.C Derby 111 November would be a two-year-old by our time up to the end of the year, and, .by the rule quoted above, ho would br actually allowed 101b."

Writing of the Grand Steeplechase at Auteuil, the correspondent for the Sketch says: — "There were two figures that prominently stood out. One was Wysccki, the owner of Verdi, the favourite; the other was Madame Ricotti, of the Opeia ballet, and owner of Gratin. Wysocki was as pale as death when I 'aw him in the paddock, and hardly exchanged a word. It was notorious that he was playing a great stake. Madame Ricotti was meanwhile holding her couit on the lawn as calmly as if she had been in her loge at the Opera. When Verdi was literally winning hands down by a hundred length", Wysccki closed his rare glasses and emiletr, and I nevov saw such a collap-e in a man as when the yell went up that Verdi was dawn. Gratin" jusa won, and s > in a brief space this £6000 race has twice fallen to the theatrical profession. When Mdlle. ■Marsy, of the Comedie- Franca ise, w»9 &ucceseful, she not only led her lioi»e in, but kissed the jockey. The beautiful Madame Rjcotti wa3 so nerveuN after (he cxc.'ting ■finish that she sent for iced water and had to be fauned."'