IN A NUTSHELL,

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 51

IN A NUTSHELL,

— Achilles is himself again. — Moccasin ancli Talune will not be sent to Onkaparinga. — April 7 is general entry day for the C.J-C. •utumn meeting. — Canteen figures among the nominations for the Adelaide Gup. — Nominations for ths Beaumont Jockey Club's meeting close on April 8. — Acceptances for the South Canterbury ■.utuinn -meeting are due on April 7. —It is . estimated that 200,000 horses are used in England for hunting purposes. — Acceptances for the Southland Racing Club's autumn meeting are due on April 5. -r Acceptances for the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps fall due on April 7. —^Nominations lor the Tahuna Park Trotting Club's winter meeting close on April 19—fProb, who won the Steeplechase at the Catilfield ~March. meeting, is only 14§ hands high. — Signalman's win in the Thompson Handicap marked Sir G. Clifford's first success in the race: — Nominations for the Tahuna Park Trotting Club's winter meeting iall due on the 19th inst. — Ric-yal Grown in-ours a penalty of 10lb for tho Timaxu Cup by his win at Plumpton on Saturday. — Veneer, the brother to Mahutonga. -<\as amongst the unsuccessful competitors at Wellington last week. — Mr R. Phillips, -whose colours were carried by Abundance and others, is now stated to be completely blind. —It is reported that Lady Wayward ha 3 slightly injured herself, and may not be a starter a-t Manawatu.

— Two Elders!ie-bred horses, m Boris a-nd Declination, captured three races between»them at Wellington last week.

— After his death the noted English horse Donovan was skinned, and his hide is to be used for a chair-covering. — I*. H. Hewitt applied last week to the iv.J.C. for a remittance of his suspension, but the application was refused,,* — A Christchurch -wire reports that Master Alix was scratched for the Easier Handicap at 11.30 yesterday morning. '

— Complimentary tickets for the Southland Racing Club's autumn meeting are to hand, and acknowledged with thanks.

— That popular old gelding Straybird, the hero of many a jumping race, has been relegated to the shafts of a buggy. —^Canteen ■was at 20' s to 1 for the Don- , caster Handicap and at 14's to 1 for the Sydney Cup -when the last mail left.

—^The Hon. G. M'Lean's Wellington-trained filly Ventraleaa. (Lord Rosslyn— Komuri) was amongst the unsuccessful ones at Wellington. —^-The T3.J.C. has cancelled the gentleman rider'si license held byMr E. M. O'Brien, on the ground that he -was not entitled to hold one!

— The English rid-er F. Rickaby, who has been standing -down for three years, has been »gain granted a license by the English Jockey Club.

— C Jenkins displayed great form at Wellington, and followers of his mounts ha-d every Tea.f=on to be satisfied "with his prowess in the saddle.

— The total number of nominations received in connectfon with the Invercargill autumn meting is 242, as compared with last year's total of 205.

— Nominations for the Taieri Amateur Turf Club's meeting ciose on Thursday, April 6.

—Up to Date has arrived in Sydney after -» good passage across.

— Nightfall's win in the Wellington St. Leger marks Mr G. G. Stead's third success in the xace. The previous winners from Yaldhurst trere Altair and Cruciform.

—It is likely that Red Gauntlet will be missing irom the Easter and Autumn Handicaps, as it is understood the son of Russet i? to be treated to a spell.

• — Lethe, the sire of "Rungaxawa and Lissa. f'-ie -wiun'ers of the hurdle events at. the Wel■i v :gton. meeting, is a half brother by Cadogan Conqueror .and Day Dream. -The New Zealand-bred Belle Cole was

• uiongst the winners at Kensington (Sydney} :-.ces on March 15. She went out at 6to 4

against in a field of eight. arc!i won by half a "ength.

— - A filly foal by Aurum from Concertina, the dam of the Newmarket Handicap winner 3? aystway, is said to be one of the finest youngsters at Mrs Langtry's stud farm" at present. ,

— The Forbury Park Racing .Club will hold its winter meeting on Saturday, May 20. The principal events are to be the St. Kilda. Handicax>. of -Wsovp. and the Muss^lbirrgh Handicap*, of 35SOVS.

— Goldspur was one of the smartest horses off the mark that has ever been seen in this colony, and in his "best days was invariably •well clear of his fields after putting in three or four strides.

— Haydn is in steady work at Ellerslie, and e.ll going ■well with him it is reported thas lie may be expected' to contest the Antemu Steeplechase on the second day cf tb.e A.R.C. autumn meeting.

— Waiuku achieved a great record in the Thompson Handicap by winning in three successive years. His last performance was to win under 10.3, ■which is a weight-carry-ing record for the race. — Flamec, who scored at Wellington last •week, has a fine Australian pedigree as he is out of Balm, who was got by the Melbourne Cup winner Dunlop, and his sire, Sou'-westci. was a son of Goldsbrough.

— Amongst the winners at the Caulfield March meeting was a colt named Simoda, ■who got away with the two-year-old race on the card. Simoda is a son of Simmer and 1 the Carbine mare Carbelle.

— The recently defunct Goldspur won £1033 Is during his first season 6*5 the turf, ■which was not a bad performance for a horse behind whom we once had an excellent chance of riding for a penny. — All torses- or ponies nominated at the forthcoming winter meeting will be handicapped to trot 3min or belter, and all placed torsos in any race run after the declaration of handicaps are liable to be rehandicapped.

— A sister to Boris was sold at the last November sales at 25gs. She was suffering from a ricked leg, but the writer has since heard that she is progressing favourably, and in tnat event her buyer procured a great bargain. -^ The Tokomairiro Hack Racing Club id to "be recommended by the D.J.C. for registration by the conference. It is about 15 years since a race meeting was held at Tokomairiro, ar.d coursing also used to formerly flourish in the district.

The American. Mr Barney Schreiber, mii't *iave a busy time of it. He has, it is said, •^3 t-svo-year-olda in training, and in addition

] there are 50 yearlings to be attended to ar.d 90 mares expected to foal when last accounts ! came to hand. — The aristocratically-bred Bens (Stepmak — Shepherdess) won a race each day at Wellington. Boris was bred »t Eiderslie Stud, and his dam is a grand-daughter of the recently defunct English crack .Donovan. Boris cost 360gs as a yearling. — Dalny, a sister to Orloff , who ran indifferently in the Challenge Stakes at Wellington, was credited! with being very smart when she was first put into work this season , but the writer has heard it said that the filly was overdone on the track. —At a sale of trotting s+ock in Xew York last month, the pacing sire Direct Hal (2.4J) was sold for £2200; while LoTd Direct, a four-year-old son of his, realised £2100. As the latter had no record the price in his case was considered remarkable. — Auratus is usually returned as being out of Pursestring. the daughter of Apjemont and Aurifera, but Purse3tring died in 1897, and Auratus was not foaled until 1300. Pursering, a daughter of Dreadnought and Piirsestrmg, is th-e dam of Auratus. — Kirkland, the winner of this year's Liverpool Grand National, is a son of the Austrahanbreci Kirkhani, who was one of the horses sent to England by the late Hon. T. White with the object of winning an English Derby. Kirkland. finished fourth in last year's race. — The conditions attached to the Great Easter and Great Autumn Handicaps are that the winner of any race or races of the collective value of 75sovs after the declaration of weights shall carry a penalty of 51b ; 150sovs, 71b; 30Gsovs, lOllx; and of 400sovs, 141b extra. — The Doncaster St. Leger for 1906 has closed with an entry of 197. including three from America. His Majesty has nominated four, and Ihe same number is down to the Duke of Westminster, included among them being Pipistrello, an own brother to Flviag Fox. — Gold Crown, who scored each day a<t the W.R.C. meeting, is a beautifuily-bred horse, as he wa« get by impoited Goid Reef (a son of Bend Or and the Rosicrucian mare Crucible) cut of Nymph, a daughter of Ingomar and the Musket mare Wood Nymph, the sister to Martini-H enry . — Fast pacers supposed to be otvtclassed did not fetch the sensational figures at New York sale last month, because most of the Speeoiaway drivers prefer trotters. For instance, Gyp Walnut (2.8g) brought £110, Dr Madara (2.8) £185, Mustard (2.8J) £180, and Diavolo <2.9|) £172. — The Duke of Portland has evidently found owning racehorses a profitable pastime. During the 24 years he has followed the fortunes of the racecourse in England his horses have won just over £260,000 in stakes, which amount was chiefly accumulated as a result of winning 226 races. — If ever the writer was compelled to fight for his country he would never wish for a better charger than the recently defunct Goldspur to take him out of action, because that gallant old gelding gave plenty of evidenc-e in his time that it would have taken a fast bullet to catch him. — Tha Grand Steeplechase de Paris, which is endowed with 5000sovs prize-money, and is to "be run on June 4. has closed with 78 entries, 10 of which are of English and Irish horses. A hurdle race, "'which is run a couple of cSays later, and which' is worth 2000sovs, closed with 63 nominations. — The Morning Herald, published at Perth, was issued r«cently without any sporting news or sporting advertisements. The explanation ia that a controlling interest in the paper has been purchased by the Roman Catholic Bishop (Dr Gibney), who has decided to omit betting advertisements and all racing matter. —F. Bullock, the Victorian jockey, who is attached to J. E. Brewer's English stable, rode his first race in public over hurdles at Kempton Park recently. He was on Mr Henuiug's Briar Patch, who finished third!, after running all over the place, and Bullock' 3 riding was rather adversely commented upon. — A Sydney writer says that Lord Ullin's Daughter has reappeared at Randwick. and as she showed no symptoms of lameness, it wqu'd" seem that the reports concernirg her injury were somewhat exaggerated. She did not look any too bright, but it is pretty safe to say that her trainer will have her at her best for the A.J.C. meeting. — Private advices received in Sydney are to the -effect that the sport of trotting is at a very low ebb in Melbourne, and an ai tempt ' wiji shortly be made to establish a proprietary club there, with a view to again bringing it to life. It is proposed to send to New Zealand for a secretary with experience in that branch of sport to conduct meetings. — The writer has on more than one occasion heard it str-ted that Goldspur. who met with <a fatal Occident la=t week, was by Vanguard, and not by Eubezahl, whom the Stud Book credits with being his sire. There is no doubt tliat the speedy gelding did resemb'.e the Vanguaid stock, but thcro appears to be excellent authority for the belief that he was really a son of Rufoezah.3. — A northern writer states that Monoform, rfche high-priced full-brother to Multiform, puts in most of his time in the sunlight in the 'spacious paddock adjoining Frank Macmanernin's establishment. So far as this season's racing is concerned. Monoform can be safely counted out. and maybe we shall cot see him hurried even when next season's ra-cmg conies to be undertaken. — Bidding was slow at a Louth horse sale, and the auctioneer said: ''I don't believe you have the pluck to bid" for a£s note." Ths bidders said: "Haven't we?" and the note was run up to £1 19s. Then after a lull a man said. ''£4 19s 4Jd." "It's yours," said the auctioneer, ''when you have paid the usual 5 per cent, commission." The £5 no to cost the -enterprising bidder £5 4a 4Ad. — Several -persons were fined last week for trespass nt Wingatui chiiing the currency of ' the D.J.C. Cup meeting. ~A fine of £5 and costs (£3 13 6d) was inflicted on each convic- ' tion. and one charge failed because the tie- ' fendant was held not to be an unos^irabls werson because he was the holder of a second- • hand dealer's license, which" is grantsd by She police authorities to persons of repute. ! — A committee meeting of the Forbury Pferk • Racing Club, held in the secretary's (Mr E. L. Macassey's) office last week, was at- j tended by the Hon. H. Gourley (in the chair), i Messrs Carfcpr, Hazlett. Sligo, Shrimpton. and j M'Kewen. It was decided to hold the winter j race meeting on May 20. and that £220 b& j given in stake money. The principal events j will be the St. Kilda Handicap, of Osovs, ' and Mnsselburgb. Handicap, of 35sovs. ! — Tha well-known metallician, Mr Sol Green, owner of G'odsorue and other horses, j has stated that if the V.R.C. place a bar on j bookmakers owning ho-ses he will send his [ team to England. Other fielders, who at j present run horses in their ovni names, may J avoid the necessity for doing this by racing j in th-a- names of a trainer or confidential friend ; consequently the proposed new rule J will nrobably do more harm than good. j — The reason for Playaway's retirement from ' the racing arena is (says "Mirroy") due to a ' weak foot. When a. yearling the little daughter \ of Carbine twisted this foot in a rabb t hole, ' ancß was lame on it for months. The trouble was located in the cofiin joint, and always after a gallop on anything like hard ground there has been a recrudescence of the trouble; therefore in fear of her going wrong Mhcn backed by the public for a race, Mr Foy retired her.

— There is a rumour in existence that several jockeys in this State (says a Sydney exchange) are likely to have the renewals of their hcerses refused when next they make application. The shameless way in which they study their own inteiests against those of their employers- has evidently escaped the notice of the stipendiary stewards ; but it is hoped, foi the sake of racing generally, that the A.J.C Committee will have sufficient evidence to \ justify it in ridding the racecourse of these gentry. ' — The Dunedin light-weight J. M'Gnire was b«dly injured whilst riding in the Flying Handicap at Plumpton on Saturday. His mount ' fell and rolled over him twice, and the boy was found to be suffering from a badly-fractmed i collarbone and severe concussion. M'Guire ■ had earlier in the day won the principal race !on the card on Royal Crown. It is purmised I that the accident occurred owing -to the boy <■: mount galloping on the heels of one of th** other horses. — The public think it a grand thing to see big fields contesting for a prize. It is a j notable fact that favourites get home just as ! often in big field's as they do in small ones; and (says a Sydney writer) it is also a fact that one invariab.y sees a better-contested 1 race when the starters do not number over a dozen than when double that number start. I No matter how wide tha track, if it is a j round one. veiy few hors-es ever gallop out a greater distance from the inside fence than a dozen feet. Those that go wider are inj variably non-triers. X ' ' — Report has it that the V.R.C. Committee , will at an early date discuss the question whether it is advisable that bookmakers shall also figure as the owners of racehorses. In referring to the subject, "Martindale" says: While the assumption presents itself that a j bookmaker's interests as an owner and a layer of the odds may clash, and that there is likely I to bs an element of supicion concerning his ■ nominations, experience has proved that memj bers of the ring invariably run their horses straighter than some of those who, it is believed, regard the turf as a pastime. — A writer in America, who recntly saw the once great Tod Sloan at St. Louis, says that he has aged very perceptibly, and he has not i now the supple and. elastic look of the average 1 rider. To a stranger, he would probably appear ! a bit blase, slightly uppish, with a mild aristoi cratic smack ; a wee specimen of partially j faded fashionable humanity, and if compelled 1 to talk, he would surely say: "Me! Tod Sloan, my dear boy, who used to hobnob with dozens jof the crowned heads of Europe." The writer ' believes that Tod will settle down to steady . riding. He has not ridden in America for 1 about five years. 1 — Goldspur was generally regarded as a , sprinter pure and simple, but he -won over a mile comfortably in lmin 44sec at Riccarton ■ wh«n he was not three-parts fit, or at least ! not nearly the seasoned horse which he was later in the year, when he won the Great Easter. He was always a more or less unsound horse, and. Jus preparation usually | consisted of two, tllree, or four furlongs : sprints, and many of them, particularly of the I iast-mentioned distance. In the yeai followj ing his Great Easter win he was allot'. ed 8.2 i in the Auckland Cup. j — When in training it was quite a common sight to see the recently defunct Goldspur j walking riderless to and from Wingatui in : the mornings. After being worked, the reins j were tied to the saddle, and old Goldy would ! be sent off " on his own," to go to his home ! about a couple of miles away from the course. He was one of the quietest horses that ever carried a saddle, but his death was caused j through a rag slipping round his legs, a«d ; causing him to become so startled that in hia wild efforts to extricate himself he got cast up against a fence, and met with the injuries that resulted in his being shot. i _ — In a review of the V.R.C.'s autumn meoti ing,, the Australasian says: — ''Men who used to go racing 30 years ago. and never see a racecourse now, are inclined to think the turf is deteriorating. But, after all, racing scandals ! are small things in comparison with the com- ' mercial and mining revelations which are conj stantly being made. "With so much money 10 | be obtained on the turf, it- is only natural j that some .people are found ready to adopt j desperate means of getting a share of the ! spoils. But, on the who^.e. things are not • so bad. The main difference between the turf to-day and the turf 30 years ago is that to-day the management much stricter, and acts such as the poisoning of Fishhook. Newminster. Exile, avd olhfr tsivpi.'-if'a never take place- ! now." — lie lcce^t depth o: George E. Sniitl", batter known as '"Pittsburg Phil, the plunger, who wss the first to discover Sloan, is comi rnented on by an American writer, who says : So j far as ho was entitled to the latter description, it can bo said, once and for all, that he wss ; by no means that type of plunger or gamblei I with which English racing men and a few bookmaker*, in particular were familiar, unfortunately for themselves. A fine judge of a racehorse and «, bold bettor, he always knew , when he had had enough, and no nian with ' whoui he ever came in contact could say that he threw other people's good money after his own bad. or failed to show up on settling day. , For 20 years previous to hi 3 death he was , the sole stake-holtltar in all the principal boxing ' contests brought off in the States, and from every point of view he was looked upon with respect and friendship by sporting men who j -patronised the Hoffman or the Gilsey House, , Broadway. On the Eastern tracks he ran . some good horses, and was one of the first |to recognise Sloan's ability. He died worth over £300,090 — something in these days for a professional turf man. — As is geneially known, two punters '"took , the knock" for big money on Newmarket day (=>ays Melbourne Sporting Judge). One t f them, who recently arrived with a companion , from England, was, with the latter, staying at a leading hotel in the city, and on th<? Monday , sent his companion to the club to receive from J about the only man (a leading Sydneyite) he had to collect from. When the big bookie, who [ vnpuspecimgly handed over about £150, discovered what had happened, he sought the s;>> - vices of a prominent detective, and with him visited the hotel, thinking probably they would bounce from the receiver what he had col- i lected. But it was quite the other way, and i instead of quaking in his shoes on being con- ] fionted with the detective, he gave him and the bookie a sound rating — in fact, started "throwing dirt." It was the backing by +his punter of Medallist on the course that brot'ght the gelding to favouritism at one time for the Newmarket. Now. if Medallist had won, what a different tale thpre would be to tell. At least one bookmaker stood the backer referred to for abo\it £400. Because he is the brother of a wealthy "West Australian they took him on trust. — Commenting upon the shipping back of Wairiki to New Zealand!, the Melbourne Argus says: — "Many racing men thought at the time of the accident that Wairiki"s shoulder was not replly broken, because the horse could li-e flown, and get up; but Mr Wood's diagnosis proved correct. The fracture was an obliqiie one, near the joint, and where it has knitted there is a bony growth. At the time of the accident Mr Bradley was advised +o have the horse nut in slings, but Mr Wood was against this. He contends that many horses lose their chance of living by being slung after a bad accident. Mr Bradley eventually decided to leave the case entirely in Mr Wood's hancta, and ihe leg of the injured shoulder was merely slung from the body. When the fractured bone

knitted it was found that the leg was 2in short. and that the horse could only walk with the greatest difficulty. Mr Wood thereupon instructed a blacksmith to make an aluminium frame something the shape of a hoof, and this was screwed on to the horse's shoe after he had' been shod in the ordinary way. With the aid of this Wairiki can now take walking exercise freely. The shoe, with the aluminium frame attached, can be removed aud unplaced in the ordinary way."

— The programme of the Societe d'Encouragement, or French Jockey Club, for "-he laces at Longcharnps and Chantilly has just been published, and a perusal of it justifies the impression that much more is done in France than iij England to encoiuage stamina. In proof of this it may be pointed out (says an English paper) that of the 290 races lun for at those two meetngs in the course of the year, and having £177,000 added money, 24 are for two-year-olds, six for two-years-olds and upwards, 52 for three-year-olds, 174 for three-yetir-olds and upwards-, and 34 for four-year-olds and Howards. In ot'-.er words, 9 per cent, are for two-year-o'ds aud upwaid= and 14 per cent, for four<-year-o!ds and upwards. Again, as regards distance, 49 are ui"der a mile and a-quarter, 185 fioni a niilc and a-quarter to a mile and seven furlongs, upwards; while- of these 290 races 31 have no penalties, 30 are handicaps, and only '39 sel'inj races, so that it will be seen at once that there is very little two-year-old racing, few handicaps, and hardly any five or sis furloag scrambles for three-year-olds and upwards. Altogether, the Societe d'Encouragement gives n.-izes to the total value of £182,000. of which amount £105,000 goes to endowing the races at Lorg champs and Chantilly: while £27,000 is given as subsidies to the provincial meetings.

— Rather an unusual case of cruelty to a horse came before Mr Cruickshank. S.M.. at Owaka recently, and what appears to have been a very inadequate punishment was inflicted on the defendant. The accused, according to a southern paper, was a famer named Gideon Scott, of Tahakopa Valley, and' the cruelty consisted in tying the animal's two hind le^s with a- rope, then passing the rope underneath its belly and through a collar, and leaving at in that position all night. A second information charged the man with yoking the same horse to a sledge, and then tying up one of its forelegs and making it draw the sledge loaded) with milk-cans to the factory, a distance of two miles. It was also alleged that defendant had cruelly kicked the horse while harnessed to the sledge in this fashion. The defendant, when pleading "Guilty." said in extenuation that the horse had played up on both occasions referred to. and he had merely acted on the principles lairl down in a book (produced), entitled "The Art of Taming Horses," although he had not the proper harness for tying the animal'"; legs. Constable Williams said that, although Scott was a very respectable farmer, he was noted for his ill-treatment of horses, and he Cthe ocnstable) could have called eight witnesses m support of the charges. The Magistrate said the book certainly laidi it down that a horse could "hop for three or four miles on three legs." The defendant had pleaded "Guilty," although it did :-.ot seem a very bad case. He would be convicted and fined 10?, with costs (73), on one information, and convicted an(l ordered to pay the court costs (7s) on the other charge.