MELBOURNE April 12. TURF TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 48

MELBOURNE April 12. TURF TOPICS.

Now that the principal back-end meetings are drawing to a conclusion, it may be just as well to direct attention to the doings of some of our more promising candidates for Grand jSTational honours over the sticks and timber.

In this connection, at a meeting held s>t Moonee Valley on Wednesday, among the starters in the two-mile Hurdle Race was the Onkaparinga Hurdle Race candidate Peel, who, being by Wellington from Miss Edge, is therefore full brother to Holkar. Peel, who is trained by Harry Harrison for the Manifold brothers, was handicapped at 9.8, and though not over-fancied by his stable connections, was backed by the "general" till he started a level favourite with P. Cosgrove'f. mount, Woodstock 10.2, at 5 to 2, the field consisting of nine runners. Though rather a nice stamp of a horse, Peel did not appear io be quite forward enough, and failed to get closer than third to Kingfisher 9.7 and Federalist 11.2; the time being very fair — to wit, 3min 53sec.

Kingfisher, tha winner, is a five-year-old horse by Trentside from Nellie, and is the property ,of Mr G. Chandler. He displayed marked proficiency over the battens, and when it came to pacing en the flat he appeared to have the foot of all his opponents. He started at ths remunerative price of 15 to 1.

Another "novice" that created a most favourable impression was a Vengeance — Priscilla mare named Venge, in R. H. Frew's stable. She is a fine upstanding daughter of the Caulfield Cup winner, and with a little more practice will undoubtedly turn out something above the ordinary.

The censorship exercised over the press correspondents as near the front as they are permitted during the present Russo-Japanese war is "a mere circumstance" alongside the hermetically sealed business in connection with some of the deliberations of th? committee of the "Victoria Racing Club; but — in connection with a matter I touched on in my last notesit has oozed out that at ths meeting of those racing Solous on Friday it was decided that the application for registration of any bookmaker who n? connected — directly or indirectly - — with a batting shop will not be favourably enfertained when the sheep come up to be sorted from amongst the goats at the next ammal licensing meeting in July. Such an action as that outlined will of necessity prove heartrending to more than one bookie at present "registered by the V.R.C."

Onoe upon a time — exactly how long ago I tcarcelv care to remember, it makes one feel fc ) ancient — that gifted Australian poet and fcailess cioss-countrj- (albeit terribly nearsighted) horseman— Adam Lindsay Gordon—

jingled merrily in the columns of "Bell'p Life m Victoria" to the following effect . — "There never yet was a game worth a rap For a rational man to play Into which no accident — no mishap — Might possibly find its way. "If at Cricket you play a shooter from "Wills Might transform you into a hopper ; And the Football field is rife with spuis, Aad it's any odds on a cropx-er. "There's danger even where fish are caught To thosD who a wetting fear ; For what's woith having must aje be bought; And Sport's like Life, and Life's like Sport — It ain't all skittles and beer." Neither is bookmaking. That's not all skittles and beer either. Far from it. Certes, the vast majority of the knights of the metallic pencil do something more than fairly well at ths game — for a time ; but only for a time. A few of our fielders got a nasty jar over the last V.R.C. autumn meeting, when a big backer —son of a squatter, and who had to take the knock once before, but settled up all right —got into their racing affections for 3000 of the best, whilst a lady punter left them, as the lobs of his daughter had left Lord -UUin on the banks o[ Loch Gyle — to v,'it, "lamenting" — for another "thou." And now Mr Adrian Knox— like his illustrious namesake, John of tho ilk — appears to be m the place where he is demanded of conscience to speak the truth ; and so to-moirow week (Thursday, tlio 18th), at the annual meeting of the Australian Jockey Club in Sydney, he will move — "That no bookmaker shall be eligible for election as a member, and any member who shall at any time carry on, or be sngaged or interested m, ihe business of a bookmaker shall cease to be a member of the club."

Gladsome put up a very stylish perfoimance in the April Stakes at Randwick on Saturday. This it a w.f.a. event over a mile and a furlong, and though there were 14 starteis, backers had to lay 10 to S on the Seaton Delaval more; Marvel Loch posing as second favourite at 6's. Gladsome, Ibex, and Chersoii had each to put up a 101b penalty. Ibex made the pace extremely merry from the start, but at the- home turn Marvel Loch closed on him, and when heads were definitely turned for home -established a two-lengths' lead, Gladsome at the time being 'way back in tho centre of the field. On Barden calling on her for a special effort, however, she came on the extreme outside with the celerity of greased lightring, and, catching Marvel Loch inside the ciistance, won cleverly by half a length ; Tartan finishing third three lengths farther back : ihi time — 1.55| being only three-quarters of a second outside the record achieved by Valiant at Randwick in 1896 and by Postillion on the same cour?e in 1902.

Punters were fairly on the target for the Flying Handicap, of six furlongs, as out of the 21 starters they made Mr L. A. Cooper's Sir Leonard (Impetus — Lega-do) 9.5 favourite at s's, whilst Mr J. C. Wililamson's three-year-old Zythos (Haut, Brion — Barley) 7.12 was second in demand at a point longer. Haloya 8.13 appeared to have the race won at the I/eger stand, but he collapsed as soon as Zylhos, Sir Leonard, Portland- Light 7.7, and Delcore 7.2 pinched him, a rattling set-to between the quartet named eventuating in a dead-heat -Tor first between Sir Leonard and Zythos, with Delcore only a head away, and Portland Light close up fourth; time. 1.16}. Tlie owners divided.

Bright Beauty, a stable companion of Gladsome, and who was despatched to Sydney along with the chestnut champion, has gone amiss at Randwick to such an extent that Frank MacNamara has withdrawn her from all h-er Randwick engagements.

Canteen likewise hais bsen in queer street since taking the overland journey.

Lord Ullin's Daughter appears to be thoroughly "orl rite" again, as yesterday morning she settled the pretensions of Stirrup Cup, Draneau, and Revolutionaire over five furlongs on the training track^-whilst 1 sprinting the distance in 1.4 J.

PASSING-OUT " RINGERS IN."

At the Avoca Shire Turf Club's annual meeting on Wednesday the Welter Handicap was won by a "Little Mary," with Mr J. Diamond's Up Guards (by Martini-Henry — Young Maori) second. The stewards "carpetted' the trainer of the winner, and proved that the winner was "rung in" as being W. Dickenson's Little Marj, which, as a matter of fact, was not present. The race was awarded to Up Guard's, whilst the owner (Lidgett), the trainer (J. Jones), and the rider (W. Brown) of the bogus Little Mary were disqualified for life. At their meeting on "Friday the committee or ihe Y.R.C. endorsed the disqualifications of the local stewards in a "compound" mfracture— so to speak. First and foremost, they upheld the disqualification by the Yarck Racing Club officials of Frederick Jones, of Merton, trainer, and the bay pony mare Welsh Lass (otherwise Nettie) for life, and of John Lewis, of Molesworth, owner, for three years, for corrupt practices, on the Ist of March ; anJ then they acquiesced in the "rubbing out" inflicted by the Gobur Racing Club stewards of I*". Jones, trainer ; J. Lewis, owner ; and the bay pony mare Nettie (otherwise Ruby) for five years for "ringing in" on the 6tli of March — oniy five days after the Yarck episode ! For some considerable time past the "ring-ing-in" refrain in the country districts has been — "They a' do it" ; but the cases of Jedburgh justice I have mentioned prove conclusively that as dear old Teddy Chapman ("Augus") was won't to carol when twanging the banjo — " They sometimes rue it. ' [Not many people outside Hobart ever knew that E. S. Chapman in his sallet days was corner man in an amateur christy minstrel troupe, which numbered amongst its burntcork artists (as violinist) the afterwards celebrated Jchnny Hall.] A VICEROY'S CUP WINNER WANTED.

According to the Asian of March 11, Mr Harold E. Smith, the well-known horse shipper and gentleman rider, left for Australia the X>revious Wednesday, carrying in his pocket two cor-miissions for Viceroy's Cup horses from Indian buyers. One of these was Mr Galstaun, who armed Mr Smith with a roving commission to pick up anything of class that might be on offer without restricting him as to the figure. Mr Galstaun —always a plucky buyer — is evidently determined that if there is a horse in Australasia good enough tc beat Gieat Scot in next year's Viceroy's Cup price shall be no bar to his going to India. The other commission is from a local native sportsman, who is prepared to pay up to 20,000 rupees for a horse of class good enough to be pitted against tlie best they have in India. The Asian understands that Mr Smith intends "drawing New Zealand first. Now that us all "very nice and large" so far as the Asian i^ concerned; but last Friday I hap- ! pen-ed to drop in to Dale's Victoria Hotel, Bourke street, and who should be there but the Indian buyer Richard M'Kenna ; James \ Watson, the trainer of Great Scot; and T. Ferguson (son of old Tom of the ilk), the trainer of Acetine. who finished second to Great Scot for the last Viceroy's Cup. On inquiring about the real "strength" of the Asian paragraph, M'Kenna completely poohpoohed it, saying that he, too, had an unlimited coirmu&sion to purchase any horse capable of defeating Great Scot, but adding that lie felt sure he would have to go to En°-

land to look for him. He assured me that

Great Stot, who if- now thoroughly acclimatised to the Indian climate, was suffering from fever (with a temperature of 105 and 106) till with tii a fortnight of the last race, and was practically an unfit horie when he yon. Ha has since been wintering at Bangalore, and has twice secured prize 5 ? in- the finest thoroughbred m 1j dia, having filled out in marvellous fashion. "1 doii't know whers 3 r ou could find 'i horse io boat him in Australasia," remarked M'Kenna , "and, another thing, his owner, Mr A. A. Apcar, is pledged to send him to England as soon as his racing career is over." Mr R. M'Kenna looks wonderfully well after his trip (he and the rest had only "arrived the daj bolore). and he informed me that, along with deposing o [ the largc&t draft of horses ha had even taken to Calcutta, he had done the trip in very quick time— leaving Melbourne on December 17 and landing again on April 6.

J. Watson will be reTi^enibered as havinobeen connected with Mr John Crozjer's racing establishment for many years. He is now private trainer to Mr A." A. Apcar, &o well and favourably known as a buyer throughout Australia, ?nd whos-a name is a household word amongst the racing folk of Ijidia. So is that of another genial and plucky "nabob,"' Dr Spoon er Hart, to whom Tom Ferguson is likewise acting in the capacity of private trainer. Both Ferguson and U atson look perfect pictures of health and condition

But, as I said before, JTr "'Dick" M'Kennr ai-nexes the pastrycook's shop in this special connection. And no wonder. For ?mon?st his fellow-voyageurq on the return iournev were those rare racing- raconteurs and 'urinees ot good fellows, Sir Ruuert Clarke and Colonel F. Cs»mobell. So that his healthy aooearance was but another pxemplifi cation of the truth contained in the cheery old adage— "Laugh and grow fp+."