TALK OF THE DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 54

TALK OF THE DAY.

By Sentinel,

AN IMPROVEMENT REQUIRED. j If there is one thing- more than, another | that the Gaming Amendment Act has '■ helped to bring about it lies in the fact that ; it lends material assistance towards blind- j i.ng the tracks of sonvj of those I who engage in shady practices. When . it was legal to publish the invest- ] jnents on each horse some idea could be j formed as to the operations in the betting j market and an inkling- gained as to how different horses were fancied. Of course a i horse can still be favourite and yet a non- ; trier, but valuable assistance is furnished j towards purifying the turf when the figures , show that a horse who is utterly neglected j in the market in one race is,- without any j apparent reason, sent out favourite the next j time it goes on the course. Perhaps this ' occurs during the same afternoon. The suppression of tipping possibly curtailed the j desire to bet on the part of those who i cannot act without a lead, but the suppres- j sion of the investments only helps those j who are on the turf to get money, and j get it by hook or by crook. Nowadays a horse can be known to all and sundry (except the stewards) as a non-trier and still nothing goes to show the state of affairs unless some palpable pulling is noticed, because not orje steward in a million bothers about marking the individual investments in his race book. Some horses are so lightmouthed that they could be ridden with a thread, and the slightest pressure on the lines is sufficient to stop them. No obvious pulling is required, and hence the utter foolishness of the Rules of Racing saying that obvious pulling is required to establish inconsistent running, or else a character that would in some parts of America result in its bearer being hunted out of a district. At a meeting which the writer attended recently a horse, which by every I law of the game should have been cither \ first or second favourite, was the absolute j outsider of the field, simply because every- j one seemed to know the horse had a "not" j in his tail or some part of his racing equipment. No obvious pulling was noticeable. He was merely slow off the mark, found all the trouble possible, ran as wide as possible, and the whip at the finish was beating time to the "Dead March" instead of vigorously urging the steed to a triumphant goal. If the investments on that horse hadbeen published there is not a racing man in the DoriTiuon who would not have grasped the situation, even though he had j not seen the ra.ee. The writer suggests that ' the word "Why" should become a more prominent word in the vocabulary of racing

stewards than it is to-day. Why do horses run utterly neglected in one race and become well hacked in their next time out? Why do riders become so keen at the start of one race and not in another? Why do> the S.P. merchants hold as much a.s possible- against a horse in the race and can't get hold of real money in previous or subsequent races? Why do. stewards see so little when there s so much to be noticed?

THE SOUTH CANTERBURY MEET ING.

Fortune favoured the South Canterbury Jockey Club on the occasion of their autumn meeting, which took place last week. Perfect weather was on hand, and the attendance constituted a record as far as the writer's experience goes, and this extends to a period of over 10 years. There was an unusually strong muster of ladies out on, both days, and, if the gathering- had not unfortunately clashed with the New Brighton Trotting Club's meeting, no doubt more Canterbury and Ashburton sports would have put in appearances. Still, all's well that ends well, and in getting a record attendance under partially adverse circumstances the club has reason to be fairly well satisfied. The track was firm and fast, and people were- looking- twice at some of the times hung out during the two days. In fact, Si'.kwe'b's lmin "lOseo closely approaches the New Zealand record in that particular. Still, too much notice should not be paid to the times put up, as they were compiled under very favourable circumstances. There was an entire absence of wind, and the track is level and favoured with fine easy turns after the mile post is left behind. In fact, it is rare to sea horses swinging wide at the home turn of the Timaru track, and this fact suggests it is easy to negotiate. The average strength of the fields was fairly good, and speculation was so brisk that the totaJisator returns exceeded those of last year by £1696. whilst the bookmakers' fees amounted to £328 for the meeting. From this it will be seen that the financial side ot the gathering was satisfactorv. The principal event on the first day "was the Timaru Cup of 200sovs, and attracted a field of six. Silkweb and Waiju made the pace a cracker, which settled them before reaching; the distance, where Oiyoi was striding along nicely, and looked a winner, likitere, however, put in a bold challenge and a vigorous piece of riding on the part ot K. King got the mare up in time £Lw V d€ad heat - Gander failed to stick to his guns, and finished a couple of lengths away third, whilst Waiju and Silkweb wereiin close attendance in order owtno f i V n- 5 f f ° PnM!d ' was withdrawn by a short length from My Lawyer Whilst OutUnl Wa , S an ° fcher Len S' th away with Outlander close..up. The hurdle events on each day provided excellent sport The fields on each occasion raced in close orclei and close order and close finishes provided interesting races. The management If i, customary at most meetings nowadays, was excellent, the fields were marshalled and promptly sent to the post, but where the supervision faded was in the stewards not taking official notice of a couple of ca^s +L Cl u°,* Sln Pi. snd a = ain when some questionable riding- was in evidence

A NOTABLE TURFITE.

The name 'Dan O'Brien" is one of the best known in the Australasian turf world, and consequently the following interview, taken from the Melbourne S. and D. News, will be read with interest:—Amongst racing men of to-day there is no more notable personality than Mr Dan O'Brien, the man who introduced the equine idol Carbine to Australia. A turfite of over 50 years' standing,- Mr O'Brien has owned and trained 1 some of the most celebrated turf performers of Australia and New Zealand. Mr O'Brien is no.v located in, Sydney, and recently outlined some of the features of his turf career. T am a native of Victoria, and was born in Lonsdale street, Melbourne," he remarked. "At an earlyage I joined a racing stable out Beveridgc way, owned by a cousin of mine. He had Warrior, by Indian Warrior, and one or two other horses. J. Kelly was the trainer of Warrior. Later on I attached myself to the stable of Mr Hurtle Fisher, whose horses were then trained by W. Filgate. sen., at Maribyrnong. I remained four years with Mr Fisher, and rode several winners for him. I was on Fishhook when that colt wor the V.R.C. Ascot Vale Stakes, the A.J.C. Two-year-old Stakes, and the Champagne Stakes of 1866. I also

rode over the jumps with success. Maurice Griffin and W. TraCey were amongst the jockeys of that period. The racing colours used to-day—rose and black stripes—are those of Mr Fisher who gave me permission to adopt them when I brought Trenton to Australia. I left Victoria for New Zealand in 1867, and in that colony trained Stor.nbird, Virginia and other oprses for Mr Davj Carson, of Duncdin. After stayin* there for nine months I returned to Melbourne in May, 1869, but went back to New Zealand in January, 1870. Ihe Urat horae of note I owned in New Zeamd was Sir 'fatten, a son of the English t 4 Malton, who was bred by Sir Tatton S Sir Tatton was a good all-round perf"finer, and won on the Bat and over ESS a!nd fences. . In the early seventy I owned Tarnbourini, one of the most ilcSul performer,, of the period, and a Canterbury J.C Handicap «■ ™ of 57 starts, Tamboun« to« rtcej wifli Tamnan I won tne , /e land Cut? and another good per/ealanu *■»"£. Rubina, the dam n 7 Machine Gun. Florrie, and Launceston. Askedto name, in order,, the best horses v ZL handled Mr O'Brien sud:—"Carbine was? of cour«e, the. pick of the racers vneof by me. After him I favour TrenInn and then Tasman, who won 31 races out' of 60 "tarts. Multifid, Maranui, and Rubina were all top-notchers and good winner" With Bob Ray, who cost only 35ga ™* a rearling, I won the Champagne Stakes andAJC Derby of 1895." Mr O'Brien " w the first Melbourne Cup decided, and SS HUI Sow SXth Melbourne) at hat time, and can well recall Mr James Wilson, sen., who was even then a prominent turfite. For the last two year* Mr O'Brien has been licensee of the Hotel Victoria, George street, Sydney, bu., he still finds time to superintend the training of his horses. He brought Maranui to Melbourne for his Caulfieid Cup. victory, and at the present time he is training his two-year-olds, Orodes (Persian Knight— Thea) and Moeraki (Havoc—Blue Bonnet). Mr O'Brien also owns a promising yearling fillv by Multiform—Heriot. In his rooms at the Victoria Hotel Mr O'Brien has a host of trophies and mementos won by his great racehorses. The framed receipt of the auctioneers (Messrs Hunter and ISolan, of Auckland), for the purchase of Carbine, is on view. Massive silver cup- trophies won bv Tasman and others adorn the sideboard." Mr O'Brien has also a fine display of blue vibands, the winning insignia ot Derby races, and he also keeps the newspaper records of his leading turf triumphs. Still active and hearty, Mr O'Brien is as keen a turfite as ever, and looks forward to seeino- his rose and black jacket tnumpnant in many more of the big events, of the Australasian turf with horses of his own. training. "In the early eighties I purchased Trenton as a two-year-old from Mr C. lx. Stead, to* 825 gs, and took the son of Musket to Victoria for the Melbourne Oup of 1885. In a great race. Trenton, ridden bv Alec Robertson, finished third behind Sheet Anchor and Grace Darling. That race was the fastest Melbourne Cup then decided. . Subsequently Mr Win. Cooper purchased Trenton from me for 25UUgs Under 9.5 Trenton ran second to Arsenal in the next vear's Melbourne Cup, ano he quitted the turf with a record of ei«ht wins, while as a sire Trenton, had few equals in Australia, or in England where he died. "When in Melbourne with Trenton I purchased Sexton, a son of Robinson , Crusoe, and with him won several races I in New Zealand. Sexton defeated the crack performer. Maxim." Concerning the all-conquering Carbine, Mi O'Brien oooerves:—"At the sale of the Sylvia Park v-carlings in Auckland in 1887 I purchased the bav colt by Musket—Mersey for 620 gs. This colt I named Carbine. As a two-year-old he had an unbeaten record, and won five good races. I took him to Melbourne, to contest the Victoria Derbv o* 1888. . In this race Carbine was ridden by R. Derrett, I .ind just lost bv a narrow margin to Tom j Halee's mount. Ensign. After the meeting j T offered Carbine for sale at auction, and , he was purchased by Mr Donald Wallace for 3000 gs. Carbine subseciuentlv won the , Melbourne Cup under 10.5. and his turf j record was 43" starts, 33 wins, 6 seconds. : pnf \ thirds. In stakes he secured £29.4-76—a record never excelled in Aus- , tralia. After his racing career Carbine was sold to the Duke of Portland for IS.OOOgs. and at the stud' be has been a signal success. Carbine sired Spearmint, j an English. Derby and Grand Prix winner, and many other noted cracks. After Carbine I raced many other horses with success. T,oyalty, Response, Whimbvel. Bob Rav, Florrie. Freedom, and Dunkeld are , n few of the successful ones known in Australia, while with Malatua. Multifid. and others, some of New Zealand's best races came my way. I also had Hazel, a sister to Strath more. Lord Carringtcn, when in Australia, took a great fancy.to this mare. My latest bi<r success wns with Maranui, in the Caulfieid Cup of 1898."

MEETSOTTRN'R OLUB •SIRES' PRODUCE STAKES.

The last clay for receiving nominations for the Melbourne Trotting' Club's SJrW Produce Stakes has been extended from the sth to the 25th May, And it is intimated by advcrtisement in another column that New Zealand nominations for this important event that are posted in the Dominica on or before the latter date will be accented as properly lodisred. As R«t forth wl the , advertisement. thi« event is for foals of the preseu* vear, and the race will take place on the Richmond racecourse in Jul*. 3913. The pr.ize money offered—namely, £SOO. should be sufficiently substantial to attract a Jarce number of nominations from New Zealand owners, more particularly in view of the fact that, the progeny of such sires as are nominated will become eligible to run in a very important event, and such eligibility 'must n-°cessarilv enhance their value. Mr John Wren, the general manager of this cl"b. has bv his enterprise sfiven a errant fillip to the trotting horse fancy, and 1?" hopes to see a liberal response made to the present effort. Nominations must be ndrb-essed to Mr A. J. Gray, secretary, 197 Bourk street, Melbourne.

RACING IN INDIA

In Calcutta scma owners are etronsrlv opposed' to the Australians, Mcwrs Griffith and Roulston. At one time it was nothing unusual for a horse to be dropped anything from 141 b to 281 b for !,w or three "nowheres," but, Mr Griffith is nol ■:■<, easily convinced that a hor e has lot Its form, which i« rather galling to sonic of the "clever" owners, who- Icy themselves

out to beat the handicapper. Neither does Mr Roulston's custom of drawing marked attention to "dead 'uns" please them, and consequently there has bean, a deal of influence brought U bear with the object of getting rid of the Australia officials. They are too wide awake to be popular. Touching on the position, the Calcutta correspondent of a London paper writes as follows: —" In Calcutta there is a good deal of discussion going forward as to the efficacy the stipendiary-steward measure. At present we have two, one an Australian expert, who came to us with a reputation for nosing out wrong 'uns; the other, Mr • Boteler, who also hails from the colonies, and is the ex-official handicapper to this club. Our Australian friend, Mr Roulston, is not particularly impressed with the way j we do things here, and he says that it is : of no manner of use his drawing attention j to things that happen if the stewards do not back him up, and inquire. He is in ■ the position of a racecourse detective, and, i naturally, he is not popular; but if he is not to be supported when he asks for an inquiry into running that he considers to be peculiar, where is the point of employing him at all? It would be far better to let things go along in their old slip-shod manner. What a number, of owners complain of is Mr Roulston's directness! It is the colonial method to call a spade a something shovel, and this might have been known before he was engaged. The same compiai.'Lt is advanced against the official handicapper, who also hails from tho colonies, and it is said that now that we have such a large percentage of Englisfi horses running at the?© meetings an Englishman is obviously indicated. This is, perhaps, true, but, as a matter of fact, after Mr Roland Leigh's retirement from India, the Calcutta Turf Club asked Wetherby's to try to get someone to. replace him, and it, was found impossible to do so. Colonel P. K. L. Beaver has been appointed an official handicapper for next season, and he will. I think, be a great reinforcement, for he is in touch with both the English and the colonial form. Personally, I think Mr Griffith, who is our Australian handicapper, a very capable workman, but, as I Gay, people here do not like the candid colonial method—hence the unpopularity! Thtf innards of the whole thing are that the vrhole system of racing control in India wants renovating from "top to bottom, as at preevnt it is in the reverse of a satisfactory condition."