IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2935, 15 June 1910, Page 58

IN A NUTSHELL.

be raced in Australia next spring. Audax is now not so highly esteemed as when riding on the crest of a boom. The entry of 86 received for the N.Z. Cup is a record nomination for the race.' Armlet, Equitas, and Sunburnt have been nominated for the A.J.C. Epsom Handicap. A thoroughbred stud, under the auspices of the Government, is about to be established in Mexico. Formcdcn, Vice-Admiral, Oiyoi, Lady Lucy, and Milan have been entered for th; Melbourne Cup. Martian and Bouiform have been nominated for the A.J.C. Sires’ Produce Stakes, co be run in 1912. Acceptances are due on Saturday next for file first day of the Ashburton County Racing Club’s meeting. Sedition, who ran third in the Auckland Cup, has been sold to an Indian sportsman. The price mentioned is 850 gs. The Stepniak mare Coronella (a daughter of Coronal) was amongst the winners at a. recent West Australian meeting. Maori King and King Billy have been shipped to Sydney. The latter goes to Mr E. J. Watts’* station in Australia. The entry for the N.Z. Cup includes three English-bred horses in Wet Day, Lovolorn, and a previous winner in Frisco. At Caulfield on June 3 Ataahua bad a. special gallop of two miles on the course proper, over hurdles, and shaped satisfactorily. Silkweb got knocked about a bit whilst running at Wingatui, but is expected to be in active commission again in the near future. The Ladurlad—Ozone colt' in J. Rutt-ledge’-s stable has been named Biarritz, and has been engaged in the A.J.C. Derby and Champagne Stakes. Greenback, who ran second in the Derby to Lemberg, previously won the March Stakes, a w.f.a race, over a mil© and •a-quarter, at Newmarket. Amongst the entries for the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase are the New Zealanders Phaetontis, Leeside, Ataahua, Maui. Eldorado, and Pilot. Kiatere caught a bad cold on the eve of the Auckland meeting, and this, no doubt, partly accounts for his poor display in the Great Northern Steeplechase. D.J.C. winter meeting the stewards’ stand at Wingatui was pulled to pieces and a start mia.de on its reconstruction on a larger scale. From England comes word of the death of A. Giles, a famous ex-jockey. He was a contemporary of Fred' Archer and Obas. Wood, and was generally referred to as “The Farmer.” Latest English papers report that a marriage has been arranged between Miss Nellie Archer, onlv daughter of the late Fred Archer, and Mr Tosette, of SwafEham* Hall, near Newmarket. An English owner has named several of his horses East, West, North, South, Northeast, and South-west respectively. Evidently he is desirous of gathering his luck from all points of the compass. Soult. was largely in evidence on the concluding day of the A.R.C. meeting, as the three flat races went to Master Soult, Captain Soult, and Lady Frances. Lady Frances is out of a Soult mare. The world’s two-year-old trotting record is 2.7-J, nut up by Native Belle in the Kentucky Futurity Stakes at Lexington last year. The fastest two-year-old pacing record is held by Directly, who covered the mil© in 2.7 a Aberb.rothock, who won the last C.J.C. Metropolitan and Pendalton Handicaps, but who went amiss prior to the Auckland Cup meeting, is to be put into training again, and has been nominated for the New Zealand Cun. Paisano and Continuance, who have been lid aside through influenza, are reported to be making a good recovery, and ■are expected to be racing again in the near future. The first-named figures amongst ■ the accentors for Hawke’s Bav. Writing from Austria, S. Ferguson says that, he does not like the system they ba-ve of starting. It appears the horses are galloped up to the starting machine, and if in line, the barrier sheets uu, and away they go; but if not in something like line they are recalled. On the final day of the Auckland meeting Loch Fyne gave Red Macgregor 61b and a. beating over three miles. In the Great Northern Steeples Loch Fyne was Giving a wav 14lb, and Red Macgregor beat him by 10 lengths, and Audax just beat him for second money. Amongst the New Zealanders entered in. the princinal events to ba decided in Australia soring are Effort, Gold' Lace, Tranui. Broadsword, Full Sail, Gold Thread, Aborigine. Maori. King. Golden Slipner. Artill°rie. Penates, Crucinella. Armlet, Sunburnt, Equitas, Salta re. an d Martyre. Tilson and Up-to-Date were amongst the runners in the steeplechase run at Randwiclc on June 4. The latter was beaten 20 lengths by Gnafnax. whilst the other finished well out of the places. Up-to-Date again finished second to Grafnax on the second day, but onlv after f»lH,ng and similar mishaps to the rest of the field. “Vigilant,” of the London Sportsman, recently stated that Simmer (sire of Dividend), " when a two-year-old at Kingsclere, was so hopelesslv bad that it was never' D’ouvht worth while to Mart him in a race. Simmer has not been a, violent success in Australia, but ho hn.g left a few good sorts in addition to Dividend. Three Dunedin-owned horses in Tawhaki. Adjudge, and Mv Lawyer figures amongst Hie entries for the Ner Zealand Cup. The last winner hailing from the o * parts was Canteen, who scored in 1903. Fulmen deadheated wit-1 1 Ideal in 1909 and Euroclydon scored in 1895. Wolverine in 1.890, and this completes the list of victors from here. The Ashburton County Racing Club have received excellent entries for their winter meeting, which takes place next week. The list includes the Dunedin horses Pinul, Speculate. Ngawn, Tawhaki. Palette. Simons Pure, Octave, Rifle Range, Jack Ashore, Fulmar. ond Cashier, whilst Oamaru eunoUes Cute. Balaclava, St. A id an, Czar Kolohol, and Windward —■ Mr Windsor, who mde Red M'Gregor. is a farmer in the Waikato district,, and scored his Iggt. important victory on Sonlthesn in the ‘Summer Steeplechase about 17 wears ago. H> is. so far qs I know, says “ Sir Bediverp.” the first amateur to pitot n winner of the Great. Northern, and is therefore deserving of the heartiest congratulations unon his success. The value of th« stakes attached to the Two Thousand Guineas won by N”il Gow was 620dsovs. which amount i= Vho highest since Chnribprt won in 1879. Csdopan ran second in that year, and another horse that won the distinction of running l second in the Guineas and subsequently finding his way to New Zealand L 9*nzo-

nian, who finished second to Slieve Gallion in 1907. Advices from Australia state that the Martian filly Martyrs, trained in D. J. Price’s stable, was strongly supported for the Donnyvale Handicap for two-year-olds, over six furlongs, and run at Flemington on June 5. Mar tyre carried 9.0, but met defeat from a rank outsider in Gold Cord 7.4, a colt by Kilcheran —Spun Gold, owned by Mr G. Payne, and purchased by him in Wellington at 60gs. An interesting return, which covers the last 10 years, shows that the progeny of mares by St. Simon have cosily excelled all others in the matter of winning races and stakes. Since 1899, sons and daughters of Sit. Simon mares have accounted for 613 races, worth 11289,395. Galopin mares fill second place with 474 races and £233,339, and then come Bend Ox mares with a record of 458 races and £204,757. , —lt is not unlikely that in future a different scale of penalties to that hitherto used will be introduced at meetings of the Warwick Farm K.C. It is customary to penalise the winter of one handicap to the extent of 10lb, of two or more 141 h, but Mr E. E. A. Oatley is understood to be considering, in obedience to a request by many horse-owners end trainers, the advisableneas of breaking away from the old custom and adopting a lighter scale. ' What may happen in a three-horse hurdle race was forcibly exemplified on the Sect ml day of the Great Northern meetingheld at Ellerslie. Aorangi fell at the second fence, and Prophet went down at the next obstacle. Both horses were remounted; but the record to go down to Ben Godfrey was a, win by half a mile! Prophet, it may be remarked (says “Phaeton”), ranked an cddson favourite, and I heard of one man having laid 100 to 50 on the ability of the son of St. Paul to win. ..the army, Colonel Harrison Broadley, M.P., has given notice to ask the Secretary of State for War whether, in ddition to the supply already to bp obtained from the United Kingdom, ,he will consider the advisability of instituting a system of Go-vernment-owned horse ranches in parts of the Empire, such as Western Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where the stock-raising area would be able to supply our increasing demands. Under Queensland Turf Club rules, the stewards have power to call upon the owner or nominator of any horse which has been scratched for any race within 34 hours of the time appointed for the start of such race to give an explanation dr reason for the scratching. Lady Wilde appeared among the entrants for Q.T.C. Mcreton Handicap, and was scratched at 9 a.m. on tire day of the race, and, according to Brisbane Courier, the owner of Lady Wilde has been written to for an explanation of the scratching. When before a committee of the Senate at Albany .recently, Mr Edward Tipton, of the Faeig-Tintoft Company (horse salesmen), demonstrated the difference the anti-racing laws had made to breeders in the State of New York. He stated that under the Percj'Gray law the best business of his company in sales amounted to £360,000. Immediately after the pasra-ge of the Hart-Agnew law their business dropped to £31,000, and in 1909, after the latter law had been in operation for one year, their business had shrunk to £72,0C0. ‘ , . . Speaking of Audax a northern writer says:—Not since M-o-zel won the Summer Steeplechase at Eherslie on a broiling hot day, Lave I seen any horse so thoroughly distressed as Aucax was on returning to scale. It took him all his time to keep on his legs. That he will do better at, Riccarton next August scarcely admits of a doubt. The 'going was all against him at Ellerslie. and, as many horses that are not thoroughly wound up are apt to do, he was pulling hard during the first half of the long journey. and so to some extent prejudiced his chance. Sir George Clifford has engaged Antagonist (Souli—Miss Annie). Master-niece (Cla-n--------re.T.ald—Madowla). Aucilla (Treadmill —Chryseis), Avarice (Treadmill—Golden Crest), Counterfeit (Treadmill —Delusive), and Dairymaid (Treadmill —Golden Yale) in the A.J.C. Derby, Mr G. D. Greenwood has also engaged his- Martian—Allegresse colt in the same rac©, the Messrs Stead Bros, have entered Eo-ndeira ('Royal Artillery—Curfew Bell), and Mr J. Brett Gras a trio in Madeira (Maltster —Madura), Aloha (Kilcheran —lshtar), and Biarritz. The last-named is now in work at Win-gait ui. When it was discovered a few weeks ago that the law in West Australia prohibited bookmakers from operating on racecourses, it was held to be certain that unregistered race meetings were doomed. They are rot licensed to use the totalizator, and therefore if book-making was prohibited in connection with them there-would be nothing else to do but shut the gates. But unregistered meetings are still going strongly in the west, and that is taken to indicate that the police do not intend to- enforce the act until Parliament has had a further opportunity of dealing with the question. At the Beaufort Hunt Steeplechase, (Eng.) recently Mr Montague P-ed-cliffe, on Mr J. M. Gibbon Watt’s horse Barton, won the Beaufort Hunt Cnp under circumstances which, if not unique, certainly constituted a. most meritorious performance. When some half mile or more from the finish, or about the sixth fence from home, his saddle “went astarn,” ;« the sailors say, leaving him to finish bareback. This lie succeeded in doing so well that he won the race with something like 20 lengths to the good. So far pis -a spectator could see, he seemed to be fortunate in having a rare jumper under him. which, no doubt helped the carrying out of th, feat. The committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club met last week. Mr A. Boyle was elected chairman for the ensuing year. The PTOcrarcmes of the Ashburton County Racing Club and Ihe North" Canterbury snorts mee-tir. e- were approved, as well as the Wpinnate Hunt Point-to-point Steeplechase (subiect to another date, being selected). A trainer’s license was granted to T. W. Price, nm. The following transfers were approved; G. M. Currie to M. Highden, Bronze. Try Field B-attery—Our Ladv; W. G. and G. L Stead to St.-Mid and Cr-o-enwcod. ViceAdmiral. bv Multiform—Rattler. Sub-com-mittees for the season were appointed. Canterbury owned and trained horses landed the first six New Zealand Cups, but from, 18-88 (Manton’s year) until 1896, when Ladv Zetland scored, the*, failed to score again. Another break from, 1896 to 1907 saw Grand Rapids win, and the following year Noctniform had his number hoisted. From, this it wilt be seen that Canterbury-owned horses have not been particularly successful in the wee in scoring nine times during a period extending from 1683 to 1909. Perhaps one ether in Impulse should b« added to the list, as that gelding received his final gallons under the supervision of E-. Cutts. but the veteran has never vet won the race with a horse belonging to his own stable. prior to the A.R.C. Steeplechase nieetjj 10 . reports from the north stated that ’Master Sonlt was a bit short of work, -and if that was reallv the case what, is the son of Foidt going to do when really fit. and well. At the beginning of tlie sea-son both Master Sonlt' and FJvsian were going groat guns, -i K— Cup .meeting the

f former -was hors do combat, but the latter I kept going and won the Derby and Canter!.>nry Cup. Ma-ster Soult started on the final day of the meeting in the Members’ Handicap and finished fourth to Gold Lace, Penates, and Valdimar. There is no doubt, that Master Soult is a really good horse, and- if 1 ho rem-a-ins s-exmd and well should be a gc-od winner during the coming season. 1 Brush jumps having answered their i purpose web at Flemington, some orossI country riders are said to have suggested that “live” hedges should bo -planted to, in .. time, take the place of these fences. It is believed that live hedges would answer, the purpose better than the artificial affair at present in use and, besides, they would add to the beauty of the course. This, however is a question that cross-country riders are by no means agreed about. While some I favour brush jumps, others are emphatically ■ av-ainst them, because they teach a horse to leave too much to chance. A horse soon ccm-es to know that he can go through the blush, and when it comes to facing something stiffer he expects the obstacle to yield with, of course, disastrous results. _ j On the question of a good jockey s worth, Sir John Astley, a very keen judge of such matters, has told, us how he once took a bet of 4000 to 30 about St. Albans for ' the Chester Cup, and as he was going away 1 the bookmaker, .with rare kindness, or perhaps he was looking out for more business, said: “I suppose, sir, you know that your horse has a 10lb penalty?” ‘ Yes, _ said Sir John, “and if he hadn’t I -would not have backed him. With that weight I know he will be ridden toy a man who can manage him, not- by a kiddy that will let him gallop his own way all over the country.” Many a good race has been lost by putting up a “kiddy” in place of a man on a high-spirited horse, which ran the race 1 after its own fashion, and, of course, lost ■ it. ' Now that the A.J.C. and Y.R.C. make the division of* a dead heat compulsory where 1 a two-year-old is concerned, it is interesting to retail the fact that on one occasion ' in Victoria a two-year-old named Last Glen was called upon to run three times in one afternoon for the same stake. It was at EpPf m, on June 6, 1896. The Trial Handicap, of five f-irlongs, resulted in a dead heat , between the tkree-yoar-old Hera and the two- ! year-old Last Glen. The pair ran off, but | so evenly were they matched (says a Sydney j paper) that another dead heat resulted. A third race was then called for, and Hera 1 won, but only had half a head to spare, i Last Glen must have been mad© of very j. tough material, for be came up again twice j before Hie season closed, and as a thre-e-I year-eld ran 16 times, but without once catching the judge’s eye. A re-echo of the Rose Noble case, which occurred in the spring of the year, is found in the proposed notices of motion to come I before the Racing Conference. When Tikij tore was disqualified the writer claimed that i the decision of the Canterbury Jockey Club, and also that of the judges appointed by the ■ president' of tbs Racing Conference, were i wrong, because the rider of Tikitere was not. J ordered to the scales as expressly provided for under the Rules of Racing. The Canter- . bury Jockey Club is now putting up a i motion- that the words “on -being ordered by J a steward to do so ” be struck out of section i 13 of XXIV. Should this be carried, it means ! that- jockeys must go to the scales. The words quoted above occur twice in the section, and- as- one appears to be in reference to . “ dismounting,” if both are deleted jockeys ■ may dismount without seeking permission : from a steward. In any case, the ventilation i given the matter appears to have created a I desire for improvement. i Some people have been heard expressing the view that the ailment from which j Wimc-era suffers has been largely overdrawn, i Tho owner (Mr E. J. Watt) tells me (says ! “Phaeton”) that the trainer T. Quinlivan has had a most trying time with the Merriwee gelding; and that on the night prior to the decision of the Century Hurdle Race he was up nearly all the time. In the interval Wimm-s-a’s case -taxed his trainer very greatly, and altogether the success gained in the Great Northern Hurdle Race was, in Mr Watt’s opinion, largely due to the attention which tho trainer bestowed upon his charge. I learned from Mr Watt that he offered to sell Wimroera to Mr S. Net.tlefold for £3OO, advancing the view that he was a-r other Ata-ahua. Mr Nettlefold failed to take advantage of the offer' to sell Wi.mme.ra, and in the light of recent events Mr Watt has good reason to rejoice that no purchase resulted, and that Wimmera remained on his hands to carry the blu-e-and-white jackal, to victory in the big double, Century and Great Northern Hurdle Races. A long-waited-for case of much interest to breeders was tried in England a few weeks ago. Colonel B. B. Sapwell, a wellknown breeder, brought an action against Sir William Pass for breach of contract in connection with the services of the stallion Cyllene. Colonel Sanwell’s case was that he had used Cyllene for several seasons, and during those years had made a profit of £474 on his yearlings bv Cvllene,, whose fee when purchased front Sir C. D. Rose wa.s raised to 30iVs. He booked another subscription to C'liens for 1909, through Lord Marcus Bere-fovd, agent for Six William Bess, but as Cvllene was sold to go to South America lie was compelled to accept the service of Cicero, whose fee is only ICOgs. The breach of contract was denied. nor was it admitted that the plaintiff suffered any d-rina-ge. In deciding tho case M,r Justice ,Telf said there was no evidence of legal damage resulting from the breach of contract, and if fhe'-e had bs-n a jury he would have so directed them. He gave judgment for the plaintiff for Is, and -ordered each partv to na.v his own costs. Describing the contest, for the Two Thousand Guineas, an Fn.glish writer says; “A more exciting race has rarely been witneaped. The two favourites wore drawn together on the stand side, but in the early stages of the the running wa.s made bv P’oo’dus. who was ridden by the crack French jockey -°-tern. Rochester and WJii«k Broom were the moat prominent of the others, and. after levering a couple of furJcrxrfj. th" last-named went to the he-sd 0 f affairs. D-osc-endm" the Bushes H ; U, however. Lemberg and Neil Gow both made their efforts, and from that point n wonderful st.'-ueglel took place hetw-en the two favourites. Almost °ide bv side, the p«i.r oain© on nracticallv level, and, amidst, intense excitement, first one and the" the other sapm.-yj f 0 fiava the n.dvantage. There was .absolute!v nothing in it between them ■a dozen yards from the chair, but Neil Gbw just managed to vet in front, a-lmost in the ]ast gfrid-e. and won a sen-rational race bv a short, head. Whisk Broom finished third, a couple of i.pno-ths behind Lemberg, with several of the others- cl-os- un.” Wootton’s suspension, in England, will .pvnive m c, t in time for him to resume riding at. the four dav-s-’ meeting «-t A-s-o-t,, which comniproes on .Tune 14. His absence from the saddle for two months I means the 10-= of at loe-st ion mionnts, a”d j wilj give D. Ma-l'-er a. hr’g pull ever him in ; the ist.rne"~l e for first place in the winning 1 iockevs’ list. A s wa* ant - cinqt.-d Woot- ■ ton’s sit sponsion tonnir.at.ed h’-s riding coni tract, with Lord Derby, but it may be renewed on diffieneut tenuis later on. IL“’-

while arrangements have been made for H. Rand-all to ride his Lordship’s horses. This temporary retirement will naturally make a big difference to Wcotton’s earnings for the year, but no doubt his income will be an enviable one, just the same. D. Maher, by the way, will probably make more this season than on any previous occasion. The well-informed “Pink Un,” says Lord Rosebery is paying him a retaining fee of £4OOO, and I suppose the second and third calls of “Mr Fairie,” and Mr L. de Rothschild, respectively, would run into at least another £2OOO. Therefore Maher would start the year with an assured incose of £6OOO, and probably his eight months’ riding wall return him well on towards £9OOO. Prom March 13 to April 14 of the current year, Miaher rode in 60 races, of which he won 21, was second in nine, and third in six. The gentleman who owns this year’s winner of the English Derby, Lemberg, and who shelters himself to an extent behind the assumed name of “Mr Fairie,” if an assumed name can be said to shelter an owner, is Mar A. W. Cox, who some years ago was well known in Victoria and South Australia. If Mr Cox did any racing in the Commonwealth it was of very sjnall account, but he earned distinction in another direction, that of being a very large shareholder in some of the best-paying mines ■at Broken Hill. He was one of the original 14 who signed the agreement of the Broken Hill Mining Company, which was subsequently registered as the Broken Hill Proprietary. Racing in England is rather an expensive luxury, but “Mr Fairie” is one who seem® to have found it remunerative. In 1905 “Mr Fairie’s” turf operations prob ably cost him' something, for he won. only £l4O. but in the following season he won £34BS£, and, as a horse-owner, he ba.s not 1< oked back since. In 1907 “Mr Fairie” won in stokes £4798. in 1903 his winnings totalled £13,0384, while last year he was far and away at the head of 11 he winning list with £37,719. With Lemberg and Bayardo to represent him this season “Mi Fairie” is well in the running again for first place in the list of winning owners. These horses are trained by A. Taylor, at Marlborough, Wilts.