SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2980, 26 April 1911, Page 56

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Bt Ravensworth.

! MELBOURNE, April 18. A.J.O. AUTUMN MEETING. I First Day. ! A splendid start- was made with the Australasian Jockey Club's autumn meeting at Rand wick on Saturday. The weather was beautifully fine, and there was a very large attendance. The feature of the day's racing was the success of Melbourne stables, five of the six events going to them. The other race, the St. Leger, was, strange to say, reckoned a, certainty for one of the Victorian pair, Danaus or Golden Point, : butt both ran badly. Golden Point, as a matter of fact, finishing last. Mr C. L. Macdonald made a splendid deal when ha sold Golden Point a week or two ago to Mr J. Meagher for £ISOO. Lady Medallist made her first appearance in Australia in the Autumn Stakes, weight for age, one mile and a-half. Bar Comedy King and Trafalgar, the field was ,not of much account, and Lady Medallist beat all except tthe two cracks. She showed herself to be possessed of plenty of pace, and led right around until well into the straight, but Comedy King, taking command below the distance, won. nicely by half a length from Trafalgar, with Lady Medallist four , lengths away. Before the meeting the touts at Rand wick did not like the way . Comedy King was going. The fact is that he has a. severe ordeal before him this meeting, and his trainer, James Lynch, very properly did not have him wound right up. His quality allowed him to beat Trafalgar • over this distance. Had the journey been two miles' Trafalgar would probably have won, as he was more forward in condition ! than the others. Comcjdv King is undoubtedly the best horse in Australia at present.

The chief event of the day, the Doncaster Handicap, one mile, brought out 30 starters, eight of them being Victoriantrained —viz., Broadsword, Captain White, Sequarious, Kerlie, Motoa, Full Sail, Sentronus, and Nari. The horses mostly fancied 1 at the last moment were Gold Thread, Bright Laddie, Nuwari Eliya. Lager, Broadsword, and Crown Derby; and the winner turned up in Broadsword 8.8, while anothdr New Zealander in Motoa 7.6 finished last. There was rather a long delay at the start, but atr last Mr M'Kellar got them off well together. Lager quickly drew out for a. long lead, which she maintained into the straight, but alter that there was a general closing 1 up, and Lager was soon, beaten. Gold Thread and Bright Laddie were in front at the distance, but both failed to stay. Then Srail ike, Broadsword;, N'uwarra. Eliya, and Miss Oorelli were almost abreast, all bard at it, and it looked as though any one of the four might win; but after 'Sunl-ike 7.3 had appeared a certainty a hundred yards from borne, Broadsword syot tho better of him in the Iwt few strides, and won by thrce-

quarters of a length, with Flavinius 9.7 half a length away, third. Broadsword was purchased privately in New Zealand by Dr Syme (son of the late Mr David Syme, of the Age newspaper), who races as "Mr S A. Rawdon. Ho has been a pluckv buyer of horses, and since he came into .racing a year or two ago it has cost him a pretty substantial sum. No one will therefore begrudge him his win with Broadsword in the Doncaster. This is the first important event Mr ' Rawdon" has won. Broadsword has been lar and awav the most successful horse he has raced He ran second to Blairgour in the Caulfield Futurity Stakes, and third to Queen o' Scots and Desert Rose in the Newmarket; but shaped' badly in the V-- 1 Bourke Handicap, and finished fourth last, having been interfered with in the race. He subsequently ran second to Comedy King in the All Aged Stakes, but with 8.13 up missed a place in the Farewell Handicap. Adam Skirving, who rode Redeemer to victory in the Caulfield Grand National Hurdle Race in 1900, trains Broadsword and the remainder of Mr "Rawdon s horses on, a private track at Mentonc. Skirving oame to Melbourne from. ISew Zealand many years ago, and. his first master here was Mr A. F. Bradshaw, who died a few davs ago. Mr A. T. Creswick, of Melbourne, won the Hurdle Race with Boyong 10.5, by Sohimmel, very easily from Nim.rod 10.0; wihilo Roval Fleet 12.2, who was' regarded as next door to a certainty, could get no nearer than seventh. She was afterwards bleeding from the nose Royal Fleet was recentJv purchased at auction by Mr K, G. Casey, chairman of the V.R.C., and carried his colours for the first time in this race. Trafalgar's half-brother Gillamatong followed up his form at Flemington by taking the Sires' Produce Stakes with Borrosov and Respect in the places. There were 12 runners, and Wilan and Scu rear, two winners at the V.R.C. meeting, both ran disappointingly. Gillamatong, who is by Challenger (imp.), may be the first of his year. He is owned by Messrs P. and W. "Mitchell, who own Trafalgar, and is trained at Flemington by W. S. Hickenbotham. There were nine starters for the St. Leger, one mile and three-quarters, for three-year olds; and the Victorian representatives Danaus and Golden Point were thought to have the race between them; but Golden Point finished last, and Danaus did very little, better. The winner was Cadonia, owned bv Messrs J. C. Williamson and A. Mansfield, and R. Lewis rode him. Cadonia was highly thought of a.t the beginning of ihe season, but was one of the victims of the influenza epidemic. He is a first foal, and is by imported Prudent King (son of Love Wisely) from Enooma, by Grafton from Aureole, by Chester from Aurelia, by Musket. He has Galop-in blood on both sides of his pedigree, Prudent King's dam (St. Reine) being by St. Simon, a son of Galopiu; while Grafton is also by Galopin. Cadonia cost 510 gs as a yearling. The Maltster colt Burston 9.3 in C. Wheeler's stable at Caulfield, took the High Weight Handicap, six furlongs, after a good race with Hot Air 8.7. Burston is a stable companion of The Parisian and Queen o' Scots. Second Dat.

The meeting was continued yesterday (Easter Monday), when the Sydney Cup, two miles, was the principal attraction. Heavy rain fell during the night, and the ground was holding. There was light rain during the afternoon, and this kept many people away, but still the attendance was a good one. There were 28 runners for the Cup. The Parisian, Byplay, and Apple Pie were all more or less under a cloud during a day or two before the race, but all three started. Mooriila, whose weight (7.1) included 81b over, won by three lengths from Byplay 8.6, with Eric 8.4 six lengths away third, the nearest of the others being Mill, Mindful, Crown Derby, and Blue Gem. The Parisian was never dangerous, and neither was Apple Pie. Some rank outsiders have won in important events in Sydney from time to time, but Moorilla's victory was one of the greatest surprises for some years. Her form of late has been discouraging in the extreme, and in the St. Leger on Saturday she could only finishsixth in a field of nine. Mooriila is a full sister to the New Zealand performer Lady Medallist (now in Sydney), by St. Alwyne (imp.) from Diploma, by Medallion from Somniloquist, by Somnus from White and Blue (imp.), Moniseigneur, and. like Lady Medallist, was bred by the Messrs Moses in New South Wales. Mooriila had always shown a disposition to stay. Her only win as a two-year-old was in the Kogarah Stakes, one mile, at Moorfield. She had only one other race to her credit previous to Monday's win—viz., the March Handicap, one mile and a-quarter, at Moore-field, in which she carried but a pound over the minimum. . Wilari showed in the Champagne Stakes that her running in the Sires' Produce Stakes was all wrong; but, though she finished second, she was rather easilv beaten by the httle-thought-of Posadas, who comes from the famous Nellie family, and is related on the dam's side to Merriwee, Diffidence, Lady Diffidence, Wigelmar, Leeholme, Eoycroft. etc., being by Positano (now at Mr S. Green's Shipley Stud) from Etra Weenie, by Trenton from Nellie, by Tim Whiffler. "Mr H. R. Denison, who did so well with Poseidon, gave 1125 gs as a yearling for Posadas, whose maiden victory it was. Gillanatory, with a penalty, failed to get a place. I. Earnshaw, who is leaving this week for England, trains Posadas, and he also has Jacamar 7.2. who took the First Nursery Handicap. F. Hood, Moorilla's Sydney Cup pilot, rode Jacamar. He is a full brother to Poseidon, and realised 1300 g- as a yearling. Mr Denison erave 3050 gs for Orcus, a full brother to Poseidon and Jacamar, but did not succeed in winning a race with them. Victorians did not keep up their form of the first oav, the only race falling to them being the Steeplechase, in which, however, the three places were secured. The winner, No Trouble 9.12, by Mistake, is owned by Mr A. T. Creswick, who was successful in the Hurdle Pace on the first day with Bovonsr. Borsdalo 11.7 and Conferedate 11.7 filled the other plnces. W. 11. M'Lachian rode the grey Nuwara Eliya, 8.1. by Orzil, to victory in the Flyinar Handicap, six furlongs, but 'his mount. Nan<>ar, was keot at the post in the Toeal Handicap, one mile and a-quarter, the race unexpectedlv soing to Squires 67, by Simmer, with Sentronus 7.2 next. RACING IN MELBOURNE.

The meeting at Montone on Saturday was tame from a racing point of view r , as there were only 39 starters for the six events, and there was not a good finish during the clay. There was, however, a splendid at-

tendance. The stakes only amounted to £3BO, and a profit of probably £BOO was made. Suburban racecourse proprietors are doing well at present. Keadool 10.3, by the Robinson Crusoe horse Regained, easily won the Hurdlw Race. He was purchased by his present owner flSIr L. Hawthorn) before running- in the Hurdle Race at Moonee Valley on March 25. Boyong beat him there, and Boyong, it is now proved, is pretty good. Shackleton 8.1, by imported Andria, won the Trial Handicap from threeothers, while Coppertop 9.0, by Sir Tristram, scored in the Mentone Plate, six furlongs, R. Cameron having the mount. Sunstono 8.5, by Amherst, beat a poor field in the Purse. * There were seven runners for the Mentone Handicap, one mile and aquarter, and the recent, winners (Pine 8.1 and Blind Harry 7JI) were expected to fight out the finish, but they could never go the pace set by Talarno 6.7, who practically led all the way and won in the smart time of 2min Bseo from Toronto Lass. Tho winner is bv The Admiral's brother, Fleet Admiral. That fine rider Norman Godby got Lord Dudley 8.8, by Grafton, home in the Welter Handicap. The Williamstown Racing Club held a meeting on Easter Monday. The stakes amounted to £1250, and the meeting was a great success. The chief event was the Easter Cup, of £SOO, one mile and a-quarter, and it was generally thought that Matouree 9.1 would win. The winner, however, came from a totally unexpected quarter, Riffian, who had been beaten by Lord Dudley in the Welter Handicap at Mentone on Saturday, proving successful. Lerderderg made nearly all the running, and he was out five lengths in front at the distance. As he commenced to tire Riffian was apparently just getting warmed up, as the colt, finishing in brilliant style, beat bira easily by a length. Riffian was ridden 1 y the apprentice, W. J. Hall (who was successful at Mentone on Shackleton), and at 6.13 carried 61b over-weight. The winner is trained by M. J. Carmody at Caulfield. Carmody has been a long time in the business, and is not unknown to New Zealanders. He trained Glenloth when that horse won the Melbourne Cup. Riffian is. a three-year-old colt, by imported Pistol (son of Carbine) from Briar Rose (sister to the Newmarket Handicap winner, Wild Rose), by Newminster from Primrose, by Goldsbrough, and realised 105 gs as a -earling. Truganini's rider lost a stirrup in the course of the race, which in some measjre explains her disappointing running, as she finished second last. St. Wyne, by St. Alwyne, fell, and, breaking a shoulder, was destroyed.

Jemlah, who showed promise when he ran 6econd to Biplane in the Novice Handicap at Epsom, was equal to winning the Juvenile Handicap. There were 11 starters, and though Jemlah got off badly, he won easily, He is by the Maribyrnong Plate winner Ibex. Keadool carried in Mentone a penalty to victory in the Hurdle Race, but thestewards did not like the way Pleasant Ways was ridden, and disqualified him, as well as his connections- for 12 months. The other winners were Noonday (by Haut Brion), Player (by Comedian), and Corroboree (by Harmonist). Corroboree' who is a half-brother to Trafalgar and Gillamatorg, has been at the stud. He is rising 11 years old.

RACING IN QUEENSLAND. I The Queensland Turf Club's Easter meeting was commenced last Saturday, when the leading event, the Henda Handicap, one mile, was won easily by Drift 8.11, who is by imported Fortunatus. Artful Lady vyon the Nursery Handicap. She is by Cadonia's sire Prudent King. The other winners were Rhonda (by Haut Brion), Black Paint (by Warpaint), Kalonga (by Huret), and Hemy (by Music). The meeting was concluded on Monday, when the Easter Handicap, one mile and a-quarter, proved a fe'iod thing for Bernie's Laes 7.6, by Little Bernie. The imported mare Black Addie, by Sidus, was successful in the Second Novice Handicap. The other winners were Halley's Comet (by Ruenalf), Persian Jewel (by Persian Knight), Memory's Dream (by Little Bernie), Whilda (by St. Alwyne), er.d Golden Prince (by Optimist). RACING IN WEST AUSTRALIA. The W.A.T.C. commenced a two days' meeting on the Ascot course at Perth on I Saturday. The weight-for-age event, the Osborne Stakes, one mile and a-quartcv. ! went to the imported mare Oi, by Wor- ' cestor—St. Cicely. The stewards held i n inquiry into the riding of Trenourth on Thorina in this event, but accepted his explanation. The Easter Handicap, one mile, was taken by Medal 8.1, by Medallion. The other winners were Newmarracarra (by Maltster), Varema (by Le Var), Ayrville (by Ayr Laddie), and Anon (by Flintlock). The meeting was concluded on Easter Moni day, when the leading event, the Metropolitan Handicap, one mile and a-half, ended in a dead heat 'between West Park B.'f (by North Park) and Missfire 7.5 (by Flintlock). Both are descendants of Carbine Count Zeppelin, who used to be trained at Flemington, won the Junior Handicap for two-year-olds in a canter. Count Zeppelin is by Ayr Laddie from the Carbine mare Grafin. Another Ayr Laddie to win was Ayr Boy, who carried 9.0 to victory in the Autumn Handicap, six furlongs. Florabel 8.7, by Carbineer, was successful in the Sires' Produce Stakes. The other winners ; were Nardoo (by Simmer), and Laughing ; Water (by Bobadil). TROTTING IN SYDNEY. i The New South Wales Trotting Club held a successful meeting on the Enping course last/week, when the bulk of the prize money vent to horses raced in saddle. The Trial Handicap was run off in divisions, Roval Oak winning the final by two lengths from Doreen H. The imhoppled division of the Third Sires' Produce Stakes was won by Amy Ribbons (Ribbonwood —Amiable) by a neck from Springwood. The winner is a sister to Ribbonwood Junior and Ribble, and is owned by Mr Henry Dunston. for whom she was trained by F. H. Wood. Mr P. Miller's Sweet Elmo had a walkover in the Nursery Stakes for all unhoppled horses. The daughter of St. Elmo and Kola gave a. public exhibition of her quality at the opening meeting of the A.T.C. at Victoria Park, and this doubtless was the cause of her not being opposed. Of the 20 of entrants for the Flying Handicap. £7O. only three were- withdrawn, leaving a field of 17 horses, handicapped to trot j 2.28 or bobber to the mile. Dexter got to the front at the end of three furlongs, and stayed there, winning nicelv by three lengths from Van Roy and Valour in 2.23 j. Dexter is a pacer, and is by Huon Junior. Two other winners at the meeting were HonestLad (by Burlington Junior) and Golden

Pie (by Piccanruny). The Tramway Handicap was trotted in two divisions, Eureka and Miss Britannia being the respective winners, and tile stakes were divided. ONKAPARINGA RACES. The only meeting held during the year by the Onkaparinga Racing Club, in South Australia, is on Easter Monday. The fixture this year was a great success as regards the attendance, weather, and racing; but a jockey, H. Holmes,-met with a fatal accident in the Hurdle Race, and two horses, Charlemagne and Carrington, were killed in the Great Easter .Steeplechase. Holmes was riding Kaumantor in the Hurdle Race, and his mount falling, Holmes sustained fracture of the skull, and died almost immediately. He was a leading cross-country rider m South Australia, and he rod© many winners in his day. At the Onka-paj-i.nga meeting last year P. Coegrove got. a bad fall off Bkwidin in the Hurdle Race, and Holmes took his place on Ripon in the Great Eastern Steeplechase. -Ripon, with 12.13 up, was only beaten a neck by Generality, who was in receipt of 3st all but a pound. When not engaged riding on the training track or on the course Holmes kept himself in form by carrying on the business of a furniture carrier. The Melbourne jockey, F. Burn was decidedly unlucky in the* Hurdle Race. He rode Kulcurna 12.3 to victory, but on weighing in ■was short weight, and the race went to Golden Grain 11.4, who until recently raced as Harvest Time. He is by the Apr©mont horse. Pygmalion, who raced some years ago here in the late Mr W. R. Wilson's colours. The Great Eastern Steeplechase, three miles and a-qua,rter, went to the West Australian horse Matchlock 10.5, ridden by the New Zealand jockey, Stewart. There were several accidents. Charlemagne' was the first to fall, and at different stages Workmaster, Bright Mist, Ca.rrington (who was going well). Stately, 1.E., ' Drumanoe, and Vulcan met with mishaps. Matchlock had matters all his own way over the final round, and easily held Galway Lad andi Tramp. The West Australian gave a capital exhibition of jumping, _ and 1 the chances are ho would have still finished in front if all the others had stood up. Charlemagne, one of those to be killed, was a Melbourne horse, and was owned by Mr Hubert Miller, who won the Steeplechase at Williamstown the''same day with Player. Charlemagne was regarded as a very safe jumper, but the course at Onkaparinga is a somewhat trappy one, and many a good feneea- before Charlemagne has failed to negotiate it. Charlemagne was an aged geldiing, by Medallion from Sweet Briar, and was formerly trained- by James Lynch, in whose colours he ran i second to Dagoba in the Australian Hurdle Race at- Caulfield in 1908. Before going to Sought Australia to run at Onkaparinga, " Charlemagne, won the Autumn Steeplechase at Fleimingtom., after a great race with Cbrn.tax. The other horse killed, Carrington, was an aged ge'diitig by Strahan from Glenny, owned by the Adelaide trainer T. Kiely. The Onkaparinga Cup was won by the West Australian,, Sparkle 7.8, by Sparta. The other winners at the meeting were Lady Bernice (bv Light Artillery or Destinv), For Ever "(by Duke of Richmond), Bayeutter, and Blue Moon (by Hymettu*.). . COURSING INCIDENT. The Sydney police arrested a mam at Kensington racecourse on Good Friday, and he was charged later on with having escaped from custody in 1902. The man, the police say, is identical with William Hall, who was at Broken Hill sentenced to two years' imprisonment, and escaped from a coach between Wiloawnia, and Cbbar. Some weeks ago the man who is said to be Hall arrived from New Zealand. He had with a fine greyhound, which was entered in the Bunnerong Stakes, a race for maiden dogs, at the Kensington Coursing Club's meeting. The dog was entered under the name of° Egmcnt, and hiss breeding was given as Kilmarnock ll—Pops. After the arrest had been made the police went to Long Bay, where the man had been living, and made a startling discovery. They found a photograph of the man and tlie dog, end underneath the pioture was the dog's name, Shamrock, and his pedigree, Slim Jim —Waireka. The police hurried back to the course, and -were just in time to see "Egmont" win the final heat of the Bunnerong Stakes. A boy who was in charge of the dog, it is stated, admitted that Egmcnt and Shamrock were identical, and that Shamrock ■ had won in New Zealand, and- consequently was not a maiden. The stakes were accordingly withheld, 'and the police took possession of the dog.