IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3115, 26 November 1913, Page 50

IN A NUTSHELL.

The Melbourne Cup was worth £7119 to the winner. Diavolo lias shaped well in his initial schooling lessons over hurdles. Nanda Devi and Wild Pilgrim were both lam© when sent out for their races at Tapanui. Directoire appears in the Turf Register as being got by Waiuku, whereas she is a Wairiki mare. Marton and Glenmore were shipped back to New Zealand after running at the V.R.C. spring meeting. No less than 900 motor cars were in the members’ enclosure at Pelmington on Melbourne Cup day. There is an impression abroad that there is more than one rod in pickle for the Invercargill Cup Robert Bell was taken up to the N.Z. Cup meeting, but did not rim, owing to contracting influenza. The South Canterbury Jockey Club’s spring meeting takes place on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The crack Australian rider, F. Woot'on, never rode in public in _ Australia. He rirst donned the silk in Africa. Parable carried more condition than usual when racing at Tapanui, where she recorded a couple of seconds. The owner and rider cf Posinatus each received £3OO out of one of “Tattersall’s’’ sweeps on the Melbourne Cup. Friday and Saturday of this week will mark the opening of the light liarness racing season at Porbury Park. The biggest prize ever drawn in a Tattersall’s sweep was the £27,000 paid when Malvolio won the Melbourne _ Cup. Abo carried nearly twice as much money as anything in the Flying Stakes at Tapanui, and won handsomely. Trotters and pacers have SSOsovs in stakes, cut into four races, on the Southland Racing Club’s ..summer programme. After D. J. Price gave evidence at the first investigation of the Loch Mabin case, h© was exonerated from any complicity in the matter. Th» Royal Fusilier gelding, Bellah, was destroyed a- few days ago. He went amiss last season owing to contracting a spina! trouble. Lady Fisher, the dam of Maniapoto, has producoS a colt to Comedy King, and Cruci-

form has enriched the Stud Book with a filly to Wallace. Some of the critics hold the opinion that Sea Prince. might have won the Melbourne Cup if a sounder pace had been set ill the race. Handicaps for the first day of the Dunedin Jockey Club’s summer meeting are due on December 8, and acceptances must be declared on December 15. One of the riders in the Melbourne Cup informed a sporting scribe “that we all went to sleep in the Cup, and when we woke up it was toe late." The New Zealand-bred hors© Broadsword is so free with his heels when at the post that an Australian writer states that the horse should not be allowed to race. The old-time owner and trainer, Mr Dan O’Brien, whose rose-and-black stripes were carried by Carbine, Tasman, and co. was amongst the attendance at the Melbourne Cup. There is an opinion abroad that the nominations for the Dunedin summer meeting close too far in advance of the fixtures, and that the entry suffers in consequence. - It is reported that Mr J. E. O’Brien (the owner of Beragoon) has again refused an offer of several thousands for his colt. He intends keeping the son of Multiform for the stud, The crack Australian pacer, Denver Huqn, ie booked to go against the watch the Forbury Park meeting in an attempt to lower Emmeline’s track record of 2min 8 3-ssec. The sum of £37,979 was paid away in stakes over the principal spring meetings recently held in Australia. The Australian Jockey Club hung up £34,028, and the Victorian Racing Club £32,065. Although the nominations for the Dunedin Jockey Club’s summer meeting show a slight falling off as compared with last year, there is ample material engaged to maintain the popularity of the fixture. One of the best-known fielders in Christchurch, who has a strong penchant for punting, put a thousand on Warstep in the N.Z. Oaks. Trying to get it both ways is greasing the slide to the poorhouse. Leading Lady had a very e,asv thing in the Glenkennick Handicap at Tapanui. In a field of three The Corinthian was left and Nanda Devi, who constituted the balance of the opposition, was lame prior to the race. When tli© English-bred horse, Sea. Prince, won the ‘VVilliamstown Cup, lie lowered the mil© and three-furlong record to 2min 19Jsec. The previous record was held at 2min 20,jsec by St. Ambrose, the sire of Sinapis. According to- some accounts Emjierador is one of the ruling favourites for the Auckland Cup. Evidently some people expect the horse to improve his form a great deal on his run in the N.Z. Cup, or else he is quoted at a false price. The principal events to be decided at the Lake County J.C. meeting will be a Cup, 60sovs, and the J.C. Handicap, of 55-sovs. The meeting is dated for Thursday and Friday, December 18 and 19. Nominations are due on December 4. _ — The Australian horse Grafton Loch had his first winning representation on the turf when Afton Loch scored at Tapanui last yveek. She is a speedy filly, but a bit feathered-beaded. Aftou Loch is a daughter of Lady Duudas, a sister to Duudas. When taking a recent stroll through the Stud Books it was discovered that Algeria, the fifth dam of the Melbourne Cup winner, Posinatus, produced a well-known performer in Gibraltar, who won the A.J.C. Derby of 1890, and the V.R.C. St. Leger of the same season. H. Ellis had a turn of fortune’s wheel at Tapanui, where he won two races with Officious and one with Otakeho. Both horses were turned out in excellent shape, and if they retain their present condition, should pick up another race or two during the season-. • —Aphaea ran a good race when she defeated Lupulite in the Grand Stand Handicap at Tapanui, but Officious, who had been left at the post, easily accounted forth© former when they met on the second day. Aphaea was a strong favourite on each occasion. Directojre had a comfortable win in the Tapanui Handicap, and is at present looking brighter and better than usual. She, however, had no chance with Palisade on the second day, although getting well out from the barrier and ridden to make the weight tell on the top-weight. Palisade made hacks of the opposition he met on the second day at Tapanui. He won under 9.13 in Imin 28 l-ssec over a chain less than seven furlongs; but, despite the fact that the son of Pallas looked a certainty h© paid what was an exceedingly good dividend under the circumstances. Two-year-olds can get a run at Oamaru, where the programme carries two stakes in which a win would not debar a. horse from competing in hack class as a three-year-old. This is a matter which the D.J.C. has not considered in connection with their meeting, as a win in either of their juvenile races puts the winner out of hack class. SOOOsovs was made in connection with the New Zealand Metropolitan trotting meeting. Although Mr E. A. Connolly misse'd the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups, lie gathered £1783 in stakes at Flemington, and subsequently won tbo Wiiiiamstown Cup, worth 1350sovs to the winner. C. Eramerson, the well-known Now Zealand light weight, was entrusted with the mount on Beragoon in the Fisher Plate; but, unfortunately, his association witli the ' crack colt marked a losing ride. It stands, however, as a testimonial to Emmerson’s ability, and the estimation in which he is held in Australia that such an important mount should come his way. Some of the old-time racing men had a very strong objection to putting up dead weight on a horse, and, consequently it is interesting to note that in order "to xid© Bullawarra at the weight allotted him by the V.R.C. handicapper (13.0) on the third day of the Cup meeting, J. N. M'Gregor was compelled to go to scale with 561 b deadweight. Bullawarra ran second to Marlon. The Tapanui Racing Club have carried out a decided improvement to their track by shifting the eeven-furlong post so that the dangerously sharp turn out of the straight is avoided, and a field now obtains a straight run of about half a mile. The seven-furlong course as it now stands is a chain short of the full distance, and the fact should be noted when weighing up the form. An English paper says that not often is a horse dropped 131 b from one handicap to mother within a month, as Bugler Boy' was fropi Doncaster to Nottingham. _To make assurance doubly sure, Mr S. JooTs trainer took the apprentice ellowanre the son of Fugleman, in the Bestwood Nursery, on October 6, and the colt, to mark his appreciation of the lenient way he had boon treated, won in the commonest of canters. —lcilma gave a display of his speed, at Tapanui and was evidently sharpened up a lot by his first race at the meeting. He bolted nearly once round when doing his preliminary on the second day, and afterwards ran nearly three furlongs from a break-away. In Ihe actual race he was left three or four lengths, and ran wide at the

turn. Under different circumstances the speedy Obligado gelding- might have scored. Horse-racing is primarily for the improvement of our breed of horses; consequently, it is surely a fair question to ask the powers that be why roarers, when so bad as to require “tubing, should be allowed to run In France they' are not allowed to compete, and in England (remarks the London Sporting Life) they are not only superfluous, but postively pernicious, for small breeders are tempted on account of cheapness to breed from them. The New Brighton Trotting Club’s embarkation into the realms of classic racing has won the approval of owners and breeders, with tire result that the New Brighton Derby Stakes, of 250sovs, has won an entry of 32 three-year-olds. It is to be hoped that when the fining-out process js complete there will still be a field big enough to provide good sport as a reward for the club’s enterprise, which should stimulate others to follow where New Brighton has led the way. Many uncanny rumours were afloat during the great Victorian carnival as to the great power wielded by certain individuals (says a Sydney writer). These rumours went to such wild lengths»that, if they were only favoured with truth, half a dozen Royal Commissioners would be necessary to clear the air. But they were scouted in other quarters, and, for the reputation of the sport, it is hoped that they were merely the imaginings of persons whose judgment was warped by failure to anticipate judges’ verdicts. There are some turf speculators so hungry (says a Sydney paper) to incur liabilities that they are already laying themselves out in an attempt to anticipate the judge’s verdict in connection with Melbourne Derby and Cup, to be run 12 months hence. On© of these has requested a local firm of operators to quote a price against Traqnette for Victoria Derby, to win a good stake, and also against the Derby and Cup double, of 'the two Traquettes.” This eager backer is apparently afraid that unless he gets in early he might be squeezed out by the crush. A Sydney paper states that, “If further proof were wanting that the form of New Zealand horses is below the Australian standard, the success of Cherubini in the Derby, run at the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting on Monday last, would be sufficient to furnish it. Cherubini was a competitor hero during the last spring campaign, but, though he started in A.J.C. Kensington Handicap with 8.3, was beaten out of a place, and met with a similar fate in Tattersall s Club Welter Handicap and Rosehill Guineas. The above remarks are, of course, qtute correct, providing Cherubini did not improve his form as a result of his racing in Sydney. Riders are naturally anxious to get well out at the start of four-furlong races, where a good desnatch materially affects the result. Both four-furlong races at Tapamii gave the starter a considerable amount of trouble, and several riders were appatently lotli to stand up to the harrier. On the first day E. H. Ellis got out with a break which materially helped him to win on Otakeho, but on the second day a more even start was effected after a break-away had been registered. On this occasion all the riders, even the unoffending pilot of Rose Dove, were fined. The Signalman gelding High Pressure is on© of the worst-tempered brutes that has ever appeared on a racecourse. He resolutely refused to face the barrier" each time he was sent out at Tapanui, and in justice to other owners his nominations should be refused until some evidence is obtained that improvement in manners lias taken place. Signalman, who sired High Pressure, was a bad-tempered horse, and, as a number of his stock inherit the trait, it is a great pity that the knife rvas not used on him instead of leaving him with the power to hand on the trouble. The Forbury Park Trotting Chib have uot always benefited by experience. When forming their track a far too large percentage of sand was used, and the bulk of it had to be subsequently carted away. During the recent off-season something like 500 loads of sand were distributed over the track, and it has also been carted off again. This reminds one of the general who achieved fame by “marching his regiment up a hill to inarch it down again.” Too much sand would make the track slow, and some of the assaults on time this w-eek may not fracture previous marks unless the recent top-dress-ing has almost entirely removed. The principal events to be decided at the Southland Racing Club’s summer meeting, dated for January 2 and 3, will be the Invercargill Gup. of GoOsoys, one mile and a-quarter, and the Southland Handicap, of 400&OVS, one mile and a distance. Other excellent prizes attached to the programme consist of the Flying Handicap, of 2Qosovs, six furlongs, the Waihopai Handicap, t'i 220sovs, on© mile, and Final Handicap, of SOOsovs, one mile. All the other flat races carry .stakes of lOusovs or more, whilst thei-e are four trotting events worth ISOsovs, IfiOsovs, LtOsovs, and llOsovs. Nominationsare due on Friday, December 5. A peculiar accident occurred recently at Sandstone (W.A.), by which the racehorse Little Corporal (Corsican—Baby Trentcrd met his death. Whilst being led home from the racecourse the flies were annoying him badly, when he turned his head sharply and snapped to disturb tliem; but. grabbing the stirrupiron in his month, this became jammed in bis teeth. Before his owner could release him from this position, Little Corporal wheeled round several times, and then reared in the air. falling with such force that his jaw was fractured by the iron. He had almost bled to death through the nostrils when it was decided to shoot him. A publication that will be much appreciated by followers of trotting and pacing consists of the New Zealand Trotting Guide, a copy of which lias come to hand. The book gives the records of all horses that have raced in Ne v Zealand during the past five years, and thus supplies an easy method of following up the form of light-harness racing. It is published in two editions — one .at 2s 6d and the other at 3s Gd. The latter is inter-leaved for notes or marking down any improvement in form that a horse may show. In addition to the above, the books supply a ready reckoner of tolalisator dividends and the comparative speed of each of the tracks in the Dominion. Altogether it is a book that should be most acceptable to racing men, and should command a ready sale. Some of the} gear in use at Tapanui furnished evidence of carelessness and neglect that should not be tolerated and allowed to pass the scales. Rusty bits and irons .generally go with- perished leather that sometimes means disaster not only to the person using them, hut also to others riding in the .same race. In addition lo rusty gear, a breastplate tied with string did not please- the eye. Another rider was noticed going out with irons big enough for a list man. Such irons are even more dangerous than those that are too small, as the foot is apt to slip through them. Clerks of scales or a steward should scan all gear brought to the weighing room, and anything that is not up to the mark sent away to be replaced with gear showing prospects of being reasonably safe. The winners at the Willianrstown Cup meeting included the Malster—Lady Tren-

ton colt Burrinjuck, who cost Mr R. G-. Casey 1600 gs as a yearling, and had been unsuccessful at his previous efforts. The race he accounted for was the Maiden Plate, in which he started at a good price, and struggled homo a head to the good of Grand Marshal, for whom Mr “S. A. Rawdon” gave 800 gs. There has been a long interval between Lady Trenton’s winners* and she missed in 1911 and 1912. Last season she was mated with Charlemagne 11, but, as she was foaled in 1889, I suppose (says “Pilot”) her days of stud usefulness are nearly, if not quite, at an end. When sold as a yearling Burrinjuck was a very good-looking youngster, and- he may develop into a fair racehorse, though another Lord Cardigan or Dividend can scarcely be looked for from the daughter of Trenton and Black Swan. Prior to Burrinjuck I think the last winner thrown by Lady Trenton was Lady Rylstone, who was foaled in IDOL There is a very strong opposition, I believe (says “Milroy”), in Victoria to stipendiary stewards. It does not come from the general public, hut from a class who are popularly supposed to be opposed to any innovation that is likely to affect their own peculiar -interests. Those benighted punters who can go back to the old sellingplate days in Victoria will readily understand what -these interests are. The turf battler was not in it with the “big guns” on the turf when it came to tieing up" selling-plate or suburban fields, and doubtless the practice has been going on since. If the information that has reached Sydney is near the mark, it is not the bread-and-cheese sport who objects most to the stipendiaries. It is the big fellow who can see more sport in one or two triers. They advocate a return to power of honorary stewards. They do not object to the stipendiary stewards reporting, but are opposed to their trying, cases. Under such conditions a certain class would be quite safe ' in the hands of his old friends the honorary stewards. The fields that faced the starter in the trotting events on the Tananui programme were not particularly large, but they furnished some fairly interesting sport. La Pnloma was made a good favourite in the quartet that contested the first race on the card, but she as usual put herself cut by breaking up, and winning honours went to Ivan C., a smartish-looking Blackwind gelding. Caruso looked a winner at the turn, but ho over-reacbed and cut one of his heels. This caused him to break and lose his chance. The Prince Imperial mare Beletta, who is a stable mate of La Paloma, was' elected a strong order for the Crookston Trot, but she dallied on the mark and never got going until the others got a big break on her. The winner turned up in a George M. Patchen mare named Little Kate, who had the race won in the first halfCommander Bell had a comfortable win in the Dunrobin Trot, in which she was sent out a better favourite than Belette, and the final event proved a good thing for ■ Caruso, who is a cream gelding by Franz— Miss "Wild Pool. The view that the Australian three-year-olds are a very moderate lot is not shared by “Pilot,” of the Sydney Referee. Reviewing the form at the conclusion of the Victoria Racing Club’s spring meeting, he had the following;—“lt is a matter of opinion whether the best of our three-year-olds are - really good, but, for my own part, I regard them as quite up to previous years. It is never advisable to attach too much importance to time, but Radnor’s 2min 33£sec in the C. B. Fisher Plate is easily the best Z ever recorded by a three-year-old at a mile and a-half on Flemington; and the lasi home in that race were the only two older horses whose owners thought them good enough to start. In the Cup they did not quite act up to expectations, but still they • comprised three of the leading half dozen at the finish, and on weight-for-age figures were at a decided disadvantage as compared with the older horses which beat them in that race. Posinatus had 211 b, Belove 2Slb, and Sea Prince 301 b under weight for age, while Ulva's Isle carried only X3ib less, and Bcro.goon 3lb and Radnor 21b over weight for age. From this it will be gleaned that the best of the three-year-olds are far from being as mediocre as . many followers of ■ racing would have us believe." —lt is seldom that North Island owners extend their operations to such southern meetings as that held at Tapanui, but a northern stable sent down The Corinthian, , Berg, and High Pressure, and got away with three races by the aid of the firstnamed. The trio ran in the name of Mr W. L. Garrick, and were ridden by A. Lawrence, who seems a fairly capable rider. The Corinthian is a brown four--year-old coit showing a good deal of size and quality. He was got by Renown from Coralie. by Quilt from Waiau, by Torpedo from Cascade, by Sledmere from Waterwitch, by Camden from Mermaid. This son ■ of Renown looks as if he would make good over fences, but prior to bis last race displayed a slight suspicion of soreness, and probably is_ not too sound. A slightlycramped action when going slow is lost when he is asked to stride out, and he should win again when the company is not too select. Berg is three-year-old by Signalman from the Ndrdenfeldt mare Cartouche. He has a nice style of moving, and apparently a better-tempered horse than gome of those left by his sire. High Pressure is a brother to Berg, but a much bigger gelding. He gave -no display of racing merit, but a really interesting burst of temper, of which one paroxysm unhorsed the clerk of the course (to the groat hilarity of the spectators) -when that official was endeavouring to lead him to the post. During, the currency of the Tapanui mooting, Mr R. Jopp purchased the Franz —Miss Wild Pool gelding Canute, and subsequently won the mile race on tno second day’s card. The price is said to have boon in the neighbourhood of 7550v6. Mr J. Brennan, of West Australia, who is at present on a visit to Dunedin, has purchased from Mr N. L. Price a two-year-old filly by Galindo from Kola Nut, the dam of Betel Nut, and the champion stallion King Cole In a brief conversation with Mr Brennan, it was gathered that ho was greatly impressed with the vitality surrounding light harness racing in this country. He holds the opinion that the flying starts he witnessed at Addington tend to give a misleading idea of a horse’s record, the time in which races aro run. In West Australia they handicap by distance, and the horses stand on their mark. On'it being mentioned that trotters ' hold a disadvantage against pacers when meeting in a mixed field, Mr Brennan said that duo dlowanee Was made for it in handicaps. "Mr Brennan, who is accompanied by Mrs Brennan and their young daughter, has not sufficient time at disposal to attend the Forbury Park .Trotting Club’s mooting, as he is duo in West Australia at Christmas. The racing partnership which has been carried on for some time by Messrs W. G. and G. L. Stead has been dissolved, and in future the brothers will maintain separate racing establishments (says the Lyttelton Times). Mr W. G. Stead, who resides in

Hawke’s Bay, found that ho derived little pleasure from an arrangement "which enabled him to see nothing of the horses m which he was interested except when they were racing, and a friendly division of the breeding and racing stock has been made. Mr W. G. Stead’s team will in future be trained at Hastings by T. Quinlivan who also has charge of Mr E. J. VVatt’s horses, and Bandeira, Bon Reve, Stcinhed, .goodnight, ■ and Los Vegas were sh;pped north on Wednesday night. Mr G. L. Stead will continue to make his racing headquarters at Yaldhurst, where R. D. O’Donnell will remain in charge. The breeding establisnment at Amberley will still be earned on by Mr G. L. Stead, who will retain Coniform and some of the brood mares and young etock, while Mr W. G. Stead’s share of the mares and young ones will also be left at Amberley for the present.