IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3455, 1 June 1920, Page 47

IN A NUTSHELL.

Deniosikensa was shipped to Australia las i week. Melte has been suffering from: an abscess under the jaw. Demosthenes will stand next season at a fee of lOOgs. —■ Sungc-d has been sold, and is now inA. G. Wilson's stable. Kilrnoon will isrobably start favourite for the Birthday Handicap. The Dunedin Jockey Club will hang up S9sQsovs in stakes this week. Acceptances for the. Ashburton trotting meeting are due on June 2. Magdala is shaping in greatly improved style in his schooling 1 lessons. The going threatens to be against tho topwoights at Wingatui this week Bad weather interfered with training operations at "VVingatui last week. Almoner has been striding out well in his work since the tracks became soft. Croesus has. been schooled over hurdles, but may not be raced over " the _ batten?. Eight Bells is given an outside show ill some quarters for the Tradesmen's Handicap. —Sunart is striding out well in his work, and will be hard to beat when next seen in pxiblic. Clean Sweep is regarded as one likely to attract tho judge's attention in the near future. Locbella may be taken across to Melbourne after racing at the Auckland winter meeting. Some of the Australian bookmakers are now using aeroplanes to travel to race meetings. During the present season tbe Canterbury Jockey Club contributed £29,167 in taxation.

iS'ilverspir© seems to bav© trained off, and lias been shaping without any dash in his ivork.

The Gleneulloch gelding Jock is expectod io run a good race in the Birthday Handicap. Silver Peak h shaping well in her work, and should pick up a race or two> in the near future.

Morthani won the last Tradesmen** Handicap with 8.10. This year he has 2lb less to cany. Bebehead wont amiss prior to the Ashburton meeting, but is now getting through easy exercise. Wrestler so far has not started this season, and last year he ran. twice without getting into a place. —Checkmate has been galloping well, and may make amends for some unlucky runa earlier in the season.

Calma now seems to be a better rn&re than she was last year when she ran in the Otago Hurdles. —lt is said that the next New Zealand Trotting Cup will be open to horses with a mark of 433 or better. A Pringl© will handle the lines over Copra de Ora Jr. in the Ashburton Sapling Stakes, to be run on June 10. —lt is reported that a Julius totalisator will bo in operation at Riccarton during the Grand National meeting. Tin Soldier won the last Birthday Handicap when carrying 7.1 J. This year ho will have to act under 8.1.

—ln the opinion of some of the Randwick trainers, it does not pay to train a horse under £3 10s per week. Samiel is top weight in the Winter Welter and by comparison looks well treated in the Trial Hurdles. The Sylvia Park gelding Parky, who won the Winter Cup of, 1914. is again in work and is to "be tried over fences. Some of our cross-oountry riders say that they much prefer riding over the Riccarton country to that at Wingatui. Th© Ashburton Trotting Club received excellent patronage from owners for the meeting which takes place on June 10. Palladio was re-purchased by his present owners at £IOO, and soon recovered his purchase money by a win at Oarna.ru Kilmoon has been shaping well in his work, and should help to make matters interesting in his races at Wingatui. Cattach has benefited by the soft going at Wingatui, and latterly has been doing a good deal more fast work than usual. Tenterfield and Lord Usk, two horses purchased by Mr W. R. Kemball in Australia, arrived in Wellington last week. —lf Killiney has trained on since runnina at the North Otago meeting, she ehoulci attract the judge's attention at Wingatui. The well-known trotting max© Rota Rose was sold under the hammer on Saturday last at 270 gs to Mr J. Wilson, of Spreydon.

Killowen is galloping well at present, and has come on since he created a surprise by winning at the South Canterbury meeting. Eleus has been causing his trainerEomo trouble, and was in consequence allowed to drop out of his Birthday Handicap engagement. The Canterbury Jockey Club mad« donations totalling £556 5s to Hunt Cluba and A. and P. Associations during the year. » Bondage is shaping well in her work, and is such a. consistent performer that she Ehould soon capture the big end of a stake.

Burrangong looks particularly -well at present, and a repetition of his North. Otago form would land him amongst the money this week. The Solferino—Elysium colt, in J. M'Laughlin's stable at Trentharn is said to be the most forward youngster in work on the traek —lt is reported that B. Jardm is retiring from training. He developed Author Dillon, one of the fastest pacers ever seen in Australasia. The Canterbury Jockey _ Club gave away 39.27050 vs in stakes during the present season. Of this amount owner? contributed £6B-12.

Kauri King is said to have been unlucky in the Century Hurdles, as he hit a broken fence, and the mishap cost him several lengths. —'"Waitnal, Sunart. Kohu, and He tana are still located at Ricearton owing to the hold up in the transport of racehorses on the ferry boats. - All Talk and Diavolo have been re» sponsible for -some good solid work since their arrival at Wingatxii, and will - strip cherry ripe this week.

Entries for the M'Lean Stakes, of 500sovs, Champagne Stakes, of 500sovs, and Dunedin Guineas, ■ of SOOsovs, close on Friday, June 11, at 5 p.m. Manawaponga has been kept busy at Ricoartotn pince he won at the Riccarton Royal meeting, and is bound to make a good showing at "Wingatui. Both Noctual and Grafton Tot have been getting through good work at Riverton, where they have frequently been treated to swimming exercise. Master Strowan and Gang Awa' have

been kept up to tho collar sinoa tha Royal meeting' at Ricoarton, arid should atrip in improved condition «.t Wingatui. Tho Canterbury Jockey Club has in sight an oaxmination of about. £70,000 to replace tho Ricoo <-ton grand stand and install a Julius totalisa-tor on. ite course.

Tho. imported stallions Linacre and Buckwheat are- full for the coming a*a?on at 2<»g;s. The Welkin is reserved, and All Black 13 booked to stand at a lOOga fee. Torfreda and Murihiku have both got through .a fair amount of racing- and travelling 1 , and apparently have thrived on thoir work, OjS they look in excellent racing trim. Until bad weather set in towards' tho latter end of last week, the Wingatui tracks were in excellent order, but the going is now sure to bo heavy during the meeting. Without declaring the reason, the New York Jockey Club Las refused a license to J Loftus, America's premier jockey, who holds a £3OOO a year retainer from Mr S. Riddle.

Crib looked particularly well when he arrived at Wingatui last week, and must be a dangerous contender in any race in which ho starts ,at the Bunedin winter meeting. Th» Maniopoto gelding Manhattan is eaid to be a very likely winner over big country. Ho shaped well at Wanganui wh-:>n looking anything but tuned up to racing shape. , Uloaifjing is skipping along in his work, and promises to strip in good racing shape when next seen in public—an ©vent which. will probably" take place at the Sydney sprng meetings. ' " • Tlie well-known trainer-owner M. Edwards is said to be on the point of retiring from the light harness sport. Ldvrards had been a particularly successful man in both sulky and saddle

Palladio won, the- Otago Stee-plea, run at the 1«.3t Dunetlin winter m-sobingfj .-with 10.10 up. This year he baa 9.10, but will have to meet a much stronger field -than he beat last year. The old-time sportsman Mr J. J. Milter reoantly oai-ebnate-d nia eighty-eighth birthday. He is still bale and hearty, and is th* only surviving: bookmaker who operated on thm first Melbourne Cup. Olenisla is a clover juniper, and scm« little time back hia. owner refused an offer of 20050v9 from a. prospective buyer, %vho wished to ship the horse to England in order to soil him 0,3 a hunter

—lt is said that Sir Georg-s Clifford intended to be represented at the Auckland winter meeting-, but had to bow to the dictates of those in sympathy with tho demands of the Jockeys' Association. —Mi H. W. Brown has made a present of Daytime to a. friend, who is at present driving the gelding in a, gig. Daytime, however, may be seen on the track again before finally retiring from tho turf. Groylight has been responsible for some attractive gallops since he won at tbs Royal meeting at Ricoarton, and is evidently training on to become a. better horse than he has shown up to date. Baimsdale broke down whilst doing a school over hurdles last week ° The -mishap was a piece of bad luck for his trainer, who had the Bezonian gelding in good .oacing shape for his Wingutui engagements. —lt is a remarkable foci that the Grand Nktionia-l winner Lochella has never raced over the Wingatui country, which is laid out on the c-rurse on which he has been trained for the past two or three years. —'A North Island trainer at present at Wingatui holds strong objection to the 7st minimum, because it would mean an increase of weight, and hence doubly detrimental to horses racing on hard tracks in the north.

—'Royal Siax has been shaping so well in hia work that it is a matter of regret that his acceptance for the Birthday Handicap failed to come to hand in time for the official recognition which would have placed him in the field.

Amongst th© winners on the opening l day of til© English racing- season was a three-year-old colt named Sorghum, a. son of Buckwheat, ■ the imported Martagon horse, now advertised as full for the coming s©ason at a 200 gs fea». The imported stallion Cyntoi, who was brought out to Australia by Mr A. Robertson, is said to have been sold to a New Zealand buyer. Cyntoi was got by S'antoi from Lady Cynosure, by Oyllene from Maid Marion, the dam of Grafton. —As a result of the accident to Estland the proprietary track owners will in future only allow horses to be trained on their tracks if the owners and trainers sign an agreement that they will not hold the company liable for damages in a ©as© of accident to a horse. Those behind Luke were not entertaining an angel unawares," as he was priced when racing at the Wellington autumn meeting, but the reply was "Not for sale." Luke is regarded as on©. likely to make a good show in the next Grand National Steeples King iStar, who won the Jumpers' Flat at the North Otago meeting, was rot eligible for the Jumpers' Flat to be run at Wingiatui. To be eligible for th© Wingatui race a horse has to start in at least three lnuftidlte !Pace,si or steeplechases and completed the course at least one© at time of starting. . • Troyton, the winner of th© Liverpool Grand National Steeples, won by 12 lengths and went out second favourite in a field of 24. Poethlyn started a good favourite, but cam© down at the first fence. Only five horses completed the course without mishap in th© race, which was run in a heavy fall of rain. A horse racing fixture took place on March 18 (says th© Yorkshire Po3t) on the high wold country between Kiplincotes and Mid die-on-the-Wolds. The meeting has been held annually for some 258 years, and ia evidently the oldest race in th© annals of English racing. The race was rim over a fourmil© course.

The latest from. America is the transport of horses by aeroplane. A horse was recently taken by aeroplane from Los Angeles to Saute Barbara, where it was to be exhibited at a horse show. Prior to sending the horse the officers of the Humane Society had to be convinced that no cruelty was involved in the trip, which was made in an especially equipped aeroplane. An American expert states that, in making a surface to a race track, an effort should be made not to have too much clay or too much sand in the top-dressing. Clay is too sticky and slippery when wet, and docs not dry out quickly after rain. It also becomes too hard during dry weather. A sandy soil is not desirable; it cups out too much and breaks away from beneath the trotter or pacer in motion. Time after time it has been urged that racing clubs should adopt a uniform hour for the closing of nominations and acceptances. It is to the club's interests that it should be done, and a oaso in point is supplied by Royal Star failing to. appear arnonsrst the acceptors for the Birthday Handicap owing to the acceptance arriving too late. Royal Star would have been cue of the well-supported runners had he. figured rn the field at "Wingatui. Troytovrai, the winner of this year's

Grand National Steeplechase, wr.s got by Zria from Diane, by Ascetic (son of Hermit) from Forest Queen, by Brown Prince (son of Lexington) from Wild Beer, by Bed Hart by Venison. Zria was got by Cyllene from Perce JSTeige, by St. Simon —Fiitaway, • by Tipthorpe (a son of Voltigeuer). Troytown is inbred to Herm.t, whose con Ascetic is one of the most successful sires of junipers that' can bo found in the English Stud Bock. Furious, tho winner of ihe Lincolnshire Handicap, tho first" important flat race to be decided at the opening of the English racing season, went out at a long price, which was mostly appropriated by the stable, as tho horse was. not a public fancy. - Furious, who won deoisively, was got by Earla Mot from Ra-ppel, by RapaUo (son of Bend Or) from Damtrol, by Pita Hampton from Dalliance, by Master Kildare from Blushing, by Rosicrucdan. Earla Mor was got by B'&sinond (airo of Dernjosthen/vs) from, Weeping Ash, by Ashplant from Ctomniission, by Barcaldine.