IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3542, 31 January 1922, Page 39

IN A NUTSHELL.

Nominations for tire Gore Racing Club’s Autumn meeting arc due on February 17. Nominations for the Tapanui meeting are du-e on February 1. H. R. Cairns lias returned to Sydney after a holiday trip to the Dominion. A sale of bloodstock will be held at Taliuna Park on Friday of next week. The Marion Wilkes gelding Succory recently sold under the hammer at 80gs. Mr T. 11. Lowry will send a batch, of yearlings over to Sydney for the autumn sales. Mr T H. Lowry lias sold a yearling colt by Finland from landrail to Mr W. K. Kemball. Rational got cast in his box, and lienee could not fulfil engagements at the Wellington meetings, Craig an Eran is described as one of the racist blood-like horses seen on the English turf for many a year. The Doncaster Corporation made a profitof £15,611 15s over the race meetings held at Doncaster last season.

It has been estimated that S. Donogliue, who topped the list of winning horsemen in England for the past season, rode about 1000 miles at racing pace. Yearling brothers to Thespian and Rational are amongst the youngsters to be sold during the Wanganui meeting. Sea, Voyage, a brother to Downshire, was a winner over hurdles just before the last mail to hand left England. Fingon, the four-year-old son of Finland and War’scare, was amongst the winners at Sandown Park on January 14. Tliere were 43 runners in a welter run at Manchester on November 26, and the field was started in two iinea. Vespucci gave a disappointing display in the -W.R.C. Handicap, in which he started second favourite and finished last. Pluto is said to have scored, with something in reserve when he won the Metropolitan Handicap in 1.11 under 8.9. Vagabond is reported to have developed soreness, and hence may not be sent south to fulfil engagements at Wingatui. One the first two- days at Trentham there was a totalisator turnover of 1166,034, and a few miles up the line on the same dates the machine at Foxton handled £39,887. The most noteworthy thing in connection with the Foxton meeting is the fact that it clashes with the Wellington Cup meeting. G. Young has received a silver cup, pr«sented by the Australian Jockey Club to the rider of the A.J.C. Derby winner Cupidon. The imported horse Callaghan has an excellent turn of speed, and seemed to be running beyond his distance in the Wellington Cup. It is reported that J. W. Lowe recently declined an offer to take charge of a good team of horses owned in the Auckland district. Those who enjoy a day's run into the country in search of some racing should note that the Tapanui meeting will take place on February 15. Legacy, Onyx, and Partner are the only horses to dvon out of the field handicapped for the Dunedin Cnp, to be run at Forbury on Saturday. The Hawk, who established a record of 1.9 4-5 when he won the Waterloo Stakes, won over the same course in 1.10 1-5 as a two-year-old. The Dunedin Cup candidate Palestrina received a rough passage in the race for the Wellinton Cup, whi-ch. was her only race at the meeting. Twenty-three horses have been paid up for in the Trial Stakes out of the 43 horses handicapped for the race, to be run at Forbury Park on Saturday. The Forbury Park Trotting Club will commence its Summer meeting on Saturday, and it will be the opening day of the Carnival Week which is to follow. The Desmond horse Simond, who was recently imported to Auckland, had one winner in England last season, who won three race 3 worth 424sovs. The English stallion Planet, who is a halfbrother by St. F r us quin to the Caulfield Cnp winner Violoncello, is at the disposal of breeders at a fee of 24gs. Mont-oa Ivanova, the disappointing sister to Sasanof, for once in a way ran generously, and won the principal event on the second day of the Foxton meeting. Insurrection has been handicapped in the Dunedin Cup on 19lb worse terms with Winning Hit than when they met over the same distance in the Wellington Cup. Rational and Solfanello figure amongst the entries for the V.R.C. Newmarket Handicap. Mermin is also amongst the entries, and figures in the list for the Oakleigh Plate. Some claim that First Carbine was unlucky to miss the Auckland Trotting Cup, and, if that i-s so, he is sure to have a good following for the Dunedin Trotting Cup. Insurrection is regarded as a sure starter in the Dunedin Cup, and will be accompanied south by the two-year-old Ares, who claims engagement in the Champagne Stakes. The Winkie filly Wink will probably start favourite for the Lyttelton Plate. She won rather comfortably at Wingatui, and carries every indication of being one likely to improve . The Musket line is being well represented in the United States by Assagai (son of Spearmint), who is siring some good winners. Assagai is a son of the St. Simon mare Charm. At the finish of the French fiat racing season three- American riders in Frank O’Neill, Matt. Ma-c Gee, and Guy Garner were at the head of the list of winning horsemen. The -starting barrier was first used in England at the Lincoln Spring meeting- of 1900. It came in against strong opposition, but nowadays there is no talk of it being discarded. Posinatus, the winner of the Melbourne Cup of 1912, is now being used as a hack by the Rev. Father Clancy, of Tenterfield, New South Wales. The old horse is said to be looking a picture. The Midsummer Handicap has so many Dunedin Cup candidates engaged in it that it bears every indication of providing a dress rehearsal for the principal event to be run at Wingatui a week later. Both Solfanello and Thespian carried a 141 b penalty in the Waterloo Stakes, and The Hawk had one of 10lb. The weights carried in the race were: Solfanello 10.1, Thespian 9.6, and The Hawk 9.2. There seems to be plenty of money for racing- in Spain, where the San Sebastian Jockey Club is promoting a -stake of 600,000 pesetas, or 17,27950v5, according to a recent rate of exchange. It is understood that H. Gray’s next stay in England will extend over a period of two years—in other words, he will not return to New Zealand in the next off season, according to present intentions. Acceptances, for the first day of the Dunedin Cup meeting are due on Wednesday, February 1, at 5 p.rn. A payment is due at the same time for the Champagne Stakes, as well as entries for the Trial Stakes. 11l luck pursued the Royal colours during the past season, as his Majesty King George’s stable won only £2146 in stakes. Still the cheers which greet a Royal success must easily span the vide margin between wins. Some remarkably fast gallops were recorded at the Wellington Cup meeting, but in estimating their value it -should not be overlooked that there is a fall of about 13ft from the start to the finish of a six-furlong race. It is understood that a prominent owner who nominated some of his horses for tho Dunedin Cup meeting wrote to the club suggesting that the nomination fees should be returned, as the horses were not coming to Wingatui. The Otaluihu Trotting Club is offering apurse of lOOsovs for any stallion or mare capable of lowering the records for one and two miles. A purse is also- to be offered for a horse or mare capable of lowering the trotting record. The starting tapes were carried away at tho start of the Consolation Handicap, run on tile last day of tire Wellington meeting. They got wound round the arm of G. C. Young, the rider- of Crucelle, and also interferetUwith Egotism. In England the fust flight three-year-olds are seldom started, as many do half a dozen times, and, in marked contrast to

that, Songbird has started in 20 races, and will probably run in as many more before the end of the season. Stallions of the St. iSimon line did not get amongst the nine on the list of winning sires in England for the past season. Chaucer (sire of Arrowsmith) is tenth on tho list, and this son of St. Simon had 16 winners of 36 races, worth 12,85450v5. The Golconda gelding Oruarangi made 1000 g-s when sold under the hammer at Auckland last week. Oruarangi won the King George Handicap, of lOOOsovs, run at the last August meeting held at Addington. At the same sale the Harold Dillon gelding Dean Dillon, sold at SOOgs. Songbird seems to thrive on hard work. Ho has started in 20 races this season, and still has more to follow, so that he certainly is not eating the oats of idleness- Out of the 20 attempts he- has made Songbird has won five times, five times second, five times third, and five times unplaced. Vasilkov, who was amongst the runners at- Wellington is ticked off as likely to show improvement on recent form. He is a halfbrother by Autumnus to Sasanof, and is now a five-year-old, but ha-s not won since racing as a three-year-old, when he scored inthree races and displayed good form. In France a starting steward has been appointed to be at the post- for the start of each race. This gentleman does not interfere with the starter, but simply has a watching brief, and is thus able to see and report on all that goes on at the post, and note the jockeys that g-ive the most trouble. F. Wooton has a serious rival pressing him for supremacy in position as the mast successful rider over fences in England this season. From January 1 to December 10 Wooton had 184 mounts and rode 64 winners. In the same period I’. B. Rees had 162 mounts and rode 51 winners—a remarkable average of wins. It is said that Insurrection was backed to win £2OOO when he ran in the Birthday Handicap at Flemington, but failed to gain a place. His supporters on that occasion will not derive much satisfaction from the saying “better late than never,” when they read of his dual success at Trentham. The decision to reverse the vredict by which the Gore Trotting Club disqualified W ild Thyme was carried by six votes to four. In this case, and as usual in others, the public are not, -apparently, entitled to any information as to the nature of the evidence which brought about the disqualification and its subsequent removal. “Whalebone” reports that “certain happenings at the recent Marton meeting, in connection^ with which the jockey C. Stephens had his license suspneded for six months, are still engaging the attention of the Wanganui District Committee, and a well-known trainer is to be called on to answer a number of questions relating to- the m-atter.” The five-year-old horse Corn Sack, a son of Buckwheat- (now in Australia), was recently sold under the hammer in England at ISOOgs. He was purchased by Mr P. P. Gilpin, one of the leading trainers in England, and infer entially is a horse worth owning. The Buckwheats, however, have not lived up to the boom they were in some two years ago. Nominations are due on Wednesday, Febraury 8, at 5 p.m., for the New Zealand Sapling Stakes, of 630sovs (including cup valued at SOsovs), for two-year-olds, to be run at the Winter meeting, 1923, of the Ashburton Trotting Club. Registration is not compulsory until the final 'forfeit, falls due, but breeding and particulars must be 6ent in with entry. Songbird’s success in the Slimmer Handicap confirmed the opinion that he should have won the Anniversary Handicap, run on the first day of the meeting. Amongst the unplaced behind Songbird in the Summer Handicap was The Speaker, who was meeting the Kilbroney colt on slightly better terms than when he beat him on the first day of the meeting. At- different times it has been noticed at southern meetings. that a- winner of a trotting event has not been penalised for a win if it has been scored in slower time than the class of the subsequent engagement. Mr H. Brinkman does not apparently agree with that- idea, as he lias penalised Loeanda Dillon (handicapped at 4.35 in the Dunedin Cup) back to 4.34 for winning the Wellington Trotting Cup in 4.36 4-5. In referring to the e-vents of the past season, the Winning Post- referred to the Derby winner Humourist as “a colt who suddenly developed stamina for a day, but whose victory will always be associated with an admirable display of race-riding on the part of Donogliue, who-se fearlessness and artistry combined to make him a thorn in the side o-f all his opponents on such courses as Eps-om.” According to the secretary of the Manawatu Racing Club, Mi- J. M, Johnston, the amount paid out by his club in taxation to the -Government on account of its recent Summer meeting totalled £12,321 14s 6d. The effect of the increased taxation levied by the Government- on racing is readily seen in that the club’s Summer meeting for the preceding year, despite its larger turnover, realised only £9914 14s 2d in taxation. A correspondent states that it would he greatly appreciated if the Forbury Park Trotting Club posted the times recorded by the placed horses in each race at- the meeting. According to the Rules of Trotting, the times have to be “publicly announced,” and this is taken to mean that they should be promptly posted on the course after each race, in addition to- being recorded in the club’s register and published in the press. A fairly largo proportion of the stock left by Wildwood Junior are knee-knockers, and it, is understood that Wild Thyme, who is one of the tribe, struck himself "when racing in saddle at the Gore Trotting Club’s rneeling, and hence made a bad show in the race. He acts much better in harness, and is less apt to knock himself when the weight is off his back. This, it is understood, was the reason of his change of form at the meeting. Fourteen of the horses engaged in the Dunedin Cup are also engaged in the C.J.C. Midsummer Handicap, which is framed on a slightly higher scale of weights, owing, of course, to the absence of Amythas from the Riecarton race. The winner of the Midsummer, if engaged at Wingatui, is, of course, liable to be rehandieapped; but the fact of so many of the same horses being' engaged in Both races rather robs the Dunedin Cup of some of its interest, as, apart from the winner, it will he two races run over t-lie same distance and at practically the same weights. Stock sired by the Waikanae Stud stallions Kilbroney and Boniform wore much in evidence at the Wellington Cup meeting. Kilbroney sired the winners of the three principal handicaps, which were won by Insurrection and Songbird, the latter also scoring a second. The- Kilbroney gelding Triboulet ran a first and a third, Angelo (another by the same sire) ran a first, and Killashandra won the Nursery; whilst Affectation, acting under big weights, was placed in two races. Boniform sired winners of three events ana Iris hal*-brother a similar number. It is quite a common custom in Australia to hold race meetings in aid of some charitable object, but they are very few and far between in New Zealand. The principal reason is, of course, the fact that the totali-

sator cannot be brought into use, as as to provide the usual method of speculation. There will be four races decided at Forbury Park on Wednesday of next week, when a varied programme will be got off in aid o-f the various orphanages in Dunedin. It is to be hoped that the sports will roll up m strong force, and help a good cause as well as participate in an enjoyable outing. The London Field, in editorially referring to Lord Jersey’s remarks concerning tho introduction of the totalisator into England, said: “The pari-mutuel system of betting can by means of tax or percentage on the amount of money passing through the machines be made to yield funds. But money is not everything, and we are bound to say that our own experience and observation of the pari-mutuel system of gambling is that its introduction is followed by an enormous increase in gambling throughout the country, and is, moreover, seriously detrimental to the best interests of racing.” The easy manner in which Thespian disposed of Farceur in tho Wellington Stakes 6iirprised soutltem sportsman, who were inclined (says “Whalebone”) to look upon his defe-at of Gloaming at Ellerslie in the nature °f. a fluke, and were not perpured for his brilliancy. The-siiian paced it with Farceur in ths early stages, and though at the distance the two-year-old looked to be going, as well as his year older rival, once Thespian was asked to go an and win he easily shook the youngster off, and scored decisively by a couple of lengths. The time recorded, 59 4-5, was not fast compared with other races during the day, but several private watch-liolders made it much faster. Mr T. H. Lowry’s two-year-o-ld gelding Killashandra was well fancied by his connections for the Fitzherbert Handicap at Trentham, and under ordinary circumstances (says. “Whalebone”) the luce would have been, a good thing for him. Ho showed a lot of pace in the early stages, and when they came to the straight looked a sure winner. A change then oame over the scene, for the son of Kilbroney went from the inside to the outside rail in a flash, eventually finishing in fourth position right under the judge’s box. On the second day Killashandra was kept with his field until well in the straight, and, though he was hanging badly, A. Reed kept him fairly straight to get him home a winner by three-quarters of a length. Mr lan Duncan’s Sale.—There was a fair attendance of buyers at Mr lan Duncan’s sale of yearlings the other day. The higheta price realised was 550 gs, which the Taranaki sportsman, Mr B. L. Joll, paid for a colt by Kilbroney from Sunbird. They were a very nice lot of yearlings, and it looks as if the buyers got some rare bargains. The prices and the buyers were as follow: Lot 1. filly by Boniform—Vicereine, Mr U. Shannon, 250 gs; lot 2, fillv by Martian — Favourite, Mr J. M. Findlay, 300 gs; lot 8, filly by Martian—\ ioletta, Mr U. Slum non, lOOgs; lot 4, filly by Kilbroney—Glen Helen, Mr H. Lake, 160 gs; lot 5, colt by Kilbroney —iSUnbird, 650 gs; lot 6, filly by Kilbroney— Pot Pourri, Mr J. J. Corry, lOOgs; lot 7, filly by Kilbroney—Pe-irene, Mr G. D. Greenwoed, 13-Ogs. The past season was indeed a good one for the Birdcafcher line, through Cyllene (sire of Polymelus and Lemberg), Swynford (who goes back t-o the Oxford branch of Birdcatcher, via Isinglass and Traoery (a member of the Rock Sand or Springfield branch of Stoekwell), Bachelor’s Double (sire of the Oaks winner Love in Idleness, and liimaelf a member cf the Kendal branch of tho Stoekwell family), and Radium (one of the very last of the Bend Ors). Thus we have (says the London Sportsman) six of the leading nine going back to Birdcatcher, via •Stoekwell, Oxford, and St. Albans. Of the remaining three stallions in the first nine, two, Sunstar and Santoi, go back to the Speculum blanch of Vedette—Sunstar via Sundridge and Amphion, and Santoi via Queen Birthday and Hagioscope. The Carbine (Musket) family is also to the fore with Spearmint, who is seventh in the winning list Some few weeks ago the writer, apropos of something or other, stated that in a lengthy connection with racing he had never found a handicapper who weighted an obvious lion-tried as a winner, and so help to- put a stop to proceedings which ara so detrimental to 'the best interests of racing. The latest mail to hand from England contains reports and comment on Lord Jersey’s speech at the famous Gimcrack dinner. The London Field said that, according to Lord Jersey, “it is the dutv of handicappers to call attention to inconsistent running.” “We m-ay add that,” says the paper mentioned, “to the best of o-ur knowledge, the handicappers very seldom do take action.” In our country there is a leading handicapper who when dissatisfied with a horse’s running generally descends to the birdcage and inspects the horse at close quarters, examining it from brow to stern, much to the annoyance of those connected with the animal. It would he impossible to find harder or more genuine workers than the Stewards of the Jockey Club, and their work is a labour of love, worth immeasurably more than what might be ground out of lower grade men on the stipendiary basis. No, let ns avoid all these evils of base modernity (says the “Special Commissioner” of the London -Sportsman), and especially the totalisator on racecourses, which is the most deadly upas tree of all to genuine snort in racing such as we know it in this country; deadly, in particular, to the breed of horses, and provocative also of unhealthy gambling instead of really backing your fancy. I trust that we may be spared from any such evil in my time —unless, indeed, racing is to be in Hyde Park every Sunday afternoon, with the totalisator at work. Even so, pony or cabhorse or donkey races would suffice to fill the ‘ totes and make them pay the rates of London and probably a great deal more. Anyhow, it would be a sort of racing that would not benefit the cau.se of horse-breeding, as we understand it, and I hope, shall keep on understanding.