IN A NUTSHELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 48

IN A NUTSHELL.

The pneer Peter Mao recently fell on the traok and broke his neck. In England last season 115 yearlings sold at a 1000 guineas or more. Acceptances for the Dunedin Wintor meeting are due on May 27. The \Vaim ate Trotting Club will hold its inaugural meeting on June 18. The Kilbroney norse Kilboy was recently sold in Sydney at 250 guineas.

The 1750-guinea yearling half-brother lo Red Kriss has joined G. Price’s stable at Randwick. The Aga Khan has 13 two-year-olds in training which cost him 59,300 guineas as yearlings. No less than 41 two-year-olds started in the Beckhampton Plate, run at Newbury on April 1. George Young, after several successful seasons with R. J. Mason’s stable, has left for Australia. About 30 mares, comprising the*balance of the Waikanae Stud, were recently sent down to Elderslie. Akbar, a six-year-old brother to Nukumai, is regarded as one of the coming jumpers in the north. This year’s Grand National Steeplechase run at Aintree was, for the first time in history, started with a barrier. At the Wellington Winter meeting last season, Omahu 11.5 and Pamplona 11.1 fought out the principal steeplechase The For bury Park Trotting Club will probably include a Free-for-All on the programme of their next summer meeting. The death is reported of the pacing stallion Wildwood Junior, who ranks as the winner of two New Zealand Trotting Cups. The Wellington Racing Club made a donation of £IOO to tho Masterton Club as compensation for loss on the autumn meeting. E J. Pine has accepted a position as private trainer to Mr G. Gerard, and his team will include Cyrene and Victory Bond. Thirty-three horses went to the post for the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase, run on March 27, and nine completed the course. Tho St. Petersburg gelding Master Peter is reported to be well forward in condition, and expected to run a good race when next under silk. Mounted and cyclist police guarded the jumps at Aintree for some time before the running of the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase. Another brilliant effort at nomenclature figures in the Racing Calendar. A mare by Antagonist from Flying Wind has been named Wintagonist. The Bezonian colt Hungry Hill has joined W. Lloyd’s stable. Lloyd has done remarkably well with the unsound Kilbarry during the present season. Sasanof, Desert Gold, Poitrel, Thespian, Beauford, Razzlo Dazzle, Heroic, and Ballymena are the select few that have beaten Gloaming in a race. The Oamaru Trotting Club will hold its extra meeting on Saturday next, when the lengthy list of nominations should furnish some very interesting racing. The Great Northern Hurdles and the Great Northern Steeples carry bigger stakes than the principal events to be run at tho V.R.C. Grand National meeting. A remit- to bracket all horses trained by the same trainer, irrespective of ownership, will probably be included in the business to be discussed by the next Racing Conference. . At the Derbv meeting held m April Coughdrop, a colt by Li mend, won the Derwent. Three-year-old Belling Plate, one mile, from 10 others. Limond is now at the stud in the North Island. Just before the last, mail to hand left England an effort was being made to promote a race between the three Grand National Steeplechase winners—Sergeant Murphy. Shaun Spadah, and Music Hall. Loohson was a lame horse when he won the Grand National Hurdles last season, and the fact greatly enhanced the merit of his win. This should be taken into consideration when weighing up his prospects for the future. ,_ , , The Golden Bun colt Paddy, who won the Liverpool Bpring Cup on March 26 is another example of a strongly inbred horse. Paddy’s pedigree carries three strains of Galopin and one of Vedette, the sire of Galopin. Charles Maidment, who rode Cremorne, winner of the Derby in 1872, and Kisber, winner of the same race in 1875, recently celebrated his eighty-first birthday. He is still in good health, and living in retirement at Newmarket The “ Special Commissioner, of the Sporting Life, recently alluded .to Greenback as “the best St.. Frusquin horse in England.” Greenback is the sire of Paper Money, whose first crop of two-year-olds have done so well this season. San Forte won tho \vanganui Steeplechase run last season with 9.5, when he beat Black Art 10.1 by two lengths. Black Art meets his then victor on 121bs better terms, and the margin should give him more than a good chance with Ban Forte. When the Victorian rider Frank Dempsey won the Newbury Oup on April 2. his mount just got there in a hard finish. Paddy, the winner, is a three-year-old colt b- Golden Sun (son of Sundridge) from a William the Third mare. Paddy was one of the outsiders in a field of 21. The present racing season is rapidly drawing to an end, and after the D.J.C. winter meeting there will not be much sport to follow except the Ashburton winter meeting, taking place on June 26 and 27. In July the South Canterbury hunt meeting and the Waimate hunt meeting will take place. If Frisco Mail is sent north to Auckland he should give a good account of himself. He is a good stayer, and at the C.J.C. Autumn meeting carried 11.9 and won over a mile and three-quarters in 3.14 1-5. Some of the top weights might find it a task beyond their powers to give him a couple of stones. An interesting sidelight on racing is provided by a recent issue of the Sporting Life, which contains two full page advertisements from two bookmakers. On a much smaller scale several advertisements appear from tipsters. Apparently the fielders do not mind Betting up a big target for the tipsters’ clients to have a shot at. They pay well in England for the services of a capable horseman. Major Wilson, the rider of Double Chance, who won the Grand National, was paid 200sov& to ride, and laid 2000sovs about a win. T. Leader wa# offered the same terms to ride Sergeant Murphy, but prior arrangements made him deofine the offer. Tho long established Broekleshy Stakes, one of the most important two-year-old races in the early part of tho English season, was won on March 24 by an unnamed oolt 'by Prince Galahad from Risky bv Ronsay (son of Bay Ronald) from Kisca It by Pride. Prince Galahad was got by Prince Palantine from Decagone by Martagon from Desca by Desmond. Lost season Pamplona won the Great Western Steeplechase from a moderate lot, and followed on with a win in the Otago Steeplechase. At Wellington Omahu beat him by a narrow margin, but unluckily the Dunedin-owned 'chaser met with a

mishap, and could not go to the post for tho Grand National Steeplechase. In the Century Hurdles Lochson has been handicapped to meet Nukumai on 16lb better terms than when the latter heat him into third place in the Winter Hurdles, run at Trentham. Mauriga, ,who divided them on that occasion, meets Nukumai on 131 b better terms. Lochson subsequently won the Grand National Hurdles. Hie alteration in the Wellington Racing v lub s dates for the July meeting has necessitated a rearrangement in connection with the meetings of the Racing Conference and Trotting Conference. For some years past the Trotting Conference has met on Monday or Tuesday and tho Racing Conference on Thursday, but it is probable that both bodies will be i n session this year on Wednesday, July 8. Three dead heats were recorded at the last Dunedin winter meeting. Kipling and Cassells could not be divided at the finish of the St. Clair Steeplechase, Kukume and Obligio flashed past the post locked together at the finish of tho Taieri Handicap, and the judge could not separate Paddy's Hope and Queen Balboa at the finish of the Domain Handicap. It is most remarkable to see three dead heats recorded at the same meeting. It is rumo-ured that Sir George Clifford | contemplates retiring from the presidency of the Racing Conference. On different Occasions in the past Sir George has expressed his willingness to dron the reins into some other hands, but members would not hear of a change, and if it is made it will be with the very reluctant consent of those with whom he has been identified in the control of racing. Possibly Sir George Clifford’s health may vet allow him to hold his very important office for many a day to come. In a recent issue of Sporting Life it was stated that “Frank Dempsey, the Australian jockey, who came here with a high reputation, has not, taken long to make it evident that his merits have not been overassessed. He particularly shone on Paddy, when he got that colt first past the post in the Newbury Oup. Not every jockey whose advent is hailed with a flourish of trumpets comes off trumps. Some of the Americans who came over at about tho time of the Sloan craze were anything but the top-notchers they were made out to be.” A message from New York announces the death of Borrow, a well-known gelding, at the Brookdale Farm in New Jersey. As a two-year-old in England, he won seven races out of 12, including a dead heat with Sunsiar, the Derby winner of the following year. At four and five years of age he won some of the leading events on the British turf. Borrow returned to the United .States in 1913, and the following year won the Saratoga and Yonkers Handicaps. At the age of nine the gelding took the Brooklyn, running a mile and a furlong in lmin 49 2-ssoc—an American record, while as a ten-vear-old he led the field in the Arverne Handicap. A Christchurch paper reports that the transfer of Fop from Mr G. D. Greenwood to Mr W. G. Stead was recently approved by tho Canterbury Jockey Club. More than a year ago R. J. Mason inspected the yearlings by Absurd running at Mr Stead’s stud farm in Hawke’s Bay, and purchased four of them for his employer. Two of the youngsters, Nincompoop (from Cheloma) and Chignon (from Lady D), won important races in Australia last spring, while the filly Society (from First Class) has iiot been seriously tried yet. The fourth of the batch was Fop, a colt from Oddity, by All Black from Conceit, by Boniform from imported Lady Wayward 11. After coming to Riccarton this colt became partially paralysed. For a time he was in a very bad way, and though he has since made a good recovery, arrangements were made under which he has gone back to his breeder. One of the most important developments in Victorian racing affairs for some time is the standardisation of racing colours, which has been decided upon by the Victoria Racing Club, and which will come into force on August 1 (says the Australasian). A great deal of confusion has been caused in the past by the fact that different owners have been using colours which are similar in all but name. This confusion has led to countless arguments, and has not lightened the task of the various judges who officiate on Victorian courses. Combinations of two or more dark colours, or two or more light colours, will not be permitted, neither will facings, cuffs, collars, piping, seams, crosess, braids, single spots, and vertical halves. Hoops, stripes, and braces must not he less than 3in wide—stars, diamonds, spots, sashes, armbands not less than 4in —and bands not less than 6in wide. Caps are not to be of more than one colour. An important amendment to the V.R.C. Rule of Racing 19 (1), approved of at a conference of principal clubs recently held in Sydney, is now in operation, and under it stewards of registered clubs have tho power to hold inquiries and disqualify persons and horses for inconsistent running. This power, so far as Victoria is concerned, was formerly vested only in the V.R.C. committee. The amended rule reads as follows“If they are satisfied that the winner or any placed horse in any race at a meeting has not been permitted by his owner, trainer, rider, or other person interested to do his best in any other race run at that meeting, or at any other meeting at which they or a majority of them had officiated as stewards, to disqualify such horse for such first-mentioned race, and they mav, in addition, fine, suspend, or disqualify the owner, trainer, and rider of the horse (or any of them) in either or both of such races.” Until comparatively recently Double Chance was practically unknown (remarks the Sportsman). Earlier in his career it was proposed to put him to flat racing, but being found useless for that purpose he was presented by his breeder, tne late Mr L. de Rothschild, to F. Archer, tho Newmarket trainer, ami was used by him as a hunter with tho Middleton hounds. His attention was turned to steoplechasing about three years ago, but ho broke down, after winning a race, and he w r as then fired and turned out for a period of two years, when he again returned to the hunting field. It was only during this winter that he became a regular runner in crosscountry events, and he has gone from triumph to triumph, the Grand National being his sixth consecutive victory. Double Chance is now owned in partnership by Mr D. Goold, in whose colours he ran in the National, and his trainer. Major Wilson, who steered Double Chance (o victory in this year’s . Liverpool Crand National Steeplechase, is a member of a well-known Yorkshire family. As a flying officer in the war he had a distinguished career, being one of the first pilot# to

bomb German aerodromes. Major Wilson trains a number of horses at Beverley, am* has won several races on Trentino. A previous injury to his collarbone was aggravated as a result of a fall he suffered ■when contesting the National Hunt Steeplechase at Cheltenham recently, and for some time it appeared doubtful whether he would be able to ritle at Liverpool. Improvement took place, but all the same Major Wilson displayed marked courago in taking the mount on Double Chance in the face of his recent injury.