TURF TOPICS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1579, 6 March 1919, Page 3

TURF TOPICS.

All the gallops at Kiccarton this morning were clone on the plough. B. J. Mason gave his team, including Gloaming, Karo, and Afterglow, light tasks.

Margerine did a couple of rounds at a good half-pace. The Martian mare appears to be well. Onslaught and Royal Stag finished together at the end of Ave furlongs in lmin 4 3-ssec.

Adjutant and Night Raider were companions in a bout over half a mile, covering the distance in 51 3-ssec. There was not much between them at the finish.

Bondage and .Tudea were going well at the conclusion of half a mile in 50 l-ssec. There was very little separating them at the finish. King of the Valley had too much pace for Euripos at the business end of half a mile, covered in 52 3-sscc, a time the winner could have improved upon. Gay Lad did a couple of rounds at good half-pace, sprinting home over the last half-mile in 52 2-ssec. .

Tortrix, Flight Commander, and Sans So,uci were companions in a flutter over half a mile, a distance they hind in 53 4-ssec. There was not much between them at the finish.

Cerberus did a couple of rounds at good half-pace. His next appearanee under silk will be at the Ashburton meeting. Gamecock jumped off from the mile-and-a-quarter post, and *six furlongs from home Kimbolton joined in, the pair passing the winning post together. A furlong from the end of the journey, Gamecock appeared to be Ueaten, but his rider made a call upon him, and the son of San Francisco responded gamely, and finished on well, covering the full distance in 2min 13 4-ssec. Kaminohe was let loose in the schooling ring, and jumped the fences well.

Morisco just headed off Sea Blue at the finish of half a mile in 52sec. Daytime rattled off half a mile in his best stvle in 49sec.

Bon Spec held Micky Free safe at the business end of half a mile, from a stand, in 50sec. This was a good performance.

Glendower was not doing his best in his work-out over a mile, which he left behind in lmin 49sec. Belair and Collector were on terms at the conclusion of six furlongs in lmin 19 2-ssec.

Tip Up (L. Hegarty) was schooled over the pony hurdles, but he was inclined to run his fences down.

Nightwatch, who brought off a surprise iu the Melbourne Cup run at Flemington in November last, figures in the Australian Cup with 7.12, and he is looked upon as a dangerous candidate. The Sydney auctioneer, Mr H. Chisholm, who has been in the South Island since attending the Ellerslie sale, returned to Wellington on Sunday, and was a passenger by the Riverina, which sailed for Sydney yesterday. It is reported that i the ex-New Zealanders, Andy and Lou Robertson, for some time connected with the Messrs Tye in Victoria, are going to England with the intention of setting up as public trainers there. According to Sir Modred, some of the horses training on the Southland R.C's tracks have developed a nasty skin rash, which is causing trouble to trainers. It is stated that the disease was brought from the goldfields to the Dunediu Cup Meeting, and local horses cdntracted it in the sand roll at Wingatui. Rude,- the winner of the valuable Hamilton Cup 011 Saturday last, is an Australiau-bred gelding, by Cyrus — | Cheeky. He was purchased in New I South Wales by his present owner, Mr | W. Duncan, and is one of the lengthy i team' prepared by F. Tilley. Last season J Rude won two races and was placed in I quite a number of others. The son of Cyrus appears to be another example of how horses bred in Australia and brought to New Zealand as youngsters subsequently develop excellent form iu this country, Biplane, Gloaming, Punka, and Spanner being recent cases in point. The cross-country horseman, G. Fielding, takes up his residence at-Rorke's Drift Lodge this week, writes Sir Modred. P. T. Hogan will be well served for jumping horsemen this I autumn, with Fielding, J. McChesney, I W. Robinson, and the apprentice Ivan I Tilson to draw upon, and it looks as if , he will need them, too, with Silverspire, Daltou, Palladio, Calma, Glenshine, and other horses under orders for schooling practice. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, is an old saying that many -times furnishes an apt illustration, says a northern writer. The non-entry of

Gloaming for the Great Northern St. Leger and New Zealand St. Leger Stakes may be regarded as unfortunate for his owner, but the absence of the crack three-year-old from the two classic events of the autumn season will give the second-raters, a chance. It would, of course, have added constfTerably to the interest surrounding Gloaming's record were he in a position to rank as a dual St. Leger winner, seeing that he holds the record as a treble Derby winner, but those with horses of the second-rate stamp cannot be expected to regard his absence in other but a joyful mood. The use of the electric battery still goes on in Australia. At Eichmond (North Queensland) last month Half-!! deck won the Club Mile in easy fashion, but raced in such a peculiar manner : that the suspicions of the stewards were aroused. On returning to scale the rider (Wilks) refused to allow himself to be examined, informing the stewards ' that they had no search-warrant. However, on police examination later, an , electric battery was found attached to | a belt Wilks'was wearing round his waist, with a wire running down his leg. On removal of this contrivance Wilks was ljlb short-weight, though the bridle made up the deficiency. However, the rules only allowed for lib in this way; therefore Halfdeck's rider did not weigh in correctly. At a subsequent inquiry Nelson (trainer) took full responsibility for the whole affair, but on a proposal to disqualify the rider, Wilks, for life, Nelson (trainer) and Barney (owner) for three years, also the horse for 12 months, the voting was equal, and the chairman to exercise his casting vote. The matter was then referred to the executive with a recommendation that Roulet, who finished second, be declared the winner. When the Duke of Grafton died early in December, aged 97, a wonderful old man went to his rest, remarks a London paper. The duke, who was a lineal descendant of Charles 11., received his, commission in the army of William IV., and had been equerry to three sovereigns—Queen. Victoria, King Edward, and King George. All his life a .keen sportsman, he hunted in his youth with the Grafton, which before 1842 had always belonged to the reigning duke; and from 1861. to 1882 he was master of that famous pack. He remained until the end an enthusiastic supporter of hunting in Northamptonshire, and was an excellent judge of a horse, as was his second son, Lord Alfred George Fitzroy. He was a capital gaiue shot, and for many seasons his parties at Euston Hall, his Suffolk seat, were very popular features of the social year. The duke was a man of wonderful vitality, and in extreme old age survived mishaps which might easily have proved fatal to much younger men. When over 90 he slipped on ice while watching skaters at Wakefield, and suffered concussion, but was convalescent in a few days. Later # foil off some steps at Cromer and broke a thigh, but again recovered completely, and lived to the wonderful age of 97. The painters have .been busy at Addington during the last few days, and the big stand now has a very smart appearance. That speedy but erratic paced Gold Queen has been thrown out of commission, and is at present earning her oats between the shafts of a local cab. This treatment may do her a lot of good when next asked to face the music. Those trainers who exercise their charges on the Addington track complain of its present unsatisfactory state. There is a very deep coating of loose earth, and during working hours the dust is very bad indeed. At a meeting of the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club on Tuesday the programme for the South Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting was approved. Permission was granted the Wairau Valley Hack Racing Club to change the date of its race meeting to Easter Monday. Jockeys' licenses were granted to F. H. Grqjr, A. Tinker, F. E. Smith (conditional), and George Clarke's license was cancelled. The transfers of Makepeace from T. H. Lowry to A. B. Williams, and Misslove from W. E. Kemball to F. J. C. Otto were approved. It was decided that the first race on each day of the Easter meeting should be started at 11.30 a.m.