Cap and Jacket.

Observer, Volume XXIX, Issue 42, 3 July 1909, Page 15

Cap and Jacket.

By BOZ

Racing Fixtures

July 8 and 9 — Gisborne R.C. Steeplechase Meeting. August 10, 12 and 14— C.J.C. Grand National Meeting.

The jumper Lionheart is in work again at Palmerston North. It is expected that California will be shipped to Australia some time during the present month. The price paid for the rising two-year-old brother of Pink'un, for Mr D. J. Price, is said to have been 400gs. The Grand Prix do Paris was won by Baron Maurice de Rothschild's colt Verdun — by RabelaisVellena. Nadador's record in Hawke's Bay Steeplechase is as follows : First in 1905 and 1906, third in 1907, and second in 1908 and 1909. A "Wairarapa writer questions whether Blue Ribbon can be got ready for New Zealand Cup, as she is not yet in work, though it is intended to put her in commission almost immediately. In recent schooling at Riccarton, Lanland, whilst still evidencing a desir© to " quit," has been prevailed upon to jump the small hurdles, and it is thought he may yet be made a proficient hurdler.

The New Zealand-bred horse Ataahna, favourite for the V.R.C. G.N. Hurdles, met with a serious mishap whilst schooling at Melbourne on Saturday last, sustaining a broken rib and internal injuries.

In connection with the appeals lodged by S. Darragh and J. Grant with respect to the Tauriki case and the finding of the Takapuna Jockey Club, the Auckland Metropolitan Committee have endorsed the finding of the Jockey Club, but have altered the disqualification during pleasure to one for life.

There is some splendid material in the Wellington Steeplechase, the weights for which appeared early this week. The prominent runners on the coast are present in the field — Jack Pot at the head, with list. 111 b. Amongst the group are Canitol (lOst. 131 b), Nadador (lOst. 121 b), and Speciosa (lOst. 121 b). Le Beau is handicapped at lOst. 121 b also.

The list of nominations for the N.Z. Grand Nationals was issued last Saturday. There is the good entry of 41 for horses in the G.N. Hurdles, and 31 in the G.N. Steeplechase. With few exceptions, all are wellknown jumpers. Ben Jonson's name appears in both lists, whilst Irish has been entered for the crosscountry event and Sootty for the Hurdles.

The re-formation of Auckland Tattersall's illustrates very plainly the complete change that has been brought about by the comparatively recent gaming legislation as to bettine;. It is not so long ago that the old club disbanded and distributed its assets, the use for Tattersall's being considered at an end. The- character of the new club will necessarily differ in some essentials from that of the old, for some of the functions of the defunct body cannot be revived under the new" order of things. "With recognition by racing clubs, and a faithful effort on the part of the executive to conserve the interests of the public through its members, the new dub, should speedily, justify its . ,Te^taftMsh^nenl>, ,-v- .';, ..r.. X-.-v.v.,; : ::i

St. Aidan is reported to be looking: particularly well just now. Favourable criticism has been pased in Australia on Don Hannibal. King's Prize, a New Zealand Cup candidate, is said to be doing good work at Awapuni. Foreshadowed in the Transvaal — legislation to restrict betting and the publication of betting news. Contender has reappeared at Riccarton, and is said to have quite recovered from the lameness which troubled him some time ago. On the morning of the second day' of the Hawke's Bay Meeting (June Steeplechase day) Speciosa wae submited at auction, but did not change hands. It is said she could. have been bought for 200gs. Forest was considered unlucky not to win at Hastings, and as he was very well, his victory at Napier Park would.be anticipated. His manner of winning substantiated recent report that he is a much improved horse. Eldorado, who was expected to show improvement on his Hawke's Bay meeting running, could get only third in the Napier Park Steeplechase, and was unplaced in the Park Steeplechase on the second day of the Napier meeting. On Thursday last (says a Taranaki writer) I had a look at Star Rose. The New Zealand Cup winenr of 1906 is in great heart and appeairs quite sound again. Nicholls tells me he hopes to include him : n the active brigade in the near future. The New Brighton Trotting Club has purchased the New Brighton racecourse, previously held on lease. It is the intention of the club to make extensive alterations and improvements, including a new grandstand.

Speciosa, who ran so well at Hawke's Bay meeting, met her match, at Napier in the Napier Park Steeplechase in Lingerer, who scored an exceedingly easy win. Lingerer came out on the second day in the Park Steeplechase, which event he won in still easier fashion.

In a letter to a Sydney friend, L. H. Hewitt says he is doing well in Austria (reports the Sydney " Referee"). Up to May 6he had won five of the 26 races in which he had ridden, and was able to go to scale at 7st. 91b. Jockeys, he says, are paid very high salaries, but living is awfully expensive. However, owners allow rather liberal expenses, and a source of income for jockeys is the riding of trials. For each trial the pay is £1 12s, and as the New Zealander had participated in 23, he had done rather well in this direction.

The following is a Southern writer's description of the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase : — " The big Steeplechase proved a one-horse race, as Eurus ran off at the brush fence, and this left Jack Pot with a commanding lead, which the other trio were unable to reduce. The winner jumped faultlessly, and his win was a very popular one, as his owner is one of the best-known sportsmen in the Hawke's Bay district. Nadador jumped well, and her rider cut off all the corners, but she is not forward enough yet, and will benefit by the race. Capitol jumped badly, and his display was hard to understand."

After commenting on the failure of Eurus and Northern Star at Wanganui and Hawke's Bay, " The Possible" goes on to say : "In the case of Northern Star, there is no need to despair, as he iB still only a novice as a steeplechaser, and the experience he is gaining should be of great service to him later on. Judging him on his work on the Riocarton training tracks, Northern Star only requires practice to become an accomplished fencer, and he possesses the further qualification that he is a good stayer, so that he has only to go on in the right way to win races over country. Eurus, on the other' hand, is an experienced steeplechaser, and therefore requires no excuses to be made for him, unless it be that when he ran at. [Wan.:-, ga«W Jfwt :mpirfcfr ; h»^^^

Piuk'un in work again. Eurus and Northern Star are back , at Riccarton. Pairitiitu is reported to have broken down badly. The New Zealand Trotting Conference is to be held at Wellington' on July 20th. An electric starting machine, a Now Zealand invention, is to be tried in Melbourne. Master Soult is engaged in 'the Toorak Handicap. His name did not apear in the published list. Formeden, a brother to Boniform, and Tribulation, a brother to Provocation, have been nominated for the Rosehill Guineas. Mr Ellingham has had wonderful success in the Hawke's Bay Steeple- ' chase. Jack Pot makes his fifth winning horse, the others being Denbig, Chemist, Moifaa and Ruby. Evidently there are openings for' jockeys in Russia. In a recent is- : sue of an English sporting paper there appeared an advertisement for a jockey not over 7.10, the induce-" ments offered being £250 a xear, usual riding fees, and everything found. The Coeur de Lion horse Coranzo '■ showed good hurdle form at the, Napier Park Meeting. Though beaten by Commander m the Ahuriri Hurdles, it was only a long neck defeat, whilst on the second day he. turned the tables on his previous day ' ■'. victor in the Poraita Hurdles. According to advices from Melbourne, D. Coleman will be on Kuala" Lumpur in the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase, while J. Smith, who has generally ridden Kuala Lumpur in his engagements, will probably have the mount on Pliot. F. Burn is to ride Bribery. One thing that strikes every - horseman upon his first visit to, ":< Moscoiv, Russia, is the total absence, of whips, a law preventing their use. The Russian favourite breed of trotting horses, the Orloffs, are great stayers, and Russian breeders are getting alarmed that the admixture of American trotting blood may spoil their staying powers.

The Conocrah case, which formed the subject of an exhaustive inquiry recently by the Forbury Park Trotting Club, ending in the disqualification of five men for life and of another for five years, is likely (says " The Possible ") to have far-reach-ing effects. It will be no surprise, for one thing, to find further action taken regarding some of the parties concerned. Apart from this, however, I understand that the Conocrah inquiries brought to light many facts which suggest strongly that there iare other " jnasqueraders " about.