SPORTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11360, 12 April 1915, Page 5

SPORTING.

: RACING ANiraiTTIHU BOTES BY "ARGUS/' FIXTURES. April It—Keefton JoclsoyJJlub April U, IT—Wellinatoi* *vacint Clßb. April 15, 17-Souih Cnntsrbury Jook»y Cinb. April 81, S»~Aiftn«wfttu Raoiuß Club. April 83, 2t-N«w Briehtca 'AVotlins Cub. April SO, U»j l~H»wk»« Ba.t OluV.

Tho following Riccarton trainers left for the north on Saturday night, tu assist at tho Wellington Kacinv; Clui)\s autumn meeting, wuii.'h will lie held at Trentham this week :—H. Cutbs, with Flying Start, Adjutant, Gouanhrae, Court Martial and• Snapdragon ;_ K. -'. Mason, with Kmperador, biuiPU'r, Banksia, Nonvs and Xnnthos; G. Mur-ray-Aynslpy. with Warstep untl Snub; jutel tt. Longley, with Sartorzw und Batiinu.

Four yearlint!; colt* t'rotn Sir t'coi - "-' (''lift'ord's Stoiiyhurst Stud iti-rivd :«t Kiccarton on Saturday niftht. jmil »r■now quartered at tho Chokehon* liod*' stables. Wrestler, by_ .Elusivo, is a h-siy. .sl'.iv.inc; a gocM:l deal of quslity, and uiioKether a good sort. Ho the first of Antagonist's progeny, and there seems mtsou to anticipate already that this brilliant gallopov will mke a ccsst'ul aire. Masterpiece is a dark brown, by Treadmill -Madowla. _ He is not so big a« somo ol" this mare's progonv, though ho is nbove the avonvgo in size, fit general apnea ranee he is «, great deal like his full-brother, Tnj<knuistff. Desperado, by San Frnueiooo Bravo Heart, is a neatly wade hay. Mo bears no resemblanco to his two-year-old brother, San Sebastian, but there is a lot about him that is reminiscent of First Flight. The two colts aro bred on similar lines, both being hv Sau Francisco, while their dams arc hill .sisters. The fourth of the arrivals, whose name T have forgotten, is by Treadmill— Chrywea. He loks a very ordinary customer. a.tid ont of Ins place .in such company, as his three mates look as if tliev woidd make good homes. There are ten more yearlings still to arrive from Stonylmrst, but ia the meantime some room will have to be found at Cliokebore l>odge before tney ran be accommodated, as all th© boxes are full at present.

A. M'Aulay is busy at present with a. useful-looking yearling, by Rokeby— Mosoa. He also has a two-year-old brother to TW Gama. in work, but he is on the small side and in the meantime does not look hko emulating the deeds of his relative.

I The New Brighton Trotting Club's course will be open on Tuesday aqd Thursday for horse-s claiming engagements at the club's autumn meeting to be held next week.

The Ashburton County Racing Club has fixed the following dates for next season:—Spring meeting, September 9 and 10; autumn meeting, May 7 and 8. .

By way of showing appreciation of his work* the committee of the Ashburton County Racing Club has increased the salary of 'its handicapper, Mr J. E. Henrys.

The Auckland trainer, J. Rae, has taken Merry Roe and her half-sister, Castalia, toTrentham, to fulfil engagements at the autumn meeting of the "Wellington Racing Club. Merry Roe is engaged in the North Island Challenge Stakes and the Trenthaih Gold Chip, in both of which events she is expected to play a prominent part.

It is reported from Auckland that Prince Soult and Soultikoff are likely to be tried shortly over hurdles..

J. O'Shea, who had his license restored to him last week by the Auckland District Committee, has been engaged to ride Mr T. H. Lowry's horses at "the autumn meeting of the Wellington' Racing Club.

A cable message from Sydney states that Messrs Heath Brothers havo purchased Moonbria. It transpires. ho broke down during the Sydney Cup race.

The three-year-old gelding Cr»sus was, the boom horse of the recent meeting at Riccarton. In each of his engagements ho showed plenty of pace, though, he did not succeed in breaking up-his fields, as was expected by. his enthusiastic admirers, some of whom appeared to think that he was endowed with phenomenal speed. As it happened, .however, several of his opponents were able to go just about an fast as Crowns, while they beat him badly when.it came to running on. It is urged in so mo quarters that we may not have seen tho best of Croesus, and his future running should bo interesting, in view of this opinion. I am not inclined to rate nim as a champion, however. Over a halfmile course he can probably muster enough, pace to hold his own in any company, but when it comes to six or fceveu furlongs, 1 think he will find a. difficulty in shining, when the company is at all select. His sire, Royal Fusilier, has left a number of speedy gallopers, but with few exceptions they do not aeero partial to the distance, nor to a severe and sustained struggle.

Necktie, who finished second in' the. City Handicap at the- Australian, Jockey C-lnb's~mee,tinfcs on Saturday, is a half-sister to Wet Day, a well-known performer a few years ago, in the colours of Mr A. Boyle. Wet Pay is now in Australia, and she should have two Martian colts bo represent her shortly-

Wallace Isinglass, who won the.Easter Stakes at the Australian Jockey Ohio's meeting on Saturday, has raced prominently several times during the las* few weeks and ho has been marked off by some good judges as likely to develop into a higu-class three-year-l>ld. He is by the Carbine horse Wallace, his dam being the imported inn re Glass Queen, by Isinglass—Queen Gold, by Sorcerer—Lady Sterling. Though Mountain Knight has done so well in three-year-old events in Australia this season he has not been given many chances to distinguish himself against the beat of the older division. Doubts have been expressed more than once whether he really represented high class form over a distance. On Saturday, at the Australian Jockey Club's meeting, he was in the field for ijhe Cumberiland Stakes, -a two-mile ; weight-for-age event, in'which I'lvn'* I Isle boat him, and this will tend to 1 confirm the view that Mr E. J. Watt's colt is not quite a champion. At the same time, he struck his colours to a uaeful galloper, who is a Umg way ahead of many of the horses who have won more money. Ulva'.s Isle is by Poaitana, a great sire of stayers, while his daw, Lord Ullin's Daughter, is by Lochiel from the _ imported roa.ro Farthingale, by Minting. Ulva's Isle has tidt/ don© a great deal of racing, and \l I ii possible that the policy pursued so | far may result in the horse takitia; { rem Ugh rank. Jt is not often that two-year-olds, are aoir raced over a mile in Australia, T n the old datfs owners did not object to sanding tbaar youngsters out for even Ixatger contests, but races were not tfc&l run at the high speed all the way as obtains now. Possibly for that reason the practice was not considered a, risky one, or it may be, that owners j aira now profiting by the mistakes made by their predecessors in placing an undue strain on their young horses. The increased stakes in events eon lined to two-year-olds havo also left owners •with less need to compete against the jnid and seasoned performers. Whatever

the cau?f. it' '- s v,n '. v r:i!( ' ''' .' i:: '* :! r ' vo ~ voav-old liguriua; in. Hie hiel"- v.''Kjr> for-a<7" evi-uts provide,! in t!'-' autumn hv the Victoria 11-'.'iiuc t'lm. i.'..l t!,.. Au*tr*li«» Jockey l In'... Mr !■-. I'- l»Olurk". Inv.vvcr. i-oem* «..!..!'.■■• •, ■ *cvuides i" ' ins di :■.■<.-'' ,:!: ' ' '■'■' ■ ' ■ '.,„.,, ~<, I.Uiv.h-.ie!;. tin- \\a!!-.v •. r'liarl.-i St-:; I. c-v/n-d !•; M" « :v--!Ulf l hi.:-. 1.n.t1,,-;-, Si:- linn-.;:. wo,( :<»• All V-V'i! St.-';; ■' ;i1 '•- l ' l '' ;r •■ '' '•''"' • (iiadscuie. l''au;;nis. S"' •■"■■' l '' - -" ! ' X1,., x . |1 vji.s .'■ bn!!;:.«.; 1> v-■) r :.s:i n.-. ■. the mile b;drr: <'"* out :n lino; -I- :v. hub Charles Stuar: v-;.- v.'iy li_.t.. : <.-o ■ ■ nftenvtirls. Since tin; ! d-.;i'e,. .! .■..•/ o [' the iTllfll t.V.-t.-y;V.,--iVrK lli.-j r-'-'-t on H:o. M-v.-iv and "'■ *■' "' !, v ;|,;:: ' of them has won. Oil S.:f":--!r.' A!- ]■.. !■; 1) Clarke mad-' :iiui!i: '•' :!i t,v " l> '.'," win clio All with a two.,v:">r-.>hl. Ins 1.;;•:-■'•ntai;vo | t ..i„,r 'jV,., !k Tin- He!,..n .■'.■n.-.. Two'hm! proved him...'it om> <>!. *.];■•■ ■"• -;t, of his hut ho :-;H ; 1 nt ■• - <■>»! of a mile, on Sunday. iii-.u.;.i "''*'- *«l sO'iii'.' p" l ' ' i'- 1 - : ' ' '';''■ ''' - :[:r '~' '' the race.' Tiny" :n:f !■ ' - : v>;.;r | '••'■"; i't-cLimi HI nflimii; ", I ivov-V.r-O'o , in,. <-lnu beas the bev, i' l , m ,kl ; > '-'' M " : '' mile, at w-i.,'lit-f,»i'-.r,\ bur the honour is dearly honour, if it mea:'s a. i-dram that ruim; tho youngster tor Inline li'i'iii^..

New S.;uth Waltn form, i:s t-h.- li'i''dle fi-.i-.intc department-, de-v-, n-.-L r.'-}',-fillv compare -velf vn'.ii t'nr ■.»• \ n-to-i.i. At' one iiiue very littl,. ? r. f-<-M-.-'.-.-:>.-v.l----wu-r<-iven to owners n! SviltV;>v. but during the last h.'w y-v. r:; the clubs have taken up '.he sport, and tho increased prizes ha-vc brought on M>me nood hory. l -.. Tin? runniiip; at the recent n.utinu". ni-'ctinsi shows that there is at l-'a>t one hiehgrade hurdler in Sydney at presen;-, 111 tho shrtpe of .lack Kice. winter Cloutaft whs, in. the front rank among the Melbourne .hurdler.', his ?,ucc?*st>s including the Grand National Hurdle Handicap, under list Hh, so that Jack Rice, who is still only a live-year-old, must he given credit for a fine performance on Saturday, when ho beat the Melbourne crack at a difference of Blb. Jack Rico ha* clone a lot of successful racing over hurdler, in NewSouth. Wales, and he looks now as it he might play a. prominent part_ in the big jumping events in 'Victoria this winter. Jack Rice is by the imported horse Rice, by St Serf—Wedding Bell, by Hami>ten—Sterling Love, his dam. Explain," being by Definition, a son of Lochiel.

Riljbonwood won first prize once more tins year in the class for trotting stallions at the Royal Sydney Show. Another New Zealand-bred horse, Belmont M., waK second.

At Aspendalo Park, Melbourne, on March 27, tho steapleohase was won by Mr L. Robertson's Yirallo, a ten-year-old gelding by the New Zealandbred Drum Major, by Cuirassier— Hune ,

The American stallion, Abe Ji. the sire of the sensational tour-year-old pacer William, who covered a mile }n two minutes, has trotted half a mile in lmiu lOsec and has paced a mile in 2min lOsec.

The American stallion M'Kinney, with a record of 2min has sired 193 standard performers and Peter the Great 2min <isec has 171. Onward, Gambetta Wilks and Allerton, who are all dead, sired over 200 each.

The American pacer Frank Perry, who covered a mile as a yearling m 2min loseoj was recently sold for £7O.

The American trainer Tommy Murphy has purchased the trotting mare Margaret Parrish, by Vice-Commodore. '« mare is eligibly'for the slowest class races in America, but she has a record of 2min 6jsee against time.

The green Califomian pacer, Alsa Pointer, by Star Pointer, has worked several miles 1 in 2min 6is«c.

A curious position recently arcs© in England. The Hurst Park officials decided to delay the start of a race half an hour because of a fog, and this news was promptly telegraphed throughout England. The fog cleared, and with seventeen minutes still remaining to complete the half-hour the event was started. Many persons with commissions wore caught napping, a.nd the occurrence gave rise to several disputes and complications between starting price-bookmakers and their clients.

The French correspondent of the London "Sportsman", ridicules the idea of racing being resumed in Franco at a, comparatively early date. He says that a custom prevails* within the Paris district of publishing the complete programmes for the year in book form, while the Societe d'JJncmiragement, known in England as the French Jockey Club, preserves its tradition by issuing a special number of the "Bulletin " with the conditions and dates of the races, and the amount of added money for the winner at the commencement of each season. None of tho.se publications have appeared, the French sporting journal's havo not appeared, the stablemen and those who ride gallops, like the minstrel boy, '• to the war have gone," and yet brilliant seers announce the near resumption of racing.

According to a list of fix turns published' in-the "Deutscher Sport" of January 31. racing was to have commenced in (-term-any on the .seventh of this month, but it h by no means improbable that a postponement was deemed necessary. Owners wore canvassed as to whether racing should be continued a* usual, but, while some replied in the affirmative, others deprecated the idea of anything of the kind at so grave a time. 'Count. ()._ Lehn-,dorff-Steinort said that in his idea breeders* races for two and three-year-olds, and eventually also for four-year-old colts and fdlies, should certainly be held. He added that "the starter and the judge would suffice," implying that other spectators of the races would not be required. The idea of a race meeting confined to the horses, their trainers, the jockeys, the starter and the judge certainly has the merit ot originality.