SPORTING GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11686, 1 May 1916, Page 5

SPORTING GOSSIP.

RACING AND TROTTING MOTE

FIXTURES. Mar 3—Reefton Jockey Club. MaV 4, s—Ashburton County Racing Club. May 5, 6—Hawke's Bay Jockoy Club. The autumn meeting of the Ashburton Racing Club will be held oh Thursday and "Friday. As a general rule there is a decent spell after the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting, but circumstances have brought it in this year a week after Riccarton. For some reason, fields at Ashburton will be small. Just whv this should bo the. case 1 cannot- the club received a fine list of nominations. A few of the horses who competed at Riccarton are. temporarily knocked out, but this does not account for nearly all the defections. Even though there may not be as manv horses its" seemed likely, howover, the meeting should provide some good sport. The Ashburton Cup should excite considerable* interest. Tho Trentham form of Oxenbbpe over a mile made bim look a good and though his running in the Great Easter Handicap was poor, he showed up well in the Great Autumn. That ho will get to the end of a mile and a quarter seems reasonably certain. Martius. if caught in the humour, can be relied ou for a good rice. SnuUv is a hard horse to sum up, but his latest form has been very disappointing. Snccialform has done nothing of note for a long time, but Chrysotis and Gnome are-, a useful pair. I>on Francisco would win_ from end to end if he would only take it into iu's head to do his best. In the Grove Farm Handicap, Roval stands out in a class by himself, and with all his weight he must be seriously- reckoned with. Twelfth Night shaped "fairly well at Riccarton, and he may be expected to race prominently this week. There is materia] in all the minor events for good contests. A special train will leave Christchurch at 10.15 a.m. each day, returning after the last race, and reaching the city about 7~p.m.

it is understood that B. I>eeley will make the trip.-south, for the Ashburton meeting, and that he will have the mount on Oxonhope jn the Ashburton Cup. in which Martin.?'tvill be ridden by J. Olsen and Snub by F. E. .7onft3.

Mr G. B. Starky has disposed of Comely to Mr H. A'. Knight. Tho Gluten mare is a speedy galloper, who may add to her winning record before the end of the season.

Iviltess met with some injuries whiletaking part in the Gimcrack Handicap on Easter Monday, when 6ho ran second to Red Charm, and she will require a rest. Tremona, another of "W. H. Thomson's team, will also have to be spelled, as the result of a mishap on the eve of the Canterbury Jockey Club's meeting. •

Marc Anthony is unlikely to do any more racing this season. The son of Yarco has had a busy .time since the spring, and after his success in the Great Autumn Handicap, it has been decided to give Mm a rest for a couple of months. Nothing definite has been decided on regarding nest, season, but it is possible that W. IT, Thomson will take Mm to Australia in the spring, in which case he may be given an opportunity to earn further distinction in the Melbourne Cup.

There are fewer yearlings at liiccarton just now than is usually the case at tliis-season of the-year. Those already handled are Sir George Clifford's filly, Full Speed, by San Francisco—-Safe-guard : Mr G. D. Greenwood's Australian colt, bv Comedy King—Air Motor; Mr A. W.'Rutherford, jun.'s filly, by Kilbronev—Orange Pippin: and the Elysian—Lady Gwen filly, in W. M'Donald's sta-ble. It is early yet to know much of them, but they are a promising quartet.

The Australian-bred mare. Scotch Melody, bv Scottish King—Busy Girl, lias been sold by M. Hobbs to Mr J. B. Reid, and she has retired to the stud, where she will probably be mated with Kilbroney next season. ,

The AuckHnd steeplechaser, Dogger Bank, injured O.e of his shoulders while contesting the Chevalier Steeplechase at Avondale last week, and it was found necessary to destroy him.

When Melodist fell in the Hack Hurdle Handicap on the first day of the Feilding meeting, he broke a leg and was destroyed.

An unfortunate mistake occurred in working out the dividends on the Rewa Hack Handicap at ,the Feilding meeting, as a. result of which the club lost about £7OO.

The. Gisborne sportsman. Mr A. B. Williams, was present at the Auckland Racing Club's Easter meeting, at which Chortle and Multiply were successful in the chief handicaps. • It is stated' that this is the first time he has seen Chortle race this season.

The St Peter gelding. Bonny, has been sold bv Mr E. Short, of Feilding, to Mr S. A. Ra/ivdon, and he was shipped to Melbourne last week. Though he does not stay well, Bonny is a useful performer over country, and he should pay his way in short-distance steeplechases hi Victoria.

R. Johnson, of Xew Plymouth, is getting several' promising youngsters into shape. The most likely-lookrog one of the bunch is a two-year-old sister to Toa Tere, by Mnniapoto—Gallantry.

Tos Augelos bns. been nominated for the winter meeting of the Egmont Racine- Club. The son of San Francisco—l,n Valiere was a high-class performer in his best day.-, hut lie is now rising twelve years, find has- not raced for more than two years.

The Chevalier Steeplechase, on the first day of the Avoudale meeting last week, provided more than its full share of sensations. Prince Eddie felll at the second fence, and Dogger Bank refused at the fourth. Taihape was making a bold show in the second round', but lie came to grief at the stand double, bravest fo-t his rider m the back stretch, while Spulpevion. who was well in front, ran round :\ fence in the third round. He was sent back over the fence he had missed, but he could not overhaul Captain Jack. The Avnndale Steeplechase' course i- neither difficult nor tricky, and for a cross-country race there to end in a fiasco' is considerd inexplicable. The Mount i'Jden Steeplechase, decided oyer the same ground on Saturdav. nrovidod a great contrast, as there was nor ;: sinjrle ni'stako.

Dnwnham seems N» hare a liking for the Ellcrslie course. He has competed' at four meetings <tt _ rlv headquarters of the Auckln?id 'Racing Club, and has won at three of them.

MulHngar had a lot of friends for the leading handicaps at the Auckland Racing Chib's meeting, but ran badly each day. As a result, his success in the Avondale Handicap ks t . week came somewhat as n. surprise.

Mr T. H. Lowry had an unusual experience at the recent autumn .meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club, ns he failed to win a race. It is about the first experience of tin* kind he has had this season. Tete-a-Tete carried h.r big weights in good style each day, but. the best she could do vas lo finish serond in the TVmpleiou Handier!').

(By ARQTJSO

Balboa occupied a similar position in the Great Autumn Handicap, hi which be ran one of the best races of Ins career. He has been infirm for some time and did very little work after racing at Trentham earlier in bne month. .

Mr G. Hunter, M.P.. used Indigos half-brother, AH Brown, by Birkenhead—Mungista, for stud purposes during two or three seasons, and ho is understood to have son* _ promising youngsters by this sire running at his station.

Powder King, who won the Two-vear-old Handicap at Waipukurau on Easter Monday, is by King s GuestGold Powder, by Gold Reef—Peaxl Powder. He was bred by Mr G. P. Donnellv and was purchased a? ft yearling for'2o guineas. He is now a cheap horse, as tho stake was worth iliu, while his owner-lifted about £250 from tho totalisator. Powder King, who was the outsider of the field, is trained by F. Lind.

The steeplechaser Royal Medal broke his hack while competing at Riyerton last week. He was a fair performer m moderate company.

Soult's sons are making a h\t of a name as ■ sires. The latest to earn distinction are Marengo (Soult— Sybil), who sired Starengo, a winner _at tho Wairarapa meeting; and Waikaranga "(Soult—Dums), who was responsible for Tarero, winner of the Autumn Steeplechase at Ellerslie and the Mount Eden Steeplechase at Avondalc.

In England in July, there is to bo a dispersal stale, of the stallions, brood mares, foals and yearlings at Cobham, unless some younger men join Mr "W. Allison (" Special "Commissioner ") in a renewal of tho lease of that Rtud, which expires at the end of the year. However, fflving'to tho depreciation of the value of bloodstock in England, Mr Allison may have difficulty in finding support for such a venture.

From Germany comes word that tho Hanover Racing Club has passed a rule that all jockeys of alien birth who arc not subjects of allied States will this season have to carry olb extra in all races, inclusive of handicaps, except when they are riding for the stables which by agreement have the first call on their services. This is understood to be aimed at American jockeys, like Archibald and Kerb. The latter is of German descent, but, being born in the States, is an alien. Archibald is first jockey to Freiherr vou Oppenheim, and Korb holds a similar post in tbc Herren von Weinberg's establishment. " Deutscber Sport." says that, to bo logical, the same thing should apply when the Americans are riding for their own "first-call" stables, tho more especially as they are more likely to win on horses which they have ridden at exercise on various occasions than when they have the leg-up on strange mounts.

In some notes on the conditioning of stallions tho "Special Commissioner'' of the London "Sportsman," says that, the life of a travelling staliion is' healthier than that of one who remains at home all the season. In supportthereof he instances the case of a King's Premium stallion who covered over 100 mares during his travels last season. His owner had 11 mares of his own. and never troubled the horse with them until Saturday afternoons, when the week's travelling and its consequent duties were accomplished, but each of tho 11 proved in foal. Ho then continues: "I remember seeing a more primitive system adopted with oM Brayley, a good Prince Charlie horse, who used to travel in Sussex. Ho was owned by an American, veterinary surgeon, who used to tie him to the* tail of his pony-trap, behind which the old horse trotted without any trouble whatever, and the exercise kept him in rare condition. If we could "only bring ourselves to consider valuable stallions a.s of no more account than a casual purchase at' a country fair they could, doubtless be exorcised in these simple wars to much more purpose than they usually are Not that any treatment is really effective with horses that, are constitutionally poor foalgetters. [ remember trying all manner of ways with Aurum, who one season used to carry a heavv man to see hounds meet, and was otherwise kept. » s fit as might .be. but it was all no use About one mare out of five would be in foal, and the exasper ating feature of it was that the few foals ho wrotl, such ns Aurina, were really good. UL