SPORTING GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11717, 6 June 1916, Page 5

SPORTING GOSSIP.

(By AKQTJ&)

FIXTURES. Juno f—Auckland Racinsr Club. Juno S—Ashburton Trotting Club. Juno 15. 17—Gisboruo Racing Club. Juno 23, 21 —Napier Park Racine Club. June 30, July I—Hswke's Bay Jookey Club. July 13, 13, 15—Wellinatou Racins Club. July 20 —South Canterbury Hunt. AußUst 15, 17. 19—Canterbury Jockey Club. Riccarton stable 9 have contributed a fair share to various drafts of reill " forcements since tho beginning or tho •war, and there have been several more enlistments lately. •F. "Woods and (*. Roqhfort, from "W. H. Thomson s stable, have both passed tho necessary tests, while H. R. Davies and W. Harrison, from* G. Murray-Aynsley s stable, enlisted this week. The tan track at Riccarton has had a fresh coating of tan in preparation for the winter months, when it will be much in request among tlyj trainers. Aliform (0. M'Sovcney) was schooled over the two pony hurdles this morning and gave a satisfactory display of jumping. / W. H. Thompson has broken in tho yearling colt Hands Off, by Antagonist —Prudish. Two batches of yearlings were on the tracks this morning, four from Cutt.g Brothers' team and five from R. J. Mason's, and they were given steady work on the sand. . . i T. Holmes has taken Kingsway and TJmeraboy in hand, and they will be got ready for jumping races during tho winter. Jeannot, who has had an easy time for a few months, is again in active commission. H. Ellis is beginning to hurry him along, and he is moving well in his work.

, Daylight Bill has not done, any work since ho returned from the Wingatui meeting. He has been causing his trainer, F. T. Smith, some anxiety, and it may bo found necessary to throw the Stronghold gelding out of 1 commission.

Emperador has thrown off the lameness which troubled him ai Wanganui. Though he is now walking quite soundly, however, his trainer, R. J. Mason, is by no means sanguine about his chance of getting the brilliant gelding to stand another preparation.

It- is probable that Nones will be nominated this week for some of the big spring races in Australia. ' The Comedy King—Air Motor yearling may also be put into a number of Australian events." He is an early foal, and this fact should be a asset for spring two-v£ar-old events. , v lt is, however, by no means certain yet that R. J. Mason will take any of Mr G. IX Greenwood's horses to Australia this year. ( / i

M. Hobbs will leave this .week for Svciney "with Heval, Silent rie Peg, Deltorao and Down. He will be accompanied by R. M'Seveney, who will do the riding on the jumpers in the team.,

Dan Cameron will be given a chance to earn distinction in jumping events this winter, and at present he is being qualified as a hunter.

The Glenapp—Remorse gelding ?n F. D. Jones's stable, is being _ hunted, with a view to qualifying for jumpers' races.

F. Christmas has Slogan and the Glenapp—Ecarte two-year-old in steady work again, after a spqjl.

Bore is making a good recovery from the mishap to his shoulder,'which prevented him from * the .second day of tho Oamaru meeting, but he will probably be given a spell for a few months before he is into ■.vork again.

Malvolia has been recommissioned, Rnd will be got ready for spring engagements.

Mr Thomas Holmes, who died on Sunday afternoon, was well known among sportsmen of the old school. He rared a number of horses many years • ago. ancl owned Queen Bee, from whom lie bred Slow Tom. Ability and Beaby .(dam of Redowa and Brooksdale). For some time past he had resided with his son, F. Holmes, the well-known Riccarton trainer, and his health had not been good for several years.

Mr G. -D. Greenwood left last week nn a visit to Australia. _ The stallion Danube, by Martian—Neva, was sent f"0 Australia by the game boatt and will bo used as a station sire on Mr Greenwood's Queensland station. Danube has been extensively used by Mr Greenwood at his Teviotdale stud, but ! so far he has not proved a great success as a sire.

Two Ricearton-trained horses were successful in the _ North Island _ yesterday, Samisen winning at Otaki and San Sebastian at Auckland.

; Harbour Light, who won the Jumpers' Flat Handicap, at the Auckland Racing Club's meeting on Saturday, w"<! successful in the same eveut last year.

Flying Start was left at.tho post in the Prince of Wales Handicap at the Auckland meeting yesterday.

Rosanna, winner or .the Alderman Cup at Adelaide yesterday, is a sister to Orvieto, who won the sane race last year. Both mares won in the colours of their breeder, Mr J. V. Smith, one of the leading studraastcrs of Victoria and the owner of Wallace. 1 1

Acceptances for the A,shburton Trotting Club's meeting, to be held on Thursday, will close to-night, at nine o'clock.

The leading clubs of Australia will take nominations to-day for the big spring handicaps, while yearling nominations are also duo for classic races.

The Government tax in connection with the Canterbury Park Trotting Club's meeting amounted to £IOO2 12s, dividend tax £682 Bs, and tax on stakes £2G 19s.

Roseal. who unexpectedly defeated Treadmill in the Canterbury Derby, in 1003, died recently at Wtiiniami, Bay of Plenty. He fell over » wire fence and broke Ins neel:. Re-seal was by Handsome Jack —'10.-fMnid. by Albany —Red Rose, by .I:aiiucer. so that Ik* came from a very success!ill racing iamilv. His form pfto; his Derby success was moderate, and little had been heard of him for a time \ill news cams of his death.

Bercola was in a bad way after the Wanganui Steeplechase and his chance of standing another preparation is considered verv remote.

B. Deeley has appealed to tho Auckland District Committee against tho suspension inflicted on him by the Judicial Committee of the Auckland Racing Ciub. and the appeal will bo heard this week.

is reported from tho south thofc [ Korke's Drift may be schooled over

RACING AiiD TROTTIG NOTE

hurdles. With his pace, stamina and weight-carrying ability, lie should make a champion, provided ho takes at all kindly to the obstacles. Undecided was among tho acceptors for the Otaki meeting, but lie failed to stand a preparation and it is doubtful if ho will bo further persevered with. Wellwood, who won the Hack and Hunters' Steeplechaso at Wingatui on Saturday, is a general utility horse, who occasionally docs duty in the shafts of a hansom cab in Dunedin. Crib was responsible for two fine performances at Wingatui last week, and at present he stands out as easily the best hurdler in the' South Island, while it is doubtful if many of the northern jumpers could concede him much weight. / Findhorn met with his share of bad luck in tho Provincial Handicap at Wingatui on Saturday. He lost some ground at tho start and got a bad passage later in the contest. Tho Wairarapa horse, Franbonnet, by San Fran—Sunbonnct, was rundown by a motor-car last week. He had a leg fractured and was destroyed.

El Gallo was responsible for a noti able performance at Elleagpie yesterday, -when he won the Great Northern Steeplechase, following on Ms success, on tne first day, iu the Great Northern Hurdle | Handicap. He thus equalled his record of tho previous year, by capturing 'tho Great Northern • double. Liberator won the eamS" double in 1895, but since that tinip tho feat has not been 'accomplished, save by El Gallo, whose performance, in winning these two events two years_ in succession, is of quite an exceptional character. It is interesting "to note that, in the interval between 1895 and 1915 not many winners of the hurdle'race took on the steeplechase. .St Simon, Irish and Napper were the only exceptions and they all failed to gain a place in thk cross-country event. On tho other hand, a few of the steeplechase winners had previously failed in tho hurdle' race, lamong them boing Moifaa, liiatore, Haydn and Bercola. Of this lot Haydn went very close to the double, as he was second in fhe hurdle race. In 1908 Sol showed up prominently in both events, being second to Waipu in tho hurdle race and second to Loch Fyne in the steeplechase. The results all go to show that the task of capturing tho Great Northern double is one not to be lightly undertaken, and they make tho performances of El Gallo appear very impressive. When he won last year he figured on tho minimum in both races, but this year he had 10st 131b in the hurdle race and list olb in tho steeplechaso. so that he was set a much more difficult task. In the interval, however, (he hai shown great improvement as a performer on the fiat, and his ability, as a .galloper stood him well, especially in the steeplechase, which he won in very hollow fashion. He made one faulty jump.in the crosscountry event, but otherwise ho seems to have given a good exhibition. What makes the record of El Gallo all tho more remarkable is the fact that he was making his first appearance over country when he wop the Great Northern Steeplechase last year, and during the intervening twelve months he had_ not taken part in a steeplechase; in fact, his two Great Northern races mark the only occasions on which he has competed in steepletfEase events.

" Since racing in the Derby at the New Brighton Club's meeting, Cello Sydney Wilkes has gone on in his training satisfactorily, showing little signs of lameness, and if he remains sound he may be seen racing at Ashburton this week.

Tho Auckland-owned trotter Blackthorn, by Willowwood—Wattle, arrived from the North last week and lias gone into M. Edwards's stable. Blackthorn was bred by Mr W. Kerr, and was sold to go to Auckland about two years ago. Tho horse has gradually improved, and ia_now above the average trotter. He will be. raced at tlie August meeting at provided lie trains on satisfactorily.

The pacer Elrosa, who has been out of commission for some time, is again j,n work.

I saw a promising two-year-old filly VWildwood Junr.-—Bessie's Child recently. The dam of the youngsteHs by Rothschild—Bessie 8., by Young Irvington. dam Minto, by Berlin. Bessie B. was a smart pacer in her. clay, but so far her progeny has not been a great success on the lipce track. I understand the Wildwood Junr. filly is to be put into work shortly.

I saw the, recently imported Australian stallion, Sir Fulham, last week. The horse .was purchased by Mr J. Fleming during his recent trip to Sydney. Sir Fulham has come to the front quite recently, by some good performances accomplished 011 Sydney tracks, and is a good-looking paceaf He is not .1 big one. but shows a lot of Quality. Possibly because Hnrdy Wilkes, who is by the same tire. Marvin Wilkes, had shown such a fine turn of Kneed as a trotter, the owner of Our Thorpe decided to have another of that horsed progeny. Sir Fulham had a very rough trip across the Tnsraan Sea, being 011 the Manuka, but he landed without a scratch of any kind, and looks fit to race at once. The horse claims engagements at fhe Ashbnrton Trotting Club's meeting this week, but it has not yet been decided to race him.

During the week ZVFr E. Lelievre sold his Amcr'cnn horse Great Audubon to Mr R. M'Millnn. The horse was purchased by his present owner during his last trip to America for Mr Lelievre. and made. his lirst. appearance at the New Brighton Trotting Club's meeting in April of last year, when lie. won in fine style, creating a most- favourable impression. A few weeks later he raced at. Canterbury Park unsuccessfully. He was not .seen out a train until he won the Wellington Trotting Cup in January, when he was raced as a pacciffc He was entered for the Syduey Thousand, which was contested at Easter this year, and would have made the trip

but for the fact that Mr M'Millan, his trainer, was taken ill and could nob take the horse to Sydney. Returning to the trotting gait, he was started at the last New Brighton meeting. On the first day he ran indifferently, but he came out on tho second day and won in great style. He finished third on tho first day of the Canterbury Pnrlr drib's meeting to King Capitalist and Madam Shaw. Although showing a decided inclination to pace, Great Audubon is a fine, free, bold trotter, and it will he a pity if he is to join tho hoppled' division. A splendidly bred horse, being by the great American sire Peter the Great, he was much admired 011 It's arrival in the Dominion, and he shouilt after his racing career is finished, have a most successful career at the stud. AUSTRALIAN JOCKEY CLUfe. | By Telegraph—Preas Association—Copyright. SYDNEY. Juno 5. The weather was fine for the Australian Jockey Club's mee'in" and there was a larcro uttendance. The following was the result of the WINTER HANDICAP, of 750 B ova. One mile and three furlongs. Mr T. C. Trantwein's b h Bursar, by Sir Geoffrey—Buttery, iyrs . ~. . i Mr F. Foy's b h Christian Brother, by Somethins Irish—Charmed Life? fiyra 2 Mr M. Mulcahv'a br m Galtea Queen, by Bobadil—Vibrate. syrs . ... 3 Sovente-en horses 6tar!ed. Won by n, length. Time—2min 20soc. ADELAIDE RACING CLUB. ADELAIDE, June 5. At the Adelaide Racine: Club's meeting, tho following was the result of tho ALDERMAN CUP, of f»00 bovs. Ono milo and three-quarters. Mr «J. V: Smith's ch f Rosanna, by Wallace— Ophir, 3yrs 1 Mr T. Kpily's br h Juan Femandejf, by The/Caafaway—Rock Crystal, oyrs . 2 Mr W. Hopwood's b k Ixonßoronfr, by Andria—lmogen, syrs . . . 3