TOPICS of the Turf

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 732, 8 April 1933, Page 12

TOPICS of the Turf

s'’ OTeS />ND HFWS FROM FVFRFWHERC

will close at 9 p.m. on Monday for the Greymouth Jockey Club’s meeting on April 21 and 23. * * Jfc * Nominations for the Westland Racing Club’s meeting at Hokitika on April 19 close at 8.30 p.m. on Monday. The Telegraph Office at Hokitika closes at 5 p.m., but the telephone service is continuous. * * * * Nominations for the Reefton Jockey Club’s meeting on April 26 will close at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. * * * * Acceptances for the Kumara Racing Club’s meeting close at 9 p.m. on Thursday. FOR A SACK OF POTATOES. Kellsboro Jack was the second winner of the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree to be sired by Jackdaw, Grakle being the other. The only stallion to sire three winners of this event was Ascetic. Cloister, who won in 1893, had been second in 1891 and 1892. Drumcree, 1903, and Ascetic’s Silver, 1906, were the other sons of Ascetic to succeed. Hopeless as a racehorse, Ascetic spent his stud career in Ireland, where, for about twenty years, every good jumper was stated to be by Ascetic. His services in his early days were sometimes obtained for a sack of potatoes. * * * * Two of the horses who remain in the Canterbury Champagne Stakes, June the Third and The Masquerader, are acceptors for the Russley Plate, on the same day. ANTIQUE AMISS.

Owing to trouble in one of his forelegs Antique was blistered after his victory in the Victoria Park Handicao in Sydney on March 22, and he is to be spelled. Antique was bought by Mr E. Moss for £6OO in Wellington last January, and a Sydney writer states that although the owner had to take a short price the bay’s win returned his purchase-money. AN EASTER PROSPECT.

The Taranaki gelding Aga Khan, after proving expensive to his admirers more than once early in the season, has struck his best form lately. J-Te is being talked of as worth following wherever he may race at Easter.

In addition to being in the Great Easter Handicap, Spoon and Mount Boa have been left in the Courtenay Handicap, run over the same distance, while True Shaft is another with a second engagement, as he is in the Sockburn Handicap. GOOD CJ.C. FIELDS. Most satisfactory was the outcome of the taking of acceptances and final payments for the - Canterbury Jockey Club’s autumn meeting last evening. Unless the downpour which has held away so long chooses Easter Monday for its arrival in Christchurch, the club should make an excellent beginning with this fixture. For the first day, the acceptances in every case save one show an increase on the 1932 figures. The exception is the Russley Plate, but in that it is merely a matter of sixteen acceptors as compared with 17. ENCOURAGING DISPLAY. On Tuesday morning at Ellerslie Claremore was schooled over the steeplechase fences on the flat, and, though inclined to get up a bit high at some of the fences, his display was very encouraging. Since going to Ellerslie some time ago Claremore’s preparation has been checked on several occasions, but J. Lambess has been very patient with the bay gelding, and a * change of luck is now overdue. Claremore has done plenty of serviceable work on the flat during the w past month and will not require a great amount of racing to enable him to produce his best form. * * * * The sixteen horses for whom the first acceptance was paid in the Great I Easter Handicap, survived the final payment last night, while Gustavo was the only one to drop out of the Great Autumn Handicap. The two races look very open and they are likely to pro- ' vide keen contests. ON THE EASY LIST. As the result of an injury to one of his feet, Gay Broney has had to be eased up in his work, which is unfortunate, as the son of Kilbroney was just beginning to show his true form. The trouble is not expected to prove serious, but the halt in his preparation may prevent his being at his best at Ellerslie. J. D. Kemp has not had the - best of luck with Gay Broney during the past few months, for this promising three-year-old has previously suffered from minor injuries on other occasions. VISITORS FOR RICCARTON. Among the horses from training centres other than Riccarton included in the C.J.C. acceptances are Eminent, | Red Manfred, Might, Cottesmore, Pegged Exchange, Ruling Light, Irish Lancer. Merry Peel, Palermo, June the Third. Trivet, Wealth, Strong Light, Kemal Pasha, Indicate, Mount Boa, Silver Streak, Knocklong, Princess Argosy, Cleaner, Traylavah, Bell Hill and . Guarantee. Mr J. M. Samson’s horses in this list have completed their pre(parations at Riccarton. * * * * Six of the candidates for the Great Easter Handicap are eligible to comt pete on the second day in the Great I Autumn Handicap, the list being made up of Gay Crest, Great Star, Ruling Light, Martian Chief, Princess Argosy and Rebel Song. The last horse to win the double was Grand Knight, in 1926. , Lady Lillian was successful in 1903, repeating the performance of her dam, Lady Zetland, nine years earlier. RACING FIXTURES: April 8, 10—Westport J.C. April 15, 17—Beaumont and Tuapeka combined. April 15—Hawke’s Bav J.C. April 15, 17—Wairarana R.C. | April 15 .17—Feilding J.C. April 15, 17—Auckland R.C. April 15, 17, 18 —Riverton R.C. April 17—Waipukurau J.C. April 17—Kumara R.C. April 17. 18—Canterbury J.C. April 19—Westland R.C. April 21. 22—Greymouth J.C. April 22 —Hawke’s Bay J.C. April 22, 24—Avondale J.C. April 26—Reefton J.C. April 26—Marton J.C.

Declaration of final forfeits left only two opponents for Silver Scorn in the Great Northern St Leger, while she will have three to oppose her in the Great Northern Oaks. Eighteen, including Golden Wings have remained in the Easter Handicap. Billy Boy, winner of the last Grand National Steeplechase, and Royal Visitor, who distinguished himself at the same fixture, are among the acceptors for the Brighton Hurdles. Muff has stood up her ground in theEden Handicap for which the acceptors number 24. ABOUT EMINENT.

Eminent, who will be K. Voitre s mount in the Great Autumn Handicap, has shown the best form of his career in recent months. He is a five-year-old chestnut gelding by Leighton from Exclusive, by Boniform from Class, by Wallace (son of Carbine) from La Tosca, by Robinson Crusoe. Eminent did not race at two years. In fourteen starts at three years, he won once, was four times third and nine times unplaced. At four years, he won thrice, was four times second, thrice third, and fourteen times unplaced—a total of twenty-four starts. This season he h a s started twenty times for four wins, five seconds, three thirds, and eight times unplaced. He w*as successful over seven furlongs at Carterton on November 19. In his last six starts he has won thrice, been second twice and unplaced once. At the Taranaki meeting, on February 10 and 11, he won the Cup, one mile and a quarter, from Aga Khan and Gibraltar, also the Paul Memorial, nine , furlongs, from Royal Bengal and Green Linnet He was runner-up to High Falutin in the Earle Stakes at Wanganui, one mile and a quarter, on February 17, and won the Wanganui Handicap over the same distance on the following day. At Trentham on March 17, Eminent was unplaced* in the Thompson Handicap. On the next day he was second with 7st 111 b to Princess Argosy, 7st, in the Autumn Handicap, one mile and three furlongs. Shatter, 8?t 81b, was third, and Cay Cuest, 9st, ourth. Princess Argosy led all the way. Shatter went in pursuit of her in the straight, but tired, arl Eminent beat him for second by a head, with Gay Crest a head away. WRONG ONE WINS A DERBY. La Tosca, maternal great granddam of Eminent, was the dam of F.J.A., the “ pony " by Wallace, who won the Victoria Derby of 1903. a race whereby there hangs a tale. James Scobie saddled up three of the field of five. His trio comprised F.J.A. and Sweet Nell, who had just previously won the Caulfield Cup, and Emir. The two first-nam-ed were owned by Sir Rupert Clarke, whose brother, Mr E. E. D. Clarke, owned Emir. Emir, ridden bv W. H. Ross, was a slightly better favourite than Sweet Nell, ridden by R. Lewis. A. Richardson,, on F.J.A.. had the task of pacemaking. The other riders expected him to come back to them. When they realised that Richardson intended to keep going it was too late and F.J.A. won easily from Sweet Nell. There was much trouble in the camp. Miss Nellie Stewart, after whom the filly was named, was then playing “Sweet Nell of Old Drury" at the Princess Theatre. It had been arranged that she should present a whip to the winning jockey in the Derby at the theatre that evening, but after F. ’s victory that arrangement was cancelled. All the same, F.J.A. was a really good little one. In the following autumn he was runner-up to Scottish King in the V.R.C. St Leger with Sweet Nell third and he won both the V.R.C. All Aged Stakes and the South Australian St Leger. IN AN ENGLISH WINTER. Twenty days’ racing has been lost during the present National Hunt season in England owing to weather conditions. The meetings abandoned were: December 10, Carlisle, frost; January 17, Birmingham, snow; January 23 and 24, Derby, frost; January 25, Chelmsford, frost; January 26, Taunton, frost; January 27 and 28, Newbury, frost; January 30 and 31, Leicester, frost: February 1, Sandown Park, frost; February 18, Kelso, snow and frost; February 20, Derby, frost; February 23, Newbury, frost; February 24 and 25, Lingfield Park, snow; February 24 and 25, Manchester; February 27 and 28, Birmingham, snow and floods. GREAT BROOD MARE RECALLED. Golden Warbler, who won the mile and a half Moonee Ponds Handicap all the way at Moonee Valley (Melbourne) on March 25, is a granddaughter of Golden Slipper. She is by Magpie from Golden Cello, a daughter of Montecello (son of Desmond) and Golden Slipper. At the sale of Mr G. G. Stead’s racing and breeding studs in Canterbury in August, 1908, Golden Slipper (Multiform-Aura) was sold to the late Mr W. E. White, of Belltrees (New South Wales) for 4500 guineas. Golden Slipper proved very dear at the price, though she won a couple of races. Aura, her dam, was a sister to the Caulfield Cup winner Sainfoin and was bought by Mr Stead for 500 guineas at the St Albans (Victoria) dispersal sale in 1909. As the dam of Auraria, winner of the Melbourne Cup. Aurum, and Auriferous (winner of the Williamstown Cup), Aura had already made a great name for herself. Aurarius, dam of Desert Gold, was of Aura. At another recent Moonee Valley meeting, the Aura line met with further success with the Australianbred sire, Manfred, sharing the honours. The first division of the two-year-old handicap was won by Chunni Lall, by Manfred from Clarehaven, by Lucknow from Auraria’s daughter, by Pistol from Auraria. while the second division was won by Perfumery, by Manfred from Golden Emblem, by Pistol from Silver and Gold, by Broken Hill from Auraria. LASTS WELL, B. Carslake, a leading jockey in England for many years, who has been riding successfully in India during the English winter, has been wearing racing colours for a long time. Twentyeight years ago he won the A.J.C. Doncaster Handicap on Famous. A number of the jockeys who rode against him on that occasion are dead, among these being James Barden, T Clayton and W. H. Smith. The lastnamed two were killed in race accidents.