Topics of the Turf

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 926, 22 November 1933, Page 10

Topics of the Turf

l 7 \: SC) {Vanni/VD News man emery”!!! Q . ELEV) LIT/.‘_VIL-o 'n

JJ ANDICAPS for the Ashburton County Racing Club’s meeting are due on Saturday. Acceptances will close on Tuesday. CLEVERLY NAMED.

W'erohia, who created a favourable impression at Hastings, again shaped promisingly at Carterton on Saturday when he was second to Sanguine King. He also had two races last season. Werohia is cleverly named. He is a three-year-old bay colt by Greyspear from Huirau, and the meaning of his dam‘s name is to attack. \Verohia means to attack with a spear. GORDON RICHARDS.

Gordon Richards is a Yorkshireman. His father was a miner, but later kept ponies for hire at Oakengates, near Shrewsbury. At fourteen and a half Gordon started work in the office of a mine. Two girl clerks in the same office noticed an advertisement by the trainer Martin Hartigan for an apprentice. They helped Gordon to write the application, which proved successful. Richards is very abstermious. During his apprentice years he used to smoke thirty cigarettes a day. He found that they were affecting his wind, and cut them out. His chief hobby is now probably pigeon racing. He keeps 150 homers.

Day Comet sired both Mia Stella and Ruby Meteor, first and second in the Waimai Hurdle Race at Te Rapa on Saturday. TRENTHAM’S NEXT.

It is understood that the programme for the Wellington summer meeting will be the same as that of last year, though changes in the order of running some of the races are contemplated. WHENUAKURA’S SISTER.

Secrecy, the three-vear-old sister to Whenuakura, who won at Carterton on Saturday, is described as a well-grown, beautifully-moulded filly. Whenuakura and his sister Silver Rule are chestnuts, but Secrecy is a brown, like her brother, Chief Link, and half-brother, Silvermine. WON FIRST UP. Bambury was having his first race for the season when he won the Cambridge Handicap at Te Rapa on Saturday. He was sixth and fifth fancy. Bambury led all the way, and had half a length to spare from Jonathan at the finish. APPRENTICE’S SUCCESS. N. R. M’Kenzie, the apprentice who on Saturday, at Te Rapa, won the Waikato Cup on Master Norval and the Taupiri Hack Handicap on Star Artist, is credited with riding two good races. GOOSE’S GOLDEN EGGS. Payments made in connection with the recent spring meeting of the Whangarei Racing Club disclose that the Government received £27 more than the total sum paid to horseowners. Taxation amounted to £1252 12s 6d and stakes to £1225. GAY SHEILA’S INJURY. Gay Sheila did not meet her engagement at Te Rapa on Saturday because she had struck herself two days earlier and the leg filled slightly. Her trainer, P. E. Pope,. decided that it would be wiser not to run any risks..

Silvox gave himself a knock while running in a paddock last week. The leg filled slightly and he is on the easy ‘ list. EINQUIRY HELD. l After the Hautapu Handicap at Tc lßapa on Saturday the judicial com—imittee held an inquiry into the run:ning of Ruri, who finished third. The .Chief stipendiary steward (Mr C iGomer) stated that he did not consider that Ruri was run on his merits. :After hearing the evidence, the judi--Icial committee accepted the explanation, and no action was taken. How—ever, they were of the opinion that the rider of Ruri (Cameron) did not handle his mount in an efficient manner. JOCKEY‘S \VINNINQS_.' _ His three winning rides at the V.R.C. spring meeting, which included the Melbourne Cup, brought J. O'Sullivan a cheque for £320 75. Presents would swell that amount to well over £IOOO. Mr C. B. Kellow, owner of Hall Mark. gave D. Munro £IOOO for the A.J.C. Derby win. Munro at Flemington earned a cheque for £166 35. The New Zealanders, Maurice M’Carten and T. W'ebster, earned £76 145 and £66 115 respectively in riding fees. While the Maribyrnong Plate was being run, E. Bartle was being paid at the rate of eighteen shillings a second—his riding fee for the race being £sl 155. ‘ * 4' * * Gay Crest, who has not raced this season, is in regular exercise at Riccarton. OLD-TIME JOCKEYS.

Fred Archer Was Hard on His Mounts. One feature of the riding of Gordon Richards is that he is not hard on his mounts. Horses that he has ridden in a hard finish are unmarked after- , wards. In Fred Archer’s time, jockeys rode with long spurs and used whips twice as heavy as those employed today. D. A. Scott, writing in the London “Evening News,” says: “Gordon Richards s attack upon Fred Archer’s record of 246 winners in a season his turned the limelight upon jockeys of the past. For years the good jockeys averaged one win in four mounts, but Archer one year brought his average up to two wins in every five races. Archer had the same genius as Richards has for understanding individual horses. Instinctively he recognised the peculiarities of those he had to ride.

There can be little doubt that he took it out of his horses as no other jockey did; he seemed not to worrv at all about what happened to his mounts after the run. His whip and spur took all the racing keenness out of some two-year-olds. It must be said in his favour, though, that he was never harsh with mounts that could be persuaded peacefully to give of their best.

Great as was Archer’s knowledge of horses, it could not compare with that of his outstanding rival, George Fordham whose seat was in direct contrast to the setting-back one adopted by Archer. Fordham, a man deficient in education, knew his job from A to Z. His ugly riding rather suggested that this was not so until you perceived his gentleness with horses of all ages. Fordham taught Tom Cannon much—this was admitted by Cannon—but Cannons grace in the saddle was as obvious as was Fordham’s inelegance. . Tom Cannon and his son Mornmgton, believed in waiting tactics durmg a race, but they were to see i*«SV de £ S from America 1897 by Tod Sloan. In his races Sloan went off from the beginning and came right through. And he rode many winners. Following his triumphs, the beginning of this century saw a big invasion by United States jockeys. It was rather startling to find the Americans adopting Fordham’s forward seat, and still more surprising to find that they bequeathed the stjrie to British jockeys as a whole. The American seat, as it was called, was taken up both in Britain and France. Perhaps in justice, it should have been called the Fordham seat.” ANXIOUS HOURS. Hall Mark’s Stall Was Like Hospital. It was not until 1.30 p.m. on the day of the race that it was decided to run Hall Mark in the Melbourne Cup. Last-minute efforts to get the colt fit for the big race drew large crowds to his stall in the saddling paddock. The split hoof, which had given such trouP Je ' w »s ministered to all the mornmg The stall resembled a hospital ward corner, with bandages, lotions, ointment cotton-wool, and supplies of hot towels. ♦ Three and four deep, people stood for hours watching patiently—as patiently as Hall Mark himself stood with his in]ured hoof lightly touching the ground wnile bandages were applied. Three races were run, but many were too interested in the chestnut to worry about other digressions. Mr Kellow and the trainer, J. Holt, stood by with anxious faces.’ S- O. Wood, veterinary surgeon examined Hall Mark after the morning gallop. He thought that while it might not be quite advisable to start him, he expressed the opinion no real harm was likely to result. From the time of Hall Mark’s arrival at the course, his stall was surrounded by admirers. His every movement was noticed and criticised. Shortly before 2.30 p.m. Hall Mark was taken out of his stall. He then showed unmistakable signs of a limp hacing fixtures, November 25—Levin Racing Club. November-r.O, December 2—Folding J.C. I •ecember 1,2 —Winton Jockey Club. December 2—Ashburton Countv R.C. December 2, 4—Takapunn Jor-kev Club December 9. 11 —Woodville District J C. December 16— Mororata Racing Club (hi Riccarton ). December 16—Napier Park Racing Club. December 16—-Waipa Racing Club.