TURF NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXV, Issue 21, 25 November 1905, Page 18

TURF NOTES.

Comfort was withdrawn from the Auckland Steeplechase at 1.30 o'clock on Monday.

Weights for the Auckland Cup and Railway Handicap are due on Friday next, the 17th inst.

Tuakitua, the half brother to Kingswood, by Leolantis, is now an inmate of W. Mobbcriey’s stable.

The Waioeka Jockey Club will race on March 9th, and will have a programme similar to their last.

Inspiration has changed hands, being purchased by a patron of N. Cunningham's stable, and she is now in that trainer’s charge.

J. Gainsford has tired of Lady Rose, and she has been returned to her owner, Mr W. Walters, who will probably put her to the stud.

The Australian-bred stallion Patron was sold for GO guineas to go to France at the bloodstock sales at Newmarket recent-

The tenders received by the Takapuna Jockey Club fo rtheir privileges during the forthcoming seat-on \Vere practically the same as last year.

The death is reported of the brood mare Victoria, by Feve — Memento. Victoria had reached the good old age of 24 years at the time of her death.

A private letter, received from Fiji, states that Landlet, who was taken down to the Islands to win the Governor’s 1 Cup, a feat he duly accomplished, died there recently.

Mr Chadwick has been appointed handicapper t-» the Takapuna Jockey Club during Mr Evett’s illness. Mr Chadwick will also act for the Auckland Racing Club at their Summer Meeting.

The trotter Red Leaf was sold at auction on Friday by the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Co., for 20gs., Mr Rae being the purchaser. Red Wilkes was passed in at

At a recent meeting of th? Auckland Trotting Chib, W. May, the owner of Macqv.arrie, was fined £lO, and disqualified for twelve months for misconduct during the last A.T.C. spring meeting.

Mr S. Bradley’s colt Puhipuhi, by Soult— Lady Musket, seems to have gone off completely, and his displays at the A.R.C. Spring Meeting must have been sadly disappointing to his owner.

The Takapuna Jockey dub considered the licensing of bookmakers to bet on their coarse luring the forthcoming season at a meeting held on Monday afternoon, an I after discussion decided to license them as formerly.

Returned visitors from Christchurch static that Ghoorka was badly kicked prior to the start for the New Zealand Cup. This would probably account for bls bad showing in the race, in which he ran a bad last.

Before the start of the Onehunga Steeplechase last Saturday, a wager of 2 to 1 wa.; taken that at least two of the starters would, either rin off or fall. The col.irary was. howew r. the case, as the whole of the starters got round in safety.

The Penrose Hurdle Race, run at Ellerslie last Saturday, was a regular fiasco. Of the four that’went to the post, I.octi Fyiie and Vexation fell, and Imagination broke down, leaving Hakaria fo canter home nearly a couple of furlongs ahead.

The Takapuna Jockey Club has decided to open the double totaiisator at their spring mooting, and the machine will bo worked on the following events: First day, St. Andrew’s Handicap and Cheltenham Handicap: and second day, Stan tty Handl erp and Spring Handicap.

The Jubilee Cup. run at the C.J.C spring meeting, has been competed for| on six occasions, and on on ch it has beeiwwon by cither a repivsentiUlve of the mldhurst or Porirua stables. No other tranter outside Mason and Prosser has succeeded in yet turning out the winner of the event.

Seaton Delavnl ami Sonlt were the most successful sires at th« A.R.C. spring meet-

iug, each horse claiming five winners; Cyrenian and Leolantis had two each; and Menschikoff, Linstock, Reynard, Grafton, Sou'-wester. St. Paul, Muskapeer, Saracen, Flintlock, and Tasman one each.

In winning the Musket Stakes on the second day of the A.R.C. Spring Meeting, Cambrian fully bore out the good opinions formed of him after his showing in the Welcome Stakes on the opening day. Provided he goes on the right way between now and Christmas, he should prove a hard nut for the best of them to crack.

After paying a visit to Glen ora Park and inspecting the yearlings there, T. Quinlivan, Jr., private trainer to Mr E. J. Watt. the Hawke’s Bay sportsman, made an offer of SOOgns for the yearling colt by Soult —RGfii* and White, full brother to Wairiki. The offer, however, was not entertained. .

C. Planner, who has had the charge of Patience, the most successful filly in Hungary, has broken the record established by Dyer, the American trainer, when he won £21,240 in his year. Planner has already won oyer £34,000, and has a chtince of adding a couple more valuable .races to the stable account.

The displays given by Mr E. J. Watt’s two colts, King Billy & Boomerang, on the first days of the A.R.C. Spring Meeting were so disappointing that they were withdrawn from their engagements on the concluding day of the gathering, and the pair were taken back to Napier last week by the Manuka, in charge of their trainer, T. Quinlivan, Jr.

The V.R.C. starter has a very off-hand way of treating horses that do not promptly stand up to the barrier. Sometimes he leaves them wherever they are, and, of course, the owners concerned do not like it. It is, of course, a nice point how long a bad actor at the start should be waited for, and entirely a subject for the exercise of well-balanced discretion.

The Japanese Government has sent two stud .officials from Tckio to visit Europe for tlie purpose of selecting a certain number of brood mares for the formation of a Government stud on European lines. These gentlemen have visited Austria and Hungary, and appear to have a preference for small and compact mares. They hope, in time, to import their bloodstock exclusively from Europe.

Many of the jockeys riding in France have already disposed of their service for next year. George Stern will continue a., leading jockey for M. Edmond Blanc's stable, Rausch has renewed his contract with Mr W. K. Vanderbilt, and J. Reiff has given first claim to M. Caillault, while George BartbolemeAy, who has come quickly Io the front, gets a good engagement with C’ount de Fels, for whom his father trains. Bellhouse, who has completely re-’ covert d from the ae’cidenf- which spoiled a usually good average, remains with M. J. Frat.

The list of winning trainers at the recent A.R.C. meeting is headed by F. MacManeniin with three successes, C. Coleman, G. Absolom, and R. Hall had two apiece, and K. Heaton, J. B. Williamson, F. Moran, I’. Jones. I>. Monaghan. H. French, T. ('lark. J. Chaafe, jun., W. Smith. J. Twohill. C. Weal. R. Hannon. Mr Selby, Mr Brown, and Mr Morgan, one each. B. peeley was the most successful horseman, with five winning rides; 11. Sparkes, M.

Ryan, J. -Sceals, and B. Towers had tw* each; and Brown, W. Wilson, Kemp, F. Ihivis, Jiilia-ti, Deebie, Cress, Marchant, Mr Selby, Mr Tonka, and Mr-Wells eno each.

A petition Is in circulation by members of the Auckland Raring <?lub to be presented to the the carriage paddock. When the Commitee decided to remove the paddork from its former position, and so enlarge the saddling paddock, it war, generally thought it was a wise move, but evidently members do not think so, and hold they should be entitled to hifve Wheir carriages alongside the course'proper, so as if desired they could view the races without going on the stand. Were this practicable no doubt the Committee would not hesitate about tho matter, but under the circumstances it is hard to see what the Committee can do further than what they have already done.

Mr Weinberg, the German sportsman, was present at the last day of t,lie international 'gathering at Maisons-Laffite' on Friday. He possesses the best three year old in Germany with Festino, a son of Ayrshire, anil with Fols, by Hannibal, admittedly the best two year old, he will see bis colours 1 carried well in the Austrian and German Derbies. Unfortunately, Mr Weinberg has . not entered Fols in the International Criterion, to 4be decided on Saturday, the 7th October, but lie said that he hoped with Fels fit. and well to show bis i-olovrs next year in the Prix du Conseil Municipal. Mr Weinberg has secured the services of O’Connor, the American jockey, for next season.

At a meeting of the Derby Town Council recently, Councillor Blount complained Hint people interested in betting news crowded round the newspapers at the Free Library, to the exclusion of general readers. He suggested that betting news should be obliterated. Alderman Ann. the chairman of the Free Library committee, said the committee were unanimously of the opinion that it would be a very narrow minded proceeding to take the course suggested. He was not a bctt'ng man himself, but he should certainly oppose the proposal. If they could pot leave the papers inWet, they had better dispense with them altogether.

The Thames Jockey Club has no reason to be dissatisfied with the response made by owners for their summer meeting on December 26th and 27th, and the total received are probably the largest the club have yet bad. Since last season the duh have greatly improved their course, having secured a piece of ground at the northern end. This piece, which was formerly held by the natives, the club have been endeavouring to secure for some lime, and at last their efforts have been successful. Its addition does away with the sharp bend going out of the straight,,and makes a full mile course. Bevwal other improvements are also being effected, and altogether the forthcoming meeting promises to be one of the most successful, in the history of the club.

The following is a list of winning payments over the recent A.R.C. spring meeting:—Mr F. W. Arnold, £595; Mr D. O’Brien. £385; Mr A. Lennard, £300: Mr Jas. Muir. £200; Mr B. Armitage. £180; Mr Walter Davies, £180; Mrs W. Davies, £110; Mr R. Hannon, £140; Messrs Wil Ramson and ('urrie, £9O; Mr F. Selby. £130; Mr C. W. Coleman. £190; Mr J. Johnston, £9O; Mr W. A. Scott, £80; Mr W. Foss. £100; Mr L. Coleman, £9O; Mr -E. J. Watt, £35; Mr Wynn-Brown, £6O; Mr Jas. Twohill, £9O: Mr A. Telfer. £2O; Mr W. Kavanagh, £9O;. Mr W. Morgan, £4O; Mr W. L. Thomson, £35; Mr George Marshall. £5O; Mr P. Jones. £95: Mr Hussey, £l5; Mr J. J. McVickers. £10: Mr H. Cummings. £10; Mr S. Schmidt, £2O: Mr E. W. Alison. £2O: Mr B. T. Hawkins, £l5; Mr C. Weal, £10; Mr Harold Gotter, £10: Mr S. Tooman. £5; Mr J. McVickers, £2O; Mr 11. Barr, £lO. Total, £3520.

Percy Woodland, who has been for se long the idol of the French sporting public, has experienced the flekbmess of the racing crowd attracted to the different racecourses by the open-air lottery. He received such a hostile demonstration on his return to weigh in after winning the Prix de la Turble at Saint-Oucn that the stewards called on him and on the trainer of Chilperic for

an explanation, whiqh was vouchsafed iu a_ ®traightforward and must satisfactory manner. Several of the sporting Journals, referring to the hooting which whs indulged In by the outside public, regret that the Turf, which was unco a pastime .of the more select classes, should through the law which instituted the “Mutual Betting’’ have fallen into the hands of mere gamblers. The general public, which has more than once asserted its right to control the policy of stewards and owners, threatens to drive a wav that patronage without which the Turf cannot exist. Such is the state of things in France at the moment. Some surprise was occasioned in racing circles last week owing to the non-appear-ance of the acceptances for the third day ot the A.R.C. spring meeting the morning after they fell due. Inquiries made elicited the fact that they wore purposely withheld by the officials of the club, in order to prevent certain persons from issuing a n< n-official card, which it was stated had interfered witii the sale of the race books. 'J he taking of such a step without having the matter considered by the committee was one that is to be regretted, and were it to occur again, might (to’ the club considerable harm. The committee, however, when consulted .did not take long to take a couimonseiise view of the matter,- and Immediately gave instructions to have the acceptances posted without delay,* which was accordingly done. It is to be hoped for the prestige of the club that in future the committee will lay down a hard and fast rule to the effect that (until they decide to the contrary) no official be allowed to take upon himself suclr a proceeding, which not only brings the club into ridicule, but’ might cause it serious financial loss.

A London paper says that M. Edmond Blanc has been just annoyed at the intentions attributed to him by certain English journals, whose correspondents appear to have given free rein to their imaginations. He declared that he has never even contemplated such a step as transferring his racing stable to England or of abandoning the French meetings, where his colours have so often been successful. The question of the new regulations regarding the bookmakers and their dispersal has never led to ativ expression of opinion on his part. They cannot affect him. as he Is not. what some Imagine, a “pluugefy’ Mi Blanc rarely bets in England save when any horse carrying his colours runs and possesses a chance, and then, following the example of other owners, lie may risk n few hundreds. The suppression of -bookmakers cannot, therefore. In any way affect him. as he Is-not a regular attendant In the ring and is only to •be seen on the racecourse when he has a horse running in- an important race. .Consequently, the Intention attributed to him of quitting hts own country to race abroad In England, owing to the Government haying monopolised the right to bet is purely Invention on the part of the creator of that •‘canard.”

-Notwithstanding- al! that has been written regarding the uou-postiug of overweights carried in -the various event’s run at Ellerslie, no move has yet been mad” to rectify the omission. It seems incredible that a leading metropolitan club such a-> the Auckland Racing Club would allow such a state of affairs to exist for as long as -they have, but nevertheless things are allowed to go on in the same old style, and no one seems to think they require altering. Were it a question involving the expenditure of hundreds of pounds one could understand a certain amount of dilatoriness in connection with the matter, but when it is only a question of a few shillings. and a very little extra work, it is inconceivable. There Is also another matter which, in the interests of -ill concerned. I would like to point out. and that Is the to the I’ress the official distances each race Is won by. As things are at present. It is purely a matter of owing to the difficult angle from whien 'the races are witnessed. Probably these are only considered trifles by the' management of the club. but to the lacing public at large they are matters of the greatest Importance. When the new officials get properly into working order it is to be hoped the items mentioned will not be overlooked.

An American exchange Ijas the following: — Dan Patch, the champion pacing still-

Hon of the world, who made the mark of 1.50 on the Memphis track last fall, lowered his record three-quarters of a second, and demonstrated that the Lexington course is about the fastest In the world, this season at least. . The successful effort on the part of the’ son of Joe Puteheui was witnessed by one .of the largest crowds over present at a trotting meeting in that - ctiy, and as he circled the .’track in the remarkable time of' J.-Hj the tinliensv crowd almost went wild, and ’surged on the track in front of the judge’s stand, and for fifteen'minutes it vCas Impossible for the driver, 11. Chert sey, to dismount and leave tlie track. ban Patch appeared on the track fo rtho effort just after two heats of the 2.4 pace had been paced in record time. It was believed from the fast time made in those two heats by Locanda and Hazel Patch that the champion would be successful in lowering his record. After several warming up heats by his driver, the latter nodded for the word, and the start was made in the journey. _ Tile horses reached the quarter in 2J»*sec, the half in 57fcsec. the three-quarters in 1.26+. and completed the circuit in 1.55 i, dipping three-quarters of a second from the record. Out of over fifty watches held on the horse by as many practical iiorsenicn who lined the track in front of the judge’s stand, not one of them caught the time slower than that sung out by the official timers, -ami all of them, except the. officials, caught the middle half in 50sec tint. The last st three heats in a race were paced by Locanda and Hazel Patch in 2mln 4se< pace. won by the former. The second beat was paced in 2miu 2sec, 'the record heat of the year and the track. •

Thus an English writer: What is known to- experts ns “the box trick” in connection with jockeyship—though “Che hat trick”’ is infinitely more popular —has been exemplified by some of the recent' running. When a bold rider attempts, for instance, to dash through between two of his opponents they may close in on him so as to impede his successful progress, and thus “box'* him in effectually; or, if he tries to go up on the inside, he is likely to experience a similar difficulty. He may have to pull out. and come round; lie needs a 10l in hand to win under those conditions. His wisest plan is to steer clear of such entanglements; when he cannot go absolutely the shortest way home he must cut the corners off as far as possible without getting himself into trouble: better anything than the disaster of being shut in at a critical moment and having to display a splendid Hash of speed in the last few strides—just too late. Money enough to sink a ship or two lias been lost iu that way. Many races which ought to have been won easily have been sacrificed by that error of judgment. An old trainer’s advice to his youthful jockey was,this: “Do not attempt to go up o lithe iiisidc, my lad, unless you are sure of ‘getting there.’ and if you want to be ‘boxed,’ wait till that is done for you as a final ceremony.” Yet. In these* days of cut-throat competition, we may often see Jockeys buiivljed together on a wide course when there are hot many of them, ami when no special advantage is to bo gained by that love of con tine uity. “Ride your own line” Is *a sound hunting maxim; it might be studied on the Turf with benefit to all parties concerned. One of the main ambitions cherished by a jockey is naturally to go the shortest way. because, while he may be able to give weight, away, he cannot concede both weight and distance. It is inexpedient on his part to make wide sweeps, so to speak, when short cuts are practicable. Rut. on the other hand, he must not allow his desire to save inches lead him Into the “box” of the enemy, whence; he Is not likely to emerge with a sense of personal triumph. If he had come round sooner he might not have been too late.

The English writer. “Ranger,” is responsible fG.r the. following: Many amusing incidents are familiar to me in oonneetion with the weighing in business. Tliev sorve to indicate the fun and surprises of sport hi a truly humorous light—the best, perhaps. that can !>*•* switched on so as to obtain a nerfeet Illumina Hou. Once, at a ’*ace meeting lit the Midlands. 1 saw a jockey come bark-to scale after winning, wlion.h*- was unable tn draw unvtbing like his ni'vpvr end specified impost. ‘'Fetid* the bridle,’’ cried his trainer in a voice of thun-

dvr, affecting to be shocked beyond expression. “Fetch the horse,” urged an owner present In the interests of humanity, “an I ♦‘ven if he turns the scale it will probably be after a few stupendous meals.” How much that Jockey was short on the occasion referred to need not be stated; au Idea of the plot, If revealed, might not prove to be edifying. First-past-the-post betting was then a possible achievement. At another meeting of greater importance, when, valuable flat races are decided, I watched the weighing-in of. a small jockey —he wept bitterly—who was between two and three pounds light. “He .cannot have cried it off.” said the trainer, “it would be impossible within the time at his disposal, and he hasn’t sense enough to perspire effusively when he Is in danger.” Somebody told the orator what had occurred; there had been a long delay at the post, with other complications; th' jockey was of a sensitive* disposition, Iwdng naturally unfitted for the game—he was. alas, too fund of gin: ami, after several anxious moments, he was disqualified. His employer lost a great deal of money which he ought to haVQ won, so to speak, in a trot. Again, as to this matter of weight, 1 remember the experience of a gentleman jockey win* had “wasted” hard to ride 8s t 121 b. After hts race he indulged in a small glass of sherry and a biscuit, not having tasted anything for a long time; the result was that, with exactly the same saddle and equipment, he could barely •do”’ fist in the next race but one. It seems that on <i jockey “wasting” a littl refreshment acts with magical effect. On the same principle we find that when a member of that profession gives it. up he shows a tendency to grow very fat immediately. He Is making up for the “wasted’’ past, and, as one of his confreres remarked. “tilling In the chinks” to the point of absurd repletion.

The exclusion of bookmakers In France is thus commented upon by the Paris correspondent of the “Sporting Times:” — The racecourse disgraceful deadlock, brought about by the openly avowed greed of the Minister of Agriculture, determined to increase the crushing mill receipts, seems to be entering into another phase which may somewhat alter the aspect of affairs. On Sunday last, nt Ixmgchamps. dining an uninteresting and showery day’s sport, a leading French fielder was arrested and will probably be tried. It is alleged that he was acting as middle man. and putting money on at the pari-mutuel boxes for a client. If so, it looks bad for the bookie, as the law on this head seems clearly against him. The severe arbitrary decree of the Minister, M. Ruau, prohibiting public wagering of any kind, makes everybody miserable. There has been an increase in the crushing mill takings, averaging about £6OOO sterling each racing day. which sketchily represents the tiny turnover of the poor puny defunct ring in the Paris Vestige. But at the same time, gate receipts, have dropped to the tune of £lOO per meeting. The increased percentage on pari-mu-tuel takings during September is thus cancelled as far as racing societies are concerned. Rich patrons 1 are stopping away. Tlie few really wealthy sportsmen who can afford to bet — lose or win — and buy horseflesh are thoroughly sickened. It is shocking to note that every day of the week, without exception, 700,000 francs (£28,000> Is contributed by the outside petty public, crowding the crushing mill barriers In their working clothes. Another most hideous form of turf speculation is that going on openly »u wine shops, barbers' establishments, and cafes, whore the smallest sum can he invested at crushing mill s.p. rates with broken glass limits atop. A lot of welshing goes on. too. with impunity. Women know where to have a flutter on the quiet. Nini is accommodated at her milliner’s — a high class firm - and tells me these picture hat people will take a monkey at a lime, sub artificial rosa. The police shut their eyes to punting in drinking bars, as the dispensers of absinthe and the loungers at their zine counters are all upholders of the Government, and will vote next May for Republican candidates. Altogether a nauseating state of things, too sordid to be interesting in print, and 100 disheartening to trouble about. All that shamefaced stewards can say when interrogated is that the

present undignified money grubbing measures must remain in force during the Minister’s pleasure.

Says “Kangcr”: From what I hud heard in quarters from which information otigiiiHtcs. I ventured some weeks shire ta rxpixHS a vciy raiifideul opinion that a great change would be made in the 51b allowance to apprentices; and that ihang • is now imminent. It was reallv Hciiml to come after Grey Tick had wen the Cesarewltch. That so almost great a horse as ZJufandcl should have been deprived of victory because a lightly-weight-ed rival was able still further to diminish Ihe weight by the luck of the engagement, of a clever apprentice called glaring intention to the existing state of affairs. It was cruelly hard lines for Lo:d Howard de Walden, and bis friends; the • •<»tuw fetlock deep, so that weight told with exceptional severity, the added misfold hup that Mornington Cannon got into a lilt of boggy ground, and the fiib allowance (« contend against at the thilsb. of course, however, these things have to be looked at broadly, and not judged by Individual eases. The allowance has done undoubted good in bringing good boys to the front: but it will continue to do this when it is restricted, as it will bo, to races of minor importance. 1 say • will be,” for If the Jockey Club is not unanimous, as is probable, the majority must be overwhelming should the matter be put to the vote. The allowance will only be claimable, moreover, till a boy has won forty races. If that happens prior to the expiration of three years from the dale of his winning a •nice; and that is a judicious arrangenient. In the tlrst three years of their career we have seen a few apprentices 1< aru to riile so well that they have been able with a little luck to hold their own against ali opposition, and to allow such riders slb is to give them races: that is* to say, in many instances, to deprive the owner of the best horse, who has not been lucky enough to engage a first rate jockey with a big advantage, of what should have been his legitimate spot’. I remember a few years ago ft friend had a horse in a race which he looked certain to wia, so at least those who knew most about the animal's capacity felt sure. He had come on in a remarkable way. amt had done it so easily that the result seem ed almost absurd until it was tested ft second time ami proved correct. 1 met my friend at the meeting where the aiiiwas due to run. heard that he had arrived tit end well, had ‘■eaten up.” delighted everyone by the style in which be had cantered on the course; and only one doubt assailed me. “Who is going to ride?” I asked. “Well. I’ve only got an apprentice,” my friend answered, and then I became eloquent, for this was in- the days before the allowance v.ine Into vogue. I urged the own«-r net to throw away his chances in such an idiotic fashion, and dlscnntcd at length on the advantage of J.oekcyshlp, and on the manner with numerous instances in which races had been thrown away by bad riding. He. listened .with a -com placeut smile, which wn-: exarpevatiug -in the extreme. “Well! I’ve engaged him new. and must make the hesi <.f it. I’m afraH!” he replied. “Who Is your apprentice?” I inquired, t iying to .decide what fraction of my contemplated x-nsh I would speculate. "He's called Moray .Camion,” was the answer. Xow, nt tin 1 time, Murny Cannon had risen to bis very best. Ids mounts were backed simply because they w re his mounts; of all jockeys .riding many of the best judges would have picked iiini. I had entirely forgotten tbftt •ho was not quite out of his articles, ami, of course, my friend’s ”I’vo only got mi apprentice” was a species of sell for mo. He won the race without giving us a moment’s anxiety.