TURF NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 10, 7 March 1908, Page 15

TURF NOTES.

Higgs, who finished wel alhead in the list of winning jockeys in England, is a Londoner by birth. It is not generally known . that Colonel Baird received an offer of £32,000 from Hungary for Wool Winder. The threc'-year-old Colt, First Mate, by Bluejacket—Jennie, won a race at th;e reWoodville meeting.,,. .. ?F. Hiil is handling the rising two-year-bld colt by Seaton Delavdl — Lady Trester, 'fialf-brother to Master Soult. «* The Woodville Jockey Club received £2OO In license fees from the bookmakers betting at their recent meeting. The crack steeplechaser Kiatere took first prize for Ladies’ Hack- and Hacks up to 12st at the recent Tauranga Show’. The Eton—Anadyomene gelding, which Is now under G. Irwin’s charge has bad the name of Etana claimed for him. The gelding Ben Blair, which is to be tried at the illegitimate game, is now under the charge of E. Stewart, at Green Lane. The Warwick meeting is one of the oldest in Turf history. As far back as 1695, William 111. witnessed the sport of kings here. The market is often the best guide to jumping events. What backers have to do is to wait and see which way the “cat jumps.” The connections of Kilderkin are reported to have thrown in for a good stake over the victory of the son of Cyrenian, last Wednesday. The brooy mare, by San Fran — Maude, which has been on a visit to Soult, was shipped back home again by the Rarawa last week. The ponies Poppy and Dr. Quest have been disposed of to go to Wellington to compete at the Wellington pony and galloway meetings. The Wanganui Jockey Club have decided to charge bookmakers doing business at their autumn meeting £2O and their clerks 10/ for the privilege. The totalisator investments at the recent Te Arolia meeting only amounted to £543 for the two days. Bookmakers’ fees, however, totalled £165. so the club will do al) right financially. Recently there was enough water on the Windsor (England) Racecourse for punting, but there were no backers. Ducks were swimming on the course. Says a Wellington writer: The special feature of the Woodville meeting was the excellent starting of Mr C. O’Connor, who came from Auckland to assist. The Soult gelding Thinrt broke a blood vessel while Competing at the Te Arolia Meeting. and was not taken on to Cambridge* but was shipped ba<*k home.

F. Macmanemin has three rising two-year-olds in his charge: A full brother to Soultline, a full brother to Maheno, and a filly by Seaton Delaval— Evelyn. Octave, a daughter of the Cambria Park sire Obligado, won a double at the recent Dunedin meeting. Octave »s reported to have shown a lot of pace in her races. The Benzoin gelding Fireiron, which was recently taken to Melbourne by D. J. Price, broke down badly while running in the Sandown Park Handicap last week. After his victory in the Te Aroha Cup, Pukenui was well backed in the Rotorua Cup, but he was never prominent at any stage, and was very lame after he pulled up. Word from the South states that Mi A. V. Douglas intends making another trip to Sydney in the winter, but, so far, he has not decided as to what horses he will take over. Some funny stories are being circulated in connection with the recent Te Aroha meeting,-and in one race in particular, the biters are reported to have been badly bitten. The question has been asked, “Can bookmakers live?” and an American answer is that they can and do; but considerable uncertainty obtains abcut some of their customers. Messrs A. Buckland and Sons offered Lady Clements, Cresson, and Herculean for sale by auction at their yards last Friday, but both failed to reach the reserve and were passed in. The two-year-old Sedition, which was added to the list after the A.R.C. Spring Meeting, has gone back into 11. French’s charge at Papakura. Sedition will not be seen out until he is three years old. After Leeside won the Hurdle Race at the jevent Hobart meeting, a hostile demonstration was made by the crowd, and the stewards called bn Scoullar for an explanation, which was deemed satisfactory. The winner of the Maiden Handicap at the Rotorua meeting, Tera, by St. Crispin—■Duchess, changed hands recently, being purchased by an Auckland sportsman, and she has gone into N. Cunningham’s charge. The honours amojngst the sires at the recent Rotorua meeting were very evenly divided: — Sabretache, St. Crispin, Leolantis, Soult, Lahe Shell, Brookby, and Freedom each being represented by a winner. An American paper has an article on the “art” of falling, shown by manysteeplechase jockeys in the States when they do not want to win. This is not surprising in a country which boasts the biggest falls in creation. The Soult gelding Frontino was made a warm favourite for the Maiden Handicap at the Rotorua meeting, but he was very sore, and although be was pacing it with them in the early stages, he died right out of it, and at the finish was outside of a place. Trotting horses are hard to understand. At the Rotorua meeting, held at Combridge recently, neither Agnes B. nor Robex could win a two-mi le race which took 5.39 to run. This, too. in face of the fact that the track was an exceptionally fast one. The Indian Turf Club stewards “having had complaints about restricted prices, have warned some of the bookmakers as to the cramped prices and their methods of business.” Local backers will say there are some things they do better in India than in New Zealand. A new synonym for the “Johnny Armstrong’’ feat was hit upon by a sport* returning from the Woodville races last week, says an exchange. He spoke of a certain jockey applying the “Westinghouse brake, ' ci.d thereby enriched the sporting writer’s vocabulary with a telling phrase. The Auckland Trotting Club continued the inquiry into the running of certain *x>nies in the Grandstand Handicap at: their recent summer meeting last week, when further evidence was -taken. Owing able, the inquiry had to be again adjourned, and it will probably be a fortnight before it is completed. In writing of the success of the descendants of Phoebus-A polio. since Apologue won the Melbourne Cup. “Advance” in the “New Zealand Times credits Carmania as being by Phoebus Apollo Campania. As Is well known, Mr. Currie’s pony is by San Francisco.

Although Orby (the noted English Derby winner) has been struck out of all engagements in England, no definite news is to hand as -to bow the Derby winner is progressing. On one hand It is asserted that he will not run again, while on the other, it is stated that he will stand training another season. The English horse Merry Fox is to be sent to the stud at a fee of eighteen guineas. He will be the only Flying Fox stallion standing in England. Merry Fox cost 5000 guineas as a yearling, but he proved a rank failure on the fiat, and when put up to dissolve a partnership was knocked down for 100 guineas. R. Hannon was the most successful trainer at the Rotorua meeting, turning out three winners, while C. J. Peake, S. Hodge, H. Thompson, and W. C. Ring were represented by one winner each. I*. Brady headed the list of riders with three wins, Roach, Buchanan, Brown, and Gray having one each. Denis Moraghan, trainer of Master Delaval, is at present indisposed, and he was unable to journey south with his change yesterday, the Wanganui Cup candidate being taken South in the Rarawa by A. Julian, the well-known horseman, who will ride him in his engagements. Moraghan had recovered sufficiently to leave for the scene of action on Sunday. Before going out for the Hack Race at the Rotorua meeting, Derringer (a gelding by Muskapeer) caused a bit of a diversion in the paddock by his pig-jumping antics. He failed, however, to dislodge his rider (H. Gray), and eventually quietened down. In the race Derringer showed a lot of pace for a couple of furlongs, but his condition soon gave out, and he was amongst the also started division at the finish. After the amount or racing she has done this season. it would have been thought that Uranium would look a bit jaded, but when she was produced to contest the Rotorua Cup the daughter of Leola ntis looked big and well. and her performance in the event was a first-class one. Although she was burdened with 9.8, she was always with the leading division, and won comfortably at the finish by a length, covering the distance in 2.9 2-5, a real good gallop. A London critic opines that: — France may send us a candidate for next year’s Derby in Sea Sick 11., the property of Mr Vanderbilt, but we need not worry about him or any of the other Derby condidates yet awhile. Time alone will unravel the Chinese puzzle of two-year-old form. With a little luck we can pretty well manage to hold our own with whatever France sends us in the matter of Derby candidates. Moreover, a horse of the name of Sea Sick 11. should not stand the journey very well. ’ The Leblantis gliding Cachuca was shipped-to Wanganui last week by t-ie Rarawn, in charge of C. Weal, t o fulfil his engagements at the Wanganui meeting next 4??! 1 . Cachuca was seen out at - CamBHdge on Saturday last, when he contested the Rotorua Cup, in which he finished to Uraniu «n, running a real good race, finishing strongly, and looking as if cou * d fi ° °“ w,th Had the son of Leolantis won his connections would have thrown in for a good stake, as they accorded him strong support. When Lady Clements won the Maiden Hurdles and the Kawau Hurdles at the last Tnkapnnn meeting it looked as If she would prove useful at the illegitimate game but her form since then has been very disappointing, and on Saturday last at Cambridge, when strongly supported by her connections, she failed to run promiueutlv in the Handicap Hurdles, in which she hail only 9.7 to carry, being beaten bv two moderates in Tarakihi and Good Faith conceding the former lib and the latter 71b. The annual meeting of the Rotorua Jockey Club, held at Cambridge recently, was one of the most enjoyable country meetings I have ever attended. The racing was clean and interesting (the only Hy in the ointment being the trot), and ’the'management was first-class. From a financial point ot view the gathering should be satisfactory as, in addition to the amount invested oil the machine, the fees received from the bookmakers made up a good revenue, and it will be pleasing if the club come out with a substantial credit balance. The ruling off of ‘ Boots” Durneil by the Eastern Jockey Clnli in America has been followed up by similar action on the part of the Californian authorities, so, pro tern., he will have to be a looker-on at the game: but (says a New York writer) no doubt before long his powerful friends will be able to get him reinstated, as they have done twice before. All his entries are to hold good, but Master Edward Dugan, America's best jockey-boy, who is apprenticed to Durneil, has accepted retainers of £3OOO and £ISOO respectively from the Whitney and Wilson stables. Another celebrated brood mare In Moonga Joined the great majority Inst week nt Cambria Park. Moonga. which was dam of that great horse. Seahorse, was bred

by Mr Reynolds, of N.S.W., and was foaled as far back as 1887, being by Goldsborough from Kernel, by Angler—Coco®nut. Moohga missed for a number of years, but last season fouled twin colts to Eton, one of which diet), but the other, a sturdy brown, was running with the old mare when she died. As the colt is now three months old, ami a good grubber, there should be no difficulty about raising him. During the progress of the Te Aroha meeting, the local penciller, Mr A. E. Hopewell, purchased Dainty Rose, fnft sister to Santa Rosa, and a iou<-year-old fullsister to Carl Rosa, from Mrs J. Lennard. Dainty Rose did not survive long after changing hands, as, while having the baiter put on her, she took fright and, falling back, broke her neck. The mishap was a bit of bad luck for her new owner, but it is understood Unit Mrs Lennard. with true sporting spirit, gave Mr Hopewell the Cuirassier — Dorothy colt to compensate him for the loss. Since Lis marriage with Miss Julia Sanderson, Tod Sloan has forsaken the racecourse. and in an interview has given young men and budding jockeys serious advice on the moral effects of racing and gambling. John L. Sullivan, who is now doing a vaudeville boxing act with Jake Kilrain as partner, is quoted daily decrying liquor, so Toil’s conversion is not creating much surprise nor advertising his latest industry — an agency for autos. Mrs Sloan Is stiil playing a leading part in “The Dairymaids,” with Mr Huntley Wright. So, writes the New York correspondent of “The Sportsman.” H it could be possible to present a complete list of trotters exported from America to Europe during the past year it would be seen that the number of horses taken abroad is the largest in the history of American trotters. Russia has been the best buyer of trotting stallions with fast records, high-class breeding, and individual merit, while Austrian buyers appear to have confined their purchases mostly to mares that were not only bred right for breeding purposes, but had shown speed enough on American tracks to prove high-class racing material in their new home. Owing to not being in possession of the evidence taken by the Auckland Trotting Club in their inquiry, and the fact that further statements are expected from Whangarei, the Auckland Racing Club Committee were unable to proceed with tbo task of unravelling the present knotty skein in connection with local turf affairs, and it is probable that they will be unable to do anything in the matter until their usual monthly meeting. From what can be gathered, the inquiry will be a far-reaching one, and may-, result iu drastic steps being taken, which no one will deny are urgently wanted. , .-z-.: -i .'. './M After a long {lie Flftitloek gelding Landlock made hlk’ reappearance' at the Rotorua meeting last week, but failed to score. In the Rotorua Cup he was in the lead flor abqut five furlongs, wben he fell away. but in tin? Btfrdowic Handicap he never seemed to be able to pace it with the lenders in the early part of it, although he finished very fast. I am afraid that a change of quarters has not yet made much improvement in Landlock's character, and his new connections will; doubtless, have as much difficulty in accounting for the form of the son of Flintlock as those who were formerly connected with him. One of the most peculiar features about the recent country meetings, has been th* long prices offered by the pencillers on the various events. Several punters who intended backing certain horses at the gatherings were astonished at the prices, and naturally thought the layers bad been Indulging in somniferous practices, and stood off, only to sec their fancies roll home iu front. The long prices ruling are the result of keen competition amongst tlj? bookmakers, and, while the punter hopes this will continue, it does not need a very keen observer to arrive at the conclusion “that it cannot last long.” This from a critic on Turf affairs at Home: "With regard to boys not being allowed whips, and so on, a good deal of nonsense is written. Races, I am constantly told, arc being lost by boys uging whips. Are they? I cannot recall any outstanding instance. However, if a boy is not to he allowed a whip In a race, how is he to learn the use of the flail? Of course, if no jockeys were allowed whips — welf and good. But the whip in the hands of a skilful jockey often wins a race. How can apprentices become, adepts in its use unless they are familiarised by practice in its employment?” It is puzzling (says "The World ) to know why the stewards of the English Jockey Club should have thought of adding to the Definitions in tue Rules of Racing the note which appears in the last ’•< .dendur.’’ It is to the effect that a horse v. hi h has only won a match or private sw stakes Is not to be considered as hnviig won a race. The puzzle arises frori «’;r» fact that matches, once so regular n feitu. of well nigh every meeting, are almost, it not quite, extinct, while abonl the only private sweepstakes known of late years s

Cue which taken place in the spring at Croxton Park. This could hardly necessitate legislation. The owner of the English mare. Marinalade ill. was in. luck when he failed to fin'll a buyer for hei at 8000 rupees, subsequent to her Grand Annual Hurdles win, as later on site won the Tally-Ho Plate of 3000 rupees at Tollygunge (Calcutta). Referring to her latest success, an Indian exchange says: “If Loises of her stamp are to be procured at such ridiculously low figures, it will not be surprising to see owners going in search of them to England in preference to indenting on Australia, as hitherto. Compare, for instance, the price of this mare and the price the purchaser would have to pay in India or in Australia for a horse of the class of Bet raye'*" Marmalade 111. only cost 75gs. in England.* In art article entitled “Losing by Winning,'' a London turf authority says: — It was a deeper experience of this s6rt that some time ago caused a novitiate to the Turf to ceaae further pursuit of its devious pleasures. One day he had a particular desire to win a race at a certain place, and to make the matter a sure business a smart handicap horse was put in a selling plate. “As you will have to buy tbits horse in, you had,” advised the trainer, “better have a good stake on. I’m going to.” Well, the bwner put twice his usual amount on, the trainer and his friends about lon times their usual, and the horse won. “You want this horse back?” queried the trainer. “Certainly. lie is my best winner. I’ve had twice my usual stake on. He barf made this a red-letter day. I mustn't lose him.” The upshot was that the owner retained the horse, but lost a monkey (£500) on the transaction. He did hint to the trainer that at least half the loss should be borne by himself and bis friends. Somehow, though, the hint did not jump with the humour of the others. That finished that Owner's Turf enthusiasm. He not only left the stajile, but left the Turf. Periodically racing is ‘attacked” in America, and just now the sport is “threatened” again. A writer in the ‘ New York Telegraph” puts the situation in this light: —' The executive message to the Legislature relative to race-track betting might have been drawn up by the-man known as ‘The Poolroom King’ himself so far as the idea Slid even the mode of expression goes. The racing associations of New York Citv, under the direction of the Jockey Club for the last two years, have made the getting of information from the tracks for the use of pool rooms so difficult as to be almost impossible. It has been found that the conduct of pooirooms in the ordinary way, with bets settled after each race, is impracticable. Naturally the poolroom men were aroused, and as naturally they made violent outcry and onset. Their woes were, taken to Albany, with the result that Governor Hughes and ‘The’ Allen, the ‘oldest living gambler and poolroom operator.’ are united heart and voice to prevent gambling at racetracks. When one stops to reflect, it is the most remarkable reform coalition ever known in politics. ‘The’ Allen, for sixty years a gambler, and Mr Hughes, for one year a Governor, are upon identically the same platform. It looks to us to be hot what Governor Hughes might call ‘An Economic Paradox,' but a political monstrosity • The question of jockeys' retainers Is one that, so far as I know, has not come under the cognisance of the stewards* of the English Jockey Club (says “Spearmint,” the Ixmdon Turf correspondent). That is not to say it never will, and I find a growing disposition among owners and tvaluers to resent the increasing demands of the men and boys once (alas!) grandiloquently termed “knights of tlie pigskin. ■“ If it be asked where specially trainers come In — if it be insinuated that their objection is almost an impertinent interference with the business of others — it might be pointed out that after the biggest victory there is only a certain amount of money for division; and when the jockey getrf the lion's share. It stands to reason that the share of the t miner will be that of a very much lesser animal than the “king of the forest” — possibly even only a jackal sort of a portion. An appreciable number of owners appear to stand in awe of their jockeys, but display no fear of. and often very little considers tfo«i for, their trainers. The tale is told of one owner thinking a certain horse was sure to win a particular handicap. The trainer warned him he was overestimating the ability of his candidate. “I shall he satisfied if be is placed. I cannot make him a winner.” However, the owner not only backed the horse heavily, but be put a fairly substantial sum on for tin trainer; and when the animal lost deducted the money from the quarterly bill’ This sounds very like a pantomime story, but happens to be a true one. and Lot one, either, of the long anterior time. * + +