TURF NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 19, 6 May 1908, Page 15

TURF NOTES.

Uranium still in winning form. • The hunting season in Auckland opens on Saturday next? May 9th. The W.R.C. Thompson Handicap run today. The jumping mare Cinque is now under the charge of W. G. Irwin at Ellerslie. The gelding Freemount changed hands recently, and is now in charge of F. Stunning. G. Irwin has had Uhlando and a colt by St. Hilda — Complete, placed in his charge to prepare for future engagements. 11. Gray is appealing to the N.Z. Racing Conference against the disqualification resently inflicted upon him. There are some funny tales in circulation in connection with one of the races on the opening day of the Avondale Jockey Club's meeting. The ex-New Zealander Maranui started a strong second favourite for the A.J.C. Doncaster Handicap. Bright Steel, which was favourite, was one of the last to finish. The yearling filly by Eton — Kitiroa, purchased at the last Cambria Park sale by the Hon. J. Carroll, has been handed over to D. Moraghan to receive her early education. Reports from Australia state that the New Zealand-bred horse Dan Patch had something in reserve when he put up the new Australian record of 2.10 for the mile. French owners intend to make a big bid for the English Ascot Gold Cup this year. Mordant, Querido (a Chester Cup winner), and Sans Souci are to undergo special preparations for the race. -The New Zealand-bred Nightfall is engaged in the Chester Cup, which is to be run on the 13th prox. Her weight is 7.11. with Bridge of Canny, 9.10, at the top of the list. The amount of Mr. Draffin’s tender for the refreshment booth at the Huntly Racing Club's meeting was £lO, not £7 10/ as previously stated. ' 'rhe Hotchkiss horse Advocate was running very forward in the Carly, stages of the Avondale Handicap on Wednesday, but failed to go on with it. and could get m, nearer than fourth at the finish. At the Goulburn (Vic.) races recently the jockey A. Hood was fined 10/ for not wearing a scarlet cap. Hood would not wear a particular cap because the last boy who used it was killed, and no other cap was available. Mr F. Macmanemin, who acted ns honorary starter for the Otahuhu Trotting Club at their recent Summer Meeting, is to presented by the club with a handsome «*fo< k as a slight recognition of bls efforts. The Jew. a gelding by the ex-New Zealander Pygmalion (which It will l»e remembered started a very warm favourite in the Caulfield Cup won by Vengen nee), won tr? hurdle races at the reccut Broken Hill Meeting.

Although the Auckland-owned horses To Aroha and Loongana were withdrawn from all engagements at the Wellington meeting on the 23rd Inst., the fact was not telegraphed through by ‘ the Pre-s Association agent. A Southern writer credits Mr. T. IT. Lowry with the ownership of Clochette. As is well known, the Southern sportsman disposed of the Seaton Delaval mare ‘luring the progress of the last A.R.C. Summer Meeting. J. McHugh is handling the -rst colt sired by Wairiki. ficin the Seaton Delaval mare Leo Delaval. The youngster is almost an exact counterpart of his sire, and if he turns out as good. Mr Bradley, his owner, will be a proud man. . The Maiden Plate at Avondale brought out a decidedly useful sort of mare in Tauriki. which was returned as being by St. Crispin from a Freedom mare. Taurlki comes from the Bay of Plenty district, and it is stated that her € onne. tions were fully prepared for her victory. If the nominations for the Auckland R.C. Hurdles and Steeplechase are poor, those received by the Wanganui Club are doubly so, and the list is probably the weakest yet received by the Southern body. Lady Hune is the only Auckland horse nominated. According to the “Dominion,” Mr G. W. McDonald, owner of Aeolus, has written to-the committee of the Wellington Racing Club asking for an explanation as to the manner in which his horse has been handicapped in the First Hurdles. Steve Howie, who is well-known in laud, had the mount on Tarpon, which, won the Great Eastern Steeplechase at the recent Onkaparinga meeting. There is every probability of Howie paying a visit to New Zealand shortly. F. Hill made a visit to Te Aroha during the week, for the purpose of bringing down the four-year-old sister to Carl Rosa, which was recently purchased from Mrs Leonard by the well-known penciller Mr A. E. Hopewell. The filly is to remain in F. Hill's charge. Southern sportsmen who were present at the recent C.J.C. Easter Meeting, say that Lupulite must be easily the best beginner from the barrier in New Zealand, but numbers will be found contending that Soultline would head him over two furlongs. A handicapper's life is anything but a bed of roses. At the recent Wairarapa meeting a number of owners entered a written protest to the club against the handicapper appointed to frame the weights for the second day, but the stewards rightly refused to entertain it. The response to the handicaps framed by the gentleman protested against, fully vindicated his reputation. According to the Taranaki correspondent of the “N.Z. Times,” the withdrawal of Paritutu from his engagements at he A.R.C. Autumn Meeting was owing Jo the state of the going. This may be true of the concluding day, but on the opening day a track ou which a three-year-old could carry 9.0, and run a mile in 1.40, could not have mucL the mattex with it. I am afraid some other cause but the track must be assigned for his non-appearance at the gathering. The Hotchkiss gelding Haldane seems to be striking form again, and has apparently thrown off the soreness that affected him earlier in the season. Haldane was made a warm favourite for the Railway Handicap at Avondale on Wednesday, but the accident to his rider affected his «banco, and though he was finishing very fast, hi' could not quite get up, eventually t finishing fourth. in conversation with an Auckland visitor who was present at the Autumn Meding of the Australian Jockey Club he informed me that the hostile demonstration accorded Poseidon when he returned to scale after winning the Cumberland Stakes on the third day of the gathering was beyond description. The demonstrations that have taken place nt Ellerslie from time to time were, lie says, simply child's play to that witnessed at Randwiok. “It's the cursed gamblin' by Juveniles on *orHe-racin’ that's the ruin o' young boys nowadays!” cried an indignant Sheeny, re turning from Hui nt Park. “Look at my son Chewlius the industrioustest lad in London. Rot ween his* Monday mornin* an Thursday night, he’d run three cigarette <■oll pongs Into a pair of field glasses an’ a sewin' machine: an’, (his afternoon adi! ho does the whole blamed iot In on that thing of ’Any ’E’smann a- Bally villi’*

Occasionally more -than usually astute owners make a good thing out of the suspicious minds of the public, says an Eng lish exchange. ••Tell 'em the truth, lad; they wunna' believe thee,” once said Mr Fred Swindells when someone asked him whnt he should <ln about a horse whose merits he did not want to be known. -Tod Sloan threatens to put racing for evei on the ••blink.” .as he phrases it. by telling oi the evil ami demoralising exam pies which young persons who wander to the tracks nre afforded. Knowing someAvhat. in a general way of Tod’s race-truck history, we would suggest that ho could simplify matters with as fully disastrous effects to the enterprise of racing by printing his autobiography. He whs perhaps by . far the worst example the youngei jockeys hau. Mr A. E. Hopewell, who has resided in Auckland for some time past, leaves for a business visit to England on Monday next. Mr Hopewell, who expects to be away about six months, informs me that it is his intention to try to pick up a thoroughbred stallion in the Old Country that will mate with St. Simun marcs. Mr Hopewell recognises the fact that only a high-class horse would be patronised, and he intends to spare no effort to get the very best. Although Argentine breeders have paid big prices in England and France for stallions, they have paid very little attention to mares. However, there may be an altera tion in this state of affairs, as Mr Allison, of the London “Sportsman.” who was recently in South America, has been advised that if he personally selects up to 50 mares, and sends them out in batches from July to November, there will bi ready sale fur them. A proviso is that all the mares must be big-boned, well grown animals. and must be landed in he<t sale rendition. Far the first lime since the early 'nineties. Jacob 1* incus, one of the most famous trainers ol the old school, and the man who prepared Iroquois, the only American horse who ever won the English Derby, for his victory at Epsom,-has applied for a trainer’s License in America, lie has not needed the money (says the “New York Telegraph”i. and he is not hard up now. But he simply cannot loaf any longer. He feels that ho must have some incentive to get up early mornings, and occupation to keep him out of mischief in the middle of the day. Mr Pincus will get his license of course. Charles Grainger and Matt Winn. who. with W. E. Applegate, control the two racetracks at Louisville (Kentucky), have com pleted arrangements for a system of parimutuel and auction pool betting in Kenlucky next season. They went to New York a week or two ago to see if they could not get the mauhinef; and totalisgtors used by local tracks when that system --f betting was in vogue there. They found that the old machines were too rusty to be useful, and that it would he necessary to have new ones made. This will be easy, and fifteen machines are to put in service at Churehhiil Downs' and Douglass Park in the spring. Interest in King Edward Vll.’s colt Perrier for the English Derby has increased since His Majesty’s visit to Newmarket a few weeks back, when he saw the horse at work. In the opinion of good judges Perrier will not be really at his best until (he autumn. Ho has started his Derby preparation. but Marsh (his trainer) is not likely to hurry him, if he thinks It will have an injurious effect upon the colt. Perrier is a big horse, and will require a vast amount of work to get him tit. if the above is correct. Perrier must be something out of the ordinary, as the cable informs us that he has already won the Biennial Stakes. Mr W. Lyons is having real bad luck with Waipuna, which ran second in the City Handicap on the third day of the A.J.C. meeting, and again second in the Place Handicap on the second day. The efforts of the son of Soult in these events have completely exposed his form, and Mr Lyons will probably have to wait some time before he gets another opportunity. Waipuna was well supported by his connections in both his races, and his defeats will be. pretty cc®tly. According to a private telegram received by Mr D. Twchiil, Waipuna got away very badly, and was oniy defeated by a neck at the finish, so with ordinary luck he would have won. Was puna is engaged at City Tattersail’s meet Ing next Saturday. At the annual meeting of the Pakurauga Hunt Club, held last Friday, the Master. Mr 11. T. Gorric, struck a warning rote in reference to tlie annual donation made tu the dub by the Auckland Racing Club. It could hardly be expected, said Mr Gorrle, that the A.R.C. would continue the donation unless the members of the club nominated more freely for the hunting events. Id this connection, tlie master has struck tno nail on the head, and it seems strange that, with a club boasting in all 109 members, that there should only be three starters in each event on the programme. It is to l»e sincerely hoped that the members will take the warning.

J. 11. Prosser, the Porlrua trainer. In .< chat with a Wellington writer after his re--turn from Auckland, said that when la Auckland at the Easter niecting he was ap proai-hcd by an old sp.t-t who asked him what <-haiici Marguerite had in the Autuipn Handicap. Mr ITo-ser, . -lopting the Socra tic method, parried the question by asking. “Don’t you give Master Delaval a uliance? ' 1o which the old ’un retorted. “No, I don't trouble about a horse that has had a fall in a flat race, they’re never any good after wauls.’ This set tJie genial Porirua train er thinking, anti he reeniled quite n number of horses that were never the same after the shock of a fall on the flat, anti among them he mentioned •''enculloeh. Master Di'laval. and Achilles. The last named, after his ugl.v fall in Cue Grexit Easter at Ricearton. never had much heart for rau ing*. When experts differ who is to decide? Is an old saying. A writer in the “Wellington Post” recently got a few opinions as to the most brilliant horse over a few furlongs in New Zealand at present. Young, the rider of Gold Crest in the Easter Handicap, gave. * F iho palm to Soultline. I'. D. Jones, first horseman to the Hon. J. D. Orm w ml. ’ goes for Lupulite. G. Pjdco fancies Gold while the writer himself puts N-aumai in lite pride of position, an 1 classes Aborigine as the smartest of the two year olds. Not having seen Naumai. Gn’ul Thread or Lupu lite perform I cannot advance an opinion, but I certainly cannot agree with him over Aborigine without g< ing through the list. 1 would pick Ariniot to give him a fai r start over two or three lurlongs. Tims a correspondent in the “Australasian' on the suppress on of betting vj'ws and tiie publication of the adds. “It was only by a mero misapprehension That such an iniqullbut provision was ever introduced, and it only needs a little spirit on the part of the sportsmen of Australia to have all such despotic measures cra.-ed from the statutes Let the sportsmen of Australia place their names upon the electoral rolls of the States, and keep them there, and when Parliament ary elections take place let them do their duty as members of the body politic at the ballot-box. Then they will soon be in a position to throw off the yoke Imppsed upon them by those who wear •tomlrstone faces and billy-goat beards.’ - An example of the disadvantage of having xi case before a magistrate without .any special knowledge of the circumstances was seen at Bombay recently (says the “Asian”), when Mr I’e:i Smith, a book maker, prosecuted llormusji Rustomji fur attempting to cheat According to complainant’s evidence the accused backed a borsc. who won. for ten rupees at 3 to 1. but when the ticket was presented for pay ment the figures had been altered from Rs. 30 to 10 to Rs. 300 to 10). In giving judgment acquitting the accused, Mr Dastti’-, the I’arsee Preslilem y magistrate, observed that the court had only Mr Smith's statement that the figure was 30 to It? and not 300 to 100. On the other hand, th-' accused said that the ticket’ as issued tu him was 300 to lOfi. This was one man’« word against that of another, and as both were interested parties to tiie transaction, the Court, before convicting the accused of a serious offence, must require strong <*orloboiation of the complainant’s story. The magistrate then went on t>;. say ho could not help remarking that these so-called turf account.•;nts or bookinakern could not bo regarded ns other res pact a b I'o and honest tradesmen or business people, and did not '.cit ire tn be supported by the polite. It wool.l hive been therefore nuch l.otter if the i . sponsible otTcers of the poante of the «a;. 1 referred tiie complainant to the TihT Chi'n for whatever redress lie covid obtain from its members. All of which win rather imigji on bookmakers, mo.-d i.f winim' v. a.ild . iekly lose their busliK"-- if t’lev wi' -> not honest In their dealings with their cti'.grf’.r. A writer in the “: »• r.ing Times ’ pens a long article <>u th • < of horses, in tiie i i urse of which he iys: ‘While we nre on this let me make it as plain ns I can. There x.re dope lit rses a plenty far too many of them. But it lakes a man who has been fooling romnl racehorses all his life to tell positively .ifter the liorsos gel out on to the track from the paddock who iher a horse has been hopped or not. At that, 1 wouldn’t trust my judgment in such a matter so absolutely that I’d b< willing to go into a court of law and testify either way. “As a rule, the horses that get the hop just before going to the post are naturally sluggish animals that won’t extend themselves in races unless they’re artificially worked up to it. Such horses may have ’.lm breeding, the brawn, the conformation, the stamina to do any old thing In the way of racing, but they're ’iiafers, shirkers, and their inherent disposition is to soldier on the job. Why. do you know that the greatest horse of our modern racing time, no less a bay than Keene's unbeaten Colin, Is a born loafer’’ That'* what he is a lazy, loutish, lummoxy loafer of the worst description He hasn't been extended yet, although ho won Ids thirteen straight race.* this year from the best horses of Ids age in training. 'The answer Is that Colin is so enormously superior to anything else of his age wearing hoofs that lie can loaf and loaf, and still win a breezing. Probably Colin always will be a loafer, but, of course,

he’ll never be stiffened up w. ii any hop, because the juice will never be ueceaeary in his case, and because, of course, for the most important reason, Keene’s trainer would just about as lief chop off one of his bunds as to hop any kind of horse. ‘•But sluggish, soldiering horses of the middling good or even the overnight handicap kind, get .the pick-me-up stuff simply because they won’t do anything without it. .They’re like hoboes that refuse to tackle the wood pile pointed out to them before they get something to eat by way of a handout or a sit-down. A trainer who is

not particularly conscientious gets to looking at some lazy old slug in his barn. The trainer knows that, the horse has the goods along with him if he can only bo made to chirk up.

“ It’s the (hinged pity,’ says the trainer io himself, that 1 can’t get that old son of a gun to fetch something home for me. tile’s as line as a fiddle, right up to concert pitch, can pick up a package, can stay, can sprint at the finish, can do any old thing. And yet lie’s a dud. He’s eating his blooming head off and not handing me a thing. 1 think it’ll be that one for a pill the next time I ask anything of him.’ So a uew hop horse is added to the list.”

The late James Goater used to tell a most amusing incident that occurred to him on the first occasion of bis wearing Lord Portsmouth’s colours (writes “Thormanby”). Very many years ago, at Oxford races, Lord Portsmouth’s trainer went to Goater and asked him if tie was engaged for the next race, as, if not, he would like him to ride one of his lordship’s. Jem, who had not a mount, gladly accepted the offer, weighed out, and ultimately won, after a grand display of jockeyship on his part. Some little time afterwards, whilst Goater was talking to a friend, Lord Portsmouth came up to him and said: “Goater, you rode an excellent race, and I am much pleased.’’ Jem, who did not know his lordship by sight, considering it a great impertinence for a most shabbily dressed man (it was one of Lord P.’s peculiarities to wear old and worn-out clothes) to interrupt him. curtly replied, “Oh, yes, glad you think so,” and resumed his conversation, to the great horror of his friend, who, knowing Lord Portsmouth, was simply dumbfounded, and frantically endeavoured by facial signs to make Goater attend to him, which Jem did not understand. Continuing, Lord Portsmouth said, “I must make you a present, Goater, for winning.” Jem, scarcely turning towards him, answered. “Never mind, old chap; glad you won a bit on it.” His lordship, who, by then, had quite grasped the situation, walked away, exploding with laughter, whereupon Goatee’s friend immediately exclaimed, “You fool! That’s Lord Portsmouth himself.” Goater, when telling this, wound up by saying, “I didn’t want a Turkish bath to make me sweat then.”

Recently in England the stewards of the Jockey Club had a case before them regarding starting price betting, and in this connection an English writer says:—As showing the difficulties that sometimes arise, a well known starting price bettor has stated a case on which he asks for a decision. A cumulative bet, taking in three races, was booked. The theory of the thing is that the money won on the first race shall be put on the second, and if that comes off the whole lot is to go on the third. The first event came off all right, and the second race also was in favour of the backer. Before the third event could be decided the winner of the second race was objected to, and the objection was not decided until gome time afterwards. What, therefore, would be the position of the bookmaker in connection with the third event, supposing that, in the long run, the objection to the winner of the second race was overruled, mid the third horse won? In this case the treble event was brought off by the backer, and, on the face of it, he would be entitled to his money. This, however, would be a wong. decision, and on that point we have no doubt whatever. As a matter of fact, there was no money to go on the third horse until the objection to the winner of the second race was determined. The objection not being disposed of in time, nothing could be done on the third event. iWe will suppose that the backer himself put on his own money, intending to pile up the winnings on the three. He won the first, but he could not be said to have won the second until the objection was overruled in his favour. Until that was done he would have no money to receive, and consequently would not be in a position to put the winnings over the two races on the third. With the objection decided in his favour, the bookmaker would be liable pver the two races only, and would have to pay over those two. The third event would, under the circumstances, not become a matter of consideration at ail, and even If the horse mentioned as the final in the treble lost it would not affect the matter one way or the other. The backer would be entitled to receive over the first and second only, i'he fact of the objection not being decided until after the third race was run, would reduce the transaction from a treble event to a “double,” the third event altogether disappearing from the contract.

Mr, Tattersail, in a letter to “Hordes and Hounds,” has many interesting reminiscences of Persimmon. He says:—“ln making a few remarks before offering the first lot at the Wolferton Sale, I alluded to the success of horses and stock bred by His Majesty at many shows, and ventured to suggest that from what I had seen at the bandringham Stud it was not improbable that the Royal colours might shortly be carried to victory in the Derby. 1 frequently saw Persimmon all through his career an training and'afterwards at the stud, and I look on him and Ormonde as the two best horses and finest which 1 have seen win the Derby. ‘‘l consider (he loss of Persimmon, tho grandest-looking stallion in England, with the highest quality, a loss on which every sportsman sympathises heartily with His Majesty, as the greatest possible calamity to the Turf In these days, when so few owners are patriotic enough—even if rich enough—to keep their best horses in Eng-

After Persimmon won his first race, the stakes nt Ascot, I went to look him as he stood in the unsaddling en--8,111 found myself standing next the Duke of Westminster, who was look'j? nt him for the first time with much interest. I asked him his opinipn of him. lie replied: ‘A very fine colt. Indeed’; but went on to nay, ‘What is that alight eninside fils hock?’ So he had nt _.r* 1 night noticed the weak point which -v?.? 611 * 0 * 1 1,1,11 r h«ning again after the Stakos 18G7. ground was very hard that year.

and Marsh had brought the horse to the post at Ascot looking absolutely magnificent after a most searching preparation This, followed by his race for the Cup, which he won in such splendid style, and bis work before the Eclipse Stakes, in which he ran so gamely, in spite of his action being short, quite settled the question whether he could run again; so there was no chauce of a match w«/h Gal tee More.

“Well, as soon as Persimmon went to the stud the Duke sent Ornament to him, and on April 9, 1899, Sceptre was foaled. She •and all the other Eaton yearlings would undoubtedly have gone to Kingsclere in due course had the Duke !ive4. and on his dis covering that he bad at last bred a first class filly, is it probable that bo would have sold her? Two days before Sceptre was foaled I received a letter from the Duke in answer to a suggestion which I made that the two best sons of St. Simon (Persimmon and 8. Frusquin) seemed to far better suited to his Bend Or mares yuan Orme, and that Martagon seemed to nie more likely to suit Vampire. He said: ‘1 think 1 concur with you, but it is difficult to leave one’s own stallions for others further afield.’ ”