TURF TALK FROM THE SOUTH.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 24, 10 June 1908, Page 58

TURF TALK FROM THE SOUTH.

CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. Mr F. H. Pyne has been elected bon. treasurer to Canterbury Jockey Club, a position formerly filled by the late Mr Stead. A recent addition to the jumping brigade at Kiccarton is the Castashore gelding kelp. He is being schooled over the little sticks by G. Pine, and gives promise of developing into a good hurdler. Stronghold, Amokura, and Southern Cross have each been responsible for serviceable schooling tasks, but the last named still dwells on landing, a fault that has always prejudiced his racing prospects. . Canton was rather badly knocked about when he fell in the Wanganui Steeplechase, and it will be some time before he will be ready to race again. The annual meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club was held on Tuesday. Mr Grigg suggested that the incoming committee should take into consideration the question of having a weight-for age race, lhe distance to be say, a mile, to be run at November meeting, and to be called the Stead Stakes, or such other name as the committee might decide upon. By adopting that suggestion the Club would bo following the precedent set by the Victoria and New South Wales jockey clubs, which preserved the memory of their eminent sporting men by the introduction of weight-for-age races. A Jubilee (’up race would be most suitable, and the committee might consider the question of substituting a Stead Memorial race for a Jubilee (’up race. The chairman said he thought the suggestion was an excellent one, nml he felt sure the committee would be only too pleased to frame a race of that description.

The well known gelding Ostrich broke a blood vimsel while exercising at I’orbury a few days ago, and this may lead to Ids permanent retirement from the turf.

South Canterbury Jockey Club has decided to carry out improvements to the buildings on the Washdyke racecourse, involving an expenditure of £450, and also to pnrehawr n caretaker’s stable for £lOO, and to relet It to him.

i- King g Guest, by Bill of Portland Madowla, bus been purchased by a Hawke’s Bay owner, and will do stud duty In that district. „ • -tw k .

G. Musson, who received a nasty shaking when Mango fell with him at Oamaru, Is progressing favourably, and should be able to ride in the course of a few weeks. Though no less than seventy-seven horses have been nominated for the New Zealand Cup, the entry cannot be classed as a good one in any respect but that of numbers. As usual. North Island owned horses bulk very largely in the list, their number including ’Frisco, Master Delava 1, Zimmerman, Grand Slam, Mahuta, Apa, and Saga, all of which took part in last year’s contest. The Hon. J. D. Ormond and Mr Grigg are the biggest contributors, while Nobel, Count Witte, and Ringdove appear in the nomination of Mr G. F. Stead. The breakdown of Elevation and Gravitation has left Mr Bidwell without a representative, but, apart from tills, most of the Dominion’s leading owners have one or more horses engaged.

Tlie winter meeting of Plumpton Park Trotting Club was continued on Monday in the presence of a record attendance. The racing was excellent all through, and, despite the opposition of nineteen bookmakers, there was an increase of £1348 in totalisator receipts. Lord Elmo registered a great performance in the Plumpton Handicap, by running through a good sized field and winning in 4.42 2-5, time that has only twice been bettered on the course. Factory Boy, ’which was made a staunch favourite, ran a good race, but when it came to the finish he had not the same brilliancy as Lord Elmo. Another of Rothschild’s progeny, Lopp, put down a big field in the Railway Handicap, ami. by getting to the end of a mile in 2.17, established a fresh track record. Seeing that the course was not at its very best, the achievement of the winner was a remarkably fine one. Gold Leaf, the speedy but erratic daughter of Coolgardie, defeated several fancied candidates in the Final Handicap, but the honours of the race rested with The Needle, who got to the end of the journey in 2.19. finishing a good second. The victories of Frithioff in the Winter Oats Handicap, and of Casey in the Lyttelton Handicap. w< re both associated with big dividends, in fact, not a single favourite prevailed throughout the day. CHRISTCHURCH, Saturday. Bonny Glen, who broke down while contesting lhe last Auckland Cup, is again in commission at Riccarton. lie has thrown off all signs of lameness, and, in view of the fact of his being one of few proved stayers in the race, should be amongst the probables for the New Zealand Cup. A large number of Yaldhurst horses that are to be submitted to auction in August next have been engaged in Australian races, with a view of commending themselves to buyers from the Commonwealth.

Riccarton-trained horses that competed with such a fair nieasure of success at the Dunedin Jockey Club’s meeting returned from the South to-day. Grandstand, about whom such favourable opinions were formed as a hurdler a few months back, failed to confirm them at the Southern fixture, and he will have to improve on that form a lot to have any chance of winning any very big hurdle races at the C.J.C Winter Meeting. I understand he is to be nominated for the Grand National Hurdle Race, but his recent form, and the fact that ho is a proven non-stayer, makes his chance in such races look almost hopeless.

Another jumper that was a lot below form at the D.J.C. meeting was Slow Tom, who was fancied for each of his engagements. True, the son of St. Ives is still susceptible to a lot of improvement, but from the way hp ran it would look as if he was losing his pace.

Sir George Clifford’s consistent filly ’-trata gem followed up her victory in the Oamaru (’up by annexing the Birthday Handicap in Dunedin in good style from Medallist and Field Gun. It was not a strong field she put down, but to carry 8.12 over ten furlongs on the Wingatu course in 2.11 4-5 shows thp extent of her recent improvement. The daughter of Nelson and Dudu is engaged in the New Zealand Cup,’and it can safely be asserted that there is no candidate with better staying credentials figures in that event. Medallist and Field Gun both ran fair races, but a slight rise in the weights on the second day settled their chances in the Provincial Handicap. Field Gun Is engaged in the N.Z. Cup, and since being purchased by Mr. C. J. N. Grigg is showing vast improvement.

After a long sequence of defeats. Probable rewarded his owner with a win in the Provincial Handicap, but it was more due to McCombe’s vigorous horsemanship than any merit on the part of the horse that he got home by a head from Spinning Flight. The race was. robbed of all interest through Apollodoris, Paragon, and Thunderer being left at the post. The Riccarton-trained Chief Lochiel was seen to advantage in the hack race on each day at Dunedin, but the fields opposed to him were of a very secondary nature. Both

burdle races .were annexed by Stormont, « rather promising gelding by/Apfjfthmnt from Athollne. In' connection with thefie two events It is a remarkable sequence that the same horses, Stormont, Storm, and Grosvenor, occupied the same positions at r the finish each day. The Auckland-bred mare Luresome scored a decisive win in the Farewell Handicap, and another Northerner in Gold Dredge showed to advantage in the Saddle Hill Handicap. Altogether the meeting was a fairly successful one, and should leave the club on the right side of the ledger.

At the committee meeting of the C.J.C. Mr. F. 11. Pyne was elected chairman for the ensuing year. The appeal lodged bv C« Connolly against the decision of the Pleasant Point Racing Club In dismissing his protest against the winner of lhe Town Road Handicap, on the ground of a wrongful nomination was upheld. The Dunedin J.C. notified that the jockeys c. Hart and J. Carr had been fined for misbehaviour, and Hart’s application for reinstatement of his jockey’s license was refused Transfers were approvedas follows:—From T. H. Lowry to J. 11. Williams, br g by The Possible—Lady Helen; from Sir (’. Clifford to G. D. Greenwood. Miss Mischief, and to J. (’. N. Grigg, Millionaire. The committee decided to institute a race in memory of the late Mr. G. G. Stead, and endow it with, a gold cup.

The displays of the two crack sprinters Lupulite and Petrovna at the Dunedin J.C.’s meeting were disappointing in the extremj. Lupulite made a fair showing for four furlongs in the Tradesmen’s Handicap, but then tired to nothing, while Petrovna showed none of her accustomed dash.

The concluding day’s racing of the Plumplon Park Trotting Club’s meeting provided the record number of spectators present, with one of the best afternoon’s sport ever witnessed in Canterbury. As on the second day. backers of favourites had a very bad time of it. and only one first fancy

succeeded., making only the fourth of twenty-eight events. Though in good order, the grass course was not as fast as in the summer; yet, despite this, two fresh records tor it were established. They were made by Myosotis, who wqnt a mile in the saddle in 2.16 2-5, and by Elector, who won in the last event of the day in harness in. 2.18 2-5 Despite the opposition of nineteen, bookmakers each day. the tote did remarkably good business, the total for the three days reaching £19.768, as against £17,316 last year. The big event of the day, the Prince of Wales Handicap, attracted a highclass field of eight, the Auckland-owned Albertorious being made a slightly better favourite than Lord Elmo, who was conceding him three seconds in two miles. It was a most spirited contest, for though the American-bred stallion Wallace after cutting out all the running for a mile and abalf was still going well in front at that point, Durbar, Lord Elmo, and Verax each

held wining prospects. It was not. till within a furlong of the post that Lord Elmo got to the leader, and. after a short tussle, had niM measure, winning a fine race by three lengths. Durbar finished third, a head being Wallace L., with Verax a similar distance off in fourth place. Albertorious broke twice in the race, but even apart from this, I do not think he would have beaten Lord Elmo, who is at present the best two mile harness horse in New Zealand.