TURF GOSSIP

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 9, 3 March 1909, Page 11

TURF GOSSIP

BY

RACING FIXTURES. ’ Fein 27 Dunedin. J. C. Autumn Feb. 27 — South Auckland R.C. Annual March 4 and 5 Wangunu! J.C. Autumn March 17 and 18 — Napier Park R.C. Autumn ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. J.J.J. — it is illegal for anyone to act as agent for TattersnH’s sweeps. The Wanganui Cup comes up for decision' on i huruday next. March 4th. It i« stated that the Jet d’Eau mare Douche has finished her racing career. It is stated that an offer of 700gns was recently refused for the Soul! gelding Ngapuka. Old Irish is now a regular attendant on the Hacks at Elhuslic. He looks as big and bur’.v as an alderman. A two-year-old filly, full-sifter to Gobi (’rest, is stated to be doing good work on the track* at Hastings. The sum of £1589 was passed through the machines at. the re. ent Rotorua .Id ', meeting.

WHALEBONE.

F. Burns, who it was thought bad permanently retired from the saddle, wjis granted a rider’s license on Monday last by t tye Auckland M<•(iop<dilan Committee. 'The Ohinemuri Jockey <’lnb have received record entries for their annual me<!tiug, and the gathering promises lo be tin* uioM, successfid in the history of the club. - > Il is slated that there is very littht. probability of Lord Soiih being seen out at the forihconung Wanganui meeting. The brilliant sou of Sonlt is slated to be a cripple at present. Tin* Wellington Metropolitan ••(•mihlt t ew dismissed .the appeal of 11 Telford against his disqualification by the I'ahiaiua stewards. The name of Aqua Fortin, claimed for th<’ Salvadan Cloud filly, having been disaJoweil. tin*, name of Urania has been claimed. Nominations for delegates representing country clubs on the N.Z. Racing Conferenee close on March 19th. Messrs Alison and W. 11. lleirles. M.l’., are the present delegates. Tin* Great Nori hern Steeplechase winner Lo» h I’yne h:(s born an absentee from tho tracks for a few (lays, and it is rumoured

that a loose with the son •f l.<»-htie*is. W iiktFiika., the uiuner <»f the f’resideut’•» Kun -Heap at the recent Woodville meeting. wii» the only first favourite tu win during iho day. It was Waikaraka’s first •Pl* •iraure hi opeu cotMpaajr. W Gall is handling a cauple of filing two year-olds iu the cult by Sa I ya din Hoiitarjr and the lilly by Koult Golden Hands. The latter met with a flight uaia--lih|i .nst week, but is now allright ugiin. Whi'sj running in the Fgmout Cup Glonullin broke down bndly, and his owner may net persevere with the Ixi<*hie! horse, whose ira<-k work at times was of a most brilliant descript ion. The hurdle horse Te Aral injured hiinkelf at the recent Gisborne* cnee.jng, and will probably not be seen oul <inLil Easter, when, if all goes well in the meantime,, he will bo a compHitor at Ui* A it C. Autumn Meeting, In addition to appeals boing balged to the New Zealand Racing Conference by K. <;. Lindsay and M. Kyan against their disqttamirations by the Avondale Jockey Club, an appeal has also been lodged on behalf of G. 4’elJ. It has been derided that the old stewards’ stand at Ellerslie is to l»e con verted into a couple of houses, one of which is to be erected as a lodge at the Green Laue enirance, and the other down at the nursery »s a residence for the gardener. The mat eh which was to have taken place at Feildiug lie!ween the hurdle horses .Maidi ami I’aparelii did not eventuate, the owner of the latter crying it off after Maldi’s form at Unworn. Keen disappointment .was oxprt*ssetl at Fri’ding and surrounding districts, at the calling off of the match, as great interest was manifested in the result. Mr W. E. Rid well's colt Provocation, which has been off the scene since last November, is reported to be doing good work, and is, all going well in the meanwhile, to fulfil his engagement in the Jackson Stakes at Wanganui. Mr Bidwell won the event last year with Gravitation. •Some of the English National Hunt rewards are showing a keen desire to “-ask for explanations." This .is a good sign, nnd if this thirst for information liecomes Kcucr>al. the sport will reach a higher plane «than it has done for a long time past. The fact that awkward questions are likely to D»e asked will keep would-be wrongdoers somewhere near the straight .path. A Welliugtonian who was present nt the Woodville meeting expressed himself very strongly to a Wellington scribe regarding the questionable tactics of. several, of the riders participating therein. Had a stlpemliary steward been in attendance, he 6>aid, there would have been enough matter to engage the stewards for. a week at a ctretch. Horses were deliberately pulled, and one or two barefaced swindles were perpetrated right under the eyes of the stewards. ' Although no information has been made public, it transpires that Artillerie was withdrawn fiom the Wanganui Cup on the 19th Inst., and that Consolation was scratched for the Flying Haudicap at the same gathering early last week. Probably i be dub have some reason for keeping 1 he s< rat< liines quiet, and these can be easily guessed at, but in tiie interests of the public, who find the bulk of the money 1 • keep the game going, withdrawals from the principal races ought to be published as early as possible. Ih»r some time past difficulty has been experien'di by owners in getting accomino dation nt the North Shore for their liorses. Hi order !♦» meet the position, .the Tafiapuiia Jockey intend building a miwb°r of boxes on a piece of ground owned by them within a stone's throw of the course gaToji. -and tliis will enable innses competing tn the meetings to he stabled at n reasonable rate, and will du away with -a considerable amount of travelling, which at present is a necessity. Commissions are still beiag worked away from racecourses in some parts of the colony. Says a Southern writer: Steps should be taken tn prevent drifting back t« the old eider of things. a prominent member of Parliament week stated tbut hitherto prosecutions of bookmakers only* had taken place, but it would be awkward for some of tbe customers who do business with the pencil lees were they *l«o dealt with at the aame lime. Both are practically on the same plane iu tbe eyes of the law. J hey tel! the following story of Ed. Corrigan over in the Slates: — Edward Corrigan win. owe of a group - the cmiHpir-uous one of a group -of horse men who were gathered the lawn of a race track. While talking he was nppvtwub ♦ d by a man wiio was known to be in close lomdi with two men who hare waged a relentless Turf war agaiunt Corcigati for years. Walking up tw Corrigan, thb ►ury said: *• ‘I am empowered. Mr Corrigan, to offer you 7«HMMK*dols for all your racing taoidinfti.' ‘ '( uC‘ said Corrigan, ns he knot tad bis bunds behind hi* back himl looked at the ground. ‘Well, now. that’-a a good offer,’ he replied, after a period of study, ‘Seven hundred and fifty thounaud- tliat's a lot of money. How do you propose to pay it?' *■ ‘Five hundred thousand dplkant down aufl the rest in four months,* ** What de yuu want to buy fw thai'f ‘ ‘Your equity In Hawtborae, JRlrnrldge, City Tafk, your stoi'k farm, and your rac-

ing stable.’ Ami who semis you to me with this proposition?” “The emissary mentioned the names of several men interested in racing. When Corrigan heard tbe names of his old enemies his grey hair bris’led, the gnarled bands rltached more tightly, his shaggy brows bent, the keen eyes dashed, tbe < liiu quivered, and tbe voice that all racing mm knew, blurted forth this: ‘I won’t. Go and tell them for me that they ran break me, but they cau't buy iue.’ ‘‘This incident happened before the anti rj.ee track crusade, which became so effective last spring. Since that time all of Corrigan's property has depreciated in value two-thirds. But he is not sorry he refused. That is also purely characteristic of Corrigan. He may be killed, but he never surrenders. And he never regrets." The victory of Soultliue In the St. Geurge's Handicap on the opening day of the V.A.T.C. meeting took something of the nature of a surprise, as th? brilliant son of Soult was not even mentioned in the betting. In the Caulfield Futurity Stakes las\ Saturday, however, his success was confidently anticipated, and. according to private advices received, he started favourite. Soultiine’s performance over the iljven furlongs stamps him as a topnotcher, and whereas it was the general impression that unless he was able to win from end 'to end he woukl not make a fight of it, Saturday’s running expcsles that idea, as the cable informs us That he came from behind, and. battling it out gamely, gradually wore Irishman down and won by half-ahead. Soultiine’s victory in the Newmarket Handicap sets the seal on his fame, and he lias now earned tbe right to the title of the “splinter of the season."