TURF TATTLE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 11, 11 October 1890, Page 5

TURF TATTLE.

| By

Nordenfeldt.

The Hawkes Bay Spring Meeting is now a thing of the past. The most important features of the gathering were the victories of St. Andrew in the Guineas and Crackshot in the Spring Handicap, and the downfall of Medallion in the former event. In St. Andrew Mr. J. D. Ormond evidently has a colt of sterling merit, for he had but little difficulty in settling the pretentions of Mr. Butler’s crack, who, with St. Andrew out of the way, beat a good field in the Spring Handicap on the following day. St. Andrew, who was purchased by his owner as a yearling at Sylvia Park for 100 guineas, is by imp. St. Leger out of imp. Scottish Lassie, by Scottish Chief out of imp. Rosette, by Lord Lyon out of Rouge Rose, by Thormanby. Rosette, the grand-dam of St. Andrew, was half-sister to the phenomenon Bend Or—who won the English Derby —by Lord Lyon, a horse that won the treble of Two Thousand Guineas, Derby and St. Leger. St. Andrew’s sire, St. Leger, also boasts of most aristocratic parentage, being by Doncaster out of Atlantis, by Thormanby out of Hurricane, by Wild Dayrell. Doncaster was by the “ emperor of stallions” —Stockwell, and was sold for 10,000 guineas, and resold for stud purposes for 14,000 guineas. Atlantis was an excellent performer herself, and was full sister to Atlantic, the winner of the Two Thousand Guineas and St. Leger. A coincidence in connection wtth the breeding of St. Andrew is that both his sire and dam were imported to this colony with their respective dams. Crackshot, the winner of the Spring Handicap, was bred by Mr. Thomas Morrin of Wellington Park, and purchased by Mr. Patsy Butler as a yearling for Z4O guineas, at the same sale as St. Andrew was bought by Mr. Ormonde. He is by Nordenfeldt out ’of Pungawerewere, by Golden Grape, out of Atlanta, by Towton out of Crescent, by Sir Hercules. Pungawerewere’s stock have hitherto been very disappointing. Katipo was no good ; Tetford was an arrant rogue; Brigadier proved himself a good two-year-old, but broke down when he was a big favourite for the Hawkes Bay Guineas and Canterbury Derby; Tranter was sent to Australia along with Whakawai, but broke down; and St. James, although he won the Dunedin Cup last year by a bit of luck, was another in-and-out beast, on which no reliance could be placed. Probably in Crachshot Mr. Butler has the best of the lot this old brood matron has yet thrown. By the way, old Pungawerewere dropped an own sister to Crackshpt the other day, and there should be some spirited competition for the possession of this young lady when she is sold. Another full sister to the Spring Handicap winner will be submitted auction at Mr. Morrin’s yearling sale in December. Medallion’s running in the Guineas has been the subject of much comment. The horse is represented to have been very well, and this is borne out by the fact that he went out a hot favourite at 3 to 1 on.

Next Saturday will see the curtain rung up for the present season to Auckland race-goers, when the Pakura.iga Hunt Club will hold their annual race-meeting on the Ellerslie course, and if the weather is favourable the attendance is sure to be large. The handicaps were issued last week by Messrs. Kirkwood and Percival, but I cannot congratulate those gentleman on their production. As several of our country subscribers will not receive next Saturday’s Sporting Review until after the races, I shall endeavour to unearth the winners and give my selections for the several events in this issue. I am, however, placed at considerable disadvantage in having to write before the acceptances are before me. In the Open Hurdles, Orlando heads the list with 11st. He has only recently been taken up and will not be ready. Larrikin has a chance with lost., and Nap reads very well with gst. lolbs. Begorra is an unknown quality so far as racing is concerned, but he is not a bad jumper. Satyr has won races on the flat, and probably has more pace than anything engaged, but I have never seen him jump. If backed he should be worth following. Fishmonger may be dangerous with gst. iolbs., as he has some pace, but I see nothing else likely

to win. With a start I shall expect the result to be something like this: — Larrikin Nap Satyr. The principal event on the card, the Hunt Club Cup (Steeplechase) will then come up for decision. Hurricane rightly heads the list with izst. izlbs. —1 ilbs. more than he carried to victory in the same event last year. He will be ridden by Mr. T. Craig, who can be relied upon to get the utmost out of his mount. Costley, izst. 41bs., has caught it pretty hot for his Waikato victories, but I expect he will have something better to meet here than he did at Cambridge. He will be ridden by his owner, Mr. J. Turnbull, who steered him so successfully in the Waikato. Jim will, I think, be held safe by Tawhiao, who is bracketed together with him, Fly and Odd Trick, at lost. 61bs. Tawhiao will probably be ridden by Mr. E. D. O’Rorke, and should make the best of them go. Halstead has the horse looking well. Old Odd Trick is as slow as they make them, but he is a sure fencer. Mr. H. C. Tonks will steer him. Fragrance is fast, and has been shaping fairly well in the hunting field. All things considered I can’t see anything to haul down the colours of the top-weight, and I shall place them : — Hurricane Tawhiao Costley. In the Open Flying Stakes, St. Michael is top weight with gst. ilb. I prefer Capella with yst. izlbs.; and Blarney with yst. iolbs. reads well. Prudence is let off lightly with yst. ylbs., but the pick of the basket to my thinking is Cambria, yst. ylb. I shall expect the finish to be something like this :— Cambria Capella Prudence. The Farmer’s Plate follows, and the three top weights, Shotover, Falcon and Ma Petite Fille, should have things pretty well their own way. I like best Falcon. The Members’ Hurdle Race is the next event on the card. The best of the horses engaged will have had a severe race out of them in the Cup, and the field will probably be a small one. I shall place them : — Nap Hurricane Costley. In the Maiden Plate there is a lot of rubbish engaged. The Baron heads the list with gst. opposite his name. I am not aware of the horse’s condition, but if fit he should be the hardest to beat. I shall expect him to meet with most opposition from Fishmonger, who has ylbs. less to carry. To make a place selection I shall go for: * The Baron Fishmonger Winifred.

The Sporting and Dramatic has the following story of racing in Buenos Ayres. There was at a certain race meeting a horse that looked to be a good thing; the judges at any rate thought it was, and backed it freely, but at Buenos Ayres—as elsewhere —good things do not invariably come off, and at the distance the favourite was well beaten, and an outsider won by three or four lengths. This was a blow, but an idea occurred to one of the judges, the others jumped at it, and the result was that the favourite’s number was put up as having won. This was too flagrant a swindle to be borne placidly, more particularly by those who had backed the real winner, and as in Buenos Ayres men go racing with revolvers in their pockets, the judges’ stand was surrounded by an angry mob, bent —pistols in hand —on convincing the three judges that they had made a mistake. Arguments backed by powder and lead proved convincing, and the judges were brought to see that they had made a mistake, and at once proceeded to rectify it by hoisting the number of the actual winner. But this was doubly disappointing to the backers of the animal whose number had been first up; they had gone to draw their money and did not like losing it, so in their turn they surrounded the judges’ stand, pistols in hand. The judges were once more in a plight. What was to be done ? At last the inventive one of the trio hit upon an expedient that his friends jumped at, the number was pulled down and it was declared a dead heat.