The Turf.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 75, 31 December 1891, Page 5

The Turf.

[by

OLD TURFITE.]

During the next week the yearling sales .will take place, but the excitement this year is nothing like it was last when the Sylvia Park Stud, which had made a name in Auckland as the breeding place for the thoroughbred, was dispersed. How the shareholders must , look back with regret, not only at the loss of their money but that a valuable property, which should have paid good dividends, pass away from them owing to the gross mismanagement of the directors ; but such ha§ been the case with every company that has been started in Auckland. Last year some .people, sanguine enough to predict that Wellington Park and other sales would fill the blanks, -but on looking carefully into the thing it will be seen that at least for some years such will not be the case. In the first place you must have Australian competition to ensure long prices, as there are not more than half-a-dozen buyeis in New Zealand who will take horses to Australia, and it will not pay anyone else to give a high price for a yearling, as owing to the totalisator you cannot make them pay . Say you give £350 for a well-bred yearling (you cannot expect to get one for less), it will cost you at least another £l5O before he is fit to come to the post, and at least £5 a week after that, so how many races must you win before you recoup your outlay, as you can win nothing on the machine ? Then suppose he turns out badly, you have to put his expenses on another one, and you are worse off than ever. Auckland breeders will soon find out how detrimental the machine is to their interest. Then again, this year will see the last of the Nordenfeldts" There is no sire here that has made a name for himself, and buyers will not give long prices for yearlings by untried sires (never mind how good looking they are), and Australians will not come from home after them, therefore the pick will be left to the few New Zealand buyers. St. Leger has partially made a name for himself, but it. will take Castor three years to do it. while it is doubtful if Nelson ever will, as so far his stock are not promising. Looking oyer the ' list ol tUe Wellington Park mares, it will be seen that they may be made up into four classy Onyx, Sylvia, Steppe, and Pungawere were may be put down as passed, as they are 'not likely to breed anything of much account at their age. Frailty, who has unfortunately lost her foal this year, and Oiuda must be classed by themselves, as they are valuable mares, as all their produce can race. Then there are some eight or ten tried and well-bred young mares, such as Necklace, Cissy, etc., the others are but moderate, and their produce are not likely to bring long prices. Neither the Whitford Park or Wapiti Studs have any mares of much account, so one may presume that after next year there will be no long prices, and that the purchasers will be New Zealanders. So until

another Martini-Henri crops up or the totalisator is done away with, there will not be another 2,000 guinea yearling in Auckland.

As John Bae has thought fit to attack me through the columns of another paper, I must, in justice to myself, make some remarks regarding his letter that appeared in the Herald of the 22nd inst. That the letter was composed by himself I have great doubts, as, judging from the vile language he sometimes uses in the saddling paddock, one would put him down as having been brought up in anything but. a refined school. From the tenor of his letter Rae thinks that because he fraternises with certain sporting writers, and chums with some “ turf ” gentlemen, that no one must criticise his doings, or any horse under his charge. The first thing he takes umbrage at is the following remark that appeared in one of my articles:—“ Morion, Bst 71b, heads the list. If he gets his head loose he should win, but I hardly think his party will do it for the paltry sum of £20.” Any one of education and knowledge of racing will see that this reads more ways than one, so if Rae likes to adapt it to himself he is welcome, as he is not immaculate. The next thing is another iemark I made regarding his “peculiar” riding of Lonely at the late Takapuna meeting. If I am not much mistaken I owned and rode steeplechase horses long before Rae was bom, and my in-structor-old Tom Oliver, who used to ride for my father—always impressed three things on me—never lie too far out of your ground ; it, is as easy to wait in front as it is behind; and, .learn to judge the pace. Not one of these rules did Rae observe. If lie can conscientiously declare that he rode Lonely to the best of his judgment, all I can say is that he is a worse jockey than I gave him the credit of being. In the concluding part of his letter he goes on to state “ one often hears with regret of the obliteration of that good feeling that in old times was such a characteristic at our race meetings,” etc. If such is the case, it is owing to two causes. The first is the good old class of trainers who knew their business .— ~ such as Cutts, Thorpe, French, etc.—are - dying out, and their places are being filled by young fellows, the majority of whom are no better than stable boys, and who cannot keep a civil or respectful tongue in their heads, nor know how to behave themselves. Secondly —since the introduction of the totalisator there has been a class of men come on the turf that really cannot afford to keep a racehorse, so they \ must naturally either “go for the gloves ” or enter into partnership with these so-called trainers. The consequence is there is much more roping than there used to be, as they must have money somehow. Since I first Commenced I have always written without bias, and if I see anything that I consider from my experience is not correct, I shall not hesitate to make comments on it, never mind if the perpetrator is in a high or low position, and no letters from John Rae or anyone else will cause me to deviate from what I consider the proper course of writing, and in future I shall not only pay particular attention to the running of the horses out of Rae’s stable, but also to them both before and after the races.

The first day’s racing of the A.RC. which took place last Saturday at Ellerslie was of an interesting character. Followers of ‘‘ book form,” however, were completely ouc in several instances, and in more than one race there was great reversal of form. Too much reliance must not be placed on the result of some of the running as regards future events, as the starting, especially in the two-year-old races and Railway Handicap, was very bad. The racing commenced with the Trial Stakes, 1 mile, for which five started. Clanranald gave us a taste of his quality over this distance by giving Flinders 51b, and beating him cleverly by three parts of a length. This, I confess, I did not think him capable of doing. The local horses had no show with these two. The Great Northern Foal Stakes was robbed of a great deal of its interest by the wretched start. Whakawatea, who exhibits the temper of the Apremont stock, not only got the best ' but also a flying start, Brown Alice, of course, having none the worst of it, while Stepniak and North Atlantic lost a lot of ground. Under these circumstances it is no wonder that Whakawatea won easily; as he is a fast colt.

though his staying abilities are to be questioned, and the next time they meet with a fair start, Stepniak should prove thebetterof the pair, and that North Atlantic will beat Brown Alice. Why the latter was made such a favourite on the machine is hard to understand, as she can only be called moderate. Neither St. Hippo or His Worship ran as forward as I anticipated. The Auckland Cup was robbed of a good deal of its interest owing to the scratching of Lebel and British Lion. The result was a regular knock down blow to the cognoscenti, the places being filled by three rank outsiders, the favourites never being in the race. . Pinfire’s win did not surprise me, as it will be remembered that in my article in the Sporting Review of the 17th inst., I said, “ If Pinfire, 6st 101 b, could be brought fit and well to the post, he should have an outside show, if the ground continues hard that contingency is verv remote.” His defeat in the South Auckland Cup by Loch Ness pointed to the fact that he was not up to the mark. French deserves great credit for pulling off the Cup with the horse, who is troubled with bad knees, especially when you take into consideration how hard the ground has been. It is a curious coincidence that when the Cup was last won by the Papakura stable in 1876, Kingfisher, 5 years old, carried 6st 101 b, and left the paddock at the outside price of 100 to 3. That Coalscuttle and The Dreamer would fill the situations I never for one moment thought. Fraternite’s running was disappointing, and evidently proves that he cannot stay. My readers will remember that I would never stand Hilda to win, and it was only when the field got so weak that I assigned her a chance of a place. Mr. Morrin must now regret that he did not relegate Hilda to the stud in the Spring when he was advised to, as he would not only have saved himself but the public a lot of money. Five started for the Hurdle Race. Lonely, 10st 61b, was made a great favourite, and won easily by six lengths from Fishmonger, 10st 71b ; Orakei lOst 81b, Oapella 9st 31b, and Try Fluke 9st, being the others. Here is reversal of form with a vengeance. ;At the Takapuna meeting Lonely, list 41b, ran nowhere in the Maiden Hurdle Race ; the field consisting of a lot of hacks. Now he comes out and easily beats the best horses we have in Auckland over sticks My readers will perhaps now see that I had some reason for saying that Kae’s riding of Lonely at Takapuna was peculiar. Reprisal showed that he is possessed of a good turn of speed, by disposing of ten others in the Railway Handicap, but too much reliance must not be placed on this running, as there was a great deal of messing about at the post, and when the flag did fall the start was indifferent. When the weights first appeared for the Nursery Handicap I pointed out that it was one of the worst Mr. Evitt had ever issued, and that Glehora, of the known ones, was thrown in. Mr. 1 Evitt, with his usual luck and the starter’s assistance, gets out of it, as Wyvern, getting the best of a bad start, wins, Glenora only getting third. The Maiden Steeplechase fell, as I anticipated, to The Colonel. 'fhe Christmas Handicap showed horses in different form. Loch Ness, who beat Pinfire in the South Auckland Cup, is made a great favourite, but runs nowhere, while Fiesole, Bst, wins a head from Morion, 7st 81b; Dreamer 7st 61b, 3rd; Dolosa 7st 71b, and Tulloch 6st 81b, being behind. On looking back it will be seen that this is greatly improved form on the part of the two first horses, especially Morion, who is pounds better than when he lately ran. It is to be hoped that there will be an improvement in the starting during the next two days, or it will be useless for me to wade through the handicaps in hopes of giving my readers a winner or two.