Amid the Thoroughbreds

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 162, 31 August 1893, Page 7

Amid the Thoroughbreds

[By Sir Launcelot.J A small string at Ellerslie, but one that promises to be useful during the racing season of 1893-4, is that in charge of . Adam Byers. Byers, who became a Benedict only last week, invited me to have a look at what few he had to show me, and I accordingly looked him up on Saturday afternoon. The first nag to be stripped was an old •acquaintance in the shape of a four-year old son of Nordenfeldt and Cressina, whom I saw at Kohimarama about this time last year. He was then in the rough, but I liked him nevertheless, and was sorry that he had not been given an opportunity of sporting silk. Since then he has had the name of Salvo bestowed upon him. Now that he is in work one can better judge what a nice colt he is. In colour a brown, with a white face and four white legs, he is long and low, well ribbed up with fine quarters to drive him along. I never saw Nordenfeldt, but those who have seen this colt tell me that he very much resembles his sire. As I said above I regret that he has not yet had an opportunity of distinguishing himself on the turf, for I think he is just the sort that would have come to hand early and won races as a two and three- , year-old. On the score of breeding he > takes a lot of beating. Nordenfeldt we all know as a most successful sire, and Salvo’s dam Cressina is by Leolinus (imp.) out of Libeller’s sister Rosarina. 'lngorina has been in Byers’ hands longer than any horse he has in his stable. I have often {during the past season pointed out how unkindly the handicappers have treated him, Mr Evett in particular appearing to entertain a most exalted opinion of him. Perhaps, after -his record of last season, he will be let down a bit lighter until he shows some winning form. His first appearance last season resulted in his being beaten out ; of place with 8.8 in the President’s Handicap, one mile and a distance, and on the second day, with 10.0, he was third

to Glaucus, 9.5, and Warrior, 9.8, in the Welter Handicap, one mile and a quarter. At Avondale Spring he was beaten out of place with 8.10 in the Cup, one mile and a quarter, won by Tulloch, 7.8. Ellerslie had no attractions for him on Boxing Day, when the Thames Jockey Club’s programme claimed his owner’s attention, with the result that with 8.10 he was beaten a length by Ida in the Thames Handicap, one mile and a quarter. On the second day, though, he met Ida on 2olb better terms in the Goldfields Handicap, one mile and a half, and as was only to be expected he won. With 10.5 he showed his heels to a field of nine in the Free Handicap, 7 furlongs, which concluded the day’s sport. About the best race Ingorina ran during the season was the Takapuna Cup, one mile and a half, at the T.J.C.’s Summer Meeting, when with 8.0 he ran Morion, 8.10, to half a length, and with 8.5 he was third to Tit, 7.4, and Lottie, 8.3, in the Jockey Club Handicap, one mile and a quarter, but 31b more stopped him getting a place in the Anniversary Handicap, 7 furlongs. A visit to Te Aroha by Ingorina resulted in his just failing to concede Clarion 331 b in the Jockey Club Handicap, one mile and a half, the respective weights being 9.12 and 7.7. At the South Auckland R.C.’s Autumn Meeting Ingorina, with 8.12, found more than his match in Folly, 7,10, in the Autumn Handicap, one mile and a half, but the Claudelands Handicap, one mile and a quarter fell to him, Glaucus and Memorandum, to whom he was conceding i6lb and 321 b, being his opponents. In the intervals between this and the Takapuna Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting Ingorina was put through his facings as a hurdle-racer, an 1 when he appeared to contest the ‘ little sticks ’ event at Takapuna he was such a strong street-corner tip that he went out favourite. He proved a sad disappointment to his backers, and he was last of the trio of starters in the Welter Handicap, one mile. At the Auckland Racing Club’s Winter Meeting Ingorina terminated his season’s work by being unplaced with 9.6 in the Grand National Hurdles; second with 10.6 to Ida, 11.3, in the Hunters’ Welter Handicap, 1 mile ; and third with 9.8 to Criminal, 10.0, and Belmont, 10.7, in the Hurdle Handicap, if miles. Ingorina has filled out a lot since he last raced, and he will be nice and ripe for the A.R.C. Spring Meeting. St. Kilda was a real rough ’un when he won the Maiden Plate at Takapuna so unexpectedly on May 24th, and paid £ll 12s dividend. Byers had him then, but he had not had him long, and now with plenty of time to work on him he has built him up into not a bad looking horse. St. Kilda, who is now four years old, resembles his sire St. Leger a good deal about the fore end. He has a nice straight back —even if somewhat lengthy —and great quarters to drive him along, while his bone is big and of the right quality, and he stands on a grand set of legs and feet. He has practically all his turf career before him, and under Byers’ careful handling should prove one of the useful ‘ cut-and-come-again ’ sort — a good poor man’s horse. Tulloch, who has been leased by Byers, is too well known to racegoers to need much comment from me. He has improved wonderfully since he last appeared in public, and though I doubt if he will ever stay out a long journey, he will always be bad to beat under certain weights up to a mile and a quarter. Tulloch was tolerably hard worked during the season, and his total earnings in stakes were ios. It would be tedious to my readers for me to go through the full list of Tulloch’s performances during the past season, so I will content myself with mention of his wins, the first of which was achieved in the Avondale Cup, one mile and a quarter, in which he carried 7.8, and beat Glaucus 8.0, Loch Ness 8 6, Ingorina 8.10, Ida 7.10, and Orwell 6.10. At the South Auckland Racing Club’s Summer Meeting he won the Tradesmen’s Plate Handicap, one mile and a quarter (7.12), and the Publicans’ Purse Handicap, one mile and a quarter (8.2), after running second to Ida at level weights—7.lo each —in the South Auckland Cup. At Auckland Summer he easily beat Brown Alice in the Christmas Handicap, 1 mile and quarter. Now came Tulloch’s biggest conquest of the season, the Taranaki Jockey Club Handicap of 250S0VS, one mile and a half, falling to him. He had 6.11 up, and the other places were filled by Krina, 7.3, and Durus, 6.10, the field being made up by Boulanger, 9.1, Fraternite, 8.2, Rangipuhi, 7.12, Violence, 7.2, and Sirius, 6.9. Tulloch, carrying 9.5, also

beat a field of seven in the Welter Handicap later in the same afternoon. At Manawatu Autumn Tulloch annexed the Fitzherbert Handicap, one mile and a quarter. The best Byers had to show me was a three-year-old colt by Brigadier out of Skylark by Resolution — Louise by Riddlesworth. This is a raw youngster, but he has several good points about him, and is just the sort of ‘joker’ I should pick out as likely to make a good ’un over sticks or across country. It seems but the other day that I first saw Adam Byers riding for Mr John Marshall in Christchurch, and yet eight years have elapsed since then. Byers weighs a good bit more than the 7.0 he did in those days, and I suppose now he has become a married man that even a ride over hurdles wouldn’t tempt him. The training, and not the riding of the thoroughbred, will claim his attention in future. He has a nice little string to work on now, and when he fills his three vacant boxes he is likely to be still further in evidence among the list of trainers of winners.