Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 169, 19 October 1893, Page 7

Turf Topics.

Mr A. E. Bird (‘ Sir Launcelot) died at his residence, Devonport, early yesterday afternoon. The American trotting stallion Imperious is having a great show this season to bring honour to his name, as the following well-known mares Lady Bird, Nellie, Kate, Peggy, Fairy, Fibre, Maud, Rambuster, Black Oats, Topsy, Dainty and Twinkle are to be mated with the son of Director. Stock from the above mares should soon be able to put up records equal to American time.

The following amounts have been paid over in connection with the Napier Park meeting:— W. Douglas, £479 15s ; Hon. J. D. Ormond, £l6l 10s; Gr. Hunter, £66 10s; R. Gooseman, £57 ; A. Portland, £52 5s ; A. Goodwin £47 Fa ; S. H. Gollan, £47 10s ; Dr J. Reid, £3B ; F. Collins, £3B ; F. M. Fraser, £9 10s; H. Gaisford, £9 10s; A. S. Lovejoy, £9 10s ;D. Page, £9 10s; total, £1026.

Enuc has been scratched for the Melbourne Cup.

What about St. Hippo ? Last week he was withdrawn from the New Zealand Cup because, so it was stated, he had hroken down. Mr Nathan brought his horse back, and to everyone’s surprise the ‘ broken down ’ New Zealand Cup candidate was at once put in work. On the track nothing could be seen indicative of a recent breaking down, and on Tuesday morning St. Hippo was noticed to gallop two miles as strong as a lion, after which he pulled up as fresh as a two-year-old. Those who backed him for the Cup may be pardoned if they inquire what it all means.

The committee of the A.R.C. met yesterday to consider the fatal accident at Ellerslie, and after examining Messrs. Percival, Ruddy, Jackson, and Byers, they decided to adjourn until Friday next. Barzan, who won the Hurdles at the recent A.J.C. Meeting, is a son of Bargo, who won the Derby in 1884. J. Cunningham, who was refused a license by the V.R.C., applied in Sydney to be allowed to ride by the Associated Pony and Galloway Clubs, but they declined to accede to his request.

The V.R.C. committee are pursuing the even tenor of their way as regards jockeys who are lax in their respect for the rules of racing. C. Ettridge, the well-known jockey, was only granted his license after the committee had given him a bad quarter of an hour, during which he received severe cautions and much good advice. The horse sale held in Beecroft’s Repository, Hastings, on Saturday last, attracted a big attendance of buyers, and fully 100 horses changed hands, in addition to pure bred cattle. Mr Geo. McCormack’s stallion Mainmast was purchased by Mr D. Fleming for 200 guineas. Mr T. Morrin reports the following foalings:— Bianca br filly by Hotchkiss; Sapphire bf by Medallion.

The suppression of the big sweeps in Sydney is a godsend to the pencillers, and there is an appreciable advance in the Melbourne and Sydney wagering compared with that of last year. Big books are the rule, and there appears to be every prospect of bigger betting in connection with the Cup season than has been the case for years past. The way Patron, the "V.R.C. Derby favourite, was beaten by Moscow in the Mariybrnong Cup does not make his chance for the blue ribbon event any too rosy. The mile and a half took the winner just 2min qosec, and it was in the last two furlongs that Patron cracked up, which looks bad for his staying capacity. Fulham is being heavily backed to win the Caulfield Cup, and the way this candidate is training makes his chance a rattling one.

The Dreamer, by Somnus—Sweet Alice, has been handed to Mr T. C. Clibbom, of Sydney, for private sale.

Otakeho and Cleveland have been brought up from Hawera and lodged in James Kean’s stables. A important innovation was made by the Committee of Tattersall’s Club at their last meeting. The Committee introduced a new rule respecting bookmakers’ licences, which provides that before a license is granted the penciller must provide the name of his clerk. In the event of the latter being deemed a satisfactory person, the license will be issued. If not, it will be withheld until the bookmaker provides a suitable employee. The clerk will not require to obtain a license or pay a fee. He must simply be considered clean in his morals —particularly his turf ones. Two or three parties who at present attend fielders will stand a poor chance of passing. The following from the Melbourne Sportsman of the 3rd inst. reads “a bit thick” as Courtneidge the Gaiety Comedian would say :—“ On Saturday evening a well-known Flemington trainer, who has won more than one race during the past month, was playing a game of billiards at Rigby’s Racecourse Hotel with a respected resident of the borough. A very heavy thunderclap was heard, shortly before nine o’clock, and the trainer mentioned had an easy cannon on, and was about to take his shot, when to his dismay and that of those in the room, there was a flash through the window, and the electric fluid Jseemed (so those say who saw it, and they had not been drinking colonial whisky either) to travel along the cue which he held, and made the balls cannon ! That trainer was silenced in a second, and he played no more that night. Fact.”

The privileges in connection with the Waikato Agricultural and Pastoral Association, to be held on the 26th and 27th inst. were sold on Saturday afternoon. The grand stand bar was purchased by Mr Le Quesne of the Waikato Hotel, for £4l, Messrs Adams and Andrews of Auckland secured the gates at £BO, the temperance booth was purchased by Mr R Williamson for £2, the total realised being £123.

The Feilding Jockey Club have drawn up the programme for the Spring Meeting to be held on November 29th and 30th, as follows :—First day —Flying Handicap of sosovs, six furlongs; Spring Hurdle Handicap of sosovs, one mile and three-quarters; First Handicap Hack Hurdles of 25SOVS, one mile and a half; St. Andrews’ Handicap of 2oosovs, one mile and a half; First Handicap Hack Flat of 25SOVS, one mile and a quarter; Kiwitea Stakes of sosovs, one mile; First Handicap Hack Flying of 2osovs, five furlongs ; Welter Handicap of 4OSOVS, one mile. Second day—The Shorts of 4OSOVS, four furlongs; Second Handicap Hurdles of 4OSOVS, one mile and a half; Second Hack Hurdles of 2osovs, one mile and a half; Manchester Handicap of icosovs, one mile and a quarter; Second Hack Flat Handicap of 2osovs, one mile ; Railway Stakes of qosovs, one mile and a distance; Final Handicap Hack Flying Race of 25SOVS, five furlongs. Nominations close on Nov. 3rd at 8.30 p.m.; weights for the first and second days will be declared on or about Nov. 20th and Nov. 29th, and acceptances close on Nov. 24th and Nov. 29th. The crack Australian-side trotters Mystery and Osterley met again at Richmond Park, Melb., on the 10th inst., and this, time Mystery won. In the match of the 13th ult., when three mile heats were contested, Osterley won, but the result was not considered so satisfactory, as Mystery went lame in the second heat. The match held on the 10th inst. was over a two mile course, and Mystery covered it in 4mm s6|secs, and put up a record. Osterley is by Childe Harold out of Kentucky Maid, and Mystery is by Honesty. The scratching of St. Hippo, which was foreshadowed in a turf topic in our last issue, must have come as a scorcher to hundreds of punters. There was a heap of money laid against Mr Nathan’s horse, and the books will rejoice accordingly. Judging by the way the 100 to 12 racket was played during the three days prior to the scratching, it is more than probable some people hedged pretty freely, but the great bulk of those interested will sustain a heavy blow. Now that St. Hippo is out of the way, the race is decidedly a more open event than it was. The cable informed us on Friday last of the result of the Cesarewitch Stakes of iooosovs, run at Newmarket on the nth inst. Red Eyes and St. Kyfra ran a dead heat, and Lady Rosebery followed them home.

The Pungarehu Racing Club held their annual meeting at the local town hall on October 7th, The balance-sheet showed receipts about/230 and expenditure about /200, leaving a credit balance of £3°- The officers for the season were elected as follows :—President, Mr M. Fleming; vicepresident, Mr B. T. Layard; hon. sec. and treas., Mr H. Corbett; judge, Mr A. Bayley; starter, Mr A. Wills; handicapper, Mr R. Pardy; clerk of course, Mr J. Caddy; clerk of scales, Mr M. Mills ; stewards, Messrs G. Rutherford, W. Dew, J. McGloin, Kupi, Rua, Harvey, J. Wells, W. G. Corbett, McQuade, Hanson, and Walistein.

The annual report and balance sheet of the Opunake Racing Club, which was read last week at the annual meeting, showed that the club has /250 to its credit. The election of officers for the present season was held, and resulted as follows : —President, Major Tuke ; vice-president, Mr E. Shove ; handicapper, Mr R. E. Mcßae ; starter, Mr Mongar ; clerk of scales, Mr Scott ; clerk of course, Mr McLeod. The committee decided to accept the offer of Mr O’Connor, of Opua, for the lease of a course on his farm for fifteen years.

Mr T. B. Bell informs us that his mares Mantilla and Pandora have each produced foals to Hotchkiss, the former a filly and the latter a colt.

Mr. Baker the owner of His Worship had a stroke of bad luck with his animal on Sunday last. A boy had the horse out for walking exercise at Avondale in the morning, when it took fright at something, got clean beyond his rider’s command, and after shaking the boy off his back, slashed along the hard road at a mad gallop for four miles. Result, three shoes torn off, his hoofs worn down to the quick and the scratching pen ran. through his name for his engagements at the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting. This is a hard blow for Mr. Baker, who considered him, and I think rightly too, a dead certainty for either the Flying or Open Handicaps. His Worship is badly knocked about and will not be seen in public for some time.

‘ Freelance,’ in the Melbourne Sportsman, however, considers Patron will strip a different colt on Derby Day, and attributes his defeat to the fact that he was not forward enough. It is true that the three-year-olds out for the Derby are not a very sensational lot, so that given fair improvement between now and Derby Day Patron may yet win the event, but, as ‘ Freelance’ says, the victory —if it be one—will be more attributable to the comparative weakness of his field than to Patron’s brilliancy.

The secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club has supplied us with his club programmefor season 1893-1894. The Summer Meeting will be held on December 26th, and the principal event will be the Summer Handicap of <55 SOVS > one mil® and a half. The Autumn Meeting has beed fixed for March 19th and 20th, and the 14 races on the two days will be worth 133OSOVS. The big event on the opening day is the Hawke’s Bay Cup ot 3oosovs, one mile and three quarters; and on the second day the Burke Memorial Stakes of 200 sovs, one mile and a half, will be the leading attraction. The date of the Winter Meeting is Friday, June 22, when the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase Handicap of 300S0VS, about 3 J miles, will be contested.

James Hayes, the well - known Australian jockey who has been suspended from riding at registered meetings by the Victoria Racing Club, has applied to the club to reconsider his case and allow him to be heard in his own defence. This is a fair request, and no matter how confident the V.R.C. Committee may be of the justice of the suspension, they should certainly accede to Hayes’s request, and hear his side of the case. If the jockey succeeds in controverting the charges on which the V.R.C. has acted, the Australasian will have a bad show in that libel action for /5000 Hayes is bringing against the proprietors. Mr S. H. Gollan’s Pounamu, a great slashing three-year colt by Newminster —Beryl, says the Sydney Referee, started in the Sandown Park Handicap, and after running well all the way finished fourth. This young aristocrat, who is engaged in the Derby, both Cups, and other races, apparently requires time, but should turn out a good one by the time the Autumn leaves are falling.

Lady Emmeline and Hipporina have visited Blairgowrie, and Mary and Satanella are booked to go to him shortly.

George Wright has returned with the deposed New Zealand favourite St. Hippo.

The Egmont Racing Club have forwarded us their programme for season 1894, with date of nominations, acceptances, etc. For the Summer Meeting, to be held on February 14th and 15th, fourteen events have been arranged, carrying £ 1 200 in prize money. The chief event on the first day will be the Egmont Handicap of 300 sovs, two miles, and on the second day the principal item will be the Atkinson Memorial Stakes Handicap of 2oosovs, one mile and a-half. The Winter Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 10th, when a seven event card worth 450 sovs will be run off. The principal race will be the Egmont Handicap Steeplechase of 15OSOVS, about three miles.

Mr Halstead has engaged his son, Mr Charles Halstead, as an assistant in his business.