Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 173, 16 November 1893, Page 9

Turf Topics.

Although there was much more money put through the totalisator at this year’s A.R.C. Spring Meeting as compared with last year, there will only be a difference of about 6s commission in the amount received by the club as against the receipts of the last meeting. The club this year has tne machine tax to pay.

We hear that there is a probability of a pony meeting, With stakes to the value of £4OO or £5OO being held in January next under the auspices of the Metropolitan Club. The 'sum of/g, 183 was passed through the totalisator during the A.R.C.’s two day’s meeting at Ellerslie. At last year’s meeting the sum of was the total for the two days. Rosarina has dropped a. bay filly to Cuirassier. The trotting mare Yum Yum was completely handicapped out of the event for which she was entered at the A.T.C.’s meeting at Potter’s Paddock last week.

Loyalty was passed in at a Melbourne sale of racehorses on the 14th inst. at 1750 guineas.- Mr O’Brien ? s reserve was 3000 guineas.

The Marquis of Tewkesbury’s win in the Flying Handicap on the opening day of the A.R.C. Meeting was a rather flukey one. He only got home by a nose from St. Laura, who was hard up on the rails and could not get through, and had the positions of the horses been reversed St. Laura would have probably won by close on a length.

Her Ladyship, who won the Nursery Handicap at Ellerslie, is an upstanding filly with splendid bone, and the way in which she responded to her rider’s call on Saturday proves she is a very game animal.

The majority of people think that the outside machine is always the better investment for a ‘ dark ’un.’ And so it is as a rule, but it does not always work out so. There was a case in point on the second day of the A,R.C. Meeting. Decoy was whispered about amongst a select few as an excellent thing for the Maiden Plate, and they consequently fell over one another to back the ‘ dead* cert ’ on the outer machine. But what would have been the result had Decoy won ? The dividend outside would have been £8 Bs. Inside it would have been £37 16s ? The numbers were :—Outside 17 out of 159 and inside 4 out of 168.

The starting apparatus has made a great impression on Australian owners and trainers, and it is probable they will petition the V.R.C. to give it a trial.

St. Leger sired four winners at the A.R.C. Second Spring Meeting, viz., Doris, St. Laura, Marquis of Tewkesbury (two wins). He also sired four placed horses. t Our representative ‘Borderer’ was very successful in his recent tips. For the first day’s racing at Ellerslie he gave St. Laura for the Auckland Guineas, Despised for the Handicap Hurdles, Tulloch for the Prince of Wales’ Handicap, and Pearl 11. for the Pony Race. His pick for the Flying Stakes was St. Laura, who was beaten by' a nose, and who would have undoubtedly won could she have got clear of the Marquis. He placed Lottie second in the President’s Handicap, and she ran into first place, and Stepfeldt, whom he placed first in the Welcome Stakes, obtained second position. The weights not being out in tune for the second day, he was prohibited from anticipating the results. For the C.J.C. Meeting he gave ’Skirmisher for the Derby, Ich Dien for the Oaks, Skirmisher for the Canterbury Cup, and Norton for the Curragh Steeplechase. He also gave Pompom and Strathbraan for the Welcome Stakes, and these horses ran second and third, and Norton and Empire for the Hurdles, who also ran second and third. For the A.T.C. Meeting at Potter’s Paddock he gave for the Spring Trot Dinah and Yum Yum, who ran second and third ; placed Sparrowhawk for the Hamess and Charlie for the Electric Trot, Broker for the Maiden Trot and Gillie for the Flying Stakes. Out of a field of : two in the Hurdles there . was not much difficulty in tipping Butterfly as the winner. We have received the programme for the Taranaki Jockey Club’s Hack Meeting, to be held on Boxing Day. The principal event will be the Summer Handicap of ibosovs of one mile and a half. . ' ,

< I I ' ’ Mr Jack Murray, a Victorian legislator, who is a strong advocate of the totalisator, has failed a second time to have the machine legalised in Victoria. r '. "

Mr Dan O'Brien has purchased a place in Sydney, so his horses will most probably leave New Zealand shortly. Wherever Mr O’Brien elects to settle he will always have the best wishes of sporting men. . Messrs Alison Bros.’ are the only possessors of St. Leger colts this season. They have a pair of beautiful youngsters, one out of Friendship, and the other out of Tamora.

On Tuesday morning Fishmonger, Cleveland, and Otakio, were sent two miles over hurdles on the course proper at Ellerslie. Yesterday Ingorina was also schooled over the sticks on the course proper. Prior to- the V.R.C. Meeting Mr D. O’Brien was offered for Loyalty, but when he was offered for sale at Melbourne, on the 14th inst., the highest bid was 1750 guineas.

Through great pressure on our space we have been compelled to hold over our cricket contributor “ Blocker’s ” matter.

Through pressure on our space we have been compelled to hold over our ‘ Turf Records of the A.T.C., Town and Country, and Taranaki Trotting Clubs’ Meetings. These will appear in our next issue.

The annual meeting of the Avondale Jockey Club will be held to-night at the Avondale Hotel. We understand the balance sheet shows a small profit on the year’s transactions, a rather uncom mon thing nowadays.

The programme for the annual meeting of the Drury Racing Club to be held on December 28, has been passed by the A.R.C., as follows . — Handicap Hurdle Race of 25SOVS, 2 miles; Maiden Plate of 2osovs, 1 mile ; Handicap Pony Race of zosovs, about 7 furlongs; Drury Cup Handicap of 45SOVS, ijmiles ; Novel Handicap of 2osovs, I mile; Drury Racing Club Handicap of 25SOVS, miles ; Stewards’ Handicap of 2osovs, fof a mile. Particulars respecting nominations, &c., will be found in our advertising columns. The Taranaki Jockey have compiled the programme for their Autumn Meeting to be held on February 21 and 22, 1894, as follows: —First day—First Handicap Hurdle Race of 6osovs, miles; First Handicap Hack Hurdles of 3osovs, miles; Taranaki Jockey Club Handicap of 25OSOVS, miles ; First Handicap Hack Race of 3osovs, 1 mile; Welter Handicap of 6osovs, 1 mile ; Hack Scurry Stakes of 3osovs, 5 furlongs ; Flying Handicap of 75sovs, 6 furlongs. Second day—Grandstand Handicap of Bosovs, 7 furlongs; Second Handicap Hack Hurdles of 35SOVS, about IJ miles; Autumn Handicap of 15OSOVS, i| miles ; Second Handicap Hack Race of 35SOVS, 11 miles ; the Shorts Handicap of sosovs, 5 furlongs ; Farewell Handicap of 4Osovs, 1 mile. Hackett, Roberts and Martin arc shaping well over the hurdles, and a great race is expected between them at the forthcoming A. A. gathering. S. Goodman, the well-known ped. trainer, has greatly improved Cossar and Gaudin. Martin, Beere and Meldrum have also put on great pace under the same guidance. Goodman is also training four cyclists. At a sale of thoroughbreds held at Riccarton on Monday last, the following sales were effected: —B g Liberator, by Betrayer—Diana, 500 gns ; b c Aidershot, by Foul Shot—Anterina, 259 gns; b c, by Apremont—Miss Russley, 50 gns ; br h Van Buren, by Vanguard—Wild Rose, 47 gns ; b f Leda, by Castor —Welcome Katie, 35 gns; br g Guardsman, by Vanguard—Titania, 30 gns ; bl c Joe Sedley, by Guy Fawkes—Vanity Fair, 20 gns.

Chester’s gallant run without his rider in the Steeplechase at Ellerslie last week is an occurrence not often seen on a racecourse. His stable reckoned him a certainty, so there must have been some muttered anathemas when he came in front without a rider.

An increase of more was taken on the first day of the A.R.C. Meeting as compared with the same day last year. This was due to the erection of the fencing at Green Lane, which provided an extra check on those wishing to obtain free entrance to the course.

W. Laing has had five falls in schooling Otakio since he fell off Fishmonger last week.

The profit on the A.R.C. Meeting will be about £yx>.

Owners must remember, in view of the A.T.C. Summer Meeting, that under the rules of the A.R.C., nominations for the A.T.C. prevent entries being made for the former club. The methods employed by Mr Edwards, the new A R.C. starter, are not proving palatable to the jockeys. Mr Edwards does not wait for one or more breakaways to fine, but punishes on the first break. There is no undue leniency in this, neither is there injustice, provided the starter distinguishes between a break 'by the horse alone and one which is urged by the rider. When the boys come to pay for breaking away the starting is bound to improve.