Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 176, 7 December 1893, Page 5

Turf Topics.

By

Borderer.

Mr F. W. Edwards has been permanently appointed starter for the A.R.C. Fishmonger was scratched for the Hurdle Race at Onehunga directly the weights appeared.

The A.R.C. committee have removed the suspensions awarded the jockeys Wright and Pennell for their recent misconduct at Ellerslie.

Why Not, the hurdler, who was brought over from Sydney last week by N. Ferguson, has been lodged in Adam Byers’ stable. Mr Drake, the well-known penciller, offered the Avondale Club for the right to open his book on theeir course last Saturday, but the offer was declined.

The principal Tarcoola winners outside the stable were three Melbourne bookmakers, viz., Mr L. Abraham £7OOO, Mr Jack Cohen £5OOO, and Mr Sol. Green £lt>oo.

Mr W. R. Wilson, the owner of Carnage, has been presented with a tabulated pedigree of the colt’s ancestors dating back to the year 1715, by ‘ Warrior,’ a Melbourne sporting writer. The pedigree measures sft x Ift lOin, and took the compiler three months to put together. The following Melbourne horses have been nominated for the Perth (W.A.) Cup of 400 sovs, 2 miles, which is run on New Year’s Day in the West Australian capital:—The Admiral, The Captain, Newman, Lord Grenville, Donation, Leap Year, Salient, Goldreef, Killaloe and Osric 11.

Mr Geo. Watson, the veteran Victorian starter, stands no nonsense from riders. On the last day of the Cup meeting he fined seventeen riders £5 each for disobedience at the start of the Free Handicap, and in addition to the fine, four of the boys were suspended until the end of the year. In the V.R.C. Handicap Mr Watson fined all the riders £2 each.

Mr Massey Baker informs me that His Worship is rapidly recovering from the effect of his disastrous prank at Avondale, and his owner is hopeful of putting him into work again in about a fortnight. Itwas thought at onetime that His Worship would lose a hoof through his mad three-mile gallop on the hard road, but I am glad to say that the injured part is joining up rapidly.

The usual exodus of bookmakers from the Victorian capital has taken place now that the Cup of 1893 is nothing but a memory. Messrs Sam Allen (brother of Barney Allen, the ‘ Golden King ’) and Sol. Green are, I notice by a Melbourne exchange, off to India to either play up their Australian gold over the Viceroy’s Cup or win the Maharajah’s rupees. Mr Drake, the onetime Southern metallician, has, I notice, taken a New Zealand trip, and is at present in Auckland. The reading of the card system, whichhas caused such hostility between the Victorian Club and Bowes’ Victorian Tattersall’s, does not commend itself to Mr Humphrey Oxenham, the Australian Levithan. The leading bookmaker thinks it is neither a benefit to the penciller nor to the layer. He concedes it may be all right for a small backer, but an owner who wished to back a horse to win him from £20,000 to £50,000 could not possibly, in Mr Oxenham’s opinion, have his commission executed.

It appears Power ‘ did ’ his field badly in the race fox* the Canterbury Plate. He was on Patron, and went away from the jump in a way that made it appear he was cutting out the running for Portsea. The result was the other jockeys watched the latter horse, and allowed Patron to get so far ahead that there was no catching him. Power executed a similar piece of generalship in 1888 in the race for the Randwick Plate. He was on The Australian Peer, and Wycombe, another horse belonging to Mr Gannon, was in the same race and was ridden by Dunhey. The latter went away with a strong lead, but as he was regarded as * pace maker for Power, Hales, who was on Abercorn, The Australian Peer’s most dangerous opponent, stuck to Power like glue, only to find that Teddy had outgeneralled him, for the ignored Wycombe quietly cut out a big lead and won easily. Since Carnage’s great runs at the V.R.C. Meeting the title accorded Loyalty of the best three-year-old of the season by Melbourne turf writers is not so often mentioned. The Sportsman writers are pretty well unanimous in classing Carnage as the best three-year-old ever seen in Australia, and the opinion is freely expressed that. in a two-mile race Loyalty would have no show with Mr Wilson’s colt. ‘ Cranbrook ’ says :— ‘ What price Carnage when he meets Loyalty in a two-mile race or over ? Well, I’d lay a goodly shade of odds on the former, for there’s no doubt about his staying capabilities’’ The same writer’s confrere, ‘ Freelance,’ holds a similar opinion, asserting that Mr O’Brien’s colt could have no chance with Carnage at level weights over two miles of ground. This scribe places ‘ this chestnut Carbine ’ on a par with the old-time cracks Darebin, Navigator, Grand Flaneur, Nordenfeldt, Martini-Henry and Trident. Moran, the rider of Carnage in the Melbourne Cup, is stated to have unburdened himself as follows to the Sydney Sporting Gazette regarding the beating administered to Mr Wilson’s colt in the Melbourne Cup. Speaking of the finish, Moran said : —‘l could tell that something fresh was coming at me very fast, and I began to send the colt along. Before that he’d taken his own pace, and I could no more stop him than I could hold a locomotive. He answered at once, like the grand horse he is, but I could still see a bay head and neck come sneaking up, and I rode for my life, and brought my whip into play. The colt bounded under me, and for a moment I thought I would shake my adversary off. Then my horse gave a sob and lurched under my riding, and just as Tarcoola got level I saw Jeweller also at me. Of course I flogged, and Carnage actually drew out again, I should say a neck. Then he tired, and young Cripps, flogging and riding for his life, squeezed his horse home ahead of me about half a length. Jeweller came so fast that there can’t be any doubt but that, had he started his run a bit sooner, he’d have won from both of us, for he was doing two feet to our one at the end, and looked quite fresh beside our blown cattle.’ ■

Onehunga and Otahuhu races on Saturday next.

Tim Swiveller, the Caulfield Cup disappointment, is to serve a few of his owner’s best mares.

Delaware and Budgeree have been scratched for the A.J .C, Summer Cup.

Valata, a three-year-old brown colt by Malua— Rhea, was sold recently in Melbourne for U7|gs.

A wire has been received in Auckland asking for stabling accommodation for Skirmisher, who is to be sent up from the South very shortly.

It is reported that P. White, the well-known rider, intends returning to New Zealand from Australia shortly.

Launsceston should run well in the Sydney Summer Cup I see Nat Gould (‘Verax’) tips Launceston, Division and Donation to fill the places. ‘ Ribbleden,’ the Australasian turf writer, says Malolo has been sent to Mr McLeod’s Gippsland establishment, and the training track will not know him again for some time.

Tulloch’s ridiculously easy win in the Avondale Cup Handicap showed conclusively how he was thrown in by the handicapper. The top weight Ida was never in it.

I learn from a Melbourne exchange that a Sydney totalisator runner has been sentenced to one month’s hard labour for his contravention of the Betting Houses Suppression Act. The ‘ tote’ man has given notice of appeal.

The jumping form displayed by Cleveland in the Avondale Maiden Steeplechase was none too good. Mr Keane’s gelding rattled nearly every obstacle on the course.

Tattersail’s Club in Brisbane is just now suffering financially in common with the majority of racing organisations, and it has decided not to hold either a Spring or Summer Meeting this season. Business is decidedly ‘ off colour’ in the Never Never capital at present, but the club hope to brace up their money bags in time for the autumn.

Nothing dismayed by the wins of Glenloth and Tarcoola, the Australian punters are already turning their attention to the next Melbonme Cup. A Sydney exchange says a N.S.W. fielder has laid .£lOOO to 30 against Light Artillery. Carnage is also being inquired for at the same figure.

Three Sydney horses that were engaged in the V.R.C. Spring campaign remain in Victoria. Warpaint was bought by T. Power, the wellknown rider, for 4 logs ; Mr J. Cripps, who trained Tarcoola, obtained Budgeree for 350 gs; and Straightfire was privately purchased by Mr I. T. Carslake,

A sportsmanlike and generous act by the veteran American jockey, Wm. Hayward, is recorded by The Horseman, a U.S. sporting paper, and reprinted by the Referee :— ‘ A poor man last week set the racing magnates of the East an example in magnanimous sportsmanship that racing would profit by if it were followed. The man was the veteran William Hayward, as accomplished a jockey as ever rode in America, and a natural gentleman in or out of the saddle. In a valuable stake race the finish lay between his colt Herald and Brown and Rogers’ colt Daily America. They ran a dead heat, and Daily America pulled" up so lame that it was quite apparent that he could not run the heat off, and Herald would have practically a walk over for the stake. Nine out of ten American horse-owners love a sure thing so well that they would have insisted on running the affair off, but that was not Hayward’s conception of horsemanship. He went to Brown and Rogers, after seeing that the colt was lame, and generously offered to divide the stake.’

The primage duty on horses is causing heart burning in New South Wales. Everyone taking a Sydneyside horse over the Victorian border lately has had to pay a one per cent, duty on his value. The Sydney trainers are very sore over the Cup Meeting journey, for when they deposited the duty there was a half promise that when they returned the money would be refunded, but according to the Town and Country Journal this has not been done. The same paper says, ‘lf this money is not refunded it will go a long way towards reducing the fields in future, so far as visiting teams are concerned. Mr Sam Hordern had to pay a primage duty on his carriage horses If the Victorians wish to keep up the prestige of their race meetings, the sooner they set about getting the primage duty on horses done away with the better.

The nder of Tarcoola in the Melbourne Cup, Herbert Cripps, is seventeen years old, and was decidedly fortunate in getting home the first time he rode in the big V.R.C. Handicap. His description of the race, as given to the Melbourne pressmen, is interesting reading. This is how he describes it:— ‘ Passing the training track Tarcoola was running so strong that I began to look out for an opening, as I felt there was a chance for me from the way the horse was going. As we were rounding the bend into the straight for the finish the field opened out, and I shot up through the opening. Scarcely had I got there when I saw another opportunity, which I also seized. When I turned into the straight I was well up in front. The first horse I challenged was Vakeel. He was on the inside, and I saw Loyalty coming on the outside. I had very little trouble in passing Vakeel, and in doing so lost sight of Loyalty. I called on Tarcoola nearing the distance post, and he responded at once, showing that he had enough left in him for a final struggle. The only horse then ahead of me was Carnage, and I set Tarcoola to catch him. Carnage was on the inside and going well, but I rode all I knew and gradually overtook him. When we were about half a furlong from the winning post we were on level terms, but as soon as I got abreast of Carnage I knew that I had got him beaten, as I saw he did not answer to the whip. A second later I was leading, with the winning post close at hand, but I kept riding Tarcoola all I knew until I had passed it, as I was afraid some horse might come with a rush and snatch the victory out of my hand on the post.’

Mr ‘R. Burke’s’ mare Lady Belle died last week from inflammation of the lungs.

Schoolgirl has been scratched for all her engagements at the Auckland Trotting Club s Summer Meetings.

The Egmont Racing Club invite applications for the position of starter. Applications must be in by January 4th, 1894. Mr McMillan, the hon. sec. of the Foxton Racing Club, has forwarded us the programme of the Club’s Hack Meeting, to be held on January 22nd, 1894.

A one time New Zealand metallician, Mr Drake, is reported to have made the nice profit of £6OOO over the V.R.C. Spring Meeting.

Sydney Bulletin says that influence is being used by a baronet and a sporting Queen’s counsel to have the license of J. Hayes, the suspended Victorian jockey, restored to him.

Avondale Jockey Club v. the Bookmakers. The opening round in this contest was held at Avondale course on Saturday last, and resulted in a knock out for the latter.

Despised has only four pounds more in the Steeplechase to be run at the A.R.C. Summer Meeting than he carried home to victory in the last Ellerslie Steeplechase. The plucky descendant of Cap-a-pie—Mavis looks warm — very warm—at such a weight.

The Bathurst (N.S.W.) Times tells of some turf spielers who took a bay horse from the New South Wales Metropolis to a country race meeting, dyed him a glossy black, and under an assumed name the nag won nearly every race he started for.

The sale of privileges in connection with the Onehunga and Otahuhu Racing Club’s Spring Meeting resulted as follows :—Publican’s booth, Z 26, Mr S. C. Caulton; refreshment stalls, fl, Mr S. C. Caulton; cards, fli, Mr J. Ney Ion; stabling, fi, Mr J. Parker ; gates, /30, Mr W. Blomfield.

There was no bookmaking allowed at Saturday’s Avondale Meeting, and yet the heavens did not fall. A few clouds dissolved into tears, but the majority of the heavenly bodies declined to launch thunderbolts at the heads of the stewards for their temerity in ignoring the silver tongued bookmakers.

On paper Union Jack should be worth a small investment in the Auckland Steeplechase. He was running a big race in the Steeplechase at the last A.R.C. Meeting when half the field fell and Despised won, and had Union Jack stood up over the last two obstacles, he would have been well up at the finish. Then he carried 9.10 ; in the A.R.C. Summer Steeple Mr Evett has let him in at 9.7, the minimum weight.

Notwithstanding the advertised refusal of the Avondale Jockey Club to allow betting on their course, one or two books were opened, sub rosa, on the last two races. This hostile move on the part of the metallicians will most probably result in the club taking an even more aggressive attitude than was the case on Saturday last, and the following resolution may be passed by the Avondale stewards. ‘No bookmaker will be allowed on the course in future ! ’ The bookmakers in the fulness of their frothy wrath over their banishment from the Avondale Meeting, were willing to wager, prior to the gathering, that the club would not put /‘lOOO through the machine. But the sum totalled a decided improvement on the figures of the last meeting, at which the pencillers ‘ assisted.’ It appears to be within the range of probability that the members of the Auckland Ring have overestimated their power and importance, and that they believe themselves to be representatives of a powerful growing body instead of a weakening and even decreasing fraternity. Some people incline to the latter belief.

Several protests marked the harmony of the sport at the Feilding Spring Meeting. One of these was in the Handicap Hack Flying on the first day, at the conclusion of which race Mr Green, owner of Bloomsbury, protested against the winner, Irish Twist, for jamming his horse in the straight. After hearing evidence the stewards dismissed the protest. An objection was laid against Prioress, the winner of the Kiwitea Stakes Handicap, on the ground that she was declared to be scratched before the race. The owner (Mr Knight) swore positively that he had not scratched the mare, and as the acting secretary could not say for certain who gave the instructions to scratch, this protest was also dismissed. In the Manchester Handicap, the principal race of the second day, Mr Lovejoy, the owner of Musketeer, protested against the stakes being awarded to Monte Carlo, who came in first, on the ground that he had crossed his horse in the straight and thereby interfered with his chance of winning. After investigation this protest was dismissed.

On the second day of the Feilding Spring Meeting the stewards were dissatisfied (writes my correspondent) with the riding of T. Scott on Waituna, who finished third in the Hack Hurdles. They had him before them, and after a short deliberation decided to disqualify the jockey, owner (Mr R. Hammond), and horse for six months The severe sentence was very adversely criticised by several prominent sportsmen who were present, and in deference to strong representations on the subject the stewards consented to re-consider the case at the close of the programme. This they did, with the result that they passed the following resolution ; —‘ That as there appears to be some doubt as to whether the horse Waituna was pulled or not, it is the opinion of the committee that the penalty of disqualification should be remitted, and they also think that T. Scott, the rider, should be severely cautioned as to his riding in future.’ The boy was then called in and cautioned accordingly. There was some cheering when the remission of the sentence was declared, for Mr D. Scott, the father of T. Scott, is one of the most prominent sportsmen in the Rangitikei district, and the general opinion was that the extreme sentence had been passed too hastily.

Trenchant has been scratched for all engagements at the Sydney Summer Meeting, and has been thrown out of work.

The stallion Reginald, who once defeated the great Commotion at weight for age, died in Victoria recently.

A crisp and not altogether untrue line from Sydney’s literary hard hitter, the Bulletin .—- ‘ Racing, the sport of Kings—and other rogues !

Musket (Armament—Leita), who won the St. Andrew’s Handicap at the Fielding meeting, was victorious in the same race last year. On that occasion he paid his backers fi 7 odd. The totalisator figures for the recent Feilding Spring Race Meeting show a decrease of £52 as compared with those for the 1892 Spring gathering.

Splendide is the top weight in the handicap for the Queensland Cup to be run on December 9th, and is fancied by the majority of backers and tipsters as the most likely winner. Increasing girth kills the jockey professionally. Fred Webb, the well-known English rider, has put on weight sufficient to effectually put him out of the saddle. Webb has turned his horsey knowledge to training at Newmarket.

The annual picnic and sports gathering given by Professor Carrollo to his pupils will be held at Motutapu on Saturday next. The first boat will leave the Queen-street Wharf at 9.30 a.m, and the second will leave at 1.15 p.m.

The Waikato mare Minnie ran a game race in the Avondale Flying Stakes, and showed herself to be a quick one off the mark. She was outpaced, however, by Gay Deceiver, who on this occasion belied his name.

The list of votes apportioned to the several clubs under the jurisdiction of the A.R.C. for the election of delegate to represent the country clubs at future Conferences will be found in our ‘ Official Calendar’ column of the Review. Countiy and Suburban Club nominations close on December 22. and the ballot is made returnable on Jan. I=.1=. A member of the Auckland ring has taken a quiet trip to Samoa, or some equally restful resort, and several citizens are bewailing his unostentatious departure. They really would have liked to have wished him bon voyage and God speed, etc.

A London writer in referring to the amount of ‘side’ put on by fashionable jockeys, says :- ‘lt is a fact that at a recent meeting a young official who was assisting the clerk of the course called out when the time for leaving the paddock arrived, “ Jockeys mount.” “ Jockeys !” exclaimed one of the suckling Archers, “gentlemen, if you please.’ ”

Yet another Tarcoola dreamer. An Adelaide writer tells of a tailor’s assistant who won /joo. ‘ It is said that during one of the warm afternoons prior to the Cup he succumbed to the influence of the weather, and fell asleep among his cloth. When dozing he dreamt that Tarcoola won the Cup, and woke himself up by shouting “ Tarcoola wins! Tarcoola wins!” So impressed was he with his dream that he went straight away and backed the son of Imogene for Could I only dream the winner !

J. D. Young, the just deceased Sydney municipal magnate (says the Sydney Bulletin) was only another instance of how hopeless it is for an outsider to try and fight the bookmakers. J.D. was supposed to be one of the knowing men behind the scenes, and a small crowd would tout him round the ring to see what he was backing. At the Driving Park and Carrington ground, when in their hey day, he was all-powerful as being ‘in the know,’ but he left off like the rest of them—thousands to the bad. The Auckland Provincial Agricultural Association are making a special effort to reduce the loss which resulted from their last show, and with this end in view have arranged a special meeting which will be held at Potter’s Paddock on Saturday, December 16th. A very attractive programme has been drawn up, including sheep dog trials, hunting competitions for ladies and gentlemen, sheep shearing, leaping and driving matches, and as a special attraction there will be a polo match between teams representing Auckland and Kihikihi. The Association’s committee deserve the warmest snpport in their plucky endeavour, and given good weather there is every reason to believe that their efforts will be crowned with success.

Following favourites and doubling your investment every race is a system much fancied by certain backers. The Sydney./? gives an entertaining example of what could have been done by following the system of backing jockey’s mounts. Those of Barrett are taken as an example, and the journal quoted points out that anyone who had followed the crack English jockey just prior to the departure of the last mail would have had a rosy time of it. Barrett rode 36 losers in succession, and then obtained a win on Massacre on October 13th for the Selling Plate at Newmarket. The Referee goes into calculations, and finds that a follower of Barrett’s mounts on the doubling system would, commencing with a sovereign, have been called upon to invest £63,519,476,736 on Massacre, which at the price the horse started at, 10 to 1, would have resulted in a return of £655,194,767,360. Rather a fair ‘ divvy.’

Respecting Beadonwell’s accident at the C. J.C. Meeting, ‘ Mazeppa ’ in the Witness, says :— ‘ ‘ Mr Mercer tells me that from all he can make out the colt trod on Thame’s heels, and that was how his fall was caused. He certainly trod on something in front of him, and Thame, who was at the time in the place where she would be likely to get in Beadonwell’s way, had some cut-down marks on her hind legs on returning to the paddock. ... It was purely an accident. None the less annoying, though. Beadonwell had run a good mile and a half at Yaldhurst—2min 41Jsec, with his shoes on, and he also shaped well when put against Clanranald at exercise, besides giving The Workman all he wanted at half a mile. . . . Beadonwell is still on the retired list, his near foreleg being slightly strained, and there being yet a lump in the region of the near hock, but it is hoped that the colt will be racing again before the season is out.”

Mr H. H. Hayr has resigned the secretaryship of Tattersail’s Club.

Gay Deceiver’s winning double at Avondale after his recent disappointing performances shows his name is a most appropriate one.

The finish between Fishmonger and Long Roper in the Steeplechase at Avondale was a most exciting struggle, and both Shaw and Rae rode desperately for victory. When the horses swept past the post excited cries of ‘ Fishmonger’ and ‘ Roper’rose from the densely packed stand, and the opinion seemed to be general that either one or the other horse was entitled to the verdict. But the judge gave a dead-heat, and that ended the matter.

A handicapper of a club openly stating on a racecourse that a horse is not running fairly is an occurrence not often heard of, but Saturday’s Avondale Meeting furnished an instance of such highly questionable' conduct. It is stated that a well-known adjuster of weights loudly declared on the stand that a certain horse, who by the way was handicapped out of the race, was not trying to win, or in bris own elegant phraseology was running ‘ stiff.’