Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 192, 29 March 1894, Page 6

Turf Topics.

By

Reviewer.

Mr Reupena Emeti has named his Somnus— < Maori Girl colt “ Rainbow.’’ “ Mazeppa” writes that Merganser is supposed to be amiss. Strathmore’s first foal (out of Melodious) has been given the appropriate name of ‘’ Warbler.” “ Freelance ” considers that although Portsea has undoubtedly blossomed into a worthy succes- t sor to old Carbine, it is simply “gush” to exalt him to an equality with Mr Wallace’s great _ horse. A recent copy of the Australasian contains two capital pictures of Carbine’s parents, Musket and Mersey. The representation of Musket is taken from the photograph executed by Mr F. W. Edwards, of Queen-street. The Flemington correspondent of the Australasian considers that Mr C. M. Lloyd made a “capital selection” when he purchased an Eiridspord—Margaret (the dam of St. Blaize) filly for the Hon. J. D. Ormond at the recent sale of the St. Alban’s yearlings. The price paid for the filly was iaogs. .. l ;

I have to acknowledge receipt of a complimentary ticket from Mr Potto, the hon. sec. of the Patea Racing Club. St. Kilda’s running at the A.R.C. gathering shows that the St. Leger—Matakana gelding is badly out of form. Loyalty’s brother Bonnie Scotland went out favourite for the A.J.C. Champagne Stakes and never got a place. Through want of space the full report and turf record of the Patea race meeting has been held over until next week’s issue of the Review. Mr Burches* luck with Patron is following him with that colt’s sister Patroness, who annexed two events for her owner at the recent A.J.C. meeting. Saracen was the most fancied for the C.J.C. Second Challenge Stakes, but Loyalty’s full brother had no chance against - the winner, Bluefire, who won comfortably, running the seven furlongs in imin 29|sec. Searchlight showed a nice turn of pace by winning the C.J.C. Autumn Nursery Handicap, five furlongs, in imin 2sec. Pom Pom was only beaten by a head. Mr M. Hobb’s had a rare pair running for him in the C.J.C. Great Autumn Handicap in Lady Zetland and Prime Warden, who finished first and second. The winner ran the mile and a half in 2min 38|sec. The price obtained for Toreador (by ChesterTempe) at the Sydney blood stock sale, viz., 775 guineas, was not very high for a fv’l brother to Titan. Mr S. Hordern was the purchaser. Mr Dan O’Brien gave 260 guineas for an Aberconx—lolanthe colt. The hack handicapping for the Wellington Racing Club’s Autumn Meeting will be done by Mr J. E. Henry, who will hand over the fee for his work to the widow of the late handicapper • Mr Alfred King. The favourites were nowhere in the race for the Sydney Cup. The price against the winner, Lady Trenton, and the second horse, The Trier, was 20 to I. The third horse, Nightingale, was the' only one approaching the favourite stage, going out at 8 to 1. Thus the Age “ What is wanted to purge racing in Victoria is the appointment of five stipendiary stewards, officially appointed to take the , place of the honorary ones, who so delightfully mismanage things at present, and many of whom show much greater sagacity and power of observation in ‘ standing ofF a ‘ dead ’un’ when investting their ‘ little bit’ than in seeking out the cause of his decease.” “ Castor” reports that Chester Lad has had his unsuccessfal career brought to a sudden close by a rifle ball. His owner, finding that he was not a success on the turf, decided to put him in harness, but the horse had strong objections to such an indignity, and before ever he was put between the shafts in his endeavours to rid himself of the harnes»hethrew himself over, and breaking his leg had to be destroyed. Apparently the day of fining jockeys for breaking away and for disobedience at the post is past in Canterbury. The governing club of that province has decided that in future any jockey who wilfully permits his horse to move out of a walk before the starting signal is given shall be liable to disqualification, and that breaking away and disobedience at the post will be punishable in a similar manner.

An English writer has traced out the preponderance of the direct line of the Darley Arabian ! through Eclipse) over those of the Byerley Turk through Herod) and the Godolphin Arabian (through Matchem). He has compiled an elaborate table showing the entire winnings during the past year of each of the three families to which aft thoroughbreds owe their origin. From this table it would appear that, while the descendants in tail male from Matchem represented only 41 winners of 78 races, worth £19,116, and those of Herod 85 winners of 146 races, worth £33,280, 720 descendants of Eclipse won 1315 races, worth £389,481. The Touchstone branch has the most winners (285) in the Eclipse house, but the successful descendants of Birdcatcher (271) have won 510 races, as against 485, and have secured £166,265 to the £122,401 of Touchstonfe. ’ The Blacklocks, through Voltigeur, have won 177 races, worth nearly £70,000. The committee of the United Hunt Club (Wellington) have drawn up a very interesting programme for their Steeplechase Meeting, to be held on the Hutt Park Racecourse on Saturday, May sth. The items on the card are as follows: —Maiden Steeplechase Handicap of 25SOVS, about two miles; Open Hurdle Handicap of sssovs, one mile and three quarters; United Hunt Club Steeplechase Handicap of 3osovs, about three miles and a half; Open Steeplechase Handicap of sosov£, about three miles ; Ladies’ Bracelet Handicap, two miles, on the flat; Hack Handicap of 2osovs, seven furlongs ; and Farewell Hurdle Handicap of 25 sovs, one mile and a half. Nominations for all events close on April 16th; weights are"due on May 3rd, (with the exception of the Farewell Hurdle Handicap) ; and acceptances for all handicaps, except the Farewell,' close on May 4th. The Man in the Street suggests the following yam to me apropos of a recent meeting :— 44 Supposing a Javourite won a race and another welloacked one finished nowhere. And supposing next day the favourite went down and the 4 wellbacked one. ’of the previous day won. And supposing the trainer of the favourite, which went down, backed the f well-backed ’one on the second day for a fair trifle, and when the horse beat his own nag he put in a protest. And further supposition, if the allegation of stiff running was dismissed and uncharitable people said his own racer was cronk, and that he protested against the winner in case the word “cronk” were breathed against himself, would they not be liable to be brought up for provoking a breach of the peace and inciting Ellerslie to riot ? ” There’s too much 4 supposing ’ about the query for my fancy, and there is also a probability of red war north, south, east and west circling around the head of the man who uttered such suppositions that does not commend itself to me. Being a ‘man of peace’ I don’t like such dangerous subjects. The Man in the Street is an irresponsiblebeing. I am not

The travelling correspondent of the Review wires that the Messrs Duder Bros have purchased Lord Onslow. The form shown by Quadrant on the opening day of the A.R.C. Autumn Meeting shows that the Robinson Crusoe gelding is returning to form. The totalisator returns for this year’s A.R.C. Autumn Meeting show an increase of £933 compared with the amount of money handled at the 1893 meeting. Horse owners are reminded that nominations for the Avondale Jockey Club’s Autumn Meeting will close with the secretary at the office of the Sporting Review to-morrow (Friday) by 9 p.m. The opening of the Autumn Meeting of the Auckland Trotting Club showed up Albert Victor in glowing colours. He had 2osec from scratch in two miles, in a harness trot, and spreadeagled the whole of his field in about a minute and a half. He showed perfect action, and in a little time he should rank with any trotter in the Island.

Hard Luck. A well-known Aucklander drew a horse in Tattersail’s Sydney Cup sweep, and was led to believe on Monday night that his horse had won the race. Of course champagne was broached on the. strength of the news, but when next morning he found that his animal was not even placed, the remembrance of that 4 fizz ’ was as dead sea fruit to him.

St. Clements cut out a merry five furlongs in the Shorts Handicap on Tuesday last at Ellerslie. The Satanella horse won as he liked from a good field in 1.2|. And yet a cute Caulfield trainer could not see his way to pay £3°° f° r bi m - St. Clements is worth more than that of any man’s money to take over to Australia.

A writer in the Brunner News says that the Prohibitionists of Greymouth are endeavouring to raise funds in order to purchase the publican’s booth at the approaching Grey races, in order to teach the public that it is possible to go to the races, and perchance to enjoy them, without having recourse to the cup that both cheers and inebriates.

In the first pony race at the Ellerslie meeting Little Tom, 7.4, ran a big second to Kathleen, 7.5, one of the smartest ponies racing around this island. On the second day Little Tom, with 7.8, was allowed to go out practically unbacked, although he was meeting his only dangerous opponent, Kathleen, on 41bs better terms. Result, dividends of/ - 16 15s and/ - 103 19s on Little Tom for the few sensible ones, and gnashing of teeth for the idiots who did not back him. Lottie’s trainer endeavoured to sheet home a charge of inconsistent running to Royal Rose when that colt won the Autumn Handicap on the second day of the A.R.C. Autumn Meeting. On the previous day Royal Rose was nowhere in the Easter Handicap of a mile and a half with 8.2 in the saddle. In the Autumn Handicap of a mile and a quarter he romped home with 7.12. But the stewards failed to unearth any justification for the charge preferred by the Lottie party and the protest was dismissed. In reviewing the two-year-olds that appeared at the recent V.R.C. Meeting, “Terlinga” thus delivers himself anent Bonnie Scotland, Loyalty’s brother. 44 The colt that has come on by leaps and bounds is Bonnie Scotland, who might have won both the Hopeful Stakes and Nursery Handicap, if Mr Gollan had not set his mind on the Ascot Vale Stakes. If all goes well with this fellow he will trouble the best of them next year, but P. Martin’s horses are so unlucky that a mishap to Loyalty’s brother will only be in keeping with the stable’s ill-luck.” “Borderer,” in his anticipations for the A.R.C. Champagne Stakes, gave as his opinion that Doris would win and that she would have, had she not had a six furlongs bolt taken out of her, I am more than ready to believe. Three Star took r. 18 to compass the six furlongs in, and Doris, who was blown before she started, ran within three lengths of him. And what is more to the point she won a six furlong event on the second day of the meeting in I.lB|, and won it with her mouth open. Three Star was all out in a gallop which took him 1.18, and Doris ran the same distance hard held in 1. iB|. According to the English writer, 44 Robin Hood,” a great handicapping blunder has been committed in connection with the weighting for the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase. Last year Cloister won this important event with the hitherto impossible weight of 12.7, and won it by some forty lengths. In order that he should not be handicapped out of the race this year, the handicapper, Mr Mainwaring, was allowed to make the minimum 9.7, instead of 10.0, as hitherto. This the handicapper did, but weighted Cloister at last year’s weight, viz., 12.7. Several day’s after the weights had been declared he wrote explaining that he had really weighted Cloister at 12.12, but owing to a clerical error had returned the weight for publication at 12.7. As several days elapsed before this explanation was made, if looks very much like a lame excuse for a real handicapping blunder, of course the weight published will not be altered, but as he has since been scratched the error does not matter.

Writing of that famous pair, Musket and Mersey, a writer in the Australasian remarks that Musket’s living to be a racehorse and the sire of Carbine was due to the Earl of Glasgow’s trainer taking a fancy to him. Lord Glasgow had many peculiar fads. One was never to sell a horse. Early in the season his two-year-olds were tried, and those he did not fancy were destroyed. He had a regular day for shooting the youngsters who had failed to cpme up to his ideal, and Musket would have been shot but for the trainer pleading for his life. Writing of Mersey, the same writer remarks that if the groom who asserted that Tadcaster and Bend Or had been mixed up soon after their birth had been able to establish his story, Mersey would be able to claim Bend Or, the sire of Ormonde, as a half-brother. After Bend Or had beaten Robert the Devil in the Derby of 1880, a discharged groom from the Eaton Stud, stated to Mr Brewer, the owner of Robert, that Bend Or had been nominated with an incorrect pedigree. The Duke of Westminster had two colts engaged—Bend Or, by Doncaster from Rouge Rose, and Tadcaster, by Doncaster from Clement. The groom asserted that Bend Or was Clement’s foal and Tadcaster Rouge Rose’s. An objection was lodged, but the documentary evidence was too strong for the informer’s theory, and the Jockey Club decided that Rouge Rose was the mother of Bend Or. 7 • '

The best horse over a distance in Australia — Portsea. G. Buxton, who was in the Bourke Handicap smash which cost McGowan his life, has quite recovered from the injuries he received in that unfortunate mishap. J. E. Brewer, the crack Victorian cross-country horseman, has the nice record since the beginning of the year of ten wins out of eleven mounts. In the eleventh event I think he finished second. Mr F. Parsons, a prominent Wanganui resident passed through Auckland yesterday enroute to Sydney. Mr Parsons expects to be back in Wanganui in time for the local winter meeting. The programme for the United Hunt Club’s (Wellington) Steeplechase meeting to be held on the Hutt Park course, on May sth, will be advertised in next week’s Review. A St. Leger triumph. In the Shorts Handicap on the second day of the A.R.C. meeting the three placed horses, St. Clements, Doris, and St. Laura all claim St. Leger as their sire. The following sires were represented by winners at the A.R.C. meeting:—St. Leger 4, Ingomar and Castor 2 each, and Robinson Crusoe, Muskapeer, Newminster, The Dauphin, King Cole, Brigadier and Daniel O’Rourke one each. The hurdling pony, Pica, showed capital form on Saturday last at Potter’s Paddock by appropriating the Hurdle Handicap with 12.0 on his back. His time for the mile and a half was 3.1, a very meritorious performance. The English Leviathan bookie, R. H. Fry, recentlv entertained forty gravediggers at supper. Rather appropriate for him to entertain “ dead birds.” There’s a certain local “ grave-digger ” who would have graced the gathering. According to a Californian journal Mr John Green, the owner of Directum, believes he has a better horse than Directum in Electrical, a bay colt foaled in 1892 by Elector, son of Electioneer out of Sternnder —Venture. He is a colt of fine size, and has trotted a quarter in 37sec. His sister, Efectrina, has a record of 2min 2osec. Owing to The Dove showing up miserably through fractiousness at the post in the first pony event kt Potter’s Paddock on Saturday last, she was allowed to go out very poorly backed in the Autumn Handicap. Keeping a good position until the home turn was reached, she shot out and won comfortably, returning her backers £7 18s for their half sovereigns. Mr Halstead, the Auckland Trotting Club’s starter, made his re-appearance in the field on Saturday last, and showed by the excellent starts he obtained that his recent illness has not impaired his ability in the starting direction. In the Autumn Handicap Mr Halstead fined two jockeys, Katterns and Mobley, £1 each for breaking away.

Respecting Portsea’s achievement in the Champion Race, the Australasian remarks that although the time was not equal to Rataplan’s 5.21, made at Warwick far back in the fifties, it beat all recent records, and as there has always been some doubt as to the accuracy of the time made by Rataplan, Portsea’s 5.23| for the three miles will be generally accepted as the world’s record.

Capstan, who ran fourth in the Newmarket Handicap, and that too, in face of the fact that his rider lost a stirrup leather early in the race, was put up for auction last week, and could only raise a bid of 700 guineas. 44 Terlinga ” has a high opinion of this racer, of whom he writes : 44 If ever he gets a fair chance, Capstan should develop into a great winner. There is no telling how good such a fine-looking, and well-bred animal might become if given the advantage of a long steady preparation.” When an owner backs his horse on the opening day of a meeting under the impression that he can win and goes down with a thud, and on the second day stands off his own horseflesh and backs the animal that beat him on the first day only to find his candidate romp home with the first day’s winner nowhere then he can lay claim to having tasted a decidedly tough piece of luck. Which boiled downs means that it is not every horseowner that knows his own property. 44 Terlinga ” writes that after Hova had got to the end of his engagements at Flemington, Mr Grice, his owner, begged Abe Davies, who had him on lease, to accept him as a present. This Davies declined to do, as he thought the owner was practising self-sacrifice to too great an extent, and eventually it was arranged that owner and trainer should go halves in the Newmarket winner. The lease of Hova to A. Davies expired in August, but as things stand, the colt will be kept in training. Despised’s owner made a great mistake when he withdrew the Cap-a-pie gelding from the Autumn Steeplechase. He probably did so because Despised failed to score in the hurdle race, but when one remembers that Cap-a-pie’s son had 12.10 to carry in that event, and that the race was run in 3min 52sec, it should be clear that his defeat in that event was no line to take in estimating his chance of scoring in the cross-country race. Bombardier ran a good race, but if Despised had gone to the post in the form he was in last January he would, in my opinion, have won. The Auckland Trotting Club refused to allow Mr J. Thorpe’s trotter, Waratah, to compete in the Maiden Trot on Saturday last in consequence of inability on the part of the owner to furnish satisfactory evidence re pedigree, performances, and general antecedents. Waratah, who I hear was well backed by the bookmakers the day before the race, was barred on the following rule:— “ No horse foaled out of the colony shall run for any race under the rules of the Club until the owner has produced, to the satisfaction of the stewards, evidence of the identity of the horse, a certificate of some racing Club of the“ country where the horse was foaled, or from a magistrate residing therein, or a statutory declaration from some person knowing the horse, stating the age, sex, performances, colour of the horse, and the marks by which it is distinguished.” It is said that Waratah comes from the Sydney side. A trotter bearing the same name used to contest at the Canterbury Park (Sydney) meetings, - but whether he was a maiden I am not quite certain, and I am also ignorant as to whether he is identical with Mr Thorpe’s Waratah.

The Auckland Trotting Club continue their Autumn Meeting at Potter’s Paddock next Saturday. Nominations for all events in connection with the Hawera winter meeting close on Saturday next, March 31st. I. have to acknowledge receipt of a complimentary ticket from Mr A. A. Ambridge, the hon. sec. of the Bell Block Racing Club. I hear that Mr John Lennard is so disgusted at the treatment his horses received at the post at the Ellerslie meeting that he more than contemplates selling off his lacers. Ida is said to be under offer to a well known trainer for The Auckland Racing Club committee having endorsed the disqualification by the Takapuna Jockey Club of Messrs Ellison and Byron, neither of these pencillers can enter the ground of any club racing under A.R.C. rules. The annual meeting of the Helensville Racing Club will be held at Te Makiri racecourse on Saturday week, April yth. Mr Knight’s handicaps in connection with the meeting will be found in another column. After pondering over the running at the recent V.R.C. meeting “ Warrior,” of the Sportsman, ventures the opinion that Dreamland will win the V.R.C. Derby of 1894. And to attempt a similarly audacious thing as regards local running I would be tempted to name Grenadier as the winner of the next Auckland Cup. When the protest lodged by the trainer of Lottie against Royal Rose on the second day of the A.R.C. meeting was being considered Col. Fraser, the owner of the colt, was never asked by the stewards to attend the inquiry. Rather scant courtesy on the part of the stewards and decidedly unfair to Col. Fraser, who, I believe, did not have a shilling on his colt. But other people did, and thereby hangs a tale. In another column will be seen advertised for sale the three-year-old mare Myth, by Hiko— Phoenix. She stands 15.1, and has immense propelling powers; and as Hiko has thrown such clinkers as Bay Bell and Pinrose, comment on his ability to get racehorses is unnecessary. The mare has been fed for six months and the owner is riding her about, and as he is leaving the colony she can be bought at a fair price. It has often been stated (writes “ Terlinga ”) that Kangaroo, the horse for which the Marquis of Hastings paid i2,ooogns and contingencies before the Derby of 1865, ended his days in the shafts of a cab. Mr Corlett, in some interesting reminiscences of that year (Gladiateur’s) contradicts this story, and says that after racing on for some years Kangaroo was eventually killed while running in a third-class steeplechase. As a two year old Kangaroo was known as the colt by Hobbie Noble out of Yarra Yarra, and he was owned by Mr William Robinson, of New Zealand, who was racing in England at the time, and was only beaten a herd for the- Cesare witch with Gratitude, who was backed by her owner to win a fortune. Mr Robinson ran Kangaroo in a selling race, and he finished second to Eltham. The New Zealander claimed the winner, but he lost his own colt, who fell into the hands of Mr Padwick, and was sold to the plunging Marquis after win- - ning the Newmarket Biennial Stakes next spring.