Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 194, 12 April 1894, Page 7

Turf Topics.

By

Reviewer.

Avondale races next Saturday. First race starts at 1.30 p.m. Mr Knight has accepted the position of handicapper to the Onslow Trotting Club. Entries for the Takapuna Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting close on the 20th instant, and not on the 29th, as advertised. Ruby and Ike collided in the Harness Trot at Potter’s Paddock on Saturday last, and if it had not been for Mr W. J. Greenwood’s presence of mind there would have been more damage done than a couple of broken spokes. Tulloch’s withdrawal from Avondale was due to lameness. The stable have a clinking substitute in Ben Godfrey, who if he can only picK up his Taranaki form should be a “ moral.” A mile in I min 43sec with 8.7 was his Taranaki go. At Avondale he carries 7.12. The hack Bonovoree is entered for the Autumn and Thompson Handicaps, to be run for at the Wellington Racing Club’s combined Autumn and Steeplechase Meeting. Big game for a hack to fly at, but the majority of coastal hacks are hacks only in name. The privileges in connection with the Avondale Jockey Club’s Autumn meeting resulted as follows :—Publicans’ booth, £22, Mr C. F. Purcell; gates, /32, Mr J. Lindsay; cards, £5, Scott Printing Company; refreshment stall, £l, Mrs Hunt, Stabling, £1 ss, Mr J. Lindsay. Mr James Muir, the owner of Folly, is so much upset by the unfortunate fatality of which his mare was the cause at Waipa, that ne has determined to give up racing. Folly is consequently in the market, and particulars respecting her performances, price ard conditions of purchase may be learnt at the office of the Sporting Review. When Folly fell at the Waipa meeting and killed poor Harry Priest, two or three backers of Rebel, the second horse, were sufficiently brutally unsportsmanlike to urge Rebel’s owner, Mr D. McNicol, to enter a protest because Priest was unable to weigh in! Mr McNicol was too much of a man to listen to their urging. Anyone who would enter a protest in such a case would indeed be a thing, and those who would urge an owner to do so, deserve cowhiding. Writing of Light 'Artillery’s A.J.C. Autumn Stakes victory “ Asmodeus” points out that very high class cattle succumbed to the Trenton colt. Amongst the defeated ones were two Champion Stakes winners, three Derby winners, two win--ners of the Maribymong Plate, an Australian Cup winner, and a winner of the V.R.C. St. Leger. In addition to these top sawyers there were Marvel, Titan and Jeweller ! /

W. Smith has joined Frank Macmanemin’s stable. \ ( Mr Gilpin has been permanently appointed startei for the Napier Park Racing Club. Thame, who broke down recently, is in foal to Dreadnought and will not race again. The appeal case O’Brien v. the Canterbury Jockey Club will be heard at the end of April. Business has started already over the next New Zealand Cup. Mr Nathan, the Wellington penciller has laid 200 to 6 about Skirmisher, all in. John Watts will be first jockey this season for the Prince of Wales, writes an English exchange, in place of George Barrett. The Annual general meeting of the Auckland Rugby Union will be held at the British Hotel, on Friday evening at 8 p.m. Acceptances for the South Auckland Racing Club close to-morrow (Friday) at nine p.m. with Mr W. Adams, Auckland, and Mr C. J. W. Bai ton, Hamilton. The Mauku race meeting advertised to take place on the 6th inst., fell through. The committee anticipate being able to hold a meeting early in the Spring. Mr Douglas’ quartette — Mutiny, Couranto, Kapua and Waterbury—are under marching orders for the Australian side. James Munn will go in charge of the team, and Geo. Hope and Sam Fergus have been engaged to do the riding. The late Sam Powell’s epitaph : — His last start’s made, a farewell call From home and friends below ; No dwelling at the post at all When summoned hence to go. The uncommon sight of three horses running a dead heat in a hurdle race was seen at Mansfield (Vic.) recently. A trio of hurdlers, Pride, Barmaid, and Shamrock passed the post so close together that the judge was unable to separate them. The amount of money put through the totalisator at the Waipa meeting was 10s, and out of that sum the totalisator agents “ scooped ” £9 8s as odd money. They have not a fraction of right to that sum. The clubs pay them a certain percentage for working the machine, and the odd money taken by them is nothing but robbery without violence. Patroness, the full sister to Patron, who has been distinguishing herself recently at Randwick, is said to be as unlike him as it is possible to imagine two horses. “ Terlinga ” thus compares them “ Patron is tall, short, and leggy, while Patroness is lengthy and low—the perfection of quality, and as smart as a needle.” It is reported from the Australian side that Robinson Crusoe, a St. Alban’s sire whose get is well known in New Zealand, is showing symptoms of physical decline. Mr W. R. Wflson, the St. Albans studmaster, is entering into negotiations for the purchase of an English horse by the celebrated St.- Simon to take the old horse’s place. The only representative of St. Simon at present in Australia is Elsie. The English Jockey Club is a decidedly autocratic body as witness their action in connection with a recent meeting of the Kempton Park Company. The latter Club meant to put up a /■l5OO plate for their race meeting, but the Jockey Club objected on the ground that it might prejudice the Lincolnshire Handicap, run next day. So they cut down the proposed stake to £4OO. Apropos of Carnage’s defeat by The Sailor Prince in the A.J.C. St. Leger, Gough, who rode Carnage, complained after the race that Chris Moore, who stec.ed the winner, repeatedly bumped him during the run. But Carnage’s owner, Mr W. R. Wilson, refused to lodge an objection, although urged to do so, believing that any interference that may have taken place would not have altered the result of the race. Mr Wilson’s action was a sportsmanlike one, and reflects credit upon him. A curious thing happened in connection with the Waipa accident which cost Priest his life. On the way up to the meeting in the train from Auckland a well-known Opunake publican stated that the night before, he dreamt that he had gone to a race meeting and saw a horse win a race, pull up suddenly, and fall on passing the Eost and kill the jockey. The next day he saw is dream come true! This story is no “after game,” for I heard the publican relate his dream ! “ Merely a coincidence ” people will say. Very likely, but a very striking one.

Commenting upon the decision of the Aspendale Park (Vic ) racing authorities to abolish selling races and substitute in lieu thereof halfmile races, “ Asmodeus ’’ hits the right nail on the head when he writes :—“ Desirable though it may be to do away with the plating affairs, it is extremely doubtful whether the change is calculated to work any improvement. The question naturally arises, is the encouragement of half mile dashes desirable in the interests of racing generally ? It is certainly not conducive to the propagation of merit in the racehorse, and can serve but one purpose in this bearing, namely, to foster a breed of flashy sprinters.”

There are some queer things done under English National Hunt rules judging from the following clipping from the Referee :— “ lam too sick of National Hunt sport,” says the writer, “ to describe the games carried on under the auspices of the N.H. and the noses of their stewards. Anyone who is well in with, the right lot can do any mortal thing he pleases free from fear of the authorities, because they will not believe he ca'n do wrong, and at little meetings certainly full advantage of this privilege is taken. Objections are occasionally settled by a system of expediency rather by spirit or letter of the N.H.’s own code. You cannot tell from one day to another how the simplest clause will be interpreted. To reduce the argument to the level of the police-court, it is not eleven to ten that the malefactor caught redhanded will not be acquitted and told to leave the court and bring an action for malicious prosecution against the sufferer by his wickedness. We are at a lower depth than we ever were. Of course, kissing goes by favour. The osculation, figuratively speaking, is unlimited, but the right people must be in Jt. Outside the privileged few, you may be dropped on heavily at short notice. I do not think that in the course of my experience I ever saw more ‘ things done ’ than in the last month) and done openly, too. Flat racing ■ under the a fool .to it

The jumper Catch ’em has been sent up from Tauranga to George Wright’s stable. Jack Rae advertises that he is prepared to carry on training operations at his Criterion Hotel. Merganser is mentioned as a likely candidate for the next Melbourne Cup. , The monetary result of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Autumn Meeting is just about sufficient to pay expenses. The. annual meeting of the Gisborne Park Steeplechase Club showed a credit balance of /78 6s9d. , r The programme for the Wanganui Steeplechase Meeting contains four cross-country events, but none over the little sticks. Quadrant is in George Wright’s stable, and will in all probability see the Australian side at no very distant date. I have to acknowledge the receipt from Mr A. Brett of the Egmont Racing Club’s Winter Meeting card. The date of the closing of the entries for the New Zealand Cup and C.J.C. Champagne Stakes has been postponed until June Ist. It is not very often that a handicapper is cheered at a meeting. The unusual honor was accorded Mr J. E. Henry at the.conclusion of the Sandon races. The riders engaged at Saturday’s Avondale race meeting will all wear crape arm bands as a mark of respect to the memory of the late chairman and treasurer of the club, Mr Robt. Garrett. The nominations for the Flying Handicap, Wanganui and Trial Steeplechases and Winter Oats Handicap, in connection with the Wanganui Jockey Club’s forthcoming Steeplechase Meeting will be found in another column. A special meeting of members of the Pakuranga Hunt Club will be held at the office of the' A.R.C. on Friday at 2.30 p.m., to consider what steps should be taken towards holding a memorial meeting in aid of the late Mr R. Garrett’s family. Two riders, Bray and Kattems, sustained skull fractures through their mounts falling in the Steeplechase at Potter’s Paddock on Saturday last, but fortunately the injuries were hot of a serious nature. Both jockeys are progressing favourably. The committee of the Takapuna Jockey Club have withdrawn the Selling Steeplechase and. Selling Hurdle Race from their programme and inserted in lieu thereof two pony races, one of 6J and the other of 5| furlongs. A brilliant Victorian steeplechaser.' Beau Brummel, had his turf career ended in the Great Eastern Steeplechase at Onkaparinga, by being killed through a fall at one of the jumps. Beau Brummel was a well-bred one, being by Lothair (brother to Legrand) from Timidity (the dam of Malolo). At the Cass (South Island) races a rider in the Cup had to ride at eleven stone but could only scale seven. The remaining four were made up by coiling a number of rusty plough chains around the body of the unfortunate jockey. Needless to say he aid not secure a win. Some long lived horses. Matchem begat Halandaise, winner of the 1778 St. Leger, when he was 26 years of age ; the great Sampson died at 32 ; Thunderbolt (by Stockwell) died at 31; Competitor, the last of the Eclipses, died at 30; and the American trotting sire Volunteer died at 34. The Waikato Times of the. 3rd inst. writes:— ‘ ‘ The weights in connection with the forthcoming, Autumn Meeting of the South Auckland Racing. Club appeared in the Herald of the 2nd inst., but as yet Mr Barton, the hon. sec., has not received the official intimation from Mr Evett, the: handicapper.” i - Owing to the splendid nominations received by the Wellington Racing Club for their combined Autumn and Steeplechase meeting they should have very little money to pay away in stakes when the nomination, acceptance, and privilege • money has been received. The club will start their meeting with their expenses pretty well; paid, so a handsome profit should be received. , The South Canterbury Jockey Club passed the following resolution in connection with • their recent meeting:—“ That for the purpose of protecting the income derived from the totalisator, the Jockey Club obtain the services of a competent man to eject all persons laying or . accepting totalisator odds, or betting in any way except through the totalisator, from off the racecourse, at the Autumn Meeting to be held on the sth and 6th of April.” At a meeting of the Committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club the programme for the Grand National Meeting was passed. As compared with last year the Maiden Hurdle Race is reduced from 100 sovs to 80 so vs, and the Ladies’ Bracelet from 75 sovs to 60 sovs, while the Maiden Steeplechase has been excised from the programme, and the Enfield Steeplechase, open to horses that have never won a steeplechase of 100 sovs, has been included in its stead. Regret will be generally .felt .(writes “The Admiral ”) among the sporting community throughout Otago at the serious accident which befel Jack Poole in the Hurdle Race at Timaru. When clearing the last jump Rebel fell, throwing his rider, who sustained concussion of the brain. Poole has steered many winners at hurdle racing during the past few years, and the bulk of his mounts have been on Waitangi and Rebel. A Timaru correspondent wires:—“ On inquiry at the hospital at two o’clock I was informed, that Poole was slightly better, though still unconscious. His left side is partly, paralysed, but the doctors hope that this will wear off as he recovers.”

If any evidence were wanted to prove that fractiousness at the post is in nine cases out of ten due more often to the rider than horse, the start for the March Handicap at Potter’s Paddock would supply t the same. After fifteen minutes of twisting, wriggling and, breaks away one horse, Coquette 11., ran away for about a furlong. Of course a start was out of the question until she was brought back, and consequently the jockeys stepped their manoeuvres to obtain a flying start, an,d as soon as they stopped, the horses ranged up together and stood in a perfect line as though members of a troop of cavalry. But directly Coquette 11. came within a length of them,.the riders’ heels and arms began, to move* and there the usual twistings and jumps over the line. ' * ■ |

« Freelance ” tips Titan or Sailor Prince to win the Adelaide Cup. which Jeweller has been turned out for a spell, he needs badly. Persuasion, Flattery’s daughter, has gone the way of all horseflesh. A Southern advice states that Balquither has been turned out for a spell. “ Castor ” reports that P. Kerr has sold The Winchman (by Cadogan) to H. Goodman for 3 colt loal which Captain Russell obtatad from Tigredia by Dreadnought recently sue cumbed to tetanus. Continued hard luck on the Turf has determined the Duke of Beaufort to retire from ra f in F’ His Grace is announced to sell all his blood stoc . The distance for the second pony race « connection with the Takapuna Jockey Club s Winter Meeting has been altered from to 5$ furlongs The money given away at the A.J.C. Randwick Meeting amounted to£i3.9 2 5> of which the Victorian horses only managed to secure The order of next Saturday’s Avondale programme is as follows: —Maiden 1.45, urc \"; s 2.0, Autumn 2.45, Pony Handicap 3.30, Steeplechase 4.0, Wmtakerei Handicap 4-30, Maiden Steeplechase 5.0, Shorts Handicap 5.30. The estimate of the Sydney weight adjuster, Mr Scarr, of the two-year-olds at the top of the Autumn racing tree gives a line to Derby probabilities and this is how he places themßonnie Scotland 1, Malachite 2, Dryden 3, and lhe Harvester 4. The New Zealand Galant, who is described as one of the biggest horses in training at hlemington, ran second to Grand Prix in the principal Handicap at the recent Maryborough and Lansbrook (Vic) Meeting. Galant is by St. Hippo s sire, St. Leger, from the Musket mare Vivandiere. A charitable act on the part of sporting men is reported from Sydney. At the settling over the recent A.J.C. Meeting Mr Humphry Oxenham, the “ Australian Leviathan, collected 250 for the jockey Longford, who lost his leg a few weeks since while riding in a steeplechase at Randwick. Mr T. Mayo heads the list of winning owners in connection with the recent A.J.C. Meeting with /■ziqo. Mr W. Forrester comes second with Z 1348 and Mr P. H. Osborne third with £9BB. Mr Purches, the owner of Portsea, Patron, and Co., is last on the list with j£ioo. It is an open secret (writes “Castor”) that if the Canterbury Jockey Club succeeds in defeating D. O’Brien in his appeal over the Challenge Stakes case, it will probably increase the stakes for the New Zealand Cup. The increase, if made, will probably be to zooosovs, and the club will annex the whole of the sweep money. Last year the latter sum came to about £SOO, so it will be seen that the club will in reality only be increasing the stake by 3oosovs. The treatment received by the hurdler Kildare, at the Avondale and Helensville meetings has resulted in J. B. Williamson, his trainer, sending the gelding back to his owner, Mr McManus, of Helensville. The latter advertises that the horse, who is five years old, by Izaak Walton out of a Day Dawn mare, is for sale or lease. Particulars may be obtained at the office of the Sporting Review. The following new betting rule has been adopted by Sydney Tattersails “ The interests of bets are inseparably connected with the interests of stakes except where a winning horse is disqualified owing to default in making stakes. If an objection be made to the qualification of a horse on the ground of incorrect pedigree or nomination, after the race is run, bets shall go to the horse that comes in first, provided always that all protests in reference to wrong account or wrong nomination, if not lodged betore the race, shall not affect bets.” Recent turf fatalities have had the effect of raising the usual indictment re the dangers of racing; but risk will always attend sport. As Adam Lindsay Gordon wrote— No game was ever yet worth a rap For a rational man to play. Into which no accident, no mishap, Can possibly find its way. There’s danger even where fish are caught, To those who a wetting fear; For sport’s like life, and life’s like sport— It ain’t all skittles and beer.

The race on the second day of the Dacca (India) meeting between Little Flo and Hera Lail was well worth seeing. The grey mare was all to pieces or she must have won, but the performance of Hera Lail’s rider was unique. No saddle, a dirty jagged bit of rope reins—he yelled and rolled and whipped the poor wee baste all over. His riding would have made Vinall, “Mo ” Trahan, or Jimmy Robinson faint with horror, but he won, and beat an English jockey, too.— Exchange. Mr Fry, the well-respected and eminent bookmaker (says a London writer) who presided the other evening at~a supper given to the forty grave diggers of Camberwell Cemetery, said :—“ We were standing some years ago on the Press stand at the Manchester racecourse, awaiting the start of the Cup horses. It had been a remarkably good betting race from a ‘ market ’ point of view, and the‘principal fielders were ‘over round,’ whatever won. Suddenly a well-known sporting writer, looking through his field-glasses, cried, ‘•Blest if there isn’t a funeral passing the starting post.’ ‘ Quite right,’ put in a wag; ‘ they’re burying one of Fry’s dead ’uns ! ’ ” Here is the opinion of Mr Horace Theobald, secretary of Tattersall’s Co. in America respecting English versus American thoroughbreds:— “ English horses have much more quality, in my opinion; • They have more bone, and all the best horses have equal or superior substance to the best of the American thoroughbreds. They have more rein, and greater length underneath. I think that Salvator approached the English type more closely than anything bred in America in the last decade. Ormonde is my ideal of what a stallion should be. There is much difference between a racehorse and the stallion, and it does not necessarily follow thatj a successful racehorse will make a successful stallion. Ormonde, with hi* great speed, bone, and quality, cannot help succeeding in the stud.”