Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 196, 26 April 1894, Page 6

Turf Topics.

By

Reviewer.

Mr A. Selby, senior, is now the huntsman for the Pakuranga Hunt Club .

The pony Direct was sold at Hunter andNolan’s last Friday for £6. The Marlborough Racing Club made a loss of some/ - 150 over their late meeting. The gelding Jacob Faithful has been purchased by P. McGrath for 40 guineas. Harry Piper’s starting at Oamaru seems to have given great satisfaction to all concerned.

Thorpe, the winner of two races at the Hanmer Plains races, was bought for £3O by a Christchurch sportsman. It is said that Liberator keeps striking his hocks during his work, but as yet does not show any signs of lameness. Barnardo is taking very kindly to his schooling over the small sticks, and from what I hear he is likely to turn out a good “ lepper. ”

A wrestling contest has been arranged to come off at Manaia between T. Hogg and J. McLeod for £5 aside, Cumberland style, and a second contest at a future date in three styles.

Jimmy Keane left for Wellington on Monday last with that consistent performer Lottie. I fancy with only 8.2 in the saddle she will make matters pretty warm in the settlement for the Thomson Handicap. Whatever beats her should • certainly win. Leo, the winner of the Hack Race at the late Marlborough Meeting, was well supported by his party, they having the only ticket on the machine, . for which they received the nice dividend of £BB 15s. In addition to this we understand they had invested with the “totes” in Wellington, which brought them in another £3OO. The Bay of Plenty Jockey Club contemplates giving a prize of £5O at their annual race meeting of 1895, should sufficient inducement offer, for . two-year-olds bred in the Bay of Plenty district. The division of prize money will be as follows:— first horse, /35 ; second, and third, £3. The club is to be congratulated for offering such good inducement to their local breeders. One day last week I was shown the bay colt by Cap-a-pie out of Vanity, by Dainty Ariel, who is advertised in the columns of this paper for sale or lease, and I can recommend him as being a well grown and nicely shaped gentleman. Any sportsman wishing to invest a small amount in horseflesh could not do better than give this two-year-old son of Cap-a-pie an inspection. His owner informs me that he will guarantee him sound in every respect and perfectly quiet, and would sooner lease him on very favourable terms rather than part with him altogether. The entries for the Takapuna Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting appearing in another column of this paper go to show the high estimation in which this club stands in the minds of horse owners. From the list it will be found that there are 12 in the Maiden Plate, 18 in the First Handicap Hurdle Race, 10 in the Britannia Handicap, 19 in the First Handicap Steeplechase, 14 in the Royal Handicap, 18 in the First Pony Race, 18 in the Hack Handicap, 18 in the Second Hurdles, 11 in the Birthday Handicap, 17 in the Second Pony Race, 14 in the Victoria Handicap, 20 in the Second Steeplechase and 16 in the Welter Handicap.

As considerable discussion has been circulated in certain newspapers lately in reference to a dispute between J. Keane, trainer of Lottie, and George Wright, the trainer of Royal Rose, over a sum of money said to be given by the former to Wright for the purpose of investing on Royal Rose in the Autumn Hannicap run at Ellerslie on the 27th March last, I have considered it my duty to make enquiries relative to the transaction. The facts seem to me to be that Keane gave Wright £3 to invest on Royal Rose in the Autumn Handicap, but as Keane entered a protest against Royal Rose for inconsistent running on the first day, the two trainers came to some high words. Consequently the dividend was not paid over on the course, as is the usual custom in transactions of this kind. However, on the 29th.. March, two days after the meeting, Wright drew out a cheque for (being the amount of dividend taking the £3 investment as half on the inside totalisator and half on the outside one), and in company with a friend tendered the cheque to Keane, but he refused to receive the amount. Wright then handed the cheque over to his solicitor with instructions to pay the same and get a receipt for the amount. I have brought this matter before my readers that they may know the true facts of the case, as from the ‘t talk on the street,” &c., anyone would suppose that Wright was trying to do Kean out of his money, whereas from the particulars given above , it clearly shows that such was not the case.

"Watchword is to be added to the list of geldAu Revoir is reported to be going a little sore in his work. Merganser is a likely candidate for the next Melbourne Cup. ' Waiuku, the Taranaki hack, is in work again "with a view ot the Egmont meeting next month. . The weights for the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s meeting in aid of the Garrett fund made their .-appearance on Tuesday last. ' Legera and Leonessa are in foal to that good old Tjerformer Boulanger. I wish their owner, Mr J. Paul, lots of luck with them. Visitors to the South Auckland Meeting on " Monday say that the Steeplechase would have - been a moral for Flukem had he not come to grief . at Qne of the hurdles. L. Holmes, the late trainer of Rangipuhi, has gone to Blenheim to consult Dr. Cleghorn in regard to his leg. Holmes received a gunshot wound, from which he has never properly re* •covered. , ' None/ of the Auckland bookmakers who Journeyed to Hamilton on Monday last purchased a permit from the South Auckland Racing Club to bet. The fee of was considered excessive, they preferred to go as spectators only. In our advertising columns will be found an . advertisement of Mr T B. Bells, of Brookby, in which he offers some well-known racing stock. The list consists of the following:—Brown filly Retaliation, a winner of many races; brown geld- ' ing St. Michael, also a good winner under heavy weights; yearling filly, by Tasman out of Mantilla ; yearling filly, by Grip from Pandora; and the jumper Satellite. Mr Bell should have little ‘ difficulty in finding purchasers for . this batch of ■racing stock. In our advertising columns will be found an -advertisement of the Taranaki Jockey Club, setting forth particulars of their Hack Derby, which will be run on the New Plymouth racecourse on Boxing Day of 1895. The value of the stake is a good one of 150 sovs, of which the second horse will receive 30 sovs and the third 20 sovs. Nominations will close with the hon. secretary, Mr R. G. Bauchope, on Saturday, sth May, when we trust this popular club will receive a large number -of entries. The reason the jumper Potentate did not start in the Hurdles or Steeplechase at the South Auckland Racing Club’s meeting last Monday <■ was, I understand, owing to a matter of “ coin.” The horse was seized and carefully placed under , lock and key by a well-known Hamilton gentleman, who refused to allow him to leave the stable without having the claim settled. Conseqently the horse did not fulfil his engagements. I had the pleasure of looking over some of the stud belonging to Mr W. Percival last week, and I can assure my readers that I wes very much pleased with the appearance of the yearling by Brigadier out of Satanella, the dam of St. •Clements, St. Giles, and St. Ella. He is a nice -<colt, and shows every appearance of growing into .areal racehorse. It is a wonder that this colt has not found a purchaser long ago, as I understand . he can be bought at a reasonable figure or his -owner is willing to lease him on favourable terms At a recent pony meeting, says the Australasian, two backers got such liberal odds against their fancy that they suspected the layer was a welcher, and determined to watch him closely. As soon as the field entered the straight their pony cleared out from the rest, and simultaneously the layer cleared out too, with the backers in 3hot pursuit. They caught him after a quarter of a mile run, and with fierce threats of strangling as the alternative, made him pay their wagers. It -was only on getting back to the paddock that they ’ discovered that their pony had fallen within 100 Sis of the post, and that a complete outsider won the race. From a Southern exchange we learn that “ Francotte, the last of the Muskets to perform in New Zealand, broke down while racing at Timaru '■•on Thursday of last week. The first of Musket’s stock to race was Waewaehapi, a brown filly from Aconite who ran for Mr G. P. Donnelly in the Trial Plate at Hawke’s Bay on October 3rd, 3882. She finished second to Rubina, who afterwards won the Great Autumn. From the date named to Francotte’s mishap is a little short of twelve seasons. That is the extreme limit of the appearance. Practically, the Muskets 'have been ‘ off’ for a couple of years.” Recently Mr R. E. De B. Lopez, of San Francisco, made some purchases of thoroughbred -stock in Australia. These he recently resold in -in the Bay district, California. There was only a -moderate attendance, arid the prices were con- . sidered low. The largest purchaser was Mr A. B. Spreckles, the large steamship and sugar planta--tion owner, who has recently bought a large slice -of country some 25,000 acres in extent, and inlends founding a stud farm. The following is -the list of horses offered, with their purchasers :— Idalium, by Traducer—-Idalia, 2,700 dols, A. B. ■Spreckles; Crighton, by Clieveden — Glanui, 2,000 dols, A. B. Spreckles; Truelove, by True•dom—Gondola, 1,800 dols, A. B. Spreckles; "Calparnus, by July—Fanda, 575 dols, L. Abrams; "Candid, by Splendour—Canary, 3,000 dols, A. B. Spreckles; Carribee, by Hippocampus — Tatterina, 1,700 dols, A. B. Spreckles; Merriwa, "by Goldsbrough—Habina, 2,250 dols, A. B. ' Spreckles (Merriwa is an entire 8 years old); ■ "Grand Lady, by Grandmaster—Fine Lady, 850 •dols, I. Josephs. The manner of working the totalisator at the Onslow Trotting Club’s Meeting appears to be a -matter which requires some ventilation. In the "Handicap Maiden Trot, the first race, the winner -was Nat, on whom they paid a dividend of/T is. The public very soon found this was an error, and It was then altered to £ 1 10s. It was also ascer•fained that the powers that be in totalisator matters were deducting uf per cent, instead of • -the legal 10 per cent. This on the future races • 'was rectified. Also in the Huia Trot Handicap •the winner being Peggy, with only two investors and 153 subscribers the dividend should clearly be Z 34 Bs, and not £29 5s as was paid. How is it these mistakes so often happen, with the mistake ' always in favour or the machine? The ten per ' cent, deduction is surely a simple calculation: no - blunder should be possible. And the ten per . cent, deduction is ample, especially as in Auckland no fraction of a shifiingis paid. This must .amount to a considerable sum in the course of the year.

Mr Edward Terry has purchased Sertum for 90 guineas from Mr W. Lyons.

was refused at the Woodville meeting for the hack Mairua.

B. Edwards left for the South on Monday last in charge of the trotters Yum Yum, Ike and Black Oats.

Goldtop, the son of Sunrise, has been sent back to his owner, W. A. Filgate, his trainer having thought it useless to further persevere with him. Toxa paid /"u6 dividend at the Duntroon meeting lately,- and as only ,£463 went through the machine altogether during the meeting the dividend must be considered an enormous one.

I understand George Wright leaves for Sydney on Tuesday next, and will take the racehorses Quadrant, Acone, The Dancer, and probably the jumper Fright with him, most of whom will be engaged at the A.J.C. Birthday Meeting.

That careful and painstaking handicapper, Mr J. E. Henry, came in for a considerable amount of praise in connection with his work at the Nelson Jockey Club’s meeting.

Harry Ellison, the well-known metallician and proprietor of the Turf Club Cigarettes, left for Wellington on Monday last. He contemplates visiting all the various towns in the North Island, and intends combining business and pleasure together. The committee of the Hawke’s Bay Gun Club have decided to hold a shooting match at Farndon Park on June 2ist, when the President’s Cup will be shot for; also a handicap open to all comers, the prize being worthy 100. This is one of the most valuable prizes given by any gun club in New Zealand.

Mr Fred Stenning informs me that he is now the .owner of the jumping horse Flukem, and that the nomination should have been in his name at the late Avondale Jockey Club’s Meeting. However, as “ Fred ” received the cheque from the club himself I suppose the matter of the nominator’s name will not make any difference to him. Our Wellington correspondent states, in his review of the Thompson Handicap, that he does not like the Auckland mare Lottie. It is just possible that he may form a different opinion of her after the decision of the race. Aucklanders fancy she has a big mortgage on the event.

I have to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of a book containing that important judgment given by Judge Kettle in the case Samuel M. Baker v. Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association. In addition to this judgment the book contains the tabulated pedigrees of Mr Baker’s stallions, viz., Somnus, Lochnagar, Rangatira and The Artist.

Harry Pell’s starting at the Marton meeting came in for a considerable amount of complimentary comment, and from what I can learn he will in all probability be appointed to several of the clubs on the coast. May he prove as good a man with the flag as the late Sam Powell was. For the Garrett Benefit meeting Marechai Neil in the Handicap Hurdle Race is weighted to carry 10.0. At the Hunt Club meeting held October 21 st, 1893, he ran second with 11.0 to Ingorina at 10.7, Belmont third with 10.9. Now in this race Belmont has to carry 10.7, and Marechai Neil 10.0. Under these circumstances the owner of Belmont has scratched his horse. The nominations for the Auckland Champagne Stakes of 200 sovs, to be run in 1895, appear in another part of this paper. From the list it will be seen that the total number of entries is 47, of which the Hon. J. D. Ormond has 5, Mr G. G. Stead 4, Mr C. E. Woodburn 3, Mr T. H. Lowry 3, and Messrs. Alison, Paul, Sutton, Burke, Wood, Walters and Mcßae 2 each. I have to acknowledge the receipt of a circular from Mr W. Lucena, secretary of the Egmont Gun Club, from a glance at which it will be seen that this club intends holding their Great Winter Handicap at Hawera on Wednesday, 9th May. The prizes will be as follows First £lO, second third /"3, and the conditions are nine birds each, three misses out. Entries are due on Ist May.

The following resolution has been passed by the Taranaki Jockey Club :—“ That as horses have been run at various small meetings in the district under a misapprehension as to the effect of rule 20, the committee remove all disqualifications incurred to this date (April 6th, 1894), but wish it to be known that the club will exercise greater caution in removing similar disqualifications in future.”

One dissatisfied punter at the Onslow meeting on Saturday last gave expression to his feelings on the manner in which a certain stable had cut up one of the trotting races, and addressed himself to the first jockey of the stable, who, perhaps feeling nettled that things did not work out according to his planning, turned on the said punter and told him that it was by the assistance of such ‘ flats ’ as he, that owners of trotters and their riders managed to live during the winter months. The Thames Jockey Club have decided to remit the remaining portion of the disqualification inflicted on Ingorina for “ cronk” running at their Summer Meeting. What about Jack Pennel ? I suppose it does not matter about him, as he cannot effect the pockets of any racing club in the way of nomination money, etc. I cannot see why the club should remove the disqualification from the horse without doing the same to the jockey. Mr W. R Wilson, the well-known Melbourne sportsman, has just made a very desirable purchase in the fashionably-bred Bill of Portland, one of the most celebrated sons of the great St. Simon, who has been repeatedly mentioned in the English sporting press in terms of high commendation. He had an exceedingly brilliant career as a two-year-old, and was only once beaten at that age in the July Stakes at Newmarket. He next appeared the following season in a handicap which he won in the most brilliant manner. Mr Wilson, who was present, was so impressed with this performance that he never rested till he purchased him. The horse is still in training, and it is possible that he may, before being shipped, put more wins to his credit. Bill of Portland is only a four-year-old, being foaled in 1890, so that it is to be hoped he may have a long career before him. He is by the celebrated St. Simon from Electric Light, by Sterling from Beachy Head, by Knight of St. Patrick from Beach Nut by Nutwith.

Lily Agnes, now 23 years of age, has foaled an own brother to Ormonde. We understand that Lily Agnes is of the same blood as Sister Agnes, now owned by Major George, who is putting her to Nelson. Sister Agnes is one of the wxes selected by Sir Hercules Robinson and Lord i almouth for the late Auckland Stud Company. The recently appointed manager of the New York Tattersails, Mr W. L. Ross, is said to have successfully managed a large racing establishment in Australia under an assumed name, and it is to him that America is indebted for the introduction of those two great horses, Ormond aud Cheviot. He says “Australia is the greatest racing country in the world. In Australia they develope stamina. As to the importation of Australian horses to America, I do not think it will continue, for the reason that the best horses that have been imported are all of English blood. Sir Modred and Cheviot, though both foaled in N.Z. were by an imported English sire, out of an imported English mare. Maxim also is an imported English horse. The native Australian stock does not appear to be particularly good. For example the Hon. James White, who owned Chester, by Yattendon out of a Stockwell mare, went to England and purchased mares of Stockwell blood to put to Chester, and achieved his great success in this way They have had some great Australian horses, but, in my opinion, England will still remain, as she has been in the past, the fountain of thoroughbred excellence. While speaking of breeding it may not be amiss to say that Musket (English bred) in New Zea : land and Galopin in England seems to be the two horses that have left the greatest impress upon contemporaneous thoroughbreds.”