Turf Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume V, Issue 249, 2 May 1895, Page 6

Turf Topics.

[By

Reviewer.]

The'cable tells us that Paris has arrived safely in England.

The Lancaster Park Trotting Club profited £5O over the recent meeting.

Mutiny and Kapua will probably pay a visit to Australia shortly in charge of Geo. Hope. Sydney Bulletin alludes to Mr Gr. G. Stead as the Captain Machell of Maoriland. No compliment could give Mr Stead greater pleasure. The Indiana Legislature is at work on a Bill to prohibit winter racing. The measure restricts all racing to the period between April 15 and November 15.

The jumper Beauly, who was contesting at the recent Ellerslie meeting, has been left in Auckland to race at the Takapuna gathering. J. Rae is preparing him in his work. It is thought Magpie’s breakdown in the A.R.C. Steeplechase resulted in serious injury to his suspensory ligament. It is feared he will never be able to again carry Mr O’Rorke’s colours.

The Childe Harold —Violetta trotting stallion Pirate has been shipped from Sydney to Wellington. He will probably be at the service of breeders in the Blenheim district. It is said that an attempt has been made to steal the Roby race-track bill recently introduced into the Indiana Legislature. A special Committee is inquiring into the matter. ' Forme and Forma have been sent to Wellington Park for the winter, where they will be turned out until the time arrives to place them in work for the First A.R.C. Spring meeting.

Avenging Providence has overtaken the man who had, the cheek to name his horse Carbine. His animal was killed while racing at Onkaparinga. The name of Carbine should be saered to Australians.

The Forth racing string was offered by auction last week, when the following deals resulted : — Heart of Oak, Major George, 70 guineas; First Nelson, Mr H. Howe, 40 guineas ; and Salute, Mr T. Mcßeady, 29 guineas. “ Robin Hood ” (Mr A. S. Manders), an Australian sweep promoter in the course of a private letter to me expresses his belief that Sir George Dibbs will get his Bill through N.S.W. Parliament legalising sweeps in that colony.

James Kean’s stable is pretty well empty now. In fact, I doubt if there is a single racer left in the stable. Lottie has been turned out on Mr McNicoll’s Waikato farm, where she will remain until the veteran most likely makes a fly at the New Zealand Cup. Kean has shifted into his new stables, and Chaafe has tenanted the old establishment.

The vagaries of telegraphy. The Review urgent wire sent from the Hutt with the winner of the Hurdles took 56 minutes to come from Wellington, and although we had a special messenger waiting for the wire it took 20 minutes to deliver it to him after it was received —in all 76 minutes after it left the Hutt. Another wire sent to the Star came up in 20 minutes ! “ Borderer ” desires to correct “ Castor ” of the Canterbury Times who writes as follows :—“ A writer in the Auckland Sporting Review thinks that after Bloodshot and Gipsy Grand, Forma is the best two-year-old in New Zealand. What about Manniicher, Manser, Eureclydon and Musketry ?” What “ Borderer ” wrote was that after Bloodshot, Forma was the best two-year-old seen out this season by Aucklanders. A London writer contends that betting legalised and recognised, and regulated by the law, might be of assistance to the State and to the commqF nity. His idea is that every betting ticket given, being an acknowledgment of a contract, should bear a Government stamp. It has been suggested that the stamp should be ad valorem, but this is, I think, a mistake. When you take a hundred pounds to one on an outsider, you don’t want to pay a hundred times as much for the privilege as you would if you took a level sovereign something with a tremendous chance.

It transpires that the Duke of Beaufort was always a staunch admirer of Musket and fully purposed buying him when he was sold for what proved to be the ridiculous price of £2OO. But old John Day, the trainer, was opposed to the purchase and dissuaded the Duke from carrying out his intention by pointing out to him that he could alwajs send mares to Musket. The departure of Musket to New Zealand, however, completely frustrated any such idea, and it has not been till thii year that old Petronel has been really raised to the vacant place of his sire.

The Connecticut Senate has passed a bill against docking horses’ tails. It is very strongly drawn, and as half the fine goes to the person giving the information it is not likely to be a dead letter. It provides that whoever cuts the bone of the tail of any horse for the purpose of docking, or whoever causes or knowingly permits it to be done upon premises of which he is the owner, lessee, or proprietor, or whoever assists in or is present at such cutting shall be punished by imprisonment in gaol not exceeding one year, of by fine of not less than 100 sovs nor more than 300 sovs. The police outrages on Stock Exchange members (remarks a London writer), represent only another phase of the anti-gambling mania, and are the aftermath, so to speak, of the abortive atrocities in connection with i he Albert Club raid. Of course, it is urged—logically enough-— that stockbrokers have no no more right to speculate in the street than have betting men. Hence the trouble. If the police have not acted solely on anti-gambling inspiration why are the enormous and really obstructive queues of people waiting outside theatre doors in the Strand and elsewhere not equally dispersed and maltreated ?

After seeing Osculator run in Sydney Mr D. A. McLeod, the well-known bookmaker, will probably make an extended stay in Australia. <- The Maribyrnong Plate winner, Arihi, . who' died last week in Sydney from blood poisoning, consequent on picking up a splinter, was got by Malua from the Musket mare Discard. As a yearling Arihi cost 300 guineas. The death is reported from St. Albans of the-well-known brood mare Nellie Moore, by Voltigeur from Fickle, by Dundee. She was imported to New Zealand by Mr G. G. Stead in 1881, having been served by Prince 1 Charlie.before leaving England, and in 1882 she foaled the Newmarket Handicap and Australian Cup winner, Lochiel. Other horses produced by her were Corunna, Steadfast and Culloden. At the break up of the Sylvia Park Stud in 1891 Mr W. R. Wilson purchased Nellie Moore, with a Nordenfeldt filly at foot, for 470 guineas. Nelly Moore was one of the prizes in the St. Albans distribution, and under the conditions ■ the person drawing her will be entitled to receive £5OO. Trainer Geo. Wright took another trip to Australia this week, the Tasmania bearing a powerful string, Joe Gallagher the horseman and himself Sydneywards. The string comprises St. Hippo, who is as fresh as ever, Coala, whose jumping power was shown at the recent A.R.C. Meeting, Sylvia Park, a promising brother to Hippomenes, Webley, St. Valentine, Osculator, and a pony. Osculator is Mr D. McLeod’s Hotchkiss—Pungacwerewere colt who must have cost close on £9OO by this time, but his party are ..confident he will shake some the rich Derbies on the other side, Mr G. S. Budge’s pony Brown Mantle also went__ by the Tasmania. She will be raced in Sydney under the care of J. Laing.

In the opinion of the “ Special Commissioner’ of the London Sportsman, the success of Carbine with St. Simon mares, is not absolutely certain, although St. Simon, got La Fleche andi Memoir from a nearly own sister to Musket. But the chances of success are, largely increased by the fact that Carbine on hid dam’s side takes in. another strain of Brown Bess (the tap-root of Musket and Quiver), and that brings mattersmuch more to a focus, while if Angelica were mated with him there would be practically nocause to fear the result. As a matter of fact,, however, St. Simon has so thoroughly stamped most of his fillies with his own character that I believe they are practically his own blood forpurposes of mating—and I have heard not a few instances where family characteristics on one side have stamped out the other. Assuming this to be so, and it is very much confirmed by “ Starkweather’s Law of'Sex,” Carbine will suit typical St. Simon mares as well as he would St. Simon’ssister, Angelica. Writing of Paris’s visit to England, and commenting on the prospects of the climate affecting him unfavorably, the Sporting and Dramatic News writer remarks :—“ Personally I can see noparticular reason why Paris should be upset by the climate, since he is described as a horse of good constitution. Ringmaster, who came from Australia to run here in 1889 and 1890, stood the transfer very well, and he had some especially rough experiences, arriving in this country in the very depth of winter. Paris is considered to be of much superior class to Ringmaster, but “ though every inch a galloper and a racehorsehe is not such a giant as either Carbine or Abercorn.” Ringmaster, though he was a fairperformer in Australia before he came to England (and it will be remembered that he ran herein moderate company with some success), was by no means a high-class Australian racehorse. Paris, on the other hand, by all accounts, is. His running will therefore be watched here with some little curiosity and interest.” Judging by the many letters published by the London Sporting Life, a great number of punters who understand a good deal of racing and betting believe in systems. Many of these read well,, and, given luck, work out all right for a time. In the vast majority of instances the evil day arrives sooner or latter, and then the capital goes.. The worst of system betting too is that you want either a cast-iron man to carry one out if he isplaying with his own money, or an agent whocannot possibly be called upon to use the slightest discretion in executing his orders. A system—must be played on rules that may not be varied,, and interested human nature can’t follow its ownplans except by putting the money down first and leaving the system to work itself. I grant that on paper some of the schemes look well, and am bound to believe the correspondents who record, what nice annual incomes they reaped , from following them. At the same time, I wish thegentlemen who believe in these beaten tracks towards success in betting could give one man aIL their business. I would forsake all other occupations to stand against them so long as theycared to play.

One often hears the remark “ So and so is first-class judge of pace and has excellent hands.” A correspondent of the Johannesberg Times commenting on this asks how many sportsmen know precisely what that means. “ With regard tohands, I think this is the most important of all qualities in a rider, professional or gentleman.. Horses’ mouths vary, some being extremely delicate, whilst others have mouths which seem to be made out of cast iron or other similarmaterial. Stockwell and lona are noteworthy examples of the latter class, whilst Springtidewas a mare of the first-mentioned description, and* probably has, or had, the most delicate mouth of any horse in South Africa. The great art in ‘ hands on a horse ’ is to know how much to hold, and how not to hold too much. You must not jerk at a horse’s mouth, but feel it with a nice even touch ; no tugging or hauling, or you not only confuse the horse but get mixed up yourself, for the dumb animal cannot tell you what has gone wrong with the works, and as he appears-to shut up you think he is failing, whereas he might have been going as strong at a lion, the cause of his sudden stoppage being an involuntary jerk on, the part of the rider.”

Ed wi'tft’Orbe'Sthe American who years agoin▼enteff a starting machine'did not live to see his idea adopted on his native tracks as he died a month ago. - Julv the full-brother td Sir Modred, who was recently purchased by Mr' J. B Haggin, the American breeder, has arrived at the Rancho del Paso Stud and has made a most favourable impression. A

Referring to M. Edward’s suspension at Lancaster Park “ Spectator ” writes “ After the Maicten jPlate had been decided the stewards had M Edwards and C. Kerr, the respective riders of Bed of Stone and Master Chub, before them to explain the trotting of those two horses. Miss Graham drew away from her opponents from the start, and would no doubt have beaten both had they trotted kindly. - In disqualifying Edwards for one. month, and reprimanding Kerr, the stewards were, I think, under the impression that neither of the riders had done their best in the early part of the race. Why any distinction was made I cannot say, but it appears to me that the stewards should have taken advantage of the rule giving them power to put up other horsemaq. This is.not always a satisfactory way of acting, as horses trot better for those who know the as a rule than for strangers. The fact that Edwards was willing to allow Bed of Stone to be tried by any horseman the Club might wish to put up, must be stated in his favour, and it must further be stated that Bed of Stone has never done so well previously. The stewards are to be commended for trying to make all jockeys ride their horses out, especially when they give prizes for places as is now becoming the custom.

-The Dominion of Canada has decided that pool rooms are illegal. u i . ■ The new’ rules of American racing provide that in purse races six or more horses must start or the race may be declared off ; that no jockey under contract to a particular stable shall be allowed to ride an outside horse in a race in which his Stable has an entry; that if a jockey weighs in at overweight his horse shall not be disqualified, but the rider shall be fined, suspended,,or ruled off ; and that if a horse makes an unavoidable swerve and hits another he shall not be disqualified if the horse he hits finishes in front of him, provided he does not interfere with any horse that finishes behind him. ;

' A correspondent contributes to the London sporting Life the following system of backing the races, which he states he has followed successfully for a number of years: “Back the favorite in the first race of the day ; if it goes down, take tha same course with regard to the second race, going for a fixed amount and recovering the lost stake ; should this lose, cover for the lost stake and half as much again as the original stake, and, win or lose, do not touch another race that day ; and in either event follow the same rules next da. 1 have never known a losing week by this system.” He states that his own practice is to bet to win £2O (§100) each day. Sj stems of betting, however, appear to be of less consequence in themselves than the ability of the individual to adhere religiously to the particular system selected, and, therefore, that one man succeeds through following a systeiri is : ho guarantee that another would be similarly successful.

The Eltham Club are so pleased at making £l5O over their last meeting that they will probably offer a £2OO prize next season. A New Orleans bookmaker has had a phenomenally successful career. Not many years ago Barney Schrieber was a porter in a Kansas city store. To-day he is one of the big moguls of the western turf, owning a breeding farm, a very large stable of thoroughbreds, usually having three or four race books on at a race meeting and last, but not least, with ready cash galore. An ever increasing mortality in connection with the St. Simon foals at the Welbeck Abbey stud caused the Duke of Portland to make investigations with the result that it was found that the mortality was due to the fact that the paddocks at Welbeck Abbey had been in use for over a hundred years. It is considered that they had become foul and were in all probability the breeders of disease germs that affected the foals with fatal results. The Duke has removed his breeding establishment and will fallow his paddocks.

When you talk of a New Zealand hack Sydneyites repeat the word “hack” satirically. If vou want heavy weighting you have only to call your prad a Maoriland hack and he’ll get it for sure. Sydney Referee writes : —“ Dart’s owner no doubt regrets now that he did not start him in the Hurdle Race at the Hawkesbury Meeting, where he was handicapped at 9.7, or 121 b less than he carried into second place at Randwick on Saturday. After seeing him perform both in the Hurdle Race and Steeplechase, most people are more than ever convinced that New Zealand « hacks ” are closely akin to racehorses.”

Edward Corrigan, one of the leading turf men of the U.S.A., has a tremendous string of horses in work. He has 79 racers in his stable.

The A.J.C. committee has decided not to make any alteration in the amount of the stakes for 1895-96, but it will discontinue the two biennial stakes, the last of which will be run at the spring meeting in 1895. In future the Biennial Slakes Race, for two-year-olds, run at the autumn meetings, will be termed the Easter Stakes, and that run at the spring meetings for three-year-olds the Duff Memorial Stakes. .The conditions in each event and the prize money will remain as hitherto, but the distance in the race for three-year-olds will be reduced from a mile and a quarter to a mile. In addition, nominat ions for these races will be taken respectively at the time of the general entry for the autumn and spring meetings, and not in June as at present. Artist Henry Stull a famous American painter of horses writes concerning Ormonde “As he stands at ease he has an apparent tendency towards squareness, but I think this impression is caused by the high setting on of his tail and the superb arch of his neck, heightened by the fact that he always keeps his legs well under him, so much so that a vertical line from the extreme point of the quarter to the ground would fall quite decidedly outside a similar line from the point of the hock downward. As the view extends the first impression of legginess disappears, and the eye is filled wirh the perfect balance and symmetry of all his points. I have painted almost all the horses of note during the past fifteen years, and I never before saw a horse that impressed me so profoundly as Ormonde.’

Jockey Williams, a Victorian cross-country rider, had the good fortune to draw Patroness in Oxenbam’s Sydney Cup sweep. The night before he heard what he had drawn, Williams dreamt that Patroness won the Cup.

“ Reginald,” the Melbourne turf-writer, states there is some likelihood of the English-bred Tostig, who was recently imported from India, being put into work at Flemington, with a view to preparing him for racing purposes. Tostig is quite sound on his legs, and as he is not a great deal above himself it would not take long to get him ready for service under silk.

In commenting on the frequency of racing accidents the Australasian asks : “ Are our jockeys too reckless in trying to dash through openings, or do they ride foul, or is bad riding and an inability to steer on the part of some of the boys responsible for these constant collisions and falls ? We think that to a combination of these causes are due many of the mishaps which have occurred. The Australian boy is allowed to ride in public before he is well grounded as to the obligations of a jockey. In England he must be able to ride before he can pose as jockey. Here the scarcity of light-weights gives any boy who shows any promise the chance of becoming a jockev before he has gone through anything like the training which is required in England. The consequence is that these boys of little ability and no fear jump off with the sole idea of getting home as fast as thev can, and besides riding an abominably bad race,’ they are crowding in on the rails all the time, and bringing about those ‘scrimmages,’ which often end harmlessly, but occasionally result in falls and fatal accidents.

The question as to the eligibility of a gelding entry to the English Derby has been raised through the announcement that Mr P. Lorillard, the Yankee owner, had entered his two-year-old gelding Dacotah 11., in the classic event. Many people fancy that geldings cannot contest Derbies, but such is not the case.

The list of Indian Cup winners for the last. ten years shows that only one, Moorhouse, went to the stud to enrich the turf in the land of the rajahs. Metal came to Australia, Metallic went back home, while all the others, bar Mercury who died at. the beginning of his second season, viz., Myall King, Pennant, and Highborn, were gelded before going to India. Thus the Cup race has not affected the rising generation of horses bred in India.

A good story is told of a well-known bookie on the occasion of his travelling to Paris to see the Grand Prix decided. While crossing the Channel on the return journey one of the passengers fell overboard, and the bookie, being an expert swimmer, went after him and effected a rescue. Loud was the applause and hearty the greetings when the metallician clambered back on deck, after having been relieved of his burden, and the delighted witnesses of his heroic act declared that he should be recommended for the Royal Humane Society’s medal, and that he would be sure to get it. And then the bookie fairly gave himself away, and at the same time shook the sentiment out of the performance as he shook the water from his clothes, as he calmly observed, “ You see, I coiiidn’t afford Io let him go, for he lost a hundred to me over the last race!”

In purchasing our chanipibri racer, Carbine, the Duke of Portland was not influenced altogether by the horse’s great reputation. He has a theory that the Musket blood will nick with' his St. Simon mares. He has already tried St. Simon with an almost full sister to Musket and believes that a son of Musket will bring in just the sort of blood reinforcement thas the daughters of St. Simon need. His grace has I understand written to Australia with a view of purchasing some of the daughters of Mersey for ids stud.

Trainer Chaafe will nof train Mr S. C. Caulton’s pair, The Sharper and Deadshot, in future. The horses have been. taken in hand by theowner’s son, Mr A. S. Caultbn, who should know a thing or two about training, judging by the great nick in which he sent The Sharper out at Gisborne when the Kalo horse ran second to such a sterling racer as Mahaki, and beat St. Kilda but lost the win owing to the stewards finding. Mr Caulton’s horse guilty of a cross at the start. The black horse was then in great form and with that sort of polish at his command Mr Caulton, junr., should have his team in good order whenwe take up racing again next season. Besides The Sharper and Deadshot the string (which is housed at Harry Harrison’s old stables at the corner of Green Lane and Vincent Road) includes a bay yearling filly by Castor from Madcap, and a chestnut filly by Hotchkiss fromt Yattaghan. Mr Caulton also has in work a six year old half-brother to The Sharper, whose work will be over the hurdles. There is room'for some additional horses in the stable, and ‘Mr Caulton, junr., is open for engagement either]as a trainer or breaker-in.

One of the mos 1 ' astonishing breaches of the rules that I nave he ird of is where a man on the bla<*k list acts as steward, assistant handicapper, starter, etc., of a country club. He would neithermake good his default nor allow his friends to do so for him, declaring that his name had no right: to be where it is. How came it there, and why does he not seek redress if that is the case arequestionS naturally asked. — Spectator. Recent measurements show that Kremlin,. 2.07£, the American champion trotting stallion of 1892, measures 64 inches in height and length, and girths 71| inches. Ormonde and Carbine, the most celebrated thoroughbred stallions of theday, are 65£ inches high and girth 69 inches. Kremlin is not as tall a horse by an inch and a. half, but his girth measureinent indicates morestrength and lung capacity than either of thesefamous runners.

A bill has been introduced at Albany (U.S.A., to regulate the practice of horseshoeing, xh provisions of the bill are as follow : All mas* .rt horseshoers in this State must be registered in the county in which they reside; all master horseshoers must pass an examination, must becitizens, and must have served ar apprenticeship of four years; the Board of Examiners shall consist of two veterinary surgeons and threemaster horseshoers ; a certificate shall cost twodollars; the fraudulent obtaining of certificatesor violation of the requirements of the act shall, constitute a misdemeanour, punishable by not less than a fine of 50 dol ars or more than 250’ dollars, or by punishment in the county gaol for. not less than ninety days or more than two years, or by both fine an 1 imprisonment.