Sporting Topics.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 470, 27 July 1899, Page 11

Sporting Topics.

Mr Harry Piper has been appointed starter to the Dunedin Jockey Club. Altair has arrived safely in England after a good passage. The Caster—Cissy colt landed in excellent trim. The Prince of Wales recently witnessed a trial Of Mr Couch’s patent starting gate, and expressed his approval of the machine. A southern paper states that a leading firm of metallicians has already laid against forty-eight horses in the New Zealand Cup. “Taihoa” writes that in his last notes the trainer Maher, who was said to be looking for an opening in Taranaki, must not be confounded with J. Maher, the Palmerston North trainer. Mr A. G. Brett has resigned the Secretaryship of the Egmqnt Racing Club, besides other public appointments beholds in Hawera. He intends to settle in Melbourne. Mr C. Budge is spoken of as his successor in the secretaryship of the racing club.

Boreas has been nominated for the Epsom Handicap, one mile, and Metropolitan. Stakes, one mile and a half, to be run at the spring meeting of the A. JC. He has 9st 61b in the milerace, 9st in the mile and a half event. The Prince of Wales is quite as lucky as a breeder as he has been at actual racing. Anything he sends up for sale invariably brings big prices, and only a few weeks ago a number of his hackneys sold for big figures. For instance, Sir Edgar Vincent (who purchased Multiform from Mr. Stead) gave £925 for Coup de Grace, a chestnut gelding, while a pair of bays went to Lord Iveagh for 1000 guineas. The report of the Conference and the Wellington races have made such an inroad into our space this week, that we are compelled to hold over until next issue a review of the Wellington Park yearlings. “ Atlas,” however, informs us that from present appearances the Wellington Park yearlings next December promise to be the finest lot ever turned out in Auckland. That is talking big, but we are assured that there is not a bad animal in this year’s lot at Wellington Park, while some of them are extraordinary welldeveloped youngsters, many of them looking like two-year-olds. Two especially fine colts, are out of Frailty and Ouida. The principal cause of many a trainer’s mistakes, and the general darkness that he is usually in regarding the real merits of his horses, is because he cannot ride his charges in their gallops himself, and cannot or will not employ a good sensible jockey, in whom he can place implicit trust both in his honesty and judgment, to ride the horse in all his galloqs. Stable boys may be honest and be able to ride fairly well, but what is their judgment worth when put in the scale with that of such a rider as Hales. After riding a horse fast work, the latter could at once tell whether the horse required easing off or more fast work. The unerring instinct which tells the natural horseman instantly whether he is riding a stumbier or a safe goer, or whether his mount is weak or strong, nervous or phlegmatic, was thoroughly enaratted in such men as Hales, O’Brien, Colley, Nicholson, Corrigan, and other famous horsemen of times that have passed, and there are men riding to day, and plenty of them, that possess the same faculty of feel that tells them things that is impossible for a man on the ground to see or know of. Hales has been idea titled with the greatest successes of many once great training stables, and there is little assumption in the contention that he was the real trainer of the horses that brought glory and gold to these establishments. Of course, he did not feed or overlook the dressingof the horses—any dec nt head lad could do that —but he made the way easy for the trainer by telling him exactly what a horse required ; and that trainer is jet to be born that would discard a hint from a horseman of the Hales type. It is a fact very noticeable that when Hales was first jockey for a big stable that stable had its greatest seasons of success. When he was first mount for Mr Long that gentleman’s colors were particularly dangerous.—l can only remember Trump Yoss and Grand Flaneur now; and when the little man with the military moustache rode for Mr De Mestre the “ black and all black ” did wonders. The same result was observable when he rode first mount for Mr James Wilson, sen., Mr Ryan, and the late Hon. James White.—“Milroy” in the Sydney Mail.

A well-known and often successful Victorian trainer (writes “Milroy”) told a rich patron that he could not properly train his horse—a champion from another colony—unless he (the patron) hired a first-class man to ride work and keep the -trainer posted up in matters that only come to a rider of experience. Of course there are two sides to every question, and there is one very powerful excuse for following the present system and that is the poor incomes earned by trainers. The business being overdone and overmanned, a certain class of men will train horses for next to nothing almost, and depend upon what they can get by retailing any information that they deem valuable about other people’s horses to a class known as “punters,” and trusting to the liberality of the latter if they are successful. But all ropes have their lengths, and the trainer who deals in “punters” comes to the end of his tether in time but still while he does flourish he cuts the price of training down to starvation rates, and if they want their boxes kept full the respectable trainers must keep pace with the man of many masters, as unfortunately there are very few men now racing but will not go to the cheapest shop with their horses, and trust to their acumen and knowledge of the intricate workings of a certain class of turf- * men to hold their own when their horses are ready to back. However, we still have several good men racing that will pay a good price for a good article, and the trainer who honestly caters for this class by providing a first-class jockey to ride their horses will not only command horses and respect, but will also command success.

No further progress has been made with the Forbury Arbitration case. Mr S. H. Gollan will arrive from Eagland in time to see the Grand National run at Christchurch. He purposes remaining a couple of months in New Zealand. Nat Sloman, who was well known for years as the partner of the big Bendigo Alfred Josephs, died last week in Melbourne. The two-year-old Reviver is developing into a fine colt, and will in all probability assist to make matters interesting in the A.J.C. Derby. After his victories in South Australia a wager of £2OOO to £BO was taken in Sydney about Dirk Hammerhand for the Caulfield Cup. Forest has gone to India. The backers who selected him early for the spring cups are badly left. Vanderderken the stable companion of Ostiak and Boreas, has been allotted 6st 121 b in the Epsom Handicap. Old Grandmaster, the well-known Australian sire, was blind for years before his death It would de difficult, off-hand, to enumerate all the winners he got, but among the principal ones may be mentioned Highborn, Paris, Bungebah, Ensign, Gibraltar, Reginald, Stanley, Sussex, Ravensworth, Folly, Gipsy, Grand and Emin Pasha. Mr V. Dowling, who is an emphatic opponent of two-year-old racing in Victoria, is agitating to have the minimum weights in handicaps at 7st. He goes further and advocates that the top weight should never be less than 9st 121bs. The members of the A.J.C. Committee do not favor Mr Dowling’s propositions. An Australian paper states that at the sale of Mr G. Gray’s stud, P. Nolan was desirous of buying the imported ,mare La Michele for a New Zealand friend. The Messrs Mitchell Brothers, of New South Wales, however, lasted longest in the bidding. Most of the Auckland sporting men who have been in Wellington for the Steeplechase meeting have returned, and everyone of them have something to say concerning the atrocious weather experienced in the windy city. Messrs. C. F. Mark and W. Adams returned on Tuesday, and Messrs. E. W. Alison, W. Percival, H. S. Gorrie and R Wynyard, returned on Wednesday. The tracks out at Ellerslie have not been in' condition good enough for fast work during the past week, and training operations have to an extent been at a standstill. However, there is any amount of good working about Ellerslie lanes, and owners have not been idle. If the present frosty weather continues, the tracks should be all right very soon. The well known pony Fair Nell and a colt by Oberon, from a Weasel mare, have been purchased by Mr E. G. Dalton, a Sydney sport. Mr Dalton intends taking the pair over to Sydney some time next month. Fair Nell will probably make her first appearance at Kensington, where both she and the colt should render good accounts of themselves.

Four of the riders, M. Mooney, J. Smith, D. Allen, and R M’Nally, were more or less injured by their f Us in the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase, and three or four of the horses were knocked out. Nilus broke down badly, Floater had his stifle cut, Doondiah was a good deal t ’cut about the legs, and Domino cut his stifle, and had his knee knocked up. After Nilus, the case of Doondiah, who was taken in hand by Mr W. Allan, is probably the worst. The judges for the New Zealand Racing Con ferer.ce (Sir George Clifford, Messrs. W. Herries, andH. i >. Bell), in the appeal lodged by Mr J. A. Goodson against the decision of the Patea Stewards in the Cora Linn Sentry case, have confirmed the resolution passed by the Taranaki Club, reversing the decision of the Patea Club. The appeal judges were satisfied that the lease of the mare Cora Linn by Mr W. A. Young was a mere device to evade the rules of racing. The part played by Messrs. J A. Goodson, W. A. Young, and J. W. Hirst, should, in the opinion of tbe judges, be reviewed by the Taranaki Club. The stake therefore goes to the second horse—viz., Sentry. Many horse-trainers of our time have had their seasons of pronounced success, and also seasons of what they call bad luck writes “ Milroy.” When they keep on going wrong it is bad luck, but when things go smooth their success is attributed to their acumen. Sailors, women, and racing men are superstitious, and believe they have their seasons of good luck or bad, and if a horse or a ship is mismanaged the defeat of the former and the wrecking of the latter is laid to luck’s door, but never to mismanagement. Careful men of business leave little to chance, and if every borse-trai’-er of note had followed suit the turf would not have known as many expensive failures as it has during the past 20 years ; and many horses I could name would, under different treatment, have won a name for themselves on th* turf instead of leaving it discredited. How often on a racecourse do we hear that such and such a trainer —who is accepted as highly competent—has advised his supporters that So-and-so is thoroughly well and his winning means only a fair run ? —and how often do these alleged good things finish away back in the ruck and behind horses that were considered ever so much inferior to him ? For such defeats excuses are always forthcoming. A favorite one is that the horse did not run up to his work. Another, that unfortunately is often too true, is that he had been sadly interfered with by other horses, or rather, the riders of them. Of course, if the defeat of a fancied horse is brought about by one of the many foul riders that are licensed by the jockey club—and their name is legion —it is no reflection on the ability of the defeated one’s trainer ; but in five cases out of ten the trainer knows as little about the strength of his horse as the veriest outsider, who perhaps sees the horse occasionally on a racecourse.

The famous sire Grandmaster was destroyed at Duckenfield Park on Tuesday. Grandmaster was foaled in England in 1868, nnd was therefore in his thirty-first year. Regarding the clashing of dates between the Feilding and Wellington clubs for the Sp ing meetings, the matter is likely to be settled in a proper spirit- The Wellington Olub will go back to its old date if it cannot make arrangements with the Feilding Club. St. Ursula was brought back immediately after her failure in Wellington. St. Paul’s sister was unable to gallop a yard in the mud, and Jack Chaafe sent her off home again. Riot and Crusado were brought back to Auck and yesterday. It is by no means certain that Dummy will go to the Grand National Meeting. He is in Percy Johnson’s care at Wellington, and it is understood that Mr Watson wanted him to return to Taranaki, but Percy would like to have a cut at the Grand National, and he lias been waiting in Wellington for further developments. Nor’-west is not going on to Canterbury, and will probably arrive back in Auckland to-day. Those who saw him ran in Wellington think he should have won, and that it was hard luck for him to have lost the Steeplechase as he did. After the race an offer of £5OO was made for the Auckland horse, but it was declined. He knocked himself a little in the race, and that is the reason why he was not taken on to Canterbury. Concerning the imported horse Cyrenian, our Wellington correspondent writes:—Cyrenian was taken off the Rakaia to-day (July 21st) and shipped to Somes’ Island in charge of Mr J. B. Williamson. W. H. Franks, who took seme of Mr Stead’s horses Home, brought out Cyrenian, who has been specially photographed for the Sporting Review.

It was decided by the Racing Conference to publish a Stud Book. If the Canterbury clique are as successful in the manipulation of the Stud Book as they have been in the matter of the Official Calendar there will be more pickings for Christchurch printers at the expense of the racing ciubs of the colony. There is no doubt that a Stud Book is wanted, and it is to be hoped that Mr Herries’ suggestion that the compilation of the new Stud Book shall be carefully supervised will be adopted. Dirk Hammerhand, whois in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, has been showing winning form since the publication of the weights for those important events, having previous to July 15 incurred a 31b penalty in the former and a 51b in the latter race. i_ irk Hammerhand’s victory in Tattersall’s Handicap, run at Adelaide on July 15 was one full of merit, as he carried 9st 121 b, and ran the distance in fair time, beating a good field. In the Caulfield Cup Dirk Hammerhand will have Ist 81b less to carry, and in the Melbourne Cup 2st less than he won with at Adelaide.

During the settling over the V.R.C Grand National meeting in Melbourne on July 17th, some wagering was done in connection with the spring carnival. Dirk Hammerhand was nominal favorite for th« Caulfield Cup ai 100 to 5, and was coupled with the Melbourne Cup candidate; Fleet Admiral, to win £lO,OOO. He was also taken with Chesney and Lancaster. For the same double —the two Cups—Lochaber was coupled with Wait-a-Bit, Gauleon, and The Chief, Hymettus with Lancaster and Chesney, and Town Clock with Gauleon, Woodlark, and The Chief. Lancaster with Fleet Admiral and Revenue with Waita-Bit were backed to win the V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup to the extent of £5OOO.

It is not generally known (writes “Milroy”) that the big brown sister to Ihe Grafter, lately in Earnshaw’s stable, is destined for England if she developes any of the pace and staying power that was so marked in Gaulus, The Grafter, and Alemene, her brothers and sister. This two yeai- . old daughter of Gozo and Industry has been leased by Mr J. R. Smith to a well-known metropolitan sportsman, and one of the terms of the lease is that, in the event of the filly travelling as far as England, the lessee must put her to Ravensbury when she has finished racing ; that is, if Ravensbury is available. With regard to Ravensbury, Mr Smith was unfortunate to have missed purchasing him when he was in training and for sale. Ravensbury would have suited Gozo mares admirably on paper. Mr Smith commissioned a friend in England to inquire if the horse was for sale. This was done, and about the figure that was likely to buy the son of Isonomy was cabled. Mr Smith, being anxious to get tbe horse, instructed his commissioner to go to £3OOO for him; but before this reached England Ravensbury had gone into Captain Mach ell’s stable for much less than that figure, and it would take £lO,OOO to buy him to-day. The remains of James Kean, whose death was announced last week, were laid to rest last week in the quiet little cemetry at Panmure, in the presence of a large number of sorrowing friends. The ceremony was a most impressive one. For once in a way the generally light-heanted sporting man stood in the presence of death, and the solemnity of the occasion was intensified by the heartfelt sermon and address of the Rev. Father Walter. The words of the aged priest seemed to bring him into close touch with his auditory, and around the grave were assembled Messrs Robert Duder, G. Wright, F. Macmaneman, Heart, D. McLeod, J. Davidson, A. Phillips, J. Rae, H. Franks, Moberley, F. Davis, Quinton, Finlay, Bird, Howard, Calliman, 8. Lindsay, Walker, Harrison, Collins, G. Smith, Page, T. Taylor, Hill, Katterns, S. McEwin, J. Chaafe, D. Morrigan, Owen McGee, Harry Wilson, P. Quinlan, Joe Duff, Jellings, Mr and Mrs Jack Gallagher, Mr and Mrs Jack Keane, Mrs Jim Keane and Mr Halstead. The ceremony, as already stated, was of an impressive nature and the Rev. Father gave some Interesting reminiscences of the honest trainer and jockey now deceased. A priest, he said, had taught him first to ride.

Corollo and Ich Dien are at present at Wellington Park, and both mares are looking well.