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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1037, 20 January 1910, Page 6

The starting at the Soutnland> meeting was not altogether of a satisfactory nature. Some of the starts were good, but others, again, were bad, or indifferent (says a Southern writer). The start for the principal event on the second day was, for instance, very good/ but that of the chief sprint event over five furlongs, where an ■even despatch is all important, far from perfect. Only five inorses went to the post, and of these —y Lawyer got well away. Obsono and Gapon (both fairly good beginners as a rule) hot -so well, whilst San Severo and Loftus were left several lengths. Even after making allowance for San Severo’s presence in the field, a good start should have been effected, as the other four are usually fairly easy horses to manage at the barrier. Practically only one out of five got well away. The fault appeared to lie in the fact that the starter did not have, or, rather, exercise, sufficient author- ' ity over the riders. Th some cases the starter had one or two bad-man-nered horses to handle, and uneven despatches in such a case are not ab together the starter’s fault. The cases ■ referred td'’here are where the'fields did not appear to be unusually’ diffi- . cult to’ get in line at the-hike -of the barrier* ’ o.ts* .

The stewards of the Manawatu Racing Club, after holding a long and exhaustive inquiry into the running of Equitas in the Summer Handicap on the first day of the Manawatu Christ- & mas meeting, have passed resolutions to the effect that, after hearing further evidence from the owner and his explanation with regard to betting on Equitas, the , inquiry, so far as concerns the owner, be not further proceeded with. The stewards were not satisfied that Oliver, the jockey, pulled Equitas with the intention of preventing ’her from winning the race. The evidence disclosed that Oliver rode an ill-judged race, pulling the filly back at the critical time, but the stable and those interested had backed her heavily to win, and had given instructions to the jockey to ride a waiting race.

An English authority states that the services of Diamond Jubilee were once within an ace of being lost to the Stud book. According to one who seems to know all about it, Diamond Jubilee, when a two-year-old, was so bad-tempered, and his behaviour was such at one of the Newmarket July meetings, that it was decided to have him “ added to the list,” and the order was actually given; but it turned out that, for certain reasons, the operation would have been a very serious one, and so the idea of it was abandoned. Marsh set patiently to work to exercise the devil that was in the colt, and ultimately he so far succeeded that Diamond Jubilee won the Triple Crown of his year, and was ultimately sold for 30,000 guineas to Senor Ignacio Correas, who recently obtained £36,000 for 20 of his yearlings, the first sired by him in the Argentine. Diamond Jubilee is now as quiet as a sheep, and will let anybody handle him. Gaulus, who won the late William Forrester the Melbourne Cup, was another celebrity who narrowly escaped the knife. He was condemned for quite another cause. This wonderfully stout son of Gozo when a two-year old was in a bad way with nasal disease, and a veterinary surgeon was ordered up to Warwick Farm to operate, hut the day coming out hot, it was postponed. M * • • W. Price will ride Waipaku in the Wellington Cup. ••• • ■ • In connection with the Hutt Park (Wellington) Racing Club’s pony meeting next week, the management has decided that all horses competing will be examined by Mr. W. C. Quinnell, veterinary surgeon, and also by a farrier to see that they are not too heavily shod. ■ ■ ■ ■ An American exchange dated November 6, contains the following:— Prince, 33 years old, a pioneer of Traverse City, died at noon to-day of old age. Prince had started in practically every town that supported a race track in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, and out of the hundreds of events in which he was entered, was never outside the money. He was owned by Germaine Brothers, and although for the last ten years he did very little work and none at all for the last three, was not for sale at any price. A quarter of a century ago, Cuyler Germaine brought the racer and his mate, Rocket, who died some years ago, to this city on the old City of Traverse from Chicago. Both horses

won numerous purses at . that time, although three years later they walked a mile very slowly as they were drawing the remains of their owner to the cemetery. After their fatner’s death, Germaine Brothers continued to race the two horses, Prince having a mark of 2.21 1-4. Prince was a pet of everybody all his life. When shipped, he was never tied in his car, and here he was not fastened in his stall, the freedom of the city being his. His last days were full of peace and choice food, and when he was taken ill last evening, the Mayor of Traverse City, S. W. D. C. Germaine, sat up and ministered to the aged horse all night. It is probable that Prince was one of the oldest and best known horses in Michigan. A meeting of the committee of the Waihi Jockey Club was held on Tuesday evening at the office of the secretary (Mr. Power). Arrangements were made for the club’s annual meeting, to be held on Saturday, March 5, and the following were added to the committee: —Messrs. Tanner, Nickisson, Howse, and Wilson. Stewards were appointed as follows: Messrs. Henries, M.P., McGlashan, Flett, Morrow, Conway, Thompson, Toy, McLay, Clarkin, Fury and Irwin.

Mr. J. Wren, who controls the Richmond, Ascot, and Fitzroy courses, announced at the Richmond meeting on Monday that he would allow each jockey in the habit of riding at these courses £1 per week during the four weeks during which there would be no races held.

An Australian writer says:—A leading New Zealand studmaster has been making overtures for the purchase of Alawa, but the big Maltster horse is not for sale.

A special meeting of the Metropolitan Committee was held on Tuesday evening, the Hon. E. Mitchelsoij. in the chair, to consider the suspension imposed upon the jockey B. Deeley by the stewards of the Takapuna Jockey Club. Deeley having lodged an appeal it was decided to ‘ adjourn until February 1, Deeley’s license- being suspended pending a decision being come to by the committee. Poseidon has been entered for tne Doncaster Handicap and Sydney Cup. Mr. P. Reynolds, the Hobartville studmaster, has purchased in England the stallion Bardolph • to fill the vacancy in his establishment caused by the death of Simmer. A meeting of the stewards of the Waikato Trotting Club was held on Friday night, when it was decided to disqualify W. Standish, the owner of the horse Baxter, which competed at the meeting on Wednesday, for five years for using abusive language to the officials. It was also decided to call on W. A. Scott, the owner and rider of V.S., to attend a meeting tomorrow and explain the horses’ running in the Hamilton Trot.

The Manawatu Racing Club is reported to have made a profit of £l4OO over its summer meeting.

The New Zealand-bred Soultline •' and Tangaroa met for the first time in India last month in the December Plate, a weight-for-age event, run over seven furlongs, at the Calcutta Third Extra Meeting. It was tnought that Tangaroa would extend Soultline, who was an odds-on favourite, but such was not the case, as Soultline always had him in trouble, and won easily. Ebullition finished third, and the unplaced division included Fizz, who afterwards won the Viceroy’s Cup.. Soultline was regarded as a certainty for the’ Trials; run' on the first day of the Viceroy’s Cup meeting. Kaffir pan won the Corinthian Plate on the same day, and Five Crown, another well-known Australian, was unlucky to lose the Maiden Horse Plate, for which he was an even-money favourite. He lost by a head, after being badly shut in at the distance.

The latest infringement of gaming and betting legislation is reported from Victoria, says the “ Referee,” when a “ two-up ” school in Pentridge Gaol was raided one day last week. It a.pyears that during the festive season extra rations of tobacco were issued to the Pentridge convicts, who also enjoyed a remission of hard labour for the time being. Perhaps unable to find any more exciting method of dissipating their limited leisure,, several-: of their number formed a school ’?> on New Year’s Day, whereat coin of the realm was represented by rations of the regulation tobacco. Small pieces of metal marked with a cross on one side superseded coins for the spinner, whilst an ordinary small piece of deal

did duty as a “ kip.” Having evidently neglected to make arrangements for one of their number to “ keep nit,” a raid was easily effected as soon as it was discovered what was going on, and half a dozen of the offenders were subsequently haled before the authorities, when an additional seven days was meted out all round. Apart altogether from the humorous side of the affair, this little incident serves to demonstrate the gigantic undertaking of any Government which lays itself out to eradicate the gambling instinct of those who desire to so indulge. One of the most marked effects of the abolition of gambling dens is the increased attendance at all classes of race meetings, which in itself is sufficient to prove that the desire to gamble will be satisfied irrespective of the medium whereby. The Cockatoo, who was purchased in New Zealand at the same time as Master Del aval, and transported to India with the Auckland Cup winner, ! ran second in the first race he contested at the Calcutta meeting. • • • • ■'< An accident occurred during the running of the Port Adelaide Cup. The Sir Tristram colt Sir Edwin fell; and when he regained his feet he galloped into a wire fence, with the result that he broke his neck. Minter, the half-brother, by St. Frusquin, to Spearmint, is touched in the wind. This is the colt for whom Mr. H. Lytham (R. Wootton’s patron) gave 1050 guineas as a yearling.