TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1120, 28 September 1911, Page 4

TURF TOPICS.

Nominations for the Auckland Cup, City Handicap, and King Edward Memorial Handicap fall due on Friday (this week). At the same time first forfeits must be declared for the Great Northern Guineas.

First Barrel, one of the unluckiest horses of last season, is having a spell and will not be again commissioned until after the New Year.

Only five first favourites won at the Avondale meeting. They were: Crown Pearl (Maiden Plate), Sedition (Avondale Cup), Jack Delaval (Flying Stakes), Lucille (President’s Handicap), and Miss Winsome (Avondale Guineas).

Ellerslie-trained horses won eight of the sixteen races decided at Avondale.

W. Wilson, a Waikato horseman, has been granted a jockey’s license by the Auckland Metropolitan Committee.

The biggest dividend paid at Avondale was that the backers of Lady Dot received on the last race of the meeting. The shortest price was paid by Lucille.

A two-year-old colt that has not yet sported silk, by Monoform, out of Graceful, is very enthusiastically spoken of by those who have seen him going through his early schooling.

A half-sister, Monoline, and a halfbrother, Monorail, each registered wins in two year-old races at Avondale. By the look of things at the opening of the season, Monoform’s progeny bid fair to gain distinction.

The most talked of two-year-old previous to Avondale was Prince Soult, and his connections were quite sanguine of his ability to capture the Avondale Stakes. Lady Hester’s son, however, failed to come up to expectations. He got well away at the start, and in the early stages showed a lot of pace, but at the crucial period of the race was found wanting. Prince Soult is a splendid cut of a youngster, and may improve later on in the season.

Miss Winsome, who won the Avondale Guineas in such attractive style and in record time (1.42 4-5), has only met one defeat in her six starts. She lost to Miscount in the Northern Champagne Stakes, at the last A.R.C. autumn meeting. The best previous time the Avondale Guineas was done in was last year when King Soult took 1.45 1-5.

In the days before the South African war, Johannesburg was regarded as perhaps one of the greatest sporting centres in the world, where punters on horseracing were unhampered in their betting, and as a consequence some very heavy wagering was indulged in from Jo’burg. Now, apparently. the “wowser” has made his presence felt in the South African Union Parliament. Last month the Government introduced a Bill, quite as drastic as our own Gaming Act, which proposes to restrict race meetings and prohibit betting at any sports, with the exception of horseracing, and then only on the racecourse. It prohibits the publication of anti-post betting or information relating to races run either in the Union or outside. The Bill also proposes the abolition of the bookmaker, and provides for the Government collecting two per cent, of the gross takings of the totallaator, plus two per cent, of the profits.

Fort William, a much fancied candidate for the New Zealand Cup, has been sent down to J. W. Lowe, of the Endeavour Lodge Stable at Trentham, to be prepared.

Happy Maid (Soult— Merry Maid) recently slipped twins to Bezonian, on her owner’s station at Koputarua. She is now to visit Achilles.

The death is reported from Hawke’s Bay of Dreadnought’s daughter, Tigeress, who won the Wanganui Guineas in 1898. Though a good mare on the turf, her stud record has been disappointing, Tigerine being about the best of her progeny.

Claude Browne, who rode with a good deal of success about Auckland last season, has decided to settle in Victoria, and has accepted a retainer to ride for Foulsham’s stable.

Foalings to date at Waikanae include Aideen (Birkenhead—Mount Ida), a brown filly to Charlemagne II.; Pierrettes, a bay filly to Varco; Spungold (Gold Reef—Ra were were), a brown filly to Charlemagne II; Lady Helen (dam of Meriwa), a bay colt to Achilles; Nerve (Birkenhead — Spot), a chestnut colt to Varco; Success (The Officer —Content), a bay filly to Martian; Two Step (Stepniak —Faraway), a bay filly to Martian.

Prior to the Avondale meeting, trainer F. Loomb disposed of Monorail to H. de Latour, of Gisborne, for 450 guineas, delivery to be taken after the racing at Avondale. It is said also that the new owner improved his bargain by supporting Monorail heavily in the Avondale Stakes, and got a substantial dividend.

W. Montgomery left for Sydney on Monday, and it is understood that Hoanga will be shipped across next week.

Private advice from Sydney states that Bandeira has developed lameness, and will not be a starter at the A.J.C. meeting.

As both G. D'. Greenwood’s youngsters sent across to Sydney to contest the Breeders’ Plate have been off colour for some time, they will probably have to forego their engagement.

Hector Gray has been on the sick list over in Australia, and will not now be able to ride Vice-Admiral at Ranwick. A. Whittaker will now have the mount.

Monoline, who captured the Nursery Handicap at Avondale, is by Mono form, out of Delania, and was bred by her owner, W. L. Thomson. Delania is now among the mares at the Ascot stud farm, she having been purchased by H. R. Mackenzie for 55 guineas last December.

Only three horsemen scored double wins—or better —at the Avondale meeting. They were Ben Deeley, who rode four winners, while F. D. Jones and A. Oliver, two apiece. Oliver was not present for the second day.

Sea Elf once again disappointed her connections last week. On the strength of the most promising work the bright daughter of Seaton Delaval had been showing on the Ellerslie training track, there were a large number who regarded her as a sure thing for the Avondale Cup, but in that event she had to be content to follow Sedition and Master Wairiki past the judge’s box. On the second day Sea Elf went out again in the Plumpton Handicap, and gave a still more disappointing display.

The prize money of the Avondale jockey Club was well distributed after the recent meeting. No less than fifteen owners appeared on the winning list, which meant that only one owner (T. Cunningham) collected for two winners.

W. Satman, who made his reappearance in the saddle at Avondale, had bad luck on two of his mounts. While riding Prince Merriwee in the Nursery Handicap his gear broke, and again when piloting Jollie Fille in the Nihotapu Handicap, the same gear gave way again and spoilt his chances in the straight.

Ben Deeley was in winning form on the second day at Avondale. He started off with a creditable win on Lucille and the two following races piloted two more winners in Miss Winsome and Monoline. His next mount was Electrakoff, who finished

second to Master Wairiki in the Plumpton Handicap. Deeley ended up by steering Monathol into second place in the New Lynn Handicap. This last mount paid a better price for second dividend than any of his winners.

N. Cunningham was the only trainer to collect stakes for two wins at Avondale. Captain Soult, on the first day, and Lucille, the second, scored his double bracket. The other winning trainers were F. Macmanemin (Monoline), W. Mobberley (Lady Dot), J. George (Crown Pearl), H. French (Sedition), F. Stenning (Jack Delaval), C. Norgrove (Regain), F. Loomb (Monorail), W. Sharpe (Don Quex), A. Robertson (Miss Winsome), W. Irwin (Master Wairiki), J. Winder (St. Amans), J. P. Selby (Hunakaha), and A. Rhodes (Te Whararoa).

A good deal of inconvenience was experienced at the recent Avondale meeting by the way people crowded round the totalisator house and made it extremely difficult for investors on the machine to get through the crush. No blame is attachable to the club officials for this regrettable state of affairs, although the difficulty might have been somewhat minimised had the police kept the crowd back from the “runs.”

The whole trouble is the senseless restrictions the Government enforce by not allowing the clubs to install a number of machines, as used to be done some years ago. As, however, there is little likelihood of the old order of things being reverted to, the racing clubs will have to make some changes to get over the difficulties that the present restrictions have created.

One of the members of the A.R.C. has for some time been advocating a reform that may to some extent improve matters. He suggests

that the horses should not be sent out of the birdcage until the bell closing the totalisator has ceased ringing. Doubtless this would be appreciated by owners, trainers, and riders.

Commenting on this suggestion the “Sydney Referee” says:—“At present it is little short of scandalous the time horses are kept waiting about before they are lined up at the barrier. If a birdcage was made sufficiently large to enable both inside and outside patrons of the club to see the horses parade, it would be sufficient, and the horses could then be sent out just in time to start. It is to be hoped that the motion will be brought forward, and that it will get the necessary support to make it law.”

Much interest was evoked last week when a cable message was received

announcing that the Governor of Bombay had decided to banish the bookmaker and to substitute the totalisator as the only legal way of wagering on horse races in that province of India. It now appears that the Indian Government is likely to veto Governor Clarke’s proposal on the ground that the State should not recognise any particular method of racecourse betting.

The Western India Turf Club, when the proposed racing legislation first came up for discussion, protested generally against the proposals, and in commenting on the matter a Calcutta paper says : “A ‘protest’ is not very much use when the other man holds the gun. If the Turf Clubs in India owned the courses upon which they race their position would be immeasurably stronger. As things are, however, their landlords are in the pos-

ition of the Roman centurion, who had the power to say unto this one ‘go’ or to that one ‘come.’ As things are, unless representations to a higher authority than the Government of Bombay are considered feasible, all the trumps are in one hand.