TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1139, 8 February 1912, Page 8

TURF TOPICS.

To-day the Te Kuiti Racing Club holds its first meeting with a totaligator, and as the stewards have shown considerable enterprise in preparing for their opening meeting under the new conditions, everything points to the fixture proving a success. The King Country certainly is a fast-growing district, {and is worthy of the special consideration the Racing Commission showed the district in alloting a totalisator permit to the Te Kuiti club. A large* contingent of Auckland horses h{ave gone down, and there is little doubt but that the meeting will be liberally patronised.

The totalisator staff, which has done such excellent work at Avondale (and Ellerslie this season, are to be treated to a bumper marine picnic by their chief, Mr. Harry Hayr, on Sunday next. The Northern Company’s Kawau has been engaged and Motutapu will be the picnic ground. As there is no more generous an entertainer in Auckland than the “Old Hoss’’ it only requires good weather to ensure a most enjoyfable day’s outing.

Jack Delaval, who has been having a well-earned spell since his exertions at the Ellerslie summer meeting, h{as again returned to the track to be prepared for Easter engagements.

Frank Wootton’s increasing weight must be a matter of grjave concern to the talented young horseman. While in India recently he could not get to scale at less than Bst 111 b.

By her victory in the Linwood Welter Handicap at the C.J.C. meeting lfa,st week Miss Advance returned her supporters on the totalisator over a quarter of a century for their sovereign.

Regain, who started out in his career early this season as a hurdler, gave promise of turning out a success. Unfortunately he met with a mishap and had to be retired from the active list for a spell. The Regel gelding is back again on the training tracks, {apparently fully recovered and looking ready for solid work.

A fair contigent of Auckland-owned horses appear among the acceptors for the events to be decided on the first day of the jjaranaki Jockey Club’s meeting next week. They include Gloy, Spectre, Lucille, Tiresome, Aristocrat, Fuss, Rautangata, Ashby and Captain Soult.

Continuance, who carried 13 st 101 b to victory over the hurdles at Gisborne last week, has accepted for a flat race at the Poverty Bay Turf Club this week. He will next be given Jan opportunity of distinguishing himself over big country.

Advance stumbled and broke a foreleg last week, but the bone has since been set and the brilliant Vanguard stallion h{a,s now had the injured member encased in plaster of Paris.

W. Sharp has added a Bluelight—the Flirt three-yeiar-old gelding tb his active brigade.

J. E. Thorpe, a well-known trainer in days gone by and a thorough-’ going sportsman all the time, bias recently entered into possession of the Occidental Hotel in Vulcan Lane.

Necktie, who made her reappearance at Takapuna {after a lengthy spell from the racing tracks, has brightened up a lot recently, and her future may be looked upon as one of flair promise.

After two 1 disappointing races at Takapuna Sea Pink was sent down to the Gisborne meeting, but only succeeded in securing a second. This week the son of Seaton Delaval will ■doubtless nflake reparation for his recent failures at the Poverty Bay Turf Club meeting.

The South Auckland Racing Club are to be congratulated on the satis-

factory nature of the nominations received for its {annual meeting, to be held at Claudelands next week. This club in the past has been much handicapped and has experienced a good deal of ill luck one way {and another. Happily the corner appears to have been turned, and it is to be hoped the forthcoming meeting will start an era of rosperity.

After doing service for a quarter of a century the steeplechase double jumps at Ellerslie have been moved back about a chain so that now horses making a blunder {at the first obstacle have a chance of recovering their feet before having to take the second. Trainers are agreed thatl the chiange is a great improvement.

Desire, who won the Launceston Cup on Saturday, showed winning form at ithe end of his two-year-old season. From the time that the weights appeared for the Launceston and Hobart Cups, the colt was heavily ’backed to win both events. Although at that {time Desire had done nothing in public to warrant the belief that he was a stayer, the handicapper came in for some criticism for allowing the colt 191 b. from the three-year-old filly Orvieto. After Desire has completed his Tasmanian engagements he will be shipped to Victoria to fulfil his engagement in the Newmarket Handicap.

Mr. A. Leslie Brown, manager for Mr. Sol Green, informed “Sir Bedivere,” of the “Post,’’ that the Positano —Wakepo colt, which will be sold

at the Randwick yearling sales, is one of the grandest young thoroughbreds ever seen in Australia. He has the makings of a typical Derby candidate, and is sure to command a big figure. Another grand colt is that by Pcsitano, from Gladsome, who will be submitted with other of Mr. Green’s yearlings in Melbourne on 4th March. Gladsome, it may be remembered, was empty last season. She is now carrying a foal to Positano, .however, and next year she will be mated with Comedy King.

Each of the mares purchased at the Elderslie sale on behalf of Mr. Sol Green is to be mated with Comedy King next season. They are Kora, Ronetta, Zenilis, and Ingoda, and Petruvia.

E. Duffield, who hails from West Australia, up to the middle of December headed the list of winning jockeys in South Africa, with 28 wins out of 97 mounts. Referring to this rider a South African writer says: — ‘There has never been, perhaps, a better judge of pace in Soutn Africa than Duffield, and his motionless style in the saddle is unquestionably a great help to a horse, and half the LattU in a hard finish or .a fast-run race.”

Colleen Mary was one of ,the keenest disappointments to the regular ,punters at Riccarton. Her prospects were regarded as very rosy for the Craven Plate, but she failed to materialise. The San Fran mare started again in the Linwood Welter, but co.uld not get a place.

Specialform, who scored in the Filly Stakes at the C.J.C. meeting, is the first of the progeny of Boniform to win a race in New Zealand.

Expansion, who came to his end in the Craven Plate at Riccarton, was bred by Mr. W. E. Bidwill in 1906, having been got by Birkenhead from the Gipsy Grand mare Immersion, li.e belonged to Mr. D. H. Roberts, of Greymouth, and was only a moderate performer.

Ben Deeley and A. Oliver are running a close race for : the honour of heading the winning jockeys list for Lhe present season. At the conclusion of the Gisborne and Canterbury meetings last week the Auckland horseman had a lead of one, his total

being 32. A. H. Wilson, and C. Emmerson fill third and fourth positions respectively.

Ronald Cameron, the successful exNew Zealand jockey now residing in Victoria, has been engaged to ride Queen of Scots in the Newmarket Handicap and The Parisian in the Australian Cup at the V.R.C. autumn meeting. This was the winning double last year-

Frown Owl will probably carry Sir George Clifford’s colours in the Dunedin Champagne Stakes.

The TaranaH Jockey Club have recently expended a considerable sum in carrying out improvements to their course and track. From all accounts

the money has been judiciously spent, and the club’s enterprise will doubtless be fully appreciated by their patrons next week.

Some of . the riders in - the Craven Plate at Riccarton state that they foresaw Expansion would come to grief before, the. accident occurred, and were thus enabled to avoid getting mixed up in the trouble. Young

O’Brien was unable to control the gelding, who was pulling hard, and fell through galloping on to another competitors - heels.

The two North Island representatives (Odessa and Turna) at trie recent C.J.C. midsummer gatnerlng will go on to Wingate to take part in the Dunedin Cup meeting.

The speedy Nukuatu is downing everything in trials at Fordell, says a correspondent, and Tilley can find nothing fast enough to gallop with the Advance gelding over the first few furlongs. Nukuatu should play a prominent part in events at the approaching West Coast meeting.

Long distance racing is not much in vogue with trotting bodies in Australia (says a Melbourne exchange), although in New Zealand a three mile event is often included in the trotting programmes, and it not infrequently furnishes a good contest and an exciting finish, although it is hard to handicap horses together in this class of racing. However, there is no gainsaying the fact that races over

a distance improve the stamina of the breed of horses, and that, too, without any detriment to their extreme speed over a shorter course. This has been abundantly proved in New Zealand, where all the principal races for the big money are run oyer a distance of two miles, and the hoppled pacers oyer there can stay out the distance with tbe . purer gaited trotter, all tending to show

that long distance racing should be. encouraged in the interests of the horse-breeding industry of the Commonwealth.

It is quite likely that, foi' the third year in succession, we will see Comedy King under silk in the Futurity Stakes (says an Australian writer). It was the seven furlongs’ race that, so to say, gave the “black Britisher” his start in life. That was two years, ago, when he won brilliantly. Next year, carrying all the penalties, he went down before Biairgour, but it was, as described

at the time, a “splendid failure.” Now Comedy King is under preparation for another shot at the “Futurity.” He }s doing well enough, too, in his work to encourage the belief that he will again keep the opposition fairly busy. Caulfield, it should not be forgotten, is Comedy King’s favourite course. He has never run a bad race on the famous “Heath.”

Apparently poundage is a matter of less consideration than horsemanship judging by the overweight put up on some of the contestants at the recent Takapuna meeting. The promising two-year-old colt, who finished second to Monoline in the Hobson Handicap was weighted by the handicapper with 6.13, but in order to secure the services ol Hectoi Gray ’ c?.rr ed 7.9. Also in the T.J.C. Handicap, Spectre was weighted with

thirteen pounds over his handicap as to enable Gray to pilot him.

The privileges in connection with the Te Aroha jockey club meeting; were submitted to auction at the Waihou sale by Mr. McCullagh, and were disposed of as follows: —Refreshment [booth £l4, Mr. Q. Bygrave; cards £2l : Mr. A. Wawman; the publican’s booth was withdrawn at £46.

Merrivonia continues to bowl along in an attractive style at Trentham. There is every probability of last year’s Wanganui Cup winner contesting the event this month.

Accommodation has already been booked for Undecided at Wanganui, so the Wellington Cup winner may be regarded as a sure starter in the . j anganui Cup. i

There is no foundation for the rumour that Counterfeit will go to Sydney in the autumn, but- a -horse that may make the trip is Vice-Admiral, says the “Dominion.” At the present time the latter is doing lignt work at Yaldhurst, and is in condition to come to hand quickly if his trainer decides to make the trip.

Advices from Sydney /state that jockey W. Ryan, who has been seriously ill for some time past ,is now quite recovered, and enjoys a lot of patronage from Sydney owners.

An innovation which is well worthy of the attention of other facing clubs was brought into use at Riccarton this week (says the “Post”), in the shape of red discs, one of which, on being attached to any horse’s number on the board displaying the jockey’s names, signifies that the /rider of the horse concerned - claims the 51b apprentice allowance.