TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1159, 27 June 1912, Page 8

TURF TOPICS.

Season rapidly closing. * fl: * eS Only Gisborne and Wellington meetings to go. Large entries for the Wellington winter gathering. S * * * Nominations for the principal events of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Grand National meeting close to-morrow (Friday). ❖ $ Weights for the opening day’s racing of the Wellington meting are due to appear to-morrow. * cfc * * Races at Gisborne on Thursday and Friday next. * * M-' The curtain falls on the season on July 17 and 20, when the Wellington Racing Club will bring off their winter gathering. * * * * A yearling colt by Wallace out of the Great Northern Derby winner, Miss Delaval, has been named Scotland’s Hero. * « * « W. Barnett, who rode Lady Medallist to victory in the Caulfield Cup will again pilot the daughter of St. Alwynne in her 'Spring engagements. >:= * * * The Leolantis gelding, Blue Mountain, has been awarded 9st 61b and lOst respectively in the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles and Steeplechase. In view of his form at the Great Northern meeting he has not been harshly treated. sj: :Jt Two well-known local sportsmen, Messrs A. Emanuel and W. Ryan, will be present at the Gisborne R.C. meeting. >?. . * * Mrs A. Julian, wife of the popular cross-country horseman, met with a painful accident through coming into contact with a motor car on Tuesday of last week. One and all will join in wishing the unfortunate lady a speedy recovery. « * R. Cameron, the New Zealand horseman who rode The Parisian to victory in the Melbourne Cup, will again ride that gelding in the race next November. Ms Mt & Mt Bandelero, who won the Hack Hurdles on the second day at Hawke’s Bay, is a Daunt gelding trained by V. Colello, and is a stable-mate to Corazon. ❖ Ms M: As a result of three winning rides at the Hawke’s Bay meeting last week, A. Julian has now a clear lead in the list of winning horsemen over fences. M= Ms -I:

The only Auckland horses nominated for flat races at the Wellington meeting are La Reina, Merrimax and Salute.

Three of the “Highden” yearlings at Awapuni, all by Charlemagne 11., have; been entered for the A.J.C. Breeders’ Plate to be run at Randwick next year.

Bonnie Jean, the sistei’ to Capitol and Red McGregor, will be taken to Gisborne by F. Ross. The mare was not herself at the Northern meeting and has improved considerably since then.

Bravest, winner of the Hack Hurdles on Wednesday at Hawke’s Bay, is a full brother to Corazon.

The Auckland-owned Black Northern has been awarded list 31b in the Napier Park Steeplechase.

Faunus, a fairly good sprinter, made his debut over hurdles at Hawke’s Bay but failed to show up and ran unplaced.

In the June Steeplechase at Hastings on Friday, four of the five competitors either fell or ran off, Whakaweira being the only one to get round without mistake.

The Hon. J. D. Ormond has nominated Bollin, Idealism and Faunus for the Wellington Winter Hurdles.

Gay Soult (Soult —‘Merry Nif), who is engaged in the New Zealand Cup is a full brother to that useful horse General Latour.

The three placed “ horses in the Queensland Derby, Smoko, Non Est and Owen Roe, were sired by the onetime Auckland champion Nonette. Smoko and Non Est have each won races since.

A filly expected to make a name in England this season is Feu de Joie, by Carbine —Skyscraper.

Malt King, one of Australia’s most brilliant horses, is again in work at Randwick after a spell.

F. Weston is in charge of C. Coleman’s team while that trainer is touring the South with Black Northern.

Mr E. J. Watt’s pair, Bridge and Wimmera, are engaged in both the Australian Hurdle Race and Steeplechase, also the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles.

Mr T. H. Lowry has leased the Merriwee gelding Merriwa to his trainer, F. Davis.

The chaser, Cloudy Morn, who was injured whilst contesting a steeplechase at Paeroa some time back, is now quite well again and will be racing in the spring.

Two Birmingham jewellery merchants, Messrs Cotton and Marcus, won £45,000 in the Calcutta Sweepstake on the English Derby.

During F. Macmanemin’s holiday in the South, the well-known horseman, Mark Ryan has charge of the horses.

The “Rules of Racing’ which will apply to all registered clubs in the Commonwealth, are expected to come into operation next November.

The first prize in Tatersall’s Consultation on the Winter Stakes was drawn by a syndicate of foui* New South Wales ladies. * * * * The Merriwee —St. Olga mare, Wee Olga, is at present on the easy list. # # * ❖ The Auckland colt, Prince Soult, has been withdrawn from the A.J.C. Derby. # * * * The Monaco gelding Lloyds has gone on the right way since winning the Campbell Hurdles at the Northern meeting, and unless something unforeseen happens he will be taken to Riccartcn to run in the Grand Nationals. * The Soult gelding Worcester has been added to the list and in future will figure as a gelding. Worcester can gallop in private, but when the colours are up he makes a very poor showing. M* -.K A rising two-year-old by Soult —Hester, has been placed in P. Jones’ stable at Ellerslie. « :|s * The jockey, W. Retter, received a bad fall while schooling Parallel over hurdles at Riccarton last week. His skull was fractured and at latest he was lying in a serious condition. W. H. McKay, a prominent Southern rider, is now residing in Auckland, and has joined J. E. Thorpe’s stable. :* * * * After falling in the Hunt Cup Steeplechase at Hawke’s Bay, Longboat was remounted by a Maori and ifini’Shte'd fourth; just being beaten for third place by Wheturangi. Z # * * Papatoetoe, a full-brother to Lady Patricia, was sold at auction on Friday for 10 guineas. M: M? * cfc * When Winiata fell in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase, his rider, Wallace Young, received a broken collarbone. M: Me M« M? The well-known cross-country rider, R. Thompson, joined the ranks of Benedicts last week. « * » * Aurana, one of the Hon. J. D. Ormond’s nominations for the New Zealand Cup, ran unplaced in the Ladies’ Bracelet at Hastings last week.

That consistent little horse, Goldsize, was given a dose of physic last week, and is at present on the easy list.

Diavolo, who brought off a surprise victory in the Hack Handicap at Hastings on Friday, is a three-year-old by Wehikore —(Heavenly Twin, and therefore a half-brother to Theodore.

The rising three-year-old Devastation, has again been placed in work at Ellerslie. Mr Dunnett’s Austra-lian-bred chestnut has grown into a tine colt, and he should be heard of next season.

Paisano was a solid favourite for the Turamoe Hurdles on the second day at Hawke’s Bay, but he made a poor showing, and after negotiating the first fence vzas never dangerous.

B. Deeley rode one winner at Hawke’s Bay last week, and his total is now 85. He requires three to tie or four to beat C. Jenkins’ record.

Auckland’s contribution to the list of nominations for jumping events to be decided at the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting comprises Armagh, Taiaha, Tui Cakobau, Hautere, Okaihau, Antarctic, Black Northern, and Master Theory.

In 1908 Tredennis (Kendal —Marguerite), the sire cf Bachelor’s Button, Bachelor’s Hope, Bachelor’s Double, etc., was standing at a fee of £B. His list is now full for 1912 and 1913 at 200 guineas per mare.

The hurdle racer Outlander, who was purchased during the Great Northern meeting by Mr. S. Barton, died last week at Ellerslie. This was a stroke of bad luck for his new owner, who intended taking the gelding and Kohinoor to Australia later on.

Arquebuse is top weight for the V.R.C. Grand National Hurdles with 11.13. New Zealand horses weighted for the event are: Bridge lx.B, Wimmera 11.4, and Pakau 10.10.

Cyllene’s stock are very much sought after in South America, and recently one of his yearlings was sold for the fabulous sum of 5000 guineas.

Makiri, who returned the best dividend of the Hawke’s Bay meeting when he won the Hack Steeplechase, is possessed of only one eye.

A Wellington writer says the odds on offer about Miscount for the New Zealand Cup just about represent his chance of making the first payment.

The Wairiki —Eton Lass gelding Home Rule continues in winning vein in Australia, and at Caulfield on Saturday he easily won the Toolambool Hurdles in a field of fifteen. Home Rule, it may be remarked, has been withdrawn from the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase.

The Grand Prix de Paris will be decided on Sunday next.

Annapolis, the half brother to the Auckland Cup winner Waimangu, by Phoebus Apollo, his been nominated in most of the big spring handicaps to be run in Melbourne.

R. McMiken has sold the Bluejacket gelding Blue Mount and it is understood he will be shipped to Australia. He may win a hurdle race or two at some of the suburban meetings.

The world’s record for stake money won in a single season was put up in 1907 by Mr. James R. Keene, the American owner, whose horses secured £80,160. The same owner won £57,580 the following year.

Although Bridgje is being sent after hurdle honours he is evidently not regarded as a forlorn hope on the flat, as he figures amongst the entries for the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups. * * * * Several horses fell while contesting the Wanda Steeplechase at Caulfield on Saturday. Sea Dog and Icicle sustained fatal injuries. Sea-Dog was a New Zealand-bred gelding by Cast ashore —Gladys. Ms Me At the Rosehill (N.S.W.) meeting on Monday, the Carrington mile was won by Fugue with Blakeney second. Both horses are Dominion bred. * * * * Conge d’Eslire has again changed hands, Mr W. A. Grenike, of Perth, giving £350 for the Bobadil gelding. In the Newmarket Stakes won by ‘ Cylgad at Newmarket last month, not one of the five runners was ridden by an English jockey. * # 3s * Among the horses H. Freeland now has in work at Kensington is Merrie Zealand (Merrie 'England—Ztealandia), who was recently purchased by Mr E. Carter. * * C Frank Wootton performed the hat trick at Alexandria Park last month, scoring on three winners in succession out of four mounts. The one-time Auckland horseman, J. W. McGregor, received slight concussion and had his hip badly lacerated when Stratford fell with him in a steeplechase at Moonee Valley on Saturday week. During the season just closed the Auckland Racing Club paid to the Government the sum of £9502 2s 2d as tax money. This constitutes a record Mt V M: sfe Vega, a gelding bred and raced last season by the Hon. J. D. Ormond, won a small race at Bairnsdale (Victoria) recently but was disqualified for running inside a post. * * * Mr W. Brown has nominated twelve of his Multiform yearlings for the Debutante Stakes and Caulfield Guineas. * * * The two-year-old colt Rathfornham (Positano —Rattler), who is a halfbrother to the New Zealand Cup winner Vice-Admiral, has been put into work by D. Coleman at Flemington. Tundulya, who won the Australian Hurdle Race at Caulfield in 1910, will be ridden in the big jumping events in Victoria this year by the New Zealand jockey, S. O’Neill. When the latest files left England, the list of jockeys riding on the flat was headed by F. Wootton, his number of wins totalling 28 against D. Maher’s 26. J. Clark came next with 21%, followed by C. Trigg with 17; while W. Huxley had only 11 wins to his credit. Me Mt Me . Me The following additional entries have been received from New Zealand for the Rosehill Guineas, 1913: Mr G. D. Greenwood’s ch c Counsel, by Vasco (imp.)—Silk Gown; ch f Mistoriette, by Achilles —Chinwag; and b c Cherubim, by Martian —Grand Opera; Mr A. Whitney’s hlk c by Andria (imp.)—Heidelberg. Mt Mt Mt Mt The new “Australian Rules of Racing,” which will be adopted by the principal clubs throughout the Commonwealth, provide that at all meetings the hurdles used shall be open hurdles, 3 feet 3 inches in height, while in steeplechases no obstacle shall he less than. 3 feet 9 inches high, all measurements to be made in a vertical line from the ground.

A visitor to the city just now is the veteran sportsman, Mr. J. Lennard, of Falcon Lodge, Waihou.

Seventeen clubs have made further application to the Racing Conference for totalisator permits. Seven of them want two days’ meetings.

Nothing definite is to hand regarding the condition of F. Howard, who was injured when Pleiades fell in the Wanganui Steeplechase, though it is said he is still in a serious state.

Rang! Thompson had one of his arms broken when Otupai fell with him at Hawke’s Bay last week.

J. M. Cameron has had his team at Hastings strengthened by the addition of St. Elm, by St. Ambrose — Maude. The colt is therefore a halfbrother to Mahutonga, Mangaroa and opu.K

The rising two-year-old full brother to Evadne will be known as Sir Moseley and a younger full sister as Lady Fulda.

Mangaroa is said to be wintering well and she is to be specially prepared for the New Zealand Cup. Her owner’s father, Mr W. Douglas, won the race in 1903 with Rosefeldt, while he also bred another winner of the race in Tortulla.

At a meeting of the South Canterbury Jockey Club a remit to the Racing Conference was adopted that the Government be asked to amend the tax on clubs to one on the net profits instead of o nthe gross returns.

C. Brown and J. Buchanan, two prominent Ellerslie horsemen, will be riding at the Gisborne meeting.

Lord Derby presented Frank Wotton with a massive silver cup engraved with the names of winners ridden by Wootton for the Stanley House stable.

Mr. J. Hogg, a well-known West Australian sportsman, at present on a visit to Auckland, returned to town on Monday after spending a few days at Rotorua with Mr. H. H. Hayr. Mr. Hogg returns to Australia on Monday next.

The steeplechase at the Ballarat (Victoria) meeting on Friday week was a sensational affair, each of the four competitors making a mistake of some sort. Ricardo, after refusing a fence twice, won by half a mile.

At the last meeting of the West Australian Turf Club, a filly named Kaluwiri won the Trial Handicap and brought off a surprise. There was only one 10s ticket invested on her for a win and the holder received £175 10s. On the place machine the dividend was £2O 11s for 10s.

Rarely do backers have such a good time as was experienced at the recent Rockhampton (Q.) meeting. It is reported that seven first favourites got home on the first day, five were successful on the second day, and on the concluding day they all won, thus 19 out of 21 races fell to the “fancied article,” which is probably a record in its way.

Long Set, who acted as runner-up to Eton Boy in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot, filled a similar position behind Moscato in the same race last year. At his own distance Long Set w r ould appear to be about the best handicap horse in England this season. In March, he won the Lincolnshire Handicap with 8.2, and the following month he carried 9.0 to victory in the Newbury Spring Cup.

A discussion arose the other night (says the “Pall Mall”) as to the wittiest name ever given to a racehorse, in view of parentage. Various instances were quoted, but by general acceptance the prize was awarded to a horse which Lord Dudley owned and raced a good many years ago. It was by Sentinel out of Beggar Maid, and he called it “Present Alms.”

The two-year-old filly Bonnie Bird, a half sister to Mr. E. J. Watt’s stallion All Black, won two more races just before the last mail left England. On each occasion she showed exceptional speed and had her opponents in trouble from the startBonnie Bird is already being compared with Pretty Polly, on account of the way in which she wins her races.

The Torpedo gelding Thrave, by winning the Final Handicap at Hastings, proved that his success on the first day of the meeting was no fluke, as he had 121 b additional weight in the saddle. Thrave is a four-year-old brown gelding, and was bred by the Messrs. Douglas, his dam, Carnelian, being a daughter of Cyrenian and the Ingomar mare Aegyptilla. When in a galloping mood he is decided useful.

Among the winners at Moonee Valley (Victoria) on June 12 was Wasecca, by General Symons or Formos an, from Helen. The New Zealandbred gelding is trained by “Lou” Robertson, who is better known as the trainer of trotters, but who has done well with. the hurdle racer Merry Monarch (also from New Zealand), and recently won a race at Sandown Park with the American. mare, Dewberry.

A couple of years ago the V.R.C. struck off the seventh race it used to run on Melbourne Cup day, but it has again reverted to that number. It is doubtful whether there was any special call for the extra race, particularly on Cup Day, when the interest really centres on one event, and a goodly proportion of visitors start homewards immediately it is decided. Perhaps (says an exchange) this may be an idea of the committee to bring about departures from the course in gradual fashion, and thereby assist in avoiding any marked congestion of the railway traffic.

The V.R.C. committee have decided that all bookmakers plying their calling at Flemington shall be warned against employing “runners,” or “tick-tackers.” Notices have been posted at Flemington for a considerable time to the effect that runners or tick-tackers are not permitted to operate at race meetings there, but the regulation has hitherto been more honoured in the breach than in the observance.

After her victory in the One Thousand Guineas, a well recognised English authority wrote thus of the subsequent Derby heroine :—“ Tagalie had matters all her own way in the last furlong, and I cannot see how any of the others —unless it be Bill and Coo —are ever to catch her. It is very true that they run in all shapes, and Tagalie is a plain, meanlooking, rather spiry filly, with a goose rump, but she is all wire and whip cord, a thoroughly varminty type, and probably a thorough stayer.”

L. H. Hewitt was riding very well, indeed, when the last mail to hand left London. At Newmarket on April 30 he rode a filly called Santonique into second place behind the favourite, Thistleton (F. Wootton) in a field of twenty-eight starters. Hewitt’s mount was not mentioned in the betting. In a break-away fifteen of the competitors ran the course (five furlongs), and only one of these returned to the post for the actual race; but the others were considered runners, as they were under the starter’s orders. None of the favourites

were concerned in the unfortunate break-away.

The Chester meeting is one of the oldest in England, and at one time the Chester Cup was one of the big races of the year. Although possessing nothing like its former popularity, it is still an interesting event. It carries

£2050 stake money, and is run over a distance of two miles and a quarter. Rathlea, who won last month, covered the distance in 3min 57. 4-ssec, which is 4 2-ss-.ee slower than Signor’s record time for the Canterbury Cup. Rathlea is trained by Coulthwaite, who has the distinction of having sent out three Grand National winners in the last seven years.

In the matter of the appeal by R. Jellie against the decision of the Hawke’s Bay Metropolitan Committee endorsing the decision of the judicial committee of the Tologa Bay Jockey Club in dismissing a pretest lodged by Jellie, owner of Game, that McLeod, rider of Auldearn, jostled Game in the Uawa Stakes Handicap, the Racing Conference judges, in their judgment, state: —“We are of unanimous opinion that the decision of the Hawke’s Bay Committee in upholding the decision of the Tologa Bay Committee cannot be disturbed. We therefore dismiss the appeal, and order the deposit to be refunded.” The judges were Messrs R. H. Nolan, J. W. Abbott, and W. E. Bidwill.

Omitting his New Zealand victories. Carbine won 25 races at set weights, and if they had approached the value of those of the present day his stake winnings would have been fully £40,000, instead of the total of £29,476 for the whole of his 33 victories. It may not be generally known, but Carbine only won five weight-for-age events for which the added money

was over £5OO per race. These were the Champion Stakes of £lOOO in 1889, and £2OOO in 1901, and three A.J.C. Plates of £650 each, whereas his grandson, Trafalgar, has been at the advantage of competing for £lOOO added money in most of his weight-for-age races. The result is that with fewer victories to his account Trafalgar already has considerably more money in weight-for-age events to his credit than Carbine, fully half of whose total was the outcome of his first and second in Melbourne Cups, and his two Sydney Cup wins.

L. H. Hewitt, who steered the Derby heroine, Tagalie, to victory in the One Thousand Guineas, gained his first important triumph on Alva in the Toorak Handicap in 1899, after which he went to New Zealand, and scored numerous important successes in the yellow jacket and black cap of the late Mr G. G. Stead,, including the New Zealand Cup on Grand Rapids (1904) and Noctuiform (1905); the Welcome Stakes on Golden Lily (1903) and Munjeet (1904); the Canterbury Derby on Menschikoff (1901), Orloff (1902), Nightfall (1904), and Noctuiform (1905); the Canterbury Oaks on Ismene (1900), Cruciform (1901), Nightfall (1904) and Isolt (1905); the Canterbury Jubilee Cup on Royal Artillery (1901) and Isolt (1905); the Canterbury Cup on Cruciform (1902), Martian (1904), and Noctuiform (1905); the Champagne Stakes on Orloff (1902); the Middle Park Plate on Cruciform (1902), Ma-

chine Gun (1904) and Isolt (1906). Since migrating to Europe L. H. Hewitt has for several years ridden successfully on the Continent, where he hald a retainer as first horseman to the Gratiz Stud, a concern run by the German Government. Hewitt was “discovered” by the Warrnambool owner-trainer Mr W. Moran, who prepared Alva for the Toorak Handicap and other winning races. * * * Thirty-one youngsters are engaged in the next Avondale Stakes, while 42 still remain in the Guineas. * * The Chief, winner of the Hunt Cup at Hastings, was afterwards purchased by the Waikato sportsman, Mr C. D. McLaren. ❖ * * C. Brown will ride Admiral Soult and Necktie in their Gisborne engagements. Next season Necktie will be mated with Multifid. * * * * From the South comes news of the death of Handsome Jack who was responsible for a few good horses, the best being perhaps Roseal, who defeated Treadmill and others in the C.J.C. Derby. F. Stenning is getting a strong team together and with Jack Delaval, Dunborve, Ruatangata, Devastation, Monojack and a filly by Soult —Carusa to battle for him he should secure some stake money for his patrons next season. * * * * Basse Point, who ran second to Prince Palatine in the Ascot Gold Cup, had done most of her racing in France, where, on May 9, she won the Prix Dollars at Paris, a race decided over eleven furlongs, and the most important of the meeting. The Royal Hunt Cup is one of the big events of the June Meeting at Ascot, and is run over a distance of seven furlongs and 166 yards. It is an old established race, dating back to 1843, when Knight of the Whistle beat twenty-four runners. Some good horses figure on the list of winners, notably See Saw, Lowlander, Sweetbread, Gay Hermit, Morion, Victor Wild, Jacquemart, and Lally. It has nearly always attracted very large fields, the biggest being in 1862, when Canary defeated 37 runners. Eton Boy, the winner of this year’s event, is a four-year-old- brown colt, and is trained by Carter. His performances have only been moderate, whereas the second horse, Longset, is one of the best handicap horses in England, and was doubtless conceding his conqueror a tremendous lot of weight. * * * A romance of the turf is recalled by the resignation of Mr J. F. Awbery as master of the Warrington (Cheshire) Workhouse. In May last Mr Awbery was the lucky winner of about £19,000 in the Calcutta Club’s Derby “eweep.” The story of his god fortune sounds like a chapter from the pages of fiction. Several week’s before last year’s Derby Mr Awbery, hearing that three tickets for the sweep were to be obtained, purchased these for £1 19s 6d. With one of the tickets he drew Steadfast, and sold a half share to a Dundee syndicate for £l2OO. The offer of a well-known peer to buy the remaining share of the ticket was declined with thanks. On the afternoon of the Derby Mr Awbery, had to make a hurried journey to Scotland, with his solicitor, to secure signature to a document in connection with the sale of the ticket, and it was only after a very exciting motor car race across country against time that the papers were lodged safely at a bank, thereby enabling him to establish his claim to the ticket. Mr Awbery won the second prize in the sweepstakes, which was worth about £38,000, and by his lucky speculation he became the richer by £19,000. Since October Mr Awbery has been suffering from a serious illness, and has been ordered to Lucerne for a change of climate. He is giving up the superannuation to which he is entitled in. order to assist deserving cases which cannot be relieved out of the rates.