TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1246, 5 March 1914, Page 12

TURF TOPICS.

Coronetted is to be tried over country, and if he keeps sound should make a ’chaser all right. A. Oliver has taken to riding trotting horses, and was in evidence at the Wanganui Trotting Club’s meeting this week. “Milroy” calls Mr- John Corlett, editor of “Pink ’Un,” the doyer of the sporting press, and a prince among turf writers.

W. Price, the well-known horseman, only recovered from a serious internal trouble a couple of days before the Wanganui meeting. Mr. Harry Weal, of Te Awamutu, has a chestnut gelding by Medallion —Espingle that may shortly be put in + o commission.

Soldier and Golborne, on Thursday, ran round the inner grass track at top. The former game in in front, but still loclzs a bit jaded. Ovation, who is nominated at the Te Aroha Annual meeting, has been kept going since the south meeting, doing nothing against the watch, but good, useful work. , Last week Obdurate put in a couple of sprinting bouts on the inner grass at Ellerslie, and the country racing •seems to have the Obligado— Sweet Alice geldint'a little more confidence.

Last week some schooling work took place at Ellerslie. E. J. Rae had Master Regal and Golden Grain schooled with the assistance of Merrimax. The former pair shaped fairly well for raw material.

The Bay of Plenty meeting came off on Saturday in ideal weather, and a good attendance was recorded, but some of the returned visitors say money was scarce-

Jolie Fille, Lady Lynette and Kotiripo accounted for two-third of the programme at the Bay of Plenty meeting on Saturday, the other races going to Gordon, Bell and Succession. McKinnon, the hurdle rider, who got a spill off Dogger Bank at the South Auckland meeting, is about again, and intends schooling some horses this week at Ellerslie.

Miss Sabretache, the maiden hurdler in E. J. Rae’s stable, had a turn over thn small sticks, jumping a bit wildly, but afterwards settled down better over the big schooling battens. The Wairiki —Little Mabel horse, Master Wairiki, will not be put into active work till next spring. The horse is still in the Waikato. The astute Ike Earnshaw, the Sydney owner-trainer, no doubt parted with a small fortune when he sold the brilliant Radnor. Mr. E. P. Mackay paid a fair price for the son of Earlston—Burletta, but has been well paid by the speculation. The stake money at the Otahuhu T.'C. meeting was well distributed. No less than 15 owners all came in for various amounts, the biggest winners being Messrs. Richards and Weston.

st. Fire, a son of St. Flames, won a race at Woodthorpe on the 2brd, the same day that his relative Rajah won at Warwick Farm. St. Fire is claimed 'o te out of a Gillie Callum mare, who must have been, fairly old indeed when she produced him. ;J. McHugh has his team at Ellers lie'again. The team consists of First Wairiki, who looks well, the two-year-o’d Manukau, a three-year-old colt just broken in, by Wairiki—Miss Rose, and a good sort of a four-year-old by Wairiki—Bot Fly- The last-named mare has already done a little schooling over timber, fencing fairly well. Sydney-trained horses seem to have a lien on the Caulfield Futurity Stakes. They have now won this event no less than six times, the last being won by Brattle (Maltster — Astron), with Cider second and another Waler, Royal Laddie, deadheated for third place, Dorando has been used for running in horses at Wanganui, and is now in good form to do work in view of the winter meetings.

J. O’Shea, though once or twice unlucky, rode some fine races at Wanganui.

Deeley rode a couple of winners at Wanganui that would have been losers in less capable hands.

Allegation broke down on the morning following the first day of the Wanganui meeting.

The 100-guinea cup presented by Mr. W. McA. Duncan as a trophy with

'the Wanganui Cup stake is a particularly nice one. Gravitation, who has sired a lot of well-grown, promising young horses in the Wanganui district, is to be taken to Australia this month to be sold. Two of his progeny have won over there. They are tbree-year-olds, the oldest of his gets. The ’chaser Glenmore is working, and is voted better now than at any time in his career.

In Aruake, winner of the two hack hurdle races at the Wanganui meeting, the Stewards’ Handicap winner of 18 98 (Chasseur), has a usefull representative. The Newcastle J.C. (N.S.W.) are favourable to the totalisator, as voiced by their chairman, Mr. J. O’Mara, at the annual meeting recently. May Match, for which Mr. A. Hook, a N.S.W. sportsman, gave 710gns. in England recently, captured a couple of races at a picnic meeting at Walcha (N.'S.W.). A rather costly animal for this class of sport.

Prior to winning the Newmarket Handicap, lownit, in a rough up with Captain White, defeated the Captain at the end of a seven-furlong gallop in 1.31% on the sand at Flemington.

The New Zealand-bred colt Beau Soult is again doing good track work at Randwick, being slackened out every fast morning at headquarters, and will probably be seen out at the A.J.C. autumn fixture. The ex-Australian rider F. Bullock has received a retainer of £2500 for his services for riding next fiat-racing season in England.

City Tattersall’s Club, Sydney, N.S.W., made a profit on the year of £2841 11s., after paying for improvements and law expenses, which cost £906. The local woolbrokers have failed to declare a dividend for some time on their S.P. investments, and some of the older and more suspicious members of the board think that there is an “influence at work.”

At the autumn yearling sales which take place in April next at Sydney, N.SW., probably there will be nearly 700 babies catalogued for sale.

The Armidale (N.S.W.) Hospital has benefited to the extent of £1517 16s. —and with the subsidy totals £2255 —by race meetings promoted by Mr. J. B. Fitzgerald, of that township, since 1907. Truly, charity commences at home.

Five m<ares in succession have accounted for the Wanganui Cup. No such thing has happened in connection with any important race in New Zealand since or before Clogs, Spade Guinea, Friendship, Leorina and Hilda won the Auckland Easter Handicap in successive seasons. The Rangitikei Cup, an old-established race, was won by Fair Helen, Flora, Flora McDonald and Maritana. The distance was 2% miles then.

The Jackson Stakes was won by Emperador, who is the second of the gets of Charlemagne 11. to win the race- Mr. Greenwood has won it outright twice and had a half interest in Vice-Admiral, who beat his two-year-old Pierene in 1911. This year lie claimed first and second. What a bargain Emperador would have proved at 500 guineas after the Wellington Cup meeting. Four-year-olds have won the race four times, three-year-olds three times, two-year-olds four times. Achilles won at four, five and six years old. Emperador is the first gelding to succeed.

Bon Ton was not seen at his best at Wanganui. Some horses are more pink one day than on another. Sir Solo needs a distance to suit him. Wanganui running indicates this.

Canute over-reached and nearly fell in his first engagement at Wanganui at the start, and could not get quite with his field again. He looked a cert next day, and duly materialised. Historiette has at last won a hack race. Deeley got more from her than Campbell, who, however, rode a very good race on her the first day at W anganui. It is part of the duty of stipendiary stewards to ascertain whether the entries of horses are made strictly in accordance with rules.

Berry is keeping his place at the head of the list of winning horsemen. Wanganui saw him in good form. The Rover was sold by his breeder, Mr. Donald Fraser, for a tenner. It should be explained that it was to an owner who gave him fifty pounds for another previously, which met with an accident.

Sea Pink, after Tiresome and Bronze fell on the second day at Wanganui, narrowly missed falling too, and their mishap may have cost him the race. He was last in the Cup pretty well all the way over the last six furlongs. Bandeira, by Royal Artillery—Curfew Bell, broke down at Wanganui in the Jackson Stakes, and will be sold for stud purposes. A big, fine horse.

Ringform, erroneously returned as from Par era in the Wanganui racecard, is a good sort of colt from Ringdove (imported), by Boniform, and will pay his way in time. Bercola looks well, but galloped and jumped like a back number in his only engagement over hurdles at Wanganui. It would pay best to keep him at ’chasing. Fields at Wanganui averaged fewer than usual, just over eight per race, but speculation left the club with nearly £5OOO more money put through in the way of investments. fit may not be generally known that a racecourse detective has amongst other duties the keeping off racecourses persons in default to clubs for nominations and acceptances on the forfeit list.

Reputation was running on at the end of the Jackson Stakes, but he commenced slowly, as he usually

does, which is against him for short races, and he will need to fill out to fill the eye as a Derby colt, though he should prove as good as anything of his age we have racing just now.

Owners who allow their trainers to put up novices to do their riding when they can get proficient horsemen usually pay the penalty in some way. One way is by losing races, and another by incurring the displeasure of the public, if nothing worse. It may yet become a duty of the stipendiary stewards to order things otherwise. One trainer was called over the coals for giving an apprentice a ride recently when it was thought the importance of the occasion should have suggested the best available material. We are with the stipendiary here, but apprentices must be given opportunities, too, and especially those that have reached the useful race-riding stage and who help the trainers to get their horses fit. The carpet-bag brigade includes many good men, but it includes some that could be done without.