TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1342, 13 January 1916, Page 12

TURF TOPICS.

At the Gore show a gelding three-year-old standing over 18 hands was exhibited.

Much-travelled horsemen of late have been Deeley, Oliver, Emerson, the Reid brothers, and a few others.

Coleraine could have been purchased before the A.R.C. summer meeting for 150 guineas.

Taj Mahl is not to be taken to Wellington for the meeting which takes place on January 19th, 22nd and 24th.

The Takapuna Jockey Club’s nomination list for their coming meeting shows an increase of sixty-one entries over that of last year.

Mr. A. Marshall, who bought the Birkenhead —Sister Agnes filly last week, has handed her over to P. Conway to develop.

Llangwin, sire of two of the fillies purchased on account of Mr. W. G. btead in England, keeps getting winners.

Starting-price merchants are reported to have had a bad time over the holiday meetings all round. The Thames meeting was the best some of the Northerners had.

Mr. G. P. Donnelly secured Nicomar, it is generally believed, to make a hurdler and ’chaser of. He has gone into A. Neale’s care and has been shipped south.

A substantial dividend was paid at the Stratford meeting on the second day when Hushmen, by Husbandman from Generosity won the County Handicap.

Master Lupin, the last Wanganui Cup winner, and Denise Orme, who won at Marton the second day, are engaged at the Takapuna meeting, which, though it has attracted a record entry, has got few from outside.

The English-bred First Glance appeared to outclass most of those racing in the South Island during the holiday season. Her Otago Cup win, carrying 9.6 in 2min. 36sec., was a solid achievement.

North Island pencillers had a lot the worst of the deal over their double books at the recent meetings. None of them escaped, and as none got round and some of them only got half way round, the result can be imagined.

The winner of the racehorse Meritas in the Allies’ Day Art Union held in Sydney proved to be a little boy, Norman Collins, who is but four years old, and whose ticket was numbered 6319. The youth is not very much impressed with his good luck, and announces that he is “going to g’ve it to daddy.”

It is a pity that the owner of the English-bred mare First Glance missed the nominations for the weight-for age races at the recent Ellerslie meeting, as on her Southern form her presence at Ellerslie would have added interest to those races, and she might have captured one at least. Mr. J. C. N. Grigg overlooked the closing date.

The Demosthenes —Oppiden filly that was passed in at the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Company’s sale of thoroughbreds, soon found a purchaser, Mr. J. Sutcliffe securing her the same afternoon.

The first of the progeny of Robert the Bruce sold by auction was the yearl ng from the Soult mare Puhi, bred by Mr. J. Kenneally. He looked a good sort and filled the eye well, and made 150 guineas.

Mr. T. H. Lowry purchased the Bomform —Ringdove filly well withm her value for 200 guineas, many preferring her to some of those that made higher prices. Mr. Lowry has a big stable of horses just now, and so was tempted to pass her on to the brothers Riddiford at an advance.

Mr. J. Loughlan, who purchased tbe Eiysian —Eton Lass colt, had his halfbrother Home Rule, who raced so well in Australia and was one of the best all-round performers this tra.ner had. tie had lots of pace, and jumped hurdies and country alike well.

Old Coronet, whose progeny raced well at the hoLday meetings in different parts of the Dominion, was allowed to go for 20 guineas at the recent sa.e of blood stock. The buyer would do well to take him back to Taranaki. He was given away.

Italy, despite the war, brought cff its St. Leger at San Siro, but the prize money was reduced from £l2OO to £320. The meeting was such a great success that the Lombard Race Assoc.ation intends giving the public a greater amount of sport.

A. O’Hare got a fall at Ellerslie the other morning with the Elysian gelding Jocular, who rolled over while doing a gallop. O’Hare was rendered unconscious lor a time, but is all right again.

After the sale of bloodstock last week the fillies from Idas, Hesperan and L.ra, by Monoform, joined F. Macmanemin’s team, and also the Demosthenes —Golden Treasure colt, who was secured by two patrons after he had been knocked down to Messrs. Riddiford Bros.

L. Hewitt is riding with success in Australia. His cheque for riding fees for a Canterbury meeting, when he rode fourteen winners, is probably a New Zealand record. J. O’Shea, however, runs his total close. His fees at the A.R.C. meeting amounted to over £2OO.

Briseis (by Achilles from Celaeno) and Margarita (by Achilles —Margaret) were winners at the Rosebery meeting on December 20th in Australia. The last-named has proved one of the best 14.2 galloways racing near Sydney, and carried 9.13 home in lmin. 14 % sec. for the six furlongs.

Nominations for the Northern Wairoa Racing Club’s annual meeting are very good, the only race that has not filled well being the Railway Handicap, for which there are only five entrants. There are ten in the Finlayson Handicap, sixteen in the Maiden, ten in the Northern Wairoa Cup, fourteen in the Settlers’ Handicap, twelve in the Awakino Handicap, eleven in the Grandstand Handicap, and fourteen in the Farewell Handicap.

Gratification is the name Mr. Bidwill selected for the halfsister to Reputation by Demosthenes, whose yearlings for an untried sire sold so well last week at Alexandra Park.

In three seasons and a-half Warstep won £10,190 in stakes, only £320 of that amount coming to her owner from her two-year-old essays, and she looked good for lots of further racing when she broke down, as she was very sound to look at and had shown no signs of soreness.

R. Hannon was acting for a patron of J. Lambess when he purchased the Rokeby—Hope Diamond yearling filly. The Achilles —Winsome filly that fell to the bid of F. Stenning has gone into R. Hannon’s stable. The Waikato thus secured a representative of the other Winnie family, who, it is to be hoped, will turn out as successful as some Mr. Hannon bred from his own mare of that name.

The Kawakawa Racing Club’s annual meeting takes place on Monday, and most of the horses engaged in the six races are also engaged at the Whangarei Jockey Club’s meeting. It is the first time the Kawakawa Club has had the right to use a totalisator, and it is anticipated that the meeting will prove an attractive and successful one. The nominations are particularly good.

After the Demosthenes —Pearlshot filly had been passed in at the recent sale, J. Chisholm secured her for a client at 175gns., and the conditions were, as announced when she was put up, that in the event of her proving untrainable as the result of an accident which was not looked upon as serious, her breeder, Mr. Donnelly, would take her back.

Boniform’s progeny, Wishful, Eligible, Gold Painting and The Toff, with seven wins, placed that sire at the top of the winning list in number of races at the recent A.R.C. meeting. Defunct Lupin, with the aid of King Lupin and Coleraine, got four, All Black three races with the aid of Desert Gold, and Hymettus two, with the aid of Hyttus. Fiften other sires had one winner each.

At the first blush the handicapping of the two Canterbury geldings Eligible (8.8) and Snub (7.4) for the Wellington Cup would, after their Great Northern Derby form, leave the impression that Snub has a lot the best of matters, as there was very little between them at the finish of the classic race at level weights. Snub seems to have a habit of running third. He was only just beaten by Nones for second place in the New Zealand Derby, and beaten by a narrow margin for second place in the Auckland Cup. He may do better ere long.

Dr. Grant, whose departure for service in the war dates from this week from Auckland, was entertained by friends on Friday night at the Waverley Hotel, where, after dinner, they presented him with a gold chronometer, and many expressions of their goodwill and wishes for success in his future sphere were accorded. The doctor, as previously mentioned in these columns, will leave numerous friends here, many of whom he does not know personally, but his untiring energy, kindly and capable acts, are widely known here. He was a popular figure on our racecourses as an amateur rider.