TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1371, 3 August 1916, Page 10

TURF TOPICS.

S. Henderson will ride Marconi in the N.Z. Grand National Hurdles. * * * * £396 was received in track fees at Ellerslie during the past racing year, sfc ❖ * * Sarcelle, by Elevation, was a recent winner at the Clarence River (N.S.W.) meeting. « Corrie was sore after winning at Rosehill, but the trouble, it is said, was not thought serious. **• '** Hunekaha has won several steeplechases in Tasmania, and recently beat a fair field there. * * * A. J. McFlinn has been mentioned as likely to ride Kooya in the N.Z. Grand National Hurdles.

Bert Rae is to ride Waimai in the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase.

Arthur Oliver expects to ride at the N.Z. Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting.

C. Emerson and A. Reed are expected back from Australia to ride at the N.Z. Grand National meeting.

Bonny fell while leading in the Godfrey Watson Steeplechase at Flemington. He is a good jumper, too.

There were two Wellwoods racing last season. It was the one by Castashore that won the two races at the South Canterbury meeting.

Christmas Rose is one of the mares in foal to Field Battery. She is to remain in the Wa ; rarapa and visit the same sire again after foaling.

Hector Gray has not received a license to ride, otherwise he would not be standing down long. His term ■of disqualification was up in April last.

According to a Victorian writer Merrimax’s form was all wrong at Flemington, and he may retrieve his owner’s losses on Saturday next.

During J. George’s absence at New Plymouth, Crown Pearl and Glenroy were located at Trentham, and were to be taken on to Riccarton last week. iji 'i'

Mr. T. Nicol, of Ashhurst, has donated £25 to the Racing Club, to be .spent in plate to be added as a prize to the Ashhurst Cup.

The Otaki sportsman Mr. D. J. Webster has purchased Hylatus, winner of the Ladies’ Bracelet at the Hawke’s Bay meeting, from the Hon. J. D. Ormond.

The dam of Wirokino and Soporific, named Charlatan, won over hurdles in Blenheim and in the Wairarapa, and was got by Trickster from a mare called Leap Year.

St. Curio, who ran unsuccessfully at Whangarei and at South Auckland meetings, won a high-weight welter race at the Brackenfield Hunt Club’s meeting on Thursday last.

J. (“Paddy”) McLaughlin has taken training stables at Trentham, and an Australian-bred horse, The Golfer, eligible for hack events, is to be brought over for service.

The report is contradicted that Mr. J. B. Reid had offered to sell his colt Kilboy, or that he had received an offer of 1000 guineas for him before sending him to Australia.

No betting has been done on the spring handicaps in Australia so far, according to advices from Sydney, and the pencillers are waiting for the punters to make a start.

It is stated m a Western Australian exchange that the well-bred imported stallion Duke Humphreys was sold by Mr. A. E. Cockram to his present owner for 2000gns.

The New Zealand performer Down, which won a race at Wyong recently, has since changed hands, and will probably race at the Associated meetings in future.

Home Rule, by Wairiki from Eton Lass, won the Brush Steeplechase at Aspendale (Vic.) recently. Three of the starters met with fatal accidents in the race.

Julia 8., by Soult—Roxana, won the Au Revoir Handicap at the Newnham meeting last month. This is the mare purchased from Mrs. Leonard by Tommy Burns, the pugilist. :l: « » * The death is announced of the chestnut gelding Lempriere, winner of the Australian Cup. He died at Caulfield, after arriving from Sydney. Mr. James Brennan owned the gelding, for which he gave 500 guineas. * * * * Mr. D. Hughes, of Manaia, has brought a 'filly by Blackstone (My Lawyer’s sire) to Manaia, Taranaki, from Australia. Her dam is Queendiary, by Trentham from MalJiarda, by Trenton, and was bred in England. # * =1: * It is a long time since W. H. McLachlan won two races on the same day, but now he has broken the ice the chances are he will regain his old form, says the “Referee.”

Tn aid of the widow of the late W. A. Filgate, a well-known racing man in Australia, a liberal response is being made in subscriptions. Filgate was in a good way at one time, but suffered ill-health for some years.

The only ten-thousand-pounder in England this year will be the Jockey Club Stakes, which is to be run in October. Clarissimus, Kwang Su and Nassovian are engaged, but Pommern and Fifinella are not.

Lady Elysian, by Elysian (not imported, as some Australian papers have it, but by imported Soult from Dreamland), carried 9.12 and won the 14.1 handicap, beating a good field. Not bad for a two-year-old.

When the latest papers to hand left England Mr. E. Hulton headed the winning owners’ list, with seven winners of eight races of the total value of £6183 10s. Fifinella, with £4OOO, was his principal winner.

The first acceptance for the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase, Winter Cup and Grand National Hurdle Race must be highly pleasing to Mr. Henrys, the handicapper, and all concerned.

The Auckland Racing Club have given £lOO as the result of an appeal from ladies on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in aid of war-wounded horses, for which the Blue Cross Fund was established.

When Chess fell in the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase he sustained very serious injuiies, and despite that everything veterinary skill could do for him he had to be destroyed. Chess was by Chesterman (by Chester), and won four races last season. Chesterman will be remembered as a prominent member of T. Payten’s string in the early days.

Tenacious is to be ridden in his N.Z. National engagements by W. C. Standen, an apprentice v. ho has been in E. J. Rae’s stable, and who has had plenty of experience over the Ellerslie fences.

Tim Doolan ran a fair race fifth at Moonee Valley on July 20, but was lame after the event, and his condition will not, it is thought, enable him to show to advantage on Saturday should he start in the Australian Steeplechase.

The New Zealand jockey R. M. Young, who won the New Zealand Cup on Lady Lucy, arrived in Sydney recently on his way to the front. He is a member of the Army Medical Corps, and went into camp in New Zealand last November.

A lady has suggested to Mr. J. Wren that a race for female drivers and riders be placed upon the programmes of the Melbourne Trotting Club in future. That gentleman has promised to bring the matter before the committee of the club.

The well-known stallion War God is catalogued among the stallions to be offered in Sydney on August Sth, and this well-performed son of Carbine should create competition, for he is a very consistant winner-getter and a very good-looking horse.

It is now stated that T. Quinlivan will leave on August 10th for Australia with the following horses: Eligible, Sasanoff, Shrill, Chelloma, Sweet Corn and Gold Painting. There is no mention of Blackall. ' Mr. W. G. Stead will have a big team apparently, and not a proved first-class weight-for-age one in the lot.

Sir William Cooper has no wish to race Redfern in hai dicaps, and promptly scratched this imported horse for the Epsom Handicap after seeing the handicapper’s estimate of him. Redfern has an ugly scar on his hip, which he may not get rid of. He is all right, however.

Since the beginning of last month training tickets have been taken out for 354 horses at Flemington, and 300 at Caulfield. The number is probably a record for this time of the year (says the Melbourne “Herald”). A greater number of yearlings has been taken in hand at headquarters than in previous years.

Thus the “Referee”: That erstwhile jockey—and a top-notch one at that —Janies Hayes, was said to have depleted the Ring of quite £2OOO when Lady Challacombe wen the V.R C. Iramoo Welter on the 13th hist. It has not yet been made public how much he landed by the aid of Lord Tom when he annexed the Kambrook Trial.

It is unusual for a filly to be put to a stallion a few days prior to running in a big race, but only a fortnight before winning the New Oaks at Newmarket last year, says an exchange. Snow Marten was mated with Sir Martin. The result was a filly foal on May 4.

The West Australian T.C. are calling for applications to fill the vacant position of secretary at a salary ' £6OO a year. This will be confined to the State only. They are also advertising throughout the Commonwealth for a handicapper, the salary being £5OO per year.

Merrimax (10.7) was among the unplaced division in the Hurdle Race won by Black Step at Moonee Valley on Saturday, July 22. He will need to improve considerably on that form in order to have a look-in for the Australian Hurdle Race at Caulfield on Saturday.

The New Zealander Zuland is not very big, but is very speedy, says “Pilot,” and is almost sure to win in better company than she I eat in her last two attempts. His stable mate Bee looks well; in fact, all H. G. Taylor’s horses do, and it certainly points to him having a successful trip. Zuland has won three times.

Mr. John Crozier, who died recently in Australia, was a well-known stud-

master, owner of the St. Albans Stud, and operated on the New Zealand markets on one or two occasions for thoroughbred stock. Hamlet. Savanaka, First Water. Banker and many more useful horses were owned by him while he resided in South Australia.

Mr. J. R. McKenzie, a well-known sportsman in Otago up to a few years ago, when he went to Australia, is dead. The deceased had a number of good fiat horses, also some good trotting horses, and for a number of years was never without two or three candidates in these departments. He was a relative of our New Zealand Commissioner, and a breeder and importer of Clydesdale stock.

Mr. Sinclair Thompson, of the Crossing, Geraldine, and at one time well known in connection with racing in Dunedin, has lost a second son in the war —the first in Persia and the second in France. Both held lieutenancy ond in France. Both held commissions. the first a lieutenancy in the 21st Native Cavalry in India, and the second a captaincy in one of the Home regiments.

There are jockeys whose energy in riding work enftles them to employment, says “Pilot,” and one of the number is L. Hewitt. He does not live in Randwick, but he is at the service of trainers at the track named every morning. A jockey as well as a horse must get through a fair share of work in order to strip fit, but some of the former occasionally lose sight of that fact, more especially after a run of luck.

Lieutenant J. Gorrie. son of Mr. H. T. Gorrie, vice-presi-dent of the Auckland Racing Club, was killed in action in France. Private information by cable was received to that effect on Wednesdav of last week. The deceased was a hunting enthusiast and a good allround sportsman, and was only 22 years of age and was very popular here. He received his commission in England, and had been in France a few months.

The annual election of five committeemen for the Auckland R.C. will be held on Monday week. Four of the old members are standing again They are Messrs. H. O. Nolan. F. Earl. S. Bradley, and O. Nicholson. Colonel W. G‘. S. Patterson’s military duties take up his time, and he is not this year a candidate. Sir Robert Lockhart, Messrs. Monte McCallum and G. A. Wynyard are the new candidates, and, as usual, some interest is being taken in the contest.

The New Zealand four-year-old Zu!and (by Finland—Disappointment) added another success to his Australian .campaign when he accounted for the Kogarah Stakes (six furlongs) at the recent Moorefield laces in Sydney. He was piloted by the well-known lightweight Ashley Reed, and defeated the other thirteen competitors with ridiculous ease, winning by four lengths. Zuland started a little better than an even money favourite.