TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1373, 17 August 1916, Page 10

TURF TOPICS.

Black Lupin is amiss. * * *

The Golfer, in D. Price's stable, near Melbourne, is not coming to New Zealand after all.

Mr. Fred. Edwards was entrusted with the handicapping for the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting.

The Mr. Patterson who purchased Soultikoff was not the Motiti Island breeder of that name.

There is so little gold in circulation nowadays that one could imagine that the smelting pot had been in use.

Mr. W. J. Ralph was one of the largest winning owners last season whose horses are trained at Ellerslie.

R. Hannon, the Waikato owner, won more money in stakes than any other Auckland horseowner last season.

The three largest stake winners last season in New Zealand were Hawke’s Bay settlers.

The New Zealand Grand National meeting, which opened on Tuesday, promises to be a record one in many respects.

Winkie, who was expected to race this week at Riccarton, is a full-bro-ther to Winkipop, vanner of the One Thousand Guineas in 1910.

Lady Elysian, a two-year-old by Elysian—Powder Puff, had won seven races up to the end of July in Australia.

A new totalisator, one with improvements or additions to the one at Ellerslie, is said to be a possibility of the future.

Darby Paul’s connections were evidently satisfied that he was not worth paying up for in the Grand National Steeples.

The brothers Wilson, of Waimai, owners of the ’chaser of that name, both journeyed to Christchurch this week.

It was quite expected that the ten shilling bank notes would be in circulation at the New Zealand Grand National meeting. # # * *

Though Blackall did not win a race last season he nevertheless won over £lOOO in place money for Mr. E. J. Watt.

Mr. George Vercoe, who bred a few good horses in the Waikato, including the dam of El Gallo, went South to the National meeting.

Merrimax gave such indifferent exhibitions when he ran at the Victorian meetings that he is past praying for as a good hurdle- race proposition.

Tim Doolan was not a runner last week at the Victoria Amateur Turf Club’s meeting, and is evidently out for a time, if not permanently.

Kill’em and Killboy are fullbrothers, and half-brothers to Down. The first-named is expected to make his debut earlier than his brother, who is now in Australia, did.

The late Mr. J. Stevens was a brother to Mr. R. Stevens, honorary timekeeper to a number of racing clubs in the Wellington and Hawke’s Bay provinces.

The New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase was run on Tuesday, and the N.Z. Grand National Hurdle Race is to be decided to-day. It promises to draw a big field.

There were no unexpected absentees from the acceptance list for the Grand National Hurdles, run to-day (Thursday).

The Defence Department, in consequence of requiring alterations and additions to the totalisator house at Tauherenikau, used for military purposes, will make a concession of £l5O towards the cost.

Some people thought thaj;. Hector Gray would apply to the Auckland R.C. for his license, as he 'is, and has been for some time, resident at Ellerslie, where he has been riding work, but he did not do so. He will no doubt have an application in before the Taranaki District Committee.

Racegoers are wondering why only three months’ licenses were granted to J. O’Shea and B. Deeley by the Auckland District Committee last week. They are leading horsemen.

With training tracks under snow at Riccarton some of the visitors there had their first experience of the kind, but the snow had disappeared before ♦he main body of trainers went South.

Castashore, bred in Auckland, left many useful horses. Wellwood and Gangway, two recent winners, were got by that sire. The last-named won in Tasmania.

Mr. F. Lysnar, owner of Hurakia, winner of last year’s Grand National Hurdle Race, is represented this year by Pursefiller, who has done plenty of jumping since she was started at the game in May last.

There is a fairly representative number of sportsmen from the Waikato and from other parts of the Auckland province at the New Zealand Grand National meeting, which opened on Tuesday.

Crib’s final acceptance for the Grand National Hurdle Race is by many interpreted to mean that the son of

Sant Ilario will take his place in the field to-day. It will be a surprise to many, however, if he really does himself justice.

The final payments for the New Zealand Grand Natonal Steeplechase showed that nineteen stood their ground, while twenty-five remained in the Winter Cup, and twenty in the Grand National Hurdle Race. Very good, this.

When being shipped South it was reported that Idealism was heavily bandaged on one fore leg. Vascular proved to be the Hon. J. D. Ormond’s absentee from the final payment list on Friday night.

A number of sires are advertised to be at the services of breeders this season, and will come in for special reference in due course. Carl Rosa, Potoa, Elysian, Penury and Sarto are announced in this issue.

An analysis of the figures opposite the names of a dozen or more leading winners of stakes in the Dominion shows that the increase has been substantial. It pays to own good horses when the owners are at all lucky. It is time more attention was paid to increasing the value of the minor events at most meetings. Many programmes are framed on the all head and little tail principle.

The second and third monies in races at the New Zealand Grand National meeting were nice little stakes in themselves. The principle of paying seventy per cent, to the

winner, twenty to the second and ten to the third is good. $ $ 3c $

Korangi, who was considered good enough to accord a nomination for the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase, and who was leading in a hunt club event at Napier Park by a street when he fell, must be considered nicely in at the Pakuranga Hunt meeting.

Very few New Zealand racing clubs are likely to invest their surplus money in the War Loan. Most of them are doing better. They give all they can afford to patriotic purposes. A few want all they can get for muchrequired improvements.

Most owners who send their horses to meetings do so in the full belief that they will get a share of the prize money. Many who are of that opinion are represented at the N.Z. Grand National meeting. With sc many applicants there must necessarily be some blanks.

Waimai’s breeding, beyond that he is by Spalpeen from a mare by Capapie, who was from a Derby mare, is not known. Spalpeen gets substantial looking horses, the Capapie and Derby horses shewed lots of quality,

but Waimai distinctly shows coarseness, which comes from his maternal ancestress, who no doubt was useful — on a farm.

Mr. Geo. Hunter is an owner who can afford to race entirely for pleasure, and possibly thought that there were sufficient patriotic owners in Hawke’s Bay who would race for smaller stakes if the races at present carrying the largest sums were reduced this season. His proposal at the annual meeting of members of the Hawke’s Bay Tockey Club in that direction did not meet with favour, which is fortunate.

The once prominent and always popular Australian jockey W. J. Manning, who is recovering very slowly from the injuries he received last April, was tendered a social evening at Kensington recently. During the proceedings a presentation jockey’s whip was put up at auction, and realised 21gns.; an umbrella brought 22gns. Both amounts were donated to Manning, who will be unable to follow his calling for some considerable time. The arrangements were ably conducted by brother jockeys L. Walker, C. Bolton, A. Wood and G. Moy.

In England this year the following stallions of Australian or New Zealand descent gained King’s Premiums: Darigal (son of The Melbourne Cup winner The Victory); Flying Shot, by Great Scot; Kano, by Trenton; Rockaway, by Trenton; Bush Song, by Australian Star; and Sea Bath, by Merman. Sixty King’s

Premiums of £l5O were competed for by 174 stallions. Twelve superpremiums of £lOO each were given to stallions of exceptional merit, on condition that the owners agreed to exhibit the horses next year. Darigal, by The Victory, was amongst thse gaining a super-premium.

Says the Sydney -writer “Pilot,” a great totalisator advocate: “The bal-ance-sheets of New Zealand racingclubs make interesting reading, and give a fair idea as to the extent owners over there are indebted to the totalisator. For instance, the Avondale J.C.’s year’s revenue from privileges, gates, etc., was only £2327, and yet it distributed £6468 in prize money. Without the totalisator it would be impossible for the Avondale J.C. to give nearly three times as much in prize money as it receives from gates and privileges. With most of the Sydney clubs the position is just the reverse —they do not give nearly as much in prizes as they receive from their gates.” This is very true, but the Avondale club is very liberal with complimentary tickets, as are most Auckland clubs, and there are fewer race meetings in Auckland in proportion to population than in and around Sydney, and the Avondale Jockey Club does not

give its profits to shareholders like nine-tenths of the Sydney clubs, which are proprietary. * * * * Racing is a business, and not a sport in all Australia’s principal cities, says “Pilot” in the “Referee,” but nowhere does it become a keener battle of wits than at some of the meetings outside Sydney and Melbourne. People who patronise these fixtures do not pretend they have “the improvement of ihe thoroughbred” in view. Their first — and last—thought is Low they are likely to be affected by results, and, if rumour is correct, some are not particular as to the means adopted to make the day profitable. In this connection I might mention that at a recent meeting near Sydney a wellknown trainer rather sui prised me by remarking: “What do you think of this? I have been told on no account to allow my horse to be left unattended before its race, as doping has been going on lately, and more than one horse likely to be backed has received a hypodermic injection in the absence of its attendant.” Now, as the man who cautioned the trainer is not an alarmist, and is in a fair position to know what is going on, it would really seem as if there has teen “something doing,” notwithstanding that statements of the kind mentioned are frequently made when there is no foundation. Furthermore, if this nefarious practice has obtlined, it would be interesting to know on whose behalf the “doper” has been working, though even if the latter were caught I do not suppose that wculd transpire.