TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1383, 26 October 1916, Page 10

TURF TOPICS.

There was a shortage of £915 in the totalisator turnover at Alexandra Park on Wednesday. * * * * A number of Aucklanders travelled to Wellington for the spring meeting of that club. * * * * Master Regel has been nominated for the hurdle races at the V.R.C. spring meeting. * * * * The ex-Auckland gelding Seldom was third in the Geelong Steeplechase on the 11th inst. ♦ * * * Nukutawhiti, companion to Master Regel, works at Caulfield with the son of Regel. * * v * A comparative table shows that the nominations for the V.R.C. spring meeting constitute a record. « * * * After the first acceptance there were 48 left in the V.R.C. Derby, to be run on November 4th. * * * * Baltic Sea’s success in Australia should be pleasing to New Zealand purchasers of stock by Dinacre. * * * * The acceptances for the Wellington Racing Club’s spring meeting constituted a record, notwithstanding the war. ¥ ❖ Mt * Mr. H. Weal, one of the owners of Spalpeen, informs us that the list for that horse’s services has closed for the present season. sp >■< 4c The Welkin filly which T. F. Quinlivan brought back from Sydney last week is to be nominated for the handicap events at the approaching Riccarton meeting. * * * * Troublesome, the 'chaser who ran second to Okaihau in the steeplechase at Tattersail’s meeting (Sydney) is being brought to Auckland again. A. J. McFlinn has had rather a successful time while riding in Australia during the past few weeks, and his wins on Okaihau and Kooya were well deserved. * * * * D. Robertson, an ex-New Zealander, trains Lavendo and Torbane for the Brothers Tye, of Victoria, who are large importers of thoroughbred stock. ♦ * * * Rongopai, owned and ridden by Ronald Cameron, was second in the October Hurdle Race at the V.R.C. meeting on October 7. * * * ♦ Snub won the Dunedin Guineas last year and did not win again until he scored in the Mosgiel Handicap on the same course at the D.J.C. spring meeting. ♦ * * ♦ Mr. J. B. Reid will send some of his yearlings by Kilbroney to the Easter sales in Australia. Kilbroney has had some good advertisements this year already. 9 V V * Colonel Soult’s owners overlooked the fact that it was necessary to scratch for the Champion Plate, and consequently that gelding was left in by mistake. * * * * Home Rule, by Wairiki from Eton Lass, won the steeplechase at Aspendale Park (Vic.) on October 4th, carrying 12.13., and gave away from 2st. to 3st. 131 b. ❖ * * ♦ A lucky backer, who had two tickets on British Arch at Avondale, invested five pounds on St. Trella at Alexandra Park on Wednesday of last week. * * * * Private information has been received to the effect that the wellknown ex-New Zealand horseman L. H. Hewitt is visiting the Dominion, and will be in attendance at the C.J.C. metropolitan spring meeting. ♦ ♦ ♦ » The Higgins’ patent starting machine was used at Alexandra Park on Wednesday of last week for the first time in New Zealand with good results. Neither Rorke’s Drift nor Marc Antony pleased at the Dunedin meeting, and both have been much fancied candidates for the New Zealand Cup. John Barleycorn also failed to satisfy the experts. » * * * Thurnham, by John O’ Gaunt from the Bend ’Or mare Disdain, half-sister to Polymelus and imported GTafton, is a chestnut horse foaled in 1912 in England, and is a member of the No. 3 family. He was purchased by J. Thorpe in Sydney, and together with Hopfield figures in the entries for the Auckland R.C. spring meeting.

The absence of Comment’s name from the Masterton and Wellington entry lists was due to her hurting one of her feet through getting it under the door of the box. Trainer Galbraith expects to have her racing during the Christmas holidays. jj: i ‘ i The appeal of trainer W. Trask, against the Horowhenua Racing Club’s decision disqualifying him for two months for giving one of his horses whisky at their recent meeting, was upheld. * * * * There is good reason to suppose that the best three-year-olds in Australia are really not top-class when the older horses can hold their own and do just a little more with the best of them at weight for age. * » C * In Western Australia the winner of one race at the Helenvale meeting was ridden by a returned discharged soldier, who had been shot through the lungs and had made a good recovery. # * * * The committee of the Waipa Racing Club are leaving no stone unturned to make their coming meeting a success, and are looking forward to seeing a large muster of Aucklanders present at their first totalisator fixture on their prettilysituated racecourse. a « • » Entries for the Jockey Club Stakes, won by Canobie, were taken before the war, and the amount of the prize money was fixed at 10,000sovs., but no doubt, in common with other important stakes, the value of the event was considerably reduced this year. <: * * * Pretty sure to win the V.R.C. Derby if he keeps right, was “Terlinga’s” impression after seeing Kilboy win the A.J.C. Derby. Eastcourt may be fitter than he was at the A.J.C. spring meeting, and Stageland may run well.

“Terlinga” says that after the acclimatising form of English horses, Mr. Daly, the handicapper, is not likely to pay too much attention thereto in future. This was commenting on the successes of Quinologist at Randwick. * » » • It is understod that a bill now in course of preparation will be introduced in the Queensland Parliament at an early date with the object of limiting the number of race meetings of the proprietary clubs, in the same manner as has been done in other States. * * * ♦ The Dunedin Jockey Club’s spring meeting resulted in a substantial contribution to the Government Exchequer. The general tax amounted to £765 Bs. 6d., the tax on dividends £670 165., and the tax on stakes £2B 65., making a total of £1464 10s. 6d. The sum of £2830 was paid out in stakes for the two days’ racing. « « * « The principal performer at the recent A.J.C. spring meeting was Quinologist, who won three races, and next to him were Jack Rice and Louvre, with two wins each. The most successful sire represented was St. Frusquin with three firsts, while with two each, Rice, Linacre, Martian, Fatherless and Earlston tied for second place. Among the jockeys P. Maher lead with four firsts, the most successful of the other riders being E. Moon, F. Dempsey, A. Hawkins, L. Walker, F. Wilkinson and A. Wood with two races each.

Sasanof’s running at the Caulfield meeting and since he won the Chelmsford Stakes and Spring Stakes at Randwick suggests that some of the horses he defeated there have improved since or that he has gone off. The opposite way round of racing may have made some difference, but he ran very well though defeated.

T. Quinlivan brought back with him from Australia a few young horses the property of Mr. E. J. Watt, for whom he has been training for quite a good many year past and with more than average success. Last year he was very successful for Mr. W. G. Stead and also up to the time of the severance announced last week.

Remmon, one of the crack two-year-olds in Australia, is from Stephanos, sold at the dispersal of the stud of the late Mr. G. G. Stead in utero. Stephons was got by Stepniak from Field Rose, by Hotchkiss from Rose of Wellington, and the double cross of Musket through Nordenfeldt and Hotchkiss, on his dam’s side, stands for stoutness.

After an illness extending over many years, John I. Saqui, a man once well known in racing circles, died recently. At one time he was a prominent bookmaker, and he owned a few horses. His father was an cldtime bookmaker and horse-owner. He won the Melbourne Cup of 1869 with Warrior, and will be remembered by early day racing men in Victoria.

The owners of a number of horses that B. Deeley was engaged to ride at the aproaching carnival at Riccarton were generous enough to allow that horseman to accept Mr. W. G. Stead’s riding at the V.R.C. spring meeting. Deeley would have accepted the riding early in the sea-

son had he not then only held his license temporarily, the Auckland District Committee having granted his license and that of other horsemen for three months when they met early in August. It was a bit of hard luck that such was the case, for Deeley would have had the rides at Randwick that fell to two fortunate Australian horsemen. Deeley was to proceed to Victoria after the Wellington meeting.

The following were the principal stake winners at the Dunedin J.C.’s spring meeting:—Messrs. C. G. Dalgety £560, H. Whitney £3lO, Y. T. Barren £235, H. Friedlandei’ £145, A. Fibbes £135, J. Smith £l3l, C. W. Reid £125, F. Griffen £122 10s., D. P. Wilson, junr., £122 10s., H. McLean £9l, Sir Geo. Clifford £9O, H. R. Mackenzie £7O, H. F. Nicol £7O, R. Chisholm £7O, J. Parsons £7O.

Among the nominations for the hurdle events to be decided at the Auckland Racing Club’s spring meeting at Ellerslie next month is the Wellington representative The Golfer, who recently ran second to Waimahaki in the Manukau Hack Hurdles (one mile and a-half) at the Horowhenua Racing Club’s spring meeting. The Golfer has been nominated for the hurdle events set down for decision at the Poverty Bay Turf Club’s spring meeting on October 26 and 27, and in all probability will be a starter at the fixture.

It would seem that there is nothing wrong with the condition of Desert G'o’.d when we find her nominated for the w.f.a. events at Riccarton and in the Canterbury Cup, the long-distance lace of the meeting.

Canobie, by Polymeus, winner of the Jockey Club Stakes in England, it is interesting to not 3, is a half-bro-ther to Almissa, imported to Australia by the Messrs. Bail'ieu, and who was a good performer there, the races won by him including the Australian Cup. Almissa is now standing at the Widden Stud in New South Wales, and is by Ayrshire (son of Hampton). La Roche, dam of the pair, is by St. Simon from Miss Mildred, by Melton.

New Zealand sportsmen were keenly interested in the recent Australian Jockey Club’s spring meeting at Randwick in view of a number of horses hailing from the Dominion being engaged in events decided at the fixture. This fact caused many to recall the occasion to mind of Maniapoto’s Metropolitan victory, when horses from the Dominion swept the board at Randwick. New Zealanders began with Machine Gun, who carried 10.3 to victory in the Shorts. They won the Spring Maiden Stakes with Isolt and the Metropolitan with Maniapoto. In the Steeplechase, captured by Sultana, Maorilanders filled the first four places. The New Stakes fell to the Canterbury colt Sungod, and in the Final Handicap Maorilanders, in Nightfall and Canteen, ran first and second. Of 24 races run at that fixture 13 fell to New Zealand horses, and the late Mr. G. G. Stead had his colours carried to victory on eight occasions.

New Zealand horses engaged-at the V.R.C. spring meeting are Kilboy, Pennant, Bourlang (V.R.C. Derby), Di Gama, Bee, Carlita, Sasanof and Kilboy (Melbourne Stakes), Bourlang, Gold Painting, Shrill and Silent Way (Coburg Stakes), Kooya, Rongopai, Master Regel, Diavolo (Cup and November hurdle races), Shrill, Zuland, Sweet Corn, and Gold Painting (Railway High-weight Handicap); Troublesome, Hunakaha and New York (Cup Steeplechase) ; Di Gama, Bob Soult, Bourlang, Cheloma, Shrill, Gold Painting, and Silent Way (Yan Yean Stakes); Master Regel, Rongopai, Kooya, Diavolo (November Hurdles); Di Gama, Carlita, Bourlang, Sasanof, Kilboy (Linlithgow Stakes); Di Gama, Bob Soult, Zuland, Cheloma, Gold Painting, Silent Way (Carnival Handicap) ; Common Law and Silent Way (Veteran Stakes); Silent Way (V.R.C. Handicap) ; Di Gama, Bee, Carlita, Bourlang, Sasanof, Kilboy (C. B. Fisher Plate); Troublesome, Hunakaha, New York (Victoria Steeplechase) ; Di Gama, Bob Soult, Zuland, Common Law, Cheloma, Gold Painting and Silent Way (Final Handicap).

A writer in the Sydney “Sportsman” refers as follows to a subject which has, during the past week or so, been the chief topic of conversation in sporting circles throughout Australasia: —“If you sit down and think hard you might be able to form an opinion what this means. The Queensland jockey P. O’Neill rode W. G. Stead’s horses at Tattersall’s meeting, held on the 9th of last month. Among the horses he rode was Sasanof, the winner of the Chelmsford Stakes. He also rode Cheloma when she did not win. Quite a number of people smiled when Sasanof won. A few smiled when Cheloma did not win. At the A.J.C. meeting it was noticed that O’Neill did not ride Stead’s horses. Later on, it was made public that Stead had taken all his horses from the care of trainer Quinlivan, and had placed them in charge of trainer Hobbs. Quite a lot more people began to smile. The next act in the comedy-tragedy was staged at Randwick. O’Neill cited Stead to appear before the A.J.C. stipendiary stewards on Tuesday, the sth inst. O’Neill’s trouble was that Stead had engaged him to ride his horses in all races, and had further contracted to pay all expenses and jockey’s fees, and that he (Stead) had broken the said agreement. Stead did not deny the agreement, nor the fact that he preferred to put some other jockey up on his horses. This left the course clear for the stewards to promptly come to a decision, which was that Stead should pay O’Neill the fees and the charges he had agreed to. With a touch of humour in their judicial voices, they reminded Stead that he still had a call on O’Neill’s services, if he so wished. The stewards’ rider made Stead smile even more than when Sasanof won. Wonder what it all means?”