Turf Topics

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1464, 16 May 1918, Page 12

Turf Topics

Gluepot was to be shipped to Taranaki for Wanganui on Wednesday. * * * * The Ibex case has not yet been concluded. * * * * The imported horse Gay Gad materialised at Ashburton. * * * The Wanganui meeting is likely to be well patronised by Auckland owners. Hunters’ events have filled exceptionally well for the coming meeting at Ellerslie. * * * * The A.J.C. secretary, Mr. C. W. Cropper, has stated that the Sydney Cup meeting returned a record profit, sfc * * * F. Bullock, the English horseman, has ridden more winners this season in Victoria than any other horseman. * * «• * Lanius is now being talked of as being as good as any English horse ever sent to the colonies. * * * * The well-known N.Z. rider A. Oliver is now serving with the artillery of the N.Z. forces at the front. * * * * Mr. E. J. Watt is expected back in the Dominion shortly on a business visit. * « $ * Gang Awa’ is said to be showing promise as a hurdler in his schoolingessays at Fordell. * * * * A. Attwood, the Feilding trainer, has been discharged from the Cl comp and resumes training again shortly. # * * * H. Young is looking forward to riding in Sydney during the winter months, but has yet to pass through the hands of the Medical Board. ❖ * * * Lanius has won more of the w.f.a. races this year than any other horse, and if racing next season may be again to the fore. tji Bonny, the Whangarei-bred ’chaser, is entered for the Warrnambool Grand Annual Amateur Steeplechase meeting. * * * * The imported horse Mohawk has joined C. Geisler’s team at Wingatui and Mr. H Friedlander is behind the deal. ❖ ❖ * * There is a pony called Marie Sou't racing in Australia, but she is by The World from Lady Clare, and claims .no Soult connection other than in name. # . # sjs * S. Reid has been entrusted with the further education of the following two-year-olds at the “Highden,” Awapuni, stables: —Brown filly by Solfer-ino-—Miss Dalrymple, brown filly by Martian —Bee Bee, bay colt by Martian —Adelicia, brown colt by Hallowmas —Pas Seul, chestnut filly by Hallowmas —Overall, bay filly by Martian —Ermengarde, and a bay filly by Hallowmas —Parera.

At latest accounts from Home, Mr. R. H. Skipwith, the well-known starter, and one-time sporting scribe, was on the eve of leaving for active service in France.

J. N. McGregor, the ex-New Zealand horseman, has been granted a jockey’s license by the V.R.C. Corporal McGregor has been in charge of the stables at the Artillery Camp at Maribyrnong, Victoria, for some time.

Elsdon, winner of the Adelaide Cup, is an imported horse. English horses have done well again this season in Australia, though they did not win so much in stakes as last year in the same time.

Tararu Jack won the hurdle race at Canterbury Park in the nomination of Mr. C. Young. Mr. “Rod” Carter is now credited with the ownership of the New Zealander. T. A. Williams trains Tararu Jack.

When Tararu Jack won the hurdle race at Canterbury Park he was at 6 to 1, while his stable mate Pierrepont, who finished third, ten lengths off, was at 7 to 2.

Biplane will be kept in steady work at Riccarton. No one ever dreams of actually turning out colts of his class in the winter. Desert Gold is never turned out because of a fear that she would gallop about too much and hurt herself. Horses wanted in the early spring cannot be spefied altogether, and then not for long.

A. McMillan, who schooled Fisher one morning last week, is expected to make his first appearance as a hurdle rider on that gelding, and it may be in the Great Northern Hurdle Race. ♦ * * * Silver and Black, a good “ring” for Desert Gold in many respects, won at Ashburton on Thursday over a sixfurlong course, and should pay her way from now on. • ♦ ♦ * The stake earning of Mene’aus for the season amount to £2545. He has paid quite a number of good dividends, too, and they have not all been missed by his connections. * * * * Aleconner, a good performer in Australia, has been donated to the Red Cross fund by the Messrs. Baillen Bros., and should be useful for stud purposes now he has retired from the turf. ♦ * ♦ ♦ The Hawke’s Bay sportsman. Mr. Paul Hunter, has donated £lOOO to the district war funds, and Mr. F. Armstrong (owner of S’eight of Hand) has contributed a similar amount to the same fund. * * ♦ * For the first nine months of the present racing season in Australia K. H. Bracken was the leading jockey in Sydney with 23 wins. L. A. Walker came second with 20 wins and A. A. Wood follows with 12. B. Deeley had three wins, two seconds and three thirds, his wins being in the Rosehi 1 ! Guineas. A.J.C. Derby and Craven Plate, while C. Emerson rode the winner of the Breeders’ P 7 ate and another winner. The ex-New Zealander H. Cairns rode the winner of the Cumberland Stakes and A.J.C. Plate.

Majestikoff’s light impost was needed to help him to beat Adjutant in the Ashburton Cup. Adjutant apparently races better on the tracks in Canterbury than elsewhere. A head was the verdict against the last named.

Sleight of Hand was reported scratched at 4 p.m. on Wednesday of last week for all engagements at the Wanganui meeting, and on the same morning for all engagements at the A.R.C. G.N. meeting, yet he was handicapped for the Wanganui meeting.

Several Auckland trainers are taking their horses to the Wanganui meeting by way of New Plymouth by the Rarawa, and from thence by train. It will be cheaper and will afford a break in the journey. Gold Fran is to leave on Monday.

Tressida and Almo met in the Wanganui Cup, and the last-named gave the Hawke’s Bay mare 101 b. and beat her home. In the Cornwall Handicap Tressida is giving 101 b. to Almo. The distance is half a mile shorter.

Mr. E. J. Watt has given yet another of his two-year-olds away. First Rain, by Martian from Grand Rain, who ran second in the A.R.C. Nursery Handicap at the summer meeting, was made a present to Whitworth, one of the ex-New Zealand trainers, who has been in Sydney for about seven years, leading in occasional winners. First Rain is a gelding.

A rider named G. Russell recently won a race by a head on a horse called Cool Light, and lost it on a protest. A few days later he was beaten three lengths in another race and was awarded the race because the winner had crossed his mount.

Red Pennant’s success in the Rockton Handicap at Brisbane, coming so soon after Mr. E. J. Watt’s retirement from racing, and a report a short while back that the horse was lame, came as a surprise to New Zealanders.

Imported Shadowland is expected to run well in w.f.a. races during the coming season in Australia. He ran in several important races in England before being sent to Australia. Rebus, the Sydney Cup winner, is expected to develop into w.f.a. class also.

St. Elmn and Bon Reve are the only two horses claiming double engagements in the two Northerns on the opening day of the A.R.C. meeting. Iceberg and Almo are in both the G.N. Hurdles and Cornwall Handicap—things as well for early speculators to remember.

Waimai has not jumped with the boldness and freedom in recent essays that characterised his work last season. An odd fall or two that he has had in racing and schooling may have had something to do with this, but the son of Spalpeen is not likely to be any less useful when he is quite himself.

Braeburn’s scratching for the Great Northern meeting for all engagements took place at 11.20 a.m. on Wednesday of last week. Crib was scratched on the same day for the Great Northern Steeplechase, and Colonel Soult and Cardrona were taken out of the G.N. Hurdles on the Monday following the appearance of the weights. * # * * In the southern papers Wishful’s weight appeared as 10.1 in the Great Northern Hurdles, instead of 10.10. In the mile and three-quarters hurdle race at Wanganui Mr. Coyle gave Wishful 91b. more than hei received in the Great Northern Hurdles, Midnight Star and Dancaster each 71b. more, but did not have any of this trio to deal with in the Century Hurdles. It is curious to note that Dingle, also in the same races, received 181 b. more, Fionnuala 161 b., Kauri King and Gold Fran each 171 b., and Golden Glade and Paul Moore 201 b. and 221 b. respectively more, though Golden Glade and Kauri King have the same weights in both the Great Northern and Century hurdle races, and Fionnuala 21b. more in the Wanganui big event than in the Auckland big event.

Last week in noticing the pronounced difference in the conditions under which Parisian Diamond and Colonel Soult are asked to meet in the Cornwall Handicap this year as compared with the York Welter last year, we gave the figures as 661 b., just 141 b. more than is really

the case. Half a hundredweight is a lot, but a stone more or less is a mere item sometimes when one horse is on the up and another on the down grade. At one time —not so many months ago either —Colonel Soult might have frightened some of the opposition out with the weight he has now, but all round there seems to be a disposition to count him out. Whether it is quite justified events at the Great Northern meeting will decide. A good gallop or two on the track always revives hope amongst the Colonel’s followers.

The arrival from Australia last week of three more yearlings for Mr. Mclndoe, of Devonport, completes the recent purchases, which number eight, that were made by that owner. They are all now in D. Monaghan’s charge at Ellerslie. It is thought more than probable that in due course some of them will be offered for sale to New Zealand buyers. The fact that nominations are not taken for a number o' important classic races in different parts of New Zealand until next month is satisfactory for many reasons. It is quite early enough to adopt the Australian plan and allow owners who make purchases before the Ist of June to enter them to please themselves, and breeders who race themselves then have a better idea what to engage their youngsters for. Clubs all round will fall into line, we hope, in having one uniform date in the month of June for receiving entries.