TURF GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1473, 18 July 1918, Page 16

TURF GOSSIP.

There is every prospect of the South Canterbury Hunt Club’s steeplechase meeting, which takes place on Thursday next (July 25), providing those who make the trip to Timaru with a splendid day’s racing for the wind-up of the season. Acceptances for all events are due to-morrow (Friday, July 19), and are being awaited with considerable interest. The field at present engaged in the chief event, the South Canterbury Steeplechase (2% miles), numbers fourteen, including Bore, Master Hamilton, Vascular, Golden Butterfly and Palladio.

The North Canterbury and Oxford Jockey Club will hold their annual meeting on October 28.

The following officers for the ensuing year were re-elected at the annual meeting of the New Brighton Trotting Club: —President, Mr. A. M. Loasby; vice-president, Mr. A. Duncan; treasurer, Mr. G. Pengelly; committee, Messrs. W. E. Thompson, J. Westerman, B. McKenna, W. J. Hopkins, T. G. Fox, G. H. James, A. J. Harper, G. Scott, W. H. Denton, and F. Drewitt.

Battle Eve, who won the Minook Two-year-old Handicap at Caulfield on June 22, is by the imported horse The Welkin, from the New Zealand-bred Land Rose, who used to race in the South Island. She is by Finland from Rose Shield, by Hotchkiss from Rose of Wellington, by St. Leger.

A horse like Joseph’s coat, of many colours, was mentioned by a delegate at last week’s conference of the New Zealand Trotting Association in Wellington. The delegate, in supporting a resolution that the owner of a trotting horse shall be compelled to register the colour of his horse, declared that he knew of a horse that had changed its colours thrice within a few months. It was a horse of many colours. “If I had not seen the brute,” declared the delegate, “I would not have known him. One month I treated him as a brown horse, inside of six weeks he had changed to black, and would you believe it that a few weeks later the brute had changed to another co.our.” In the face of this the conference decided that in future owners of trotting horses shall be compelled to register their colours before racing a horse.

. Miss May McDonald, known in New South Wales as “Jockey Jack,” offered to fill the place of any jockey enlisting, and to keep his position open till his return. She decided on making the offer as the next best thing to her own services on the battlefield being refused. The desire to help her country—as a man —has been so irresistible that if she could now get away in some unit or other where she would be among horses she would gladly jump at the chance. For 10 years “Jockey Jack” has dressed and lived and worked as a man. She follows the occupation of a horse-trainer, rider, clipper, breaker-in, and teacher of riding. Her life has been crammed full of experiences which have been more often bitter than sweet. She has ridden all sorts of horses, from the harmless old pack-horse to the maddest buckjumper of the Wild West.

At a meeting of the executive of the Manawatu Racing Club last week it was decided to distribute £4lOO out of this year’s profits amongst various patriotic organisations. The club’s contributions to patriotic purposes since the war started show a total of £11,500, which is indeed a highly creditable record.

Many months ago two horses were landed in South Africa without fuss or publicity (says a Johannesburg writer). In fact, only a few persons on board the ship knew of the existence of two long-coated hacks. Where have these animals gone to? What were the names of the animals in England? Is it not a fact that 300 guineas was paid for one of these hacks whose “nick-name” represented a well-known English winner? “Pedigree unknown” covers up a big scandal at times. Why will the authorities allow any horse without a sire or dam’s name to run at all? Surely all thoroughbred sires and dams don’t run wild all over the country, just on pleasure bent.

“Don’t forget the wowser,” said the president of the Country Racing Clubs’ Association at the annual meeting in Wellington last week. “He has his eye on us, and we have to keep our eye on him. He is there to take advantage of any favouring breeze. It was listening to the wowser to a large extent that lost us many racing days last year. If it had not been for the efforts of some racing men who came here to fight for the interests of the country clubs we would have lost one-half the days instead of one-third.”

The annual report presented to the members of the New Brighton Trotting Club stated that owing to the curtailment of racing the club was deprived of two days’ racing, the result being that the revenue had materially decreased, and in consequence the owners had had less money distributed amongst them —a condition to be regretted. The meetings held had been in every way a success, and the public had been supplied with racing of a very interesting character. The past Derby created a great amount of enthusiasm, and members could rest assured that this classic event was now well established, and had become extremely popular with both owners and the general public. There were quite a number of essential improvements in prospect, but so long as the existing state of things caused by the war

were in existence it was considered inadvisable to proceed with any important works. The taxes paid to the Government during the past year amounted to £2213 15s. Id.

Messrs. W. Baird and B. Sunbury’s ’chaser Palladio, who dead-heated with Stone Ginger in the Otago Steeplechase (three miles) last month, figures among the field engaged in the South Canterbury Steeplechase, to be decided next week. Golden Butterfly, who won the Hack and Hunters’ Steeplechase at Wingatui on the same afternoon, also claims an engagement in next week’s big cross-country event at Timaru.

The ex-Auckland representative Achilledes appears among the entries for the Hadlow Hack and Hunters’ Hurdles, to be run at the South Canterbury Hunt Club’s meeting next week. The Auckland-owned and trained hunters, Seville and Transfer, also both claim engagements at Timaru on Thursday next. The meeting is creating wide interest.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the New Brighton Trotting Club at Christchurch, the president (Mr. A. M. Loasby) said that it seemed to him that the Government had made a mistake in curtailing racing. They had not reduced the totalisator turnover, but had reduced the amount of sport and increased the clubs’ expenses. If the Government were wise, they

would give them security against their present debts, and allow them to carry on, taking such a portion of the profit as would help them considerably. Further, he thought that the cutting out of the race trains was a mistake, for by running them, and taking a tax from the passengers, the Government would be doing a good thing. Referring to the club’s rules, he criticised the starting, handicapping and waiting systems. As regards amateur races he said that he thought them necessary, but it was hardly fair, in his opinion, to ask struggling suburban clubs to hold these when the wealthier clubs did not do so.

The “Bulletin” thus refers to racing conditions per medium of the totalisator in the Dominion: —One of the surprises in Maoriland incidental to the war is the increase in the totalisator turnover. When the disturbance started and the younger section of the community began to drift away in thousands the racing clubs commenced to reckon on having a cold time in the cashbox. But their revenues are greater than ever. Tote investments have not grown by an odd thousand or so here and there, but have bounded upwards by barrowloads everywhere. At small meetings it is the same as at big ones — cash wheeled up in ever-increasing volume. Whether it is that the old men have all gone mad or the army

is giving the pay-roll a flutter only the heavens can tell, but about the intense popular anxiety to pick winners no possible doubt exists. Meanwhile the law which prohibits the publication of dividends in the newspapers is doing so well that the entire population knows exactly what has happened five minutes after the numbers go up. This wowserish prohibition against printing the most important occurrence incidental to the greatest national pastime or foolishness or whatever it is, is a queer business. It looks as if Maoriland goes racing in the same spirit as a lot of it habitually goes to get a beer.

The career of the hurdle racing novice Picaform was ended last month at Cheltenham, South Australia. He came to grief in the contest over the small battens, and, breaking his shoulder, he was destroyed. Picaform was bred at Naryilco by Mr. A. C. Macdonald, and was by his New Zealand sire Equiform from Picayune. He won several races on the flat and gave some promise over hurdles.

As Rongahere has been nominated for the Grand National Steeplechase his connections must be in hopes that he will survive a preparation for the big event of the year where crosscountry fences are concerned. Judging from his appearance at the D.J.C. winter meeting (says a southern writer), an anxious time will be experienced in getting the son of Sarto to the post at Riccarton.