TURF TOPICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1495, 19 December 1918, Page 19

TURF TOPICS

Northern Wairoa nominations are fixed for January 27Sir Ralph is under a cloud —temporarily, let us hope. Northland, the ’chaser, is in queer street. * * * * Dancaster shot a hind fetlock, but may get right in time. • • * * Mullingar’s bruised heel is all right again. * * ’ * A. J. MoFlinn will ride Bonnie Maid in the Auckland Cup. It is expected that the convalescent cases at Ellerslie will be all away this week. Parorangi was sent to Feilding last week to race at the Manawatu meeting. The new electric totalisator will be at work at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. also some lady clerks. Mr. W. R. Kemball has not abandoned his intention of sending a team of horses to Australia. Hector Gray hopes to ride at the A.R.C. summer meeting, and some owners are hoping he may. Ben Deeley has been engaged to ride Red Ribbon in the Auckland Cup. ♦ * ♦ * Some New Zealand sports are expected to reach Auckland by the Devon from Sydney. Over one hundred horses worked at Ellerslie on Saturday morning. Altogether there are about 130 there. * * * * With Desert Gold out of the way what will win the Islington Plate? Now, don’t all speak at once, please. The Bay of Plenty J.C. will race five days after the Whangarei meeting - . Mr. F, McManemin, handicapper, underwent a slight operation last Thursday in a private hospital in Auckland. The horses of the late Mr. Andrew Rutherford, jun., are to be sold in February. In the meantime Mrs. Rutherford will race them. ♦ ♦ * * R. J. Mason left Christchurch on Friday for Auckland with Gloaming and Afterglow, Mr. G-. D. Greenwood’s three-year-olds. A private cable from England received in Christchurch announces the death from a fall of Mr. E. D. O’Rorke, a well-known New Zealand sportsman. - « • • The price of racing stock in England —that is, the good horses —will take a rise as the result of the coming of peace, and no doubt business with some outside hitherto good markets for breeding purposes will cease. Germany was one of the best. Snub, Hymestra, Nanna, Vasilkov, Rebuff, Sir Solo and Red Ribbon arrived in Auckland via Onehunga on Wednesday morning of last week. They were four days getting through from Masterton, and were worked at Awapuni and New Plymouth, stopping places en route. English writers are not all disposed to accept the defeat of the triple crown hero Gainsborough by Prince Chimay in the Jockey Club Stakes as conclusive evidence of the superiority of the latter, though the majority regarded Prince Chimay as the one of his opponents most likely to run him close. The result was a surprise bordering on the sensational. # * * * Anyone with horses coming to the colonies will still have heavy transit charges to pay, as space is so valuable and hard to procure, but the submarine risks, which came to about one-third of the total, will no longer need to be paid. Th e certainty that there are still mines afloat will keep the insurance rates up for a time. The price of racing stock in England will go up now that the war is over.

Rewipoto, who has had a lengthy spell, is likely to start racing again at Manawatu or New Plymouth on Boxing Day. * 7 * * Prince Delaware is at present on the easy list. Another well-known performer who is also enjoying a respite from racing is the ex-Aucklander Fisher, who has been blistered and turned out. » • • • Roy Reed will pilot the Highden horses in their engagements at Ellerslie, and when not required to ride Mr. Goring Johnston’s representatives he will steer the Messrs. Williams’ horses. ♦ • » • The date of the dispersal of the Elderslie Stud of Mr. J. B. Reid has been fixed for Friday, February 7th. Fi r ty English and colonial mares and fifty yearlings and foals are to be sold, as well as the imported sires Kilbroney, Sunny Lake and Winkle. Messrs. Pyne and Co., Christchurch, and H. Chisholm and Co., Sydney, are the auctioneering firms. V • * • Marble Slab (by Marble Arch), a half-brother to Bedford? is on the small side and does, not show any adamantine qualities, but all the members of the family have been able to gallop, and perhaps this latest representative of Miss Dix may some day win a race.

Claude Brown, who piloted Santa Rosa to victory in the Auckland Cup in 1911, will have the mount on Rose Pink in the big two-mile event at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. * * * ♦ Powhatan, by Gallinule from Lady Loverule (dam of St. Amant), by Muncaster (son of Doncaster from Nellie, by Hermit from Hippia), is sire of one of the best two-year-olds in Australia. * * » » Rose Pink, who is one of the most favoured contenders for Auckland Cup honours, gave an attractive display over ten furlongs at Trentham on Saturday morning. Starting from the mile and a-quarter post with Arihia she had the latter in trouble after six furlongs had been covered, Sunburst and Trickery joining in. The latter pair maintained the lead to the finish, Rose Pink completing her task in 2min. 17sec., the last mile in Imin. 50sec. * * « « At Trentham on Saturday morning the Auckland Cup candidate Menelaus covered ten furlongs in an attractive manner. After being jogged a round Menelaus started at the mile and aquarter post, being picked up by Cooing, who was of little use to the 1917 N.Z. Cup winner, who completed his task in 2min. 15sec., the last mile taking Imin. 47%sec. Menelaus is in splendid fettle for his Auckland Cup engagement, and should not lack supporters on the day. Messrs. E. and V. Riddiford’s other candidate, Mascot, has not shown to advantage in her recent training gallops at Trentham.

Peter the Hermit, a half-brother by St. Petersburgh to Demosthenes from Carlin, dam of five other winners, and who ran third in the English Derby, is at the stud in Australia. « • * • A meeting of the Auckland Racing Club Committee was held on Thursday. Transfers were approved as follows: —Executors T. B. Cato to L. Cato, The Channel and Ma Copper; Frank Ross to J. Y. McCracken, First Salute; M. Hobbs to W. Stone, Anton: C. G. Dalgety to W. R. Kemball, Rebuff and Scornful. Accounts totalling £433 were passed for payment. It was decided to admit soldiers in uniform and returned men that have been discharged, to the summer meeting on the same conditions as in the past. * * The Masterton racecourse is laid off on the sam e principal as that of the Manawatu Racing Club, with this difference, that there is just a furlong more in each of the straights, which is, of course, an advantage, making it a mile and a quarter course as against a mil e one at Awapuni. The fall from the front or stand side of the Manawatu Racing Club’s course to the back is perfect, and ensures quick drainage of surface water after the heaviest rainfalls there. It is perhaps a little better as an allweathers track, and is a good mile one.

A racehorse owner in Masterton avers'that a horse of his, which par ; ticipated in the New Zealand Cup meeting, developed symptoms while in Christchurch identical with those associated with the influenza, and has since become almost a wreck, though it is now recovering. Mustard plasters were applied to the animal’s throat, and he was given frequent doses of eucalyptus in sugar, with successful results. The promising Ellerslie lightweight W. Kidd will have the mount on Colonel Soult (6.11) in the Auckland Cup. Colonel Soult’s engagement on Thursday next will mark the fourth occasion on which he has contested 'the big two mile event at Ellerslie, his record being as follows: —1913 (unplaced), 1915 (unplaced), 1916 (unplaced). Last year he competed in the Christmas Handicap on Box ing Day, running second to Polydamon. * * * * At a meeting of the Auckland District Committee on Thursday, licenses were granted as follows:—Trainers: G. Stenning, C. Suff, F. Tonge (three months). Jockeys: W. Eriksen, E. J. Ferguson, G. Henderson, P. J. Mulvihill, C. Runciman. Gentlemen riders: J. P. Atkins, J. Cockerton, J. Munro The following dates and programmes were approved:—Ngaruawahia Racing Club, January 18; Bay of Plenty Jockey Club, January 22. Waipa Racing Club, February 22; PaengaroaTe Puke Hack Racing Club, January 1; Taumarunui Racing Club, February 8; Hamilton Racing Club, March 1.

Con Reed will have the mount on Battle Song in the Manawatu Cup. J. Campbell, who rode Fiery Cross to victory in the Auckland Cup, will pilot the Canterbury Cup winner, Snub, in this year’s Cup at Ellerslie on Thursday. It is reported in the South that Mr. J. H. Perrett will occupy the judge’s box at the Manawatu R.C.’s summer meeting, and at the Feilding J.C.’s spring gathering on January 11. * * ♦ * When Risingham failed to make the acceptance for the Auckland Cup it was generally thought that the Manawatu Cup was his mission, but he has also been withdrawn from that event. The three-year-old son of Rokeby —Rose Red claims an engagement in the principal event, the Otago Handicap, to be run at the Dunedin fixture on Boxing Day, and may probably be taken to Wingatui with a view to contesting this mile and ahalf race. - ~ ■ According to advice from Christchurch, E. Ludlow is to ride Glendower in the Auckland Cup. Glendower, who accompanied Fiery Cross, last year’s Cup winner, to Auckland, started twice at the 1916-17 summer meeting at Ellerslie, running third in the Shortland Plate on the opening day and being unplaced in the Salis-

bury Welter, both events being decided over a mile. The best performance of the son of Gienapp to date was registered when he defeated a strong field in the Great Autumn Handicap (1% miles) at Riccarton on April 1 last, when among those who finished behind him were Mascot, Menelaus and Rose Pink, a trio who are also engaged in this year’s Auckland Cup. « • * • . According to “G'lencoe,” of the “Dominion,” the Hymettus gelding Daytime, who was raced for several seasons by the late Mr. A. W. Rutherford, jun., has been sold to Mr. A. Arthur. The price paid for him is understood to have been about £2OO. Daytime has gone into E. Scoullar’s stable, but A. McAulay may resume charge of him on his return from Auckland. « * * • Mr. Tom Cunningham, for some time managing partner in the firm of Cunningham and Co., carriers, of Auckland and Onehunga, and wellknown as an owner of racing, pony and trotting horses for some years past, died last week, not having recovered from an accident met with about two years ago, which caused him a good deal of suffering. It was thought a few months ago when he commenced to get about that he was on the right way to complete recovery, but he recently had to take to his bed again. He was a son of Captain Cunningham, of Onehunga, and brother to Norman, the well-known trainer, and to Bruce Cunningham, and being of a genial disposition had many friends.