Turf Topics

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1500, 23 January 1919, Page 13

Turf Topics

Mr. Chaffey, the present owner of All Black, recently had ten thousand sheep destroyed by fire on one of his stations in New South Wales.

The great colt Aurum did not prove a success at the stud, but a recent winner, four years old, was seen at the V.R.C. meeting on January 1, got by him.

A horse called All War recently won at a country meeting. His sire is Alawa, his dam Ruction. Good naming, this.

Swynford, son of John o’ Gaunt, sired Silver Bullet, the winner of the last race of the flat racing season in England, which closed on November Ist.

As Desert Gold has returned to New Zealand and Biplane is to go to Australia, a meeting of the pair seems now out of the question.

Probation, who won the Welter Handicap at the South Australia J.C. summer meeting is by Downshire from Culmination. He had won just previously and carried a 101 b. penalty.

Mr. Michalinos, owner of the winner of the Cambridgeshire, Zinovia, donated £lOOO to endow a bed at the Rous Memorial Hospital at Newmarket.

A Sydney writer reckons Mr. E. J. Watt’s All Black —Perseis colt, Pershdre, the pick of Sydney two-year-olds, and says he will have to be reckoned with next year.

The Queensland Turf Club’s Midsummer Handicap, of 400sovs., was won by Taquisaria, by King Rufus from Moira Machree. Taquisaria was bred by Mr. G. M. Currie, of Wanganui.

At the West Australia Turf Club’s meeting the Derby drew a good field. Oyadu, by Holsworthy (imp.), won, and in running the mile and a-half in 2min. 36sec. established a record for the race.

The Northern Wairoa meeting was voted the best the club has had, notwithstanding the small muster of horses. Some day there will be a vast improvement. When the train service is further extended meetings held near Dargaville will get a boost. Since his arrival at Trentham, the triple Derby winner, Gloaming, has been acquitting himself in great style, and much interest will be centred in his meeting with Surveyor in the Kelburn Plate (four furlongs) on Saturday.

During the course of the Greymouth holiday race meeting, Mr. J. D. Wingham had the misfortune to lose the services of War Tax, who was kicked while at the post by Tyson, the injury sustained consisting of a broken rib.

Mr. E. J. Watt is the owner of a promising two-year-old colt called Pershore, by All Black from Perseis, by Positano from the New Zealandbred Circe, by Castor from Cissy, sister to Trenton. He thus represents the Number 18 family, the branch which has been more successful in th e colonies than in England, where it is almost extinct. In Sydney he is looked upon as a likely Derby colt. Wedding Day, who won the Sydney Tattersail’s Cup, beating, amongst others, Bee, who was third, in 2min. carried 7.12. She had previously won the Doncaster Handicap. A portrait of Wedding Day returning to scale appears in this issue. A short while before she ran second to Rebus in the Villiers Stakes, when the English horse ran a mile in lmin. 37%sec. with 9.10 up. Rebus ran second to Gloaming when that gelding put up a mile and a furlong record for Australasia.

After the Downshire —Culmination mare, Probation (who, it will be remembered, was sold by Mr. W. E. Bidwill last season to an Australian buyer), recently won at Adelaide, the stipendiary stewards conducted an inquiry into the objection made by S. Haveny, owner of Bottle King, against Probation, winner of the Christmas Handicap, on an allegation that she was not the mare that she was represented to be. After having heard the evidence, Haveny intimated that he was perfectly satisfied, and asked permission to withdraw his protest. That was allowed, and his £5 deposit was forfeited.

Spearmint, son of Carbine, had eight sons who won 12 races last season in England.

Bayardo’s stock had won £15,650 when the flat racing season closed in England. He was also at the head of the list the previous season with £12,337, but well below the previous season’s record of Polymelus, whose progeny in 1914 won £29,607.

The January Steeplechase won by Tararu Jack at the V.R C. meeting showed the ex-New Zealander up in an attractive light, as he carried 12.0, started favourite and won by four lengths, and gave plenty of weight away. The stake was worth 210sovs. to the winner, 60sovs. to the second and 30sovs. to the third —a sensible way of dividing up the prize.

A glance through the list of nominations for the Oakleigh Plate reveals the name of Biplane, who should run a merry five and a-half furlongs if landed at the post on t\e 15th of next month. He and Cetigne are both in the Newmarket Handicap. Biplane is in the Australian Cup, as also Estland and Finmark, The Toff, Arch Marella, Souci and Court Jester. The Moonee Valley Racing Club purchased the stallion Headwind, by. Malster from Fairwind, by Carbine, winner of the Standish Handicap at Flemington on New Year’s Day, to aid the Defence Department. The horse is a good serviceable sort, calculated to get remounts, and the innovation of the M.V.R.C. is commendable. What has become of the £4OOO a year promised by the New Zealand Government to aid breeders more than four years ago.

Ther is every probability that Mr. W. R. Kemball’s horses, Hymestra, Nanna, Snub, Scornful, and the other members of the team, will be shipped at Wellington for Sydney on Saturday, and it is thought not unlikely that they will remain in Australia and be raced there. Mr. Kemball has played the game as an owner should since he started racing, and has had a fair share of luck at it on different courses where his colours have been unfurled during the two seasons. Those who follow the sport in this country and appreciate a plucky buyer and an owner whose horses are out to win if they can, will wish the Wairarapa owner luck on the other side. His horses are useful, and from a centre like Sydney can be placed to greater advantage, where ther e is plenty of racing all round and good tracks to work on, than from Masterton, where the interests of owners, it is said, could have been better looked after than they have been, in the way of offering facilities for training operations. Campbell will go over to ride for the stable when the weights suit.

Cetigne, the brilliant New South Wales miler, is at present enjoying a spell from activity Trainer T. F. Scally having blistered the son of Grafton and eased him off.

Well Off, by Wolawa, won recently in Australia, and is from All Blue, by Merriwee from Blue Water, by St. Leger from Sapphire (a V.R.C. Oaks winner), and was bred by Mr. E. J. Watt in New Zealand. The names of Bill of Portland and Musket appear oa each side of the pedigree of Well Off, who is well off for St. Simon and Musket blood. All Blue and Pierene were half-sisters, and Subterranean, a fair winner in New Zealand and Australia and a promising horse until his wind went wrong, was a fullbrother to All Blue.

The New Zealand-bred gelding Molyneaux, who accompanied Gloaming and Biplane to Australia prior to the commencement of the spring racing campaign, was a starter in the Maiden Handicap run at the Mentone Christmas carnival in Victoria. Molyneaux, who had the light impost of 6.7, was defeated by Lord Amant, who won by three lengths, Peter Dewar being a head away third. The winner, who was ridden by F. Bullock, is one of a team imported from England four years ago by his ownertrainer, the one-time crack horseman Jimmy Hayes, and is by St. Amant— Marcheress. The little rider of Molyneaux failed to draw hrs weight when going on the scale, a proceeding which resulted in the disqualification of the gelding, and the fining of his owner-trainer, J. M. Cameron, for not seeing that the jockey carried his lead bag. Peter Dewar was therefore placed second. Another New Zealander who started at the Mentone meeting was Lingerie, who ran unplaced in the Mentone Plate (six furlongs), in which there were eleven starters.