TURF GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1524, 10 July 1919, Page 16

TURF GOSSIP.

. The Amberley Racing Club will hold its annual race meeting on September 22. It is stated that A. Brown, the wellknown Auckland trotting owner, has leased Shanghai to a Dunedin sportsman.

After fulfilling his Wellington engagements, Multive is to be taken on to Riccarton, where he will compete in the leading hurdle races at the Grand National fixture.

It is probable that Rebekah, who displayed winning form during the summer and autumn, will represent her Blenheim owner in the C.J.C. Winter Cup.

M. Edwards, the well-known New Brighton trotting owner-trainer, re-' cently underwent a successful operation to his left eye at Dunedin. Volo’s absence from the Winter Cup nominations is explained by the fact that the Husbandman gelding has recently been suffering from a filled leg.

Weights for the C.J.C. Grand National Hurdle Race, Steeplechase and Winter Cup will be declared by Mr. J. E. Henrys on Friday, July 18. The ex-Auckland trotter, Celtic, who started second favourite in the Dash Handicap at the New Brighton Trotting Club’s autumn meeting, was sold in Tattersail’s, Christchurch, the other day for £2. The Wellington sportsman, Mr. W. Nidd, has purchased Moorabbe, whom he formerly raced on lease, while he has leased The Sapper from Mrs. Harvey Patterson.

Cynic, Signature, Lochella and Styrax are the only horses claiming a double engagement in the C.J.C. Grand National Hurdles and Steeplechase.

Mr. G. L. Stead rode his ’chaser Collector at the recent meet of the Brackenfield hounds, but there is little likelihood of the Conqueror gelding ever racing again.

A contingent of Gisborne horses were taken down to Wellington by the Arahura for the Wellington meeting. F. Loomb took Cynic, Carlysian and Happy Valley south, and the trio will race at Trentham this week.

The Dunedin trainer, J. McCombe, recently had two additions to his team, one a yearling full brother to Bon Spec (by Boniform—Signal), and the other a two-year-old filly by San Francisco —Formnal.

The Gisborne trainer, W. Olive, did not accept with Cymer for the Waikato Hunt Club’s meeting, but the Elysian gelding is to be taken to the C.J.C. Grand National meeting, where he will contest the hunt club events. The Glenculloch gelding Jock has been purchased by a Dunedin owner, and will in all probability be seen out at the Waimate District Hunt Steeplechase meeting on July 17. On his return south from the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting, where he at present has several horses engaged, the Invercargill trainer, P. T. Hogan, will make Riccarton his headquarters until after the Grand National fixture.

The Maniapoto gelding Toa Tere, who has not raced for some time, is reported to be acquitting himself well on the New Plymouth tracks under trainer J. O’Neill, and is to make his reappearance with the colours up shortly. The Southland trainer A. D. McIvor intends making a lengthy holiday visit to Australia, and in consequence several of his team are to go under the hammer, whilst others will make a change of quarters.

Until further notice, the only sales of Army horses in the United Kingdom will be those specially marked horses which officers and men are privileged to have sold at special centres in order that they can attend and bid for their old favourites. Glucian rewarded his owner, Mr. J. J. Barrett, with a long overdue win when he accounted for the Raukawa Hack Handicap on the concluding day of the Hawke’s Bay meeting. It is interesting to record the fact that the- son of Gluten credited Mr. Barrett with a win in the corresponding race at Hastings two years ago.

It is reported that at the conclusion of the National meeting at Riccarton, the Taranaki trainer R. Johnson will take a team to Sydney, and that Rewi Poto will be one of its members. The black horse is to again take on hurdle racing. The Auckland • entries for the Winter Cup consist of Hineamaru, Gold Kip, Sir Ralph and Tama-a-roa. The ex-Aucklander Hiero is also engaged, while Sir Agnes, who is now the property of an Auckland sportsman, also figures in the list. The most notable absentee is last year’s winner, Bedford. The ’chaser. Collector, who got a very ugly fall when schooling over hurdles at Riccarton some months ago and looked as if he had knocked himself out for good, has recovered sufficiently to be used as a hack by his owner.

It is stated that next season no race appearing on the Dunedin Jockey Club’s programmes will be less than 200sovs. Race meetings at Wingatui have made a remarkable increase in popularity of recent years, and invariably attract patronage from the leading South Island owners. For the benefit of the Appeal Court, Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.C., threw a little light upon trotting in Christchurch. “Down there,” he said, “many families consider their trotters as family pets, keep them in their backyards, and train them themselves. In the off season the trotters are usually run in the family light buggies.” The 1918-19 racing season for the North Island will be brought to a close with the Wellington Racing Club’s and Waikato Hunt Club’s meetings, while so far as the South Island is concerned the Waimate District Hunt Steeplechase fixture (July 17) and the Christchurch Hunt Steeplechase meeting (July 26) have yet to receive attention. The new season will be opened with the C.J.C. Grand National meeting, which takes place on August 12, 14 and 16.

Although Paddington Green was accepted for in the Parliamentary Handicap at Trentham on Tuesday in preference to the Vittoria Hurdle Handicap run, the same ’ day, it is interesting to note that in connection

with the C.J.C. meeting next month the son of Flagfall does not figure among the entries for the Winter Cup, but has been nominated for the Grand National Hurdle Race.

In addition to claiming an engagement in the Grand National Hurdles. Thrace has been nominated for the Sydenham Hurdle Race (one mile and three-quarters), to be run on the concluding day of the C.J.C. winter meeting. Troublesome, Signature and Waimai, the three Auckland candidates entered for the Grand National Steeplechase, also figure in the lists for the Beaufort Steeplechase, two miles and a-half (second day), and the Lincoln Steeplechase, three miles (third day).

The ten per cent, on winnings which owners usually grant to their trainers and which was wiped out some years ago unless a “joint interest” was registered, will this week be reinstated without the necessity of registering a partnership, if the president of the Racing Conference has his way. This is a move which will be much appreciated by trainers, who, with the present high prices of feed and labour, have a lot to contend with to make both ends meet at the conclusion of a season’s racing.

The success of the New Zealander, Snub, in the Sandringham Handicap (one mile and a-quarter), the principal event at the Victoria Racing Club’s birthday meeting recently held at Flemington, was another instance of the partiality of horses for courses (says a Melbourne writer), for he had not shown to any advantage in any of his races since he did so well at the V.R.C. autumn fixture, but he is evidently all at home on the longer stretches at Flemington, where he has plenty of room. His owner, who bets in a very modest manner, is said to have only had a trifling amount for a place, but some fortunate backers won fair sums, and the starting price was returned at 25 to 1. J. O’Shea is reported to have ridden a vigorous race on the Martian gelding, and it was only after a splendid struggle that he secured the verdict by a short head from Telecles in the good time of 2min. Bsec.

Prince Delaware, who generally manages to pick up a stake at the Trentham meetings, is an absentee from this week’s gathering of the Wellington Racing Club owing to the fact that he went wrong during the course of his preparation.

At a recent meeting of the committee of the Canterbury Owners and Breeders’ Association at Christchurch it was decided to write to the Railway Department in connection with the transport of horses, particularly on slow trains', asking that there should be a more expeditious delivery, and that there should not be so much shunting of horses at the different stations. In regard to the recent ballot as to whether the yards or the second system should hold sway, the voting numbers were 52 for the seconds system and 22 for the yards system. In connection with this controversy, the president (Mr. R. J. Munro) and the secretary (Mr. G. S. Simpson) were appointed the local delegates to the Dominion Conference, to be held in Wellington on July 11.

The Sydney crack, Kennaquhair, has been decidedly unlucky, in that he has run four seconds in his last five starts, as a result of which his owner received £1350 in stake money. In the Newcastle Cup Kennaquhair, carrying 9.13, was narrowly defeated by Mount Alf (8.5).

Evening Glow (Campfire—The Artist mare), who is a half-sister to the 1917 N.Z. Grand National Steeplechase winner, Master Strowan, so far has shown no special aptitude as a jumper. The five-year-old daughter of Campfire, who is owned by Mr. C. Keeble, started in flat races at Foxton and Pahiatua during the summer, but failed to show up prominently. Lately she has been ridden to the Manawatu Hunts, but though she may get on the winning list at some of the hunt club fixtures she has as yet given no indication that she is likely to turn out anything approaching her illustrious relative.

.When Sleight of Hand won the Karere Hurdles (one mile and threequarters) at the Manawatu Racing Club’s meeting on May 7 and returned his supporters a substantial dividend, his prospects of capturing other leading hurdle events before the close of the season were highly favourable, particularly in view of the fact that his engagement at Awapuni was the

first since he ran in the Grand National Hurdle Race at Riccarton in August last. Sleight of Hand was taken to Ellerslie for the Auckland winter meeting, where he enjoyed the distinction of starting a warm favourite for the Great Northern Hurdle Race, in which he fell. On the second day of the gathering he was well backed for the Remuera Hurdle Race, in -which he finished last through experiencing a recurrence of the bleeding which troubled him whilst working on the tracks the previous day. ’ His next appearance was in the Ahuriri Hurdle Race on the opening day of the Napier Park Racing Club’s winter meeting, but he tired over the final stages, and was the last to finish, Teka having fallen at the initial obstacle. It was not surprising in the face of this series of disappointments that Mr. F. Armstrong decided not to start Sleight of Hand at the Hawke’s Bay and Wellington meetings, though he intends to give the Mystification gelding a further chance of earning distinction at the Grand National meeting next month.

Recently a deputation representing the Stratford and Eltham Racing Clubs waited upon the Taranaki members of Parliament (Messrs. G. V. Pearce, Patea; C.. A. Wilkinson, Egmont; J. B. Hine, Stratford; and S. Smith, Taranaki) at Eltham, when Mr. W. Coleman, secretary of the Stratford Racing Club, in bringing the matter of the unfair allocation of racing days in Taranaki, quoted figures showing that the number of racing days -were fairly divided between the North and South Islands on a population basis, but the division in the North Island was not equitable. Taranaki, with a population of 55,925 (1916 census) had 11 racing days, while Hawke’s Bay, with a population of 54,263, had 33 racing days, and even deducting five of these which were in Poverty Bay district, Hawke’s Bay had 28 days; Wanganui, with a population of 74,194, had 26 days. Then in Taranaki itself, Hawera had four days, New Plymouth four days, leaving only three for central Taranaki, two at Stratford and one at Opunake. He also pointed out that the attendance at the Stratford meeting was as large as that at New Plymouth and Hawera, and they had, therefore, to provide the same facilities and appointments, while to do this they had only the revenue on two days’ rac-

ing instead of four. Taranaki had less racing days than any othei’ province in the Dominion. All four members of Parliament expressed the opinion that Taranaki was unfairly treated in regard to the allocation of racing days, and, while promising to give their support in the direction indicated, considered it highly improbable that any increase in the number of racing days in the Dominion would be granted until" next year, when the subject was likely to occupy the attention of the House.

Bon Reve’s showing in cross-coun-try events at Trentham this week will be watched with much interest, in view of his engagement in the Grand National Steeplechase next month. The son of Boniform— Dreamer made his first appearance at the Napier Park meeting after an 11 months’ absence from racing, when he contested the Park Steeplechase on the second day. Although he failed to secure a place he completed the course with his substantial impost (12.9), and showed a glimpse of his old form over the concluding circuit. When produced a week later in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase on the opening day of the winter gathering at Hastings, Bon Reve led the field during the final circuit, but faulty jumping was responsible for him coming to grief at the post and rails, but he was remounted, and as a result of both Styrax and Polthogue falling, he succeeded in catching the judge’s eye, but was disqualified owing to his rider failing to draw the weight. Though his jumping gives room for considerable improvement, his form was sufficiently promising to suggest that he should be cherry ripe for the Grand National meei. .ig.