TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1581, 12 August 1920, Page 13

TURF TOPICS.

The Grand National Hurdle Race will be run at Riccarton to-day (Thursday).

St. Amans, sire of Gold Kip and other winners, is to be at the stud at Te Aroha West this season. The Piedmont —Adele filly purchased by Mr. John Hay in Victoria has been sold again, and she is now owned in Palmerston North.

Polymelus, sire of Polydamon, his only son in the Dominion, located at Gisborne, is again at the head of the sires’ list in England with a commanding lead.

The six-year-old Maniapoto gelding Maniahera has been disposed of by Mr. D. McLean, of Bulls, to a Palmerston Noith sportsman, the price being £2OO.

Mr. G. M. Currie, the Wanganui thoroughbred horse and pedigree stock breeder, returned to the Dominion from Sydney via Auckland during the week. While in the Commonwealth he saw some racing, but nothing of outstanding excellence was racing.

The death of Mr. G'. Lendrum last week in Auckland removed from the scene one of the best-known figures of some years back in the horse world. The late Mr. Lendrum’s special line was in light and medium utility horses.

H. Lorigan has been retained to ride Paraoa in the Grand National Hurdle Race, L. Hegarty, who had previously been engaged, having taken the mount on All Talk. Hegarty has already won this event, on Sir Solo.

. While Harold Young is out of New Zealand on holiday, G. Young will do the riding for the Clifford stable. When H. Young returns, he will have the .Chokebore retainer, and G. Young will not be attached to the stable.

Prince Martian, Strategy, Murihiku, Seadown, Lady Penza, and Bairnsdale recently returned to Wellington after a prolonged sojourn in the South Island. The first-named trio were railed to Opaki, Seadown has been sent to Woodville, while Lady Penza and Bairnsdale are to be spelled at Miramar.

Applications are invited for the position of huntsman to the North Taranaki Hunt at a salary of £2OB per annum, with free house and 20 acres of land. Duties will commence on September 20, and applications must reach the secretary, Mr. E. L. Humphries, P.O. Box 105, New Plymouth, not later than Wednesday, August 25.

The three-year-old colt Weary Willie was operated on for throat troubles by the Christchurch vet. Mr. Martin on Friday last at Porirua. Mr. Paddy Doran, a keen mining enthusiast and agent, who spent practically all his days in Auckland or on the Thames goldfields, and was known to all sportsmen up to a decade or two back, died last week. Two untried fillies by Hymettus are to be placed by Mr. A. Murdoch (owner of Deviation) in E. Reed’s stable at Wingatui after the National meeting.

The 1916 Auckland Trotting Cup winner, Admiral Wood (Wildwood Junior —D.1.C.), was shipped to Sydney from Wellington on Friday last, and will upon arrival take up stud duty.

At the annual meeting of the Akaroa Racing Club, it was unanimously decided to make application to have the name of the club changed to the Banks Peninsula Racing Club. Mr. George Green left Auckland on Sunday night to be present at the New Zealand Grand National meeting,” where he has Thrace racing. Mr. J. Winter and a number of other Aucklanders made the trip, and the Waikato is also represented as a result of a number of provincial horses taking part thereat.

In consequence of a bad cold, which, has been troubling him for several weeks, H. Gray decided not to ride at the C.J.C. Grand National meeting. As the majority of races to be decided during the three days’ carnival at Riccarton are jumping events, opportunities for flat riders at the opening meeting of the new season are thus limited. Gray went through last year’s Grand National fixture without riding a winner, while he was not present at the previous gathering, being in Australia at the time.

In an announcement appearing in another part of this issue several thoroughbreds are advertised for sale of Mr. L. H. Collinson, care of Messrs. Collinson and Cunninghame, Limited, Palmerston North. The brood mare Splash (San Fran — Spring), who was a good performer, winning numerous races, including the Taratahi Cup, is being offered at 25 guineas; the chestnut four-year-old mare Sprinkle (Gold Crest — Splash), at 120 guineas; and the bay three - year - old gelding Bonibrook (Boniform —Splash), at 350 guineas. At last week’s committee meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club the following jockeys’ licenses were granted:—J. T. Beard, R. F. Burrowes, W. H. Bush, J. Campbell, H. G. Coker, D. E. Cotton, H. Donovan, F. E. Douglas, C. R. Emerson, W. C. Fielding, F. H. Gray (conditional three months), L. Hagerty, .J. T. Humphris, G. G. King, A. E. Lee (conditional three months), E. J. Ludlow, R. R. McSeveny, J. H. Miller, F. J. Murfitt, F. C. Porter, E. Redmond (conditional six months), W. Scobie, J. R. Trotter (conditional three months), S. Walls, F. Woods, A. E. Wormaid, H. Young (conditional four months), and G. Young. Permits were granted to C. P. Buckenham and J. H. Grigg to train their own horses. A case of interest to the sporting fraternity was heard in the Magistrate’s Court as Masterton recently. A boy named Horace Victor Wilton, a jockey, was charged with having travelled in a railway carriage without having paid his proper fare. Sergeant Miller said that Wilton, who was a jockey employed by a trainer named Tom Higgins, was found travelling in a horse box with a horse. He did not. have a passenger ticket. Inspector Stone said that he was inspecting on the train at Longburn. Upon examining the horse box he could not find anyone. He had a suspicion there was someone in the box, and called out. but no one came out of the truck. Witness then got a porter, and Wilton was found. He did not have a ticket. Witness then saw the boy’s employer, Tom Higgins, of Opaki, who said he had given the boy 10s. to pay his fare. Witness did not blame the boy, as he thought he had been put up to travelling without a ticket. After the incident at Longburn, Higgins paid for the boy’s ticket. His Worship said he was sorry he could not impose a penalty on the boy’s employer. If he could, he would have imposed a heavier penalty. Defendant would be fined £3, and costs.