TURF GOSSIP

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 257, 3 November 1906, Page 11

TURF GOSSIP

L.ndas was at the head of the winning stallions in England wlieu the last return was made up, and since then his son Troutbeck has won the St. Leger. Carbine was fourth on the list with £i:2,075. as agaixst the £1i350 of Jjadas. If Spearmint's race In France were counted, Carbine would be au ciisy lirst.

In OhJo an anti-betting law was passed recently purting a stop t-o betting on racecourses, sum one of the first clubs to hold. :i mooting subsequent to the parsing of the new Act was the Cleveland Trotting Association, ;i particularly wealthy hotly-, it was decided to thoroughly observe the new lnw, but as it was recognised that a meet- | ing without betting muse result iiu a loss a large guarantee fuud was raised. All things considered, the public supported the meeting really well, but still si loss of £100U resulted. However, In another State, where an antl-liettlng law was iv rogue. Those eonverned did not lake matters sn quietly, and at the New England Breeders' Association meeting at Keadville (Bosrouj the l>ookmakers, notwithstanding the jaw, were hard at work when rhe police swooped down aud arrested the lot. However, the Court decided that while pool-selling was illegal, there was nothing wrong about individual betting:, provided no 'ticket or token was passed, and the -bookmakers were at work uigaiu before the conclusion of tho meeting. The news that Gans, the coloured conqueror of Battling: Nelson, and Tod Sloan, ■rlio jockey, were to star on the stage has aroused the indignation of one of. tlis theatrical critics "of the New York papers, and he refer? -to the two cases in scathing terra?. Of Sloan he says:—Then there is Tnrl Slo.-in, n discredited jockey. Sloan is ■a little, weazened person, shrill, unattractive. It has been years since he was permitted to ride on tracks ji round New York, ■and he is barred in England also. Now it. is announced that he has signed to appear for '-!7 weeks in a sketch, at the •'largest salary" ever paid one player by tho manager who employs him. What advertisement for the manager! lie a man who cannot, act. who cannot even talk lourl enough to (ret his voice over the foollight?, who has reached middle age without the slightest stage trainiug. and gives him more than he pays first-rate performers who wiil supporr ihe jockey. One plea.s- I irip thing about: the Sloan engagement is ' This: lie will not. appear here; lie will not annoy American audiences with his piping voice and petty vanity. He is to play all of rhe twenty-seven weeks iv England. If i they like him over there, let them keep him.

Superstition dies hard, a? the following story shows: —Tim disgusted punter — ho had hacked four seconds at Doncnstcr. linyland, and was wondering when the luck was going to change—sat in the corner or the hotel snug. The duster had not been applied tn ilje celling for a few days, as ihrrc was n tine big cobweb right above the punter's head: but he did not uollce jt. As hfi sat then? n spider c-arac drifting along gently at the enri of it? invisible web. It seemed to lie aiming right, for his lap. and ■■• man next to him called his attention to it. "Taat spider's going to light on you, sir," he snld. •■Thank yon.'" said the punter, keeping his eye. on the in&ed. lv a few minutes a man across the table saw the spider and warned the turfman. "That spider's aiming for you. mister." he said. •'I sr>p him." he said: "let him alomV 15.v this time nearly tho whole room full of people was interested, and as? the tiny insert came closer to his knee the man's suspense was !:een. . "J'.i«t a little bit nearer, just a little hit," he said, gazing rapturously at the spider, and then as it ljnully lit on hi.s knee. "Ah. 1 was afraid He was going- to miss mc. Now I'll Rarely wiu a bet to-morrow, and, L/oril knows, it's about time.' . And on the strength of. the prospective Win li. *tood drinks round. The KngUsh St. L*ger sfHfuis in have been a very unsatisfactory race. Writing at it in the '•lllustrntfrrt Sporting and Dramatic News," "Kapler" said:—"A thoroughly unsatisfactory St. lieger, from a bad stiirt t<> :i bumping finish. Just when a starter is naturally anxioue to do best he does worst. (Such a scramble for n selling plate would not matter, but this was the Leger: wo were making Turf history. A. couple or horses were giving trouble 'at the post. Mr V.Tlnnghby. careful, competent Conscientious, was evidently waiting till they sot straight: one of them turned round, and was approaching the gnte. when It was unexpectedly raised. storm was hopelessly leit. He might just as well have stayed lv l-ranee for all the chance he had. nn<i 1 am very sure that this will jrrieve nobody more, than Mr Wilioughby. who was eager to give the fairest of fair chances to the stranger i.'r" ' v . WhP " :l M S field starts for v Handicap hurdle race there is occasionally BCBlu bumping towards the tlnleh. but 1 never remember to have wen. on any racecourse, such a combination of skittfes and prlo as did duty for the Leger this week. 80 !ar as ] could see. it was Prince WUlam (hat knocked Keystone 11. sldewavs at the moment Al.iher was about to mn mare for the run in. Trouble had begun thu '" thls ' At xho Btnrt l neueve eie'i, r rn ; nn Trol ' tt,f "'k. wan knocked J™,™'f Up saddle, but he had time to to give their dangerous caricature of a linthe m »)Ti" y jrckl '- v hnd lUs own version of in£ ra^ fer - exonerating himself and blamnewp IJ «etlc a ily the Leg.r was

• •Pi' ~' ..■ ll - Stevens, a writer in the mesfrt!" ™/f : : 4n which amused sv« ft j v? e i'ri toW ln the " Great Ga!nc -" th. it, , r - Abl "Ston's horses, trained at rtil I? 00 . was ° Pwerfnl man In the sadhavin T l a P? rtl ™larly graceful one. and, In 1? Z V ln I'retty nearly every stable i^T?', , ;" 11 t;o KPt l )lpQr J" «f "din?, it! i v °, f 1j,,5 moun,s: wre firs t favonri r\ v tht> l ' ettin e- I "hall ripver forget a woful exhibition of his at oor bank holiday meeting: at Krypton Pnrk. There were but three runners-it was a hunters' twomiie flat race— and 7 to 4 was laid on Mr. Ah ftiSton s horse. That is to say. those En**» T ie^ c lai<l by careless backers who nan railed to notice that 'the Sqnlre" w;is in no sort cf condition for rare-ridins. As si matter of fact, he had to hold the horse tight by iUe reins oil tile way round in order to keep his balance. He. never moved in the saddle, and. with his head loose, the ravoitrltf! would have won in a canter. Aa it was. he was 'rapped' on tho post by 6ora«thlng ridden by Mr. 'Chrie. , Waller, btrnnge to say, there was very little fuss made over the defeat of tin- favourite on the part of the outside public. A few uncomplimentary remarks as to the disadyantascs of irnlulng for raee-ridlug on neat brandy, and tiic advantages of a 'balaiic-ing-pole" under i-ertaln {.■ircuinstanoes, were liazarrtrd by thu oeoupant.s of the paddock, and that was all. Bui it was us good as a play to watch the countenances of tho trainer, W. v. Sterotis. and his brother 'Tom. , after -the Squire' had dismounted. thrown his saddle across the. weighingroom, nnd stared straight in front of" them into vacancy. The Stevpnses. it was said, wore -well on" tho second, in the belief that, nothing could prevent him winning. And there they sat, two sad mutes, on a bench just outside the weighing-room door. And presently Willinm pulled a time-table of the trains out of a pocket, and, after studyIng it fur a while, handed it 1<» his brother for confirmation. And then, in single file, the twain walked, :it funeral pace, out of the paddock in the direction of Uie station, and we saw them no more lhat day."

(By WHALKBO.NE.)

Englijli writers seem sliil very prejudiced against -the starting gate 'and the American weat, aud a writer In the "Pink Un, pens the following:—My views as to '.he reckless riding of many jockeys of the present day liave been fully tudorsed by other writers. But whoever tabes this matter in hand offleially would do well to recollect that the present system of startin,?, or stirring ■em up, is mainly responsible for the eccentric methods pursued by both horses and riders, tihe last-named of whom are additionally handicapped with Ihe "forward" seat, whose principaJ defect is that it deprives <tihe jockey of whatever control orer his horse iho njjgiit otherwise possess. 1 am still open, to back tha

"poker-back" method of race-riding agnin&l ■the "monkey-on-the-stick." and those wha have weighed the subject carefully eouiii not be convinced otherwise. After all, what is to be expected from ■starting horses at a stand. It is un-' natural: some horses jump off quicker than others, they cross nnd buiup aud jostle each, other, and tho jockeys with 'the m-odevu J fashionable seat are nnnWe to steer tliem. Hen-ue all fehe talk of objections and foul riding, and the recriminations in weighingrooms, which it is not pleasant to hear or hear of. And hence, also, a? I have, pointed out. more than once, the increase ot badtempered horses. Was ;nere ever sucii a display on a r-aecourse as-that just before . rhe start for the Doncaster Cup? 1 An old friend whom I met at Doncasfer drew my attention .to one thins In respect ■to tho modern seat. lie said that when ;i man is .sitting on a horse's shoulders, with his hands haifway up his neck, the bit Is not In the right plate. It should be on ihe bars of the moutli, hangiug lightly ou them, and then, with a horse that has an ordinary mouth v touch is all .that is necessary, liiiu with the bit up in the roof ut the horse's mouth and against its corners, he naturally gots just where she likes. My friend. 1 may say. is a very flue horsi .*au, and was one of the most successful gentlemen riders Of his day.

A writer In the "Sporting Chronicle" 13 responsible for the following :—lt Is n thousand pities that the race for the Gimcraoi Stakes last week was associated with auy such contretemps as should rui.ua favnurili.- d chance, bring more or Kfis discredit upoii a prominent horseman, aud create enmity iv the jockey's room, for in the ridiug ranks at lea/st. this, kind of. business pays a premium on reprisals, and the upshot of pnuws is that on S'«me other occasion a vvell-hacted flnrse may be denied a fair Held in an important race, and the public as usual, nut lorgettlng the owner, will have to suffer. The knowledge that the days of "jockey comhince" Is gone has established a ieclin£ of security no doubt, although non-triers, like the poor, will be always with us. Bui it Is far from satisfactory to know that jealousy amongst certain knights of tho pigfckin. if it does not foster malice, at least provokes a good deal of uucharltablenoscs. and anyone who has closely watched racjUK of late must have observed that notions at common courtesy and fair play arc lnTerprototl in n very elastic fashion, and that liio unwritten law of "give and take' , is honoured too frequently iv the breach. A wants to take everything and wlil give nothing, goes for ground to which he has barely a right, wont even pull his horse out of tlie way although beaten—and all that sort of thing. Some other day i; or C have opportunities of squaring the account, and without, actually infringing regulations, occasion obstruction by neatly devised tactics which may pass in broad daylight as pure accident. In a quiet, almost imperceptible manner one jockey can do a vast amount of harm to the chance of :i rival, and it may be known to the two alone whether it was uniutenlionul or whether an old score wue being paid off. It is only human nature after all to redress a grievance in one's nw;i particular fashion without citing a case for magisterial ears. Certain jockeys ilo complain that certain other jockeys have a way of •■lordius" it over their brethren of lon-rr social rauk, and take liberties which pa>c> for "daring horsemanship." In the saddle, as in the cricket Held, rivalry and gentlemanly behaviour should go hand in hand, and we see and read of too many case.; where jockeys Jiave been cautioned as to their future behaviour, to feel sure that this Is so. The York Incident was particularly unfortunate. The trouble occurred at a point too far distant for those who were called upon to adjudicate to be able to dispose of it without seeking the evidence nt others. All this, of course, tends to dig up the old grievance that a good deal of what occurs in racing Is quite sight of by olflclal eye.--. Anyone can see what takes place near the winning post. Stewardship lo be thorough, then, should materially enlarge its focus, and extend Its operations farther down the course. ..Nothing to whica exception could be taken might be observed, but the very presence of a responsible authority would act as a deterrent.

The •■Australasian" "uas live following leading article on the Gambling Bill now before the Victorian Parliament:—lf it had not hern for the Colllngwood '•tote" and r !ie Bourke-street betting clubs, we should have been saved all this botlier about betting , - As it is, there is a danger of raring, whicu was going along as smoothly as could be wished under V.R.C. rtlrection, being interfered with by Parliament. The whole trouble has arisen through the failure of the police to shut- up tho famous tote. Tim law now must be as strong as in the flays when the list shops in Boiirke-streol we'ru abolished, about liiTO. Later on Ihe .aw was found .strong enough to drive several leading bookmakers our of their tobacynisls" shops. Why cannnt the police sec-uro convictions now? it looks as though tho gambling boss of to-dny is a much smarter ■in an th:ui the bookmakers tho police I,ad to deal with in the earily seventies and Into eighties. The Syduey hill has reached the •third reading stage in the Legislative Council. Tiyo sensible amendments were made.. Betting on the racecourse is approved, and tho advisory board of live is not to iitirfere with fixing dates for registered taring. That work—if the Assembly agrees—wit still be done by the A.J.C. The pony clubs are to get their 72 days., but tho A.J.C. will not be interfered with. The ameiidineii: .prohibiting newspapers from ppblishius future betting was? allowed to remain in the bill. This provision is not likely to prevent betting, but it will give the Dookmakcr a decided advantage over his client. The A.J.C. committee, Mr Knox statea, gave -no advice to the Attorney-General ooucernliig his bill. As the controllers of legist ered. ■racing in New South Wales, it would h.tve been better if Mr Knox and other iii u !i.ib'.v3 of the club had assisted Mr Wade. We are. glsd to sco that, the V.X.C. committee are gong .to place their views before Mr Cv;nt and Sir Samuel Gillott. A sub-eommluee eat on Saturday aftprnoon consider iig the bill, and 'ater on some suggestions will ho made to the Govemm .-nt. If racing i- to be jnterfered with it will lie bad for cite J\ar«febreedhic: industry. Wo know one owner who has 40 brood mores .and 20 liorsos i;i training. This sort of mail should l>o rncouraged, not forced io s-oiirl liis iirtod mares out of the country just because th« pojice cannot pu7 Okxii tote :iud betting shops. However, ft may be that as far ;m registered racing is concerned, th"re will be no Interference with legitimate clubs, mid the V.X.C. may bo loft in charge Fl«oiiiifrton only rnees on in days in Nj.o vcjr, and rfce bill allows for that. Mr Wren, who lins lpasfirt tho different pony po.ur.scs. i^

indignant at only ]f> days being allowd !f. r eacli course, lie sees In the provi.-I'in ;.n attempt to c«t :it him. and he bin me* !!•<• V.X.C.—not Mr Juclkius iiurt his pnrty—for having suggested tlio number of days. 11 is not likely the V.R.C. would Iw> bothered about Mr Wren and his pony courace. He does not interfere with the V.tt.C. or a:..v of tlie clulis nu'lng under li. Then , luny bo very little legitimate excuse for piny l.iiiii'. but it attracts a different '-Kiss of po.ipi,, from the other meetings. a«<l there Is no reason why it should be nnrrled t> eve if..; as wim (lone in Sydney lately. StiU, if t>> days is enough racing for Flenj'ngfon, why should ii pony course hov'n more? Because it cannot lie made to pay without raoro days, Mr Wren would say, hut. Parliainun.l may not fevl concerned with that view of the matter. The stoc-fnrlong limit will, it Is said, put an end to Richmond as a racecourse. Some dwellers in Richmond win rejoice (it this; others will regret the loss of In.- little course. It will bo a pity If thii> Victorian Club has= to go. The little bottlus thai , goes ou then- duty is dove anion-,-members, and it was a convenient pla* , ■? for settling. Bettinj; on raw"cour.=es is lo be allowed. Where are people to Kettle? Kill if thnt wonderful clause to the effect that a man may recover at law money lest in betting is carried bookmakers may feel chary about betting at all. Sir tsniiiurl Gillott was understood to say that people mi the tint at Fleinington will not b«' allowed to bet. Fflucy n Cup Day with 110,000 on the flat and uo bettius' How, we waniler, does Sir Samuel propose to stop the, flattites betting if they vnxnt to? The Goverumen will require a very large police, fortvo to carry out all they are attempting in their Gambling and Liceusing Bills, Apnvt from other considerations, tho averajJ'fc policeman would, wo think, be liieliued tr> look the otue.r ■way when lie thought iv bet was about to be made, Most policomen nre Irisb.niefl,.«ifl moat ajia sflOVtsluce*