THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1511, 6 August 1912, Page 7

THE TURF.

TRAINING AT RICCARTON. FAST WORK IMPOSSIBLE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Chrlstchurch, August 5. The rain and snow which foil at Ricenrton on Saturday had rendered the trades in a very-sloppy condition, and the severe frost experienced this morning made fast work practically impossible. Several horses were indulged in steady, pacing in the centre of the course/ but the majority were given:-walking exorcise. Tho Grand National Steeplechaso enndidato Antarctic was on the course, but seemed a triilo sore. Should tho weather keep fino somo interesting gallops ' should bo ; witnessed to-morrow morning. AUSTRALIAN STEEPLECHASE. ' By-Teleeraph-Prcss Aesociation-Copyricht .'. (Rec. August 5, 8.15 p.m.) _ ..Melbourne, August 5. Home Rule has ken scratched for tho Australian Steeplechase. 'HURDLER DESTROYED, . (Eec: August 5, 9.15 p.m.) '-. « v , Melbourne, August's. ~.. ■_ Monarch, who fell aud broke lis leg in ■ the Australian Hurdle Race, had to be .. destroyed., ' ' ~ _ NOTES AND COMMENTS. .XBi Glencoe.] , ■ ••■ The. only race-meeting .in- the North island this week is tho Manawatu Hunt -m, i m ?r '?£ at Awapuni to-morrow. The -Musketry gelding Overtime, who /■has been racing in and around Wangapui i -Hm I l l ? st tllreo years,, is now trained at Elierslie. • ■■.. .'.•.■ ••■•'.;'.- /One.of tho English sporting papers says tflat the.infrequency of- grey horses in ■ ■English racing nowadays, aud tho persihteiil way m which the colour ha's been preserved in Tagalie's pedigree, will 1;« Temembered with interest. It is a curious physiological fact , that once the grey colour-fails-to "produce itself in breeding a-line'of.horses, it is lost for ever, ingalies colour goes'back through an uninterrupted grey for nearly 200 . years to AlcocksArabian." ; ■ ■'.Che ei-Wellington Owner, Mr. J. Whit-' worth, took the Birkenhead gelding Elf. bolt. Fugue,' and -Black and Gold, to "the ; : , .Grafton meeting last'month, but had no •■' ? ,10 5, eSs With-■them. Elfbolt was injured /- in the Grafton Cup. Black and Gold lost ~ li-er rider, at' the beginning of, her, race ..- and Fugue was beaten by a head in ,tho ■big event \on the second day.:" .-' - " ; Speculation on the Eiccarton"treble lias ' , ™*P -very, dull during the last two days, but, with tho horses receiving their wind-ing-up gallops, new '-life" will be infused Into 'the market. .•'":'. , 'J- Eae, trainer of La Eeina and Tui ;■ Cakobau.wcnt south last evening to take charge-of the horses named, and givo . them their final preparation for the events in .which they, are to compete.at lUccar- . ton..'..:..■''• >Thb Wairarapa. representative Sir Lethe' ■:-. 'was sent south by the Maori last evening. ': - He lb -to fulfil his engagement' in the . •_. Rational Steeplechase, and will be ridden -,by K.Gray, of, Hastings. Mr. C. F. Val- ' lance,'owner of % Lethe, has laid -trainer J. Gravestock a wager of a motorcar if. his horse is successful in the big steeplechaso. ~' A rather amusing incident is reported from. Germany, though perhaps'some . : uf' ■ those concerned-may be scarcely disposedto regard it in that light, The Berlin mrcspoudeut of the London *'f)aily Mail says all the stewards ,qf the Hani»urg'Jockey- Club, under whose auspices the "German Derby" was run, have been - .challenged, to fight duds by Count Walter von. Koenigsiiiarok, in constquijpceirofjj a quarrel, which occurred during tho rice. In 1 order to see the course" better, the ■ Count stood on a chair on the roof of the grandstand..'.- An.utfendant asked Win to getdowji,'and.,wheji..he refused a..police-inan-came,-and started to lead him from > the course, in full view of the grandstand, which was crowded with. fashionable people, - including the. Crown Prince..! The ■ stewards'-af latest wero conferring at tho Union Club,. Berlin, to which Count Koomgsuiavck belongs, with a view to a bloodless settlement -of the' incident. I'rom the above it is,evident thero is" a: -possibility of some excitement.in being a steward in Germany. '.'.'." s ' .'. Some .surprise■■'• was expressed locally Il ' lt „, , r as ' knowll that S.--O'Neill had ridden Wimmera in tho Australian Hurdle'Bace,. instead 1 of T. Cahill, who had the mount on the Merriwee gelding when he. won in July. The reason .for the chango of horsemen' was' made apparent on the receipt of tho Sydney mail-last' evening, files, by. which brought the news j**'. Cahill and his client, J. Loughlin (both or whom ,hail from New Zealand) had been-, disqualified -for 12 months in connection with the, running of the re- ■ cently-purchased hurdle horse Joe, at Jloonee Valley.' In connection with the race, a Sydney paper states that (ho horse . in question was not severely handicapped, but for some reason he travelled badly in the betting market, and eventually the long odds were shouted out against him '. Joe; who m .his other races hero has. shown.-plenty o{ dash, was nearly always Jim. ? roar ' an< " never ra >sod a gallop, -the stewards held an inquiry, the upshot of which'was that Longhlin, as well as the rider,. T. Cahill, and the gelding, were disqualified for. twelve: months. Notice was given that an appeal would be made to the,V.R:C. committee Wgainst the decision. Unless the appeal is upheld. Homo Rule will not be eligible to run in ' the Australian Steeplechase; as he is own-, ed by. Longhlin. In' England about eight years/ago • the ruJo permitting four-furlong races for two-year-olds at certain periods o£ the year was revived, but on tho motion of Lord Londonderry it was repealed at a mcet- , ing of the English Jockey Club last month, and in future there will be no two-year-old race, run at a shorter distance than five furlongs. As a consequence of his disqualification by the Mooneo Valley Club, J. Loughlin . has decided to sell all his horses in training'on August Il'. The list includes the hurdle horse's Home Eule, Simple Simon, Joe, and a couple of two-year-olds by Birkenhead. ■ ■■■■■■ Thero was a curious reason for a mare named Chestermiss running badly at & I recent meeting at Moonee Valley (Victoria). Sho had a, tuft of turf kicked into her mouth during the race, and she coughed it up when being unsaddled. . ?.'• Amans, who won a number of races in Auckland last season, is this year to do stud duty m the 'i'e Aroha district. ■ At the. annual meeting of'the Dntinenrke Racing Club, the following officers were elected-.-President, Mr. G. Hunter, M.P.; vice-presidents, Messrs .Tas Armstrong and Jas. Neaglo; now coinl' inittcemen, Messrs.-W. G. Hunter -V AT Harrner, T. M. Webb, and W. G. Frameauditor, Mr. P. 0. Clark. The Grand Hurdle Race, run at 'Mitenil'on June 26, and worth .i'.ISSC, was* won by.the English horse Balva'dden owned by Mr. C. Bower Ismav, and trained, at Hodnesford by T. Coulthwaite