THE TURF.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2411, 28 January 1909, Page 2

THE TURF.

' NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By “Styx.”) ■ 1 The Grand Prix tie Paris will this ybar bo worth £15.000, and will bo run for four weeks after the English Derby, which wall 'be am off in July. ■ Carbine’s most' successful descendant last season ip tiie Old Country was Glacis, who captured stake money to the extent of £2900. Royal 'Rouge (by Florizel If.), who was once fancied for the’ English Derby, and 'who was offered for sale at 7000 guineas, is now steeplechasing. Just before the mail left England lie won a small selling steeplechase, in .which he had only one opponent. The Dorchester marc Helen Portland, who has not claimed the attention of the judge since she was three years old, is reported to he again in work.'' Helen Portland, it will he remembered, won the'Great Northern Oaks at ’Ellers!ie in the autumn of 1907. The committee of the Victoria Racing Club are not apparently going to allow the Australian Jockey Club to have all the honors for building up the stake money in connection with weight-for-age events, as they have decided' to increase the added money to the All-aged Stakes to lOOOsovs.

The Auckland-bred gelding English (by Explosion—Laetitia), who is racing in New 'South Wales, ran a dead-beat for the Burrungurroolong Plate, I;, mile, on the opening day of the Tiranna Picnic iR.C. meeting. As only three horses contested the race there was very little merit in tlie performance of English. The Indian sportsman who invested 2000 guineas in the purchase of the Sydney Oup winner Realm has experienced very had luck with the soil of Alajestic. First of all an attack of fever settled him for many months, and nt the commencement of last month ho developed lameness to such a degree that ho had to be thrown out of work. Willie Shaw, the American rider, who recently returned from Germany, says that over there a man who will hot the equivalent of £1 on a race is considered a plunger. "While the betting is a. very small consideration in the sport-, all the owners are desperately in earnest in the racing, and larger wagers may ho made privately between the owners of rival horses.

A Wellington writer, speaking of Blue Ribbon’s win in the Wellington Cup, says:— She won 'fairly comfortably at the finish, ’and quite justified the reputation she has attained for being a thorough stayer. It might have been a stroke of luck that she missed the Manawatu Cup, hut had she succeeded in that event, the extra weight she would have incurred might not have stopped her at Trentham. She has certainly proved a great bargain for Mr F. Dorset, who secured her at the Wellington Park sale in December, 1905, for 40 guineas. As a two-year-old she avas not raced, and last season she Avon a hack race at the Otaki winter meeting. She commenced the present season by winning a race at the Trentham Spring meeting, and has been racing AA'ell ever since. Captain Shannon, who Avon the Stewards’ Handicap at Riccarton in 1906, and ran third in the Oa’kleigh Plate at Caulfield last February, is apparently returning to form, as ho was only beaten by a head in the Flying Handicap at Mentone (Vic.) last Saturday week. An account of the race says that he should have Avon, but the hoy was unable to ride a good finish. The encouragement that is given to cross-country facing in France 4s shoAvn by the big stake money Avhieh is being offered by many clubs. At "the Nice race meeting, Avhieh commenced on. January 7, the three principal events \yere the Grind Prix Steeplechase of 4000.50 vs, Prix de Monte Carlo Hurdle Race of 2000 sovs., and the .Grand Cerele de Nice Steeplechase - (weight-for-age), with 1200sovs added.

In his recent publication, “Horses of the British 'Empire,” Mr Humphrey de Trafford, says, among other things, eulogistic "of Persimmon “ A Royal Emperor fed a "favorite with gilded oats out of a golden manger, but in all ancient or modern history no such sum has ever been offered for a horse as 100,000sovs, yet that is the price King Edward VII. of England refused for Persimmon.”

The 36th Wellington Gup, decided last week at Trentham, was rendered memorable by reason of the record field of 18 horses-lining up at the post. M.r Pollock was given credit for framing a capital handicap, and if it brings joy to a weight-adjuster’s heart to succeed in heating the great bulk of those who were engaged in endeavoring to find the winner, then the Wellington handicappe.r had good reason to be in u very jubilant frame of mind. The upshot of an interesting race was that , two four-year-old mares (Blue Ribbon and Muskerry) fought out the issue, a neck victory being entered up for tho first-named. That there was no loitering on the road, ample proof is forthcoming, as the 12 furlongs were, cast behind in 9min. 3-ssec; ■and it can be said for Blue (Ribbon tbit she won her race at the right end. A victory for Blue Ribbon was in every way well deserved fo>r in tho decision of tho Manawatu Oup on Baxing Day she ran the winner, Tangimoana, to a short head.