THE TURF.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16749, 2 January 1915, Page 13

THE TURF.

Tho turf, like every other national institution, continues to be hard hit by tho rear. The loss o£ a prominent trainer in tho Hon Francis Lambton, brother of Lord Durham, has (our racing correspondent “Contour writes) been followed by tho death in action of the Hon W. It. WyntTbam, who was a member of tho Jockey Club and a well-known owner of racehorses. Mr Wyndhain was a gallant man inasmuch as ho had long since been retired from the Army, hut he was one of the. iirst to volunteer when war broke out. He had horses in training with Harry Sadler at Newmarket and. Harry Downey at Durrington in the West of kingland. Probably the best horse he owned at the time of his death was Matelot, but, of course, tho one that brought him most distinction was the Yvliitc Knight. This son of Desmond was bred and owned by tho late Colonel Tom Kirkwood, a fine type ol Irish gentleman. The White lvinght ran in .Spearmint’s Derby, and it was front that time onwards that he proceeded to make a namo for himselt. As a four-year-old ho won tho Coronation Cup at Epsom, and at Ascot he dcad'heated with tho , French horse Euler for tho Gold Cup. Tho latter was objected to for mqst palpable bumping and boring, and tho raco was awarded to tho White Knight. Tlo won tho Gold Cup at Ascot in tho following year, so that in every sense ho was a lino Cup horso, hut boyornl ail question his finest achievement was when he ran second in tho Cesarewitch to Demure, an animal that had been saveu for tho race, and was heavily wagered 01 The "White Knight carried the record burden of fist 121 b, and only iailed bj throe parts of a length to give close on 501 b to the winner. It was a great and memorable performance. Be °ro . horso had thus achieved this p P\ cia distinction, Mr Wyndhnm had acquired a half-sharo m him for £IO,OOO, and not long afterwards no bought Colons Kirkwood’s halfishare.. the horse, therefore, was his sole property when lie went to tho stud'm Ireland, has been fairly successful only last Saturday at Nvnidsoi a daughter of Ids named Granbrook wm a good-class Nursery. Mr Wyndham was well known socially, and where racsf/a rsrvtr SffiS? cISHkt ho readily timied all such thingsi asido when lie felt th Two U others 7 ' ’who were well known and who have died may be mentioned in Captain Bruce, who trained sora steeplechasers last season, and Captain Paget O’Brien Butler. The V s gallant dficor died ° f Tho chief handicap at the !llds( | r meeting on the opening day fell to lied Dennis, who belongs to Su Uil. Mover a city financier m a Lugo way do wns born in Germany, which tact was not allowed to pass without com meut. In one race, a welter banMcap of six furlongs, there were w h i s a than thirty-three runners, duc.i record for any one race at \\nasor and certainly a further indication that, if racing should bo stopped on *‘ count'of the war it will not be foi the reason that there are no hoisesi. ino favourite in the race was owned by Mr James Buchanan, but lie was beaten by a narrow margin by J-W'siy, “ throe-year-old. On tho second day ol the meeting a very well backed hoise in Mr V. Misa’s Ragtime King won the handicap of a mile and six furlongs. This horse has figured in steeplechases, and some day he r-.ay bo ce< l!Cl of as a wiunor of the Cesarewntcli. Tho present week lias neen brimful of racing. Thus the Lincoln meeting occupied Monday and. iuesday. On the first day we saw the Great Tom Plato won for Mr James Russel by Polycrates, a horse that was though at one time to possess a fair chance of winning the Derby. Ho is a son of Polvmelus, who .is quite a leading sire of tho times. On tho second daj Oliver Goldsmith put the Lincoln Autumn Handicap to the credit o. Mr “Fairio,” of Bayardo and Lemberg fame. Tlio winner has done well in flic Durham Handicap which Cheerful won at Newmarket. He was bred and used to ho raced by Lord Deroy. Perhaps the smartest two-year-old trained in tho north is Crevasse, who carried fist to victory m the Nursery. Hg is trained at Mai ton, in Yoilishiie* All Liverpool meetings are interestj n rr without exception. The course is /rood for seeing and the class of running Ts hi Mi. The four-day autumn meatincr followed immediately on Lincoln, ail'd ill the case of tho Lancashire Handicap the winner was forthcoming m the favourite, Haro Hill, who carried the colours of Mr Bower Ismay Ihw horse proved a big failure when backed

for tho Chester Cup and Manchester Gup early in the year. His task now was a. far different thing, and ho wm readily enough, his most formidable opponent proving to he Mr Ellis Potter's three-year-old Golden Rule, the Ktiowsley Nursery was marked by a bad start in which tho well-backed Pennant in Mr Huitou’s'colours especially suffered. The race was won by an outsider in X-Ray. who just beat a ureatlv expected light-weight candidate from Mr Gilpin’s stable. The King’s Twelfth Lancer was beaten for the Beclier Steeplechase by Lord Derby’s Noah. The fact greatly disappointed the crowd. ‘