TURF TOPICS

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 23, 8 December 1900, Page 16

TURF TOPICS

By Seahorse.

Major George informed a Melbourne ■writer that he intended making another trip across with Seahorse. \Y. Price, a younger brother of George Price, rode Perfection in her engagements at Feildmg. Blue Jacket and Hohoro did not take any part in the Takapuna meeting, being reserved for Ellerslie. The C hristchurch Racing Club's Summer Meeting will be held on Thursday and Saturday of next week. Donald McKinnon and Dan McLeod have made a match between the two-year-olds Gatelock and Scotty for £1000 aside. T. OBrien, who rode Rubin at the Hutt, had the mounts on the winners of the Otago Cup and Federal Handicap at Wingatui. The reason why Melwood did not fulfil his Feilding engagement was because he incurred a 171b penalty by his two victories at the Hutt. Casabi-mca (St. Leger — Bianca), who was purchased with a view of winning a race or two at the Dunedin meeting, could only manage to run two seconds. The Dunedin horses St. Denis and Proposal did not show improved form at Feilding. They may journey on to the West Coast for the Christmas meetings. Crusoe has raced three years at the Wellington Spring Meeting without success, and won on each occasion a week later at Feilding. Horses for courses. The totalisator turnover at spring meetings all show a satisfactory increase compared with last year, viz. • Feilding, £1427; Takapuna, £1898; Dunedin, £3370. L. H. Hewitt rode Pampero, Brisa, at Wangatui. This well-known and La Reine for the Hon. Geo. McLean horseman journeys to the Auckland Cup meeting. Canteen is the youngest of a long string of winners claiming Vivandiere (Musket — Gorgi) as dam, including Son of a Gun, Three Star, Dayntree, Tauhei, etc. Hohoro accepted for the Railw ay Handicap at Auckland, in which he w as asked to meet Advance at a difference of lib. St. Peter and Hastings may prove the hardest horses to beat. Cannongate, who scored twice at Ellerslie, won the Steeplechase at Takapuna on Saturday last. He has a big show of winning the Auckland Summer Steeplechase, with lOsl 121b. After reviewing the Auckland Cup Handicap "The Probable" selected whatever beats Advance to win. When the weights were declared Advance was favourite in Auckland, at 5 to 1. Two big dividends were paid at Feilding last week. On the first day Discount (by Exchange) returned £52 for £1, and in the Final Scurry, on the second day, Beau Ideal (Handsome Jack — Pandora) paid fifteen supporters £50 18s each. Neither Fulmen nor Blazer took pa t in the Dunedin meeting. me fortuei i^ going to Auckland lor the Cuj>, ivl v-3 champion sprinter was doing ~ood work on the track a few days prior ro the meeting. Mr. Y. Harris does not intend to forr the West Coast Christmas meetings this stvison. He will probably have Strathuairn, Paladin, Magnificent, and Skipper — a useful team — at the Manawatu and Bulls meetings. The galloping Waiwera had at the Hutt must have improved him, as he won twice at Feilding, on the second occasion beating Hangfire on similar terms to those they met on here, when Hangfire finished in front. Satisfactory entries have been received for the Northern Wairoa and Thames meetings, which are run in opposition to the Auckland Racing Club. The veteran Panoply is entered at the Northern Wairoa meeting. Tortulla w ill represent the Poriru i stable in the Auckland Cup. Advance will iourncv up for the w.f.a. Auckland Plate, and Ostiak and Whitney for the handicaps. For four or five furlong Ostiak should keep Hohoro moving. Two of the grey Castor — Vivandiere family were in ci idence last week. Ar Takapuna, Dayntiee won the principal event, and at Dunedin the two-year-old Canteen scored twice The latter is owned by Mr. A. Moss, the respected Dunedin penciller.

The Hon. »J. D. Ormond's team for Ellerslie will consist of Ideal, Paphos, and Renown. Newspaper scribes, North and South, consider Advance was well treated by Mr. Evitt m the Auckland Cup. The conditions of the Auckland Summer handicaps do not provide for any penalties for winners engaged in the Cup or Steeplechase. In the Raihvay Handicap, Dayntree, Winsome, and Takapuna have each to put up 31b extra. Although Seahorse has been in work since hin return from Australia, he will not, I hear, sport silk till the autumn. He must be a wonderful constitutioned horse to stand the travelling and racing immediately after it he has done the last twelve months. The Sylvia Park yearlings will be sold on the 31st instant. The thirteen lots include a half-sister to St. Innis, now racing in Sydney, Explosion, and St. Gordon; full sisters to Nonette, Liquidator, and Leocant; full brothers to Miss Delaval, Beddington, and Woodstock. Murmur, the Wonderland gelding, who was in winning form at Carterton and Feilding, is turning out a worthy son of Whisper's, whose progeny have been slow to come to the front. First Whisper, who ran second in the pony race at Takapuna last Saturday, is one of them. Skobeloff is to be given a chance of breaking his maiden in the Auckland Cup. Formosan was withdrawn from the Railway Handicap as soon as Mr. Stead saw the weights. Menschikoff wil 1 probably be taken up for the Great Northern Foal Stakes, and another two-year-old for the Nursery Handicap. E. Cutts informs a Riccarton conespondent that Sir George Clifford's horses did not race on the second day at the Hutt owing to the manner in Avhich Mr. Evitt handicapped them. Glenogle was bumped on to the rails the first day, and was knocked about, while Scottish Minstrel shaped so badly that he could hardly have won with any weight. Concerning the Wellington Spimg Meeting, the local correspondent, of a Southern contemporary writes — '' It was pitiful to see the veteran Flying Shot pulled out in the concluding race of the day. The old fellow is now very infirm, and plodded along in the rear. There was no reason for starting him whatever, the action being really one of cruelty to animals." The Takapuna Jockey Club prior to the recent meeting considered the question of working the inside and outside machines together, and paying out one dividend, but decided not to alter existing arrangements at present. The most noticeable difference last week happened m the case of Dayntree, who paid £12 3s (inside) and £23 14s (outside). Scotty paid £17 11s (inside) and £12 14s (outside). There were no less than three twohorse races at Wingatui last week. The remarkable thing about two of them was the price the winners paid. Canteen paid £4 4s when he beat Red Gauntlet, but started at 5 to 1 on when he deieated Lady Babbie on the second day. Ln connection with these matches very often business happens away from the course which provides a turf tale. In the Stephenson Memorial Stakes there was £2 on Battler and £6 on Komuri. Battler won anyhow, and paid £3 12s. At the Dunedin Meeting last autumn Blazer paid 18s in the Railway Plate, there being no investors on Lady Madge, the only other starter. In the Wingatui Stakes the following day there was £1 on Blazer and £3 on Decoj . Blazer paid £3 12s. A judge of racing, who was at Feilding, tells me it was the best spring meeting the club has yet had. Mr. Henrys' Handicaps provided great finishes, especially m three events on the second day, and any other judeo but Mr. Hartgill would have had difficulty in placing the horses. Ruamahanga was unlucky to lose the Manchester Handicap. He was kept too far out of it during the first part of the race. Philanthropist won his race easily, and showed pretty good form through Perfection, who afterwards scored twice. This was Philanthropist's only start at the meeting. He is none too sound, ! and game. Beau Ideal, who won the Scurry, is the first of the Handsome Jacks to lace. He is a well-grown colt, shows a good deal of quality, and won rather easily. He is trained privately by Mr. J McKelvie. Mr. W. F. Mcßeth, of Kiwitea, owns Handsome Jack (St. Leger — Radiant). The Dunedin horses, St. Denis, Proposal, and Zither, have not yet become acclimatised to the North Island, but should do better later on. Rimu, who won the Hack Huidles> on the second day, is a bio: chestnut gelding by Wanderer (sire of Straybird), and shaped well at the Otaki meeting. George Price was on Discount nlion she won, ?nd Frank C'ochranc rode Waiw era eich time he won. There weie twelve tickets on Discount when she paid the big dividend, and fifteen on Beau Ideal.