Turf Topic

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 45, 11 May 1901, Page 16

Turf Topic

Waterford's half-brother, by Captain Webb, will be known on the turf as Lifebelt. Peerage was returned to Christchurch recently, and is again a denizen of Lonsrlale Lodge. Ringlet's brother Ringinan has been engaged by Mr. A. Paterson in the Wanganui Guineas and Wairarapa Hack Guineas. Captain Russell's Tigress and Andromeda (St. Andrew — Arondel) have been recently added to R. Gooseman's Hastings' string. The Wanarapa light-weights, C. Cress and S. Jackson, rode the winners of the principal races at the Manawatu meeting last week. Rosella, Nonette, and Beddington were aboard the Mapounka when she encountered a gale last week, but did not sustain any injuries. Mr. P. F. Tancred, whose "canary and blue" jacket appeal's to have been laid aside, was present at the Wellington and Manawatu meetings. The hurdle marc .Marina has been put into work again at Riccarton. Should she train on satisfactorily, she will not be ready much before August. N. McKay, a light-weight in A. Shearsby's stable, who sustained some injuries when Jemima played up with him at Tauheremkau, was sufficiently recovered to journey to Hawera this week. Three recent winners, who were not expensive purchases, and who paid good dividends, were Dormant, thirteen guineas, dividend £10 18s, Macintosh, twenty-one guineas dividend £26 3s, Despatch, seven guineas, dividend £76 15s. Long Tom will have to show some improvement on his Hutt form to have any chance at Dunedin with list 121b over a mile and three-quarters. Manna (lOst), if anything like well, would be the hardest to beat. Mr. Percy Herman, formerly connected with horses in Napier, PaJmerston and Wanganui, has put two horses in D. Taggart's hands, at Riccarton. They are Furious Boy (Somnus — Fame), a rising tw r o-vear-old brother to> Fashion, and Foreman (The Workman — Snowflake), a rising three-year-old colt. This youngster is half-brother to Element (dam of Fakir). Dr. Bill will probably make his re-ap-pearance in the Wanganui Steeplechase. He has been going really well in his work, but one morning last week made a faulty jump, when being schooled. J. Telford, a brother to H. Telford, who rode the Doctor last season, rides the son of Gipsy King in his work, and will ride him when the colours are up. Voloe, who recently won at Avondale, was, a fortnight back, purchased by Mr. S. Bradley, at Messrs. Duder's clearing sale, for 131 guineas. Mr. Biddlc\ formerly owned the New Zealand Cup winnei, Tnipulse. As Voice paid £-">2 (>s, the purchase money was probably repaid with interest. Volee is a full-sister to Cuirass, a promising colt, who sustained fatal injuries at Avondale. Despatch, who paid the sensational dividend of £76 15s at Avondale, has evidently escaped Sir Geo. Clifford's notice. A four-year-old gelding of the same name, bv Somnus, won a hack race at the Waipukurau meeting on Easter Monday. I would suggest the name of "Dividend" for the Auckland vounester, who is by Saracen — Dunoon (Bundoora— Roseneath). She was one of the team the Hon. H. Mo&man took North. The Queensland sportsman disposed of the filly by auction for seven guineas. Mr. Thos. Morrin, who was present at the Canterbury and Wellington autumn meetings, has returned to Auckland, and expressed himself pleased at the success of Wellington Park bred youngsters. It would be a difficult matter to eonvinco anyone that Cruciform was better than Menschikoff after the latter's form at the Hutt. Had Menschikoff finished in front of Cruciform at Riccartoa, the Sylvia Park sire (Scaton Delavel) would have headed St. Leger in the two-year-old list. Mr. Stead also came to Mr. Morrin's assistance on the second day at the Hutt, when the Wellington Park bred San Patricia downed the Sylvia Park youngster (Nonette). But for these three races, Seaton Delavel would have been a long way ahead.

Plain Bill will probably be seen out at the Wanganui meeting. Tho Hon. J. D. Ormond has exchanged the Wellington steeplechase winner Morag for Spindrift, a smart polo pony by Spinfeldt, who competed successfully at the Polo Club's meeting at Miramar. The yearling brother to Ostiak has been named Sergius, after Sergiuj, Stepmak. The Hotchkiss — Sybil filly has been christened Dodona. They have been engaged in the Wanganui Derby. The jumping horse Drum Major (Cuirassier — Norine) was shipDed to Sydney last week from Auckland. Record Reign and Minerva followed on Monday. The latter pair went across in charge of J. Gainsford. At the Albury (Victoria) meeting last month, Dundee, by Dunkeld (Apremont — Athole) ran third in the Cup to Palmerston (by Escutcheon), and won the Hume Handicap. Yum Yum, by Mikado 11. (Apremont — Forget>-me-not) ran second in a welter handicap and won a Ladies' Bracelet. Man of Honour (Trenton— Maid of Honour), who won the principal race at the April meeting of the Victoria Racing Club, was bred at St. Albans, and is rising seven years of age. He is owned and trained by Jas. Redfearn, and ran ten furlongs in 2min 9jsec. He won in a canter, and should be looked for in some of the big handicaps next spring. A well-known Aucklander experienced a royal day in his betting operations on the Wellington and Avondale meetings. He invested £13 on Dormant for the Hack Handicap at Wellington, with instructions that if it came off the profits were to go upon Palaver in the Autumn Handicap. Both wagers came off, and the ring were as a consequence relieved of over £700. On the same afternoon the same backer had a pound on Despatch, in the Avondale Nursery Handicap, over which a dividend of £75 15s was paid. Not a bad afternoon's work, truly. In an article on "Nomenclature," "Milroy" writes — Nearly every "Haut" in the French language has been used up to name the sons and daughters of Haut Brion, and already owners are cudgelling their brains to fit their youngsters with a Haut that has not been used. Musket and his sons fairly cleared out the supply of warlike titles, and nearly every metal in existence has found place in the Turf Register since the stock of Metal began to win. and so scarce have metals become for naming purposes that Mr. J. R. Smith had to resort to Hoop Iron and Iron Hoop. We may now confidently expect a "Tin Can," a "Wire Nail," an "Iron Pot," or the like as the high-sounding metals become gradually used up. In order to fit in with the Auckland Racing Club's meeting, on June Bth, 10th, and 12th, the Haw kes Bay Jockey Club have put their winter dates back a week, to June 27th and 29th. The Napier Park Club will have to alter their dates to the following week. ■ These postponements will not in any way interfere with the Wellington Racing Club, which have fixed the dates for their winter meeting for July 17th (Wednesday) and 20th (Saturday). If the Wairarapa Racing Club get a permit for a steeplechase meeting, the first week in August might be found suitable to hold the gathering. The Wairarapa Hunt Club used to hold meetings at Tauherenikau. The last was held in 1895, when Dromedary won the Steeplechase. Two unfortunates came under my notice on Saturday (says "Boz," in the "Observer"). There was nothing unusual about the mode of the misfortune of either, but their long-drawn faces and woe-begone appearance was illustrative of the keen disappointment which the missing of a few pounds on a big dividend imparts. The first, green as the Ellerslie turf in spring, had readily parted a crown to a stranger for Volee, saw it put on, but saw neither the stranger nor the dividend afterwards. The second, of more dry than verdant character, had his crown in, but such a forlorn hope was beyond his expectations, and compelled him to withdraw it. Both these two, and a few others like them, will be seen again at Ellershe The one will never be so green again, but will clutch his crown desperately till he feels his ticket . the other, cursing his dryness, will bend just a little to sentiment, and be the same distance off collecting a dividend as ever he was.

to her health, and for which her peculiar deftness of hand or niceness of touch are suited. Yet, m many cases the male operatives boldly come forward and ask that the sacred preserves of their particular trade — whatever it may be — shall be ring-fenced and barricaded by the law, for the exclusive use of that sovereign creature, Man, with the union brand on his forehead • • • We never hear of women banding themselves together, and making the same arrogant demands for the expulsion or exclusion of male labour from occupations which seem to be their peculiar province Still, if the male trades unionist carries on this game of sexual monopoly of particular trades, why should not the female trades unionist hit back with the like weapons, and adopt similar tactics? Woman, for instance, might claim that man was entirely out of his proper sphere in vending gloves and ribbons, hosiery and dress materials, or Manchester goods, behind a shop-counter She might demand that all woman's peculiar wants and necessities shall be supplied and ministered to by women Natuie has designed her for the care and control of children Therefore, why should she not insist upon a close monopoly of the teaching profession, and drive the male intruder to other avocations where his physical superiority may be turned to account ? • • • The truth of the matter is, trades unionism is working this industrial conciliation game to death. Compulsory shortening of hours of labour and enhancement of wages m one trade excite the cupidity of other trades and lead to similar demands. The natural laws of supply and demand are replaced with purely arbitrary and artificial conditions, and the cost ot living all round keeps pace with, if it does not outpace, the rise of wages. • ♦ • Milk, meat, coal, bread — all the necessaries of life — have been steadily going up in price. At the same time, industrial profits are (Steadily shrinking. The manufacturers are declaring they are increasingly unable to compete against foreign productions, m spite of heavy protective imposts, and enterprise is being throttled. So far the colony has been living through a cycle of fat and plenteous years. With the first keen breath of adversity the trades unionist will realise the fool's paradise he has prepared for himself.

"Nldile Do'oios' solo pianist )s Mi Robcit Clarence Newell, a p^er'of the quiet and reliable sort. He was 01ganist and choirmastei of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, in San Francisco, and also conductor of the Orpheus Male Choir in the same city, and resigned both appointments in order to ]oin in the present concert tour. By the \\a\ the popular cantatiice takes her new titlo of Do'oies from a grandmother whose Christian name it was. • • * Mdlle. Dolores's (Trebelli) opening concert at Sydney was a complete success. The cantatrice gave "Adieux Foret," by Tschaikowsy (a fine scena from the opera "Jeanne D'Arc," expressing Joan's pathetic adieu to home and country on departing under Divine inspiration to lead the French into battle) . "Tre giorni" (Pergolese), "Isolina" (Masini), "Carnival di Venise (Masse), "O mistress mine" (a.d. 1600), "The mermaid's song (Stanger), ' I attempt from love sickness to fly" (Purcell), the wellknown lccitative and ana from "Carmen," 'Je dis que," ''Let mo wander not uii.sc<'ii ' (Handel), and songs by Liszt, Bellini, and Gounod. It will be

noticed that her programme is quite uc>w - Mdlle. Antonia Dolores' second concert was just as successful as the first, and the cantatnee furnishes quite as large a propoition of the programme as of Aort Out of nine items, her shate was six. and these six meant twol\c songs, without counting in encoics. Among her selections were Scudari's •Dormi Pur," a splendid specimen of I lie serenade, two old English songs of the sixteenth century, by Wilson and Purcell, "Dv Gai Soleil" (Massenet), Verdi's grand aria from "Rigoletto," "Caro Nome." and three single items, "Vous Qui Me Fuyez" (Duverney), the "Polacca," from "Mignon," and "Chanson Musette" (Thorne), the "Page's Song/ from "Un Ballo," "I'm Ower Young to Marry Yet," and the famous "Laughing Song,' 'of Auber. The old favourites are therefore associated with many other gems of song that she did not previously introduce. * •* * Miss Sheen, a native of Featlicrston, la cast for a leading part in the Wellington amateurs' production of "lolanthe."

'Tis said, over on the "other side," that George Musgrove is paying Madame Ella Russell, the new prima donna of his Grand Opera Company, a salary of £150 per week. • • • There was £410 in Her Majesty's, Melbourne, on the occasion of the hundredth performance of "Florodora." Another record broken ! George Lauri's "business" as Tweedlepunch, showman, phrenologist, hypnotist, and palmist, is said to be ' immense."

Mrs. Dion Boucicault — Agnes Robert^ con — is about to return to the stage. She is sister to Mrs. Kendal, who earned her fame as Madge Robertson, and both were sisters to Thomas Robertson, the author of the domestic comedies of "Caste," "Ours " "School," "Society," "M. P.," etc. It was Mrs. Boucicault who "created" the parts of Eily O'Connor, in "The Colleen Bawn" . the heroine of "Arrah-na-Pogue" ; Jessie Brown in "The Relief of Lucknow " and many other Boucicault characters.

The well-known American composer Ethelbert Nevin died suddenly from heart disease at his home in New Haven, Conn., on February 20. His "Narcissus," known to most schoolgirl pianists, first brought Nevin fame. At the age of thntcen he wrote the widely popular song, "Good night, good night, beloved." His chief vocal pieces are "My Rosary," the pretty duet, "Oh, that we two were niaying," A necklaco of love," "One spring morning," the charming French song "Dites Moi, Belle Enchantresse," and the set of children's songs written on words from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Child's Garden of Verse." • • • The repertoire of the. new Grand ===== Opera Compai^, with which J. C. Williamson is to open at Melbourne next month, includes "Lucia," "II Trovatore," "Aida," "La Boheme," "II Barbiere," "Falstaff," "Faust,"' "Rigoletto," "Les Huguenots," La Favonta," "Pagliacci," "Cavalleria Rusticana " and "Mignon." * * * The latest addition to Dixs Company in Christchurch is a small donkey (e^ idently an unpaid artist), which walks indifferently along the streets with a cover on its back announcing that "Frank Clarke, the king of comedians, will appear at the Opera House e\eiy in ening."