Turf Topic

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 71, 9 November 1901, Page 21

Turf Topic

By Silverspur.

The win ot Toitulla in the New Zea~ land Cud was rather unexpected here, and those who did profit b;\ the victors were few and fai between. I sta.ted in my last notes that tiie daughter of Toipedo would ha\e a good chance, and tipped her thud, on the assumption that her running at Wanganui was not her correct form It will be remembered that she ran thud theie to Fashion but under the big weight of 9st 91b conceding him a big poundage. In the interval Piosser seems to have improved hei greatly, and he deserves credit foi his success. It certainly does seem strange that the Ponrua stable should win after having been obliged to scratch the champion of New Zealand — Advance — a while back. There is not much doubt but that he could have won despite his weight Prosser has ccrtainh had a great run of luck latterh but he deserves it all, and nobody grudges him his victory He is a most painstaking trainer, and generally sends his horses to the post pretty fit The second horse in the raee — Melwood — is onh a little fellow but he can apparenth see a distance out all right He was well backed m the light quarter and W Davies, Ins trainer, was congiatulated on the naj he brought him to the post Sinus, the Hawke's Ba-\ horse, was one I gave a chance to some time ago. but he did not appear to run up to the best expectations in Hawke's Bay, when he had to race over shorter distances and he was consequently not well fancied He is bred well enough to stars but does not appear to be brilliant * » * Repulse b\ Castoi— Aida has foaled a colt to Cuirassier. Dan O'Brien's luck seems to be veiv much out. But there was a time' Huku, the Vanguaid horse, is a coming jumper, all right. Watch him There aie not many New Zealand jockeys who adopt the Wither seat They cannot ride that way. St. Leger, the defunct Auckland sue was not the slightest use as a racehorse but proved a champion at the stud Mr. Victor Hdrns had £1200 to £10 about his hoise Strathnairn for the New Zealand Cup. A good wager that ■went wrong. Palaver faded away to nothing in the big Canterbury event. Ido not think she is a genuine stayer although she aught to be. Mr W hllmgham, an old time Hawke's Bay spoit. has. been re-appoint-ed handicapper and starter of the Takapuna Jockey Club Mr. T. Sheenan'b foal, by Musketry from Pleasure Seeker, broke its leg last week, but the limb lias been re-set and the life of the animal saved. Benzoin, the English-b red horse, wears an improved appearance and may be seen on the race track again His understandings aie very much better Stella, the half-sister to St. Paul, died at Auckland last week. The popular secretary of the Auckland Raciii" Club purchased her last season foi breeding purposes San Remo, Mr Stead's representative in the New Zealand Cup, who was very badly weighted, and was scratched, was beaten on his merits in the Maiden at Christchurch and a lot of punters went down. The downfall of Ponrua, the Hawke's Bay winner in the Welcome Stakes, at Christchurch was rather a facer for local backers, who thought he could not lose. However, he is a good colt, and will again be seen to advantage later Strathnairn had bad luck in the big Christchurch event, in which he took no part. There w ere a great many who fancied his chance, and who backed him before, and on the day. But, through a mishar> at the start he lost his ridei It was ever thus since childhood's happy hours. Tom Hales, who died on the othei side" the other day, was one of the best horsemen ever seen m Australia A great many people think that had he been started in the New Zealand Cup Pampero would have won, taking the time into consideration I do not think he could. He certainh van second in the Stewards' Handicap to Mr Stead's horse, but that was a short race, and I do not think he could satisfactorily negotiate the longer distance on account of his aJleeed cronk leg. But he pulled up sound nevertheless.

Mattuoa. who won the big e\ eat at Gisborne last week, seems to he «us good as e\er, but she had no good horses to put down. The Anieiican colt Yankee, the winner ot the Cone> Island Futuntv Stakes, is going to England to lace m classic races next \ear A Melbourne papei sa\s the noble „nn\ of Chinese punters which was reputed to ha\e won so much mone-s at meetings m the southern capital is now a thing ot the past There is a« odd member 01 two ot the pig-tailed frateriut\ occasionally to be seen in the paddock, but the majonty ha\e seen the erroi ot their ways, and now seek the seclusion of their gambling 01 othei dens A few veais back Sydney had a tan numbei oi Chinese punters. They ha\e since disappeared, the ' information" they received from some of their joek^ fi lends no doubt contributing in a gieat measure to their downfall Wellington b\ Panic- Frou Frou, died recently at Mr J C Manifold's stud farm He won the VEC Derby in 1878 foi Mr J Boe and appropriated the Champion Stakes, the veai following He was the sue of nian\ noted performers, winch have gained a wide leputation toi the Messrs Manifold's string of hurdle-racers and steeplechasers Amongst the most brilliant of his progem were - Dungan Mysore, Waterloo, Apsley, Veronica, Soult, Coiangimite Cintra, Tagus Orthez Batan/os Vnago, Baiossa, and mam others Seveial leputable London papers are telling some cjueei stones concerning the American jocke\s, and one spoitsman has not scrupled to sa,\ that ramping is going on at a great pace He says that the Yankee jockeys caiweup almost e\ei> 1 ace they nde m The scum of Yankee iacecours.es is said to be in England at the present moment, and the gieat game must be hveliei to play at than evei . Even befoie the American invasion the\ reported it as being just about a^ hot as could he The New Zealand lacing stew aids do not take much notice of a horse being ndden with spurs in one race, aaid without in anothei. but in America, they are keener on that point At a recent Saratoga meeting a fill y named Educate won one race so easih that when she started agaan a couple of da\s latei she \\Ah made an odds on favourite She ran badh but at the inquin w Inch follow ed nothino- could be pio\ed against those concerned Howe\ei not to be beaten, the stewards fined the owner £10 for having the jocke-\ wear spurs in the race the filly won. and not in the i ace in which she was beaten. An old book, entitled The Gentleman's New Jockey, or Famer's Approved Guide." dated 1708, contains the following ad\ice to a jockey "'Ever consider m a strait course to keep a steady rein, not inclining to the right nor to the left , and also an upright body, unless in full course, at what time a little stooping forward will not be amiss, for that will prevent gathering the wind the which, though it be unperceived by man\ . is a great hindrance to the speed ot the horse. As for your switch in such cases, it must be earned upright or o\ er his head so that he ma\ not see it to affray him " This seems to be a mixture of the Anieiican methods, for Gome/ and the other Monte Yidean jockeys carr\ their whips much as the w nter suggests, while the avoidance of wind pressure is clearly pointed out There is nothing new under the sun Tod Sloan is hopeful that all will yet be well in regard to obtaining a license to ride on English race tracks. Said he recently to an American interviewer From a ver> reliable source I have learned that the English Jockey Club merely intended to keep me off the turf for a year I have not given up all hope vet, and if the license comes next year I will rid^ again on English tracks. Automobiling has occupied most of my time since I have been away. It is really interesting, and it is my intention to begin the business of manufacturing French racing machines in New York. Mr Furnier will be my partner, and we will establish a shop in the near future " At the hotel where he stopped Tod registered as 'Tod Sloan, Paris." He was dressed in the latest French fashion, wearing a suit of dark green, which, as, his lnteiviewei said, "'was cut so much in the bell fashion that it almost rang as he mo\ ed A Hobai t papei says theie was a li\elv scene at a meeting of the Mowbra-\ Ponj Club held at Launceston on October ."sth In the Tiot, which was the third e\ent on the programme, it w as so e\ ident that the majonty of the lioises weie pulled that the stewards nnmediateh after met, to decide what action they should take They called in two sporting pressmen present but, as they backed the second horse, they did not care about expressing an opinion The stew aids ultimately decided that there weie two courses open to them either to inflict heaM disqulaifications on offenders, or to lesign their position As theie was no reciprocity between them and the other Pony and Trotting Club in the eit\ the-\ came to the- conclusion that it wa,s no use adopt-

ing the former course, and, as it was the last meeting of the season, they decided to lesign m a body Before the next iacf> however, they posted the following notice — If 'the stewards are satisiied that there is any 'cronk' running in this lace, they will declare "No race.'" This notice had apparently some effect, for a hoise named Simplicity ran first, and another named Sincerity second.

Hjvdvches are ne\ei too large to be driven away by Steams' Headache Cuie. It's a small dose, and it's safe and it is easy to take, but it does the woik every time