Turf Topics

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 73, 23 November 1901, Page 21

Turf Topics

By Silverspur.

Tin- Hutt and Petone authorities pi\ - j,ose establishing a cemetery alongside the Hutt laeecouise More dead i 1i 1 us" ' A Wellington Chinaman started laying the odds among his compatriots latch but lie got such a sizzling during Cup week that lie took up the omongrouing business again. A one-evod follow ci of the game, formerU of Sydney . arrived here this week for the races He is said to have made over £200 at the Auckland carnival — backing b\ sWein He may prove an exception, but system" backers generally end up m a benevolent home. A single gallop often makes a man alter his mind After the Canterbury carnival Mi Boreland said he was full of Fulmen, and would sell. Then the horse walked off with the Timaru Cup. On the second day. however, he failed to scoop the Rhodes Memorial Trotting enthusiasts who like then sport good, will roll up at Petone to-da" (Friday), when the meeting of the Wellington T C concludes. "Unless some great calamity happens, the first race will start at noon, and, a 6 an assortment of trains has been provided, those who miss one will have time to prick the card while waiting for another A well-known sporting man in this district, who had been on the look-out for something likely to turn out well over hurdles dropped into a country stable the other day and an untried horse was trotted out for his inspection. ' Can he ]L'mp s " asked the prospective buyer. "Jump q Why he'd fly over a wireless telegraph line so he would " was the immediate reply The process of extracting money from the totahsator will proceed briskly at the Hutt to-morrow (Saturday), when the course should be thickly populated bv patrons of the Wellington Racing Club A choice menu will be presented and, if the weather is fine, the assemblage should be a gay one The big event is the Pearce Handicap, but, a. time of wntmg, I do not know how many horsc<= there will be competing. A tip, consequently, is out of the question, but about the best wav to pick the winner is to pencil the horses' names on the kitchen window -sill, and back the one the fir^t buzz-fly alights on The stoi> goes that a certain peison. whose, mental faculties are not of the brightest, and who owned a. fair sort of spring-trap horse, was induced by jokeloving companions to enter him for a trot They solemnly assured him that the horse' was a record-breaker sure enough, and, after much consideration, he nominated. The amusement of his friends when they saw his name in the paner wa« great but when the horse won off a long mark, in a weak field, they wondered The overjoyed owner is now going in for racing thoroughly, and we may hear of his bankruptcy any day. The fact that the Conference SubCommittee cannot recommend the appointment of stipendiaiv stewards owing to alleged insuperable difficulties in the way of maintaining a staff of them, is regrettable It is to be hoped the Conference will go beyond this report The words 'can't be done" should not be allowed to obtrude themselves in this matter. Stipendiaries are badly wanted they would not be required at all if ordinary stewards were competent to perform their duties and did the right thing when necessity compelled. But, as often as not, they do not think any necessity exists Handsome is as handsome does. There is not the slightest doubt that the Mes-srs Nathan, of Auckland, possess a first-class sire in Seaton Delaval whose progeny showed out capitally at the late Auckland meeting, enabling their own era to rake in many talents. The stable had Northumberland Rosella, Grey Seaton and Beddington in commission, and they all took the ouickest way home. Of course, Grey Seaton secured his plum on a decision of the stewards, but he had to be handy or he would not have got it Northumberland wasiust beaten by Idas in the Welcome Stakes, but he reversed positions later in the meeting,, and recouped the coin that should not have been lost. Beddington collared the City Handicap as his little lot; but that prime gaJloper Ro«ella proved the prime representative of the stable She accounted for both th<^ Spring and Ascot Handicaps in handsome s-tvle, carrying heavy lead bags in each race.

Had not the ownei or the disqualified Austeihtz been a somebody," theie would not ha\ c been such a hubbub about the affan in Auckland influential quaitei-, A pool unfoitunate tiainor without friends would have had to suffei m <-ilence. Theie woie only tour tickets on the' tiottor Silv ermine, who paid £51 at a Southern meeting the other day People do not apparently go by names uow-a-da\ s - like the> used to But as often as not, horses bearing appellations suggestive of cash aie hoary frosts, and make backers feel cold Of cour=<?, you c-aivnot believe all \ou heai but it is- whispered that one steward of a certaan club lately eot a terrible facer through the downfall of a "sine thing " He felt so miserable and looked so awfully glum, that his fellowstew a,rds had a mind to put the corlocf card in mourning for the next da,v's racing. An old-time Sydnej jockey with a leputation, is now content to do odd iobs not very far from Wellington. An mfnmit\ prevents him from doing much else. He was asked recently how he had come dow n to a hand to mouth exitenee I was too honest " he said, sumplv. The mad-braaned Senior Wrangler has now got a little harder w ork to perform than he had previously he is harnessed to a break, and it is ha\ing the effect of toning him down somewhat The son of Medallion and Flattery may be seen out m a minoi event or two later on — selling races, perhaps they are about his mark. It is now very apparent that Tattersall Adams is not going to shift his little gambling whare from Hobait, the Fedelal Postal Act notwithstanding. In a h tter which I received last week he says that he does not anticipate am interference w hatevor, but should change of address become necessary subscribers will be advised in ample time Four consultations are announced to take place between now and the end of the year The Westminster horse Pirate, a gieat gallopei in Queensland in the eighties, died the other day. He won on all courses, and never broke down during the ten seasons he was racing on the hard Queensland tracks. Pirate geneially headed the handicaps, but nothing could daunt his wonderful courage, and, i<>emg to the bitter end, he spoilt some well-planned coups No matter w hat the course was like — iron-like or boggy — it was all the same to Pirate, who was recognised as one of the most reliable hoisos in the land of the sugai banana It has always been said that Trenton s sons wt'ie not genuine stayeis, but Revenue lias succeeded in disproving thi<= Tienton's daughteis, of course, have shown their worth over long courses, but hitherto his sons have not Then, again, looking ovci the history of the famih of the dam of Revenue (Water Lil-O only Tempe and Toreador could k'> accredited stayers, the first-named being the better of the pair It is true that Titan won a two-mile race, but he was more of a sprinter than a stayer Otheis thnt belong to Revenue's family are Gold Medallist, Trieste, Solanum. ( hallenger The Sailor Prince, and Blue ( ap When Yaldhurst Stead purchased that streak of lightning, Royal Artillerj , Dan O'Biien was runner up in the bidding but fell out He was sorry, too, when he saw the horse gallop at Riccaiton the other day, and Mi Friedlander chaffed him about it You should have kept on bidding," he said Next day the Elden-he sale of thoroughbieds took place, and Mi Stead was very much in evidence, buying a numbei of lots. There was a battle royal between himself and Mr Friedlander for the fttepniak — Fairymaid colt Mr. Stead was determined to have him and, Mr Friedlandei quitting, he sot the youngster for 620 guineas Mr F sot sick of it and did well to retire The colt i 1i 1 - full-brother to King Stork, who ran a fust and a second at Canterbury Dan O'Biien is the hardest man to pkase in the matter of jockeys in this sinful colony. He has had any numbei up on his hoi see since he returned fiom Sydne- but none appear to suit him, apparently even those he has imported fiom the other side. Dan's opinion of the maiontv of the jockeys of the pio?ent day is not veiv high When discussing the subject he invariably draas in the names of old-timers, some of whom are still living, and others who have gone befoie He had a lively time of it himself w hen he fir^t started the game The man with whom he was travelling round — Ifoigct his name — was rather addicted to the "bones" and the broads," and when he was flush things went smoothly but when he had very little money he used to match Dan to urn anyone that came along. And tin re weie any number in those days who fancied they could run, too. Dan could, at any rate and his winnings in matches, or at sports gatherings, often paid the nominations for the next race meeting and travelling expenses besides