Turf Topic

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 138, 21 February 1903, Page 25

Turf Topic

By 'Krect-Card.

Capital sport should be witnessed at the Woodville Jockey Club's summer meeting, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday next. Mr Henrys has succeeded in concealing the winners very well, and his adjustments ought to furnish excellent racing. At time of writing the acceptances are not in but, with a start, I shall expect the following horses to run well in their lespective engagements — Hack Hurdles.— Rebounding Lock. Grandstand.— Lifebelt. Woodville Cup.— Plaidie 1, Mussel 2, Tupara 3. . Flying Hack.— Rajah. Borough Handicap-— Assay er. Welter Hack.— Waitoa. Electric— Te Taiaha or Gold Seal. Mr J. Monk's champion colt Achilles put up a great performance on baturday last by winning the Middle Park Plate at the C.J.C. summer meeting from two such smart two-year-olds as Machine Gun and Tomorrow, and that, too, in the face of a gale of wind, -tie was timed to run the six furlongs in lmiM 14 2-othsec. The surprise of the race was the poor showing made by lomorrow. This colt last spring won the Welcome Stakes easily from King iiOg, and sportsmen, remembering this thought that he would make a race, or it with Achilles, but the latter won easily. Of eight events on the card for the first day's racing of the C.J.C. summer meeting Mr. G. G. Stead annexed three by the aid of some of his young ones. Bagpipes, by Gipsy GrandReel won the Filly Stakes, Romany Queen by Gipsy Grand— lch Dien the Trial Stakes ; and De La Rey, by beaton Delaval— Radiant, the Lyttelton Plate. Romany Queen is half-sister to St. Michael winner of the Auckland and Wellington Cups, and her performance was full of merit. The weights for the Dunedin Cup, which is to be run next week, made their appearance on Monday last, and the handicapper has been congratulated all round on the result of his work. St. Michael, Canteen, and Orloff are at the head of the list with Bst 131b, and if the first-named could be landed at the post fit and well, he would take a lot of beating, but there does not seem to be much chance of his standing a thorough preparation, so I shall discard him. Canteemhas got his full deserts, and I think is held safe by Orloff. Cannie Chiel and Lady Lilian ran two good races at Chnstchurch last week, and they should have something to say in the settlement of the race. Vladimir looks well on paper, and if he has regained his spring form I would ono further for the winner. His performances then were very meritorious, and he gave promise of turning out a little champion. Soylla will find the distance too far. Ponnia, on the Bst 31b mark, looks to possess a chance, but his form this season has been so bad that I cannot lecommend him. Glenelg has won some good races in his time, but I think he is outclassed. Ghoorka, so far, has never won over this distance, and if he has the stable's confidence he is bound to run well with 7st 91b. General Symons has his recent win at Christchurch in his favour, and 7st 91b should not stop him. Dundas is too erratic to recommend, and Ardnaft will find the company too good. Further down, I trrnk Sirius and Lady Rosslyn have been very leniently treated, and they should run well. To sum up. I think Vladimir will win, and next to him I like General Symons and Cannie Chiel. General Symons, by his victory in the Midsummer "Handicap, at the Canterbury summer meeting, put down two good favourites in Lady Lilian and Cannie Chiel. The General's recent form at the Hutt and Pahiatua was not sufficiently good to lead one to believe that he had the slightest chance of success, and so backers evidently thought, for they allowed the Perkin Warbeck colt to pay a £10 dividend. This marks his second victory this season, his first being achieved at the Wellington spring meetin? when he unexpectedly beat Halberdier over a mile and a-quarter, and paid £14. Matuku and Ringman credited our local penciller (Mr. Paterson) with a brace of wins at the Taranaki meeting.

The former ma,de a very creditable show ing at Tauheremkau on New Year's Day, when she was making her debut, and gave promise of turning out. something better than the ordinary when she became more seasoned to the game. Ringman has proved a bit of a disappointment to his owner, and it was about time he commenced to earn his oats. The latter's success was achieved on the second day of the meeting, and, in consequence, the owner was called upon by the stewards to explain his first day's form. This was evidently satisfactory for the stewards took no further action. The Blairgowrie horse, Strathavon, followed up his Takapuna successes by annexing the Cup at the Taranaki meeting from Battleaxe. The latter was favourite, but there was also a lot of money in town for the winner. The mile and a-half was. run in 2mm 39 2-5 sec, T\hich goes to show that Battleaxe is fast regaining his form, and his prospects of annexing a decent stake ere this season closes look more rosy than they did at the recent Wellington meeting. It wouJd seem as though the last has been seem in the racing arena of Royal Artillery. After serving a few mares at his owner's private stud last season, the son of Hotchkiss was sent to Yaldhurst, with a view of being again trained. He must have developed some unsoundness, for it transpires that the effort, to train him has been abandoned, and he has been retransferred to Mr. Stead's estate. This isi greatly to be regretted, for a meeting between Royal Artillery and Advance and Achilles would havei been w orth going a long distance to w itness. At present there does not appear to be anything in training in New , Zealand able to make either of the two latter gallop. F. Dunn, who has steered the flying Wakeful in nearly all her races, has severed his connection with Mr. C. T. MacdonaJd's stable. Australian writers generally admit that Dunn was extremely lucky to have the mounit on such a mare, and an opinion prevails that Wakeful would have achieved even a greater record had she been steered by a Tom Hales. A new mile record wasi made at Manchester on November 21, by the three-year-old colt Bachelor's Button, who carried 7st 41b, and beat, ten others easily by three lengths in the fast time of lmin 32 1-othsec. The previous best was lmin 33 1-othsec, made by Caiman, on July 13, 1900, when he won the Lingfield Park Stakes. The New Zealand record is held by St. Paul, who got. over a mile at Ellerslie in lmin 40 2-othsec. R. Frewin who went to India some months ago, returned to New Zealand last week. Chatting about the prospects of the colonial horses in the land of the Rajah, Frew m gives the palm to Record Reign, who, he says, would have won the Viceroy's Cup easily if he had been properly ridden. At a recent meeting of the A.R.C., a letter was read from T. Quinhvan, sen., appealing against the disqualification meted out to .himself and the pony called The Imp, at the summer meeting. The committee decided to allow the disqualification to stand, and so the trainer in question has gone up in person to interview them. At the time the disqualification took place, most of the Northern scribes were unanimous in their opinion that the sentence was a just, one, and if they had any say in the matter, the chances of the disqualification being removed at this early stage seem very remote. The St. George's States, a weight-for-age race, run over a mile, at Caulfield, on Saturday last, resulted in one of those sensational surprises that brings out in pointed form the great uncertainty that attends racing. With such a brilliant mare as Wakeful in the field, it seemed an odds-on chance that she would prove successful, especially when the class of her opponents was considered. However, she was destined to have another defeat registered to her account, and that, too, in a most decisive manner, by the greateisit outsider of the field in the shape of Footbolt, who Avon by half-a-dozen lengths in fast time. Footbolt has won some good races in his time, but he has never been legarded as a w eight>-f or-age crack. He is engaged in the Australian Cup, to be run on March 4, with Bst 81b, and he was conceding Wakeful 31b when he defeated her in the race under notice, he should have something to say in the settlement of the long-distance handicap if he can stay.