Turf Topic

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 140, 7 March 1903, Page 23

Turf Topic

By 'Krect-Card.

Capital sport should be witnessed at the Dannevirke Jockey Club's annual meeting, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday next. The various •events set down for decision have Mled well, and Mr. Henrys has succeeded in framing his handicaps so well that there should be a liberal response from owners. With a start, I think the following horses will run well in their engagement® — Hack Hurdles. — Old Gun and Ranui. Cup.— -Benefactor and Kowhete Makinkin Hack. — Seraphine and Waikakaho. Tahoraite Welter — Creusot. Flying. — Shackle. Tamaki Hack — Waimoe. Electric Hack.— Nat Gould. • • Another New market Handicap has come and gone, but this year's contest has not created the same amount ot interest as was evinced in previous years, owing no doubt, to the absence ot any New Zealand horses in the race. Ihe winner turned up m Chantress, by iJill of Portland— Chand Bee Bee who started second favourite in a held ot twenty-four. Independence, by Wallace—Elsie, was second, .and she went out at the munificent, price; of 25 to 1. The former is trained by I. Earnshaw, and the latter by W. Hickenbotham. Kaharoa, who is described as the best hack on the West Coast of this island, has started on six occasions this season, and has been successful m catching tne mdge's eye every time. He is a son of Sylvia Park and Secrecy. His next appearance will probably be at Stratford, on March 17, where he is engaged in the Cup and Welter In the former he is weighted at 9st 131b, and in the latter at list 111b. Siege Gun has arrived in Sydney and lias gone into McGrath's stable, which also shelters Abundance. It has not been decided so far whether the son ot Hotchkiss will be put into commission, or whether he will take up stud duties. The drawing for places after weighing out is performed m various ways at our lace meetings, and this has led Mr. J. Deeble, of Sydney, to patent an invention for the control of that matter. In a neat case there are marbles, numbered from one to forty, which, by touching a spring fall to the bottom of the chamber. The touching of a spring brass guard in front ot the box releases the numbers one by one, and the whole contrivance us so simple that it only requires to be seen to be adopted by all of the racing clubs in the colony. Particularly good entries have been received for the Horowhenua Hack Racing Club's meeting, which takes dace on March 17. Amongst those likely to be seen out are such well-known performers as Hamua, Ostiak, Field Battery, Rawiri Ghoorka, Mussel, Queen's Guard, and Gold Dust.

Achilles, the Pomua ciack, has been nominated for the A R.C Eastei Handicap so it is pietty ceitam tlie flying soil ot Medallion \\ ill be seen out at the Northern club's, autumn fixtme. The stew aids of the Australian Jockey Club have decided that in future the use of the stockwhip or carriage whip at the startme post, m assisting refractory hoises to jum- off, will be prohibited. What a little champion St. Denis is, to be sure when he is well. At the Dunedm meeting, he won the Publican's Handicap from end to end, and that, too, with 9st 71b m the saddle. The St Clair gelding had some speedy ones in the race to beat, but he never gave them, a chance to get on terms with him. Bv liis easy win in the V.R.C. St. Leger on Saturday last Abundance has piovecl that he has regained his spring form, when he was successful in the two Derbies. His chances of success in the Australian Cup are considerably enhanced by his performance in the St. Leger, for he made all his own running, and won with ridiculous ease, in 3min. 82-sec. Judging by all reports, the racing at the Hawera meeting was very interesting. The appointment of an advisory steward has been most favourably commented upon, and, m the opinion of prominent experts, it would be beneficial to the sport generally if other clubs followed the example set by the Eermont Club. It is stated that many horses that ran very badly at Taranaki delayed their true form at Haw era. The performances of Ribbonwood, the champion pacer, at the N.Z. Metropolitan Trotting Club's meeting, stand out prominently among fast times put up by several of the performers. Ribbonwoods time in the New- Zealand Handicap over two miles, in 4min 36 4-sthsec, 1 educes the NNcrw r Zealand record by 7 l-sthsec. In the purse event, for horses beating the Australasian record of 2min 13sec one mile, in harness, from a flying start, Ribbon wood reduced the record to 2min 11 2-sthsec. The death is reported from Cobbara of the stallion Splendor (Speculum— Bathilde), who was bred in England in 1880, and imported to New Zealand by Mr. G. G. Stead. That gentleman subsequently sold him to Mr. F. Reynolds, of Tocal, and in New South Wales Splendor was very successful at the stud, siring among other good performers Jewellery Massimssa, Ruby dOr, Splendide. Uabba, Tiwoona, Superb, and Candour. Splendor's death was the result of a kick from a mare. Orloff, by his easy win m the Dunedin Cup, last week, gives evidence that he is a much better horse over a distance than most, people imagined. True, he won the Canterbury Derby in November last, but he was generally considered to have been, lucky in winning, as his most redoubtable opponent, Welbeck, had run a severe race in the Cup just two days previous and could not do himself 'justice. In the Great Northern Derby he was outclassed by Wairiki, who won easily by several lengths. Perhaps, he was not himself in the Northern race, but it must be remembered that on the onemng day at Ellershe he won the Railway Handicap in decisive style, so there could not ha,ve been much the matter with him when he stripped for the Derby. From Auckland he journeyed to the Wellington summer meeting, but was not started, owing to soreness. The race in Dunedin was run in good time, and, as the winner had several good ones behind him, his performance was full of merit.

Altair, the son of Castor and Cissy, who won the C.J.C. Derby, C.J.C. Midsummer Handicap, C.J.'C. Champion Stakes, and New Zealand St. Leger Stakes, is on the sale list in England. The disappointing Wait-a-bit who has done a couple of seasons atthei stud, is to be given another trial on the race course. It is to be hoped that his future essays will be more profitable for his connections than his former displays. A Southern writer says the races at the Forbury meeting appeared to be honestly contested, and non-triers if any, were difficult to locate. This remark, however, the writer goes on to say. does not apply to the trotting event on the card. The list of winners of the C.J.C. Middle Park Plate contains some great names. Amongst them are : Maxim, Carbine. Bloodshot, Gold Medallist, Screw Gun, Menschikoff, and Cruciform. It remains to be seen what sort of a record' Achilles, the latest addition to the list, will put up. Several writers recently have been decrying Wakeful, who was unexpectedly defeated on two occasions ati the V.A.T.C. meeting, but the little daughter of Trenton retrieved her laurels by appropriating the Essendon Stakes on Saturday last, and proved, beyond doubt, that she was not herself when she was beaten. The Auckland Racing Club has received splendid support from owners of horses outside the Auckland province in the Easter and Autumn Handicaps. Out of the thirty-four nominated for the Easter Handicap, fifteen hail from districts to the south of Auckland. The proportion of visitors in the Autumn Handicap is also strong. The revenue derived by the French Government from the totalisator investment tax, of 5 per cent., reaches £250,000 annually. The whole amount is- spent in the encouragement of breeding thoroughbred stock. Niphetos, the winner of the Maribyrnong Plate, is among the entries for the Kempton Park Jubilee Handicap and Australian Star is in the City and Suburban. These are the only Australian horses engaged in the races 1 named. The New Zealander, Seahorse, has been nominated for the Liverpool Sprint Cup and Metropolitan.