Totalisator TURF TOPICS.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 152, 30 May 1903, Page 23

Totalisator TURF TOPICS.

By 'Krect-Card.

The steeplechase mooting of the Auckland Rating Club commences on Satuidav, and, judging from the list of hoises engaged it bids fair to be a veiy successful one The acceptances aio not m for the minor e\ ents at time of v, uting, but with a «-tart, I think the fallowing horses will run well m then lo^pective engagements — Maiden. Steeplechase —Great Shot. Maiden Welte-i.—Roseshoot. Gieat Noitliein Steeplechase —Haydn •01 Awahun Maiden Hui dies.—Fakir or Master Model Cornwall Handicap.— Strathavon or Ciusoe Remueia Hurdles.—Tiesham or Wai- ~\\ orfl On tho second day, the Great Northern Huidle Race is run, and I think the winnei will be Mars • • * Capital entries ha\e been received *or the Otaki Maon Racing Club's winter meeting, on Wednesday next, and Mr. Henry has succeeded in concealing the winners remaikably well in his adjustments As owners' intentions are no+ known at time of writing, I am some>what in the daik as regards the size of the fields, but with a start I shall select the following horses to do battle for me — Flying Hack —Raja.h and Matamau. Hack Huidles—Beau Ideal and Olive. RaukaA\a Cup.—Plaiche and Legion of Honour Otalu Hack —Waireka and Stampede Rangiuru Handicap. —Shrapnel Shell and Regulation. Birthday Hack. — Rebellious and Sergius . , » The winter meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club commences on Wednesday next and I like the following in tlheir respective engagements — Hurdles. —Kaiw hakaroa. Birthday Handicap. — Kelburn 01 General Symons, Fast Hack. —Pheetonitis. Winter Welter. —St. Denis or Narcissus. Tradesmen's Handicap. —Tsantza. or Ayrdale. Mr. R. Gooseman, the well-known Hastings trainer, "has a full-sister to Evening Wonder m work, and her efforts over the obstacles are sufficiently good to warrant the hope that she will be as successful as her brother w hen her time comes to sport silk. Mr. H Friedlander's recent purchase, Pilgrim's Progress, arrived last week from Melbourne. He was brought over by H. Cnpps, who had the mount on Tarcoola when that horse won the Melbourne Cup in 1893. Clarence O'JSleil, the jockey who was associated with the victones of Mr. G. P. Donnellj 's horse Douglas a couple f seasons back, returned from South Africa last week. He was fairly successful in South Africa but he intends settling down in the land of his birth. The well-known Rangitikei sportsman, Mr. Donald Fraser, owner of Advance was thrown fi om his horse w lule on the road to Foxton last week, and met with a nast.v accident. Mi. Fraser was severely cut about the head but fortunately thei lniuries were not of a serious nature. The Hotchkiss —Frailty horse, Siego Gun, who was sold by Mr. G. G. Stead to an Australian buyer after the Wellington, summer meeting, has been put in work again bv Frank McGrath. Previous to his departure from these it was given out that ho was to be ret 11 eel to the stud, but his ne>w owner evidently thinks there is a race vet in the son of Hotchkiss, and perhaps he has his o-\ e> on one of the spring CupThe programme for the winter meeting of the Wellington Racing Club is now out The fixtuie takes place on July 1() and 18, and the card consists of 'oven eionts to be decided each day. The best endowed laces on the opening day aie the Welhn.eton Steeplechase of £300 the Winter Hurdles of £300 and tho Pa rl lament a.ry Handicap of £200. The chief items on the second day a,re tho July Steeplechase of £200 the Final Hurdles of £200 and the Winter Oats of Cl "30 Nominations clo«e with the societalv Mi J F Cla.ik, on Monday next Juno Ist, at 10 pm.

Mi Douglas G-oidon has bestowed the naiiiuia of Valois on Ins Stepniak — ■ Huguenot hlly, and MoieMjue on his ktepniak — Moioze filly A lumour was lound town last week that the Seaton Delaval — Waitemata hoise Poinuai had biokcn down rather senously. This is bad news for the stable presided over by Mi J. Piosser, for it has not had the best of luck latch , and a turn of Fortune's wheel Mould be veiy acceptable to them. The racing- caieer of the well-known jumpei, Royal Conqueror, was brought to a close at the Takapuna, meeting, the animal in question having to be shot immediately after the running of the Handicap Hurdle Race, in which he pumped into one of the fences, and snapped his off foreleg like a carrot. Royal Conqueror had some very fair performances to his credit, he won the Gi eat Northern Hurdle's last season, besides appropriating a hurdle race each at Wanganui a.nd Wellington. He was owned by Mr. T Wvhe, and was estimated to be ■north at least £300, so that his loss is rather a severe shock. News oomes from Auckland to the effect that Nonette is looking in. grand trim to be put into w ork for spring engagements. It w ill no doubt be remembered that the son of Seaton Dela\al bioke down in the> last New Zealand Cup. and the news that he is sound again would be ■welcome to every lover of a good horses and the hope exDressed th^t the bonnie chestnut would bo fit. and w ell to take his part in the corainff New Zealand Cup. Reynard, the sire of Black Reynard, is sl half-brother by Lei Loup to Perkm Warbeck 11., Sultan, and Prime Warden. Mr. S. H. Gollans Australian Star finished a poor second in the Royal Castle Handicap, at Windsor, on April 4th, after going out second favourite. Charente (the dam of Nonette) and Jadestone (the dam of Explosion) have both proved barren to the service of the imported horse, San Francisco. The well-known penciller, Mr. A. Paterson, purchased the five-year-old mare' Vallance, by Quilt — Vista, last week for 100 guineas. She is a fullsister to Comfort, and has won several good laces throughout Hawke's Bay. Vallance should prove a welcome addition to Mr. Patersons string and, r>roperlv placed, should soon return some of her purchase* money. With 9st in the saddle, Mr. Spencer Gollans Seahorse started in the Warwickshire Spring Handicap, but he finished a long way in the rear. The price paid by Captain W. A. Hainan Bass for the sensational mare Sceptre is said to be £20,000, and a contingency of £4000 if she wins the Ascot Gold Cup. Since Persimmon's daughter has. been transferred to her new ow ner she has been insured for £20,000. She will in future be trained by Alex. Taylor, at Manton. The race for the Century Hurdles at the Wanganui steeplechase meeting was one of the best fouerht-out contests ever seen on the pretty Wangamai course. There were ten starters, favouritism being divided between Awahun, Otain, and Haydn. The field ran bunched together until four furlongs from home, where Otairi and Merry Boy went to the front, and they had a ding-dong struggle right up to the w innnig-post, victory resting with the latter by a head, with Awahuri two lengths away third. The winner is by imported Merrie Jingland, from a Phantom mare and has some fair performances to his credit. This marks his first big win, and, as hei is such a solidly-built stamp of a jumper, and capable of carrying plenty of w eight, he should be able to hold his own with the best of them. The party behind Otairi threw in. for a good win, and, although beaten, her peiformance was full of ment When racing in hack company, I thought a lot of her, and my opinion has been fully borne out. On the second day, Awahun made some amends for his beating in the Century Huidles by annexing the' big Steeplechase in hollow fashion. The only horse capable, of extending Aw ahun — Haydn — fell early in the race, and this robbed the contest of much mteiest. The winner, by his success, <-eems to have the Gieat Northern Steeplechase at his mercy and punters thiouehout the colony are evidently of the same opinion for the son of Kaiwhaka is a uronounced favouiite, and is couDled with everything engaged in the Hurdle Race Amongst the hunters engasred at the Wanganui meeting, Great Shot stands out. most prominently. His two victories were easily achieved The opposit'on certainly was not strong and it will be lnteiestmg to see how he shapes when rjitted against the opposition at Ellerslie next week. Hi? bleeding is eood enough for ans thing, boms: by Crackshot out of a Muto mare.

Waimoe, Mi. W. Robinson's, of Waipa w a lepiesentative in the hack class, stood out head and sihoulders above anything else engaged. His two victoiK's were attended with good dividends, and doubtless his connections had a good win. In both of his races he waited on his fieild until the homo st letch was leached, and then he snnplv smotheied the oppo?ntion for pace. He is by Somnus from Water Colour, and is capable of something better than hack company. The. Ingomai gelding Mars did his owner a good turn by winning the May Hurdles on. the second day. Man seems to be equally as good over the sticks as on the flat, and he seems to lehsh the Wanganui course, for it was theie that he put down Orloff in the Cup last March. His chance in the Hurdles at Auckland looks a rosy one. An Amencan exchange suggests that some of the Australian and New Zealand cracks should visit America to contest the World's Fair Handicap, and other big races 1 there. The first bis; trotting match arranged for this season m America is between Lord Derby (2min ojsec) and Major Delman (2mm sJsec) The conditions are £1000 a side, mile heats, best two out of three. The libel action, Leslie v. the "Weekly Press," has been withdrawn, both parties paying their own costs. The action was commenced as the result of the "Press's" comments o<n the running of some of the horses at the Wellington summer meeting, and, m iustifi cation, Leslie offered to submit his betting books to a special committeei of the

Canterbury Jockey Club, consisting of Sir George Cliftord and Messrs. G. G. Stead, and B. L. Lane. Th© full text of th© report by the committee, says the "Press," leads as follows — "We have examined two betting books, the property of F. Leslie. They appear to have been kept irregularly, and contain interlineations which debar us from expiessmg any definite opinion based upon their contents. 1 " The duplication of horses' names leads to many annoyances. A case in point (says ' Phaeton") cropped up in connection with the recent meetinsr of the Takapuna Jockey Club. A horse was entered m the Maiden Hurdle Race under the title of Mayday, and the handicapper. concluding that the horse m question was identical with the gelding by Foul shot, located on the West Coast, awarded him lOst 81b. whereas it was an animal by Hippocampus. On the weights for the race in question making their appearance, it was at once recognised that the handioapper had confused the two horses. The stewardsi considered the matter of aillowmg Mayday to be rehandicapped, but w hile they were of opinion that they had a perfect right to do so, it was found that an informality had been committed by the nominator in not sending a list of the- horse's performances when he entered him. Under the circumstances:, it was therefore deemed the safest course to allow matters to rest as the handicap was cast, with the result that Mayday was allowed to drop out of his engagement. The error is to be regretted, hut if it serves to show people that . duplication of names means a loss, something; will be gained.