Turf Topics

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 169, 26 September 1903, Page 25

Turf Topics

By St. Simon.

~\h. G. L H. Piew is the new secietary of the Pahirtua Racing Club. Mr. George Hunter, of Poiangahau, Hawke'sßay, owns a full-sister to Lmciform, named Formuhst. The Wanganui meeting takes place on October Ist and 2nd, and the Hawke s Bay meeting a week later V/Lat's m a name 0 King Dick went out the bluest outsider at Ashlurton the other dry. He wcu though— he alAvays does ' There are at present 120 horses in training at El lei she, of which Trainer F. Macmanemin controls 15, Williamson having one less. I am pleased to notice that the W.R.C. Grounds Committee have paid a visit to the course, and looked at the track— it wants more than that, though. They have got the horse fiend, in the shape of the influenza, running through the Hawke's Bay stables, • J.<last to be attacked by it being Kowhee. It is gratifying to learn that the popular rider, C. Jenkins, whose illness was recently reported as serious has been able to resume nding, having ridden at the Marton meeting The spring meetings of the Wellington Racing Club and North Otago Jockey Club will clash.. I don't think either' club will suffer to any great extent in consequence The hurdler Hine-nai, by Waterfall, dropped dead after a gallop the other morning on the Napier Park track. A post mortem revealed the fact that one lung was completely gone through disease. Mr. G. G. Stead left Sydney on Sunday, by the Warnmoo, for Wellington with Cruciform. Orloff, CurfewBell, and Barley Bree. The latter, his latest pui chase, is a half-sister to Maltster. Mr. Stead is to be commended for his pluck in throwing down the gauntlet to Australia's champions, and to be congratulated upon possessing such a rare bit of horseflesh as Cruciform undoubtedly is. Awahun, who was taken over to Austraha after winning the Christchurch Grand National Steeplechase, has broken down, and it is feared peimanentlv. Hard luck for the enterprising owners. A. B. N. is being schooled o\ ci hurdles, and takes to the new game with a celerity suggestive of future success. There is a dearth of hurdlers in this part of the colony, and A B. N. is a welcome addition M. MoGrath. J. Ayies, J. Y. Reed, and Z. Hunter have been granted tinners' licenses, and F. R. Weston, H. A. Telford, O. McGrath, J. Ayres W Kirkpatnck, andJ. Y. Reed jockeys' licenses by the Wellington Racing Club's Licenses Committee.

After the Wanganui meeting, Heielsm is billed toi Rk cart on, wheie no will undergo tho polish uig touches for the New Zealand Cup. I hau> got the Ciaiton gelding on m> side foi November, and I will stick to him. The news ot tho intended letnement of tho ever-courteous and capable societaiv of the Wellington Racin^ Club, Mr T F. Clank, will be lecencd witli regret by all spoils who ha* c come in contact with that gentleman The ex-New Zealand pony, Belle Cole, is distinguishing herself over the water, having at Rosebery Paik . ipcpg. two wins to her credit on the same da> , decisively beating her fields with Bst olb and Bst 121b in the respective events. It was- unfortunate that, by an oveisight. Cruciform was not nominated for the Randwick Plate, lun on the Satuida\ m which race Wakeful had to be content with second place to Lord Cardigan, a three-year-old son of the imported horse, Positana. Local bookmakers got a preltv hot time of it over Cruciform' 3 victory, short as the odds were, but -hey got then money back on Wednesday punters dividing their fancies between Ciucifoim and Wakeful. Ibex has, theirefoie, a particularly nice sound to the local pencillers' ears. Hen. Solomon, who lecently le-pur-chased Muscovite from Vie. Harris, got a good turn-up the first time of asking with the Stepmak gelding, who slipped the field m the Spring Handicap <.t Ashburton and paid the splendid dividend of £11 odd, 111 which his owner participated to a large extent Ciuoiform's time in the Spring Sta.kes has only been equalled once, that was when Dewey, as a three-year-old won, with 7st 51b. It speoJces volumes for the St. Leger mare when numbered among the winners of the race aie Carbine Abercorn. Megaphone, New haven, Posiitano, Quiver, and Wakeful. Jack Loughlm, a Dunedin bookmaker, the other day laid a hundred pounds to a cigarette against the chances of a New Zealand Cup candidate. Jack does not do anything rash, and, no doubt, as he turned that cigarette into ashes he did not let thoughts of settling-day bother him very much. Orloff is being nibbled at for the New Zealand Cup. There aie some plucky bettors — -or rather, should f say, foolish ones, knocking about our little isle. Orloff's ailment, even if on the mend, will have thrown him. so far back as to seriously interfere with his chances in the New Zealand Cup. It's odds on about his not starting at The Winton Jockej r Club has made a considerable reduction 111 its nomination and acceptance fees. Tins club has weathered many storms, 111 fact, on one occasion members dipped into their own lucky bags to make up a de--hciency of stake money after a meeting. The club has now a big membership of genuine sportsmen, a prettily-situ,*ied and well-equipped course and, as they aie asking for a second permit all I can say is, if there is one to spaiethey deseive it. Trotting never seems to have caught on in the North Island as it has with our neighbours down South. Why, I do not know but the fact remains. Chustchurch is the recognised headquarters of trotting, whilst Duneclui also does its little bit tow ards holding up the game, and country clubs' progi amines aie incomplete without a couple of trots on each day. In fact these events are a big source of revenue to a club, large entries being always assured and speculation busk

In the Craven Plate, run on Wednesday of last Cruciform had to play feeoond fiddle by a head to Ibex, due piobably to the too careful watching of \Vdkeiul by Hewitt, and allowing Ibex to get too big a break on. The AvondaJe Jockey Club's spring meeting was opened on Saturday on a dull but fine day, in the presence of a large attendance. The principal event, the AvondaJe Cup, was won by a four to one chance in Idas, with the hurdlei, Dolores, second, and Putty tliiid! Haydn won the hurdles, with tf .2 \ eteran fencer, Tim, second, and Straybnd third. In the Flying Stakes, Kamo, for whom a lot of money was forthcoming locally, won, and paid the small dividend of £1 los. We will shortly have a chance cf getting a line about several North Island New Zealand Cup candidates, as most of them will be seen out at the Hawke's Bay and Wanganui meetings. Rmgman, Bandmaster (who, by the way, is doing good york), * Ro> . 1 Fusilier, Rose Shield, Creusot, and KohuDapa are engaged at Hawke's Bay, w hile Halberc 1 er, Shrapnel, Hmetaui a, Mel wood, Ringman, Heroism, and Auratus are among those handicapped for the Spring Handicap, at Wanganui. A propos of nervous hoises, I remember one case in particular, where, on the morn of a race, the pi ad hid himself under the straw m his box, and, olA? for peeping through and catching the trainer's eye, he ruiglit have been there jet. I knew an old Morris Dancer gelding down South, called Hancot, who used to o-o off his feed w hen he saw the Grounds Committee go out to see what ought to be done to wie track. He knew the races would be next day. His stable companion, Playboy, by Architect, if my memory serves me aright, was also very nervous. Once saw him stop half-a-length from the winning post because his stable companion, Haricot, who was next, was paying a bigger dividend. Strange, but true' I have often remarked that when a jockey goes out to ride in a race he runs a greater risk than is incurred in practically any other calling on land, to say nothincr of the results of exposure to the elements. Therefore, I contend tiha-S his remuneration is not 111 keeping with the risks he runs. What is a pound for a losing mount, and three for a win (the prevalent payment up to a certain stake)? True, some owners, in the flush of success, aa-e liberal enough to exceed the allotted fee, but they are the exception rather than the rule. What I contend is that an increased scale of ndme; fees should be instituted , that the losing fee be included vi the acceptance money , and that it, or the winning fee, be deducted from the stake and handed to the rider at his pleasure. There are many would-be Archers who frequent a course who are only too willing to get up for the honour and glory of the thing, thereby depriving the bettei-class. lider of a mount. If the regulation fees were collected by the club, and handed by them to the rider, I feel sure that, once m the nondescript*' hands, there w ould not be much chance of a refund to the parsimonious owner who puts the lad up for ' nix." Riders should endeavour to get such an arrangement brought into force.