Turf Topics

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 172, 17 October 1903, Page 16

Turf Topics

By St. Simon.

THE Wellington Racing Cliib s spring meeting takes olacc on Wednesday and Friday next and, as excellent acceptances have been received, the meeting should be a big success. The fact ot a number of New Zealand Cup candidates being among the acceptors, the racing should prove most interesting. Mv anticipations for the various events aie as follows — Hurdles. — Evening, 1 , Romany La Shorts.— Starshoot, 1 , Regiment,, 2. Wellington Handicap.— Menura, 1 Shrapnel, 2. , Wamui Handicap.— Bandmastei, 1 Be NN S u / rsery Handicap.— Forest Ranger, 1 , Purdey, 2. o Flying Handicap.— Pallas, 1 , Idea 1. Those who go a-racing delight in patronising the Otaki meeting. Ine Native element oredominaites, and w hen the average Native has a holiday —well, he just puts his whole soul into On Wednesday morning quite a crow d of sports trained it to the convincing ground, and enjoyed an excellent day s l acing. The Porirua stable has of late years lifted a big pioportion of the stakes but on the first day of this year it did not send out a 1 winner. Another feature was the absence, through illness, of C. Jenkins, the wellknown rider, who was previously associated with that stable's successes at Otaki, and whose mounts were always backed by the Natives with gratifying lesults. The frequenters of the course quite missed the starter's injunction, "Charlie come up'" which always preceeded the falling of the flag. Writing of the starter reminds me that that official's display with the flag was the worst I have ever seen , so bad, indeed, that the owners protested against his occupying the position on the second day. A starter can make or mar a meeting. The black demon, Advance, has been tried over sticks, and takes to the game like a deer. What price next Grand National ? Reports of Dan O'Brien's Cup candidate are not reassuring, the Grafton colt having had to be eased in his w ork last week. The winner of the Caulfield Stakes, Abundance, by Pilgrim's Progress, is likely to start first favourite for the Melbourne Cup. The New- Zealand Cup candidate, Kelburn, is going on well in his work, and track watchers aft Riccarton think a lot of his chance. Jack Taggairt is slipping the w ork into Pallas, who is said to be very fit and should be hard to beat, at the local meeting next Wednesday. Lady Lillian, who is one of the most heavily-backed candidates in the New Zealand Cup, both in doubles and straight-outs, pulled up lame the other morning, and it is feared that the trouble is serious. Midia, by Handsome Jack, accounted for both hurdle races at Napier Park m suoh a convincing manner as to indicate tliat he is no commoner. The consistent lepper, Comfort, played second fiddle in both events. The Dunedin sprinter, Blazer, who had, up to a few w eeks ago, been doing duty between the shafts, created a surprise the other morning by beating Goldspur, Aldinga and Petrovna over five furlongs and a-half. Sir Rupert Clarkes filly Sweet Nell, by Haut Biion, won the Caulfield Guineas in good stylei, and her chance for the Caulfield Cup is regarded w ith great favour, the stable having obtained altogether £12,000 about her. Local punters on Saturday had a flutter over the opening day of the V R.C. meeting, the popular bet being one on Ibex in the Caulfield Stakes all up Belah in the Guineas — and it was "all up" with both of them, as neithoi Ibex or Belah got a place. The feature of the recent Napiei Park meeting was the phenomenal luck which attended the Hon. J. D. Ormond's stable. On the first day trainer Waddj.ll had the pleasure of leading in three winners, and on Wednesday cake-walk through the programme to the extent of five out of the eight races.

The owner of Cumulus and Linklock neglected to forward his nominations for the Otaki meeting m time for closing hour. Strange ho.', many owners leave their nominations till the very last hour. Blazer, after doing duty between the shafts for 1 a few months, made a ie>-ap-peairanee at the Dune-din meeting, and, over a seven-furlong couise, managed to get third. A furlong or two shorter would ha.ye suited him better. Ibex and Wakeful, Crucaf arm's recent opponents, both had to take a back seat in the Caulfield Stakes, run over a mile and a furlong. The doughty pair led until the straight -\\ as reached, and then faded clean out of the race. Wakeful accounted for the Eclipse Stakes, run on Wednesday last At the opeaung day of the Dunedin meeting (Wednesday), a duel was fought in the principal event by a couple of New Zealand Cnp candidates (the only starters) — Pampero and Canteen. The distance was a mile and a quarter, and the pace a cracker. A neck-and-neck race to the finish resulted in a nose victory for Pampero.