Totalisator Turf Topics.

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 229, 19 November 1904, Page 21

Totalisator Turf Topics.

By the l Old 'Un."

THE Canteibuiy Jockey Club-> jubilee meeting was held in splendid weathei , the course being in good condition. Some very fast times veie reooided. Mi. Stead's colt, Savoury, by Simmer, out or Melodeon's dam, established a New Zealand leooid of linm 2b 3-sth*>ec for seven fui longs. The Pornua-tiained horse, Chivahy, when he won the Riocaiton Welter Handicap, wab timed to run, six furlongs in lmm 14 2-sthsec Considering that he had 9st 51b on his back his perfoimance was a good one Ohivaliy is by Conqueror, a fast horse himselt, and who it now located at Heatheilea, Manawatu. As evidence that time is an unreliable tee»t of a horse's speed, the fact that Machine Gun, with only four pounds more weight to carry than Chivalry won with, could only get third place in the Stewards' Handicap, run in lmin losec (or 3-4 th or a second slower time) reads peculiarly. No one would think of backing Chivaliy to beat Machine Gun at less than tw o stone difference in weight. Machine Gun. by winning the Randolph Handicap on Saturday last with lUt 51b on his back, capped all his hte previous performances. Ihe old savins that "weight will not stop a good horse ove. a short course was nevei more strikingly exemplified One wonders how he came to get defeated in the Stewards' Handicap, m which event his impost was 9st 91b. Machine Gun may be fairly termed the best sprinter New Zealand ever saw. His defeat of Achilles over foui imlongs, at weighb-for-age, was meritori£3%t to carry Hat 51b and defeat a smart filly like Tessua, canying 7st 91b, over five furlongs, makes one feel inclined to take his hat off out of respect when he passes by. Had Marchine Gun's merits been concealed, what a moral he would have been toi the V.R.C. Newmarket Handicap' When referring to the Yaldhurst team, one has to ponder before deciding which animal put up the best peifonnance at the recent meeting. Machine Gun, Cruciform , Martian, Delaware Giand Rapids, Nightfall, Munieet Sungod Rubia, and Savoury, all performed such feats that one marvels to thmk that one traineT should have control of so many galloping machines. Never in the history of New Zealand racing has one owner had such a team of horses in. his stable, and never has such a large team been brought to the post m such superb condition Mr. R J. Mason, the mentor of Yaldhurst, has for years stood alone as a trainer. To him 'is due Mr. Stead's successes, dunne the past week. Taking the teams that assisted at the meetine, Mr Prosser's quartetteAchilles, Chivalry, Maiguente, and Flamin— looked fit to run for a kingdom. The former, however, owmer to kidney troubles, was unable to display his best form. The othrr trao are only useful handicap hordes, and such defeats as they suffered were not due to lack of condition. Messrs. W. Davis and H. Goodman, the mentors of that useful pair, Ballarat and Solution, can justly claim that their charges wei c fit for the fray Mr. Ross Allens nueroretty black maie improved greatly subsequent to the Wellington meeting, and, if not a topnotcher, is useful and reliable. Mr. Patersons filly, Solution, also was greatly impioved by the race she ran at Wellington and her subsequent gallopmg at Riccarton, and it was hard luck for her owner to meet a lecord breaker in the Members' Handicap, on Saturday last. I have no doubt that Goodman wishes Mr. Stead had i eserved Savoury for a more valuable event later on. The North Island jumpers, Miss King and Killarney gave J. McAleer four nice rides. The former is a useful cut of a mare. Killaineyhad much the worst of the weights compared with Magnificent. When the C J.C. weigh t-adj uster last dealt with them he gave Killarney 9st 121b, and Magnificent 9st 31b In the Suburban Hurdles won bv the latter, the weights weie Magnificent 9st, Killarney list 51b Each has won one race since the National meeting. A good judge of racing, noticing Magnificent weighted at 9st in the hurdle handicap, invested a tenner on

him with a local metalhcian, and when the horse was raised 20lb for his next attempt over hui dies lie raised his bet in accordance u ith the poundage, and again scored He now says it was "Magnificent business." So it appears the Hon. W. W Johnston has determined to enter mto competition with leading lacing men for classic honouis. His recent puiohase, a colt by Stepniak — Goional (full sistei to Gold Medallist) should, in another year's time, be able to throw down the gauntlet to all comers. A colt with bettei iu nnin.gr blood in his veins would be hard to find amd in the Poiirua trainer's hands he will not lack education A patron of Mi . W. Davis stable has entrusted him with the tiainiwr of a two-year-old half-brother to the highlvpiiced colt above alluded to The colt under notice is by Gipsy Giand—Coional, and, from a lecent look over him, I consider him one of the best Gipsy Grands I have seen. His first en easement vull piobably be the Welle.slpv Stakes at the Wellmgton summer meeting. Mr. R. T. Turnbull, vice-piesndent of the W.R.C , apparently finds Ellersbe r.ice course a happy hunting ground His colt, Boris, secuied the Not them Champaene Stakes and Ellershe Handicap on his last vifi.it to Auckland. His mission this time was the Great Northern Guineas and he again vanquished all his Northern opponents A somewhat unsportsmanlike obiecfcion was entered bv a person who evidently larked experience." Tins was very properly dealt with bv the* stewards in a straightforward and equitable manner. The nevt man who attempts to obtain bv taking the mean advantage of trivial technicalities should give up calling himself a spoit. Cruciform, who defeated Achilles in the Jubilee Cup at the C.J.C. meeting had 1 not contested a race on the Ricoarton course since she lan second to Achilles in the same event two yeais ago. Cruciformi won with ease m a fraction of a second better time on Saturday last, thus, demonstrating; that she is a better mare than ever before. Cruciform' 6 performance was most meritorious, but an hour later Machine Gun, her stable companion, eclipsed it by carrying list 51b, and' running five furlongs in. 58sec, thus putting up an AustiaJasian record. A stiff breeze, which blew up the straight, no doubt considerably assisted' Mr. Stead's sprinter, but, nevertheless, his gallop was the best ever seen in New Zealand. Mr. Stead's winnings dtiiing the C.J.C. meeting amount to £5-595 and Sir Geo. Clifford comes next on the list with. £1035. "C. W. Wallis," by the aid of Mahutonga, won £900, J. H. Prosser receives £205, Major-General Babington £200, the Hon. "W. W. Johnston £150, and Mr. J. Monk £85, bringing the winnings of the Porirua-trained horses, up to £640. To this may be added the 500 soys. won by the Poriruatrained Boris, at Auckland, on Kine's Birthday, the Porirua mentor thus standing second on the list of winners for the week's racing.