Turf Topics.

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 244, 4 March 1905, Page 21

Turf Topics.

By the "Old 'Un."

THE Auckland-bied maae, Gladsome, ts proving a capital advertisement foi New Zealand-bred hon.es. Time after time she is pitted against the be,,t of the AustraJianbred racer* with the most gratifying lebults. Her leceiit v.ctoiy in the Eighth Caulfield Futunty Stakes was accomplished in an eavy mannei. llie Seaton Delaval mare covered the seven ftu longs in lmm 29^sec. The ex-New Zealander, Moifaa, attained high honours when he aanuwed the Liveipool Giand National Steeplechase. Hls bleeder, Mr. Ulingham oj Hawke's Bay, will feel proud to find that His Majesty King Edwaid Ml. has selected Moifaa to replace Ins lecentJy defunct favourite, Ambush 11. The latter was piobablv one of the best ci oss-country hoises in England, and 1 have no fear but that Moifaa will worthily fill Ins place. The Squire of YaldJhui^t, Mr. George G Stead, doe& not believe m keeping anything but the be.t of lacers in his boxes Grand Rapids did not long remain his piopertv subsequent to his victory in tihe New- Zealand Cup Recently he has parted with Golden Lily to Mr A Mackav. a We*t Austiahan buyer The same buyer took a veailini filly named Nestling, by Rovai Artillery A Hotchkiss colt named Cata,ract was also sold by M. . Stead to an Australian buyer, whilst Ba?pi,nes was disposed of to Mr. G. Palmer of Christchurch. The Newmarket Handicap will be run to-day (Saturday), and the Australian Gup on Tuesday, next At the tamo of writing, Gladsome is a stionp favourite at 4 to 1, and will probably start at a veiy short price, notwithstanding that she is burdened with 9st 131b. Ihe English-bred mare, Playaway (Bst llh) is next in favour and is quoted at / to 1. The latter may prove Gladsome <• most formidable opponent. The New Zealand-bred Canteen is engaged in both the Newmaiket Handicap and Australian Cup, but will probably be reserved for the longei race. With Bst 91b, Canteen should make a good showing. Those New Zealanders who were most associated with Canteen considered that, pnor to his Melbourne Cup effort, he had been given too many "exhibition gallops." His late trainer (Rutledge) found Canteen race best when not too highly stiung up. The handicaps for the Dannevuke meeting, which takes place on Wednesday next, have been wired from Dunedini by the club's handicapper. Some owners have complaaned that the Dannevirke handicapper was not pi esent at the WoodnLle meeting to witness the racing there. Many of the animals at Dannevuke were racing at Woodnlle. Their form there could not have been taken into consi delation. A section of the Dannevirke stewards were desirous of engaging a handicapper who could attend at Woodville and witness the running prior to declaring his handicaps. They were, however, m the minority. Mr. Hartgell, the wellknown stipendiary racing judge, who is an official of the Dannevuke Club, was strongly opposed to pi esent ariangements being disturbed, consequently the racehorse owners must suffer in silence. The Yaldhurst jockey Hewitt seem^ to have fallen upon evil times, To be carpeted by the stewards of two sepaiate metropolitan clubs inside a fortnight is probably a record. On each occasion Hewitt was up on one of Sn Geo. Clifford's horses. On the second occasion, although the interference w as said to have prevented another ownei's hon,e engaged m the race from obtaining a fan chance of winning, the owner of the caieilesslyridden horse escaped the consequences, the rider only being punished. The stewaids of the Woodville Racing Club did not hesitate to do their dtutv, and when it was pioved 1 that the rider of Inwpan had jostled Wind, in the second huidlle races' they promptly disqualified the horse, and a.warded thei stakes to Wind, the horse who finished second. Racmig Rule 92 reads "If in running for any race one honse shall jostle or cross another, such horse' a.nd every horse belonging to the same ow ner may be disqualified from winning the race . whether such jostle or cross happened 1 by the swerving of the horse or by foul or careless riding of the jockey or otherwise."

The iales ot racing, like the laws, of the countuy, aie Liitetnded to tieat all alike. The law is no respector ot peisons. Neither should tho^e who administei the rules ot racing deal tendeily with one class ot owner and harshly with anotheiL. It is difficult to iecoiicile the decision* o± the stewards oi the Dunedin and Woodville Raomg Clubs. In the Convoy-Gladsome cabe, although Mi. J. B Reid'b jockey conducted himself in a perfectly fair manner throughout the iace, and neithei obtained noi attempted to obtain amy undue advantage, the poweis that be. aiteii due deliberation, ordered that the otakew won by Gladsome be paid 1 over to the ownei of tlie second horse. Theie is evidently some serious flaw m the rules of racing when one racing man's iocikey can ude m such a manner as to imperil the chances of other horses engaged in a race, and the ownei 's punishment w made less seveie than that inflicted on the nominator of a horse whose rider only commits a technical b'eacih of racing laws The suspension of Hewutt will piove ,1 senous matter for hisseveial employee. Hewitt has for some time done nifct of Mi. Stead's riding. Sir Geouge CLiffoid has also laigely availed himself of the Yaldhurst jockey's seivices. The lattei owner's hoises ha\e on many occasions siiowm much impioved form under the guidance of Hewitt, and his services will be much missed at the Wanganim meeting by the ownei of Cliokeborpi Lodge. Some capital foim was displayed at the Woodville meeting. Black Reynard is credited with having run the Cup distance, one and 1 a-quaiter miles, in 2mans 7 1-oth sec. A, Black Reynaid was in front all the way, his peifoimance is a most mai ltonous one Hamua, a Ponrua cast-off, must be improving. He defeated a lot of useful horse**, and gained second place behind Black Rev n aid. Gold Crown, from the Ponraa stable, tan unplaced in the Woodville Cup but, with 41b le^s weieht he managed to win the Autumn Handicap on the second day of the meetime His admirers received a good dividend, but Gold Crown's immediate connections did not participate in it to any extent. Gihoorka appeals to have again struck form. It was this time last yeni that he put up his best perfoimanoe by wmnjing the Wanganui Cup Ghoorka's victory in the Dunedin Cup appears to have been easily achieved, as he won m fan- time, without being seriously called upon by his rider. He certainly dad not meet with very strong opposition, as the field for the Dunedmn Cup did not contain any genuine stayers. Cannie Chi el and Stepdancer, the winner and runner-up of the C.J.C. Midsummer Handicap, were expected to run well in the Dunedin Cup. The foameir gave one of his worst exhibitions, but Stepdancer ran ai good race, and is evidently goang to gaow into a useful handicap maie. Dunedin "punteis" evideintJy have a considerable amount of rebpect for horses trained outside of Wingatui. Had Ghoorka met the Dunedin Cup field on the Wellington racecourse, it is certain lie would not have started favourite. Local backers have soiDnorted the som of Lochiel time and again, only to find him chasing his field homei, with even a much lighter impost than he earned in the Dunedin Cup. Mr. Dugald Thomson infoims me that, although he was in treaty for the purchase of the colt, Maniopoto, the bargain was not concluded, owing to the colt's owner placing too high a value on the son of Soult. Kj-emlm, who was conjoin tily owned by Mr Thomson and ' Alick Hall," has become the sole property of the latter. Mr. Thomson considers Kremlin one of the best horses that has passed through his hands. Kaharoa, purchased by Mr. Thomson at Haweia, will be placed in ''Jack" Maheir's hands after the Wanganui meeting, and, in all probability be, together with Black Reynard, engaged at the Wellington autumn meeting Mr. J. Monk was heaitily congratulated on the victory of his i epresentative, Ghoorka, in the Dunedin Cup. Porirua horses have hitherto been very successful when raced on the Wingatui racecouise, and Advance and Boieas w&ie each successfuil when on a visat to the Dunedin Jockey Club meetings. It is just possible that ere these lines reach the public the Jackson Stakes and Wanganui Cup will have fallen to Ponrua-t rained horses Achilles is engaged in the foimer, and Ghoorka in the Cup.