GOSSIP OF THE TURF

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12621, 4 December 1926, Page 8

GOSSIP OF THE TURF

Plain Sailing is now out of hacks, and if she is a runner at Woodville it will be in open company. 1 Tannadioe was taken to Feilding, but was unablo to act in the heavy going. The racing would do 'her no harm, however, and she will be a useful hack later on. Mr C\ F. Vallance seems to have a promising hack in Kalos, a three-year-old, who might be showing up about the beginning of next year. The bad ground at Feilding completely accounted for First .Acre. Merry Jest is not living up to her reputation. and apparently she is not as good as they thought she was. A nice mover is Mrs Walter Graham's Australian-bred two-year-old. Miss Mercia. The fillv was produced on the second day at ‘Feilding, and galloped very attractively, finishing fourth. Miss Mercia is by The Verderer or Allegory from Argea Silvermine, winner of tho Oroua Nursery, was lucky to lead the field home on Wednesday, but he promises to be a nice colt. He seems to have inherited the ability of his dam, Silver Link, to gallop, and to have the capacity shown by. most of liis sire’s (Catmint's) stock to go in the mud. He had done nothing but the lightest of sprint tasks at Hrwera. and was not expected by his party. He would not have won, of course, had tho race not been presented to him by the leaders who ran off the course at the home turn. In handicapping Rapine at. 9.9 for the Auckland Cup, Mr F. J. McManemin has not been hard on the Martian gelding. Eapine won the last Auckland Cup under 9.8, beating by a short head Count Cavour, who carried 8.13. Tins year Count Cavour has 9.5. To Monanui ran third, two lengths away, last year with 8.7, and Ms weight thi* time will ! be 9.1. Handily placed in the race is the "Wellington mare Degage, who, if she were ready, would be sure to run well under 8.7. The three-year-olds Limerick and Battlement have 7.7 and 7.2: both are weighted at less than weight-for-age, which is 7.9. Another useful three-year-old, Seatown, is on. the minimum. Among the light-weights are Piufhair, winner of the Metropolitan at Ricearton last month (7.1), and Diogenes, winner of the Levin Cup and the Feilding Cup . (7.3). Spoony has not a very strong field to beat in the Cnp at Taumarunui. Day Guard is smart round tbe turns, nud if he can begin well enough under tho weight he has been given at Taumarunui, he will take a lot of beating. Prior to competing at the Takapuna meeting on Saturday last Namuteve was sold for JJISO. Later in the day the gelding earned .£75 of that amount for his new owner by running second in the Borough Handicap. Namutere in the past was useful in a moderate class, but is now "aged.'* Deucalion has' rejoined D. Campbell's team, after a spell, and he will be got ready for another racing campaign. The Demosthenes gelding ie on the down grade, and leg troubles are an additional handicap, but southerners think he may pick up another stake at the back end of the season. Footfall is booked for a trip to the Auckland summer meeting. He will be accompanied by the smart two-year-old Starlight. 1 Booster has built up a lot since being a sick horse at the conclusion of the New Zealand Cup meeting, and will be ready for the west Coast circuit at Christmas-time. As the field was entering the straight

in the Takapuna Plate last Saiurday a dog rushed out at the galloping horses. The leader (Ruffles) managed to avoid the animal, but True Blood was not so fortunate, the dog coming in contact with his hind legs, which spun him around, and sent him into the hoofs of other horses. Luckily, all horses kept on their feet. When the field had passed on the dog lay motionless and badly injured. Those connected with Ruffles threw in for. a good win over the success of that gelding in the Takapuna Plate last Saturday. Ruffles is good, and won the event in a manner that suggested deeds in future Although Ruffles won well, his task was made much easier by the fact that True Blood began very badly, and was actually last of the field after going half a furlong. True Blood made a fast run from tlie four-furlong post, but at the home turn suffered interference from the • dog. Even then True Blood finished very close to Ruffles. True Blood is decidedly ■ promising. Mr Ben CUaffey, the owner of Manfred, was greatly upset over the scratching of his horse for the Melbourne Cup. "It seems as if I am destined never to win the Melbourne Cup,” he said. “1 thought my turn had come this year, hut it was not to be. Alanfrcd would have won. I regarded hint as the greatest certainty that you could get on a racecourse. Bob Lewis says he is the greatest horse he has ridden in his life, and that no other liorso could go with mine once he got to him. He would never have been off the bit in the Melbourne Cup, and would have won it just as easily as he did the Caulfield Cup." H. McCaluian States that Manfred will be given an extended spell, part of which will be spent at Adelaide. The promising two-year-old Tripaway, by Archery from Killiney, in A. McAulav’s ‘ ©table at Riocarton. has again been placed in active commission, after a spell necessitated by a kick received at the last Oamaru meeting. The respite has done the filly a vast amount of good, as she at present looks in splendid condition

Action is at last being taken in Tasmania for the licensing of bookmakers. For some considerable time racing has been in a most precarious state, meetings continually resulting in a loss. It says a great deal for tho business ability of the committees and secretaries of the two principal clubs —tile Tasmanian Racing Club and Tasmanian Turf Club—that there is racing at all on the island, says the "Australasian." The Minietry declined to introduce a bill to license bookmakers, but Mr H. Thomson, who is a member of the Nationalist PartyLabour rules in Tasmania—is the sponsor of the Bill, and there is a rea.sonable chance of the Bill becoming law. It is expected that most of the Ministerial members will support the measure, and sufficient numbers of the Nationalists to ensure its passage through the .House of Assembly. As a private member cannot introduce a taxation Bill, the measure as introduced by Mr Thomson is a machinery Bill, and does not contain the rates of tax proposed to be imposed on bets. If Parliament consents to the Bill it is assumed that the Ministrv will later introduce a rating Bill. The Administration is badly in need of revenue, but it Would be well advised not to ask too much from the bookmakers, or otherwise many will endeavour to evade the law. The license fees received from the bookmakers will Iya th© salvation of the racing clubs, but the clubs would have fared even better if the Bill did not provide for “stay-at-home” bookmakers*.