SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 55

SPORTING NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA.

By Havens wohth.

MELBOURNE, February 18. DEATH OF MR, GEORGE BOWEN.

I regret sincerely to record ;he death of Mr George Bowen, who for many years, was familiar to Witness readers as "Hori PoJne." Mr Bowen. who was well known as a sporting journalist throughout Australia, died at his residence. Jo&monl, a suburb of Melbourne, on Friday evening teusrt. He had been ailing for "a few days, and his landlady procnxaa him a bottle of chkerodyne, and he evidently took an overdose of it. He* was found dead, with half the contents of ,-fche bottle* missing. An inquest was commenced' on Saturday, and adjourned. Mr Bowen -was well up in years, but he never lost his genial disposition, even in the adverse circumstances' which of recent years beieQ him. He w<as a recognised authority on racing,

will be missed by a large circle of friends. He had * quaint style of writing, which made ■him stand out from the ordinary sporting writer, ,and no one could ever say that his "copy" was uninteresting. He w»s a fearless writer, and no donbt' lost a few friend* owing to the bold style in which he criticised on occasions, bat that made no difference to him. H-e mapped out his line of duty and 1 followed it unswervingly. A few years ago he settled in West Australia, and in his absence I had the honour to write "Sporting Notes From- 1 Australia" for tie "Witness. On his return to Melbourne he resumed the position as correspondent in Melbourne of the Witness, and wrote up to the last. He may, indeed, be said to have died in harness. His was a somewhat troubled life, so we may now ea-y with all sincerity, "Peace to his ashes." The following graceful reference to the deceased journalist appeared 1 in the Melbourne Age last Monday: "Regret will be felt, especi1 ally in turf circles, at the death of Mr Geo. Bowen, at the age of €2. For many years ! he was prominently identified with the sport- ! ing press of Victoria and Western Aus- ! tralia as arf- expert in racing, cricket, and football. He was a particularly good judge of private gallops at Fleming-ton, and an extremely- well informed authority on a wide range of sporting subjects." AUTUMN RACISPG CAMPAIGN. On Saturday last the- a<utumn racing campaign in Melbourne was fairly launched. The opening day's racing of the victoria Amateur Tutf Club took place on that afternoon at Oaulfield. It was a most successful day's racing, fields being krge (86 horses starting for six races) and the contests stirring. Backers generally had rather a poor time, but there were a few good winners over the day's transactions. I think the St. George ■ Stakes (» w.f.a. event, with allowances, nine furlongs) first demands attention, because it was "the race in which Mountain King, the -crack three-ye*r-old, made his reappearance, and alro (as an item of interest to N*w iZealandew) because Apologue was • runner. I may at ' once say that Apologue, who raced ga the property of Mr B. S. -S. (the registered \jpame , of "the native Indian sportsman, -who owns I him), has not done much on the tracks since he has been in Hickenbotham's hand*. I He was for some time very wore, and though he has lately been going; a little score freely be is still far from being fit. In the circumstances, no surprise need be fait at the fact thwt Apolog-ae showed no form. There were seven starters, and Apologue was last nearly all the way, bat at the finish managed tv run past Booran, who seems to have quite lost his form.' Mountain Bang iron in a canter, Ebullition, .who is a stable companion of Apologue, finishing a moderate second, not much in advance oi the New Zealand-bred Seddon, who ran better than ■his track work suggested he would. Mountain King is apparently in his best form. He covered the distance in the -excellent time of lmin 55isec. He handles himself very well for such a big colt. He is a bit awkwardlooking in bis slow paces, but when he has it all on he is a. different animal. It is the long strides which he puts in at the finish ■which tell. [ The. big betting race of the day was the Oakleigh Plate*- run round the turn at five and a-half furlongs. There^were -no fewer than. 28 starters, all but Kubam (who is a two-year-old, and therefaee ineligible) and Cuneiform,- being engaged in the Newmarket Handicap, the big 1 spfint Tace of the year, which is to be rxin xt Flemington on February 29. Cuneiform, I might say here, looks to be absolutely a back number. He finished a bad last. Th« favourite was Istrta, 9.5, a member of the string oL-the olever Sydney trainer, Dick O'Connor, who also trains the Newmarket Handicap favourite, Scotland, Istria led into the straight and to th« distance, when she compounded. Grenadier 8.7 (by Soulff then looked all over a winner, but at the last moment Bright Steel slipped up on the rails and won easily by threeauarters of a length from Grenadier, with Captain Shannon, ' 7.7, a close third, and the ! imported mare Thalaba, who was well "backed, fourth. ~* j The winner of the Oakleigh Plate, Bright i S>«el, is a handsome horse, by St. Simon fft«n Glare, by Ayrshire from Footlight, by Cremoxne, and was bred/ by Sir Daniel Cooper, who raced horses in Australia some yeats ago. Glare is the dam oi Flair, who won -the One ■Thousand Guineas in 1906, and' of Lesbia, who i was the crack two-year-old) in England last season. Bright Steel, it will be seen, is most aristocratically bred 1 . He was one of the numerous horses selected during his stay in England by the gentleman who races as Mr J. E. Stanley (Mr J. O'Keefe). Bright Steel came out in charge of J. Fielder (who will be remembered as "* successful jockey here some years ago), and w»e prepared fox the race by him at Fleming-ton. Th* colt is , in the Newmarket Handicap, a 101b penalty bringing bis tfeight up to 7st 81b. He was , ridden by S. Fergusaon, son of A. Feigosson, who trains Tmquair and one ox two other horses for Mr Stanley, and) -who only returned from England a few- months ago. This was the first -winning ride of young 1 Fergusson in Australia, but he has ridden a few winners hi England, where ha learnt -the rudiments of his profession under his father's supervision. He shapes very well in the saddle. Bright Steel did not lace fn England. This was, as a matter of fact, only his second run. He started in a race at Moonee Valley last October when not nearly ready. He came out by the Medic from England last August, along with Aurum and other horses. Mr Stanley has Traquair (a fine performer in England) ■and imported Snowy River (by St Serf fitem River Trent, by Trenton) «lao engaged m the Newmarket. Backers axe puzzled as to which iB the correct pea. Grenadier, who is, of course. New Zealand-bred .is not a Bound horse. He is indulged a good deal in swimming exercise. The other events at Caulfieia last Saturday do not call for much toamient. The result of the Bond Oup, of 300aovs, one mile and three furlongs, caused, however, some talk. It w«s won by the Wallace four-year-old Jack Smith 7.0, owned by Sir Rupert Clarke and Ids' brother, Mr E. E. D. Clarke, and is trained by James Scobie. Jack Smith started in the' Sunbury Cup the previous Saturday, and ran a very poor third to Akirn Foo and the jumper-flat racer, Woorooglin. The Bond Cup he "won pulling up. The only explanation forthcoming was that the Bond Cup race was run to suit him. The horses dawdled over the first five furlongs, the time registered for which was lmin 14s*c! The favourite for the race was. the disappointing New Zealander, Putty 8.3, who ran even worse than Jack Smith at -Sunbury. He managed to run third this time. Sivori 7.9. in T. Payten's stable, splitting the pair. Kangaratta 10.3. by Kangaroo (son of Manuka), captured the Steeplechase, while the Federal Stakes, a five-furlong handicap for two-year-olds, went to Demolition, who is owned' by Messrs K. S. M'Leod (who did so well with Realm) and- E. L. -La-wrenoe. Both these are assumed names. Demolition was an expensive yearling, realising SOD guineas -when, put up by auction, last April. San Francisco, the site oi Demolition, ia s fuli-brether to St. FrußOjuin, sire of Flair, Quintessence, St. Annul, Leebia, and other ■ good - winners in. England. The hoxse was rmjmrted irotn V.rtp\»mA ia 2£ev *2aal«n3, pdvvux lie .proceeded to N%» Soulh "Wales,'

and is now in Mr John M'Donald's Mungft* Bundie stud. He has so far only two-year* olds running for him in Australia, and thes have not hitherto done much good. "Ike" Fonlsham. the regular trainer of Demolitions Seddon, etc., is at present in New Zealand seeking health. His son, A. E. Foulsham, has been looking after the team. The Salisbury 'Welter went to Akim Foo 9.7, who is by Bobadil, and has lately been running this being his fourth win in two og three weeks. MUNJEET A WINNER. At the Sandown Park races last Wednesday the Special Weight Race, six furlongs, wont to Mr G. G. Stead's cast-off, Munjeet) who carried 9.3 and won In a canter front Northwood 8.7 and Verenice 8.4. The only) other staTters were Akim Foo &.4 and Splash! 8.7. Munjeet seemed to be held swfe by Northwood at the distance, but finishing in great ' style the Stepniak roare eventually won in the easiest possible manner in the excellent' time for this course of lmin 16£ sec. Munjeet is one of a batch of horses brought from New Zealand a month or two ago by D. J. Price, who together with J. Carl i« returned as the owner. Munjee* should run. well in the Newmarket Handicap, but hag the fair weight of 8.13. So also should Soot-* land at 8.4, Tangaroa, on the game mark, and MaeteT Foote at 8.2. Price ran another of his team. Fireiron, in the Sandown Park Handicap, but this gelding broke down badly. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. Trotting is being given another chance a/6 < Richmond by Mr John Wren. The track ia small, but is probably the beat trotting track in Australia. At the two last meetings at ■ couple of two-year-olda by the imported! American sire Abbey Bells have scored. They are the first of his progeny to appear ' in -public. " x | Bright Steel has incurred a M)lb penalty and 'Akim Fop a Sib penatty for the Newmarket Handicap, and Jack Smith a 7lb penalty for the Australian Cup. These ar« the only penalties to date. Gapon, by Menschikoff, w*s sold on Mon- ' day in Melbourne for 11 guineas ! Great thingß were at one time expected of him. The Melbourne thoroughbred yearling sales will be held on March 2. Mr J. V. Smith, of Bundoora stud, a sending arp a sister to the crack two-year-old Mother Goose, as well as a chestnut brother to Miss Delaval. February 26. Another Fntarity Stakes race ia over, and for the third occasion, since the race- was establishes, in 1898,- an imported horse has been successful. Sir Foot© won in 1902. Playaway in 1904. and this year Antonio is the hero. Th& Futurity Stakes, which waa runl last Saturday at Caulfield, when the V.A.T.C. autumn meeting was oonoludfed, has become) on* of the most eagerly sought after races in? Australia. It is not a heavy betting race likei the Caulneid Cup, or Melbourne Onp, but th» winning \of it is appreciated "almost as muchj as the winning of the VJR.C. Derby or A.J.O. Derby. The conditions i>f the event «r« very, elaborate. Entries can be «iade for it vV three different periods. It remains open until a few days before its running, and six horse^ oam& in this year at the last moment, ibe, cost of starting each at thatt late stage being 45&0V8. The «ix included Antonio, Mountain - Sing, and Mtrnjeet, who filled the places. ', Though.' there were 14 • starters for th# ■ Futurity Slakes (the largest fieWl that ever contested the . event), • supporters novefc • weakened in thei* *H*gkm«e ho Mountain' King, who carried the highest penalty of anyj horse, 15lb, whioh brought his weight up tot 9.6— « big impost for a three-year-old. Mountain King is, however, a tremendous horsey and well up to the we:ght. I do not thfrjkj he failed because the weight was too much,' but because he me*, a better horse. An-« tonio represents good English -form, but ha' has » "leg." •*» been hapd t* 1 ** 1 - Earashaw did vm& to get him to the po»< as fit as he did. Soon., alter they got into the straight Antonio took command, and! though Mountain Sang finished gamely, he 1 had no chance of lowering the colours of that Englishman-, who passed the post with threequarter* of a length to spare. The victory, would have been more pronounced had Antonio not been iaierfered- with about five furlongs! from home. No excusa can be made for . Mountain King. He is still a crack amongsti our horses, but it has been demonstrated! mere than once before- that English sprinting form is much better than oura. The Sydney trainer, Isaac Barn&haw, has had * wonderfuNy successful career. He won the last two Oau'Aeld Cups with Poseidon, the last Melbourne Cup with Apologue, while, to go back *irfch«r, Sir Foote (also imported); credited his stable with the Futurity Stakes, Newmaxket Handicap, «nd Doncaster Handicap. T. Clayton, who was associated with th» successes of Poseidon and Apologue, roda Antonio. Munjeet r*n a, good race, but it was only by half a head that she ran, Sootlmd out of third place . Five of th« six horses to .get past the post first war* trained by Sydney tanners, while the other* UJonjeet, was trained by D. J. Price, oi I New Zealand, 00 that .Melbourne talent wui badly beaten. The four horses that filled the places in lost year's Futurity— viz., Corro»boree. Step Out. Collarit. and Istria, again* competed, and all xan badly. Collarit shaped best of them. Next to the Futurity Stakes most interest centred in the weaghtwfor-age event, the St. Helier Stakes, run over a mile and a-hslf. This proved a good thing for the three-year-old Peru, trained by Tom Payten, of Sydney; but owned by Mr Agar Wynne, of Melbourne, a member of the V.R.C. Committee. Tulkeroo was second, and" Apologue, who ran better than on the first day, third.' Apologue is, however, nothing like the hc*s« he was in the spring. Peru is by Grafton, and so is Banzai, 8.11, who got home in th« Woodcliffe Handicap, nine furlongs. Banzai was, until recently, in Payten's stable. Hs was sold just before the first day of th« meeting to Mr A. E. Press, of Adelaide, foi £500. On the first day Banzai was nearly, knocked down in the Welter Handicap. C« Pratt, who left this week with Brownie Cars* k+ke to ride in Austria, rode Peru, and als<i The Brewer, another winner. He is a' very; confident rider. The Alma Stakes, a six-furlong handicap for two-year-olds, went to The Brewer, 9.5* ! who overnight had been purchased by Mr C < R. Bunbury, a West Australian station owner, for 1500gs. The Brewer is by Maltster (son of Bill of Portland), and is a very fine colt. If lie comes through the V.R.C. meeting all rk:ht ha will be winter favourite for" the: V.R.C. Derby. The Brrewer bad not done • : great deal of work, and was not much fancied. The! favourite waa Wai Ita, a brother ttf Lady Diffidence. He ran second, bat Th^ Biewer beart him pointless. Destilie. what won the Steeplechase, had run last ia % ■ similar event tiie previous Saturday. Th< meeting concluded with the Hawksbury Handicap, six furkm??. The imported manf Thfckba. 8.7. wan favourite, but she kwl several lengths at th» poet mad .the South ! AtutnHaßo, Lord Oaa-lysn, 8.8 (by Oariyon)* . lea«pß»g nearly all the way, won easily. x DEATH OF MR GEO. BOWEN. The -adjojuned iaqiriry- into •fVi* cause of the death of Mr Geosge Bowen, was held before Dr Cole, the city coroner, Melboaxne, disclosed the presence oi morphine in the

organs of the deceased. A bottle was forwarded for Analysis, containing about an ounce of *'Dx J. Collis Browne's chlorodyne," « preparation thnt contained about 3 grains of morphine to the ounce. About tan ounce was missing. "I do not think," said the report, "that the poisonous nature of this mixture is sufficiently indicated by the label employed." Dx John Fullerton Mlackeddie said that, in bis opinion, death was the result" of chlorodyne poisoning. The coroner found that the death of Mr Bowen was due to accident. MARANUI. Mx Dan O'Brien has at last won a race •with Maranui. The Malatua colt started favourite in a field of five for the Kojarah Stakes, one mile, at the Moorefield meeting, in' Sydney, last Saturday, and easily beat the moderates opposed to him. The Flying Handicap, at the same meeting, went to Send Off, by Havoc (son ot Nordenfeldt), and the Moorefield Handicap to Aragain, by Niagara. THE GAMING ACT. The long-pending cases against the publishers of the Argus and the Age newspapers for publishing betting information before a race, contrary to the provisions of the Gaming Act, came on at the District Court, Blaiibourne, on Thursday last. The infonna.tion -was based on the following extracts. On October 23 the following appeared in the Age: — "The betting market yesterday on the Melibouxne Cup. was not very active. Apologue xetained his position at the head of the "quotations, and although Poseidon showed • tendency to shorten, Mooltan came into strong demand, a large amount being secured *t fairly long odds." And on October 4 the following: — "A sensational development was associated ■with the betting market in Sydney yester"day, which resulted in Mooltan being installed favourite for the Epeom Handicap." The Argue on October 15 published the following:— ■ "Still another favourite has been found ■lor the Caulfield Cup. This is Apologue, •Poseidon's stable companion, the rate of odds about whom shortened just one-half yesterday." . , There were also informations against each paper for publishing, contrary to the act, /)the result of the last Tattersall's sweep on !4he Caulfield Cup. On the defendants agree- ; ing to pay the costs iand not to offend again, < *!'< the complaints were withdrawn. It seems great pity they were, a» the general mv 'preasion amongst the legal fraternity is that •yen if there had been a conviction it wou.d not have held good in a higher court. RULES OF RACING. For years the V.RC. have been tinkering * with the Rules of Racing. They had another go at them last week, when several alterations and additions were recommended 1 »y .the committee, and after some discussion adopted by members. The principal alteration was the one which excluded a. pony 14.-2 hands or under from the operation of the rule applying to unregistered meetings. /This means' that a. man may race, a horse at Flemington under V.RiC. rules and a pony at Ascot> Fitzroy, or Richmond (Melbourne n '.three 'unregistered courses). Jockeys may iid» horses at Flemington and ride ponies at the unregistered courses without incurring disqualification. This • concession was meant as a sop to Mr John Wren, who, however, does not appreciate it. H« wants the V.R.C. to register Ascot outright. Amongst the other new rules adopted was one which follow* tfi« New Zealand plan which allows of a race being taken away irom a horse> on dishonest or Buspiciou* practices being {proved. The proposed rule which caused most discussion was the one which gave jockeys power to bet through the owners of the horses they happen to be riding. At pjesent jockeys are not allowed to bet at all, but they do all the same. The rule •was adopted. The meeting also agreed to a proposal to institute a register of racehorses, and to another that at any inquiry not less than four stewards not interested in bets on the race must sit. There was a modification of the "riding out" iul«. In many respects the old rule-was 'an admirable one, but.it did not work very well in practice. Instead of making it arbitrary that a horse should be ridden right out, even after it was beaten, if the stewards thought it was run on its merits they would under the new rule be satisfied. The Australasian Swimming Championships were conoluded at Perth last Thursday, when the Victorian representative, F. Beaurepaire, won the 440 Yards Championship by 10 yards irom Cecil Healy, in two-fifths of a second outside of Healy's best time. Viotoxia, for ■the first time in the history of these con%e»ts, won the majority of the championships, and, incidentally, the Kiernan Shield, which it will hold for 12 months. Until 1905, when Mr J. .Law, the ex-breast-stroke- champion of Scotland, who represented Victoria, swam second to Matson (W.A.) in the 220 Yards Breast-stxoke Championship, at Brighton (Victoria), these championships have been - little else but a series of test race* for Xew South Wales swimmera Law's success was followed up by F. Fitts swimming third in ■the 100 Yards Championship of Australasia in 1906, and T. W. Mason, of the Melbourne Chib, swam third in the Quarter-mile Championship which was won by Reginald Healy, a -brother of Cecil Healy. In the series of championships just finished Victoria has won three, and has been placed second three times, while New South Wales has two wins, ithre* seconds, and three thirds to ita credit. Queensland has been placed third and fourth once, «^i Western Australia has secured one first and one fourth position. Matson, in winning the Breast-stroke Championship in Smin 17 2-sseo, beat his own .world's record for 220 yards' breast-stroke by 8 2-3 sec. Richardson finished one second be!hind Mateon. At a largely attended meeting of the Victorian Amateur Swimming Association, last Thursday evening, it was de<ud«d to send Beaurepaire to England as yiotoria's representative in the swimming con■fstji in connection with the Olympic Games fin London this year. MISCELLANEOUS. At the Hox&ham (Victoria) meeting, extending over two days, last week. Thunder Jewel, pbo is by Musket's son, Thunderbolt, acbounted for three races. They were of no particular importance. The Dnun, by Zalinski, was successful in, Ah« Handicap Flutter at the Baimsdale meeting, jn Gippsland, last Thursday. R, Bath (ode three winners during the day. It is intended to increase the stake of the Canlfield Futurity Stakes to 2000sovs. The change will not, Hbwevfer, operate until 1910. 'A number of us will not be alive to see tb» race or to read about it. l& E. E. D. Clarke's two-year-old Wallace. 1 «lly, deis, won the February Plate, six foxlWies, a handicap iox all ages, at Moonee Valley last Wednesday. She carried 8.2, and Vyn the distenoa in lmin 15isec. The prin(iapal event, the Valley Handicap, went to &ue»n Mary, who is by Trenton's son, Tren\hann. R. Lewis and E-. Turner each rode a ,^ouple of winners. Mr A. M'Cracken, of the V.R.C. Committee. Aas returned from a trip to New Zealand looking greatly improved in health. Antonio, the Caulfield Futurity Stakes win-

n«r, was parobased in England in. December, 1906, by hia present owner for 300gs — a great bargain as it turned out. His owners are Messrs R. O. Allen and Frank M'Donald. Mr Allen has the Wambo stud 1 , near Singleton, in New South Wales. The imported horses Riding Master, Rice, Playbill, and Luoan, as well as Mountain King's brother, Bonnie Chiel, are amongst the stallions located there. His partner, Mr Frank M'Donald, manages the stud 1 . Mr Allen ia a well-known «dney solicitor Antonio is by Prisoner (sop; Ifeonomy and Lonely, by Hermit) from Padua,, by Uncas or Thurio from Immortelle, by Paul Jones. "Ike" Foulsham, trainer of beddon, returned from his New Zealand trip last Saturday. Hia health lias only been improved a little. The Loohiel horse Tartan, trained by J. Burton, of Sydney, strained the suspensory ligament of his hind leg fchis week. This was bad luck for his owner, Mr J. J. Macken, as Taitan looked to have a lfcm on the? Australian Cup and one or two other weight-for-age events at the V.R.C. meeting. The imported nuaxe Thalaba pulled up lame after running at Caulfield last Saturday. Little Toy was very bad internally after racing there.