TOPICS OF THE TURF

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 56, 9 April 1929, Page 3

TOPICS OF THE TURF

(By "The Squire.")

J0TTING3 DAY BY DAY.

Mr C. L. AY. Alurcliison, wlio paid the biggest price, 2700 guineas, for a yearling at the Easter saies at Sydney, is well known in tlie Dominion, where a few year.s back he was one of the stipendiary stewards in action. * * * Although the price paid for the yearling, which is a son of Englishbred Caravel and Andesine, was substantial, it is far below Avhat has in the piast been expended in the purchase of juvenile thoroughbreds in Australia, as tlie following list will disc-Iose : — Dominant ( Saltash — Weltea), 67.30 guineas: Avant Courier (Valais-Courante), 5500 guineas; Gilt Edge (Yalais — Glittering Gold), 5000 guineas; Sion (Yalais — Ylaltee Queen), 43 00 guineas; colt by Magpie — Charleville, 4000 guineas; Glenariff (Yalais — Bunce), 3800 guineas; Glendew (Yalais — Aerohelle), 3300 guineas; Orcus (Positano — Jacintli), 3050 .guineas; Yarille (Yalais — Orvietta), 3000 guineas; Murtbong (Yalais — Otford), 2750 guineas; Iving David (Comedy King — Bansom), 2600 guineas: Bouveret (Yalais — Girilah), 2400 guineas; colt by Spearhead — After Glow, 2400 guineas. • * + The top price obtained in the Dominion for a yearling was £2400, which Mr Y. Biddiford paid for the son of Litnond and Eulogy at the January saies liekl at Trentham tliis year. * * * It must have been easy for Streplion in the A.J.C. Plate at Randwick, as ihe cable states that he won by fifteen lengths. To sliow liow good Streplion is. he covered the 2J miles in 3mins. 56secs., or 4fsecs. outside of the Australian rec-ord for the distance. • « » It is quite apparent that had Streplion been asked to exert liimself he would have lowered tlie existing time record for the distance. * * 9 By his victoiy he increased his winning total by over 1400 sovs., as that was the sum allotted to the winner. In addition there was a 10-sov. sweepstake for aeceptors, which the owner of the winner collected. Amongst the original entrants for the event were Limerick, The Hawlc and Catkin. After the sterling performances achieved by Gay Ballerina no doubt ilr 3Y. G. Stead will regret that he did not return the mare to Lord Quex after foaling Gay Ballerina to liim. Instead shc was mated with Leighton, to Avhom she had previously produced a couple qf fillies. V • ■ Her first addition to the stud ivas lioroscope, by Absurd, ivho has proved a fair performer across the deep. Lady Ball ,the dam of Gay Ballerina, is a loeal production, as she was bred ar Flaxmere, Hastings, hy Mr Stead. * 4 » On the female descent she emhraces strong dominant strains of blood, got as she was bv imported Demosthenes, from Sunlight, by Birkenhead — Bonheur, hj' imported Seaton Delaval — O'harente, by Nordenfeldt (son of Musket) — La Dauphine, hy The Dauphin (son of Traducer). w * b The concludng day of the Autumn meeting of the Avondale Jockey Club will be held to-morrow. The principal event to be decided will be tlie Autumn Handicap, of 445 sovs., for which hali a score have made good. * * * In the Sliade, who succeeded in the contest last April, is the only one oi tlie placed horse^ last season who is to be l'ound amongst tlie aeceptors for tlie competition on the morrow. He will have six pounds less to carry tlian v. iion be triumphcd m tbe preceding contest. * « • Wedding Eve, tbe winner of the Final Handicap at Randwick on Satuiday, is a daugliter of Linacre anl Uedcling Da.v, the latter mare being ihe boldor of tbe Australian time rerord for 1-J- miles, a feat tliat she accomplished ten years back, covering the twelve furJongs in 2min. 304secs. Handicaps for ihe first dav's events in connection with the Autumn nmetmg of the Hawke's Bny Jockey Club are due to' sce tlie light to-morrow. An offer of 12.000gns. Jia.s been made for Streiihon, but his owner, Mr "Sol"' Gieen, has lixecT the price at 15,000 guineas, and has stated that if that i i not forthcoming he will rcnd Streplion to Engiand to compete there. 1 f he does go to the Old Land he will not he able to win the aniount of mo"ey that could be secured in Austraha, that is money provided by racing clnbs, for in Engiand, in tlie inajoritv of events that are at all worth winning, tbe oivners themselves provide niost of the stakes, which makes racing an expensive hobby tb.ere. • * * Tlie Gveat Northern Hurdles will not: be so valuable a stake to win tliis season as it was last Juno, for the airount to be distributed in stake money has been cut down by £250 uhen compared with whai was aliotted for tbe rac-e tlien, wlicn 2000 sovs. iva.s given. » * • The Great Northern Steeplecliasc still remains at £2000, and tlie Cornv all Handicap at £1000. Tlie "Winter Steeplechase has also been pared down by £250, ivlien compared to the sum that was allotted to it last season, when the prize monev totalled £1250.