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I T. at jj of of y E. ;d id II - or r - to t0 ie . y q; - , " a AUSTRALIAN SEASON ENDS i i Antipodean Racing Had a Good Year Despite the War. t 1 i How Malua "Got On" to Win the Grand National Hurdle Race General News Notes. t SYDNEY, N. S. W., Australia, August 0. The Astralasian racing year ended last Thursday, July 1. It has, all in all, been a prosuerotis one, despite the war. In this country we race all the year round, and the only difference that the change makes is that ,cry ri"-e horse throughout Australasia has a year added to his age. The most important happening during the past season was, of course, the close of i, Wi,r- Tlat meant more to racing neoplc in Europe than to those in Australia. The war hnrdlv affected us in a racing sense. There was some cutting down of the number of race meetings and stakes shrank a little, hut the snort was followed with as much zest as ever. AVe were able to procure some excellent specimens of the thoroughbred at absurdly low prices. Such an opportunity never likely to occur again. Prices for horses went V.1,. "J "ls and hounds in England as soon as hostilities ceased. The demand is far in excess of the supply. It will take some years for the position "gilt itself and until it does Australians who wish to obtain high-class English stock must be prepared to pay a high price. t- Tlle f"1Iowi"S good racing story is told by Arnold who role :l bai1 "rse, Speculation, in the 1888 Australian Grand National Hurdle race, won by a phenomenal stayer, Malua. which was owned and ridden by a line horseman. J. O. Inglis. Ferry says: "I was introduced to Mr. Inglis as we were going to the post. I could not keep with the field at any part of the race, and thought I was running last; but just after leaving the straight the second tune Malua, going a little more than half-pace I was punching my horse for all I was worth, came up on the outside of me. Mr Inglis said: Hello, having a hard ride, ehV Yes. I replied, Ive no hope, and we went together for about a furlong, when Mr. Inglis said: AVell must get on, and Ill beat them yet, and he did." In the Aictoria National Steoulechase course Memmgton, Melbourne, twenty-three jnmns have he negotiated. Some of the same jumps have, course, to be cleared twice, the total iu once round being fourteen, made up as follows: 1,"T Ftce three feet high, hedge four feet two inches high. No. 2 Post and rail fence four feet eleven inches high. No. 3 Post and rail fence four feet one inch high. No. 4 Post and rail fence three feet eight inches high. X. Log three feet eight inches high. No. 0 Post and rail fence four feet high. o. 7 Post and rail fence four feet high, high- SFcnci; tllrce fce.t hedge four feet , -,0- Fc,i three feet high, hedge four feet high. No. 10 Post and rail fence four feet one inch high. 11 Post and rail fence four feet high, f. An. 12 Paling fence four feet high. No. 13 Stone wall three feet nine inches high. o. 14 Logs three feet six inches high. ALL THE STARTERS SUFFER MISHAPS. . In the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase recently all the six starters fell. In the October Steeplechase at Flemington in 1011 the whole of the ten starters made mistakes of some kind. At the second last fence Albert ran off and carried United Kingdom and Ricardo with him. J he latter fell in trying to jump the wing and Don Q. also came down. United Kingdom then got over , the fence, while Ricardo and Albert also linished. luthe A arrnambool Graud Annual Steeplechase of 1909 each of the ten starters" made a mistake and the places were eventually filled by Mossbank, Lomana and Redlight, which finished in that order. J. hey fell and were remounted. George Scobie had a most unlucky day at the s b Iemiiigton, Melbourne, course Aug. 2. He had three mounts, Rendrock. Lady Sunderland and Stage-fright, and each fell. " The last fall in the Trial Hurdle looked to be a very bad one, and Scobie was brought in in the ambulance. Relief "was felt when it became known that he had escaped serious in-, jury. Three falls in one afternoons racing is rarely i- the lot of a jockey, but J. Chevalley had a similar experience at AVilliumstown some years ago. Stakes nt Flemington during the financial vear " Jlilt, concluded amounted to 58,000, as aga"inst .4.500 in the preceding twelve months. The prohts from the meetings, nevertheless, showed a total increase of nearly 0,000, although the pre- yious season was also a good one and, iu spite of the fact that owing to the influenza epidemic, the 1 autumn quota decreased by 8,500. It is somewhat remarkable that this seasons champion three-year-old of Australia, Gloaming, . and the early American premier, Sir Barton, should have been maidens until they reached that age. L Gloaming, easily New Zealand and Australias best, id not even race at two-years, while Sir Barton lid, his first win being this year in the Kentueky Derby. 00,000 FOR IMPROVEMENTS. The amount the Auckland Racing Club purposes spending on improvements at Ellerslie is .IHOO.OOO. The contemplated improvements will include a new grandstand in the outer inclosure, a new totalizator house, a large tea-kiosk and enlargement of the members stand and members dinniiig-rooni. The Australian Jockey Clubs money for the next meeting at Randwick totals 40,500. In several instances sweepstakes have been reduced by com- parison with former occasions. Each jumping race S?r! S--!"0- Craven Plate and Spring Stakes 0,000 each and Randwick Plate ,500. The 1910 Sydney Cup winner, Prince Bardolph, which is eight years old. changed hands again last week in Melbourne.- This time at 00, which, as he is a gelding, suggests that iii due course he will find his way to the shafts of a cab of a green- grocers cart. There are thirty-five imported horses in the Caulfield Cup and thirty-six iu the Melbourne Cup. Hie sire with most representatives in the last- mentioned race is Comedy King with seventeen. J hey are: Thaisa, Luteplayer, Air King, Travi- stock, Bally.shaniion, Happy King, Percolator, Queen Comedy, Royal Comedy, AVedding Morn, Star Com- edian. Clever Jim, State Girl, Kingbier, Biplane, Artilleryman and Stage Bov. It is considered doubtful whether Queenslands crack distance horse, Aencrable, will do any more r,:V"1:r- Ho went "Hiss while competing in the Albion Cup and has been sent home for a snell. the well-performed New Zealand two-year-old Purveyor, which is to race "in Australia in the spring, is reported as wintering really well. Surveyor is not iu the Australian Jockey Club Derbv, but is in the Aictoria Derby. During the past eight years the Australian Jockey Club has spent nearly ,500,000 on perma- ment improvements at Randwick. The totalizator was the principal item in that expenditure, build- nigs and machines costing over 50,000. Out of 270 races decided at the Melbourne regis- tercd meetings in the racing season just closed the absolute first fancy at barrier rise was successful on 115 occasions. The late racing year was one of the best experienced by backers for many seasons. The Australian Jockey Club is advertising in the turf papers and general news dailies for a handi- capper at a salary of ,750. Here is a new Aictoria Racing Club rule which became operative August 1: "Every jockey or rider Khali wear a skull cap of unproved design and ma- terial, when riding iu any race." The new regit- lation is generally commended. Eighty-three jockeys have been licensed bv the Australian Jockey Club for this season and seventv- eight apprentices have been granted permission "to ride in races. Josiah Prout. father of the English jockey, James Prout, who rode for Lord Derby in England, died at Flemington August 2. For the next Victoria Racing Clubs financial year, which corresponds with the 1020-21 racing season, the stakes to be run for at Flemington will be increased by 3,200. 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