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1 ...... , I TURF GOSSIP rcOMAUSTRALIA By BOB THOMSON Special Australian Correspondent for Daily Racing Form Victoria has enjoyed few more encouraging autumn inaugurals than that which ushered in the 1938 fall meeting at Caulfield Saturday, February 12. At the moment, Australias autumn season is in full swing, and the champions of yesterday and today hold the stage. Glorious weather again prevailed for the final day of the V. A. T. C. fixture at the famous heath before a crowd of 43,000, all of whom displayed amazing enthusiasm in the clash between the three-year-olds Ajax, Hua, El Golea and Damalis in the Futurity Stakes, Australias richest race for sprinters. The Futurity is an affair of seven furlongs, with 4,000 added, for two-year-olds and upward. Ajax, fleet son of the illustrious Heroic, was a luke-warm favorite at 2 to 1. Displaying his usual alacrity at the barrier, the brilliant Victorian colt took command shortly after the start and never was headed. Hua was in closest pursuit of Ajax pace from the beginning and, although he stuck gamely to his task, he was not good enough. El Golea held a prominent position for five-sixteenths and fought out a stirring duel with Damalis and Kings Head for the minor award. The Eastern Monarch colt, after being overtaken, saved second place by a head before Damalis, Kings Head, Pamelus, Mohican and Lochlee. Gold Rod downed Pamelus in this race last year. Ajax, which sported the silks of his breeders, A. W. Thompson, E. L. Baillieu and Mr. "Constable," packed 132 pounds and covered the distance in 1:25. WON 6,475. Ajax has now won 6,475 in stakes and before the end of the fall season he will be threatening the position of Lough Neagh, as the biggest stake winner racing in Australia. Lough Neaghs winnings approximate 00,-000. In thirteen starts Ajax has been unplaced only once. He has won nine races, been second twice and once third. The Alma Stakes saw the handsome Manfred colt Mildura score a narrow victory at his second start in Melbourne. Mildura, which carries the colors of Gold Rods owner, E. J. Watt, is a fine type of two-year-old, trained by G. Price and his career will be shaped along the same lines as The Trump, another son of illustrious Manfred and winner of the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups last spring. Price selected Mildura for his owner last autumn, and the colt which cost ,500 will be given plenty of time, a procedure he adopted with the Magpie horse Windbag, which was one of the greatest stayers Ausralia has produced. E. Preston wisely waited off the pace un-itil the field reached the turn. Sent up on the outside of the pacemaker, Early Bird, Mildura readily forged to the front and, kept I under a drive, was over the line to score by a head from Alan Coopers filly. E. E. D. Clarkes stylish Melfort colt, Liana, which cost ,500 and had opened his winning account in the Federal Stakes the first day, was third, a length before Tactical. BETTING PLUNGE. Lolorua, one of the successful heroic tribe, landed a spectacular betting plunge in the Hawksburn Handicap. Opening at 15 to 1, the Sydney-trained sprinter firmed to 10 to 1. The race proved most exciting, as four horses passed the judges almost in a line. Pandava, a brilliant son of the Phalaris horse Brazen and one of Australias fastest two-year-olds, went under in the last stride to his compatriot Lolorua. Ena, which closed with a belated rush, crowded Finch out of third place right on the post. The totalizator handled 51,425, an increase of 5,000 as compared with the corresponding two days last year. The total prize money amounted to 7,500. Owing to the success of Ajax in the Futurity Stakes, E. L. Baillieu, A. W. Thompson and "Constable," breeders of Australias fleetest three-year-old, headed -the list of winning owners with 1,500. The final week of autumn racing in Victoria opened at Flemington Saturday, February 26. Because of the pacity of starters in three of the six races, only 30,000 persons witnessed the first days racing. Ajax, consistent son of Heroic and the English mare Medmenham, scored a handily-achieved victory and defeated the cream of Australias sprinters in the Newmarket Handicap. This was a straight sprint of six furlongs, and the winner, under a record weight of 126 pounds, ran the distance on a rain-affected track in 1:11$ and ended his engagement a neck to the good. Auries Star, last years winner, raced into a clear lead early and was closely followed by Lolorua, Ajax, Caesar and Silent Sentry. Ajax raced along under slight reserve on the outer rail and, admirably ridden by Harold Badger, challenged Ena and El Golea for the lead and snatched victory in the closing strides from those good three-year-olds. Auries Star was fourth. Mohican, which had been outrun early, finished with belated speed, but was not good enough to menace the placegetters. Lolorua quit after racing prominently for a half mile. Ajax, a grand-looking chestnut colt, was accorded a wonderful reception. He carried the highest weight of any three-year-old winner of the Newmarket Handicap, the distinction having previously belonged to Cranbrook, which succeeded under 124 pounds in 1888. Incidentally, Ajax, which has now won ten races, besides finishing good seconds in the two Derbys, brought his stake winnings to 0,000. Heroic, sire of , Ajax, won the Newmarket twelve years ago. J. Holt saddled his first winner of the meeting when the crack two-year-old Nuffield, another son of Heroic, won the richly-endowed Sires Produce Stakes. Cleverly handled by Ray Wilson, Nuffield made up ground gradually until the field turned into the stretch. Then Wilson went to work on the chestnut and Nuffield battled determinedly over the final furlong to assert his mastery over the 100-to-l chance, Destiny Bay, and drew away in handy fashion. Destiny Bay is another son of Heroic. Lady Montague held third over Pandava. Nuffield has won four races in five starts. 1,175 NET PRIZE. The Sires Produce carried 1,175 to the owner of Nuffield, and the jockeys share of it was 53. Ray Wilson had an armchair ride on Hua in the St. Leger Stakes to earn another 60. Hua went to the front at the outset and, under a hand ride, outclassed his solitary opponent, Pantoon. E. E. D. Clarke won ,250 in stake money as a result of Huas success. The veteran trainers, F. Musgrave and J. Scobie, have won races valued at over ,500,000 dollars for their patrons. Both have attained the age of 78. Stakes have been steadily increasing in value on the principal Melbourne race courses during the last few years, and the tendency for them is still to rise. The fact that Australian buyers were among the most active at the annual national sales held at Wellington, New Zealand, in January, shows that they are prepared to spend freely in purchasing young stock. Prices ruled at a higher level than at any of the previous sales held there since the sales were established about twelve years ago. Five yearlings by the Son-in-Law horse Beau Pere made an average of ,350. The 128 yearlings were disposed of at an average of ,390.
