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Turf Gossip From Australia By BOB THOMSON [ Special Australian Correspondent for Daily Racing Form. I ! i | ■ j I j I [ j j L 5 ; , ; - - - - . I r • 3 7 - t - ; j j With the close of the 1939 autumn campaign in the offing, Sydney now holds the racing stage. Highlights of Australian turf affairs since the Victorian carnival concluded were Ajaxs sensational defeat at Rosehill, N. S. W., and High Castes Warwick Farm failure. Starting at 40 to 1, Ajax had to strike his colors to the Queensland-bred Spear Chief in the Rawson Stakes, run over nine furlongs. Allunga worried the champion until heads were turned for home. Then McCarten sent Spear Chief after Ajax and quickly gained the ascendancy. Allunga was third. High Caste, brilliant New Zealand two-year-old, which had won his last six starts, besmirched his record when he ran unplaced in the Fairfield Handicap at Warwick Farm. H. E. Tancreds 8,000 buy was never travelling like a winner, the Kaiser, grandson of Hurry On winning from Penthides and Dashing Cavalier. AUTUMN CARNIVAL. The A. J. C. Autumn Carnival is upon us and this great four-day meeting opened in brilliant sunshine on Saturday, • April 8. Never has the Randwick track looked in better order. During the Victorian autumn campaign, Gold Rods form was "not so hot" ; in fact, he ran indifferently on several occasions. E. J. Watts gallant chestnut set the seal on his fame as a sprinter when he shouldered 128 pounds and returned to all his former glory in the Doncaster Handicap, Australias premier mile handicap. The result was never in doubt. Heroic Faith led early from Creditor, Gold Rod, Caesar and Kings Head, with Hamurah, Mildura, Bramo and Fakenham nearest of the others. The last two were The Trump and St. Constant. Gold Rod followed Heroic Faith, Creditor and Kings Head into the home stretch and he revealed such brilliance that he gathered up the leaders in a few strides. Over the closing stages, the big red horse was going away from the Korimako and St. Constant. The mile took 1:37, which was one and one-quarter seconds outside Winooks race record. G. Price trains Gold Rod, which was bred in New Zealand and is by Chief Ruler, noted sire of sprinters. Gold Rods success brought his winnings to 8,420. He earned 3,660 as a two-year-old, 3,432 as a three-year-old, ,600 as a four-year-old, and 2,940 this season as a five-year-old. Watts grand galloper has had fourteen wins over distances from five furlongs to one and three-quarters miles, including an Epsom and Don-caster, Caulfield Futurity Stakes, two Sires Produce Stakes races, the Breeders Plate, and the 1937 A. J. C. St. Leger. ROBBED OF VICTORY. Randwick trainer, J. T; Jamieson, robbed himself of an A. J. C. St. Leger winner when he sold Mosaic to S. S. Crick. The irony of it was that Respirator, which finished only third to Mosaic, is a member of Jamiesons team. Jamieson bought Mosaic for ,240 at the 1937 National sales in New Zealand. Respirator attempted to lead all the way, but Limulet had his measure rounding the turn and, although the Limond colt momentarily looked a winner, he could not hold off Mosaics vigorous challenge. Mosaic carried 122 pounds and covered the mile and three-quarters in 3:05%. The A. J. C. Sires Produce, Australias richest two-year-old prize, attracted nine starters. Standout feature of the race was the failure of the odds-on favorite, High Caste. Performing under the colors of G. Luscombe and F. I Manusu, Reading, a grandson of Tracery, was responsible for a polished performance. He unwound a brillianf run over the closing stages to defeat High Caste and Cardinal Puff. Bred by H. Thompson, Rylstone Stud, Widden, N. S. W., Reading is by Marconi-gram, sire of the Melbourne Cup winner Marabou. He netted his owners 0,400 of the 4,000 added money. THRILLING FINISH. Defaulter and Allunga staged a thrilling finish in the Autumn Plate. Weight-for-age races should be thorough tests of speed and stamina, but this race was run at a muddling pace. Spear Chief tried to force a passage on the inside of Defaulter near the turn and met with interference. Allunga joined De-. faulter entering the straight and, after a bumping finish Defaulter snatched victory right on the post, with LAiglon third. Spear Chief struggled on gamely and Defaulter, which shouldered 116 pounds, ran the mile and a half in 2:35%. The attendance was 62,000 compared with 63,700 last year. The j totalisator handled 13,824 compared with 50,144. Sydney, at Easter, is the mecca of thousands of interstate and New Zealand visitors. On Easter Monday the attendance at Royal Randwick was officially estimated at 66,000 as compared with that of 63,130 for the cor- responding day last year. The amount invested through the totalisator on the six races was 74,264. Last year, when seven races were decided, the figure was 99,504. Glorious weather prevailed and the stands were packed to capacity. The Sydney Cup, run over two miles, at- tracts the cream of Australias handicap tal- ent and the winners share is 0,800. This years field included the crack New Zealand colt, Defaulter, which was the elect of backers. The race was one of changing fortunes. Early thrills came when Defaulter and Plec-l trum were badly interferred with — staging a paralyzing run from the half mile post, the St. Leger winner, Mosaic, carrying 114 pounds, completed a great double for his lessor-trainer, J. H. Abbs. Young Crusader made the bulk of the running followed by LAiglon, Jan Baz, Feminist and Hedonic. Malagigi and LAiglon were on terms half way down the straight but Mosaic finished full of run and went right away to win by a length and a quarter from last years winner, LAiglon, and the New Zealand-r owned gelding Malagigi. The Australian cup winner, Pageant, was never prominent. Mo-, saics time of 3:21 1-2 is a course record. Bred by G. M. Currie at his famous Koatanui stud, Kai Iwi, N. Z., the cup winner is by the Son in Law horse, Posterity, from the English- bred mare, Inlaid. E. Bartle, who secured a last-minute ride on Mosaic, headed the list of winning jockeys in New South Wales last season. Ajax convincingly won the all-aged Plate on the third day and ran the mile in 1:35 3-4, which is only a quarter of a second outside the Australasian record. The champion shouldered 126 pounds and easily defeated St. Constant and Gold Rod. A. J. C. MEETING ENDS. The A. J. C. meeting concluded Saturday, April 15, with the running of the C. W. Cropper Plate seven furlongs as the principle attraction. Carrying 131 pounds Ajax simply toyed with a field of high class sprinters. He hit the front inside the first furlong and entered the straight well clear of Creditor, Gold Rod and Amiable. Gold Rod made a dash at Ajax inside the distance, but Australias ace galloper simply bounded away and scored a magnificent victory. Gold Rod and Amiable filled the minor placings. Ajax has now won 20 races in his last 21 starts. At present his winnings stand at 24,400. High Caste, as though fired by the example of Ajax, rehabilitated himself in the two and a quarter miles Randwick Plate. First away from the barrier the crack New Zealand colt quickly opened up a gap of four lengths and L. Ellis let him run along at his ease to win at will from the deadheaters, Spear Chief and Mosaic. Defaulter shouldered 119 pounds and negotiated the distance in 3:58 3-4. The aggregate attendance over the four days was 188,000 against 180,000 when the meeting was part of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary celebrations. Totalizator investments were lower, 32,748 being invested last year compared with 70,095 this year. During the meeting first class horses were in evidence. Notable among them were Ajax, Defaulter, Mosaic, St. Constant and Gold Rod. The Randwick trainer, J. H. Abbs, headed the winning trainers list as a result of Mosaic and El Banados successes. His share of the 43,000 prize money distributed was 8,280. E. J. Watt was next on the owners list with 1,200, followed by Messrs. Gordon Luscombe and F. P. Manusu, 6,025; H. E. Tancred, 2,500, and H. D. Greenwood, 0,375. LEADING TRAINER. The leading trainer during the four days was G. Price, with five wins; followed by J. H. Abbs, three, and F. A. Roberts, S. R. Lamons, Jr., and F. Musgrave, two each. M. McCarten had an easy win in the jockeys list. He won six races, against three each for E. Bartle and H. Badger. Riders of two winners were L. J. Ellis, D. Munro, W. Lappin and W. Cook. The Sydney Easter yearling sales, held at Newmarket, saw 432 yearlings change hands at an aggregate of 90,775. In 1937, 474 yearlings were disposed of for 01,437. This years average of 05 falls considerably short of that of 1937 when it was ,057. The average twelve months ago was even greater, ,108. F. W. Hughes paid ,200 for the Phalaron Bay — Modiste II. colt. The best j individual effort of any sire was that of Constant Son. His nineteen yearlings brought ; 2,575, averaging ,715. Frank Bullock, former Australian jockey, who has been training horses in England foi ! many years, expects to arrive in Australia in August, according to his son who is training five horses for him at Mentone, Victoria. Bullock might train a few horses for the Duke of Kent in Australia. Bullock, Jr., returned to Australia about ten months ago and is training the important horses Old j Serpent, a five-year-old by Sea Serpent, and the Flamingo colt, Flying Dart. | LEAD SIRES. With winners of more than 8,800, Beau Pere, which is now at the Aubins stud, Scone, New South Wales, is a clear leader among New Zealand sires this season, closest to him being the Valais horse, Vaals, with winnings of approximately 6,000. Following the Wellington summer meeting, a daughter of Beau Pere, Peerless, won the New Zealand Oaks and at the autumn meeting of the Wellington Club, held in March, his son, Beaupartir, had no trouble in winning the New Zealand St. Leger, with Peerless second. Beau Peres stock at the same meeting almost swept the board, five of them winning six races, as well as gaining three seconds and a third. The New Zealand-bred Stretto, which has been a great performer on the turf, is to be retired to the stud. She will be bred to Bulandshow imp. son of Blandford and sire of Australias ace two-year-old High Caste.
