TROTTING FIXTURES.

Jans 9—Aihborton T.O. Jnno 23, 27—Auckland T.O. TURF GOSSIP. The New Zealand Derby winner, Agrion, has been retired from racing, and is to undertake stud duty at Teviotdale during the coming season. The Spearmint blood still continues to reign supreme in England, and the result of the English Derby added a further success, as Spion Kop, sire of the winner, Felstead, is by Carline's son. Last Dart and Greyspear are two horses in New Zealand by Spearmint, and the former, who will stand the season at Mantua stud, East Taieri, can lay claim to most fashionable breeding on both sides. J. B Pearson has disposed of the unnamed hunter by Kilrain, to a sportsman at Opitiki, and the gelding is to be shipped to Gisborne next week: J. Mc/Combe has again taken Sunny Loch, Amorist, and Court Jester in hand at Riccarton. The Saxby-Shebeen 11. gelding in G. Heed's stable at Riccarton will' race tinder the name of Exploit. Wharncliffe is a daily attendant on the tracks at Riccarton, and shows no signs of the lameness from which southern reports stated he has suffered since entering Gillett's stable. Hunting enthusiasts will feel elated over the results of the big jumping events decided during the past week. Beau Cavalier and Glendowie both learned to jump on the huntinng fields, and The Babe, a double winner J over country at Wingatui, also rose from the ranks of hunters. These performances support the contention that hunt clubs serve a valuable purpose in producing winners of important events. The remit to be forwarded by the Taranaki Jockey Club to the Racing Conference next month, regarding the desirability of establishing a riding school for apprentices, is likely to evoke an interesting discussion. The - Australian Jockey Cltlb, while not adopting a school, recently framed a new rule making it compulsory for a lad to,ride in a field before a permit would be granted for him to ride in ritoes, and during the last month batches 'of boys were examined with colours and skull caps on, in fields of 1 five and six, over-a distance of five furlongs. The Club's three 'stipendiary stewards were present on each occasion, and they were able to judge the l&ds' capabilities. In discussing the innovation, An Australian writer con- ' sidered that fields of five and six were too big, as a general examination was . -then only practicable, and it has been , suggested that the fields be reduced to three apprentices, who should be ac- • companied byv.an efficient rider. Each steward could-then pick out a laid and follow him throughout the gallop. Some such system, should prevail in New Zea- . land, as too many inexperienced boys are allowed to take part in races, and many of the acoidents in bicf fields can be attributed to their careless tactics. The lads are not solely to blame, as they are at present allowed to tackle race riding without enjoying the necessary tuition, beyond piloting a horse in track work. . . j Mantua, recognised- as one of the gamest mares ever raced in New Zeai land, has a yearling foa} by Last Dart running with her at.the Mantua stud. East Taieri. She is not to be bred from in the coming season. ' A feature of the Dunedin "Winter Meeting was the successful issue of Mr C. E Hassall's adjustments. There was a consistency of close finishes in the flat events throughout the fixture. " and Mr Hassall was the recipient of many' congratulations on the results, attained in his first effort for the Club. ~

Mr W. T. Hazlett left Wellington yesterday for Sydney. He still retains the ownership of the Paper Money filly Flicker, and one of the objects of his trip is to see her race at th.e pony meetings. "When Flicker was beaten into second place over half a mile at •Victoria Park on May 23rd, she carried 9.0 and gave the winner. 181b, being beaten by two lengths in 50J. At -the above Meeting another New Zealand-bred performer in Ila, by Paper Money from .Arizona easily won a four-furlongrace in SOJseo, carrying Set, and starting at double figures. , Another -in Quixotio (A'bsurd—Los Vegas) won the Flying Handicap, six Jurlongs, under 8.2 in l.lfif, and on the same day, Dal Eaton, 9.3., was narrowly beaten by a short head in •the Victoria Park Handicap, seven furlongs. '""'..' Steve Donoghue rode 60 winners in. ". :j England last season, but the odds are much against his success being as •great this year. At the commencement of/the season, Donoghue was on a few winners, but it was cabled to Australian papers that up to May 16th his sequence of losing mounts had reached 100. In Donoghue's heyday, a losing sequence of one-fourth that number would have wrecked many English punters, but though they cheer Steve when he wins, they do not now • follow him. It would naturally be thought that as a .result of his many years of marked success,. Donoghue is a rich man. Four or five, years ago it was the reverse, and it is questionable whether he has since made marked - progress towards wealth. According to a . Sydney paper, ■the, fact of a. Queensland sportsman purchasing Satrap does not necessarily follow, that the gelding will do • his racing in the northern. State. Satrap would get a lot of weight in handicaps, and as weight-for-age races are not over numerous there, it is probable his buyer will prefer to give him a chance of earning his purchase money in Sydney or Melbourne. The Hawke's Bay trainer, W. J. Donovan left Wellington yesterday for Sydney with five horses comprising Tea Miss, Greengrocer, Lysanias, AmSlifier,, <and The Earth. Tea liss , will race in the interests of Mrs M. A. Perry, while the remainder will carry their traincolours. The promising apprentice,A.; Murray, will accompany the team, ' Indications point to the 10s totalisator being generally adopted in the North Island, and at a recent meeting of the Napier Park Racing Club it was ' decided that at future fixtures, only 10s and.£s tickets will.be issued. ' The trip at one time proposed for Commendation to the Australian Spring Meetings, has been definitely •abandoned, and his racing will be conv fined to New Zealand. It is, how- /; sever, likely that he may be taken for the Autumn campaign.

The Tomatin —Lucelle colt, knocked down to D. Lewis at 375 guineas at the yearling sales in Sydney last month, was purchased on behalf of the Auckland trainer, J. T. Jamieson, who has done well with some of the Australian-bred horses he has trained this season. Lucelle, dam of the youngster mentioned, is a sister to Western Lass and Appellant. Captain A Lowenstein, who gave £7OOO for Easter Hero, with a winning contingency of £3OOO in the event of that horse's success in the Liverpool Grand National, does everything in a big way. He owns a number of aeroplanes, which he uses _to carry himself and his business friends from country to country, as his interests require. A few years ago he offered a loan of ten millions sterling to the Belgian Government. Captain Lowenstein must have felt inclined to declare off big prices for steeplechasers when he saw Easter Hero hung up on the fence at the Canal turn. On May 14tli, P. Kiddle, at Menangle, turned out his lirst galloping winner. Xins was 6weet Oration pie—oweetland), who is owned by Messrs J. and W. Barnes. The race was the three-year-old Maiden Handicap, but, though a fair price was expected, the "books" evidently knew as much as the owners and trainer concerning the lilly's galloping ability, and the best price laid against her was short, and she closed at odds-on. It is difficult for anyone to get ahead of the "books" (writes "Pilot"), but that is not surprising, as they have advisers on every course in Sydney, and not, as is often inferred, Pressmen, either. Trainers have often been helped out of financial holes by bookmakers, and, in common gratitude, they are bound to make some return, if possible. Riddle concluded his association with trotting when he unsuccessfully drove Golden Bubbles at Epping, on May 21st. The Great Northern Steepleohase winner, Glendowie, is only a five-year-old, so he has reached high class early in his career. A year ago he started twice at the Auckland Winter Meeting, being unplaced in the Hunt Club Hurdles, and the Hunt Club Steeplechase. In October, on the same course, he won the Hunters' Steeplechase, and a fortnight later he captured the Waikato Hunt Cup Steeplechase. Last Saturday he made his final appearance among the hunters, winning the Hunt ' Club Hurdle Handicap. Monday's race was his first in open company, and the manner in which he disposed of the opposition seems to mark him off for further honours in important crosscountry events. Glendowie is bv Lucullus from a Salvadan mare. Salvadan was bred in America in 1891 hy Salvator from Danegeld, an English-bred mare by Doncaster. Salvadan was imported into New Zealand in 1901, and died in 1915. * Commenting upon the fact that Lausanne is again in work at Trentham, "Pilot" writes in the Sydney "Referee": "Lausanne was unreliable when in Australia, and has not improved in that respect since going to New Zealand. After Lausanne left J. Carey's care in Sydney, and went into another stable, it was thought change of methods might prove beneficial to the chestnut. Lausanne won a couple of races for Mr P. Fairlie, but, before that owner got rid of him at auction for 725 guineas, he was expensive on several occasions. At Randwick I saw Lausanne do many good.gallops, but he never quite repeated them in his races. More than once he looked a certain winner at the straight entrance, and then stopped with scarcely a semblance of a struggle when his rider applied pressure." TROTTING NOTES. A special train will, leave Chrlstehurch for Ashburton to-day at 8.65 a.m., arriving at the racecourse siding at 10.38 a.m. It will leave on the return journey at 4.45 p.m. The Inter-City Motor Services will run a special bus" to the Ashburton Meeting to-day, leaving Everybody's Theatre, Cathedral square, at 9 a.m. It will arrive at the racecourse at 10.45 a.m., and\ will. leave on the return journey directly after the last raee. At a meeting of the Canterbury Owners' and Breeders' Association held on Wednesday complaints were received from drivors on account of the long period 'over which horses were kept on | the track prior to races. It was stated j that under certain conditions the long period spent on the track might prove | very harmful to trotting, horses as well I as drivers. According to the rules of j trotting, "every horse shall be on the course at least twenty minutes, and at the post' ready to start ten minutes before the time appointed for starting. . .'' Often, it was explained at the meeting, the starting time was delayed, and' drivers had to spend a good deal of unnecessary time on the track. The matter was held over for further discussion. Mr (J. I". Bail has offered to present 'ft racing bridle to the horseman finishing Becond in the list of winning drivers and riders at the end of the present trotting season. The big fields in some of the events at Ashburton to-day will necessitate a good deal of bracketing on the totalisator, and during the afternoon the following horses will be coupled on the machine: —Trial Handicap: Idol Boy and Dice, Lady Bee and Bingen Wilkes, Golden Vale and Underscrub. New Zealand Sapling Stakes: Wrackler and Wrackeen. Acton Handicap: Vecto and Florae Pointer, Springnote and St. Fillan, Slump and Hard Knocks, Milo Minto and Kinney Dillon, Royal Locanda and Exclusive, Mercury and St. Bridget, Heroic and Royal Serene, Royal Authoress and Asset, Warepa and Mac Dillon, and Wenlo and Some Wilkes. Stewards' Handicap: Greywood and Peter the First. Farewell Handicap, King Abdallah and Nepia. OWNERS AND BREEDERS. ASSOCIATION MEETS. I A meeting of the Committee of the Canterbury Owners' and Breeders' Association was held on Wednesday, Mr J. W. Trist presiding over a good attendance. It was decided to draw the attention of the Traffic Manager of Railways in Christehurch to the slow return of horses to their home stations after race meetings, the meetings recently held at Oamaru and Amberley being cases cited. The remits for the annual conference as put forward by the Cheviot and Methven Clubs were fully discussed, and the action of the two clubs in fathering the remits was much appreciated by members. A lengthy communication was received from the • Wellington Trotting Club regarding remits to the Conference, and after full consideration the meeting decided to give the remits, with a few exceptions, all the support in its power. •It was decided to hold the annual reunion on Monday, August 13th, Messrs Robb, Fox, McDougall, Clarke, and I Simpson being elected a committee to i make arrangements.