RACING FIXTURES.

June 29—Wavorley B.C. June 29 —Ashburton County R.C. July 10, 11, 13,—Wellington K.C. July 25—Walmato District Hunt Club. July 25, 27—Glsborne B.C. July 27—South Canterbury Hunt Club.

Reminders. Nominations for the major events at the Grand National Steeplechase Meeting close to-morrow night, at S o'clock, with the secretary of the Canterbury Jockey Club.

Acceptances for ths first day of the Wellington Winter Meeting and for the Winter Hurdles (third day) close on Monday next at 9 p.m.

New Zealand Horses in Sydney. Some of the horses who were taken to Sydney recently by H. B. Lorigan and E. Yuille are apparently to start racing early, and they must have made a good recovery from the rough trip across the Tasman.. Sneerer figures amongst the nominations for the hurdle race at the Canterbury Park Meeting on Saturday next. Royal Duke is in the Flying Handicap, six furlongs, Joy Bird and Oratrix in the Canterbury Cup; one mile and three furlongs, and Ealbronsyth in the Ashbury Handicap, one mile and 75 yards. Other New Zealanders engaged during the day are High Disdain, Helotis, Hiata, Red Lion, Crown Area, Becalmed, Stormy, and Moorgas.

May Have Been Lucky. • A. D. Webster, who missed the Sydney 'steamer last' Friday, owing to the slip disX. organising the railway service from Otaki, may have been fortunate. The Maheno ran into very rough weather nearing the Australian coast, and was twenty-four hours' late arriving in Sydney. Her passengers had' an unenviable experience, and had Webster's team been on board some of them may have been rather the worse for wear. At least they would not be improved, and they may have a good pasage this week on the Ulimarba. M. M'Carten, Dead-heat Expert. Expert jockeys seldom win by a big •margin. If they are in front at the halfdistance they are prone to "cut it fine" ■ rather. than expose their mount to the handicapper by riding it all out in the last 100 yards. On the other hand, their good judgment and vigorous horsemanship often enable them to get to the front at the right end of a race with a dashing finish on a horse that looked to be well out of it at the distance, says the Sydney "Sun." A rider who has had a rather exasperating tally of too-close finishes this season is Maurice M'Carten, who has been in no fewer.than five dead-heats for first, to say nothing of one for second place. Three of the dead-heats for first .were on horses trained by G. Price, two of these on successive Saturdays on Amusement, and the third on Killarney, when nothing but his vigorous riding in the last few yards enabled him to split the •prize with Nolens Volens. AH these races were at Rosehill. His other deadheat firsts were at Eandwick and Moore.field. With all his close finishes, M'Car.ten has a better percentage of wins, than -any other local rider this season.

Gold Mint Over Hurdles. H. Nurse intends to put Gold Mint into work again this -week at Riccarton. The Catmint gelding struck himself some time ago, while schooling, and one of his tendons showed evidence of the mishap. He is all right now, but the spell has left him too backward to be got ready for hurdle races during the winter. He may be ready to run in August, but it is more probable that his debut as a hurdler will be delayed till one of the spring meetings. After Another Pink Coat. Mr. F. Williamson, who had the unusual misfortune with Sun Up to see that gelding win a race at Trentham, and break a leg as he was being pulled up, has purchased the All Red—Mezzo brood mare, Sembric. Mr. Williamson recently paid a business visit to Gisborne, and while there be intended to secure a booking of Sembric to Hunting Song in the hope or getting, as the result of the union, a galloper of the ability of Pink Coat. The crack two-year-old of the South is by Hunting Song from Red Edna, by All Red from the Australian-bred mare Edna May 11. With Sembric thus, Mr. Williamson will secure the Hunting SongAll Red mare cross. He also stated that the big Chief Ruler two-year-old Leader, who showed decided promise in the autumn, was wintering well, and that he would not be hurried nest season. His other horse Amor will rejoin "T. H. Gillette active division this week. He has had a spell for a couple of months, which he had earned after a strenuous season, and he will be got ready for. spring engagements. Optimism Justified. Racing folks as. a whole iu'e born op.timists, but probably the king of all resides '. in Tasmania, says an Australian exchange. After piloting -the -winner of rather': an important event the rider created t much amusement by acknowledging thS?presented trophy with a speech from a' typewritten sheet. "Be prepared" is evidently this lad's niotto, and as it subsequently transpired his- optimism was happily justified. Randwick for an Airport. ' A Sydney paper of the sensational type, which made its first appearance only a few weeks ago, produced a long argument in favour of taking Randwick away from the Australian Jockey Club and converting it into an airport for the city. It might with greater advantage have suggested commandeering one of the too numerous pony courses, one of which would be probably even more suitable for an aerodrome than Randwick. The Randwick course is held by the Australian Jockey Club under a type of perpetual lease, but there is a clause which enables any Government to review the position at any time. It is very unlikely, however, that during present times any alteration will be made, for the club is a very powerful concern. It has, of course, the Warwick Farm course, but, admirably fitted up as it is, it would require a good deal of improving and enlarging to accommodate an A.J,C. Derby or Sydney Cup crowd. In addition, the course v/ould have to be remodelled. \ "Ring-Ins." Australia, which has experienced an epidemic of "ring-ins" of late both in horse and dog-racing circles, might do worse than consider the action recently taken by the American Jockey Club in regard to registration of thoroughbred stock, says a 'Bulletin" writer. Registration forms now include outlines of the horse, with a separate one of its head. On these outlines the applicant for registration must set down the location of every/distinguishing mark, specifying if these are white or of any other colour. (This is now being done in New Zealand in regard to trotting horses, but recent events have to prove whether it is really efficacious.) „ Dearth of Stayers. As New Zealand as well as Australia is woefully short of stayers nowadays, the following rather trenchant criticism of the position irom an editorial in the "Australasian" is o£ interest:—"There is no gainsaying the fact that so far as stayers are concerned we have slipped back badly considering the large number of horses bred. Horse still, there is no assurance that the decline has stopped. In our opinion the principal causes of this retrogression have been too much racing of two-year-olds before January in each seasontoo much money Plotted during the season for two-year-olds and not enough for three-year-olds; insufficient inducement by subsidiary_ clubs for the breeding of stayers by their catering too liberally for speed, and the use of a large number of stallions unfitted to maintain the stamina and staying ability of our blood stock. In this respect the worst aspect is the craze for imported sires simply because they are imported. Except for a very small percentage, the imported stallions which have been >-used in Australia in the last 20 years'/have been English culls, mostly unsound, and not many above selling plate or welter form in England. A pedigree, be it ever so fashionable, without the horse is worse than useless; it is a menace." Fairway and Felstcad. Lord Derby's Fairway, winner of last *ear's St. Leger, now four years old,'with » Fnne career behind him, and, probably a

greater one ahead, was reintroduced as one of four runners for the Burwell Stakes, of a mile and a half, at Newmarket last moiJih. A year ago it was won by the 1927 St. Leger winner, Book Law. Fairway, as a St. Leger winner, was merely following in her footsteps when he won by a length. One rather regrettable point in connection with this race is that it will probably prove to be the last opportunity of a meeting between Felstead and Fairway— the 1928 Derby and St. Leger winners respectively. Felstead will have his champions, but I have no doubt that those on the side of Fairway will always be in the majority, states an English writer. Nevertheless, one can sympathise with Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen in that troubles continue to assail his Derby winner, but for which we might have had at Newmarket last month the race of the season. Felstead will, of course, as a proved son of Spion Kop and a descendant of the mighty Carbine, be a stud acquisition, but we were looking on him as a great English facing asset, when the Coronation Cup and Ascot Gold Cup came along. If he did not run again he would join other post-war Derby winners in Humorist, who died shortly afterwards, and Call Boy, whose nominator died soon after his triumph, in not seeing a racecourse again after Epsom. Nightmarch. A. M'Aulay has made arrangements to leave for Australia on 19th July with Nightmarch; His plans are by no means definite, however, as the Riccarton trainer is not at all optimistic about the prospects, sincehe has seen the weights for the spring handicaps. Certainly' the connections of the Nightraid_ gelding have received no cordial invitation from the handicappers, as Nightmarch has been awarded more than weight-for-age in each of his big engagements, says the "Star." He may, however, be equal to some good performances. He is training on well and he looks a better horse than when he was racing earlier in this season. Riccarton Notss. R. Longley expects to have Bonrose, Amorist, and Rijjdale racing at Trentham next month. The first-named pair are in their best form at present, while Ripdale appears to race well on very little work. The Surveyor gelding Subdivision was very light in condition when he arrived at Riccarton from Auckland, but he has built up nicely since he joined D. Campbell's stable.. He may be a competitor in flat events at the Grand National Meeting. Battle Colours is training on nicely at present. He is a trifle backward, as a result of the spell that was necessary a few weeks ago, but he should be ready to show some form again at Trentham next month. He has demonstrated more than once that he is partial to soft ground, so that the winter conditions at Trentham may suit him. The two-year-old gelding Juniper, by Kilbroney from Judith, has been brought in by W. G. Hobbs after a spell, and his trainer will have him in work in a day or two, starting on a preparation for the spring. He showed useful form this season, and he is likely to develop into a good horse over a distance. The Absurd gelding Nincompoop has been purchased from Mr. J. M'Cormack by Mr. P. Delargey, and he will be trained f in future by J. B. Pearson. ; Making It Hard. j During the past two or three weeks the metropolitan and near country racing clubs in West Australia have been making a serious attempt to assist the police in suppressing street and shop betting by endeavouring to prevent racing details from leaving the course immediately before or after, races are run. At the Canning Park Meeting, the scratchings and" jockeys' names were written on blackboards placed in positions where they could not.be seen from, outside the course. . No persons were allowed off the course until,a quarter of an hour after a race had been run.; Eesults were not broadcast. According to all accounts starting - price, bookmakers were considerably inconvenienced. It is said that several persons inside the course tried to communicate with men placed on the outside, arid one or two men pleaded sickness as an excuse to get outside the enclosure before the quarter of an hour was tip. They were told that if they were sick they could receive attendance at the casualty rooms. Among those endeavouring to communicate with an outsider was a woman.