TURF GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20224, 30 April 1931, Page 12

TURF GOSSIP.

Reminders. Acceptances for the Egmont Winter Meeting will close to-morrow. Acceptances for th« Marlborough Autumn Meeting wi.'l l a due on Monday. Nelson To-day. The Nelson, Jockey Club's annual twoday Meeting will be commenced to-day. The following horses should race prominently:—Novice Stakes—Peep, Shootiat, Lady Ronald; Hope Hack Handicap— Dawn o' Day, Johneen, The Sun; Nelson Cup—Noteworthy, Spearmiss, Cessation; Stewards' Handicap—Kozan, Taku Tama, Quantum; Electric Hack Handicap—Baskier, Full Crop, Dawn o' Day; Waimea Handicap—Cessation. First Raid, Atholspear. Veteran's Beturn. Two Trentham horses that are due to resume their active careers at Nelson to-day are the much-raced Black Mint and" Royal Game. Both have been in work for some time on the. tracks, but it" was only recently that thoy were speeded up. Black Mint's last outing was in the Himitangi Handicap on the second day of the Manawatu Summer Meeting, and Boyal Game's fast was in the Wardell Handicap on the first day of the Wairarapa Summer Meeting, lEUbbi. It was expected that Babbi, who has I jiot raced since he unsuccessfully con- ! tested the Manawatu Cup nearly eighteen months ago, would make his reappearance at the Nelson Meeting, but he was not accepted for in either of the two events in which he was engaged' to-day. As Rabbi's naine also does not appear among the Marlborough nominations it would seem that all has not gone right with him. ! In Open Company. Kozan, who has now won his way out of hack class, will Have liis first race in open company in the Steward?' Handicap, six furlongs, at Nelson, today. The handicapper has evidently been impressed by his recent performances, for he haii awarded him 9-4, which is 21b more than he carried in nhy of his races in hack company. The class is by no means good, but the field contains comparatively recent winners in Quantum, Ways, Taku Tama, Ooomassie, and The Dove, and they are a more formidable opposition than what confronted him, Kav. at tiie Hawke's Bay Meeting. It Koran wins under his 9-4 many will be marking him off for one of the biR winter Handicaps, for such success will indicate that he is as good as, •if not even better, than the ■ handicappers' estimate..

Egmont Steeplechase. While Aurora Borealis reads to be not badly treated with 11-13 in the Egmont Steeplechase, for she won * under the weight on the final day of tho last Grana National Meeting, a ! lino through Omeo, who comes in at 61b better terms than in the Riccarton race, shows that she has not been " set any easy task to win. Indeed, her presence has depressed the weights . awarded ajl the other entrants, and ' horses such as Omeo, Birkbeck, and Copey are given great encouragement Jto go on with their engagements. Omeo, at his best, it will Be remembered., ran Aurora Borealis to a length in the last Great Northern Steeples, conceding her Hilb, and was ; considered at the time unlucky to • lose. At National time Omeo was suf- * fering from the effects of lameness, and his form was obviously inferior to what it was earlier in the season. ?et • with only 41b the better of the weights he finished third in the Grand National, though admittedly a poor third. Latest reports credit him With ai>Dearins to be sound again, and at 991b the better of the weights, he should be a very dangerous opponent for Aurora Borealis next week. Well Treated. Presuming that 10-7, the weight telegraphed from Auckland, as Ked Fucnsia's handicap in the Egmont Steeplechase, is correct, he is probably well treated.. He lias certainly contested and won only one steeplcliase, a liack event at Mar ton in September, .1929, but on that occasion he carried 12-6, and made an exhibition of his opponents. His consistent and first-class form over , hurdles, coupled with this showing, made Mr Macmanemin give him 11-5 in the Autumn Steeplechase at Ellerslie at Easter last year. He ran third to Omeo and Kauri Park, both 9-V-This form made Mr Coyle assess him at 11-3. equal tQp-wcight with Nukumai, for tho Wanganui Steeplechase, and for the Great Northern Steeples he was jgiven 11-0. having only twb above him in the handicap. Red Fuchsia, was unable to start in either of these races, as he had gone wrong, his third to Omeo at Easter last 'j[ear having been his last race until just recently, when he reappeared on the flat at Feilding. There is nd doubt that he has been given an exceptional opportunity at Egmont. Likely Proposition. was 'taipa W Biccarton yesterday from .Belfast by n-otor-float, and given a gallop .over five furlongs on the plough. He haß made marked improvement since being purchased at Treatfcam by C. S. Donald, and his good race at Biccarton at Eaater, and again at Washdyke last week, points to his early return as,, a winner. He is engaged in the Baceconrse Hill Hack Handicap on Saturday, and his prospects ■will be aenously considered by investors.

Saturday's Combined Meeting. Tko Amberley-Hororata Racing Club's Combinod Meeting, to be held on Saturday, has attracted very satisfactory acceptances, the six galloping events closing with 80, and the two trotting races with 21 and 31 respectively. There have been no notable withdrawals, and several stables outside Riccarton are represented. The principal event, the ! G. B. Starky Memorial Handicap will j provide a field .of ten good class handi- ! cap horses, the defections being True Shaft, Inevitable, Noteworthy, Red Racer, Giggleswick, and Semper Paratus, but two of these, True Shaft and Semper Paratus, are engaged in other events. The Meeting promises to be successful from every viewpoint, and a large assemblage of racegoers is anticipated. The first race is timed 1o start nt 12.31 and the last at 4.41 p.m. Parade of Juveniles. A parade of yearlings and two-year-olds has. been arranged to take place at the conclusion of the principal event at Riccarton on Saturday. The two-year-old entries at present includa: The Quorn, and Diantlius (two-year filly by Diacquenod—Clare Crag), the property of Dr. M. G. Louisson; Nightguard (brother to Phar Lap), Static, and Water Polo, owned by Mr A. Louisson; gelding by.Nigger Minstrel—Glencross, bred and owned by Mr D. 11. Roberts, and the colt Manetbo, by Diacquenod—Lovelorn, the property of Mrs "W. S. Perry, and trained by J. 15. Tearson. The only yearling entered is the Limond —Aspic colt, half-brother to the successful two-year-old Aspian, who cost Dr. Louisson 800 guiueas at the Trentham sales in January. A Fortune in Stakes. A paragraph recently appeared in the Press to the effect that Mr G. D. Greenwood had won stakes to the amount of £47,539 in Australia. A list of his winnings in New Zealand, since he entered the arena in the 1908-1909 season until the close of last season, reveals the large sum of £.121,116, so that in th< ; !;w<?nty-two years he has figured as an owner in both countries,' he has collected no less than £168,655, a record that is likely to hold good for all time for a Dominion owner. The New Zealand total is made up as follows: — 1908-09, £2777 10s; 1909-10, £5195; 1910-11, £8045; 1911-12, £2410; 191213, £1435; 1913-14, £8250 10s; 191415, £6535; 1915-16, £5220; 1916-17, £6261; 1917-18, £1688; 1918-19, £10,155; 1919-20, £7905; 1920-21, £8345; 1921-22, £15,150; 1922-23, £4405; 1923-24, £5886; 1924-25, £3675; 1925-26, £1408; 1926-27, £4575; 192728, £4580; 1928-29, £2975; 1929-30, £4240. TROTTING NOTES. Beminders. Nominations for the Oainaru Meeting close to-night at 8 o'clock. Acceptances for Forbury PaTk close at 8 p.m. to-morrow. Acceptances for the two trotting events at the Marlborough Racing Club's Meeting will close on Monday, while the T® Aroha and Marlborough Trotting Clubs' acceptances also close ou the same'^J'Payment Due. " Owners arid trainers are reminded that'a payment of two sovs' is due tomorrow, at 12 noon, for the New Zealand Metropolitan Club's Derby, to be decided in November next. At New Brighton. Jolly Pet and Lily Harold were two, to work nicely at New Brighton yesterday morning, completing their tasks in a manner that suggests they are in good racing condition. For Riccarton. Guy Denver drew attention to his prospects for Saturday by the style in which he covered two miles. He was not hurried ovier the first mile and a half, but ran home his last half-mile in good time. B«ady for the Races. Arikitoa was restricted to slow jogging work over several circuits.. li, Pollock has him looking in fine trim. A Good One. Recent racing has not done Aristotle any harm. The Guy Parrish colt should be a good money-earner nest season. {Stylish Youngster. A three-year-old Guy Parrish trotter in J. N. Clarke's stable gives every indication of turning out better than the average. He has a very attractive style of moving, and is of the solid type. Etta Cole. It is reported from Auckland that the Peterwah mare Etta Cole seems to be nearing her best again. Her recent track work has been accomplished in a pleasing manner, and if she races up to training form should not find much difficulty in returuing to the winning list. When trained in Canterbury this mare's form throughout was-most disappointing. Nicely Bred. G. Caddy is putting a two-year-o.ld gelding by Peter Clienault—Glandora through the initial stages of his education at New Brighton. His dam is a full sister to Danny Boy, being by Harold Dillon from Agasenia. At Nelson To-day. In the Richmond Trot Hakuri and Nelsonia appear to have the brightest prospects, while Lemoro's recent Cheviot form points to his chance in the Wai-iti Trot, in which Royal Drusus sliould cause him most trouble. Street Betting Booths. Urban pari-mutuel street betting booths opened in Paris " and French i provinces on March 2nd. They were an instant and amazing success (says an English paper). Although only trotting Jiorse meetings were involved, the portable ticket windows installed in the entrances of the cinemas were boI seiged long before the opening time of 8 a.m ( by crowds of punters, and police | were called in to make them queue up. In three hours one window took several thousand bets. The scenes around the windows resembled' the typical racecourse booth, many' people studying f.orm in racing journals and drawing tip long lists of bets on the trotters, for presentation to the operator. In all cases the crowds were very orderly, Railway Arrangements. The Railway Department advertises arrangements in connexion with the Forbury Park Trotting Meeting at Dunedin on- May 7th and 9th. Excursion tickets are being issued to Dunedin. A ■ special horse train is being run from Christchurch to Dunodin on May 6th, and a special train for passengers and horses will leave ■ Dunedin for Christchurch at 7.30 a.m. on Sunday, May 10th.