NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1139, 29 May 1911, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

; . [By Glencoe.] Owners are given a final reminder that acceptances for tho first day's handicap events at the Otaki Maori Racing Club's meeting close at 5.30 to-night at .the club's office, Otaki. Entries for the Maiden Flat Race and Final Hack Scurry are duo at tho same time.

The once crack Auckland horseman, S. A. Lindsay, who recently migrated to Sydney, struck trouble very early, and. is now under suspension for twelve months. He wns Tiding" Plavinia an the Stewards' Mile event at Canterbury Park, and his exhibition was such that tho stewards held an inquiry, with the above result. Returned New Zcalanders. who were present at tho ■meeting, declare that Lindsay did his best, but they admit that; on the surface, things looked bad.

.Gipsy Belle is at present suffering from kidney trouble, and will not be paid up for at Otaki. Neither will she race again this season. It is not at all improbable that, next season, Mr. J. Monk will send the Stepniak mare to the stud. P. Brady will ride Mr. \V. C. Morgan's Sol in tho Great Northern Steeplechase. Most people were genuinely surprised to find Glenspring at the lop of the handicaps in tho open sprint event at Otaki. I'o present Hermia with 31b. the Blenheim horss will certainly havo to show better form than ho has done previously. It is stated that A. Julian will appeal to the Racing Conference against the suspension imposed on him by tho Wajiganui Jockey Club. There is very little chance of his appeal being heard before the Great Northern meeting at Ellerslie, and this will mean that several owners will havo to mako fresh arrangements as b pilots for their jumpers at the meeting mentioned.

The locally-owned Turna, who made an unsuccessful trip to Oamaru, returned home yesterday, and will probably take part at the Otaki meeting at the end of the week. Mr. H. Whitney's other horses, Ahuapai and Mount Victoria, remained in tho south, and will be racing at Wingatui on Friday and Saturday.

W. Young will ride The Native in the Great Northern Hurdles en Saturday, and, if the black gelding runs in the Steeplechase, he will also have the services of Youns. Failing this, there is a chance that the crack horseman will be up on last year's winner Red M'Gregor, who is one- of tho favourite selections for Monday's race.

The Palmerston North horseman, H. Tclford, went to Auckland by Saturday's express. 'In addition to the Porinia jumpers, Telford will probably ride Kremlin in the Maiden Hurdles on Saturday.

After Iho North Ofago meeting, fho chestnut filly Tenterhook, from Sir G. Clifford's stable, was sold to an Oamaru sportsman for 150 guineas.

Ihe St. Ambrose-Ambush yoarlini filly, which was passed in at the Sydney sales at 250 guineas, will be retained by Mr. J. B. Reid, and has been entered in his name for a number of classic events in Australia.

A southern writer pays that Thistledown might have won the Oamaru Cup but for a peculiar accident which happened to her rider during the running of the race. The race was run just after the hurdle race, nnd a board which had been used for part of a wing was ] o ft loaning over the rail, and touched \. Milson as he passed it. cutting- him across the loin nnd almost knockin" him out of tho saddle.

Tho ninety-six races under the auspices of the Canterbury Jockey Club last year averaged .£322 per race.

At the annual mooting of members of the Canterbury Jockey Club on Thursday last, the chairman slated that the profit for the past year amounts to i!2l9") Bs. Oil., as against the previous year's profit of .C3G37 14s Od.; but the Government tax now amounts to ,£2500 in excess of the previous year, and bookmakers' licenses ore less bv JJIGI6, tho Mub having had to rely 011 tho totalisa-

tor alone for tho summer and autumn meetings. It is most satisfactory, said the chairman, to note that (ho increased revenno from tho totalizator, amounting to £-M!>, more Ilian compen-Me.s for the los sustained by tho abolition of the bookmaker.

Referring to the totalizator and the buukmakcr, the chairman of tho Canterbury Jockey Club made' the fallowing statement when delivering his animal address last Thursday:—"l should like to state clearly and emphatically the position the C..1.C. intend to lake up in repaid lo (hose who are in the habit of betting with the bookmaker as against the totalisalor, the legal method of speculation. It is their firm intention lo pror ceed against all offending in this way in tho same manner as against bookmakers, the penalty of the law being the same for both ''backer , and 'layer. 1 need hardly remind nil sportsmen that in supporting the machine they are directly not only assisting tho racing clubs of New Zealand to give better stakes, but are speculating through the only medium the laws of their country allow. I trust these few remarks will draw the attention of those who have been in the habit of betting illegally."