THE TURF

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3100, 2 June 1917, Page 3

THE TURF

NOTES AND COMMENTS

IBr Glencoe.l

TJio Groat Northern Meeting opens at EHerslio to-day, when tho Hurdles and Cornwall Handicap will be decided. On Monday the Great .Northern Steeplechase comes ou for decision. Proceedings will open to-day with the- Maiden Steeplechase, in which several candidates lor Great Northern honours are carded to compote. Styrax, Ulster, Czaronus, and St. Elmn will all have a large following. No fewer than thirty-threo horses have been accepted for in the Jervois Handicap, seven furlongs. This must bo a record field for the Ellerslie course, and the starter will experience eomo difficulty in getting the field into line. Eyletone, who is a particularly smart begin- , ner, and goes seven furloiiga well, may be as well supported on tho machino as any of ,the other runners. In the Maiden Hurdles backers may not look much further than Hylaus, who is top weight. The Karamu gelding is ii bold jumper, and seems to be ablo to master any weight. When ho won the doublo at Napier ho was ou tho bit tho whole wny on each occasion. It is Sifficult to select the final favourite in tho. Great Northern Hurdles, two miles and a half. Waimai, To Onga, and Sir Solo aro all good stayers. Tβ Onga won the event three years ago, and was runner-up last year to El Gaflo. On that occasion he carried lOst. 71b., and has only 21bs. more on his back to-day. Ho is to bo ridden by L. Traill. In the Cornwall Handicap, Bisogno lOst. 91b., is such a good performer in heavy going that he may be tho public choice. There seems to be some doubt ' about Hopfield getting the ten furlongs, so perhaps backers will pass him by until the second and third days. There are some very smart sprinters engaged in the Members' Handicap, five furlongs. R. Hatch will be on Croesus, who has lOst. 131b., or a stone more than the noxt horse in the handicap. Glenroy and Hyginas both go well in heavy going, and so does Toro Toro, who defeated Bimeter on th» same course at New Year. The last-named got badly left each day at Wanganui, aud then showed a lot of pace. Owing to tho large fields there is likely to be a scarcity of jockeys at the Otaki meeting, and apprentices will be much in demand. The two Jenkins boys, who are attached to the Porirua stable, will both attend the meeting, and as they are capable riders, their services will no doubt be sought after. /A deputation headed by Mr. B. Ling, ■president of the Otaki Maori Racing Club, waited on the ,Hon. W, H. Herries, Minister of Railways, on Thursday, in reference to the non-stopping of the mail trains on Monday and Tuesday. Tho Minister was unable to grant tho club any relief. Last evening a special meeting of the committee was called to consider the matter, but at the time of writing no news was to hand as to what action was taken. There was a rumour iu Wellington that u prominent ,K.C. had given it as his opinion that tho action of the Railway Department was illegal, but if so it is. hardly likely to bo contested for many reasons. As most ofTJio horses have arrived, the meet-, IP-S,.'. 3 n °t likely to bo abandoned, and Wellington patrons, who aro tho prinoipal supportors of the meeting, will havo to make tho journey by motor-car. Tho Christchurch writer "Looker On" says that it was' no wonder Toa Tere was defeated in tho Connolly Handicap, as ho was giving away 32lbs. to some of the light-weights. Tho southern writer has apparently overlooked tho fact that Toa Tero did not start iu tho raco in question. ' i Amongst the runners in tho Tradesmen's Handicap ut Dunedin to-day ia tho Southland horse Bullor, who is top weight with fcst. 91b. Tho Canrobrct gelding is a most consistent performer in the south, and last season he was successful in seven races, besides boing placed a number of times. The ataion of the Railway Department in refusing to stop tho mail trains at Otaki on Monday and Tuesday is tho subject of much criticism in local Bporij"iug circles. It is argued that if tho Department wanted to do this, more notico should havo been given the club, and tho question of abandonment could havo been gono into.