THE TURF. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1909, Page 2

THE TURF. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The strong wind and heavy rain at Tienthair- this morning sadly interfered with the plans of trainers. Even the übiquitous E. Cutts had to heat. a hasty, ietreat with his team. "M'Grath, between showers, sent Moloch and Suirbonnet a brisk once round on the new tan. This track,, when completed, will be a most useful adjunct to training operations. Davies's team' got through, trittmg exercise. Llanwern is now fining down to racing condition, and this symmetrical bay should repay his own-ci-tiair n-'s patience and perseveranca before long. Ukraine shaped encouragingly on the tan, and is evidently one that prefers the going soft. Lowe's team may work later on in the day, aad Higgott's did mild tasks. Arrivals last night were W. M'Don* aid, with All Guns, Valdimar, and Cymbiform; W. Pine, with Boutade and Golden Cairn ; and G. J. Pine, with Serenade and Mythical. All Guns slightly bruised his back when being shipped at Lytlelton, but his trainer does not anticipate it will interfere with his galloping. Serenade, a three-year-old by Obligado, from the Hotchkiss mare Rosiphelo, is owned by Mr. S. Nettlebord, of Melbourne, and Mythical is 11 brown five-year-old mare by the Carbine horse Bundook. It is current gossip at Trentham that J. W. Lowe wH| in future train Truganini and Adrantage. Doubtless Mr. Melrose came to tho conclusion that Tientham was the most suitable training centre for a Wellington owner. Hencerthe decision to remove his horses 'from Telford's charge at Awapuni. Telford deserves every credit for the manner in which he has brought Trugarani to the post in her numerous races, and the vacant boxes at his place will not remain untenanted for long. Although Truganini has been paid up for in the Cup, her' starting is a very ''•emote contingency, and she will in all likelihood be reserved for a race later on at the meeting, the distance of which is more within her compass than is tho mile and a half of the Cup. PritchaTd has decided not to take his team across from the Hutt until next Monday. Penates has quite thrown off the effects of his cold, and is galloping in almost his best style ; however, a run with the colours up will help to key, the big horse to concert pitch. The others of the tfutt mentor's team for Trentham are Aema, Mon Amie, Naumai, Te Ru, and Pikiho, all of whom art in nice order. Theodore, the two-year-old, owned by the amateur horseman, P. Neagle, will join Lowe's team at Trentham next week. All the ten boxes at Lowe's will then be occupied. Longner after all was not nominated for either the Disposal Stakes or the Seling Plats. Mr. C. A. Monckton was naturally a great deal surprised when he saw Longner' s name in all the published lists. Enquiry at the Racing Club showed that the wived nomination of Conquer had been mis-read as Longner. And in this simple way ends the hope of a good old time dash at the ring which most sportsmen assumed was Mr. Monckton's intention when they saw Longner's name appearing in both selling races. The appe'al-of Passive's owner to tha Wanganui Metropolitan Committee, against the ruling of the Manawatu Racing Club that his horse must lose the Grandstand Handicap stake, has been- dismissed. Mr. Vincent may elect to carry his case to the Racing Conference, and until he declares his intention, tho Manawatu. Club is impounding the stake, £150. It may bo remembered that in the race in question. Passive beat Sir Antrim- by a head. Ayres, her rider, had weighed out l§lb Dyer, but weighed in 2£lb over, and as the rule is a mandatory one, the stewards could do nothing but disqualify the mare. The Passive case may be the means of bringing about some modification of a rule that leaves nothing to the common sense of stewards. Mr. J. B. Harcourt, president of tlia Wellington Racing Club, has brought out with him from England, for presentation to the club, a fine example of the silversmith's craft. It would make a fine trophy to he attached, for example, to a weight-for-age race, run in the spring, say over a mile or a mile and a quarter. Mr. A. E. Laery, secretary of Eh« Wairarapa Racing Club, and Mr. G. E. Stewart, engineer, of Featherston, have devised and patented an improvement in totalisator ticket racks, which has been adopted by the Wellington Racing Club. The Wanganui and Manawatu Clubs also are likely to have their totalisator houses fitted with this contrivance, which , it is claimed, greatly facilitates the work of the tote staff. Gold "Crest is bowling alone in .fine style at Porirua, and so is All Red. j)iabolo looked very light after Ins return from Ellerslie, but has freshened up considerably within the last few days. He is such a loosely-framed colt, however, that it may be fairly safe -.to mark him off as one likely to show to greater advantage in the autunm. Dudu, the dam of Stratagem and Strategist, has got a fine colt foau by Terrapin (Clanranald — Teredina). Strategist should have a useful career, as he is a much better-looking galloper thau Stratagem. Taura, full-brother to JacK Pot, is again in work at Hastings. Taura, who is about ten years old. won several events over hurdles last season, and was a good .winner on the flat in hack events six seasons v ago. : Little M'Grath, who rides very -nice work, will have the mount on Sunbonnot in the Cup. At the meeting of American Oddfellows last night some of the preliminary figures of the quinquennial valuation were read in the course of the pronsdings. The Government Actuary ronorled that there was a substantial surplus hi nil the funds, after valuing on a stringent basis; aftd Mr. B^ E. Ba-y s es, Rcgistiar of Friendly Societies, congratulated the Grand Secretary (Bro. W. Reid) on the result, remarking: — "The results are really splei did, and it v.-onld j be difficult to imagine ;i society starting out on its consolidation career in sounder j trim than your people show." It is understood that Ihf quinquennial -tipplus of the Southern Cross Lodge a \r cum,^ to £1329, part of which is applied 10 strengthening the funds and pan to reduction of members' subscriptions. As an illustration of the working of tho reduction system, it was stated that 0110 old member of the lodge, whose subscriptions had for some time been only ninepence per quarter, will now be entitled lo all the benefits of the lodge, .and in addition have £1 3s lOd per quarter paid to him. Thoro are nearly 5,000,000 women breadwinners in the United States, two-lhivd3 of them being unmarried.