THE TURF. NOTES AMD COMMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 20, 23 July 1909, Page 2

THE TURF. NOTES AMD COMMENTS.

Figuratively the curtain v. ill descend on this season's racing at Trentham tomorrow. On tho whole, the critic must admit that it has been free from any very glaring ramps or shunts. We are not yet in the golden age : the economic struggle invades the racecourse as it does the mart of the exchange. In fine, men must life; they must pay their way, but evolution and the advent of stipendiaries may purify the sport of all the while corpuscles in its system. With all its faults — racing in New Zealand is a stone or so in lront of racing iv other countries. Still we are restless folk and are always aiming at an ideal a lacing Utopia where all connected with the noble liorfe will be a species of altruist. Anyhow, in the retrospect season 1908-09 has nob treated punters badly; winners have rolled-up with pleasing frequency, and in Provocation we have unearthed a champion. So let the lieges salaam to the departing season, and may the coming guest prove as welcome and as kind. For those who love their Bradshaw— the timetable, of course, not the dashing young metallician — trams leave Te Aro for the course at 10.34 and 11 a.ni and Lambton 10.51, 11.0, 11.10 a.m., and 1.5 p.m. The programme of seven events is framed very much on the lines of Wednesday's, and includes a steeplechase and two hurdle races. Considering the state of the track, and the near approach of the Riccarlon meeting, the acceptances are satisfactory enough. Large enough, at all events, to make the sport sufficiently interesting and difficult to lend zest to the struggle between backer and bookie. Theoretically, the third day should be far more difficult than its piedecessors. I confess the easy way the first day's programme was picked astonished me, and the punter of to-day wheedles out information in a manner" that would do credit to a Sherlock Holmes or a Vidocq. Still we must allow that weight and two public gallops may very easily give a kaleidoscopic twist to the form. Glance for instance, at the Onhlow Handicap! St. Bill will carry 241b moie than he did in the Stewards' Handicap. Martyrium — just^to mention one — will meet him on 321b more favourable terms. True the Birkenhead mare has run badly, but weight is a wonderful leveller. St! UilPs brace of victories have well earned him his additional weight, and those who take the handicapper's opinion will back the snakeheaded St. Clements gelding. Still should anything go out and make him carry his list 61b for every furlong of the six — I would be prepared to see fall's gelding strike his colours. Toa Tuhi — old '"Soup-plates" — arrived yesterday from Foxton. A warrior in the mud is Toa, but I do not know much about his •condition at present. A head separated King's Prize and (Marathon in the Minimal- 'Handicap. iFor that defeat, Hathaway's horse receives 41b. On paper, that should enable him to reverse positions. King's Prize, however, looks like being the more forward of the pair, and being a strongly-quartered hoi^e can propel himself through the going, bad as it will be. A win for King Post would mean «. 71b penalty in the Winter Handicap, which would bring Ayer's gelding alongside North-East. Pukewai means, I believe, cataract. There has not been, much of the dashing cataract about him so far. Still one' must not despair. His Otaki gallops were meritorious, and tho extra furlong of to-morrow's race is in his favour. Provided he does not lose too much ground at the barrier, Cress's horse would be a thorn in the side of King's Prize. Rendrock must be all right. At all events he was well backed on the course for the Eiccarton Hurdles in doubles. It is a littls hard to follow Mr. Pollock's reasoning in the case of Rendrock ami Waione in the Corunna Hurdles. Last Saturday Attwood's gelding ran right away from Waione, and must have given him a stone beating, the meantime Waiono runs second to Tauira. In to-morrow's handicap, Rendrock has to concede Waione merely 3lb. Mr. Pollock may possibly hold the view that the distance of the Corunna is two furlongs shorter than the Peninsula, and at a mile and a-half therefore Waione is better suited than over the extra little bit of Saturday's race. I can scarcely subscribe to that view, and it will be' interesting to see who is right. Of course, Rendrock's owner may prefer to fly at higher game and start him in the Final 'Hurdles, but the Corunna. looks like a bird in the hand. A win for Auratus. will mean an additional 71b in the C.J.C. National, which would put the giant on practically the same marl: as Tauira. If the iWaverley people are in grim earnest about winning tho National, they cannot aiford to throw away seven ounces — let alone seven pounds. A select field of five will battle for the 303 soys attached to the July titeeple. The winner, if not already penalised, will incur 101b extra in the C.J.'C. Steeple. Te Arai now meets Irish on 101b, Nadador 151b, Lingerer 161b, and Speciosa 181b worse terms respectively than in Wednesday's contest. There is ue-ven furlongs less to be traversed, and Te Arai is such a fast hors-e that this factor will be just as much in his favour as it is in Irish's. •Lin jerer was well to the fore at two miles' and a-half on Wednesday. Te Arai, one would think, had earned a few pounds- more than Mr. Pollock has allotted him. I sympathise with J. B. Willipmson, who has not won a stake with Irish for three seasons, and it would be only an instalment if "t'owd horse" repeats his July Steeple victory of three years ago. By the way, Irish was s"t>l down as> running fifth in the ■Winter Hurdles. This was an error. Commander filled the position. Both jockeys wore purple jackets — but the caps were very different, and should i have saved one from making y mistake. Last year California won the double — Waterloo Handicap and Winter Oats. Will Wimmera repeat the performance? Sir Frisco may not start. Wimmera raised 101b is. a brilliant beginner and shapes well in ihe going. And so does Morrie Zealand. The latter -ran bir Frisco to half a length in the Parliamen-. larv and, if fancied — the tone of the market may tell a quick ear — may make light of his 51b extra weight. On paper Diamond Star, with a 4lb pull over Merrie Zealand, is^ badly handicapped on last Saturday's iorm, ior nt the finish he was ten lengths away from the Merlie England gelding. Sweet Angehib is scarcely wound up for a mile. Tauira. whose legs suffered^so from contact with the battens that a vet. had to be called in, was .scratched^ for* the Final Hurdles. Prosser hopes that a few days on the -easy list will make- the C.J.C. National favourite as good as' ever. Corazon meets Kairoma on 61b, Commander 61b, and Belario on 41b worse terms respectively than in the Winter Hurdles. Corazon was nearly as far in front of the fifth, six and seventh horses in that event as were Tauira and Fcotty in front of him. Ben Jon.wn wgjuld run well over this, his cot <&atance, if the going whs sound.

Exmoor is well, but jumps rather too big, the result of steeple schooling. Rendrock I have already touched upon. The Kia Ora winds up the day's sport. Miscast has been bought by a patron of C. Pritchard's, who may be lucky enough to gefc his outlay back first time of asking. On paper Miscast at 10.7 is equal to Contendent at abo"l 10.11, and one would not look t eyond the latter at that weight. Mi 'Pollock awarded him 11.0. There will be a big muster of sports to-morrow evening at His Majesty's Theatre (Royal Pictures), when Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., will present goldmounted whilps (the gift of Mr. H. Price, Willis-street) to the winning jockeys. R. Hatch has, of course, gained the one for the flat-race riders, but It will not be known until the Trentham races are over whether C. Cochrane, W. Young, or J. Hall has won that for the hurdle riders. Cochrane and Young are level with thirteen \vinning mounts, whilst Hall is only one' behind them. —THE BLADE.