THE TURF

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 22, 26 July 1920, Page 11

THE TURF

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(»I "lIR OAHMIOT.")

Tw«nty-four horses remain in the Winter Clip after the first payment Eight o£ the' number are in this Island

J M'Laughlin, the Trentham trainer, has been laid up for the last couple of weeks with a severe attack of influenza, but is now making steady progress towards recovery. To add to his misfortunes, hiß wife is at present a patient in a private hospital in the city. To help M'Laughlin, who has three horses in work, over the difficulty, S. Hodge kindly volunteered to look after them until their trainer sufficiently recovered to take j charge. Hodge has decided not to join F \D. Jones at Riccarton. He took charge of Sanacre after the recent meeting, and intends to set up as a public trainer at Te Awamutu. E. Browne, who- is attached to J. Ayres, recently purchased a six-year-old gelding, by Mystification—Motive, and has put him into work at headquarters. When he returned from Hastings on Friday, J. Y. M'Cracken brought with him Gratuition, a three-year-old filly by Formative — Velour (Birkenhead —Maluri). She is engaged at Kiccarton, and wil accompany Meltchikoff and Co. South when opportunity offers. Sixteen horses accepted for the Grand National Steeplechase. Half the number are at present in the North and the other half in the South Island. ! There are probably more horses in I training at Trentham at present than at any previous time. Several of them are affected in the wind. Halifax is to be operated on this week for throat troubles. Trainers J. Lambess and A. Julian have been on a visit, to Auckland. In their absence C Christie has been superintending the track work allotted to Kauri King and Slowcoach. ■When he returned home to Masterton, Trainer W. Hawthorne took Old Mungindi and.Lord Nagar with. him. Mill o' Gowrie, who is working again after a few weeks' rest, Gladful, and Rekanui are still at Trentham. The three' last named were all engaged on the opening day at Eiccarton, but their names were all missing on Saturday when the acceptances were published. The rising three-year-olds Shamrock, Wake, and Insurrection are training on the right way at Trentham, and will be ready for the early spring meetings. No time was lost _, after the recent meeting in getting a'start with the extensive alterations that are to be. made to the Trentham course to permit extensions to the lawns. When completed, the inside rail will come in a direct line from the four furlongs start to the crossing at the end.of the saddling.paddock. The alteration, to. the straight on the course proper means an increase in the ran from the turn to twenty-one chains. The water jump and stone wall have already been removed. The removal of the number-board—a .contract in. itself—will be carried out in the course of the'next week or two. Its new position will be between the tan and sand gallops. Looking at the number-board from where the St. Leger enclosure will be it will be impossible for outside patrons to read the names. The writer suggests that to get over the difficulty the club might consider' the advisability of providing another number-board. Royal Exchange and Prince Hal, who were allowed to drop out of their Winter Cup engagement, are being kept going at Trentham. The latter will probably make his first appearance at Marten. He may be accompanied! by Lord TJsk, who has so far not raced in the Dominion. * F. Ellis, who recently accepted th« position of private trainer to Mr W. Higgins, the Wellington owner, has settled down with his team at Mr. Milne's stables, near the course. Risingham and Parorangi, who raced at the recent meeting, are being spelled.. The active members of the team include the rising two-year-old Martian fillies from Torquatei, and Secret Link. The latter is the high-priced half-sister to Silver Lank. The other rising two-year-old in the team is a brown colt by Absurd I —Lady Eta, a half-sister to Our Lady, dam of Bronze, The coming three-year-olds are Island (Finland—All's Well), Blackhead (All Black—Gossip), and Lady Una (Eudorus —Marcobelle). When he makes his next appearance the Australian-bred. Sandy M'Donald (Eudorus—Hair Net) will race as a gelding. The Bardolph colt in J. W Lowe's team, who was off the track for a week or two, is again in work. His absence was due to some shoulder, muscular trouble which, it transpires, was caused' by a- fall. Tolerance (Boniform —Innocence), Left (Martian—Lovelorn), Whea.tfield (Buckwheat' —Aurilimnia), Pageant } (Martian—Grand Opera), are regular workers in what is probably the strongI est team of rising two-year-olds in any stable in the Do-minion. Nine of the twenty horses that have accepted for the Grand National Hurdles ■ are in this island.