TURF AND TRACK

Evening Star, Issue 19893, 15 June 1928, Page 13

TURF AND TRACK

MOTES FROM ALL QUARTERS [Uy Otakou.] RACING FIXTURES. June 16.—Napier Park It.C. Juno 20.— Hftwko'a Bay Hunt Club. June 22, 23.—Hawse's Bay J.C. Juno 30.—Ashburton County R.C. June 30, July 2.~Te Kuiti R.C. July 11,-12,.14.— Wellington R.C. July 19.—Waimatc District Hunt Club.. ' July 21. South Canterbury H.C. July 28—Christchureh Hunt Club. July 26, 28.—Gisborne R.C. TROriUNG FIXTURES. June 23, 27;—Auckland T.C. The Wellington Steeplechase and the Winter Hurdles each carry a stake of ljOOOsovs. ■ ■■ ; : Only once in the history of the Great Northern Steeplechaso has an owner piloted his own horse to victory. That was when J. Rue won on Laventer in 1896.

Town Liana made only one appearance at Ellcrslio, that being in the open mile the concluding day. He was never very conspicuous.’ and finished in the second half of the field. Town Bsvik is very, forward, and if kept going when .the southern meetings come along again ho has .enough pace to win a race or two for Mr Samson (states an Auckland message). There does not seem to be any chance that Eerie de Leon will be seen out in action at Napier Park or Hastings this-month, 1 , as it is stated that although bis affected foreleg is yielding to treatment it is not intended to send him out to chase the prize money until the Winter Meeting of the Wellington Racing Club next month. Gutts Bros, have Wild Work, Quarterdeck, Broadmoor, and Hurly Burly in strong work at present in view of early engagements. Hurly Burly, a two-year-old filly by Panmure from Scrimmage, is a recent addition to the active division, and it is hoped to have her ready for her first race at the Grand National Meeting. Beau Geste, who joined F. P. Claridge’s stable recently, is getting through useful tasks,. and he may ho given a race at the Grand National Meeting, although it is unlikely that ho will be at his best so soon.

Aherfeldy has had an easy time since he returned to Riccarton from Auckland. He will he moving along again shortly, in view of hurdle engagements at Trentham next month.

The Absurd gelding Rascal has done really well since ho ns brought in from his.spell, and he is now undergoing a preparation for midwinter racing. It is probable that lie will be given an outing of the South Canterbury Hunt Club's Meeting at Timaru, and,_ provided that all goes well with him in the meantime, it is intended to nominate him for the Winter Cup. The London ‘ Daily _ Expresssays that the English betting tax, in its present form, has proved a failure, and that there has been wholesale and evergrowing evasion. It would have been strange indeed if a large section of the books and some of the punters had not evolved, a scheme by which they could dodge the tax to some extent. The London ‘Sporting Life’ says the gross profits in England of the average hookmaker who carries on a starting-price business'is round about 3 per cent. The Invercargill trainer J. A. Rowland sustained a painful accident when exercising one of his string on the S.R.C. tracks .the other morning (reports the ‘Times’). When riding Redenui as schoolmaster to the Some Boy ll.—Hinemaru filly on the sand path, the son of Paladin threw up his head suddenly and struck his pilot in the face. Rowland had several teeth of his natural lower set knocked out and his face bruised in a way that will cause him trouble for some time to come. .

Under examination riders arc often ■wilfully dull; they now nothing for the best of all reasons—they do not wish to. Some will mako any excuse to their employers sooner than admit to interference. Only recently T saw a hotrse chopped back (says “Pilot”) when two others closed on it. In preference to admitting he was not as wide awake as he should hare been, the hoy told the trainer the horse blundered, which was palpably not the case. When they will not play fair with their employers, one can understand the difficulty the stipendiary stewards experience in gethfng anything out of hovs who do not wish to tell.

Lord Somers, Governor of tho State of Victoria, furnished the winner of the Park'sido ..Stakes at the, South Australian Jockey Club’s meeting on May 2(5 with the English-bred horse Fourth Hand, who scored in easy style. The Parkside Stakes was run over a ninofurlong course at weight-for-age, and Fourth Hand is given credit for a good performance. When racing in the Old Country, Fourth Hand won several races, included among which was the Irish Two Thousand Guineas. Fourth Hand is a son of. Tetratcma, a noteworthy, son of The Tctrarch. Kawini, who finished second to Glendowie in the Winter Steeplechase at the Auckland Racing Club’s Meeting, occupied a similar position to Tuki in tho decision of the same race last year. This marked the sixth occasion on which Kawini has finished in second place in an important jumping event. In 192 G ho ran, second to Landbird in the Great .Northern Hurdle Race; and at the same meeting he filled a like position to Dick in the. Great Northern Steeplechase. Later in the same year he ran second to Peter Maxwell in the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase, and twelve months ago he heat all his field with the exception of Beau Cavalier in the Wclliington Steeplechase.

Alec Taylor, who retired as a trainer in England last year, scored 928 wins in that country of the total value of £801,530 10s. Place money would appreciably increase that sum, and in France "he won the Grand Prix with Lemonora,.; His record in English classics is as under: Derby (and New Derby)—four winners,' six seconds, two thirds; St. Legor (and September Stakes) —five winners, one second, four thirds; Oaks (and New Oaks) —Eight winners, four seconds, two thirds; Two Thousand Guineas —four winners, seven seconds; One Thousand Guineas—one winner, six seconds, one hird. The following was cabled to the Sydney ‘Sun’:—“His name is Whirlwind. He is a racehorse and a whirlwind. He ate a saddle at a recent meeting in the north. , To-day ho bucked his jockey ' off at the; post. He galloped all over the place, kicked a policeman’s horse, bailed up the ambulance; was recaptured and remounted; started in the race, led all the way and won by a neck. The incidents occurred at Hurst Park. .After he threw Dines, his jockey, Whirlwind - reared up erect two or three times. When he galloped back to the paddock he made for the policeman’s hack. .The policeman, i jumped off. When this mount got clear, the rowdy racehorse made for the ambulance horse. He did no damage, however.”

The date of Ms'departure has uot yet’ been,decided upon, but the Invercargill light-weight; L. J, Ellis, will accompany or join .up with, F. D. Jones’s team ih’Sydney (says “ Sir Modred ”). He will remain m Australia for some months', but will return homo to engage in_ spring racing. The trainer of Limcrick has a high opinion of the local rider’s capabilities as a horseman, and will .probably see to it that Ellis is not neglected when it comes to recommending him to Australian employers. Southern racing folk will extend the best of wishes to L. J. Ellis in bis second venture abroad to the great racing land of the Commonwealth.

Horses that race all through the •jumping season in England, often distinguish themselves in the long-distance handicaps at the commencement of the flat racing season. At Keiupton Park recently Zeno added. to the number. He is. one of England’s best hurdlers, and in the Kompton Park Queen’s Prize, of £1,125, a two miles flat race, was weighted at 8.3, the minimum being 7,0. There were fourteen starters, and S. Wotton’s Dakota was so sti'ongly fancied that he started a good favourite, while Zeno was at double figures. Soonlurning into the straight Zeno took charge, and, served by the condition resultant on racing over hurdles, ho first of all stalled off Highbrow, and then went on to w r iu by a neck from Ballyvoy, another hurdler, who carried 8.0. In Now Zealand the same situation often arises, and no more notable, example can be quoted than Kukumai.

The. programme ior the August meeting of the New Zealand Metropolitan Club contains an all-round tightening of the classes, the only races not touched being the opening event each day. The mile saddle races have been made 2.15, 2.14, and 2.13 respectively—a second faster in each case. The chief two-mile races have been made 4.30, 4.29, and 4.27. On each day there is a race for the nest class ranging from the limit of the best race up to 4.35, with another for horses between 4.35 and 4.40. The events for unhoppled trotters have been tightened considerably. The first day’s race has been reduced from 4.44 to 4.39, the second day’s 4.42 to 4.38, and the last day’s from 4.40 to 4.37. There is a middle class mile and a-quarter race each day. The race on the first day has been tightened from 2.53 to 2.51, second day from 2.52 to 2.50, and third day from 2.51 to 2.50. For the best sprinters the first day’s mile harness event has been reduced from 2.14 to 2.13, while on the later days the mile and a-quarter events have been cut from 2.46 to 2.45 and from 2.45 to 2.44 respectively.

• TRAINERS AND JOGKEYS The following applications for trainers' and jockeys' licenses have been made to the Dunedin District Committeo: — Trainers.—A. J. Cassells, C. Christie, F. J. Conn, J. J. Cotter, J. Ellis, jun., J. Fielder, G. A. Fielding, C. Gieseler, F. Johnston, R. Messent, H. A. M'Donald, R. R. M'Donald, R. 0. N. Reed, J. Ross, J. Ruttledge, *. Shaw, J. R. Waite, S. G. Ware, J. A. White, D. P. Wilson, T. P. Wilson, 0. R. Wise, jun. Jockeys.—H. A. Anderton, J. 1. Andrews, W. Cooper, J. J. Cotter, 0. B. Dawson, G. A. Dempster, W. E. 0. Dixon, F. Johnston, J. Kerr, P. W. Powell. E. W. A. Rosewarne, A. Ruthven, T. A. Silva, F. Voight, b. Wilson. ~ Apprentice Jockeys.—E. Busbridge, J. Campbell, W. H. Coughlan ; J. W. N. Dooley, D. Janiieson, D. Kerr, R. Millar, T. J. Smith. Gentleman Rider.—J. . Crawford, jun. '