WELLINGTON NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4032, 23 June 1931, Page 52

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) June 19. E. Murtagh left for Marton yesterday, and has leased the house and stables belonging to J. Coyle, who is now residing at Awapuni. The’announcement in local daily papers that Mr L. Aiderton, a member of the Judicial Committee of the Takapuna Jockey Club, had been- appointed a deputystipendiary steward in the Auckland district was officially contradicted by Mr H. R. Sellers, secretary of the Racing Conference, This notwitlistanding Mr Aiderton acted as deputy at the Auckland winter meeting. Mr C. G. Gomer, stipendiary steward for the Western Districts of Victoria, arrived by the Makura on Monday' on furlough, which will be spent with his people in the Hawera district. He will return about the end of- July after the Wellington winter meeting, which he attended two years ago on his previous visit.

This season the Waikato Racing Club hag held three meetings over six days. It is only a few years since the Hamilton Racing. Club held one' meeting. About five y-ears . ago it held two meetings. In the following season the name of the club was changed to the Waikato Racing Club, and two meetings -were held each season up to the present. The amount put through at the recent winter meeting, £15,140, was a long way' below the figures of the spring (£43,423) and autumn (£36,055), when there were eight events each day, against seven last week. Mr G. W. Vercoe, the big man in the Waikato Club, is also president of the Auckland Country Clubs Association and a delegate to the Racing Conference. It would not be surprising, therefore, if he applies for better representation for the Waikato Club, the same as that, granted to the Manawqtu and Southland Clubs. The hurdle races at the recent meeting were poor affairs. On the first day four out of the 14 handicapped started. Money tize and Antrim Boy' finished first and second. They were the only' runners on the second day, and finished in the same order. Little Doubt, who let the backers down on the middle day at Ellerslie, won the big race each day. Another double winner was Valueless, for some- time trained at Awapuni. Several Ellerslie winners were beaten, and the only one to scorg was King Ford. (King LupinMiss Ford), who will soon be out of the hack class! Snow Lap, Gay Lap, and First Lap, three of the progeny of Lapidary, finished in the money. In his first season the Black Jester horse gives promise of making a successful-sire. Two prominent North Island lightweights, C. Goldsboro and S. Gerrand, have recently been suspended for a month. The penalty is not much 'in the winter, with, ho meetings to ride at, but is a mark against them when they come up for renewal in the new season.

The entries received for the Wellington Racing Club’s classic events, Wellesley and Wellington Stakes, North Island Challenge Stakes, and New Zealand Leger, although they show a slight falling off compared with previous years, are regarded as very satisfactory, It is reported in the papers that S. J. Reid is going to stage a come-back with Zetes (Limond-Waterwings) who cost 2400 guineas as a yearling, and will be four years on August I. Zetes is full brother to Agrion, who cost 300 guineas, won a Derby when trained by Mr R. J. Mason ? and will soon be having representatives racing in the West. Good luck for Mr Currie, but bad luck for Mr Riddiford, the two were related.

Mr W. Higgins came back from Australia for the. Otaki meeting, and left again for Sydney by the Ulimaroa. He * September. Mr Vivian Riddiford has left for a holiday trip to Honolulu. Mr lan Duncan is spending a short. holiday in Rotorua, and Captain Hodkins is up at Kerikeri, where the passion fruit come from. Usually the deliberations of the Racing Conference are got through in one day. Next month, with the revised Rules cf Racing to go through, the business may take two days. This will not inconvenience the. visiting delegates in any way, as the meeting opens on Thursday, and can go on on Friday, the days between the second and third days at Trentham. The first of the visiting horses to arrive at. Trentham are the Southland-owned pair Paris and Apache, both of whom have won a race on the trip. Paris ran second and third at Trentham last winter. Mr W. T. Hazlett may also have a third representative at the meeting. T. Pritchard has leased Mr H. Brown's house and stables at Trentham and comes down this week. Mr Brown shifted co Otaki a few months ago. It is stated the connections of Autopay are only awaiting the weights for the Epsom Handicap for the trainer to make the trip across. On his form on the second day at Riccarton he is sure to get his share. Nominations for the Wellington winter meeting close on Monday, and are expected to be fairly good. Make Up, who raced prominently in the hack hurdle class last winter without a win, will be among those competing. He has since worked his way up in open company, and is nearly as good as Carinthia, winner of the Winter Hurdles twelve months ago. Havering, the best sprinter here last winter, may again be competing. He has had a number of different trainers the last year or so, and after the Auckland winter meeting went back to his owner at Hawera. So far it is not announced who will next have’charge of him.