TURF TOPICS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17058, 12 June 1926, Page 7

TURF TOPICS.

FIXTURES—RAGING. June IS, .19 —Napier Park E.C. June 25, 26—Hawke’s Bay J.C. June 25, 20—Ashburton County E.C. July 0, S, 10 —Wellington E.C. July 22—Waimatc District Hunt Club. July 21 —South Canterbury Hunt Club. July 29, 51 —Gisborne E.C. Steeplechase niceting. FIXTURES—TROTTING. June 12—Ashburton T.C. June 25 —Hawke’s Bay Hunt Club ,). Barry had a successful run at Olaki, riding three winners on the closing day. ' * -x- * * The New Zealander Kiosk, ran second to Aeneid in the First Nursery It nek at Sydney this week, carrying !»si. Vllis. « * * * Mr. \V. I‘. Russell, of: Wellington, lias been tippoinled judge to the Wellington Racing Club. Air. Russell is also judge at Taranaki, Hawera, and Wanganui, and is handienpper for severtt! clubs in the North Island. * * * * A coincidence in connection with the Great Northern Steeplechase, was that two Thompsons fought out the finish and Rangi Thompson rode Dick, the winner, and Kawini was piloted by R. F., who is sometimes confused with Rangi. * * *■ * The Southland crack, Listening Post, has been racing for seven seasons, his record standing at twenty winsn seventeen seconds and five thirds from seventy-five starts, while he Has won £0(110 in stakes. Ft is understood he is to be tried over hurdles. * * * * Greensborough, who is considered to he one of the best two-year-olds of the season in Australia, cost only 85 ■guineas as a yearling. Ho is by that speedy horse G recast cad, a son ot: The Welkin, and a good advertisement for liis young sire. Greensborough won the South Australian Stakes, and according to all accounts battled out the seven furlongs in great style. Subsequent to the'Adelaide meeting he was sold for a big figure. Country trotting fllubs in the Audilaud district have made rapid strides in popularity during fhe past year, it totalisalor returns can be regarded as a barometer. There are five country clubs, and these clubs handled £04,ot!s lOs during the 1924-25 year. This year the returns for the same number of clubs is £162,325. The city clubs jointly showed a decrease in the iotnlisntor turnover, but. as in the ease of the “ gallops,” the country clubs mure than restored the balance.

The Auckland Racing Club’s totalizator figures for the year now closing are £949,055, as against £992,197 last year. The Tukapuna Jockey Club shows n small decrease, from £227.500 to £225,616, but the Avondale Club is slightly ahead on the season, fhe totals for the city and country clubs were: 1925, £2.100,797, 1920, £2,128,690. the falling-oil at the ElIcrslie meetings being more than compensated for by the increase in the amounts handled by the country clubs.

W Donaldson was the most successful trainer at Ellerslie with three .wins, his winning representatives being Titancss, Bowman and Hoariri. J. Buchanan (Brushwood Boy ami Merry Damon) trained two winners. R. Reed (Titancss, Degage, Nndarino and Hoariri), was the most successful horseman with four winning mounts. 8. Henderson (Brushwood Boy, Merry Damon and Lomint), was second on the list with three wins. J Mcßae (Ngahinepouri and Black Cruiser), and R. E. Thompson (Groekson and Kendal), both rode two winners.

Landbirrl gave Bowden liis second winning ride in the Great Northern Hurdles for Bowden had previously won on' Mr. H. J. Palmer’s Fisher. The rider has won many honors over the fences, and is riding with gieat ■judgment. After last week s inee he stated to a reporter that Kawnn was unlucky to be beaten by Landbird, for Kawini was coming on strongly towards the finish. “1 felt that Landbird could not hold Thompson’s mount,” Bowden said alter the race, but at the last fence Landbird made a erreat jump, while Ivawini hit haul, and this knocked all the steam out of him. it was Kawini’s bad jump that won the race for me.”

'fhe trainer of Dick, the winner oi the Great Northern Steeplechase, is \V. S. Young, a Trentham mentor. He had a first-class reputation in his active riding days, as a good jockey on the flat or over jumps. He rode Shrapnel in I lie 1007 Grand Nations Hurdles, and won the same event again in 1910 and 1011, in association with Paisano and Continuance, the Poverty Bay horses. The year he won on Paisano Young also rode To Ann to victory in the Grand National Steeplechase,'bringing off the big double. The man who trained the Great Northern Steeplechase winner has theretore an ancient connection with Gisborne horses. In the records covering important jumping events in the Dominion, one trainer, whose name figures very prominent Iv is V. H. Collcllo. of Hastings. ], is a good many years ago since .-Vince” and his brother George rode. “Vince” prepared Landlord tor his (treat Northern Hurdles win. He won the Canterbury Grand Jutional Steeplechase with Sir W. Russell s mare Nadador. and for the same owner prepared Cornzon when the latter won the Great Northern Steeplechase in Bill. Another top-notch ’chaser trammi by Collella was Bracburn, which won 'two Wanganui Steeplechases and ether good races. Last winter he won the Wanganui Steeplechase with Landbird, but Die horse afterwards wen wrong, and it was not until the pi '■ winter that the Finland gelding again appeared on the scene. * * * * George Young (rider of and K. Bracken (rider of M’> unt ‘ ten), have been suspended fo three months for interference vitli <>\ Dweller (.T. Bike), in the second dim si on of the High Weight Hamli ap at Bosch ill. won by Midlo h.an (;L M'unro). reports Sportsman. ST'Uw " irfo

home and Cave Dweller was knocked back on to Midlothian, who suffered in consequence'and was taken to the outside. lie escaped from the ruck and chased the leader (Adam Wallace) and passed him near the post. Cave Dweller finished well back. Young’s version was that Bracken was on the rails, alongside him, with Cave Dweller following them. Adam Wallace was in front of Mountbatten, who came out and carried Worthier off the course. . This worried Young, who pushed Mountbatten in. Dike (Cavo Dweller) moved up for an opening and suffered in the mix-up and fell back on to Midlothian. Bracken started the trouble. Young’s action was merely self-preservation. Ho was unlucky.