RACING AND TROTTING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 121, 27 June 1914, Page 11

RACING AND TROTTING.

RACING FIXTURES. July 2 and 4—Gisborne R.C. Winter. July 15 and 18—Wellington R.C. Winter. August 11, 13, 15—0. J.C. Grand Nationaf.

i ACCEPTANCES. June 27 —Gisborne R.C. Winter. , July 6—Wellington R.C. Winter. ■'!.* July 24—C.J.G. Grand National. TROTTING FIXTURES. Aug. 10, 12 and 14 —N.Z. Metropolitan T.C, Winter.

ACCEPTANCES. Aug. S—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. Winter.

TURF TOPICS.

The heavy rainfall experienced yesterday has rendered the tracks at Riccarton totally unlit for fast work. The tan track is partly under water, but the sand track provided fair going along the back, and a fair amount of pacing was done on it this morning, though many trainers preferred to exercise their charges on the roads. The jumping ground provided the best going, and a fair amount of lepping was indulged in.

. Obligate and Opuka went round over the steeplechase fences at headquarters this morning, commencing at the double, "which they cleared in good style. At the sod wall the former twisted badly, and baulked at the post and rail, but he got over on the second attempt. Opuka, who gave his best display to date, w r as left to finish his task alone. The chestnut gelding Rescued, with Levy in the saddle, gave a good display in a round over the hurdles this morning. He is a big upstanding customer, and, being a fine fencer, he should not fail to make a name for himself.

W. M 'Donald's latest addition, the St. Paul—Lyddite mar,e, was given a spin over four flights of hurdles, with Douglas in the saddle, this moaning. At the first obstacle she stuck her toes in, but mauaged to scramble over after unseating her Tider. On being remounted she cleared the remaining three hurdles in convincing style. There is no doubt about the mare's lepping ability, and she is just the sort that should be seen to advantage over big country.

J. Bridge 's charge, the TerrapinReject gelding, was again given a turn over the pony hurdles, at which he is becoming an expert. F. Christinas-'S pair, The Cornet and Kilmeny, will not be taken north to fulfil their engagements at the Wellington Meeting. The impost allotted the latter is considered unfavourably by his connections, while the former is to be treated to a three months' respite.

The Gisborne Racing Club receives acceptances for its Steeplechase Meeting up to this evening.

. The Canterbury Jockey Club can be heartily congratulated •on the support accorded its Grand National Meeting. From the lists appearing iu another column it will be seen that every -event 3ias filled beyond the most sanguine expectations, the figures being: —-Grand National Steeples 28, Winter Cup 53, Grand National Hurdles 41, Beaufort Steeples 40, Sydenham Hurdles 42, Lincoln Steeples 41, making a grand total of 245, as against 234 last year. Prior to winning the Waiohiki Hack Hurdles at Napier Park,' Vi w T as submitted to auction, but failed to reach the reserve of 85 guineas placed on her by Mr Kemp.

It is now definitely stated that Mr E. liUttrell's recent pureliase, Silver King, is to be shipped to Sydney shortly, where he will go into R. J. Mason's stable.

An Auckland correspondent is responsible for the statement that the wellknown cross-country horseman A. Julian intends to retire from his present calling, and will probably turn his attention to training'trotting horses. Grey King, who is a fancied candidate for the Grand National Hurdles, gave a very prior exhibition of jumping in the Poraite Hurdles at Napier Park. Though last to leave the mark he led at the first obstacle, and after clouting most of the hurdles fairly hard his superior pace enabled him to run home an easy winner.

As usual, the Winter Cup has proved very popular with owners, ami amongst the 53 engaged in the coming contest are many horses that are sure to figure in the New Zealand Cup. This should make their efforts in the big winter race of particular interest. Few horses have shown such great improvement in the course of a few months as has Exotic. It may not be generally known that prior to the present season the Explosion gelding raced unsuccessfully as The Wowser at several hunt- club v»eeti.ngs, and was subsequently sold for a mere song. Now he is one of th'd most discussed 'chasers in the Dominion.

After contesting the Hawke's Bay Steeples, The Spaniard was feeling the effects of his. exertions, and it is quite on the cards that he 'will forego his Wellington engagements in favour of the Kiccarton meeting. - Though the entries received for the three big cross-country events at the C.J.C. Grand National Meeting compare very favourably in point of numbers •with those of previous vearg, they contain a lamentable lack of jumping talent. Even so, the entrants are a thoroughly representative lot, and. if such as The Spaniard, Captain Jack, Bercola, Jackman, Exotic, Ruffy, Peary, Antarctic, Glenmore, Paritutu, and Sir Lethe see the post, there can toe no doubt as to the success of the various jumping contests. Though he has been off the scene for snch a long time, Antarctic is reported to be looking really well, as the result of the work he has done on the sea Ixcach and over the hills. Unfortunately the leg that went wrong two seasons ago still looks suspicious, and there is always a doubt if it will see theveteran through a solid enough preparation to win such a race as the Grand National.

It is reported from Feilding that Jaekman has got through a lot of satisfactory work since racing at Wanganui. According to present arrangements lie will be taken to the Wellington Meeting next month, and immediately 011 its conclusion journey on to Biccarton for the Grand National. The Cornet's trainer is dissatisfied with the treatment meted out to his representative in the Parliamentary Handicap, and there is little chance of the gelding fulfilling any of his engagements at the Wellington Meeting. It is estimated that by the close of the present racing season, which coneludes with the Wellington Racing Club's winter fixture, the totalisator receipts for the Dominion will show an increase of nearly half a million on last year's figures. As the rules . of racing provide that clubs must give away no less a sum in stake money than the nett amount derived by them from the previous season, this should lead to a big increase in stake money for. distribution next season. The only notable absentee from the Grand National Steeplechase is Gon-

dolier, but as his name figures in the Lincoln Steeplechase it is quite probable that he will be brought down to the meeting. There is a big increase in the entries taken last evening for the two big hy.rdle events at the Grand National Meeting. Though hardly up to the standard of many previous years there is sufficient good material engaged to ensure high-class racing. "Frequenters of the Flemington tracks were treated to an unusual and rather exciting sight on the morning of Thursday, .June 4 (says a Melbourne exchange). Miss Waugli, who rece.ntly achieved some notoriety by riding from Melbourne to Sydney, put in an appearance, and, dressed in a man's costume of pants and boots with a blouse, and riding straddleways, she essayed to pilot the old hunter Archway in his work on the tan. She was riding very 'long,' and it was soon seen that Archway had taken charge, and he went along at his own sweet will until W. Y. Burn on another horse came alongside, and, catching" the bridle, pulled him up. Not content with this experience, the girl then rode him to the inside and jumped the four schooling fences, but then lost control of him, and he galloped in all directions till Burn again came on the scene and caught him. There might have been a bad accident, and it is hardly likely that Miss Waugh will be allowed to give any more such exhibitions at Flemington." THE AMERICAN SEAT. ITS EVIDENT ADVANTAGES. The utility or otherwise of what is commonly known as the American scat i?> one of those subjects that excites discussion at the commencement of every' English racing season. An article on the question by Colonel R. F. MeyseyThompson appeared in a recent number of ''Babminton," and it has revived the discussion as to whether the stride of a racehorse saddled and ridden in the style introduced to England by Simms" in .1895 and subsequently popularised by Tod Sloan and the brothers Reiff is lengthened or otherwise. Ten oi a dozen years ago an English trainer of much experience made careful tests of the two styles on turf, with the result that he found the American seat made the stride appreciably the longer. Colonel Meysey-Thompson, in his article, One of the horses employed in his trials instituted by John Osborne on the sands at Redcar, furnishes what seems to be equally conclusive proof the other way. One of the horses employed in sis trials was Scrivener, and this draws attention to the fact that they must have taken place many years back, for Scrivener last, ran in public fourteen years ago. That the American seat has its disad- [ vantages admits of no doubt, but if the old English seat gives a longer stride it If certainly strange that during the Jr.ngthy period since Scrivener was last seen' on a racecourse, the number of races won by jockeys riding "sit-up" fashion have been singularly few. It may, of course, be said that almost every jockey and apprentice had abandoned the English for the American style, and that was certainly the case. At the outset of the American invasion this was not so, however, and the saddle-on-the-withers cum-monkey-ciouch. exponents had so much the better of the contest —as exemplified by the test of the racecourse —that it seems useless to advocate a return to the older style of race-riding.

TEMPLAR,