THE TURF.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13921, 27 March 1909, Page 9

THE TURF.

(By "Field Glass.")

The meeting of the Taranaki Jockey Club held this week was one oi tlio best for some years past. Jhe Club was fortunate in every respect. The weather was all that coulu be desired, the fields were large ana the attendance on both days showed v considerable increase. Ihe tote relunu; showed an increase of aboui. £800 over and above last year and in addition to this had to be auded over £300 kceived from hookinkers in license fees. The Club now seems on the road to recover the lar more enviable position it previously hold. Much of tnis success is undoubtedly due to Mr Webster who appears thoroughly at home with the many duties left to a secretary, and performs them all right well. The Committee and Stewards, too, ncre « real hard working lot, and left nothing undone to ensure the success of the meeting. The racing on both days was good, there being several stubbornly contested finishes, in one ease the judge gave a dead heat. This was the only instance in which Mr Budge's deci&ion was questioned, and to many, myself among the number, it certainly appeared as though the imported mare l'erofina won from Waihuku. This A\as in the Second Welter. There was only one really bad start during the meeting. An- inquiry wa3 immediately held by the Stewards, tho jockeys being blamed' in sbmoj quarters. , After hearing a lot of evidence, however, the Stewards exonerated the boys from blame and expressed tho opinion that the trouble was occasioned by tho faulty working of the barrier. The meeting will result in n profit of. something like £600 or £700 for the Club. This is particularly gratifying particularly when one considers that the nutumh meeting has not been, too successful for some years past. Seventeen bookmakers were licensed on the first day and ten on the second. One of the fraternity was caught mak--ing a book without having paid his license© fee. The officials immediately laid hands on him and gave him the option of paying his full fee (£2O), returning the money to backers, or <custody. He offered to pay ha'f the fee as the races for the day were nearly over, but the officials would not hear of this and rightly so. He therefore chose to return the money to those who had laid bets with. him. Speciosa, Kereroa and Perolina brought off doubles. There was not a single accident during the awhole meeting, everything passing off most- smoothly. Poseidon Bas been thrown out of training and will not race again. Kilmarnock, winner of the last Wanganui Cup, but who put up such disappointing gallops at New Plymouth this week, has been re-named Sir ErJze. Downfall and Bobrik'off have been scratched for the Sydney Cup and Doncaster Handicap. Kereroa. who brought off a double at the T.J.C. meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, was submitted for sale on Thursday. The reserve was £325 and as the' hignest blcl was £220, he was withdrawn. After his wins, which brought in £180, this would "not have been a bad price. Hatch lms been particularly successful recently and has picked up some nice little cheques. He scooped in about £36 at New Plymouth this week. Cochrane and Jackson were both fined by the Stewards of the T.J.C. for misbehaviour at tfhe post during the meeting this wCck. Though Signor did not win a race at the V.R.C Autumn Meeting, his three placings brought Mr G. F. Moore 475 so vs. America's oldest jockey, James Gibson, has just died at the ripe age of pf 106. It would be safe to bet : that.he -dtd very little "wasting" in his youth, -says a Southern exchange. The* Jfew Zealand 'chaser. Pilot, was «old by auction on the conclusion of <che V.R/C. meeting- He found a new .owner in Mr ,T. Scobie at 350 guineas. The Dublin correspondent of the LonA>n Sportsman has it that Lord Dunray en recently refused an offer from «foe German Government of £40,000 for the St. Simon horse Desmond, who is now tn his thirteenth year. Next year Desmond's fee, is to be 250 guineas. A well-known horseman, who was recently disqualified by a North Island club,' was greatly in evidence , at the Oxford J.C. meeting on Saturday. This is not the only meeting he has attended of late, and it seems no effort is ■made to prevent Kis attendance at South Island fixtures. T Cahill, rider of Pilot in the March. Steeplechase at the V.R.C. meeting, struck quite a lot of trouble. He was fined £2 for disobedience at the post, and /was also reprimanded for not riding the New Zealander out. Concerning the latter complaint the Melbourne, Age says:, — "The Maorilander fenced magnificently, and to have used unnecessary pressure in driving him borne yfben palpably beaten, so far from merely meriting censure, would have -called" for the intervention of the Society &>r the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals. It is all tho more strange -that an undeserving case of this sort ■should be. singled out for censure wheninstances of palnablo 'roping' which Imvp disfigured the three days' racing at F!pming+6Ti were permitted to go tmchallenged." . „ „ Referring to the TaranaKi meeting "PetroneV* in a notice drawing attention to the meeting says:— "The Cup is now run over one mile and a quarter instead of one mile and a half, the -distance of the race for many years. It is always regrettable when Cup races are cut down in distance, but T suppose the T.J.C. was influenced to make the change by the smanness of tho field when Pnritntu won his second victory in this event. This was in 1906, when tho Castor gelding only had three opponents. Star Rosp. Grenade, ami Heroism. However, with a return of bettor fJelcte wo may hope tor tne day when the Cur> rneevill once more be' run over twelve furlong.The Avonriale .T.C. Committee deci'l*t[ u\ disqualify C. N^hoison, owner of -fbe 4ivn=e Taicio. for life, in connection -n-if»i "As running a< the Hub s last ■rmrinrr -meeting T''" *\Mronol)t»n ; -Coni^itfe* endorsed Whitakor s dis■mmfificnlinM for +wo roars. «ncl rer]"(wl the disqiiwiifiratiim on N. I unTmirrhpm from Mfo to «ix months. TSiieTiolwm's npnenl nc.-vm^ <ho disqualification of Lucio was adjowne^