THAMES JOCKEY CLUB'S SUMMER MEETING.

Observer, Volume XXI, Issue 1195, 23 November 1901, Page 10

THAMES JOCKEY CLUB'S SUMMER MEETING.

The Thames Jockey Club's Summer Meeting calls for the attention of horse-owners to-morrow (Friday, 22nrl iust. ), when nominations close for all events of this fixture. There is a capital two clays' programme, which should attract a large number of Auckland entries. The prizes are in all cases very liberal. The dates of the fixture are December 26th and 27th. Ellerslie has sufficient and to spare of horses for the Metropolitan Meeting at Christmas, and quite a number of Auckland owners annually elect to race on the Thames ground at the Midsummer Meeting, and they always bring home a fair share of the stakes, whilst the Thames and surrounding district is always able to furnish quite | an army of country- trained horses to swell the fields. The weights for the first day's events appear on Friday, ! December 6th, and acceptances will be due on the following Friday. Entries should be addressed to Mr W. H. Potts, secretary, G.P.O. Hox No. 7, Thames. It is time Nor' west struck a bit of form. Trotting at Alexandra Park on Saturday. Wakeful has been only twice unplaced, j Auckland Cup weights appear on the 25th inst. Takapuna Spring Meeting com-' mences next week. Hymettus' owner is a well-known coal merchant. Mr Victor Harris has purchased Calibre for 300 guineas. Mr R. Blaikie is about town again, and is now nearly himself. The Doctor was just getting into form when he went wrong. Mr Handicapper Knight is not afraid to put weight on good performers. Fulmen was passed in at auction last week at Christchurch Tattersall's at 320gs. Nothing seems to have come of the recent police raid on bookmakers' premises at Dunedin. Canterbury turfites were much surprised at San Patricia's display at Ellerslie Meeting. St. Michael is a slow beginner, and to that fault is attributed his want of success at Riccarton. The winnings of Revenue's stable connections of the Melbourne Cup is estimated at £20,000. The reason why " two divs" won't f»an out to backers' satisfaction Auckand end is that backers here are too clever, and beat the machine about three out of five. That being so, the splitting i)p of the returns has the effect of keeping backers on the go all the time, with nothing to get. There are .still &rae less ambitious turfites who like the new system. They don't to in for much, and are always satised if they hold their own or don't drop more than a picnic would cost them. 1 1 certainly seem* advisable for clubs to give their patrons — the public -—their choice of the old and new systems by making arrangements for both Qtf their cbursefc I think it should be given a trial.

Mr A. Scott, of Napier, intends to .become a resident of Auckland. Reteord Reign" ha« Bst 1 1 lb in the Viceroy's Cup. The ex-Aucklander will need only to be well on the day to give a good account of that — to him — comparatively light burden. "The Yaldhurst Gift Meeting" is the name-given by a Southern writer to. the C.J.C. spring fixture. Yaldhmst has had other " gift meetings."" Dunedin Jockey Chib are considering whether they shall pay two dividends on those races only where seven or more horses start. Other clubs may follow. Mr Stead never bids for a horse he may enter and which may secure a selling race. That gentleman said :— " Unless I. desired to sell at the value stated, I should not enter my horse at all. By so doing I stand in the way of the man who does desire to sell, and that is not fair." At a recent meeting, a very strongly backed nag named Mourner competed, and was beaten. One wag, who had put his last bit on the gloomy-named prad, said, with sombre wit, that he was a sorry galoot to back what never could be placed first ; that lie didn't back the winner because some blackguard said he was " dead," and, like a fool, he missed the "office" given. "Sure," said he, "the corpse always leads the mourner." The almost irrepressible " Bill " met his match last week-, and was laid low to rest with hot flannels on his chest, and vinegar bandages round his head. Influenza! Then a certain North Shore sport, almost as irrepressible as " Bill," hearing of the laying low of the peneiHer, pulled the strings of his own imaginative genius, and set the wires agoing. The messages flew to all "Bill's' pencilling friends, from " King Richard " to genial " Bob," though, unfortunately, the latter was scarcely well enough over his own recent trouble even to visit a supposed dying friend, yet still went. The ferry boatmen wondered where the races were that brought the whole ring along that day, but the surprise of the pencillers themselves when they reached the bedside capped all, for the dying one was taking things easy with hot whisky and water, and the latest novel by Nat. Gould.