Auckland Trotting Club's Autunn Meeting.

Observer, Volume XXVIII, Issue 27, 21 March 1908, Page 15

Auckland Trotting Club's Autu nn Meeting.

To-morrow (Friday) nominations will close for all fronts at the Auckland Trotting Club's Autumn Meeting;. This meeting is fixed for Rnturdav. Wednesday nnd Saturday. April 4th. Bth and 11th. thus ending the week prior to the F/llcrslie Autumn fixture.^ There is a big programme, covering three days' snort of varied events in both trottins; and pony raeiiis. The stake mnnov totals £850, thus averaging nearly £300 a day. The principal open trotting handicaps are the Stewards' Handicap Trot. 60 sovr. (first day") ; Manukau Handicap Trot, 60 soys. (second day) ; and Campbell Handicap Trot, 60 soys. (third davY A class event figures on each day's programme — two one mile events, and the third over 1^ miles. The principal of these, th. Q High Class Trot, 60 soys.. is reserved for the third day. There are other trotting events of varving^ distances, including Maiden and Trial events, the whole programme closing with the Farewell. In addition to the trotting events, there is strong attraction for pony owners in the six pony events programmed — two for oach dav. To these good stakes have also been allotted, the sum of bein<r distrilmted amongst them. With such an attractive programme there should be a big entry. The handicaps for the first day's raoing will be published on Afnndav. 23rd inst.. nnd acceptances will close on the following Friday, 27th inst.

Sir C\. Clifford lms r^iVon the nirno Somersault to the Sonlt-Sprite oolt. On id a form, hv "Multiform - St.. Ouida. was lately sold in Australia for 4- r )Oor<s. "Roth Marguerite anrl Gold Crest liarl a. strong following for the Wan■fflnni Cnp. A new mle adopted by the V.R.O. allows a jockey to request an owner to hnok In's mount for him. A Wellington writer thinks that both Master Delaval and Zimmerman may be, getting stale. Laundress, the "surprise " winner of the 1895 Newmarket Handicap, died recently in Victoria. At the Durham Park Stud sale las.t Saturday, > Machine Gun, by Hotchkiss-Rubina, brought 150'Ogs. The—second day's racing of > the Taranaki Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting takes place to-day (Thursday); " ' >'-■ ' ' •: . ;■••>_■• .„..:■;■

Canton has been jumping well at Riccarton. Downfall is reported to be moving a bit short. . Mountain King scratched for Sydney Cup. - Probable is reported to have developed a curb. Ataahua is credited with being a most accomplished hurdler. Armistice was off colour at the time of the Wanganui Meeting. The hurdler Kremlin is in commission again, with a view to Winter hurdling. It is expected that Boniform's next appearance will be in the C.J.C. Challenge Stakes to be run at Easter Fleetfoot is now moving freely on the track, and her Autumn prospects are considered very promising. "Terlinga" expresses the opinion that Mountain King is probably the fastest horse Australia has ever had. The recently refused offer of 5000gs. for Mountain King was made by Mr S. Green, the Victorian bookmaker and owner. The weights for the A.R.C. Easter Handican, Brighton Hurdles and Autumn Steeplechase are due to appear on Monday next. There are big entries for the leading events of the A.R.C. Autumn Meeting, and the lists include a large number of Southern entries. Acceptances for the first day's racing of the South Auckland Racing Club's Meeting close on Monday next, 23rd inst., at 9 p.m. At Wellington Glenculloch was looked on as a certainty for ' the Jackson Memorial Stakes, and nt Christchurch his admirers were equally sanguine. F. Cress rode to instructions on Uhlando in Wanganui Cup. After the first furlong had been covered he took his mount to the front and kept him there for the rest of the journey. Irish Rifle's forward running in the Jackson Stakes at Wanganui, with Glenculloch behind him, is "•enerally taken as an indication that Glenculloch was not in his best form. The teplendid rains which have fallen should make matters easy for Easter racing. The tracks have had a good soaking, and should remain in fine condition for some time to come. Judged from the entries received for the principal events of the A.R.C. Easter Meetins, there is every indication that the Ellerslie Autumn fixture this year will be at least as snocosful as any of its predecessors. Scotland's owner won a big stake over the Newmarket Handicap. In addition the investing pubilc would score heavily over the bookmakers on this event. Scotland having been strongly fancied and followed for weeks before the race. The amount of fees received by the Wanganui Joekev Club from bookmakers during the Autumn Meeting was £972 — equivalent to the ■noToentacre on over £12,000 — • whilst the totalisator turnover was £24,487, an increase of £161 on last year's figures. Though TThlando carried the smallest amount of totalisator money in the Wanganui Cup, he had a strong following of straightout bettors — chiefly Taranaki sportsmen, who mrde the race a bad one for at least some of the bookmakers. Ohinemuri Jockey Club had a successful opening _on Monday for the first day of their annual face meeting. The weather was fine, and there was a good attendance. The various events were well contested, with close finishes in most instances, whilst in the Hurdles there was a dead heat between Cinque and Tara- v kihi. For the Cup there were only three starters, Delegate winning easily by half a length From Montigo, with Certainty third. The Steeple- ' chase was productive of blunders and accidents. Loch Fyne ■ eventually "won, after running off at the second jump. . The race was fatal to Straybird, who fell and died ?> Howard,, unfortunately, sustaining a. to.rok.en rfo ■