TOTAL CAP & JACKET

Observer, Volume XXXV, Issue 44, 10 July 1915, Page 14

TOTAL CAP & JACKET

[By the Early Bird.]

Last week some useful schooling took place at Ellerslie. Matakana was schooled over the big battens, fencing fairly well. Hima, the grey gelding in J. Ohaafe's care, also was popped over a couple of the pony hurdles twice, flying the timber like an old stager. Holdfast, after a few months' spell, has returned to the tracks. The big chestnut is useful when in good trim.

D Moraghan will probably make the 'trip to Trentham with his useful Soilt hurdler Tragedy King, which is being kept going at headquarters. W J. Rae's trip to Gisborne was not labour in vain Castaba the daughter of Marble Arch-Erry Roe, won the Farewell Handicap, beating a fair field. The Soult-Sawdust horse Kauri Kin" was also found equal to running third on the opening.day, and captured the Second Hack Flat Handicap on the concluding day with 11.5 in tlie saddle. Golden Glow was the disappoint ment of the Auckland contingent. Out of two starts he only ran unto a place." The flat country would ba?Sy suit the well-cond_tioned dbSSut as well as the hills at Ellerslie. Black Northern opened 1 the eyes of his detractors on the second day by carrying 12.11 to victory in the gLbome Hurdle Race. J. Williamson had the horse m great buckle. It is not often that New Zealand fe favoured with an entry from the other side, but a couple of Victorian hSrWtarf and. Eftmoath, have been nominated in the G.N. Hurdle and Steeplechase.

With the C.J.C. Nationals looming up the ever busy punters have started sorting out "probables," so as to avoid the prohibitive prices, and anything with a dash of mystery about it generally absorbs the early letting. Chortle and Leonta are a pair that are thought likely to keep the woolbrokers in their place and produce another El Gall© panic should any undue liberties be taken.

G. Cameron had to seek the protection of the -Bankruptcy Court. Cameron has not done any good with his team of trotters for sortie time, and that, coupled with the prohibitive price of horse feed and the small price paid for training Cameron felt the strain too heavy. His brother trainers show sympathy with him in his trouble.

Cloudy Dawn met with a severe accident while being schooled at Gisborne, and it was found necessary to destroy the son of Seaton DelavalCloud.

Mr Ooyle issued tlie weights for the W.R.C. meeting punctually to time. The general opinion is that he has given Mr A. B. Carley's Bluestoiie a real good chance with 9.13. The son of Bluelight ran good races at Ellerslie.

At the Waikato Trotting dub's annual meeting Mr F. W. Edwards, in the dual capacity of bandioapper and starter, proved very successful. The going at the Waikato T.C. meeting must have been very holding and sticky. Several of the horses lost their shoes during the races. Tlie Australian Jockey Club have given, since the war started, altogether to the various charities, no fess a sum than £22,000. This, from a non-totalisator club, is bordering on the marvellous. The same club has received splendid nominations for their 1916 A.J.C. Derby. At the recent Canterbury meeting, Sydney, Best Scott won the Flying Handicap. The son of Ayr Laddis was going so strong the others could, make no impression on him. The colt cost his present owner 450 guineas, and has landed two stakes. T. A. Williams, the ex-EUerslie trainer, recently captured another race with Grab Apple at tlie Canterbury meeting. T.A.W. is having a fair measure of success since settling in N.S.W. That fell bogie "bad luck" still dogs the footsteps of C. Hird, the trotting trainer. After entering his team for the Gisborne T.C, meeting

he gave the acceptances to the club's nominee Mr F. D. Young at the Hamilton meeting, but the club did not accept them. This seems hard luck on Hird, as he would have had' no penalty on Kirikiriroa, which missed the Waikato Trotting Cup by a mall margin, and! was very favourably treated at Gisborne. The racing clubs in N.S.W. are going strong assisting the various war funds. The three suburban club's, Rosehill, Canterbury and Moorfield are combining together to hold a meeting at Randwick shortly, which should show a handsome return.

Like begets like. One of Car--bine's best sons, Wallace, Avon the V.R.C. Derby, and left three sons and two daughters that followed in his footsteps, capturing the same event, F.J.A., Mountain King, Walawa, Lady Wallace and Wilan respectively each proving victorious in the same event. According to the papers to ha:-.d the race meetings in Western Australia are showing a shrinkage both in the attendance and the tote turnover. The W.A.T.C. at Perth, with the aid of the tote and bookmakers' fees, lost money, and only had an attendance of 2000 people.

The V.A.T.C. race meeting recently gave the whole of the profits to the "Red Cross Fund. Mr Sol Green, the Victorian- bookmaker and horse breeder, donated £50, second money won by one of his horses, to the AVar Fundi recently at Melbourne. The first favourites went by the board on the opening day of the Gisborne R.C. JSteeplecbass winter meeting, not one materialising. The death toll has been pretty heavy at the last two meetings at Napier Park and Gisborne. Leapuki, Cloudy Dawn and another had to be destroyed through accidents while being schooled or racing. Nothing ■ succeeds like success. Since 0. Scott won the two Great Northerns on El Gallo he has schooling mounts every morning. Chaminade, Worcester, Ulster and others get the rough comers knocked' off by Charelie over the timber at Ellerslie. Waiorewa and Bleriot were taken to Gisborne prior to the races, to their owner's place, Mr Fred Hall. The latter should make an ideal stud matron, as she combines size with quality.

It would seem horse owners and trainers are in a most invidoous position regarding their rights at Riccarton race tracks. The other morning the Canterbury trainers found themselves locked out, and on inquiring the cause were told, so report says, that it was raining, and the crossing was in a bad state, and the powers that be had decided to close the tracks. The trainers say that any outsider can go on the course, while they, the trainers ,are debarred, on account of being amenable to the rules of the C.J.C. Is the racecourse a reserve? Surely some of tracks, must have been fit to use, as horses could be exercised on the centre. Auckland is in a much better position. The track is used all the year round, no matter what the weather is like.

With the end of the flat racing season, the local trainers are turning their attention to their rising two-year-olds and preparing their jumpers foi- the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting.

On Saturday morning the Marble Arch-Zinnia colt was sprinted down the straight. The colt is on the small side, but'•'•very compact. He is closely related to Colonel Soult, Admiral Sout, and shows all the characteristics of the Sout tribe.

Mr John Todd, the Otahuhu sportsman, was present on the racecourse on Saturday morning, and gave his fine looking hunter by Spaipeen-iS'eaton Delayal mare some useful work.

The Pakuranga Hunt Club nominations close on Friday. The meeting is held on the last day of the present month. Mr F. D. Yonge has been appointed secretary.

Lusitania has been spelling for some time, but has again joined the ranks of the busy brigade. Last week she appeared in a new role, tackling the timber. She bids fair to be useful in this new line, although on the small side. She popped over the pony hurdles.