THE TURF

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19365, 23 July 1925, Page 6

THE TURF

FIXTURES '■ July 23—Waimate District Hunt Club. ) July 25—South Canterbury Hunt Club. I July 23, 25—Gisborne R.C. ; Aug. I—Christchurch Hunt . I Aug. I—Poverty Bay Hunt. j Aug. 11, 13. 15—Canterbury J.C. I Aug. 15—Pakuranga Hunt. Aug. 29—North Taranaki Hunt. Sept. 2, 3—Marton J.C. Sept. s—Otago Hunt. Sept. s—Manawatu Hunt. Sept. 10. 12 —Wanganui J.C. Sept. 16—Dannevirke R.C . Sept. 17.—Dannevirke Hunt. Sept. IS, 19—Ashburton County R.C. Sept. 24, 25—Geraldine R.C. Sept. 25, 2G—Otaki Maori R.C. Sept. 26 —Napier Park R.C. Sept. 26, 28—Avondale J.C. OTHER WANGANUI DISTRICT MEETINGS Oct 24 —Eermont-Wanganui Hunt. Oct. 26—Waverley R.C. Nov. 18—Ashhurst. Nov. 28, 30 -Feilding J.C. Dec. 26. 28, 29 —Manawatu R.C. Jan. 1. 2 Marton J.C. Feb. 3. 4- Egmont R.C. Feb. 11, 13—Taranaki J.C. Feb. 18, 20—Wanganui J.C. March 24, 25— Manawatu R.C. March 24, 25—Rangitikei R.C. March 27—Waverley R.C. April 3, s—Feilding J.C. May 13, 15—Egmont R.C. May 20, 22—Wanganui J.C. THE GISBORNE PROGRAMME NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By “Early Bird.”) The Gisborne meeting opens to-day and concludes on Saturday. Prior to the Wellington meeting the performances of Kendal were very good. Woden is running into form, and the pair named should be conspicuous in the Park Hurdles to-day. There arc a of unknown horses in the Maiden. Mixed Heather is a pretty useful sort, and another in Tccbir showed promise early last season but failed to deliver the goods. At Napier and Hasting Tari (R. Reed) showed good form in better company than he meets to-day in the Flying Han dicap, but King Cheops might keep him busy. It is a very open race, with some of the horses not far enough forward. A field of eight in the Gisborne Steeplechase is well up to the average, and the two lop-weights, Ranui and Alahia, look like carrying the bulk of the totalisator investments.

Another punters’ problem will be found in the Hack Flat, with its eighteen acceptors. Piton, an Auckland horse, and Manutai. are at the head of the handicap and they certainly have the best credentials. If reserved for the Tramway Hack Steeplechase, Kovno and Alaraetotara will take a lot of beating, for the short distance, two miles, will suit them both. The day’s proceedings will close with the Winter Oats, and Battle Knight and Chaplin promise to. have a say in the decision. S. Walls rides Ethiopian at Gisborne, and E. Stanway will be on Kendal. Amongst the mounts that F. Waddell will have at Gisborne is that solid customer, Scotch Mixture. Tari, Maractotara, Kenyon, Blue Jay, Killoch, Silta and Hillation wore shipped to Gisborne on Friday night from Napier. Visiting horses will be strongly in evidence at the steeplechase meeting at Gisborne. Those already on the scene include Hyginas, Princess Ronnie, Nancy Lee, The Author, Thiganthu, Piton, Elsie Aroha, Night Gambler, Kendal. Woden. Killoch, Battle Knight, Tari, King Cheops, Ranui, Koyno, Maractotara, Kenyon, Ethiopian, Silta, and Blue Jay.

The annual race mooting of the Waimale Hunt Club will be held to-day. A more important meeting is that of the South Canterbury Hunt, which eventuates on Saturday. At this latter fixture several Grand National candidates will be given a run.

At Moorefield races last Saturday week, Farceur (Absurd —Our Lady), second favourite, was beaten in the Moorefield Handicap by the favourite. On the same day Hairera (Heather Mixture—Piraeus), the favourite, was beaten into third place in the Juvenile Handicap. Another New Zealand bred one in Overture (3 years, by Bonitorm —Prelude) ran second in a later race.

Master Peter is proving very lively in the paddock, and A. Quinlivan, who is in charge of “Coalition Lodge” while the majority of the team is at Wanganui, thinks that a race in the steeeplechase at the Fleet meeting would do him no harm (says the Dominion). It is possible that he may be given a chance in this particular event next month.

A recent visitor from Gisborne had a. good word to say of Sunlike, who is engaged in the Maiden at the Gisborne meeting to-day. Sunlike is a four-year-old gelding by defunct. Polydanion from Sonaform. Not raced at two and three years. Sunlight made his first appearance on a racecourse at. the Poverty Bay meeting nine months ago. running out of a. place in each of his two starts. To-day will be the third time up. and his reappearance will be watched with interest. Boom ord ay and Sir Rosebery were responsible for a brilliant showing over eight flights of hurdles at Ellerslie on Saturday. They kept together all the way, giving a perfect display of jumping.

A Sydney writer last, week stated that the ex-New Zealand m.ire. Lovesign, who has been on the easy list since going amiss a. month ago, is again commencing to go fast in her work. She is a remarkable mover on the track, and although she appeared to be bowling along, ran five in 1.5.

A feature of next season’s programme of the Auckland Racing Club is the tendency to increase the distances of races, and all .the hack events are now a mile or one mile and a-quar-ter. The distance of the Carbine Plate was increased to one mile and a-quar-tor, and the condition ■ limiting the riders to holders of gentleman riders’ certificates was eliminated. The death occurred at Sydney last Thursday week of the famous trotter and sire, Belmont Chimfcs, at the Belmont stud farm. Belmont Chimes was a son of Abbey Bells (imp.) out of Blonde (Gratton (imp.). The latter was the dam of Grand Voyage, who is well-known on Sydney trotting tracks. Belmont Chimes won the Futurity Stakes for two-year-old trotters in record time at Richmond, Victoria, in 1914, and in the following year was successful in the Trotting Derby, of £lOOO. In New Zealand he won the New Brighton Trot, of £5OO. At the Sydney Royal Show he gained first and champion prizes.

A very definite move in favour of Rational for his Grand National Hurdle engagement is in evidence from the right quarter, so apparently the brilliant Absurd sprinter has shown his connections something in his schooling essays which has convinced them that the trip to Riccarton will be well .worth while (says a Wellington writer). It is asking a lot of a beginner to win a race like the National, especially a horse like Rational, who has no pretensions to staying on the flat. Sprinters, however, often make good hurdlers, but at two miles and five furlongs most followers of the game would demand long odds about the Absurd gelding. One of the fair sex smiled her way to the best of the odds from a Melbourne bookmaker at the last Moonee Valley meeting, “What price Haoma,” she asked, and the fielder replied in his most businesslike way, “seven to four, madam,” “Valaster?” she pursued with a timorous smile. “Fives madam.” Gradually she gained confidence, and at last with her best smile rame. to Dorncy, “Twelves, fifteens, twenties —Oh! anything you like, madam.” and the patience of the gallant fielder at last exhausted he added, “I don’t believe you want to back anything.’’ “Thank you, £lOO to £3 Dorney she concluded, and when Dorney rolled home the hard bitten layer realised that he had fallen to a variant of an old ruse. TALL RACING STORY UNCONSCIOUS EIDER. MELBOURNE, July 13. Dundalk, winner of the G.N. Steeplechase, once carried an unconscious rider to the end of a steeplechase in South Australia. The incident reads more like a page of fiction, and is probably the most remarkable episode in the history ot the Australian turf. It did not concern the horse so much as the boy who rode him in the Brush steeplechase at Gawler, a lad framed Jacques, who was then apprenticed to the South Australian trainer, S. Knapman, and is now in a Melbourne stable. By some means, a post at one ot the Gawler barriers projected over the course on which thp steeplechase was being run, and as Dundalk gal loved past Jacque’s head came into contact with it so sharply thuf the blow rendered him unconscious. In similar circumstances a rider would be expected to lose his balance and fall off, but not so Jacques. He stuck as if glued, while the horse went on and jumped the remainder of the fences without urging or guidance. The rider was still unconscious ‘when Dundalk pulled up, and he had to be lifted from the saddle. RACEHORSE TRANSPORT NEW REGULATIONS. The Railway Department has made new regulations in connection with the carriage of horses to and from race meetings. They include the following conditions:— (a) To the races —ordinary rates (according to the class of truck used and the train by which conveyed), provided that in cases where a separate G wagon is desired by the owner rate and a half will be charged. (b) From the races, if sold—ordinary rates. If unsold, they will be conveyed from the original destination station to the original forwarding station at half rates on the production of a certificate signed by the secretary of the jockey club and the owner or trainer of the horses. (c) The return journey must bo made within two months of the date of the journey to the town where the race meeting was held, and not later than fourteen days from the last day of the race meeting.

(d) When racehorses for one consignee are booked two in a box going to the race meeting, they must be returned together loaded in one box. otherwise freight at ordinary ratta will be charged for the additional box used for the return journey.

(e) Racehorses which on the outward journey have been conveyed in I g trucks by express, mail, or passenger trains will, when returning from the races by other than express, mail or passenger trains be conveyed at halfrates, under the same conditions* as racehorses conveyed by other than express, mail, or passenger trains. When racehorses have been conveyed on the outward journey by ordinary trains and are returned by express, mail, or passenger trains, full rates will be charged for the return journey, less half the amount of the railage paid in respect of the outward journey.