TURF GOSSIP.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 3962, 14 October 1880, Page 2

TURF GOSSIP.

(by spectator.) Nomination? for the Patea Hurdle and Railway Handicaps close on Saturday, Oct 16th, at the office of Mr Cowern, Secretary. Patea. The fee in each case is 1 soy. Acceptances and general entries for the Wanganni meeting are due on the 19th, at 9 p.m., at Jackson's Pier Hotel. The Maiden Plate and Railway Stakes, both 1£ mile weight for age races of £50 value each,. are the open events. General entries and acceptances for tlie Wavprley? Waitotara Racing Club's meeting close a week later. From what I have heard the handicaps for the Waverley 'Waitotara events appear to be very favorably received, and I fully anticipate good acceptances. I do not expect to see a big field for the Wanganui Stakes. Libeller was not badly handicapped considering his three year old performances, and I fancy Southern engagements caused Mr Walters to scratch him. Banshee was certainly asked to carry too much, and I was not at all surprised to see the pen run through her name. If the running of Adamant lately at Geraldine is a criterion of that horse's form, I cannot believe he will come this way. Rocket, lam told, is not a probable acceptor, and I don't expect to see Mr Prince's present. A Southern writer says of Hilarious : " Now that the North Island trip is abandoned, he might be handy in the C.J.C. Handicap." Both he and Sir Garnot were good favorites for some months before the Napier meeting, and were "in the betting" almost till the last few clays, but they did not fulfil their engagemen|s,. J, J, Laing, Jate q{ Wanganui, is now training several h,orse3 fqr Mr Bqckland, of Auckland. Both his boys are promising riders, The dam of Mr Richards' horse Mufti, , owned by Mr G, Dobson, Christghurch, foaled lately to Satirist, " Hermit," after summing up the chances of the C. J. C, horses, says: "On the whole I am inclined at this early period (Oct 2), to recommend Volunteer to win, with Betrayer next, aud either Pisatorious or the Bush Inn best may be third. But of course this is mere surmise at this stage of the proceedings. J, G. Harris, the well-known bookmaker, has issued a well got up calender showing the dates of the principal meetings in New Zealand ; also the dates of nominations" and acceptances; lists of Derby and Welcome Stakes; nominations for Canterbury* J^sts of weights for tb.6 O," Cf. D. ftrifTpjijjgr. handicaps, Canterbury Cijp Kace; list of winners of Canterbury Derpy,Cup,and C.J.C The list of the Wanganui f)erby nominatinas far 187f js. incomplete, bu.t ' altogether the information is useful to owners of horses and racing men generally, Mr Harris, in presenting his calender for September, says : "I hopo to receive the same amount of patronage and confidence that 1 have hitherto enjoyed." There are now so many private training grounds down South that the touts are beginning to be less wakeful. " Ph?eton" in the Auckland Weekly New§, writing on thp Spring Handicap ssss s— ln j the hurdle r^ce Grey Moinus tops the list with 12st.^ and, may be considered to have a lot to say in the race. There ai'e as usual a lot of f * scrubbers "in below lOst. For the Wanganui Stakes Hailstorm and Soukar head the list with 9gt each, and, uuless the former is, a mugh better horse than I take him forj maybe considered out of it ; Soukar might just about do. The other horses are all nicely 1 weighted. Taken altogether it is a good handicap." But of the eighteen twoyear olds nominated for the Wave4?Y rW^ : totara Guineas, to be run on the 9th Sfqvember-, eiglVt s,ve no>7 in preparation for # j but I don't thing more than five will come to the post. The Marton-Rangitikei Jockey.Club have arranged their programme which' after "all shows no falling off, as I anticipated, but an increase of ,§ soys on the added money given

last year. The races are all of the same value as they were before, but a selling race of 30 soys has been substituted for the Ladies' purse of 25 soys. The Selling Race is more likely to draw a field than the Ladies Purse. A full report of the meeting has not yet reached me; but it is evident that the Club's finances are healthy. The first day's racing commences on the 31st December, and the order of the events has been altered somewhat. The Leger and dup Handicap will be run on New Year's Day. Sir Bevys, the New Zealand correspondent of the Sydney Town and Country Journal, has an interesting article on sporting affairs, and a capital notice of the Spring Creek Stud Farm, at Blenheim. v ..The. articles,are well worth perusing. They' are to bViound in the paper of Oct 2nd. . Rahdwick has. been kept quiet since he left here in March last, but in good hands he.musit play^a prominent part in-some of the good things down south this season. He is entered for all the principal stakes in Dunedm. Rdeket and Redeemer are now located at Hearn and Kennedy's, Kakaramea, under tha charge of Robert Danahay and T. Quinlan, junior, _i^_^ ' '