WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 956, 2 July 1908, Page 7

WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, June 30.

P. Keith, a trainer well known on the West Coast of the North Island, has taken stables at Trentham, and will throw in his lot with public trainers. “Mr A. Liskirk” has placed King Post and Hiro in Keith’s hands, and the pair will race under his mentorship at the W.R.C. Meeting. The Trentham training tracks are reported in really fine order, and visitors to the W-R.C. winter meeting can rely upon their horses having every facility afforded them in the way of convenience for training. With the exception of C. Pritchard the whole of the trainers who have in the past used the old Hutt Park course for training purposes are now settled at Trentham. Amongst; them . they have quite a number of pretty .and commodious establishments. ; Arrangements have been come to whereby the train service, halts at the racecourse when, required. This has proved a great convenience to those residing in the neighbourhood of the course. When. the. Hutt railway line

has been’ straightened' and a double line of rails laid the journey between Trentham and Wellington will not occupy much beyond 35 minutes. The needful improvements, it is expected, will be completed by the end of the year.

J. W. Lowe scored a couple of nice little wins at Napier Park meeting with Sir Frisco and Iranui- Lowe is a very painstaking man, and devotes his whole time to the horses placed in his charge, with the result that quite a number of small events has fallen to horses trained by him this season. Aeolus, one of Lowe’s team, has been engaged in the C.J.C. Grand National Hurdle Race. The son of Euroclydon made a meritorious beginning at the illegitimate game by winning on his very first attempt at the Wairarapa R.C. Easter Meeting. He subsequently raced at Wellington and Wanganui, but did not jump as cleverly as on his first attempt, and failed to add further to his fame, although he was close on the winner’s heels in both of his Wanganui essays. There is every hope of Aeolus developing into a good hurdler when more matured at the game. Ghoorka is another well performed flat racer that now figures amongst the list of horses engaged in hurdle events. The son of Lochiel was placed hors de combat through a kick which he received when last saddled up for a race. His owner subsequently sold him to Mr R. Weller, of Porirua, who used him for stud purposes during last tseason. Since then he has been hacked about and indulged in schooling work, and his owner has every hope of getting a hurdle race or two out of him.

Letherin is another well performed flat racer that gives every promise of becoming proficient over hurdles. This gelding made his first effort at the Hawke’s Bay Winter Meeting, when he was observed to jump very well for a novice. His next attempt was at the Napier Park meeting, where he won carrying top weight, and on the following day put up a capital performance by running second with 11.10 in the saddle. It is a noteworthy fact that riders whose duty it is to school horses for hurdle racing, declare that the thoroughbred horse is the one that becomes most quickly proficient at hurdle racing. They are both more courageous and clever than mongrel-bred animals, and many instances are quoted where thoroughbred horses have jumped like practised hurdlers on the very first attempt. Exmoor, Shrapnel, Paritutu, and Record Reign are instances-

Last year a number of horse owners took strong exception to the penalty conditions imposed by the C.J.C. on horses that might win a race prior to the Grand National Meeting. It was pointed out that a winner at Wellington would be penalised 141 b s in both the G.N. Steeple and Hurdle handicaps. This it was contended was unjust to owners who wished to race their horses at both meetings, as no horse other than a phenomenal lightweight could be expected to prevail with an additional 141bs, and in the case of a heavily weighted horse winning at Trentham his chance at Riccarton would be extinguished. The V.R.C. Grand National conditions are fixed on a sliding scale, viz., winners of a hurdle race after declaration of weights if handicapped at 9st to lOst, 71b extra; lOst lib to list 61b, 51b; list 71b or upwards 31b extra. The Steeplechase conditions read, “winner of any handicap Steeplechase after the declaration of weights value lOOsovs, 71b extra, of two or more such races, 101 b extra. Had the C.J.C- adopted similar conditions all owners could have raced their horses at both Trentham and Riccarton.