WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 970, 8 October 1908, Page 8

WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON. October 4. Much interest was taken in the opening day of the A.J.C. spring meeting, although unfavourable reports re the racing condition of Golden Slipper had been received in Wellington from New Zealand sportsmen who had witnessed her track work at Randwick. There were plenty of local backers' who would not hear of Golden Slipper’s defeat in the A.u.O. Leroy, and they lost their money accordingly. The locally-owned filly Artillerie was a quiet tip for the Epsom Handicap. Her connections had advised their friends that the filly was doing good track work, and that they had secured £BOOO about her from the Sydney metallisians. This, together with her prominent form in the Raw l son Stakes', imbued her friends with confidence, and she carried many moderate investments on Saturday last. Soultline and Sea King had but few friends, whilst Aeolus, winner of the Hurdle Handicap, was not even mentioned. His owner has long argued that his horse was of but little account over hurdles', and the public accepted his judgment and left Aeolus alone. Such is the luck of racing. The Metropolitan Handicap will have been decided ere these lines appear in print, but it may be recorded that not a few Wellingtonians have decent wagers about Mr. Dan O’Brien’s horse Maranui, and there will be joy in certain quarters should the judge place his number on top. (He ran third. —Ed. S.R.) The appearance of the Wellington Racing Club’s Spring Handicap several days in advance of their due date has provided a fruitful subject for discussion. Zimmerman’s impost in comparison with his N.Z. Cup weight has been criticised, and even under his Wellington Handicap weight he is unlikely to start much of a favourite. The impost allotted to the much-boomed California has probably been earned, and must interest will be centred in him should he face the starter. All Red, who won at both Horowhenua and Wanganui with 9st and 9st lib respectively, was given 9st in the Wellington 10-furlong handicap, but his trainer withdrew him and has left Gold Crest 9st 41b and Swimming Belt 7st 31b in the race. The brother to Munjeet, it will be remembered, beat Gold Crest, his stable companion, in the New Zealand St. Leger at even weights, but to most onlookers the race appeared to be a false-run one, but still the performance is on record, and both colts' were ridden right out.

A controversy is going on as to the merits of the Soult —Satanella filly Mon Ami. This filly last season displayed really good form, winning a six-furlong race on the Trentham course in lm. 15 l-ss. She beat a good field, including Sea King, who dead-heated for the Thompson Handicap, while she also won the Manawatu Juvenile Stakes (five furlongs) in lm. 3 l-ss„ beating Sister Anne, runner-up to Armlet in the C.J.C. Juvenile Plate at w.f.a. Mon Ami’s owner, R. Paterson, claims that his mare is badly treated through Tiptoe, whom his mare has never met. But as Mon Ami beat Taitoko every time she met him last season when conceding him weight, and Taitoko in turn easily defeated Tiptoe even weights, it. seems hard to follow the owner of Mon Ami’s line of argument. Mon Ami has, however, been scratched for her Wellington engagement, and all the available double money coupled with Frisco has been secured by her owner for the New Zealand Cup and Stewards’. Already a large number of boxes at Trentham have been bespoken for the forthcoming meeting, and a successful meeting seems assured. With the exception of the hurdle events, good fields should line up, and with a number of Cup and Stewards’ candidates under colour, the racing should be watched with much interest. The Otaki Maori Racing Club’s spring meeting takes place next week. Coming as it does just before the Wellington spring meeting the fields will not be large. There are, however, a number of useful performers engaged, including a numerous team from the Porirua stable, and Labour Day holiday makers will be provided with a good day’s sport. The Maori executive is thoroughly up to date, and racing at Otaki stands high in favour with Wellington racegoers. The present season will be the last which the club will have upon their old course. The new racecourse and appointments is now in preparation, and when completed will compare favourably with any course on the West Coast. The annual meeting of the Wellington Racing Club was a formal affair. The nominations for honorary offices

did not exceed the number of vacancies, and the result was that there was no occasion for an election, and last year’s officers were declared duly reelected. The chairman, vice-presi-dent Moorhouse, briefly referred to the flourishing condition of the club’s finances, and paid tribute to the stipendiary officials, whose efforts during the past season, it is said, will be suitably recognised. It is singular how some owners enjoy taking their horses far afield to win races when so many good stakes are provided at their very door. Recently Wailethe, Russley Maid and Sharkeyne were taken all the way to Avondale, where they failed to pay expenses’. Such meetings as Rangitikei, Wanganui were passed by. The attendants of the trio may have experienced an enjoyable holiday, but the trip must have been costly to those paying the piper. Saga, a Hutt-trained racer, has been sent all the way to Dunedin to compete in some of the D.J.C. events. Her owner thus misses mor® valuable stakes provided by the Wellington and Otaki R.C., which are within a few hours’ rail of his trainer’s stables.