TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1146, 28 March 1912, Page 8

TURF TOPICS.

Nominations close on Thursday next (April 4) for all events at the forthcoming winter meeting of the Auckland Trotting Club, to oe held at Alexandra Park on April 17 and 20.

Owners and trainers are reminded that acceptances are due. to-morrow (Friday) night for the Tramway, Tradesmen’s, Nelson and Eden Handicaps, and Onslow Stakes, to be decided on the first day of the A.R.C. Autumn Meeting. At the same time

final payments must be made for candidates contesting the Easter Flandicap, Great Northern Champagne Stakes (sub), and Great Northern Oaks (sub).

During the week Mr F. D. Yonge, secretary of the Otahuhu Jockey Club, has moved into his new offices in the old “Sporting and Dramatic Review” buildings in Vulcan Lane. There are now housed under the same roof the secretaries of the Avondale Jockey Club, Takapuna Jockey Club, and Otahuhu Trotting Club.

Master Theory, who gives promise of turning out a much more successful performer over hurdles than he did on the flat, is getting through his preparation for the Brighton Hvrdk s in convincing style, and has made a

io- of friends. He will be ridden by J. Pinker in his engagement on Eascei’ Saturday at Ellerslie.

The Avondale Jockey Club have made extensive alterations to their race track, which includes banking up the curves and levelling the course propei. In consequence of the improvements the club has decided to Increase the distance of the Autumn Handicap of 150 sovs on the second day to one mile and a furlong.

The sturdy galloway Jack Delaval is pleasing track-watchers at Ellerslie by the resolute way he finishes up ins

galiops in the mornings. It was somewhat of a surprise that the sen of Seaton Delaval was withdrawn from the Easter Handicap, but he w’ll doubtless acquit himself in some of the shorter distance events at the A.R.C. Autumn Meeting.

Under the conditions of the Great Northern Oaks, Counterfeit has earned a penalty of 101 b, while some of the others still in the race can claim a 71b maiden allowance.

At the annual meeting of the Pakuranga Hunt Club the huntsman (Mr. A. C. Selby) reported that last season had been most successful so far as the hunting field was concerned, and much in advance of the previous year. At present he had 15 % couples of hounds at Otahuhu in readiness for the coming season.

The “Highden” stable will have its candidates for racing honours well scattered at Easter. According to present 'arrangements, George Price will go to Riccarton with Bronze, Ermengarde, Lockwood and Blackeney. H. R. Telford will (bring Boanerges up to Ellerslie, while a number of the lesser lights will be sehL to represent the popular stable at Feilding and Wairarapa.

The New Zealand Racing Conference. have a rule allowing members the privilege of appointing substitutes should they be absent from the Dominion, or otherwise unable to attend to the duties of their office. Mr W. H. Herries, M.P. (who together with Mr E. W. Alison represent the Provincial District of Auckland),

prior to his leaving for Jingland this we;!.' appointed a fellow townsman, Mr Albert Bruce, to act as his substitute during his absence.

J. Cameron, the popular Hawke’s Bay trainer, contemplates another visit to Australia for the jumping this ..year, and will probably, take with him Merrie Lad, Woolloo*-

mooloo and Te Puia, while T. Pritchard will doubtless be engaged to do the riding in Australia.

The attention of owners is drawn to the programme of the Wanganui Jockey Club’s Winter Meeting appearing in this issue. The fourteen events afford splendid scope for owners of thoroughbreds, hajcks, and jumpers to select engagements for their horses. The dates fixed for the meeting are May 23 and 24. Nominations for all events close with the secretary (Mr W. Hall) on Friday, April 19, and weights are due for the principal events on May 4, while the handicaps for the hack events will be available on May 10.

At the Pakuranga Hunt Club’s annual meeting last week a short report was submitted by the hon. secretary (Mr. R. P. Kinloch) setting forth that the thanks of the club was due to farmers for the way' in which they had thrown open their lands for the members to hunt over. The, club was also indebted to the Auckland Racing Club for . its dona-

tion of £2OO, without which it would have been difficult to have gone on. The balance-sheet disclosed receipts totalling £666 14s and expenditure reaching £428 10s 6d, leaving a cash .balance in the bank of £238 4s 4d. Messrs. W. Johnston, E. J. Rae, J. H. Layton, J. E. Wheeler, and A. Dixon were elected new members of the club.

On account of the Takapuna Jockey Club being so harshly treated by the Racing Commission the club will not hold its popular winter meeting this season. As a consequence owners will have no opportunity, as in former years, of trying their jumpers in company before the Great Northern Steeplechase meeting, unless they journey to Wanganui in May.

Mr H. R. Mackenzie leaves this week on a visit to Australia to witness the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting at Randwick. While he is over in Sydney his fine colt by Soult from Lady Hester will be. submitted for sale.

“There is solid ground for predicting that in a very short while the sport of horse-racing throughout Australia will be liberated, by the legislation of the tocalisator from many of the evils and abuses that have ruinously affected its prestige in the past. It is impossible that the agitation for the machine can be much longer resisted in the outstanding States. The accumulation of evidence in its favour is altogether too overwhelming. The opposition to it is too transparently based on the mere prejudice of one section and on the selfish personal interests of the other.—“ Melbourne Age.” **' * * The profits over the recent meeting at Dannevirke amounted to about £BOO, despite the fact that bad weather was experienced. * * * * Mr H. Friedlander is disposing of all his racing stock. The sale will take place at Riccarton on April 9, and among those to be submitted are Anna Carlovna, May Dalrymple, Early Morn, Editah, Carolus, and Canmore. * * • -■» Mr G‘. D. Greenwood’s horses have been withdrawn from private sale, and instead will be offered by auction at Christchurch on April 10. The horses are three-year-olds Orton, Byron, and Allegory, and the two-year-olds Gnome, Canute, Lady Georgia, Teviotdale, Oxenhope, and Lady Constance. • ♦ # * The lot of a bookmaker at present is not a particularly happy one. In the eye of the law he is supposed to have ceased to exist, but, of course, this is simply supposition, and not actual fact. At least this is so at present, but there may come a time in the near future when his accustomed haunts will no longer know the knight of the pencil. The rearson for this is a curious one, but it appears that at recent meetings so many “jokes” have been worked at the expense of the metallicians that business in connection with many country fixtures is no longer being undertaken, results having been so disastrous to the layers of odds. I am told that commissions sent from Opunake and Nelson were all refused in consequence of recent happenings. The inadvisability of killing the goose that lays the golden egg has often been pointed out, but in this case the goose refuses to be killed. Incidentally this throws a strong light on the present state of affairs on the turf. A bookmaker is in a position to know, oi’ at least make a shrewd guess at. what is going on owing to the commissions wired to him from the course and elsewhere. When he is fairly rushed with fivers and tenners for horses that may have been beaten pointless on the preceding day the bookmaker can generally “smell a rat.” When he closes down it may be depended upon that there is something radically wrong.—“N.Z. Times.”