WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1489, 7 November 1918, Page 10

WELLINGTON.

Ashhurst-Pohangina Meeting—Participants in the Big Dividend at Trentham — Notes on the Wellington Meeting—Leading Owner’s Characteristic Generosity.

WELLINGTON, Monday. Quite a number of local horses are in training for the Ashhurst meeting, which takes place on the 20th inst., and there is every prospect of a portion of the stake money finding its way to these parts. Gatherings held at Ashhurst are always popular with the racing public, and the coming fixture promises to be no exception to the general rule. B. Jury, formerly well known in New Plymouth, has taken service with the Opaki trainer, J. T. Jamieson, where his experience of the thoroughbred should be of some use. Jury took Hydrus to Waverley, where the gelding won the Cup after an exciting finish with Royal Park. Friends of Mr. Percy F. Wall, the well-known Hatuma (Hawke’s Bay) sportsman, who has been in camp for some time, will regret to hear that he had the misfortune recently to have a leg broken while playing a game of football at the Trentham Camp. Private Wall is at present an inmate of the Greytown Hospital, but hopes are entertained that he will be well enough to be removed to his home at Hatuma this week. By the way, Private Wall’s two horses, Ethiopian and Import, are coming on well in their training, and some successes are expected to come their way during the present season. Private Wall’s many friends are wishing him a speedy return to good health, as he is very anxious to get away to the war zone to fight for his King and country. Amongst the visitors at the Waverley meeting last week was Mr. V. B. Stratton, formerly of Hastings, who is known to racegoers in his

capacity of secretary of the Egmont Racing Club. Mr. Stratton has made a splendid recovery from a very serious illness, and his many friends will be glad to know that he is now quite himself again. The big dividend of over a century paid out on Mistian at the Wellington meeting last week was participated in to the extent of £2 10s. by trainer R. Barlow, of New Plymouth, who trains the two-year-old for Mr. A. Lile. Another patron of Barlow’s stable in Mr. J. Harle also had a similar investment on the machine on the son of Winkie —Mistime. An ex-Pahiatua hotelkeeper, who saw the chestnut colt leading his field home in the Juvenile parade at the recent Egmont meeting, also invested £2 on the machine, as he was much impressed with the colt’s showing on that occasion. The dividend returned will probably remain a record for some time as regards horses trained by Barlow, whose horses are as a rule generally well fancied by the racing public. Bonville just failed to land the “goods” at Trentham, but the price she returned was very substantial. The filly has been a disappointment to owner Mr. H. E. Card, of Featherston, and it is gratifying to know that there is now some reasonable prospect of him getting some of his own back.

A. M. Wright’s many friends were • glad to see him capturing a double at the W.R.C. meeting with the aid of Foeman, who had no difficulty in winning both Hack Steeplechasing events. The gelding has done well this season, and a hack hurdle event or two may not be beyond his tether during the next few months. Quite one of the most popular wins recorded at the recent W.R.C. meeting was that achieved by Mr. Ernest Short’s splendid galloper Demos in the appropriately named Shorts Handicap. The son of Demosthenes ran in an easy winner in a big field of first-class sprinters. One wag was

heard to remark that as the race was termed the Shorts Handicap it was only natural that Mr. Short should win it. The' “Parorangi” sportsman is known for his many acts of kindness, and his recent gift of the racehorse Hastie to be raffled for the Crippled Soldiers’ Hostel is only one of many examples of his beneficent support of the patriotic movement. Mr. Short is racing Hastie at his own expense until the raffle is decided, and the stake money won by Hastie at Masterton goes to the fund. It may be mentioned that one lady during the progress of the Masterton meeting sold no less than £6ll worth of tickets in the raffle. The funds should benefit very handsomely through Mr. Short’s generosity.

The Normanby trainer, C. Millen, known familiarly as “Plain Bill,” sprang another surprise on his friends at the Waverley meeting with Kaimanawanui, who accounted for the Jackson Stakes and returned his 83 supporters a substantial dividend. It was only a little while back that Coropett, trained by Millen, won at Marton and returned a well nigh similar amount. On that occasion Millen mentioned the fact that he had another “dark” horse, and his prophecy has quietly borne fruit. Trainer J. Sullivan, of Woodville, has a fine type of a galloper in Bindle, a two-year-old by Solferino — Happy Valley, who will assuredly be heard of within the next few weeks. The gelding can gallop to some purpose.