TURF TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1536, 2 October 1919, Page 34

TURF TOPICS.

A. J. McFlinn is riding in good form. Ashley Reed rode five successive winners at Wanganui on Saturday. There was a fair contingent of Taranaki visitors at the Avondale meeting. There were some daisy clippers at Avondale on Saturday. As a matter of fact daisies were growing on the course and grounds, which never looked in better, condition. The trip south would appear to have improved Gold Kip and Signature, sons of St. Amans, both of which raced better at Avondale than we have seen them do on any of our courses before, though they have each raced well previously. When Slowcoach ran at the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting he carried 151 b. overweight and finished well back —so far back that he was not considered seriously by many people. On Saturday he had no overweight and was meeting everything he met before on ever so much better terms and with further to go to beat them, and, strange to say, started out sixteenth in the tote reckoning as he had done at Ellerslie. Rathlin, who ran fourth in the Liverpool Handicap a fortnight before in open company, was a clog in the wheel of the Slowcoach, who will be held more in respect in future, no doubt.

S. Henderson rode two good races on Signature at Avondale. It is some time since the same double was landed there by one horse. The Morrinsville Racing Club is an accomplished fact. Two settlers have donated respectively £5O and £47 10s. and twenty-four more have given £lO 10s. (life members’ subscriptions), and with other amounts subscribed and promised the new club will have a nest egg to start with of about £lOOO. The land, 100 acres prettily situated, has been purchased at £BO per acre with the approval of the committee, and the officers have been appointed for the season. Two horses which ran at the Avondale meeting on Saturday and were made favourites for their respective races vzere Escaped and General Stephen, full-brothers, by General Latour from Lady Clare. The firstnamed was favourite when he won the Liverpool Handicap at the Pakuranga H.C. meeting with the same rider (C. Sinclair) up, but that horseman was not seen to such advantageon Saturday and Escaped is not being blamed for not doing better. Rekanui, who got second to Tabasco in the Henderson Handicap, was an unlucky one in that race, as she lost some ground at the start and was then raced to the front quickly, and Tabasco, who got out early and was overtaken, was reserved for a finish and came on in good style and won. He bled at the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting. Mr. R. Hannon has purchased Quin Abbey from Mr. Potts, and this imported horse will be still at the service of Waikato breeders, with a change of headquarters. The fact of Mr. Hannon having purchased the horse is evidence of the satisfaction he has had through using him in thepast as a sire. Mr. Hannon introduced to our notice last season a useful one by him in Queen Abbey, and on Saturday a full-brother called Tinokaha made his debut in the big Maiden field, and with an appentice’s allowance and none the best of the luck —though many had much worse —he came along over the business end in a very pleasing way and won very nicely.