THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 220, 10 June 1908, Page 6

THE TURF.

RACINC FIXTURES. June 17 .ind IS.—Hawke's Bay J.C. Winter. June 24 and 25.—Napier Park R.C. Winter. July 9 and 10.—Gisborne R.C. Winter. July 18, 22 and 25.—Wellington R.C. Winter. . NOTES AND COMMENTS. Pi Glex-coe-1 . The de Paris is to be run next Sunday. ' ' The exertion in the hurdle races at Ellerslic proved too much for Cuiragno, and ho is m consequence to bo treated to a spell. The New Zealand-bred Natalia (Hotchkiss —Miss Dclaval) won another race in Victoria—the Welter Purse, at Sandown Park oil' May 30. ' Pink TJn, who competed in the Plate on the same afternoon, finished out of a place with lOst. 'lb., but ho gave a better display than lie had done for somo time previously. ■ The Auckland' horse Soultlino will probably bo shipped to Sydney at an early date to undergo his preparation for spring engagements. He has been nominated for tho Epsom and Metropolitan Handicans at the Australian Jockey Club's Spring" Meeting, and for the Caulficld Cup and Toorak Handicap at the Victoria Amateur Turf Club's meeting. "

jNobel, Ringdove, and Idyll, entered for Australian spring events, are members of tho Yaldhurst team.' Nobel is by Seaton Delaval—Problem, Idyll is an' own sister to Isolt, whilo Ringdove is an imported two-year-old by tljo St. Simon horse Collar. Acceptances for 'the first' day's events at the Hawko's Bay Jockey Club's winter meeting close on Friday night. • The finish of the Winter Steeplechase at Ellerslie last Saturday was one of the most exciting ever seen on the course, and there, was a littlo more excitement when Julian, tho rider of Loch Fyno, was weighing in. When ho got on to i the scales, tiic bridle had to be requisitioned before he could, draw the-.weight. ■ "With its* assistance tho scales just bumped at the required weight. The total amount put through the totalisator at the Auckland Racing Club's meetings for the present year wa5'£192,429. This amount is considerably less than the investments for either of the two previous years, but as the club received £4865. in bookmakers' fees the revenuo for the 1 yearns tho best on record.

Of tho twenty-one events decided' on tho throe days of the lecent Eilerslie fixture, only fivo .wore won by visiting horses. The Victorian Racing Club's Grand National meeting takes place on July 4,' 8, and 11. A number of New Zealand.bred horses have been entered for the Grand National Hurdles and Steeplechase. Tho field in the former includes King Paul, Waipu, Lionheart, Maui, Ataahua, ahd-Cachuca. Waipu may have been sent over from Auckland on Monday. The distanco in tho hurdlo race ia threo miles, and if the Torpedo gelding is not too highly assessed by the handicapper his great staying powers should/enable him to bo thereabout'at the finish., .King Paul (St. Paul—Coalscuttle). and Lionhcart (Leo-lantis—Good-day) have been in Australia for a considerable time, but Cachuca, Maui, and Ataahua only recently left these parts and nono of tho trio has yet sported silli in.tho Commonwealth. Bribery, a stablemate of Maui and Ataahua, is also engaged in tho race. Ho won the event last year.

The entries for the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplchaso include Swimmer, Eclair, Ataahua, and Maui. At a meeting of the Wairarapa Hunt. Club, ■writes a correspondent, it was . decided to hold' the annual sports meeting on the Clarevillo racecourso on August • 27,. Tho programmo' has . been' drawn'' up, . and : £85 has. been allotted in' stakes, against £82 last year. Hunting^lias of 'late-Keen . 1 taken .up with additional .interest in the Wellington province, and, with entries, from Manawatu and Bush District, tho Wairarapa Club sliqukl have a successful meeting. In a recent conversation .with a well-known bookmaker, ho informed mo that members of his fraternity wore feeling tho pinch of tho £20 a day fee now that thoro were only seven races on each day's programme.' "It puts an altogether different complexion on tho. niatter," ho said, "and I am seriously thinking of looking on until tho spring rolls round.' Not only are there less races to wager on, but in winter the weather is not .always inviting, and consequently the attendances at the meetings are limited, and' all this diminishes the volume of betting, and makes it harder to show a profit." ■ According to this particular , penciller", tho bottihg on the' racecourse had'worked out satisfactorily, ■ so. far, but ho thought tho clubs had the best of the argument. Sometimes tho bookmakers won- and on other occasions .they, lost. Betting in one district was altogether difFerent from betting, in another. In Taranaki and Auckland tho public seemed' to patronise tho pencillers very largely, and it was not a difficult matter to adjust, tho book on each race. In the Wellington Province the-public favoured tho totalisator with the system of two dividends, and it was a struggle to mako busi-ness-pay. One fact romained that the bookmakers wero working under heavy expense' the wholo time. Travelling expenses, clerk's wages, and licenso fees were all considerable items. , :

' ..GRAND PRIX DG PARIS. SIGNORINETTA WILL NOT START 6V TELEGRAPH —FREES ASSOCIATION—COPImUHI. London, June 8. In order to give Signoririetta a rest, her owner (Chevalier Ginistrelli) will not send her to-Paris to compete for the Grand Prix (to be run next Sunday), There were 575 entries for the. Grand Prix do Paris, which will bo worth over '10,000 soys, to the winner. Two years ago Spearmint won the event after pulling off the' Derby at Epsom. Signorinetta. claims an engagement in tho Royal Stakes at Newbury, to be run this month, but her owner may. elect to save her for the Eclipse' Stakes, 10,000 sovs.,«to bo run : oii\July 18, or tho St.. Leger -Stakes in September. Sho is also engaged in the Jockey . Club-Stakes, 10,000 sovs., and a couplo of other races. KEMPTON PARK MEETING. London, June S. Mr. Lionel Robinson's filly Victrix, by the Australian horse Victory, won the Redfevn Two-year-old Plato at the Kempton Park Meeting. The Redfern Two-year-old Plate is a /ire furlong race, worth 600 sovs. to the winner.

A well-Known resident of Palmerston North, travelling from Sydney to Melbourne by express, was told lie would obtain an excellent dinner at Albury station for two shillings; but that as time was limited he must .hurry. Jumping from the. train lie ran into a refreshment room, where the magnificenco of the surroundings astonished even a. luxurious New Zealander—fine linen and china, sterling silver, and velvet cushions; but tho. menu fairly took his breath, and, as ho ■remarked to the three gentlemen who dined beside him, *all for two shillings." After a splendid meal and an interesting chat with tho remarkably friendly strangers, ; he proffered tho price of it all to the smart waitress, who received it witli a grateful smilo, a curtsey, and a "thank you, sir." Arriving at tho next station a fellow passenger remarked that Alfred Dealiin (tho Premier) was on board with the Canadian Minister of Agriculture. Prompted by an interest begotten of the enthusiastic study of Deakin's good work, our friend asked to havo them pointed out, liMien to his chagrin and astonishment lie saw thoso courteous gentlemen with whom lie had unwittingly dined, and whoso bospitablo fare ho had commented upon. The smiling waitress still wonders as to the identity of the millionaire, who tips a florin when shown a bill of fare,'' and tho worthy Now Zealander still blushes I to think how ungraciously lie received the forboaraneo of those courtly gentlemen, with his very natural blunder of rushing into-tho wrong roon>-