THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 790, 13 April 1910, Page 7

THE TURF.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (Br (ir,RNCOE.) . There will be racing at Awapuni and Avondalo .to-day. . Weights for tho Hawke's Bay Cup are due on Friday. Those interested are reminded that entries for .'tho Mnrlborough meeting close on Saturday next. The Merriwee mare Arc Light, who, among other races, has a Napier Cup to her credit, is engaged in the hack hurdles at Awapuni to-day. She has been well schooled at Feilding, and it is stated that already she has jumped no fewer than 150 fences and has never put a foot wrong. The heavy rain which fell yestcrdav will have the effect of upsetting' the calculations of several owners with horses engaged at Awapuni to-day, but, on the other hand, others will welcome the rain. Horses that have proved themselves to bo at home on the soft .tracks are: St. Bill,, who won threei races in the mud at lVentham m July; Parula, Formby, and Woodhoy, all of whom are bv Birkenhead, whose stock are always able to bit out well in the soft going; Bourrasquc, who is a heavily topped horse, arid goes sore when racing in the.summer. T. Clark, who trains the Son'-wester gelding, is unable to work him on any but a plough track, and a similar remark applies to the Persimmon mare Perolina who is trained by (}. Price at Awapuni! Ihe taghsh-bred mare is able to make a .common hack of Polymorphous when working on the plough : track at Awapuni, but immediately she gets on the firm going she will not do her best, and tries to stop in her races. All sorts of devices, m the way of rubber and leather shoes,_etc., were tried on her, but without effect, and after the Napier meeting her trainer decided to put her by and wait for the wet weather.

That_ good horse Cavaliero, who r has only nine pounds above the minimum in the steeplechase at Avondale to-day, will be ridden by A. Jnlian, who-is at the head of the list of winning horsemen. The old warrior was unlucky not to win the Autumn Steeples at Ellerslie, which is run over much more trying country than Avondale, where the jumps -are ordinary hurdles, and low gorse fences. He was winning easily at the last fence, and his rider eased him, and Red M'Gregor came with a late run, and before Julian could get his mount going again ho had lost the race by a head.

Writing to a friend in Wellington, a well-known northern horseman gives it as his opinion that Kakama was unlucky to lose'the Railway Handicap at Avondale on Saturday. She meets her conqueror, Waiata, on 101b. better terms-in the. concluding event. to-day.

The Fordell-trained mare Attention, who was taken to Wanganui last month, but unfortunately went j slightly lame when.walking on the road,, and. had to be withdrawn from her engagements,- has become quite sound again, and-will'be a starter in the Woodhey Handicap today, in whioh sho will have the services of A. Oliver. ,-''•■'■'

Hoanga, who defeated Maku at Woodville in the Second Hack Hurdles, but was subsequently disqualified for boring, will be one of- the field in the Maiden Hurdles at .Avondale to-day. This gelding created somewhat of a surprise recently by performing a gallop over, eight furlongs that was. considered good enough to win an open'handicap.

:■'■ Te Ru and Aotea are now trained at •Fending by A. Attwood,

Strange to relate, the name of Laius did dot figure on the cards issued by the bookmakers for the Trentham meeting, and .when. Mr; : R. T.- Turnbnll's horse' won. the. last event there were.loud murmurings from, stay-at-home backers, who stated that, they would have been ontho full brother to Tumut had they known ho was in the race.

2 iAt'tlJe '-Aspqt., (Victoria)' 'meeting..,, on April 2 the New, Zealand pony Maid of All Work won tho Novico Handicap, in wliioh she, started .favourite."-" On the same day. another .-Now Zealand, ponv in Morrie Oliver, ran. third in the 14.2 Handicap. '..'-. :': . ■

A change of stables often' brings a change of luck,..and this may be. the case with Brilliancy,' whose owner has handed him over to the Awapuni trainer, H.R. Telford, to prepare for future engagements.

Mr. W. E. Bidwill; who has been in Wellington acting as judge in the Dceley appeal .case, left for Palraerston North yesterday to see his colt Inspection run in the Manawatu Stakes.

The crack jockey, C. Jenkins, will ride Herinia and Ascnlonin their Awapuni: engagements. The latter gelding is on the same mark "as Emblem, in the Karpre Welter, which shows that the club's handicapper must have a very high opinion of him, as Emblem has ..won several races, while Asoalon has only won ,a maiden event and one hack race. Still there are' many who will agree with the handicapper,. as the chestnut has always been written and spoken of as a coming champion. '

The Wanganui horseman, W. Price, will ride, St. Bill at Pahnerston North to-day, and C. Emerson will have the mount on Ballarat.: — ILongner was railed home after the Trentham; meeting, and will not be a runner at the Manawatu meeting.

RACING FIXTURES.

April 13.—Avondale J.C. Autumn. April 13 and U—Manawatu R..C. Autumn. April 20 and 21-Nelson J.C. Annual. April 20 and 21-South Canterbury J.C. Autumn. • April 27-Manaia Hack R.C. Annual. April 27 and 2t3-Hawke's Bay J.C. Autumn. .. :, May i and s—Marlborough R.C. Autumn. May 11 and 12-Egmont R.G Winter. May 12 and 13-Ashburton County R.C. Autumn. May 2i and 26—Wauganui J. C. Winter. June 3 and 4—Dunedin J.C. Winter. .