THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 861, 6 July 1910, Page 8

THE TURF.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

JBy GlencokJ

The Victoria Racing Club's Grand National liiceting will be continued at Flemington to-day. Obi, who won the Grand National Hurdles on Saturday, is not engaged in any event to-day, but ho figures among tho entries for the Doutta Galla Hurdle Raco on Saturday next. . White Lie was schooled over a couple of fences at Trentham yesterday, and jumped well. The Eclipso Stakes, of 10,000 sovs. is to bo run- in England on Friday' J'Uly 15. ■ Truganini and Iney were associated m a gallop • over six furlongs on the grass track at Trentham yesterday. Truganini won by a length "in lmin. 23 J a sec. Magneto and Advantage fin-, ished together at the end of a fast four furlongs. Magneto bears,the appearance of not having done a great deal of work since returning from Ellerslic. Capitol aud-Electrakoff" were both treated to slow work at Trentham yesterday.

Our illustration of the champion pugilist, J. Johnson, shows him in a characteristic pose. Johnson's now- famous "smilo" is very much in cvidenco- in this photograph. Possihly the reaction which may be expected after the intense interest aroused in the event which culminated in the unpleasant exhibition at Reno yesterday will result in relegating Mr. Johnson and his brother pugilists to 'their proper place in the public eye. .

Weights for the. principal ovents at the Canterbury Jockey Club's Grand National meeting are due this week. As Mr. G. Currio has now two imported horses at his stud farm in the Wanganui district, Field Battery: has been returned to his owner (vt Trent- 1 , ham. ■ A number of horses engaged at the Gisboriie Racing ■ Club's meeting tomorrow will bo competing at Trentharu later- in the- month, and in consequence their running will be, .watched with considerable /interest. Paisano and Continuance, who have been accepted for in the hurdles, are both candidates' for the Winter Hurdles at the Wellington. Racing' Club's meeting. Continuance has won three hurdle races in as many starts, whilo Paisano created a very, favourable impression when he won two jumping events at tho Napier ..Park spring meeting last October. '' Swarthmoor, who will bo a starter in the principal cross-country -event at Gisborne'to-morrow, is entered for tho C.J.C. Grand -National Steeplechase and Hurdles. - , ' To Arai, who won the Gisborne Park Steeplechase last year with ,11st. Clb. in the saddle, will make another attempt to win the race to-morrow with list. 131b. : ■ Writing of Adam, 1 sire of the three-year-old filly Marsa, the Paris correspondent -of tho London ."Sportsman" says:—"Perhaps I was tho only journalist to whom M. Edinond Blanc gavefree access to his rides, gallops, and racing stables when Jardy, Val d'Or, and Adam wero being prepared in 1905 for engagements which, but for one of those unaccountable and unavoidable accidents against'which no defence can be made, would have been' a series of triumphs for the. premier breeder of France. I always thought that Adam was the best of the trio. There was nothing soft about him, and though he suffered defeat, through the. illness affecting him and spreading throughout the stable, his produce have shown ,Uie high quality , transmitted •to his offspring.". '-~ •

HURDLE RACING. AN INTERESTING LETTER.. At the nieoting of the committee of the Manawatu Racing Club last week, the following interesting letter was: read from Dr. Wilson, a member of the committee, on the question of hurdle racing:— "Dalmarnock, Palmers-ton.- North, Juno 25, IMo.—ln reply to .your telephone message I.send you my views upon the question of hurdle racing. It is manifest to everyono that hurdle racing as at present carried out is no test of jumping powers, not incentive to proper schooling of horses, and an undue danger to jockeys and horses alike. A hurdle race over "a mile and a half or a mile and threequarters, with hurdles theoretically 3ft. Gin. high, but leaning over, that the actual height is not more probably than 3ft., made of timber that will splinter with the first severe rap, is not a hurdle race at all. It is simply a'flat" race with obstacles, over which the hwsss have to get by taking them in their stride. The result of this is that a quite undue proportion of accidents occur from horses failing to see the hurdles or taking off too near or too far from the hurdles. They have ,no time to gather themselves for a jump. "Tho ordinary spectator sees a fall, and a jockey is carried off and packed into an ambulance, and the spectator has no loss of enjoyment in the next race. Those of us, however, who have to attend to those jockeys professionally recognise the pity of it, the absolute prostitution of sport involved in these in many cases prcventiblo accidents. "Another aspect of tho subject is'that of the horses. Why is it that f good jumpers,are getting so scarce as to be almost extinct in New Zealand? Simply because they are not taught to jump. (Your safe steeplechaser is'almost invariably trained in the hunting field, when he is given time and has to jump. , As to my views of what ought to bo done, I would suggest:— . "(1) That no hurdle races should bo allowed over a distance shorter than two 'miles;' (2) that hurdles should not lie less than 3ft. Bin. in actual jumping height; (3) that- those hurdles should' be made of strong material, with a thick bar at the top. so that a horse must ?ee them, and must jump to get over them. If this latter suggestion is to he carried nut, however, it is evident that a standard hurdle must he adopted by all clubs, or tho number of accidents occurring at meetings of individual clubs who adopted it would he greater, than ever; (■() at all 'summer meetings hurdle races should be abolished, as the hard ground leads lo dangerously fast going.. I should like to see our club take the' initiative in striking out hurdle races at their summer meetings. An additional reason for their doing so is to he found in tho fact that they do not pay.—Yours faithfully, George Wilson."

FIXTURES. July 7 and B:—Gisbornt* R.C. Winter. July 10, 20, and 2;1.-Wellington R.C. Winter. •• .1 August 9, 11, and. 13,-C,J,C. • Grand \ T aHn^al,