THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 9

THE TURF.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. [By GixncoiU Awaliou, one of the runners in the Ladies' Purse to-day, is a superior black guiding, bv Mahaki from 'l'e Hon. 110 much resembles fhe Xative in appearance, and this is not surprising, as ills dam is a full sister to The Xativo s (Jam. Awahau is a very fast horse, and. at Bulls last week, ho acquitted himseit very vcU iu n gallop willi The Mr. Lindsay Bull will have the mount to-day. Advices from Hastings slate that M liakaweira, will run in the Steeplechase at 'U'aitgniiuij-and not in the Century Hurdles. F. Flynn is (o ride Mr. H. tut brail's gelding, and he will abo have the mount on The Xative in the Century Hurdles. Sir .Solo has developed lameness, and will, not be a starter at Hawera to-day. W. Young is engaged to ride Strategist in the Waihi Handicap at the Kgniont meeting to-dav. The .Nelson gelding was wc-ll backed 'by his connections at.- too Awapuni meeting, where he failed badly, but, ain.ee then, lw is reporlod to have mado considerable improvement. Dogger Bank, who is engaged in thoHack'.Hurdles at Fgmont to-day, is likeiy 10 start a pronounced favourite iu consequence of his win in the open hurdles ar Hastings. Yesterday morning he ran hall' a mile on tho outside of the course proper in 51 seconds. He carried l'lyii", and could have, done much better. _ Llie gallop was summed up as the best ot the morning, Tho local horseman, IT. Ryan, was engaged to ride several horses at the l'lg- ■ mont meeting, which opens to-day, but he was taken ill on Monday iiighlj, and was unable to leave his room yesterday. If. King still has an idea of taking Strategist to Sydney after the Egmont meeting. He will give the Xel>on gelding somo more schooling over fences, and then ship him to Sydney at the end ot the present month. The hurdle horses [ at present doing duty on suburban courses in Australia are a very poor lot, and, if Strategist take.? kindly to the jumping business, ho should soon get on the winning list. The Kotchkiss liorse Martello, which has been at the stud for the past thre-o seasons, is again in work at Feuding, and is, so far, standing well to his tasks. In his day Martello was a smart colt, but ho went wrong on the eve of Xew Zealand Cup, which was won by 'Frisco, and, since then, has been at tiic stud. When ho was put up for sale at llandwick last month, Ireland was passed in at 700 guineas, and it was given out that the re-servo on him was_ JOCO guineas. Since then cable communication has been entered into with the owner of the lCilcheran colt, and it is quite on the cards that a sale may be reported any day now. -Golden Loop will, in future, race over hurdles. ' At Xeir Plymouth last week h-3 was given his first schooling task, and, unassisted, went once, round in good style. The Soult—Caller Oil colt, which Mr. ■T. Jackson purchased at tho last \Vaikanae sale, is doing well under Trainer .!. O'Xeill's care at X«w Plymouth. So far he has not been sprinted, but, in halfpace work, he move's in a pleasing manner. Boanerges and Blnken'ev,- who are being shipped to Sydney on Friday, are the only members of tho "Highdcn" team at present in commission. The. pair were galloped at Awapuni yesterday, when the former ran seven furlongs in Imin. 31Ssee., and Blakency, assisted by a pony that is also going to Sydney, covered half ft mile in 52.\sec. Tuo well-known sportsman, Mr. H. M'Mnn.v.vav, has sold out his business iu Fcilding, and will in future reside at itunterYiUc. He leaves' shortly for a hii» to Australia. Now that the iiat season in Australia is practically ended, it is worth noting that ihree-vcar-olds only won a single woisht-lor-agi oveut, and that went to Popinjay, who scored in the Cauliield futurity Stakes. There is only one deduction that can be made .from this, and .that is that the ciass referred to is very weak this season. This, however, was not the opinion of the handieappers. who always ; weighted thorn as if they were good ones. Cisco (Sst. Gib.), Jacamar (Bst 51b.), and Wilari (Sst. lib.) in the Sydney Cup, are cases in point. Is it any wonder that tliey linisbed out of a place? F. Tillev, who, during the past few vears, has'not had many jumpers in his intends' schooling Goodwin Park, atul, -next week, C. Price will repair to Fordell to give the Sylvia l'ark gelding his first lessoas, Alv Gavonni, who won the Brisbane Thousand on Saturday, carried Sst. into second pi ace in the same event last year. First Shot, who finished third m tho. Goodwood Handicap at the South Australian Jockey Club's meeting 011 Saturday, claims a pedigree of interest to New Zealand sportsmen. Her sire, Pistol, is an Knglish-brcd son of Carbine, while her dam, First Flecce, is by Carlyon—Golden Fleece, a mare bred by Sir George Clifford, being a sister to Golden Vale (dam of Husbandman) and Goldlcaf (dam of Autumnus), by Stonyhurst— Golden Crest. Aryan, who sired the first and second horses in the South Australian St. Leger 011 Saturday, is a half-brother to St. Alivyno, tho sire of Lady Medallist. T. Pritchard, who had his leg broken when riding leolantcr in a hurdle race on the first day of the Feilding Jockey Club's Easter meeting, was last week removed from the Palmerston North Hospital to his home at Lower Hutt. At latest Advice Pritchard is reported to be making satisfactory progress, but it will be some considerable time before he is again seen in the saddle. The Ashbnrton County Racing Club's autumn meeting opens to-morrow. The Paris correspondent of the London "Sportsman" says tho Steeplechase Society has demonstrated its de.-.-ire to create encouragement for owners of mares that.! have thrown a colt or filly bought by the K-emount of tho Army and proved successful in one or other of the cross-country events now being organised for h-b horses having shown iorm in the "raids" or military rides now taking place. The owner of the mares whose produco has won receives his premium at once, andsome of tlie letters from the humble owners of the mares, small tenant farmers, are full of pathos in their gratitude for the unexpected "fiver." It is rather a coincidence that the winner of this year's Cioodwood Handicap (Musket Belle) and this year's Adelaide Cup (Eyeglass) each won the corresponding event last year. ■V good racing season is anticipated in Germany, but tile betting question still remains" an open one (says a Home exchange). Stxaugo to say, tho Government tax on tho totalisator is a very heavy one (over 18 per cent.J, and the bookmaker is dealt with in a very summary maimer. His money is confiscated and lie is punished as a "rogue and vagabond." No competition is permitted with tho Government, and to check any clandestine betting race societies arc authorised to anpoint agencies in different parts ot the country to receive the money ot investors and forward it by wire tor investment to the secretary ot the racecourse wherever the meeting is to be held. According to polico reports clandestine betting is more extensively resorted to in Germany than elsewhere. There is not a race of note iu Germany, France, or England which docs not lead to good business for the legion who know how to find customers notwithstanding ail the pro.-wcuticas carried on. Though it may seem incredible, it is nevertheless a fact that the chief of the police has come to the conclusion that the time has come to settle tho question by licensing bookmakers, who would pay a tax 10 the Government in exchange for recognition and the right to carry on b'lsiiiess openly. Strange to say, the opposition offered to such a project, comes from the race societies. They imagine that the advent or resurrection of the bookmaker would decrease I heir takings at the kblisatr.r and impair -their budgets. They have ccnsc(|ucnf!y declined In euler'ain any of the propositions made them, so Ihiit the unlicensed and irresponsible ''layer" is left free to conliiNi? 011 the old' lines, as he has his money in hand anil pavs when he cannot do otherwise, knowing that 110 acticu can be taken. FIXTURES. Msy f and 10—Ashbnrton County "R.C. Alav "i and ::t—Wan'/anui .I.C. Winter. May Si and Jl—\orth OJagu J.C. \\ inter. June I and -{--A. 1«-C.. Viiiiev. June I and ."--OuiicMi; Juno :i aad i-tUaki Maori, JA ■ inter. Juii*; 19 and 29 HanS«s Moy J.C ■\Tintor,