THE TURF.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 29 July 1912, Page 2

THE TURF.

V ■ NOTES AND COMMENTS. ' [Br Giencoe.] The "WooiUands Hunt Club will hold its annual race meeting on the Psihiatua racecourse on "Wednesday next. The annual report of tho Danncvirke Pi-acing Club for tho year ending July 31 states that the profit on tho year's working -was.. .£592 18s. The .club has been granted a '12-years' lease of the racecourse, containing 87 acres, at an nnnual rental of ;C2 per acre, with tho right of purchnso at the end of the term for £to per aero. • Tho position of president of tho Wairarapa Racing Club, rendered vacant by the death of tho late Mr. 11. S. Wnrdell, will bo filled bv the election of Mr. W. E. Bidwill to tliat office. Mr. W. J. Nix has been nominated as ono of tho vicepresidents, and Mr. D. H. S. Riddiford as a steward of tho club. Popinjay, Bst. 91b., Hnvocorn, Bst. lib., and Ermengarde, 7st. 7Jb., nro the favourite selections for the Epsom. Hnndieap, to be run on October 5. Wimmera.'lOst. 71b., is the favourite for the Australian Hurdles, - to be run nest Saturday. Tho Now Zealand gelding docs not incur a penalty for his win at Caulfield last Saturday. A very important point in connection with the Grand National Siceplecha«j is the riding of tho horses. This point is, of course, important in any xaee, but in a long trying course like tho National at Riccarton, a "heady" rider has a big pull over his adversaries. These lines are prompted by the statement that A. Julian is to lido Paritutu in the south. The Ellerslie horseman is one of the coolest and most brainy riders in a but, remarkable to relate, he is not half so resourceful in a hurdle race, and some of his exhibitions over battens have been mediocre. His confrere, W. Young, who, by the waj-, does not do much riding over fences since ho accepted the retainer from the Stead Bros., is more at home in a hurdle race than in a steeplechase, and though he has won a National he has also ridden some poor races in steeplechases. One of these was when Continuance ran second to Okaihau at Wangauui, in May. Those who witnessed- the' race were agreed that, better handled, the Gisborne horse would.have reversed positions with Okaihau. Discussing riding over fences, it may be claimed that it is on the whole improving, and that at a faster rate than the flat riding. We have several firstclass horsemen nvailablo nowadays, and tho ranks are being daily strengthened. A. J. M'Flynn, who headed the list of winning riders this season, was unknown a conple of seasons ago. ' Tho Manawatu Hunt Club race meeting will be held at Awapunl next Wednesday week. - Messrs. J. R. M'Donald and W. G. Shannon have each donated cups valued tit ten guineas as trophies for races during the day. • > -It' is the custom to-day, and it always lias'been, to consider the, best horses of past ages infinitely superior to those of the present time: When the time comes for the National field to go to the post, the veterans present,-while watching the preliminaries, will tell you that the horses to-day are not what they were, say, in the , seventies and eighties. This scribe, however, will have none of .this, and boldly asserts that no better jumpers ever existed .than . - .Continuance', :.nnd \ Capt' Jingle, wfiotaKe-all-fenc'M : alike,' never faltering .'or, putting'"in a short one, and never pecking on landing. Both horses jump quite, differently, but both are equally effective, and i if there is a preference it should be for Capt. Jingle, who is clover in the extreme, and does not go over, but through, the, brushes. What this pair save themselves at the.end.of a long ra,ce' by the excellence of their' jumping'nvtist be very considerable. /»■ . : '3[r. E. J.'.Watfs horses, Midnight Sun,' Ventura, Jason, and Kildonnn, are to be. shipped to-Australia on August 12. The first-named .will most probably bo returned in time for tho New Zealand Cup meeting. , ,y;., , ... The Stewards' Cup at Goodwood is the important'.event in' English racing tomorrow. The Goodwood Cup will be run on Thursday. , The trotting trainer M. Edwards, who. went to Australia recently to look round with a view-to settling there, has received an appointment, for twelve months, to train the horses of Mr/J. B. Zander, of (says the "Lyttelton Times"). 'Some time 'will have to elapse before ho, can take :up tho position, however, as he is under .disqualification till the end of. the year.! for interfering with Emmelineduring the running of the High Class Handicap at the New-Zealand Metropolitan .Trotting Club's Easter. meeting. Four of Edwards's horses, Dillon Bell, Wallace Wood, Belle:Dillon, 'and Princess Tracy, were shipped to Melbourne by tho Moeraki from Lyttelton on Friday. - The Feilding Jockey Club's balancesheet showed that compared with 1911 the year- jrist closed gave an increase in total'isator commission of -2501, entry fees were better.by <£332, gates'by JilU 2s. 3d., race cards, £M, books, etc., '.£ls, members' - subscriptions a- decrease of .£7 ss.—altogether a list. increase of .£1043 2s. 2d. On the expenditure side there waa a small decrease. in etakes of JSOO, an increase of .£298 in Government tax, and alto : getlver n net increase Of .£342. In improvements there was nn increase of ■ .£llß. '.' At the' annual meeting of the Feilding Jockey Club, held on Friday night, officers .were--elected as follow: —President 'Jlri ,J 'Wm.-'-Bailey (re-elected); vice-presi-dent, Mr. W. A. L. Bailey (reTelected); , committee- for three vacancies, Messrs. W..A. L.-Bailey, F. F.'Haggitt, and E. 'Smith; stewards, Messrs. N. Gorton, F. F. Haggitt, W. G. Haybittle, C. A. J. Levett, G. H. Saywcll, E. Smith, H. J. Booth, H. F. Worsfold, C. IL: Burnett, C. N. Cotterill, B. N. Snndilands, A. F. Fitzherbert; auditors, Messrs. C. N. Cotterill and W. G. Haybittle; (re-elected); clerk of scales,-Mr.'L. Gorton (re-elected); judge, Mr. W. 'H. Hartgill; deputy judge, Mr. C. 11. Burnett; clerk of course, Mr. J. MDonell; time-keeper, Mr. A. M'Corkindale. (re-elected); hon. treasurer, Mr. F. D. Clayton (re-elected); starter, Mr. Skipwith (re-elected). AUCKLAND R.C. STAKES. (By Telegrap'h.— Press Association.) Auckland, July 27. The Auckland Racing. Club has.decided to give .£32,675-in stakes this season, an increase of .£37150 over last year's amount.