NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2212, 27 July 1914, Page 3

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

TBI GIENCOE.]

The Victorian Amateur Turf Club's meeting commences at Caulfield next Saturday., when the Australian Hurdle Race will bo decided. In England this "week the big racing fixtures are the Goodwood Plate on Wednesday, and tho Goodwood Cup on Thursday. The hunter, Major Webb, who used to be trained at tho Awapuni course, but was sold to Mr. A. E. Rhodes some months ago, acted as runner-up to Melibeo'us in the Waimate Hunt Club Steeplechase on Thursday. , Tho chests .nut gelding was only a head away from the winner. ' '.■ , | H. Kingan missed the acceptance with Silver Monarch in the National Steeplechase, but the gelding will be sent south to race on the two last days of the Riccarton gathering. . ■ Haumakaka'has been allowed to drop out of the Winter 'Cup, but it- is understood that he .will be taken south to race in the hack event at the forthcoming meeting of the ' Canterbury Jockey. Club. \ Royal Arras has. not been' nominated for the.. Trial' Hurdles at Riccarton, and evidently he is not to have another race over fences until the Grand National comes on for decision. Leonta is a noticeable defection from the Trial Hurdles at Riccarton, and the Conqueror gelding is also missing from the Jumpers' Flat Handicap. This means that when be starts in the National Hurdles it will be his maiden appearance in a jumping event. The aged gelding Eous, by Birkenhead —Eosj was found dead in his box at G. C. Campbell's establishment in Southland! recently. •He was bred by the Hon. J. D. Ormond, and won a fair share of races on the flat, but failed to prove successful ■ when tried oyer hurdles. Of late he had been qualifying as .a hunter, and was'being got ready to race at the Grand National meeting. • The acceptances received for the big -treble at the C.J.C. meeting are very good., The National Steeplechase field has seventeen- horses.. Nineteen havebeen'paid,up ior in the big hurdles, and some twehty-six_ horses are left in the Winter." Cup.. ' Some surprise was expressed when the name of Stevedore was missing from the Winter Cup acceptances, as reports irom the south stated that the Chokebore horse had been doing very good work on the Riccarton trt.cks. The general entries for the C.J.C. Winter Meeting exceed last year's total by over ■ a hundred. Tho competitors ara drawn from all parts of tho Dominion, ' ■ ' Okaihau, who "won the Wanganui Steeplechase and other cross-country events a couple of seasons back, is now doing duty in the shafts of a light conveyance. It is not often .that a New Zealand Cup winner is given away, but recently Mr. E. J. Watt took that means of disposing of .Bridge, the recipient being George.' Wadham, who had looked' after the gelding since the days of his break-ing-m. Mr. W. G.; Stead's colt Ringform, by Boniform—Ringdove, who is engaged in • the • A.J.C. Derby, .is under orders to leave Hastings for Sydney on Friday. Mr. Stead is ■■ also sending across. his Australian-bred filly, by.Malster—Condiment, 'who is within a few days of being a two-year-old. This filly, who is spoken of as being a. very attractive mover, is engaged in tho Breeders' Plate and the Ginicrack Stakes at the A.J.C. Spring Meeting. , :; ■ There were some particularly well-. bred.horses amongst tho winners at the Waimate Hunt. Meeting on- Thursday, tho list including jprogeny of Cannie Chiel, Birkenhead,-,Finland, Kulnine, and .Castashor'e. ' >-~': Several .trainers, intended, . galloping their "charges'" at"' Trentham- yesterday, but heavy rain fell abort 7 a.m. and stopped all work. Inthe 1 afternoon several horses were given slow, work.' . At- Trehthanf on Saturday,afternoon Paritutu was schooled over the big fences by H. M'Sweeney. The old fel-, low, whose 6tifles are very enlarged, gave a satisfactory display.. Royal Arms was also schooled over hurdles. At the Waikanae stud this, month Chinwig slipped twin foals to Achilles, and Sonoma, who was recently acquired' by Mr. Lan Duncan, slipped twins to Birkenhead. ■'.'.'.'.- ~.;■'. WAIRARAPA RACING CLUB, o . The revenue of tho Wairarapa Racing Club for the year concluding oh July 31 is £10,435 95., the principal items being: Totalisator, £608110s. Id.; gates, £1510 4s. j nomination and acceptance fees, £1038; catering account; £565 165.; race cards, £363 6s. On the expenditure side, stakes were £4015; stamp duty, £1504 "10s. Id.; salaries and wages, £1332 19s. 7d'.; building and improvement, £844 12s. 3d. The annual report states that the year commenced • with a debit balance on the working account of £625 12s. 10d., and ended with a credit balance of £990 18s. Id. During that period the sum of £844 12s. 3d. has been spent on improved ' ments, and the stakes were increased by i £215. A contract has been let for the erecI tion of a new stewards' stand, and the building, is now nearly completed. The stewards have now under consideration -. the question of improving the course by lengthening the straight, and for this purpose'some additional land will be j purchased 1 . , r ' With the near prospect of railway : communication to tho racecourse, it -will i be necessary to make provision for the increased' attendance that may be expected, and it has been arranged for an expert to report on th© matter. For the coming year it is recommended that' a sum not exceeding £4500 be allotted for stakes. . ■