THE TURF

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2874, 12 September 1916, Page 7

THE TURF

WELLINGTON RACING CLUB. A YEAR'S REVIEW. The following report is In bo presented at the annual meeting of the Wellington R.icing Club:— "As members arc aware, the racecourse buildings and grounds wc7'o offered to and ncceptcd by tho military authorities for use as a hospital for the first ten weeks of the current rear, and a large area of ground lias also Wen granted for the purpose of military training. The club's jockeys and trainers' accommodat'on houses., have been in use throughout tho year by tho medical and nursing staff: No charge has, of course, been ' made. Unfortunately, sickness has again broken out, and our buildings are' once more in occupation as a hospital, which occupation is hoped will be only temporary. "The stewards have pleasure in congratulating members upon the success which ha 9 attended the meetings hold during the year. Some excellent rauing has been' provided, and in addition to llio satisfaction given to the general public, a large amount oE pleasure has been afforded to soldiers in tho adjacent camps.' Owing to so. many of our patrons being at the frofiT, the attendance at the meetings shows a considerable falling-off. The .stokes distributed during the year amount to ,£25,!100. The taxation colleci*'! and paid to . the Government amounted to .£17,431 4s. Id., and a further demand is being mado For the payment of income and excess profits tax." "At the-request oi' the military authorities, no liquor has been sold mi the racecourse grounds during tho s cnrrent year. This has resulted in a decrease of revenue of about .-£IOOO. Financially, tho clul/ is now free of debt, but extensive improvements in the existing accommodali'oii will require to be undertaken in ..the near future. No material alterations are contemplated, however, during the continuance of the war. "The following office-bearers retire ;n accordance with the rules, till being eligible for re-election:— president. Jl>. .r B. Tlarcourt; vice-president, Mr. W. H. S. Moorhouse: stewards, Messrs. .T. W. Abbott, W. G. ;t«hnstmi. C. W. Tnnglinm, and O. S. Watkins." Regret is expressed that during the nast/year the club has lost four members bv death—viz.. '.Messrs. Henry Kernher, Martin Kennedy, Usher Lucas, and A. A. Thompson. . •, Tho statement of assets,antl liabilities shows a surplus, as at .Inly 31, HUG, of JIUMS 19s. Id. T)ip revenue for tho twelve months was ,£113.201 ils. !kl.. made lip of the following -items!:—Totalisatoy, Ms. Bd.; gates, .£5259 12s. 4d.; railway. i!3iG5 0?.; gentlemen riders' licenses, ,£1!; members' subscriptions and cnt.ratii.-n foes. .£924: nominations and acceptances, .liliSGI: privileges, race books, etc., iU775 2s. 3d.;"selling rac». .£2B 14s. Stakes given totalled jC25,9C0. the. Government tax amounted to .£10.042 lis. 7d and the war tax on dividends' and stakes absorbed .£7388 12-s. 6d, Maintenance and improvements cost -C 3501 lis. 10d.. and the sum of is shown as the total of amounts written off.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

- !By Glescoe.l

Entries for the Hastings and Napier Spring Meetings close on Friday next. The Pahiatua Eiicing Club's Meeting will be held to-morrow, and tho Woodlands Hunt Club will race on the same course on the following day. Seerotary S.-T. Tinney, of theTahia-. tua Racing Cluh, has arranged for a special tratn to leave Palmerston North at 8.55 on . Wednesday morning. A return train will leave after tho Taces. That good performer, .Chortle, will probablv start in the Avondale Cup and not in the Plying Stakes. Tho Multifid gelding will ho a much improved horso for his race at Marton, and unhamperedby anv had luck he promises to be very hard to beat. In tho autumn at Hastings he was only beaten by a head-by Kooya, to whom he was conceding 361b. If he. is back to that form, the Multifid gelding should bo well able to hold hi 9 own./ A good idea of his chances with Housewife and Colonel Soult can bo got from the Easter Handicap Tunning, in which he gave Housewife 371b., and. a beating, and Colonel Soult 91b. and a beating. The last-named will meet Chortle on 61b. better terms to-morrow, but this would hardly living them together. S. Reid will rido Chortle. After winning the Adelaide Grand National Steeplechase, the Spalpeen gelding, Troublesome, was offered at auction, but was passed in when bidding reached 200gns.' A Sydney paper says that H. E. Cairns recently missed the train to Bendigo, but he secured a motor-cycle and did the 150 miles in three hours. His energy was rewarded as 1 lie won the concluding event of the day on router, who started Favourite. Rumours have been floating round Sydney that Killjoy has changed hands, but the report was .not confirmed when the last mail left. Corrie has been fold by M. Hobbs, and the St. Hario mare is to go to the stud. Private advices received hero state that Sasunof started at an outside prico in the. Chelmsford Stakes, which suggests that the victory of the Martian a-vear-old'was not generallv anticipated. In discussing the probabilities for tho race the Turf writers hardly mentioned Sasnnof, but gave Killjoy n good chance.' At the Moorefidd Meeting on September 2, the Hurdle Race was won ]>v tho favourite, Sweet Step, who was ridden bv the Riccarton horseman, E. M'Swecnoy. Shrill was a runner in the Flying Handicap, and with Gst. 121b... and ridden by the apprentice, G. Edgecombe, she finished second to Secret Service. Eeval was also a runner in this race, but shaned badly. Another New Zealandor in Ton Tore, f15t...21b., finished out of a-place in the Club Handicap, one mile and a quarter. At Adelaide Tatlorsa-ll's races on September 2 Mr. R. M. Hawker scored in the Juvenile Handicap, four furlongs with Hand, by' The Welkin, and in the Guineas with Boontree. The field in tho latter race included Bourlang, who was carrying a 10lb. penalty, but could only finish third in heavy going. Pl-inco Bardolph, who has not won a race since he unexpectedly scored in tho last Sydney Cup, was successful in tho ■ Jlcmsie Stakes, nine furlongs, at Caulfield', on September 2. The beaten division included some of tho best woight-for-agc horses in Melbourne. The New Zealand-bred pony, Briseis, is proving a champion in Sydney. At Ascot on Wednesday last tho son of Achilles and Celacno won the Pirst Division and the Plying Handicap with lOst. 51b. in the saddle. It. Berry has applied to tho Otago District Committee for a remission of tho unexpired portion of his disqualification received from the' Southland Eacin« Club. FIXTURES. Sept. 13.—Pahiatua. R.C. Annual. Sept. 13 and 16.—Avondale .I.C. Spring. Sept. 11.—Woodlands. Hunt Annual. Sept. It and 15.—Ashburlon E.C. Spring. Sept. 21 and 23.—Wanganui J.C. Spring. Sept. 25.—Ambcrley E.C. Annual. Sept. 25 and 20.—Otaki Maori E.C. Spring. Sept. 28 and 2!).—Geraldino E.C. Spring. Sept. 30— Napier Park B.C. Spring. Oct. 7.—Hawko's Bay .LC. Spring. Oct. 12.—Masterton E.C. Spring. Oct. 13.—Dunedhi J.C. Spring. Oct. 23.—Waipawa County R.C. Annual. Oct. 26 and 27-Poverty Bay T.C. Spring. Nov. J.—New Zealand Cup.