THE TURF

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 244, 3 July 1918, Page 7

THE TURF

NOTES AND COMMENTS

fBY GLUNCOS.

Owners and trainers should note 'hat the acceptances for all events <it. the coming winter meeting of the Wellington liacIng Club must ho in thu hands of Secictary A. 1-j. Whytc hy 9 p.m. on Friday next. At (.lie same hour entries dose for thu Trial Plate, As tho Post and Telegraph facilities have been considerably curtailed «is from Mouday last, -..owners would do wpll to send their acceptances along as. early as possible, and so avoid a repetition of tho Auckland muddle, when no less than nine owners were late with their acceptances. 11. is understood that the idea of the committee of the Wellington Racing Club, in lengthening the distance of the hade flat events at the coming winter meeting. waß with a view to redlining the size of tho fields. Judged by the entries received for llic 'J'e Aro .llaudicap it has had the opposite effect, as in less than lifty-nine horses have been entered, and on present appearances a record-sized Held will contest, tho race. Tho ox-New Zealandcr Ronald Cameron, who had one of his legs badly fractured at Albury some months ago, is now well oa Iho way to rccovory, mid will shortly Im able to superintend his bin team at. Caulfield. At Plemington racecourse t.ho schooling hurdles are now well padded, and the innovation, which was tried at the request of sevoral prominent trainors, is regarded as a, great success. Tho argument in favour of padded hurdles is a, good one, «ad should find favour in this country. Horses do not fcl so shin sore schooling- over padded hurdles as they do over ba.ro battclis. and were, the former fences more in use on schooling grounds hurdlo fields would be larger. ..

The once leading cross-country .lockw. J. Jf". M'Gregor, has resumed riding. He had the mount on Coradjill in tho Steeplechase at Moonco Valley, and ho was given a round of cheering When ho went, out on the course. For the past three years M'flre»or Ims been engaged na instructor of riding at- tho Artillery Camp at .WariliyrnoiiK, bill as this has now been cioßed he is resuming his old calling.

Wishful does not-seem to run any-kind-er in hurdlo races than he did ou tho flat. In his efforts at Napier and Hastings he hutig out a- lot; and on Saturday at no stage ot the racc did ho look liko a winner.

In the gooil old days of racing an event that often found a, place cn tho programme -was the Monkey lUiec. Tho conditions were that the owner* rode each other's horse, and tho last >ume \\a# tho winner. It is needless to say that everything was hard at it from start to finish. However, a genuine donkey race tool; plaee recently at Dollyiuount I'aik, Dublin. This Irish Donkey Derby was one of a series of erc-nts organised for tho purpose of rawing fuuits for the Drogheda Memorial Hospital at. thcCurragh. A number of English jockeys wen* over for tho meeting, and all had mounts, as also tho best- of tho Irish jockey?. The report slntes that it was a side-splitting affair. The efforts of the jockeys to keep their seats and induce the animals to get a. move on being intensely amusing. In the end the linglish jockey. Ward, got his mount homo the easiest, of winners.

The lilcnhcim-traincd Good Hope and Black Heath have arrived at TreiUham in charge of W. J. Porter. The former will raco in the Stewards' Handicap, on the opening day, and Ulack Heath wi'J contest the Hack Hurdles.

A Shcarsby, with Sleighl-of-Hand, Xila, liefprmatioii, and I'ellmv and lllack, will arrive hero on Thursday. Ae L. Wilson is shortly to go into rump, Yellow and lllack will in futuro remain in the same sUihle as the rest of Mr. V. Armstrong's team.

Sendown looks to be a greatly improved hor.so us the result of Ins racs at- Napier. He has built up a- lot, and appears to bo carrying more condition that he has done for some time past-.

The steeplechaser Korero changed hands recently. She is now trained by .11. ICingan at Trcntham. The chestnut mare l.as been regularly bandaged in front since Ucr return from Wangitnui, and she appears to have lightened up a lot.

.Since joining JC. k'ingau's staples at TrcuUiam Revocation has put oil n lot of condition, and now wears a more sol'd appearance than when racing earlier in th<j season, tt. liccd has been regularly riding the Cheshire [reUiiui: ill his work, and will no doubt have the mount cn him iu his Trcntham engagements.

On present appearances it docs not look as if the Hack Steeplechase field flt Tamilian! will be a strong one, as several of llio entrants aro also engaged in the other events run on the same day, and others aro knocked out after their efforts ot Napier and Hastings.

Colonel Soull., who had an engagement in the Hack Hurdles at Trcntham, was yestordoy withdrawn from all engagaments, and Volo has also had the pen put through his name.

A Press Association message from Melbourne stale- that Wc.Hcndalc, a Grand National ■.•undidalo. has been sold for three hundred guineas. I'.oyal Precedent, whilst, gllnpinir at l-.psoin brn|;o a blood and died.