THE TURF

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 29, 4 February 1913, Page 10

THE TURF

NOTES AMD COMMENTS (By Sir Bedivere.) In making my way last Saturday, to the offices so long tenanted by the ' Canterbury Jockey Club I was surprised to find that the , club had changed its quarters. It has recently built on- its own account on a fine site facing the [ Avon. The new building provides almost palatial offices for Mr. Wanklyn, Mr,. Sellars and the clerical staff, and is quite in keeping with the importance of the club. The 'main office is situated on the ground floor, and ' its walls are decorated with coloured plans of every racecourse of note in C4reat Britain and Ireland. These make a most interesting collection, and other racing institutions might well consider the advisableness of procuring a similar set. Mr. Wanklyn's office is in the front of the building, at the back of which a large committee room is situated. tTpstairs Mr. • Sellars has a spacious office facing the river, and the whole of the remainder , of the floor is devoted to a huge room in which those interested will be able- to look over handicaps, acceptance • lists, etc., at race times. This room would lend itself capitally for the pirrposes of a hall, and it is understood the club ia prepared to rent it for' public meetings, etc. L. Hill, who recently acted • as head lad at F. Higgott's stable, has purchased the Sir Laddo filly. Alertjo, and took her through to the Wairarapa yesterday. A mix-up occulted yesterday in connection with my comments on the de' cision of the Middle Park Plate, the result being that ■ Salzburg ■ was credited with the astonishing feat of beating himself by a head ! The horse he 'beat by this margin was, of course, Autumnua, and in doing so the honours of the race were unquestionably his, for he was carrying a 71b penalty, , >■ Salzburg's stable-mate Ogier is" 1 a tall' enough but very narrow ., coltj and will 1 probably be benefited'^' by - time: ■ He seems to have .rather out-grown strength at presertt; • • ' R. JV Mason's new . residence situated on^ the south side of -the Yaldhurst-road, between the Bush^lnn • and the ' Coach Gor"her; ip now- nearing completion, and should bo in readiness for occupation by the end of the month. , A Well-known Australian hurdle racer 'in Zim, who won many races ■ in the Riverina district' was recently found dead in a paddock near Wagga. A post-mortem examination left little room for doubt that he had been bitten by a snake. for the Nelson Meeting are due on Friday, and those for the Dannevirke fixture mitst be handed in by Saturday^ Mr. Morse will declare the handicaps ifor the Wanganui Cup and Flying on or before Saturday. \ ' i , Antarctic, who has been turned out during tho past ( few months, vis to be given another trial, and his owner (Mr. Tuck) has every hope that the trouble j which caused him to go lame • will be found to have disappeared. * _.».„ Otahu has been schooled over hurdles recently, and; was expected to.makeJlis debut as a juniper at HaWera. He Mras allowed -to drop out^jpf his first "day's engagement, however/ arfiTit maty be tot he is being ' held 'in "reserve for the Wanganui Meeting. ' '" The great attraction of the Egmont Meeting, which will commence (tomorrow, is t of course, the expected 'appearance of Bobrikoff in the Hawera Stakes. This event will be decided' on Thursday, and at .the moment it is difficult to judge what strength the company may be. Sir George Clifford is certain to be represented, however, and it is to be hoped that other owners will show their 'appreciation of the club's enterprise in putting on a weight- for-age event l)y according it their further support. >„.•. The. chief -i feature of - the card .to be run through .at Hawera to-morrow is tho Egmont- Cup, in which a field of. fifteen* is engaged. Labour Day ran an infinitely better race op. the third day at Trentham than she did on ■ the second, , and if Davis has been busy with her during the past week she should be dangerous, r for the form she showed over a ten furlong course at Ellerslie was. distinctly . impressive. Uhdecide,d may. find the length of the journey further than he cares about, but Mira should tun well, and Master Laddp, who was' most unlucky in the Consolation Handicap at Trenthani, must have an, undoubted chance. , Cheddar - was backward when he raced at Hastings on. Ist and 2nd January^ but live weeks have elapsed since then, and as he comes on quickly Quinlivan may have him- something like' himself. Brown Owl has , failed ,- to distinguish herself eince-she won- the Oaks, but she. surely,', ought, as an Oaks winner, to be able to* account for moat of the light-weigtits. There is every prospect of a good race. Peroneal, Sanguinary, and Lady Volga will fight their Trentham battles over apaimin, the Flying Handicap at Hawera, and;the paif first-named ought to finish very close together. In Distinction, who is no longer eligible to contest hack events, they will meet a promising young horse, and Dearest must be regarded aB dangerous. ( Bercola, who , won a . double at the Stratford Meeting, is engaged in both the open and the hack hurdles at Hawera. The opposition in the latter event does not promise to be strong.