Surf Notes

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 401, 9 July 1928, Page 10

Surf Notes

(By

EARLY BIRD

This Week’s Big Events The Wellington winter meeting is t# be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday next. On the opening day the Wellington Steeplechase, Trentham Hurdles and Whyte Memorial will be decided, the Parliamentary Handicap comes up for decision on Thursday, and the Winter Hurdles on Saturday. Pakuranga Hunt The meet of the Pakuranga Hunt tomorrow is at Ardmore. Going to Fiji Arrangements have been made whereby the Auckland jockey, C. McCarthy, will journey to Suva, Fiji, to ride for a well-known owner. McCarthy has not experienced the best of luck during the last few months, and it is perhaps a wise course for him to try further afield. Another local jockey who is domiciled in Fiji during the racing season is T. Williams. McCarthy is due to leave Auckland on Friday. Geive Nice Display

A lesson over four pony hurdles was the task allotted Plane Pearl at Ellerslyie on Saturday. Ridden by T. Chaplin, the mare displayed a decided aptitude for this department of the game, and if persevered with she may prove a payable proposition. Plane Pearl raced extensively last season, but the majority of her performances were only fair.

One More To Swell the List An addition to A. Morrow’s stable is the rising six-year-old gelding, Template, by Tractor from Temba. Template has done very little racing, but nevertheless he has not shown any form that could be called encouraging, and his trainer will require to work a deal of improvement if he is to pay his way. Greatly Fancied Since his successful trip to Dunedin Black Mint has been asked to do nothing better than good three-quarter pace-work at Trentham, but A. Goodman has indulged him in one or two sharp sprints during the last few days, with the result that he now bears a bright muscular appearance, and is better than at any stage of his career. Inclined to laziness, the big Catmint gelding requires a strong horseman to pilot him, so if Black Mint’s connections are at all successful in this respect it is quite probable that he will be the medium of good support in the Whyte Memorial on Wednesday. Visitors at Wanganui

With Telford using the Wanganui tracks for his team of eight, in addition to the local horses, the scene promises to be a busy one in the near future for it is stated to be the intention of R. S. Bagby to bring his string here for the winter shortly, writes • Kestrel.” When the Wanganui and Marton spring meetings get a little closer there may be a still greater influx of visitors. Further To Go

The committee of the Christchurch Hunt has made an important alteration in the Homeby Steeplchase, the chief event at the meeting to be held on August 4. In the past the distance of nhis race has been two miles, but it has been increased to two miles and a-half. The alteration has been made because owners feel that a two-mile race is not a sufficient try-out for the Grand National Steeplechase, which takes place 10 days later.

Back From the Islands Jockeys J. Barry, B. H. and L. G. Morris returned to Auckland by the Tofua this morning after doing the Islands trip, and proceed South tonight. All three horsemen will be riding at Trentham qn Wednesday and following days. Would They? As Broken Doll won by a narrow margin at Flemington, one cannot help wondering whether, if she had failed by, say, a neck, the stewards would have dealt with her owner. The reversal of form would have been practically as great, with the difference that she did not win. Anyhow, if the V.R.C. stipendiary stewards are going to make “reversal of form” their mainstay in the punishment of wrongdoers, many will escape. The “dead ’un” of to-day will not run again until the interval Is sufficiently great to stand in the way of the stewards reviewing its form, writes “Pilot.” Broken Doll did not share her owner’s disqualification, the rules do not provide for it, but she, as well as everything else nominated by Connolly, forfeits engagements already made.

“Getting Even” In the past few weeks there has been what may be termed an epidemic of interference on the local courses, and for the most part it has been extremely difficult to understand the cause, says the Sydney “Herald.” But incompetence is responsible for a little of the trouble. The stipendiary stewards are commended for making efforts to sheet home the blame to the offending riders, but their task is made difficult by jockeys who adopt the attitude that they are not “policemen.” A Randwick trainer, whose horse, in winning a race recently, interfered with another competitor, is outspoken on the subject. He considers that a considerable amount of the trouble is caused by the jockeys deciding to “get even” in a subsequent event. The trainer referred to ran his horse at Randwick recently. When coming round the turn one of the leaders, so as to increase the task of an opponent that had accompanied him up to that stage, ran wide. Doing so, the trainer’s horse shot up near the rail; then the rider of the leader evidently anticipating danger from the horse that had taken the opening, veered his mount to the rails again, and the other horse was knocked back several lengths. It so happened that the rider of the pacemaker had served his apprenticeship with the trainer in question, but he received just as severe a “talking to” as if he was still under the trainer’s care.

Not Only in Paris The “Horse and Hound s'’ Paris racing scribe said there was an unusual incident in the paddock at Le Tremblcy on May 2, when a spectator went up to Allemand, Mr. Wittouck’s jockey, while he was talking to trainer Charlier just before mounting, and said to him: “Allemnnd, are you trying?” On the spur of the moment Allemand struck the offender across the face with his whip. At one moment there looked like being an ugly scene, but the jockey was quickly mounted, and nothing more happened. Notwithstanding the individual deserved what lie got, he announced that he intended to take legal proceedings against the jockey. The writer added that th» questioning of jockeys, owners and trainers by persons who had no right to do so, or very little acquaintance with the persons whom they addressed, was becoming much too common at Paris racecourses. Paris has no monopoly of this state of affairs.