TURF TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1917, Page 8

TURF TOPICS.

(By '■Moturoa.") When the Taranaki Jockey Club set about the job of appointing a jhandieapper for the season 1910-17' this scribe penned a warning note, pointing out that in considering the many applicants' claims for the position due regard should be paid to the possibility of' the- ballot upsetting the club's choice. Of course all sorts of unkind things were said about "Moturoa," and this scribe wishes it to be understood that this paragraph is not written in vindictive mood, Things have turned out as forecasted, the club's handicapper, Mr. H, Coylc, lias been called in lhi» week's ballot. Mr. Coylo, with commendable promptness, placed himself in the hands'of the Medical Board, He passed, and goes into camp next month. The Taranaki Jockey Club and Egmont Racing Club wi|l have to call for fresh applications, and it is (.o be hoped they wil] be more ''happy" in their choice next time. Whfii the Minister for Railways states that racing folk should not bo* catered for in any way, the. racing public takes it that he means what he says,-and makes arrangements accordingly. The train that left Wanganui for Marton at 7 a.m. yesterday was, for some unaccountable reason, heavily reinforced, but the public were not ''biting." Past experience of the scrambling and bustle for tickets, and the subsequent overcrowding of race trains, caused the majority of sporting folk to book seats in cars or motor lorries. As it turned out. a long string of practically empty carriages pulled out of Wanganui yesterday, while every motor conveyance, of modern or ancient type, was quickly rushed. Whoever is responsible for railway muddles such as the above deserves all the advertisement this paper can give him, Reverting to the motor traffic, every decent ear in Wanganui, Palmerston, Feilding and surrounding hamlets were fully booked up weeks before the Marton meeting, thus causing the railway department \o lose much good revenue, and the varipus road boards to, suffer •much expense by the extraordinarily heavy traffic on the roads. Several cars went through from Xow Plymouth; while Tnglewood, Stratford, ILiwera, Palea and Waverloy motors were as thick as peas. Numerous motor lorries, each carrying up to fifty passengers, made the trip, and the crowd that assembled on the Marton racecourse was probably a record one—with no thanks to the railways, which are alleged to belong to the public and to be there for the publi; benefit.' Mattock, who showed up attractively at .Marton yesterday, is an aged gelding by Martello, Last season he started on only nine occasions, and his record reads: Three first, two seconds, and four times unplaced. He scored at the Manawatu and Woodlands Hunt Club meetings, and won the Bracelet at the Marton spring meeting last year. In that event he heat Golden March, Lord Nelson, St. Gate, Silenus, and others. Mattock's seconds were to Kurapai, in the Ladies' Purse at Masterton; and to Miss Sation (to whom he was conceding 131b), in the Ladies' Purse at the Egmont Winter meeting. In most of his races he has been capably handled by his owner, Mr. J. H. Gaisford. Met a chap who blew down to Marton in a motor lorry, and was having a bad run "picking them." This is how he, described it: "Got shaken to pieces coming down; and, now that I'm here, the pieces are getting shaken to atoms!" They were not easy to pick.