NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 264, 31 July 1908, Page 3

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

; [Br Glencoe.] ; The racing season ends to-day. The Victorian Amateur Turf Club's mooting opens at Caulficld to-morrow. The Dominion new season opens with tho Woodland Hunt Club meeting next Wednesday. Percy Johnson is bringing Kiatero and Paritutu ,from New Plymouth next Monday. i Both horses are held in high respect for their Riccarton engagements. Letlerin is not going to tlio_ Grand National! mooting. Clarencc O'Neill, who had been engaged to rido the Lethe gelding, will therefore bo open for another engagement. The, brood mares, Monarda (Birkenhead— Balm) and Kitchenmaid (Soult —Lady Cuisine), i were shipped to Lyttelton last night. Both are to visit Clanranald at Stonyhurst. Mr. G. Payne, owner of Idealist, returned to <.Christchurch on Wednesday. As J. Fryer will be engaged at tho Fleet meeting during Grand National week, Lingerer was takon to Christchurch in charge of C. Millen. The Apromont gelding is to bo ridden in the south by C. Cochrane. The Grafton maro Truce went, sore after a gallop early in the weok, and was scratched for all engagements. As there was a chance of: her breaking down, sho will not be persevered with, but will- be sent to tho stud. A Shearsby -took Aorangi and Vasa to Riccarton last night. The former is to_ fulfil his engagement in the Grand National 'Hurdles, and will bo ridden by H. Cairns. Climax has gone sore, and - may have to bo spelled. This is rather hard luck for his .trainer, as the gelding had been jumping 'well and thero appeared to be a good chance of his winning a hurdle race in tho spring. Seaman has been withdrawn from tho Winter Cup, and G.'Price will ride Landwern. Showman and Mooslien arrived • from Waverloy yesterday, and wero shipped south. The first-named is engaged in tho Grand ■National Hurdles and Mooshen will tako part ,in tho minor steeplechases. ■ Aucklanders say /that the day Le Beau won the Maiden Steeplechase -at Takapuna no horse in Now Zealand could have',beaten him. Tho Lcolantis gelding seems to have gone off since that meeting , Lyrist, who/is now owned by Messrs.' Bowen and Corrigan, of Hawera, is said tq have improved out of all knowledge during the last two months, and there is now every probability of bis developing into a useful hurdler. Pearlie has just, been taken in hand again by : her owners, who have also a Conquoror filly in work. ' Bookmakers will bo licensed to bet at tho •Woodlands- Hunt Club meeting next Wednesday,' on payment of a fee of five guineas. . Mussel, who ' raced unsuccessfully at Trent-ham last week, was taken on to Ric-. carton last night. ' ' Additional' handicaps for . tho Canterbury Jockey Club's Grand National Meeting are due to-day. 1 It is said that D. Watt is to-have the rido on Slow Tom in the big steeplechase at Riccarton next month* Compass is getting over the effects of his fall last Saturday, and it,is expected that lie will bo able to fulfil his southern engagements. . . c. The Hawera trainer R. Brough has got Alfalfa ' (Grafton—Korowai) . looking very weir now, .and the filly, should be heard of at . the early spring meetings. Brough also has Kirsty (Sylvia Park—Chrissie),- a. San Fran filly and. a half brother to Ramanui in training. ■ , J. Goddard has five, horses, in work at Hawera. They aro Maniapoto,' Shining Star, Mallet, and a full, brother to Mabaranui. 1 Tho Melbourne trainer, Adam Skirving, is coming to Christchurch to witness tho racing in Grand National week. . A filly by Herod was the first maro to start-for' the Ehglish Derby—in 1781—but the first to be really fancied • was Mr. o,'Kelly's bay filly Scota, by Eclipse. Sho started favourite in 178G, but failed to get a place even, Noble-winning, from Meteor and Claret. Four fillies only- have won the Derby—Eleanor in 1801, Blink Bonny in 1857, Shotovor in. 18S2, and Signorinetta last month. Immolation has done a lot of racing during tho season just closing, and she has filled a place in almost every race in which she has started. Lingerer and Otaraoa, the othor members of J. Fryer's team, both promise to pay their way at the jumping business. During the last couple of meetings held at 'Trentham the Press Stand appears to havo been looked upon as the common property of any spectator who might choose to view the ~raco from that particular stand. At Riccarton and other courses the Press Stand is specially reserved for .Pressmen,. and were a similar course adopted at Trontliam it would make the reporter's task a much easier one.