NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1007, 23 December 1910, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

IBi Glekcoe.] '

'. The,following are. tho probable starters and their riders in'tho Auckland Gup, to be' l run on Monday;.next:— Horse .and weight. ... Jockey.- - . •Diabolo, .Bst. l3lb,- C. Jenldhs. Bridge, Bst. 111b; . . H. Gray. Sedition,. Bst. 21b. - . A." Julian - Koj)u, : 7st. 101b. - T.-O'Brien. 1 Waimahgu, 7st. 91b. J. Conquest ■' Sir Prize, Tst. 31b. :F. Coleman. - Paisano, 7st.*.llb. J. Buchanan. John, 7st,. C. Brown. • Advocate, 7st. ■ :B. Decley. Manapouri, Cs£. 01b. R. E.'Brown. ' Prophet, Gst. 91b. J. Morris. ~ . Goldfindtr, Gst. 71b. ' C. Emerson;

The ...Christmas racing- carnival .will coihincnco at Awapuni to-day, when the Fifth Palmerston North Stakes will be , decided. Several horses - figure on the card that will not soo the post, and,', at • the most, there will probably be about seven rimncrj. The Highden-owiied PolyUnbrphous promises to start favourite but •he will meet ivith warm • opposition from Deafest," Madam Madcnp,' Penates, • and Sunburnt. This race has .been productive .of jomo good'contests iii. past years, and to-day's event 'should tie- no exception to.-the' rule. . - -

, ,i Prd'ceodings at Awapuni. will bo opened with-.the Trial 'Plate,' in which a 1 very .moderate lot will oppbso' The ;'ftovei l and /Allurement-'The former showed winning : fofm it .Wobdville, .'but'.the conditions of thp' Tfice will necessitate .-his presenting mare with 111b. \The latter. ' has' run:.most consistently of late, and, •with C.' Emerson in'the saddle, she should , malic .another good showing- to-day.

In the Handicap most : of the Cup , candidates will be givon a gallop :n .public.' Sir Aiitrini showed up prominently behind Lady Medallist fpr .a toile.'in the .Wanganui. Stakes, and, since then/ he'has won at Masterton. If at •his best form, he will be .a . very hard horse to.beat to^lay.

I.n .the-.Tiritea; Handicap, of five- furlongs, Nanmai meets 'Warsorig on 81b. better;' tertas than when thß latter defeated- him at Woodville, and, at tlio difference in ; weight?, tho pair should finish .closer', together. •

B.6tH-hack races have filled well, and tho dub should have q successful day. :Tlie/black horse' Warsong is engaged in bvo events at Awapuni.' to-day. . Mr. Lowr}"s cast-off is one of tho sort' that love: tj>' hear their feet rattle, and, if the ROing-.is firm to-day, he will be seen under favourable circumstances. . The fact that 'He makes a noise 'will probably lead tq. his; being started in the shorter, distance.':.

Inthe Railway Handicap at Ellerslio on.'Msnday, Salute will. b» ■ tho mount or Pi . Brady, while other leading riders hire, contracted as follow :—C.. Jenkins (Gipsy' Belle); J. Buchanan (Turbine).; H. Gray''.'.('Pcrli d'Or); C. Emerson (Tenterhook) ;:F. Coleman (Sir Prize); B. Deelcv (Tamain'upo).

People often wonder why it is that tomb" I like tlio Now Zealand Ciip and -tho Ari<ikland Cup, which carry .£2OOO in prize money, attract such comparatively small-fields. . Probably;tlio answer is to be found in the fact that it costs a good round sum' to land a horse at the post for such an event.•. As an example, one might-cito the case of a Wellington horse starting in tile Auckland .Clip. First,.of all.-, the.-,nomination .and accept-,

while, the cost of railing a horsf to Ellorslie is J£9. Added'.'to this, there is the fare of an attendant, something like ,£3, tho jockey's fee (£a losing' mount), and a dozen other incidental expenses, which bring the sum to well over .£4O;, without considering tho cost of the animal's special preparation, and maintenance. Altogether, an owner requires, a fairly long purse and a deal of courage to invest a fow pounds 011 his liorso when it comes to the' actual race. . '.- It'is probable that tho field for the Auckland ■ Railway - Handicap will thin oilt somewhat .before next Monday. Three, of the, candidates;, Wauchope, Tanminupo, r.nd Tanekaha, claim other, engagements on the same day. and.' two, other candidates, Tenterhook a'ltd Countermine, aro members of tho same'stable. . With the curtailing of racing, days under the new Gaming Act, 'Owners will' now find it unprofitable, to -raco many of the poorer-quality horses that,. :n the past, liavo been persevered .with. . .In almost every .largo team.;the majority; of the animals are-'not "capable..of winning a decent handicap, but'trainers linvo been, able to.satisfy . their patrons by-placing, these second-raters where, they could,.win. —especially at holiday time during- the, 'clashing, of dates. As the small,,meetings pass out of existence, so will- tile scconu-rato racehorse pass from ,the.-rac-ing; stable to find some other occupation. The. uncertainty of tho sport'of racing 'is once more exemplified in the case of the ■ Auckland Cup. , One of the well-back'ecl candidates after > 'the, declaration of., the weights wais Advocate, who,,however, has beon-gradually drifting out of the betting, whilo, the actual favourite; .up till tho present week;;.was. Kopu. Yesterday's telegrams from 'Auc'brland bring unf.avourable reports of both; those, candidates, and, even'if Ivopu is. able to start on Monday, next, it does not appear very likely that he will maintain his place'in. the betting.. : 'V;

A Press Association telegram: > , from Auckland States vthat' •Advocate-., was seratclied for the .Auckland ; Gup at 3.20 p. 113. -yesterday

J.'Wattie, who. rode Tcmpleton to vie-: tory in .the Auckland Cup of 1871, .'is still 4t Ellerslie,- and is lookiupr after Waimangu, one of ; the,candidates - for "liis year's race. i;i: '

A catalogue of'. the "Wdikanae yearlings, to bo Sold -by auction on January 24, has come to hand. .lTburtcen lots arc catalogued, seven by Achilles, two by Charlemagne 11, three by Kilcheran, buo by Sylvia. Park, and one. by Multifid. Mr.' C. Morso has . 'recently purchased .the. three-year-old gelding by Birkenhead' from Agony, and the horse "will shortly join F. Porter's team.

B. Nioh'olls .recently. placed Starboard in training again at Stratford, and this traiiier has also in. work The" Officer geldinglothair and the steeplechaser'Otus.. .'.Trotting' enthusiasts will be able'..to attend a meeting near fit hand next week as the Hutt Valley Trotting Club's fixture is to be held at Petono on Monday and Tuesday next. \

.The Auckland horse Solus will be among, the' competitors at tho Taranaki and Stratford meetings during the next fortnight. -, f ' :

: At: a. meeting of the Taranald Metropolitan Committee on Wednesday the disqualification was removed from' 'Leonard Kemp (who appeared before the committee), for haring ridden at Miramar tinregistered meetings during the year 1908, •and a jockey's license "was granted to him. -..

The hurdler Continuance has been showing: excellent form-on tho Ellerslie tracks, and is cxpecteu to run, well at the Auckland Racing'. Club's meeting. •

Coolstream, the Cordon Rouge gelding who paid such a sensational dividend .at . the last Waverley meeting, recently went ■lanie, and -lias been turned but near Stratford (says the Hawera "Star").. Mr. W. Gyde,_ who owns him, intends moving to the Waikatu in, tho near future, ; and wilktako tho horse with:him when he goes. : ' : ■

RACING FIXTURES.

Dec." "23, 26, and . 27—-Manawatti'-B.C. Summer. ■Dec.-2G and 27—Dunedin J.C. Rummer.' Dec. 20 and 27—Taranaki J.C. Christmas. Dec."2G,-29, and Jan. : 2 and 1 3—Auckland R.C. Summer. Dec. 2S—Aslihurst-Pohangina. R.C. Annual. Jan. 2 and 3—Wairarapa'R.C. Summer. Jan. 2 and 3—ltangitikei R.C. Summer.