NOTES AND.COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1294, 24 November 1911, Page 5

NOTES AND.COMMENTS.

[BY GLEXCOE.]

Ownors are reminded that, nominations for the Taranaki Jockey Club's Christmas meeting close to-night, with tho secretary, Mr. E. P. Webster, Now Plymouth. . Nominations for the Manawatn Racing Club's Summer meeting close at 10 o'clock to-night with the secretary, >lr. J. M. Johnston, Palmerston North.

A. Wliittaker will ride Domino in he Auckland Cup, L. Morris will havo the mount on Maxwell in the same race, ami .'I. Conquest will again act as pilot loi Wnimangu. Tho Great Northern Guineas winner. General Latour, is in keen demand tor tho Auckland Cup. but two Auckland horses (hat have been backed for moro money are Soultoria and Sedition. Mr. J. I!. M'Donnld's Aotea, who has been retired from the racing .track lot some little time, is now distinguishing himself iu the hack classes at. the^ynru u, A. and I'. shows. At the J aranaki show, just concluded, lie added further to Ins recent winning list. It is understood that a buyer has recently been inquiring the price til tlic three-year-old filly Labour Day, but, ? far, no sale is reported. Labour Da> will probablv make her next appearance in the Auckland Cup, and, although 311. Morse lias awarded her ."lb. above weight-for-age,' the general opinion is that, on liiccarton form, she could not have been let off with less.

Jack Dclaval and Gloy are well-backed candidates for the second leg °t double, Auckland Cup and Kailwa\ Handicap. H. Cutts is expected from the south this morning with Autumnus and Avarice, who are engaged at the 1-eliding meetin o . It is rumoured here (says "Our telegraphing from Hastings' that, the success of the imported stallions Blrtfnhead and Hvracttus has so pleased tnt Hon. J. D. Ormond that ho has been tempted to exploit the English once again, in a few days tho purchase of one of the most successful sires in inland is likely to be announced as secured on behalf of the Karamu breeder. Tho Hastings mare Fleptweek is doing satisfactory work, and will be j 1 runnel at Feilding next week. She will be ridden by E. Lowe, who is also engaged to steer Kauparaha in the St. Andrew rf Handicap. As A. White has left to take up his position of private trainer to Mr. C. J. I'nrker at Gisborne, the Waipawa tracks are now deserted, and no horses are in work there. On the neighbouring course, at Waipukurau, C. Miller has four horses iu work belonging to the Native sportsman, Mr. Urupu. A. Unssett, who used to rac« Millennial, has two youngsters in work on tho samo track.

J. Sullivan has shifted his team from Ashhurst, and is now training at »\oodvillc. Ono of his ebargos, Windage, recently hroko down, and has been returned to bis owner at Foxton.

■A Svdnev weekly states that it is > nl " probable tliere is auything in the rumBar as to Trafalgar's immediate retirement. He has gone on a holiday, but in a few weeks lie will bo sent back to Flemiugton. He is r(ui(e sound, and while it is too late to send him to too stud this season, there will be plenty of time to prepare him for next season nfter ho has competed in the w.f.a. rates at I'lemington and Randwick in March and April. The odds are in favour of his winning another thousand or so in thoso months, and the Messrs. Mitehel laro unlikely to mis 3 tho opportunity. Since the commencement of the current season Trafalgar lias earned his owners .£'2237 in prizo-money. In some comments on the Cesarewitcli an English writer says:—"Ante-post betting is rapidly dying out, and it is no longer possible for an owner to bring off a coup at a long shot, such as wero accomplished in days gono by. Kor aro horses put aside and kept in waiting two or three years for this special event. Thcro are so many tempting prizes that owners aro glad to make hay while the sun'shines, and by the time the weights have been compiled for (he autumn handicaps tho form of the horses is pretty well exposed."

Gold Brew, the winner, of tho Maribyrnong Plate, and Wilari, tho V.R.C. Derby victress, come from the 0110 family, Their respective dams, Diffidencc and Murna, are half-sisters, the ■ first-named being by Pilgrim's Progress; and the other by Haul Brion from Etra Weenie, who was also the dam of that good hor&s Mcrriwee. The pair trace back to Sappho, and are, in consequence, not eligible for the Stud Book. A horse similarly placed was the Melbourne Cup winner Newhaven.

The_ Y.K.C. committee, in an effort at checkin',' the foul riding lately indulged in 011 Melbourne courses, had stewards •stationed at -arious parts of the eonrsc during each raco at Flewiugton,' with c view to detecting offenders. In addition, all tho jockeys wero lectured before the racing commenced. However, despite all these precautions, tho South Australian light-weight. Bax, offended in such a way in the initial event on the programme that his riding license was cancelled for the rest of the day. Something of the sort is needed in New Zealand. Here, however, it is not exactly foul riding, but carclessr.ess, or to be nearer the mark, incompetence. A lot of the apprentices indulge i;i tho dangerous practice of chopping under the necks of other runners immediately their mounts get iiieir 11030 in front. There is a rule regulating the distance when a horse should close over, so why nto enforce.it? Perhaps, when some horse and rider have been capsized by another "duckim:'' under the animal's neck tho rule will bo enforced.