NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1302, 4 December 1911, Page 3

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[Bt Gle.vcoe.] Sir George Clifford's team for rho'Aucfc" land Racing Club's summer meeting will nrobably consist of Masterpiece, Counterlcit, Autunmus, Winning Wav, and Avarice. F. Woottou is going out to India to ride Pnneo Rupert in the Viceroy's Cup. Woottou's prospective mount is a staunch favourite for jlio race.The Ricearton trainer, R.. Longlcy, ha« returned the jumper Whito Cockado to his-owner, Mr. J. Westermaa. White . Cockade can gallop very fast over fences, but he is .more or less.unsound, and consequently is of'little use'at this time of tho - year. The acceptances received for the Auck- • i-ii T aro wry satisfactory, and there is; still hopo that tho big two-mile event wjlivprovo a good race. Tho Ricearton contingent includes Los Angeles, Miss Mischief, Prim, and Sir Geo. Clifford's rrair of classic winners, Masterpieco and Counterfeit. Whether both of tho lastnamed pair will start is not known, but it appears likely that they will, for it is stated that each of. them has been, solidlv supported with Equitas for tho Railway Handicap, and this by peoplo who usuallv know what they are.doing. Trainer L l . flits' has had considerable trouble with: the Oaks winner, and, last week, she was still .wearing a leather bnadiijo on her split .hoof:' Miscount, at'latest-advices was pleasing his trainer, and can bo depended' upon to see the post, .and so too, can- Mendip, who exhibited solcndid form on the second day-at Feikling—this after getting anything but the best of passages, . His finishing run, when .Hatch called on him to cut down Bliss, was a splendid, one, but whether he is n real stayer is another question. He has won nn.'t-o twelve furlong?, but lias consistently "failed over a longer course. Mr. E. .1." Walt has paid up tor both Cheddar and Midnight.Sun, but recent, form points to tli» latter, as being the bettor of- the pair. Bellah i« being given a special prepara.iou for this race at Grenimeadows. aud, as he-showed staying ability a.s'a two-year-old, he may bring oO' a surprise. lii tho concluding event at Foihlin; Mr. Ixiwrv's colt iinishml .very fast, and, gave the impression that, had the race been run over a longer course, ho would have had a-wiiming chance. He' is in the Woodville Handicap next Saturday, and, consequently, an opporlnnitv will be given him of bearing out this statement. Tho Auckland division is a fairlv strong one, and several of its representatives should bo on Hand when the whips am brought out on Basing Day. Waimangu. last year's winner, was supposed to lio fortunate in scoring, but shrewd judge* state this was not really so. Boxing will prove the correctness or otherwi>o ot this. Domino and Maxwell are both in the first (mloctions of backers, and appear to be able lo hold their own. Many racegoers am of opinion that ono way to make money on the turf is to follow tho mounts of some jockey or other. Well,'at (ho end of any sca-soii there aro verv few ioekevs who repay followinr. ■and despite F. Wootton's marked success in England this year, it is no certainty that a profit.would result fr Pm a sovereign on each of his mounts. During the week prior to the departure of the latest English mail-ho rode eight winners, but backers of his mounts at ,C 1 a race wound up losing. ■ . lodged by his form at Feildiug, First Battery hna only to have the going to hi* liking, and lie will bo able to tako hl-i place in the best Colds., 'i'he.littlo chcslnut son of, Field Battery, who stripped remarkably well, scored in tho most decisive fashion in the St. Andrew's Handicap, and was a winner any time from tho passing of the milo. ' .Weights for the Mastertfln meeting will bo declared on or before December 12. Nominations for the Marton .Tocker. Club's summer meeting close- on Friday next. ■ . Nominations for tho Wairaraya Racing Clubs meeting also close on Friday next. It was givcn--out that-the Queensland owner, Mr. A. B. Nagel, did not intend to,allow Bright T.addio to do anv more, racing after the Q.T.O. November meeting, Iml; (he name. of the Avr Laddie, horso appears in the vaWv m the winner of Ihe Summer Cun a( Brisbane. Bright Laddie is eventually denied for stud duty at his owner's "place but. he is in such n eliu-s of his own' among the Queensland raeohorsw, (hat i; would N« folly to retire him from reri-ir yet, and (lint is probably whv Mr. Ni- M has altered his plans.