NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[By Glkkcoi.]

The Wingatni meeting will be brought to'a close to-day, when the principal event will be tho Jockey Club Handicap, of one mile and a quarter. Tho Champagne Stakes winner, Brown Owl, along with Bon Ton, Star Dancer, and Martine, were brought back to Riccarton last evening, and will iiot.be seen out at Wingatui today.

Odessa got galloped, on, and his heel badly cut, in tho Anniversary Handicap at Wingatui on Thursday, and on arrival home ho,is to bo given a light dose of physic and spelled.

In the Hurdles at Dunedin to-day Gold Bird has been awarded I.lst. 01b., or nearly 2st. more than he started with at the beginning of tho meeting.

It is understood that if a suitable offer is forthcoming for the Loveshot. gelding, he will not bo brought back to tho Hutt.

Just-after the start of the Champagne Stakes at Dunedin, May Dalrymple, ridden by R. Hatch, ran across Brown Owl and caused her to lose ground. The matter wris reported to tho stewards, who found that Hatch was guilty of carelessness in the handling of his mount, and tiiied him £2.'

Ngatapa, runner-up to Star Dancer at Wingatui on Thursday, is the bay colt by St. Ambrose, from Ambush, that Mr. i. B. Reid sent to Sydney for the autumn sales. The colt failed to find a purchaser, and was trained at Randwick on account of his ownor. Subsequently he was brought back to tho Dominion ami handed to.Mr. Hobbs at Riccarton. He has grown into a nice colt, and has a lot of pace, but so far docs not seem to stay.

Mercedo, who is engaged in the Hurdles at Dunedin to-day, carries tho colours of Mr. 11. I''. Nichol, of Ashburton. He is bv Welbeck (a natural jumper;,' from Yautiloid. Ho is a bold fencer, and gains lengths at each hurdle, but he is u very hard puller, and generally knocks himself out before the end of his racos. Tho distance in to-day's race, however, will suit him better than on Wednesday, and > what is more, ho will bo meeting a lot ot tired horses.'

Another newcomer in tho field is Fisticuff, who will be making his first appearance in a hunllo race. He is said to bo a good jumper in private, but exporienco is always necessary to win hurdle races. Tho Nelson weights are due on Monday next.

After tho first day of the Woodville meeting, B. Deeley hastened back to Hamilton, and was riding at the South Auckland meeting yesterday. The local owner (Mr. H. Whitney), whoso colours have been meeting with much success lately, has a largo team engaged at the Nelson meeting next month.

Lourdes, winner of the Railway Plate at Wingatui, is an Australian-bred filly owned by Mr. J. B. Reid, but held on lease bv the Riccarton trainer, A. M'Aulav. Prior to leaving for the south'the tilly finished in front of Autumnus in- a gallop over five furlongs, and as a •result was backed with great confidence to defeat Naumai in tho race she won. One of the unluckiest horses racing in the south is undoubtedly Gold Sail. Had it not been for nearly running off the course in the Publican?' Handicap, the Versailles gelding would have defeated Tannhauscr. His owner's ill-luck pursued him «n the second day, when Lourdes onlv defeated him by a head, and that after the runner-up had got badly away.

The V.A.T.C. will continue their meetin? at Caulfield to-day, when the principal event will be the Otulheli! Futtiritv- Stakes, of 2000 sovs. Seveu furlongs, for age. The New Zealand-bred Gladsome won the race on two occasions and carried 9st. 13lb. when she was victorious in IMG. This is tho. highest weight- over curried to victory in the race. .

Although Gold Bird has been raised a further IMb. for his victory on Thursday, he will probablv start favourite inthe hurdle race at Wiiigntui to-day. as the distance is shorter. -inoU Ashore and Htrcodc will jjrobablj make tho Walling-

ton candidate do hi? very best if ho is to' register his third win. The Cornel, who filled third placo in both the IJuuedin Cup and Anniversary Handicap, is engnged in the Jockey Club Handicap to-day with Tst 21b., and should be well suited by tho distance. In the Anniversary Handicap on Thursday he was last to leavo the mark, and at'the finish was going quit© as well as the winner.

Safety Pin, who ran unplaced in the Gladbrook Handicap on Wednesday when well supported did not sport silk on the second day of the meeting,, but will bo produced in tho Warhold Handicap this afternoon, lie is a bay gelding by Terrapin frnin that good mare Diidu, and has a reputation for being smart on the tracks.

When Effort finished so brilliantly in the six furlong race on Thursday it made if appear as if she would havo won the big mile handicap had her trainer elected to start her in that event in preference to the sprint, for she would certainly have won the latter if there had been, another half furlong to cover. The gallop is calculated to improve her, and today she will bo a competitor in tho Winga'tui Handicap, in which the distance is seven furlongs.

The jockey (G. Whoeler) who waß injured when Black and Brown fell in the Hurdle Raco at Wingatui on Wednesday, was still in a semi-conscious condition in the Dunedin Hospital yesterday.

Tlvreo wins out of as many starts is tho remarkably fino record representatives of the imported horso Sir Laddo put up at the Woodville meeting. Although his stock have been slow making a name for their siro it is not surprising they can both gallop fast and stay, as he is beautifully bred by Sir Hugo—Golden Moments, by Sheen—Memoir, by St. Simon —Quiver—Sir Solo, the only double winner at Woodvillo, and was bred by the Manawatu Stud Company.

When Bally Shannon ran second in the race on the second day of the Woodville meeting hepaid the biggest dividend at the meeting. The only other double figure dividend at the meeting was Altcar, who created a surprise in the Shorts Handicap on the second day. He was evidently short of a gallop. In the following race backers sent Missile out a hot favourite but he shaped no better than on tho previous day.

Mr. R. H. Skipwith'has been appointed starter to the Otaki Maori Hacing Club.

The St. Ambrose horse Puaka, recently taken to Melbourne by Maurice M'Grath, has been sold to 15. A. Connelly, owner of Gunboat.- M'Grath will continue to train the horses named. He recently added to his Caulfield team a gelding named Powder Fox, by Menschikoff, owned by T. Wilson, who formerly raced Wnikaraka, The Stake, and Splendid Idea in the Dominion.

Mr. Knox did not have Sir T\nox handicapped on the second day of tho Woodville meeting.

Lord Renown and Asternoun, winner and runner-up in the Scurry at Woodville, were both bred by Mr. George Hunter, M.l\ Lord Renown is from Stepdaughter, by Stepniak, and Asternoun is from Aster by Aprcmout—Planet.-

Mr. Giblin, who came to the Dominion in search of horses, returned to Victoria recently without making any purchases. The big prices put on horses, considered canablo of winning a race on the other side, was a bar to business.

Sir-Knox has won the last three mile and a quarter handicaps ho started in. His dam, St. Lcger—Cantiniere, is full-sister to Woodstock, who was trained by the late Mr. George Wright, and won the Napier Cup and other races.