NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1386, 12 March 1912, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

[Br Gtixooj.l At the yearling sales held at Melbourne early this month, tho Positano—-Tragedy Queen filly, half-sister to Comedy King, ,was passed in at 1100 guineas. Mediterranean, Aema, and Mt. Victoria will be shipped to Nelson on Friday next, in charge of H. Pritchard. Tho horses will bo ridden in their engageJnonts by T. Pritchard. , Tho Kilcheran. colt, Ireland, who was sent to Sydney some'few weeks back, has been entered for tho Rawson Stakes, a weight-ier-age event over nine furlongs, at Hosehill, on March 23. The company which Mr. Watfs colt will meet is somewhat formidable, and includes Malt King, Lady Medallist, Cisco, and Desert Rose, but, if "dressed in his beat," Ireland should bo found equal to holding his own. Trafalgar's brilliant performances in woight-for-ago events this autumn make it apparent that the grandson of C'arbino is now lietter than ever ha was. It is difficult to understand why he was taken out of tho Australian Cup, in which ho had' 9st.' 121b., and would certainly havo (started favourite.. It is s -harder still to understand how ho missed tho last two Melbourne- Cups;" •■ The match for £500 aside, which took place at Flemington-on Saturday between Wolawa. and Tadanga, evidently originated over the running of the Ascot Vale Stakes on tho second day tho meeting.' In this race, Wolawa won, with Tadanga (who had o. lOlb. penalty) in second place. On Saturday the pair met nt even weights, .with only tho. sexual allowance- between them. Judged from tho tim'o v p"Oint'of',viow'(lmin; lajsec), it nppcars'as if tho pair-had-a walk-up start but, if not, then Wolawa is.undoubtedly smart, and will havo to be reckoned-with at Derby time. • . ... Were he in anything like his best form, Maori-King could bo depended upon to make an exhibition o£. tho poor-,lot opposed to : him in tho Flying Handicap at Napier on- Wednesday, but,, as Aborigine's brother has just completed'a - season'at tho-stud, it tan-hardly bo. expected that lie will bo seen at anything liko top form. . . Mis 3 . Augusta, Master Kilcheran, Evadno, G'ullirian, and Mimgaroa, winners at Dannevirke, havo incurred penalties :at the Napier Cup meeting, which open on Wednesday. . : /..'! Anyone, who imagined that Red Lupin's win on the first day of tho Wnnganui Jockey Club's meeting was just a lucky happening, would probably think otherwise after seeing the Lupin pony shape bo well on tho second day. The merit of his performance is furtner emphasised by tho subsequent success of several of tho horses which finished behind. Of these. Sea Queen won the Dannevirke Cup, while Golden Loop succeeded in the Autumn Handicap there, and Miscal ran two creditable seconds. "jA writer in a Sydney exchange sajs:— "A little while back I referred to the anomaly of our Derbies ond Legcrs being open to geldings, notwithstanding that the _ liberal endowment of thoso particular 'races was ostensibly with a view to improvement of our blood stock. Now tho Australian Jockey Club has fallen in lino yiiih tho English Jockoy Club, and, commencing with 1913, geldings will be debarred., from competing , in Derbies • at Randwick. Opinions will naturally differ as to whether the moyo is'a wiso one, for though it may be pointed out that it is not fitting that unsoxed animals should bo given an opportunity of winning a Derby, the change may, on tho other hand, lead to a marked and altogether undesirable increase in the number of stallions in this State." Tho Now Zealand-bred Ngaruahoo won a race in Melbourne on February 28, beating a strong favourite in Honeywood. S. O'Neill, the Now Zealand jockey, who, after being disqualified for several years, was recently granted u license in Melbourne, hod , the mount on Bright Mist _ in a steeplechase at Mentono a fortnight ago. The stewards held an inquiry into tho running of Bright Mist, who finished second. The explanation given was accepted. The Traqnair colt, who .realised 1300 guineas at tho Melbourne yearling sales on March 4, traces back to Wood Dove, the. dam of that useful performer Wandin. . Devon, who won the Civil Service Cup at the Luoknow spring meeting on February 3, is a Now Zenlnnd-b-rwl mare by Soult from Gaiety Girl. A couplo of ■lays later at the same meeting, Devon was backed in a big field for the ToinSs Cup. but was beaten by Southern Cross, a .Marc who is credited with being Australian bred. Wallace, who will be 20 year 3 of age next August, was again in evidence on Saturday last at Flemington (says the "Eefereo"). Wallace's sons and daughters have shown themselves good at all ages. Sheriff Muir made his third winner of the V.R.C. Sires' Produce Stakes within the- past five years, while Wilari is his fourth St. Leger winner, Scottish King in 1901 being his first. F..T.A., Lady Wallace, Mountain King, and Wilariarehia Victoria Derby winners; while Mother Goose credited him with a Maribyrnong Plato; Emir and Trafalgar, tho Champion Stakes; Beanba, Eed Streak, Lady Wallace and Wilari tho V.B.C. Oaks; Scotland and Quen o' Scots tho Newmarket Handicap; Emir, Charles Stuart, Sunny South, and Wolawa, the Ascot Vale Stakes; Heloise, Scotland, Orvioto, the V.A.T.C. Debutant Stakes; Kinglike and Lady Wallace tho Caulfield Guineas; Bonnie Chiel tho Toorak Handicap; Ailrous and Blairgour the Caulfield and Futurity Statoj Ited Streak and

True Scot tho Bagot Handicap; Blnirgour fcho Oakloigh Plato; Troytowu tho Adelaide-Cup; Mountain King tl\o A..T.C. Derby; Emir, Lady Wnllaco, and Mountain King tho A.J.C. St. Lcger; Charles Stuart tho A.J.C. Champagno SUikes; and Trafalgar tho Sydney Cup, in addition to most of the principal w.f.a. races in Sy<}noy and Melbourne. So far 'Wallace has not been credited with either a Caulfield, Australian, or a Mefuourno Cup, but bis record in connection with big ra«3 is remarkable, in view of tho fact that ho has never served more than thirty mares in a season. FIXTURES. March 13 and H—Napier Park R.C. Autumn. March 18—Opunako R.C. Annual. March 20 and 21—Nelson J.C. Annual. March 28 and 29—Mastorton .T.C. Autumn. April 0 and B—Wairarapa R.C. Autumn. April 6 and B—Auckland K.C. Autumn. April B—Waipukurau J.C. Annual. April B—Patea E.C. Annual. April 8 and 9—Canterbury J.C. Autumn. April 8 und 9— Foilding J.C. Easter. April 8 and 9—Riverton R.C. Easter. April 17 und 20—Wellington R.C. Autumn. April 2t and 25—Manawatu R.C. Antumn. May 1 and 2—Marlborough E.G. Autumn. May 1 and 2—Hawko's Bar J.C. Autumn.